- My name is Miatta David Johnson.
I'm founder and CEO of MVD Inc.
- Hi my name is Massah David.
I am cofounder of MVD Inc.
(upbeat music)
- MVD Inc. is a creative agency.
- We've done a lot of pre-awards dinners, or awards events.
Album release events.
- One of the experiences most recently
that people are familiar with us from
is the Wyoming listening event that we did for Kanye West.
I'm a Liberian immigrant.
And my father was the mayor of Monrovia.
So we actually left Liberia after the coup.
- Our parents really, it was what they instilled in us
at, you know, when we moved to the states,
and just in general, that I think really
helped to determine our work ethic.
And the kind of company that we would eventually form.
- I watched my father kind of
build hisself from the ground up.
He went from being the mayor to basically selling shoes,
just to support the family.
And he eventually opened his own business.
And I saw early on what it means to be a entrepreneur.
- We really stand out in this industry
because it is male dominated.
- You don't find a lot of female event producers,
and just a lot of females
in positions of power in our business.
So it's been always extremely challenging
because you're constantly showing
and proving why you belong in the room.
- I think for two women, not just two women
but also siblings, and African American women,
we make it a point to hire other women.
It's rare to see that, especially in this industry,
and just in Hollywood in general.
- One of definitely our funniest, craziest moments,
I would say, in events, is we did an event in New York
not too long ago for (bleeping).
He was brand new but people were excited about him.
- We did it at a art gallery.
And basically the whole vibe of the album was anarchy,
So, you know, the artist wanted to have a vibe
that would be fun, and easy, and his friends
could really just have a good time.
- But we maybe, I would say, maybe six hours
prior to doors opening, we found out
that somebody actually posted the invite
on Twitter (tweeting) and Instagram
to their millions of followers.
- So we basically had all of New York outside.
We start texting the label and everyone.
And turns out one of his friends leaked the invite.
And next thing you know, our door was just bombarded.
- We had to basically scramble,
make sure that we got more security,
let the city know so that we wouldn't get shut down.
It was definitely mayhem.
And my sister was actually on the ground in New York,
and I was in LA.
So I was doing this remotely.
- It got to the point where I had to get behind the bar
and start serving drinks.
Like it was that crazy.
- The event started, it was absolutely insane,
it was chaotic, it was like a old-school
Lower East Side party.
- You know, we got everyone in,
everyone's having a amazing time,
people are drinking, they're vibing.
And the next thing you know, the music turns off.
And I'm running over to the DJ booth,
like why are you turning the music off?
What's going on? (frantic music)
At this point he's definitely tipsy.
He's gone, he's just on cloud nine.
But he's pissed because he thinks
someone stole his cell phone.
- I remember reliving it on social media (tweeting)
'cause I wasn't there so I was looking at the feeds
and watching how he lost his phone at the venue,
and made everybody turn the music off.
- He gets on the mic and he starts cursing.
He's like, I know one of you did it.
And no more party, everyone leave.
Everyone's laughing and ignoring him,
and just pulling out their phones to record it.
He tells someone next to him like, call my phone.
So they call his cell phone, and literally
there was probably about 500 people there,
and we all got quiet.
So everyone's like shh, listening out for the phone.
He calls it. (phone ringing)
We hear it, and he calls it again.
At this point, everyone in the party
is searching trying to find his phone.
Turns out, he forgot that he left it
at the DJ booth under the DJ's backpack.
So he finds it, he throws it in the air.
Everyone loses their minds, screaming.
The music comes back on.
I mean it was just, it was insane.
It was probably one of my favorite events.
- The artist, he still talks about it.
He actually put it in one of his songs.
What I learned is watch over my client's social media
because you sometimes may get surprised
as to seeing your event posted on their social media
before the event even starts.
- I think that event really taught me
that regardless of how much you prepare,
and plan, and think ahead, you just have to be
ready and prepared for the unexpected.
Hi. - hi.
I think that working with siblings,
or working with family gets a bad rap.
When you figure out your rhythm
you have a trusted partner for life.
- Follow your own path.
And regardless of any industry that you go into,
don't try to change and conform
to what people want you to be.
But celebrate what makes you different.
(upbeat music)