Today we’d like to introduce you to Sydney Connors.
Hi Sydney, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hello, I am Sydney Connors; everyone calls me ChiChi. I am 29 years old from Cleveland, Oh and I am the CEO of Manifesto Productions LLC and Co CEO of Manifesto Creative and PR Agency. Manifesto is an overall creative agency creating opportunities for all BIPOC (Black, indeginous, people of color) artists, entrepreneurs, and creatives of all genres working to grow and expand their business and artistry. We offer services that provide the artist, entrepreneur or creative with the resources to not only be seen but to also develop themselves in their careers. Manifesto Creative has an annual three-day music and artist development festival called “Manifesto.” Each year we will bridge the gaps between the already established artist and the artist working to establish themselves. This year’s festival will be in Atlanta, GA, on October 15th-17th. Manifesto will involve an award show called “The pantheon awards” honoring iconic black women in music that have paved the way, a conference for artists, entrepreneurs and creatives; where influencers experienced in their careers will give their knowledge, two major concerts bridging up and coming artist with established artists, a sunday service, and an international food fest.
I started planning events when I was in the 5th grade. Mr. Reece’s class. I loved Mr. Reece, the first black male teacher I ever had. It was his birthday and I wanted to have a celebration for him, a thank you for not giving up on me, so I planned an entire pot luck event and surprise party for him and his 65 students and colleagues. It was an amazing turnout beside the fact that I ran out of macaroni and that’s when I learned nothing ever goes right in a production no matter how right it goes. As I got older and got more and more involved with band, choir and theater, I began to grow a true love for performance and music. I love all things productions and arts so I got involved with a program called “Sankofa” a black history play written, directed and curated by the students. In 10th grade, I started off as a background vocalist and by my 11th-grade year, I was writing the entire play and head of the student vocal section of the program.
Going into my senior year, I moved to San Diego, CA, where I began to attend Helix High School. At Helix, I gained not only a huge culture shock but a deeper appreciation for my talents in the arts and creating productions as well as large-scale events. I decided that I would rent out the school theater and write, produce, cast and direct my own play at Helix. It was a huge success and at that moment I promised myself before 30 I would have my own production company. I went to college at Virginia state university for two years then went back home; I began to work as a Director, exec producer and writing teacher for my old shaker heights high school program “Sankofa,” fell in what I thought was love had two kids and started working at a hospital when I realized my happiness was in the arts.
In 2017, I began to attend Ohio media school where I wanted to gain more knowledge about radio and production. I quickly excelled starting my own radio show highlight underground up and coming artists, I realized the lack of performance opportunities in the city and decided to throw an event called “The Vibes,” where I invited 15 artists to perform in a dance studio that my team and I reinvented with vendors, DJs, lights and vibes. The event was a success but my motivation was crushed when I broke even instead of profiting. I lost friends and learned a lot of lesson, I almost gave up on myself, but instead I continued to plan something even bigger called “Manifesto” what I wanted to be the “Black Coachella” a three-day black people and black music celebration.
In April 2018, I ran into one of the team members of the vibe event. We clicked and started a huge movement called “Lemon Pine Drop,” A production company that provided private exclusive events while also giving opportunities to growing and new artists in the city. It was named after a drink he created and I saw the opportunity to use that in our marketing. I grew the social media to 700+ followers in five months. Curated events in malls, mansions, old school buildings, backyards, etc. Took ten plus artists to different cities in the nation where I curated their events and generated them a new fan base. In 2019, I decided to do “Manifesto” with the Lemon Pine Drop Team. Manifesto was set to be at edge water park in July of 2020. We all know what happened in 2020, no need to go back to that, but let’s just say there was no 1st year of Manifesto. I barely survived 2020. In February, I ran into a tree head first because I fell asleep behind the wheel. Then the lockdown happened, and I lost many family members. I also lost my business partner in November when myself and Lemon Pine drop seperated. By the end of 2020, I truly felt alone and like I had sacrificed so much for nothing.
December 2020, I joined the clubhouse app. This app opened a whole nother door for me. I began to do room networking with people I would have never had access to. At the end of December, after a few weeks on the app, I noticed the amount of talent was there experiencing being out of work. I decided to reach out to my best friend of 20 years Brandon Patterson and presented him with a project, turning dreamgirls into an audio play. We ended up having over 20,000 listeners for dreamgirls clubhouse. 4 celebrity-filled casts, write-ups in magazines and blogs, and even more than that, we all gained a long-time family we will never lose, all on an audio app. Manifesto never left my heart or mind throughout this process so I decided to go for it again and launch Manifesto ATL in 2021. I am now running a team of 10 people and growing. This process has taught me that I can do whatever I put my mind to. It taught me my strength and how much I am willing to fight and sacrifice to create a legacy for my children and generations to come. Next year’s Manifesto will be in Cleveland, Oh and Los Angeles, CA. I got here today because I never gave up on my love for the arts or my fight for my community and my legacy. I never stopped, even when all the odds were against me, and as long as I have breath in my body, I never will.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
No, it has not been a smooth road. I am a mother of two; I am bi-sexual; I’m a super stubborn Taurus that only learns when I hit my head really hard. I have lost a lot and I have experienced a lot of heartbreak. But what is the world of a creative without some spice and bumps in the road, right?
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I love Atlanta, with everything in me. It feels like home. My favorite part is the opportunity and the amount of creatives in the city. As well as the knowledge that is there as well. My least favorite thing is the traffic and distance between everything. It seems like I can never be on time.
Pricing:
- Pre Sale Tickets- $90 general – $600 VIP
- New Artist Tour slots-starting at $100
- Vendors slots- $100-$400 VIP
Contact Info:
- Email: Manifesto1133@gmai.com
- Website: www.Manifestoprod.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manifesto.fest https://www.instagram.com/muahchichi_
