Meet Princess Mbanuzue of Beyond the Steps and Beyond Castings in Buckhead

Today we’d like to introduce you to Princess Mbanuzue.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Princess. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I come from a strict Nigerian household. Grow up loving dance and music, it was apart of our culture and customs but never looked at as a career choice. In our family/culture, most people go on to being doctors, lawyers or engineers so becoming a professional dancer or working in entertainment was a far-fetched dream. My parent left and moved to Nigeria when I was 15 but I still wanted to do it the “right way” and go to college, get a degree and then pursue my dreams. So instead, I went off to college on an academic scholarship at the University of North Carolina- Greensboro(UNCG) where I received my Bachelors in Business Studies with a double concentration in Marketing and Entrepreneurship.

During my time at UNCG, I danced for the radio station 102 Jamz, danced for an organization called Couture Productions at North Carolina A&T as well as started a dance organization on my campus called T.R.U.T.H (talent and rhythm united together in harmony). I couldn’t get away from dance and I didn’t want to. I went through a lot in my college years where I had to fend for myself, I had 4 jobs at one time, I had to leave school for a year and a half due to family and financial issues and then my last year, I got a corporate job at American Express and made that my life. After graduation, my office was closed and everyone was laid off. This was absolutely the best thing that could’ve happened to me!!! I always said after graduation I wanted to do something for me and I saved for it.

So I decided to take my severance package and my savings and move to ATL to pursue my dreams of dancing. When I got here, it was rough. I went from being the star dancer to not dancing for 2 years and focusing on work to moving to a city with so many talented individuals that have been in the industry for years. I trained day in and day out, researched all my favorites and tried to make new friends and learn all that I could. There was a lot of trial and error and I yearned for a mentor or just guidance on what the dos and don’ts were in the industry. Long story short, I figured it out along the way and had a pretty solid dance career.

My resume includes Cee-Lo Green, Ne-Yo, August Alsina, T-Pain, Jason Derulo, Tamar Braxton, B.O.B, T.I., Fantasia, Big Boi, Tyler Perry, Empire and more. As I was touring, I learned so much and made lasting friendships with the artist teams and started to tell my friends about my experiences, teaching them how to operate in rehearsals, the importance of photos, image, business etiquette, etc. I felt as if God was calling me to help more than just my friends. I remember when I didn’t know what I was doing and yearned for a mentor or a “how to” manual. I wanted to create that for my peers and others in entertainment so that’s why I created Beyond the Steps.

I wanted to pour in to the new generation, help as many people as I could. I wanted to educate, motivate and inspire people. And creating this platform allowed me to do that. From there, the artist and teams I used to work for would call me to help them find certain talent and I would assist which in turn helped me create Beyond Castings. Sorry I’m so long winded, just wanted to touch on a little of everything lol

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It wasn’t a smooth road but I’ve always been a person that enjoyed the journey more than the destination. I enjoy the process because it allows me to track my progress. I’m also a realist and I know that with any and everything you want you have to fight for it if you really want it. It’s not always easy but with God, faith and work you will be alright. I always tell my clients, we are in a faith-based business. Its more than you on the journey, when the road gets tough, pray!

As a business owner, I go through many obstacles on a day to day basis. The start was rocky because I literally left dance during my peak and so many people didn’t understand why and thought I was crazy to turn down gigs.

Another challenge was changing the mind-frame of everyone who saw me as just a “dancer” to seeing me as a casting director, producer or entertainment consultant. Lastly, turning your peers/friends into clients is always hard so I had to find a whole new market even though I created my business to help the people around me.

Also, finding the strength to keep going, keep hustling, keep creating new avenues to generate income. It’s 24/7, your brain never shuts off. Finding life and work balance when they continuously intertwine with one another.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
I believe what sets us apart is the fact that we actually CARE! Money is NOT our motivator. If it was, trust me I wouldn’t be doing this lol. We genuinely want to see people succeed. We want to see Atlanta as a whole rise up and be seen as polished and professional and be able to compete with the best of the best. We want to help as many people get to their dreams as we can.

We have to believe in the client in order to work on the project because we are very hands on. We don’t sell you a dream. I adopted the motto “undersell and over-deliver”. The way that it is set up for our aspiring talent, we build your brand package, become your accountability partners, and track your progress. We want to be your starting point to give you that push you need to succeed. From beginner to advanced, we can help

Beyond the Steps is an entertainment consulting company. We assist aspiring talent with navigating the entertainment industry. We work with other businesses to supply tools and resources that we think are necessary to succeed in the industry.

Services include:
-Branding/marketing
-Photography/videography
-Bio and Resume Creation
-Comp Cards
-Artist Development
-Vocal training
-Media training
-Social media
-Financial advising
-Glam services- makeup, hair, wardrobe
-Image consulting
-Private lessons- dance.acting. modeling
-Event planning
-Music Creation- Songwriting, Vocal Arrangers, Productions

Beyond Castings specializes in casting and producing for film, tv, music videos and events. We also produce video and curate events for our clients and provide a full staff of directors, hairstylist, makeup artist, wardrobe stylist, locations, vehicles, planners, talent and etc

We have produced, casted and creative directed for artist such as Big Boi, 2 Chainz, B.O.B, T-pain, Akon, Bow Wow, Guy, Atlantic Records artist Prince Charles and Ayanis, Nigerian Artist Davido, Skales, Olamide, Hair commercials and shows such as: Olive Oil Hair Care National Commercial, Bronner Brothers, Tahlid Waajid Natural hair show, Snoblife Hair, Bold Hold lace wig tape, Camille Rose Natural Hair products and so much more!

We are just getting started and are super excited to continue to grow. I just thank the Lord for all the blessings that have come thus far. I’m most proud of the fact that we stay true to our core values of helping anyone who is willing to learn. We pride ourselves in connecting people and taking them to the next level in their careers.

What were you like growing up?
I’m the youngest of 8. So my upbringing was eventful lol. A lot of Nigerian parties, a lot of family time, a lot of church! I was always a nurturer even though I was the baby. I am extremely goofy and love to have a good time with good people. My family were my friends. My parents left and moved to Nigeria when I was 15 and I took care of myself from that point on.

I learned so much about myself. I was forced to grow up fast but it really prepared me for being a business owner. My mother was an entrepreneur, I marveled at her creations, her ambitious spirit, her perseverance and creativity. I am so happy I got to witness that. My dad was a doctor, a scholar, he is an amazing man.

I am blessed to have been in a family who instilled so much in me. In a nutshell, I’ve always been “momma princess”, miss gets you together, goofy, giving and nurturing a person.

Pricing:

• Consultations- $50 Includes one-on-one convo to access where you are, where you want to be and prepare a plan of action
• BTS PowerShoot- Under $200 all inclusive powerful photoshoot includes makeup, hairstyling, wardrobe styling, movement coaches.
• Studio Rentals- Starting at $25

Contact Info:

• Website: www.beyondthesteps.org
• Phone: 7044531353
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @beyondthesteps @beyondcastings @btspowershoot
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beyondthesteps/

Image Credit:
Vick Suero, GSquare Events Guy 90s block party tour, DeAan Pridgeon, Phylicia Carr of Noire Artistry Beyond the Steps Food 4 Thought Event

Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.