Today we’d like to introduce you to Steve Raze.
Steve, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
It all started as a leap of faith in moving NYC from Delaware and I ended being instrumental in building the hottest Hip-Hop blog of its time, AllHipHop.com. I built every connection I could and just figured out what I was best at and applied it to the talent and resources available to me. At AllHipHop.com I was President (for a brief time), Director of Technology, Breeding Ground Editor, Executive VP Of Digital Content and Executive Producer of the site in some level or combination. I juggled those positions and helped architect offline events like AllHipHop Week and produced stages at SXSW, A3C, CMJ, Revolt Conference and many other concerts and events. Eventually focusing on Original Content in which I made six figures selling content over ten years ago when people were still trying to monetize content in the early 2000’s the labels were giving me 10s of thousands for my Ideal “The Next 48 Hours” Web series.
That allowed me the confidence to go on my own in 2015 and secure a Producer Credit with Raekwon The Chef for “The Purple Tape Files.” This was an unreleased documentary I produced and took an 8 min clip to Sundance Film Festival in 2015 at the Independent Filmmakers Lounge with Raekwon, Ghostface, Supreme, Erica and the team. Unfortunately, the Documentary ran into issues and it never came out. So I kept working harder and learning more. After this, I secured a deal with the VICE TV network for $30,000 for a 30 minute pilot for a series following an Olympic Sprinter in the 2016 Olympics. This did not happen, and I went and learned more about the TV/Film business.
From 2017-2019, I eventually I ended up at “Love & Hip Hop” Franchise working on three of the four shows (NYC, LA, ATL) as a casting producer and cast names like Tokyo Vanity and Akbar V. I learned a lot about the business, so much that I wanted to get my own TV show, now more than ever.
Today it finally is happening on REVOLT TV during the most historical March of our day. The March on Washington 2020. I have the privilege to do a special about Social Justice in America on a network that is completely about the Social Justice movement and BLM and ran by Diddy, it’s a great situation to be in, and myself and Jerry B and Mac Mills are proud to be a part of this historic project. Creator & Executive Producer of “The Next 48 Hours” web series. 11 years ago, when no one had an “in house” videographers for artists, my partner Harry Anthony (Jumpoff TV) and I had exclusive rights to documented the entire “album release process” for major artists for 48 Hours. With unprecedented access, we showed a true, unbiased journalist side of the album release of major recording artists. I found a way to get paid to film Rick Ross, Wale, French Montana, The Game, Raekwon & NAS and many more.
AGA Agency is an Entertainment Branding & Marketing, TV/Film Development & Placements, and Video Production solution. In AGA Music Division, Mac Mills, my partner, and I have secured contracts like Empire Records, Murda Inc. (JT), CeCe Peniston. Also, I am Head of Content for AGA Agency, and we are constantly developing projects for TV/Film and Streaming distribution and I just closed my first TV Show deal with REVOLT TV. Its a dream come true and I’m extremely excited to air this historic 30 Special on REVOLT TV.
I also have a TV/Film Production company called The Worlds Greatest TV/Film Productions with my partner Lady Luck. We have a lot of projects circulating and we just secured a deal with ATL Producer Tamara Simmons, Known for Creating and Executive Producing the Peabody Award-winning ‘Surviving R. Kelly.’ We have an amazing story that we plan to tell and this story is what built an entire industry within Hip Hop. We can’t wait to share that film.
I also am a Minority owner of #NewYorkShit clothing line with Eyan and other NYC investors. We have a master plan we are launching top of 2021. It’s pretty funny that I can still do my duties out of ATL but, that’s the world we live in an it works out. But, we have plans for down South too.
My Talent: Creatively bring the best out of a person, idea or situation to the benefit of all parties.
GOALS: Time to give up the “mogul in the making” role up and just be a mogul.
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?
I was born with Sickle cell-beta thalassemia. This is a unique twist of two different blood disorders, Sickle Cell Trait and thalassemia. That twist gives me all the intolerable Sickle Cell pain (just the worst pain) and has forced me to work smart or I will put myself in dire health situations. That disease molded my life, Forced me to not overexert myself or I would end up in the hospital. It allowed my to use my brains more than my brawn. And I adapted with the disease and I have not been in the hospital in over five years, where at one time in my life, I was in the hospital every 12 months or more. I finally am using this challenge to focus my energies in the right direction and stay in that line of focus.
A lot of struggles, mostly struggle. But nothing that is worth your dreams at night will be an easy path puts a mountain of failures and “No’s” and naysayers but perseverance in yourself, your goals and God will see you to your final destination.
AGA Agency – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I am the Co-CEO of AGA Agency, is an Entertainment Branding & Marketing, TV/Film Development & Placements, and Video Production solution. We specializing in making Small stars Big and Supers stars Mega Stars via Branding, Marketing, PR and ingenuity.
What sets us apart is the fact we have the respect and pulse that moves American Culture and That’s African American Culture. It is the #1 music, dance, coolness, talent, scientists, athletes, doctors if you go in any level of American Culture, African Americans are shining stars. We know that w are that and we look to allow that to shine through to the world with clients like Master P, Irv Gotti, CeCe Peniston, Lady Luck and others.
Our company has started after the COVID Pandemic in April and in a short time, we have figured out this environment, hired ten employees and just closed a network TV Special with a network in five months is pretty amazing. We also are rolling out our “Blue Check Campaign,” which is pretty self-explanatory, we are able to get you in the path to rally elevate your status as an artist in this business. These innovations during COVID is what sets us apart.
An important fact is when we left NYC with our client TEC on Friday, March 13th, 2020 and NYC was closing down, The NBA had just suspended its season and SXSW was canceled, I ran out of NYC to head back home in ATL, and TEC heading back to Louisiana and he had caught COVID during our NYC Press run and luckily, neither myself or my partner Mac caught COVID or that could have drastically affect the growth of our company.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up in Delaware, I was inquisitive, looking to learn and grow. Outgoing into sports, extracurricular classes, I was in a pre-college Engineering program called RISE. My parents were from Trinidad and Tobago, so it was a pretty strict upbringing and focused on being a “Doctor, Lawyer or Engineer.” My Brother is a Brain Surgeon so he became the doctor and I was expected to be the Engineer but, it took me a long time to find my real path so I was a bit lost coming up in the world. I moved to NYC and really found my identity in the early 2000s and in 2010-2012, I moved to ATL for the first time and found my worth in this business.
I was into Hip-Hop, but I loved watching TV. I would watch TV all day and night and fall asleep to it. That amazing content always had me intrigued on how this all worked and I have never stopped thinking about it to this day. I moved to NYC and when I couldn’t ignore the down South Movement anymore, I moved to ATL my first time in 2010-2012 and my second time is from 2017-now.
Contact Info:
- Website: Aga-agency.com
- Email: steveraze@aga-agency.com
- Instagram: steveraze
- Facebook: steveraze
- Twitter: steveraze
Image Credit:
Photo by Nina Karetova (@karetova on IG)
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