Introducing 'Sipp Talk Live: A New Conversation and Network Series

Being in and from Mississippi sometimes it can feel like the primary focus or attention goes to the things we don't have or could be better at or about the people who left/are leaving. Which are all important, and deserve attention, but 'Sipp Talk Live is a space where Mississippians can dream and talk with the people, talent and opportunities that exist now and how we build on that foundation.

'Sipp Talk Live is our new conversation and network series where we convene creative entrepreneurs, artists, experts and everyday people around what it means to live and thrive in Mississippi. It's a place where Mississippi's creative future meets.

During Clarksdale Culture Capital, in Clarksdale, Mississippi we recorded our very first live episode, Creating From The Ground Up, which brought together three powerhouse women who are building systems and infrastructure to help nurture our creative economy right here at home.

Meet Brittany Bright

Brittany Bright is the founder and CEO of The Influencer League, an EdTech and talent platform equipping diverse creators with the tools to build profitable, sustainable businesses. With over a decade of experience in social media, influencer marketing, and talent management, Brittany has worked on campaigns with major brands like Walmart, Target, and P&G—always with a strategy-first, equity-focused approach.

She’s best known for co-authoring the 2021 “Time to Face the Influencer Pay Gap” study and for championing access, education, and fair compensation for creators of color. From the Mississippi Gulf Coast to global recognition, Brittany blends hands-on industry knowledge with a passion for systems, sustainability, and scaling with purpose.

Meet Brandi Turner

Brandi Turner is the Co-Founder and Co-Director for the Mississippi Center for Cultural Production (MCCP), best known as Sipp Culture (SC) in Utica, MS. MCCP, an organization taking a place-based approach to holistic community development through agriculture, cultural production and community engagement. As a partner in the design of SC programming, Brandi is also the lead coordinator of SC events & programming. Formally, the Managing Director of TWA Consulting, a company that provided services in creative consulting for artists looking to strengthen their work in arts and culture. Currently a member of the Daisa Enterprises CoPA Steering Committee, Alternate ROOTS member, and serves as board member of Art of the Rural, Artist Communities Alliance and the Utica Institute Museum.

Through nurturing, Brandi has developed an inseparable love for culinary arts, aiding as a tool in her community engagement and artistic practices. She is also a freelance makeup artist with an extensive career in cosmetic sales, management and event coordinating. Raised by proud Motown natives (Detroit, MI) in the south (LA & MS), she became a student of dance for 15 years. Brandi lives in Utica, MS with her husband Carlton Turner and their three children, Jonathan, Xiauna, and Tristan.

Meet Rebekah Pleasant-Patterson

Rebekah Pleasant-Patterson is a nonprofit leader, arts advocate, professional dancer, choreographer, and Executive Director of Griot Arts in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Her career spans professional performance, international education, refugee services, workforce development, and community-based arts leadership.

Before entering nonprofit leadership, Rebekah performed professionally with organizations including the Metropolitan Opera and appeared in productions such as Netflix's Raising Dion and YouTube Red's Step Up: High Water. She also choreographed for Aloe Blacc's Super Bowl Pregame Show.

Her social impact work includes leadership and programmatic roles with organizations such as Refuge Coffee Company, SIE Solutions, through Aspire Africa in partnership with the African Leadership University in Rwanda.

Today, Rebekah leads Griot Arts' efforts to create pathways for youth and the broader community through arts education, workforce development, and creative programming. She is also helping lead the transformation of Clarksdale's historic Paramount Theater into a multidisciplinary arts and cultural hub. Her work is grounded in the belief that thriving communities are built by recognizing, investing in, and amplifying the talent, creativity, and cultural richness that already exist within them.

If you weren't in the room for this amazing conversation, don't worry, we'll be releasing the full podcast episode August 6th on our YouTube channel. Please be sure to subscribe to get notified when it's live! Which city should we activate next? #SippTalkLive

This work was supported in part by the Mississippi Arts Commission through the Individual Artist Fellowship. We are grateful for their investment in Mississippi artists and creative communities.