Damon Batiste's NOSACONN To Be Honored By Cutting Edge Conference for Community Service

NEW ORLEANS - July 8, 2022 - PRLog -- Posted Courtesy of Wright Enterprises San Francisco~Dallas Community Spotlight~~~

After an 8-day production of NOSACONN's (New Orleans South Africa Connection) "Celebrate Africa Week 'Essence of Africa' NOLA Edition" amid Essence's Magazine's 3-day "Essence of Culture" promoting culture, trade and tourism between Africa and New Orleans, highlighting local and emerging talent in the New Orleans and engaging visiting business people,  The Cutting Edge Conference's "Community Service Award,"  to be presented Saturday, July 9th, is a fitting honor for Damon Batiste, CEO & Founder of NOSACONN, Inc.  of NOLA's "Royal Family of Music" for years of community service.

Quint Davis, CEO of Festival Productions Inc., has said of Batiste, "There has never been an American, and certainly not one from New Orleans, like you. A one-man Cultural Phenomena." Leaders of The Cutting Edge  C.E. Conference agree, recognizing that Batiste is 'phenomenal' beyond entertainment and works diligently with his family to pour back into underserved communities in Louisiana and Africa.  He will accept the honor on behalf of the legendary entertainment and community work of the Batistes, "NOLA's Royal Family of Music."

Celebrating its 30-Year Anniversary, The Cutting Edge  C.E. Conference is happening now through Saturday, July 9^th.  Cutting Edge C.E. (formerly the Cutting Edge Music Business Conference) began in 1993 as a conference dedicated to educating musicians and music professionals about the latest trends in the music industry.

NOSACONN's "Celebrate Africa Week, 'Essence of Africa' NOLA Edition, kicked off Tuesday, June 28^th at the New Orleans Jazz Museum with a news conference and a performance by Louisiana Hall of Famer & David Batiste, Founder of the legendary "David and the Gladiators"  and concluded on Tuesday, July 5^th at First Pilgrim Baptist Church in the community.

"It was a great week as we welcomed and celebrated the return of the Essence Festival and provided a platform to remind everyone that great local artists are a part of New Orleans on-going culture who provide the foundation for the commerce that is cultivated as events come and go and tourists come and hopefully return with or without major events, " said Damon Batiste, CEO & Founder of NOSACONN.  "We are reminding Mayor Cantrell, the City Council, our local business people and our neighbors that we are still here and we remain to uplift New Orleans through our creativity."  An indication of the grassroots commitment to the New Orleans region was the induction of Batiste as President of the Metairie Sunrise Rotary Club at Porter's and Luke's Restaurant on Thursday, a week ago, June 30th.  Details about the Metairie Sunrise Rotary Club's ambassadorial education focused trip to Africa in the upcoming fall will be released soon.

Highlights of  NOSACONN's "Celebrate Africa Week, 'Essence of Africa' NOLA Edition"

Included a film screening of "NOSACONN in South Africa" produced in collaboration with the South African Broadcasting System and New Orleans Arts in Education Partnership, Alnay, France with United Way of NOSA & the Urban League live streamed via

https://tellevidz.com/live-stream/ and on demand https://tellevidz.com.

Videotaped moments were captured by Bryant Johnson of LyfePULSE, inc.:

News Conference and Louisiana Hall of Famer David Batiste's Performance

https://youtu.be/pjJgsPrqu_k



Brains & Beauty  The Hallmark of  Chic Nouvelle Talent Management

https://youtu.be/85SgXm9jElk

CEO Lloyd Ward of Ward Holdings International, LLC -The Strategic Importance of Africa

https://youtu.be/LVZwS4Fn94A

NOSACONN Tribute to Black Music Month Talent Showcase at Sweet Lorraine's Jazz Club

Kennadi Rose: https://youtu.be/faFPZwwsmwM

Sir Chantz Powell: https://youtu.be/2eopp0Rlk18  (Posted by W.E.)

NOSACONN-Power of Education Panel:

https://youtu.be/-_Y8YqFpAVI

For more of a glimpse of NOSACONN's work and affirmation of the reason for the honor coming from The Cutting Edge Conference, see more at ThePULSE New Orleans:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3Cu03_SkEmxaUbxFzG3JvQ/videos?view=0&sort=dd&shelf_id=0

"It was an incredible week of planting new seed and cultivating relationships that have already been established between New Orleans and Africa," added Batiste.  "It was great that the City of New Orleans recognized 20 people associated with NOSACONN's work and  Celebrate Africa Week by presenting proclamations."

"Incredible indeed," said CEO Lloyd Ward of Ward Holdings International, LLC, who is slated to be a keynote speaker among other dignitaries including U.S. Representatives of Congress Sheila Jackson Lee; Troy Carter; Hank Johnson at the U.S. Black Chambers National Conference & School of Chamber Management (https://www.usbcconference.com/) in Washington, D.C., July 14-16.  "The mixture of talent and importance of commerce in Africa to uplift underserved communities on both sides of the Atlantic being at the core of our gathering portends to great things happening in New Orleans and around the world and for that I commend Damon Batiste."

Ernie Singleton,  Music Industry Legend and former President of MCA/Universal Music Group was on hand for NOSACONN's "Celebrate Africa Week".  Singleton of Las Vegas, a native of New Orleans lower 9^th ward and a former #1 radio broadcaster in New Orleans before going on to run major record labels and work with many of the most legendary recording artists on the planet has a "Midas Touch '' with over 139 Gold and Platinum recordings.

Singleton was instrumental in launching the careers of heavy hitting artist like Teddy Riley, Karen White, Ice T, and worked with super stars like Quincy Jones, Patti Labelle, Sean Diddy Combs, Prince, and others; he was instrumental in launching the careers of artist like New Edition, Mary J Blige, Al B Sure, Bone Thugs N Harmony, Bobby Brown, Take 6 and others. Currently CEO OF Singleton Entertainment, a consulting and marketing company, heavily focused on helping artists excel in today's digital music industry, Singleton said "I was honored when Damon Baptist invited me to join him on a New Orleans cultural community series sharing events outside Caesars Superdome. I quickly realized that NOSACONN is just what a lot of music creators and entrepreneurs needed."

Singleton added, "On the music side which is where I live, we touched upon revenue opportunities for artists using NFT's and the Metaverse as well as the many business opportunities that exist in Africa for music makers."

In addition to advice Singleton provides useful resource tools as "Prosper Africa" (https://www.prosperafrica.gov/toolkit/export-to-africa/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=us-investors&utm_content=exporting&utm_term=trade%20to%20africa) ( a U.S. Government initiative that increases two-way trade and investment between the United States and Africa with lots of help from the US Government) that he has shared previously.

The Cutting Edge C.E. Conference will add to Batiste's commendations on Saturday with the award being presented at the Historic Carver Theater in New Orleans on Saturday, July 9^th at 1:30 p.m. For details about the conference and tickets, see more at https://www.cuttingedgenola.com/.