Creatives in Color gives diverse, creative professionals in higher and more visible positions a platform to share their experiences – in hopes of motivating and inspiring other BIPOC creatives in our community.

This year, Creatives on Creatives is an interview style format in which the speakers will present their personal experiences navigating their career path. We were inspired by Variety Magazine's Actors on Actors series, and thought it would be inspiring to hear how each speaker navigates adversity they may have faced and how they overcame it in the creative industry. We want the audience to be inspired but also informed. The speakers will engage in a natural conversation as we sit back and listen to the many stories they share with one another. Come check out how creativity meets inclusivity and invokes change for the better.

Why Creatives in Color?

From our perspective, the Indy creative community lacks BIPOC representation. We want to provide a safe space for all creatives to gather and share their unique experiences. By curating a space where people can come together and spark healthy dialogue, we hope to make the Indy community more diverse and inclusive.

We hope that having underrepresented creatives speak about their career experiences will allow other BIPOC creatives to feel supported and more connected with our community. We worry that people of color might think they don’t have the opportunity to succeed in our creative industry. By spotlighting people of color who are successful and pushing norms in our community, we hope young BIPOC designers will feel they have a place in our community and a support system here.

Speakers:

Kelli Jones

General Partner, Sixty8 Capital

Kelli N. Jones is Co-Founder & General Partner for Sixty8 Capital, a $15M seed stage fund for Black and Latinx entrepreneurs. For the last 5 years, Kelli has led the transformation of a more diverse tech ecosystem in Indiana, through her organization Be Nimble Foundation. Since starting Be Nimble, she has trained 60+ Black and LatinX founders through her accelerator, upskilled Black career transitioners into tech careers, and has invested over $2.5M in capital and start-up resources. Before launching Be Nimble and Sixty8 Capital, Kelli was program manager for Techstars Heritage Group Accelerator and Director of People, Culture, and Brand for Givelify. Prior to relocating to Indianapolis, IN in 2017, she lived in New York and Los Angeles, and was the founder of an experiential marketing company specializing in events and go-to-market strategy for consumer tech companies, and later lead sales, events, and marketing for venture-backed digital media brands HipHopDX & Blavity. In 2022, Kelli was honored by the Indianapolis Business Journal as one of the 250 Most Influential Business leaders, and Sixty8 Capital was honored as Investor of The Year at the Techpoint Mira Awards. Kelli is also civically engaged, serving on the boards of IMPACT Central Indiana, Employ Indy, and The Venture Club.

Demetrius Robinson

Interior Designer , Content Creator and CEO of At Home with Savvy

Demetrius is an Indianapolis-based Interior Designer, Content Creator, and CEO of At Home With Savvy, an interior design firm and home lifestyle brand that inspires others to live a more elevated home lifestyle. Though both divisions of the At Home With Savvy company, Demetrius has had the pleasure of designing dream spaces for clients across the country and working with some of the most notable brands such as Target, Walmart, AllModern, Spotify, Home Depot, and many more within the home lifestyle and hospitality sector.