The Brooklyn Collective is a supportive hub for over a dozen local entrepreneurs, creatives, and makers to collaborate and make an impact.
Justin Ellis
Resident Artist
Justin Ellis, 31 and the artist in residence at The Brooklyn Collective, was born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina. His journey to becoming the artist in residence began during tumultuous protests over the loss of George Floyd. Unemployed due to COVID and looking for work, he was asked to create window installations for The Brooklyn Collective windows ruined during protests.
He pulls inspiration from the fluidity of nature and while he prefers collage work, Justin is currently working with oil, pastels, chalk, and graphite. Art has always been a part of his life and he currently enjoys the daily freedom to create as he is inspired.
As the only current visual artist in residence at the Brooklyn Collective, Justin has gone from creating during quick lunch breaks to showcasing his work locally and internationally. Additionally, he enjoys creating specialized pieces for commission work.
Justin enjoys the opportunities to grow as an artist and is grateful for the opportunities before him through The Brooklyn Collective. You can see his work, and contact him for your own commission, on Instagram @Just10_ellis or by email at JustinGregoryEllis3@gmail.com
Lindsey Braciale
Founder, Advocations
I started Advocations in 2009 to help companies solve critical labor challenges by pipelining talent that is often undervalued and overlooked by the business community. Our specialty is identifying opportunities where disability is either an asset to the job, or irrelevant. We initially used staffing as a Trojan horse to help our clients get their foot in the door and show what they could do. Today, Advocations offers a turnkey solution for companies looking to find and retain talented people, who also have disabilities, nationwide.
In recent years, we’ve seen the business community make great strides in their approach to equitable employment for people with disabilities. By engaging with companies like Wells Fargo to participate in our job seekers’ professional development efforts, we build personal connections that empower a company’s leadership to proactively identify and work toward removing barriers that stand in the way of finding and retaining workers with disabilities.
Gordon Holliday
(ROOLĒ)
Resident Designer - Maker/Creator
RENEW REWORK ROOLĒ is a sustainable initiative project under the brand. The mission is to learn practical manufacturing and consumption in ethical ways for our environment. Currently there are manufacturers who use chemical waste that is polluted, dumped or misused in our ecosystem. Our Initiative is to solve problems with the garment life cycle and offer up-cycled or eco-friendly clothing options. In unifying our community we are taking avid steps to learn and grow our business model.
Tameka Brown
Roddie Jr's Watch Dog Foundation
In April, 2004, Tameaka Brown suffered the ultimate loss when her 8-year old son, Roddie, was killed as the result of four pit bulls attacking him outside at his grandmother’s house. In the wake of her loss, she started researching and realized 4.5 million pit bull bites are reported yearly, and a large percentage of those reported result in fatality due to injuries, or suffered prominent disfiguration.
The devastation Tameaka felt as she was grieving her son, coupled with the realization that so many parents go through what she was walking through, led her to take action. By December of 2004, Roddie Jr’s Watch Dog Foundation (RJWF) was founded.
RJWF strives to come alongside children 0 to 17-years old, and their families, in providing financial services, psychological services, and physical services to enable children to remain children, even after a traumatic event.
From funeral costs to travel for reconstructive surgeries, RJWF also helps cover insurance co-pays and surgery costs where they are needed. Additionally, in 2022, RJWF will be developing a kids fun camp for children injured by dog bites where they can simply be children again and not live in fear.
RJWF is a 501-c3 organization and is constantly growing their reach to give life back to those traumatized from dog attacks and provide education for responsible dog ownership. You can read more about the organization, and how to get involved, at https://roddiejrswatchdogfoundation.org.
Tameaka Brown runs Suite B Financial under Mass Mutual of the Carolinas, because she believes it is her call to help other people everyday.
She provides all financial services from financial literacy, retirement planning, life insurance, to college planning. Serving a wide array of clients, Tameaka Brown started this practice because she believes no one should have to worry about how they will bury someone they love and grieve at the same time. Providing the tools and resources they need to make educated decisions about their future, Tameaka is committed to ensuring each of her clients has what they need to properly leave a legacy for their families.