Dressed in a tweed vest and slacks, Nick Cannon opened Saturday’s Black Enterprise Disruptor Summit with a humorous 40-minute town hall-style keynote address, hitting topics ranging from his multifaceted career in entertainment to advice for current and future business leaders.
Speaking from a pastel-colored main stage, Cannon was full of encouragement, urging attendees to clearly define their entrepreneurial goals and to ignore doubtful voices. Following his time onstage, the comedian-entrepreneur told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution additional success tips for those unable to attend the event.
Being a disruptor in business requires focus and discipline, he said. “Stay on the pulse of everything. When you talk too much, you become the talk.”
Credit: The Tyler Twins - Black Enterpri
Credit: The Tyler Twins - Black Enterpri
Cannon also believes success often comes from retaining the ability to have fun and keeping things lighthearted. “Don’t be afraid to make fun of yourself, let your hair down, and get a little silly sometimes.”
The “Masked Singer” host also advised founders and dreamers to remain charitable if and when success arrives.
“Take all of the gifts you’ve been given and give them to others,” Cannon said. “At a certain point, it’s not about making money but giving money. Contribute and try to make the world better off than what it was when you first got here. Whenever you see a problem, use your time, money, or ingenuity to fix it.”
Those problems, he said, were not restricted to things that could be settled or treated with financial fixes. Cannon expressed the need for high-achievers to provide refuge to others encountering the challenges of chasing success.
“Create safe spaces for people to be vulnerable around you. It’s so much going on in the world today, we have to hit the pause button, zoom out, and take care of one another.”
Cannon also talked about the importance of balancing health with the entrepreneurial hustle. He advised exercise to manage stress, while stressing that success cannot come fully without self-care. “Health is the real wealth, and it should be a priority for everyone,” he said.
“As Black men, we have to deal with things that other communities don’t. A lot of it shows up as stress, but it can transform into other things.”
Cannon, 43, is host, creator and executive producer of VH-1’s long-running improv-meets-hip-hop series “Wild’N Out.” Since launching in 2005, the show has influenced the careers of comedians like Katt Williams and Atlanta’s D.C. Young Fly, with viral celebrity appearances from Zendaya, Snoop Dogg and others.
Cannon told the AJC he is expanding the franchise to Africa in November. “I want to be able to expand our footprint and our culture all the way back home,” Cannon said. “The future is over there and it’s a creatively rich land with so many gifted individuals.”
Credit: The Tyler Twins - Black Enterpri
Credit: The Tyler Twins - Black Enterpri
Cannon’s company Ncredible Entertainment recently signed a deal with Prime Video to host and develop new programs. One of which is his podcast Counsel Culture, which will premiere June 6 on Amazon Freevee and Prime Video. He also recently secured a brand partnership with fast-food chain Buffalo Wild Wings and premiered a car show, “Big Drive,” on Tubi in February.
The “Drumline” star wasn’t the only big-ticket name to speak to Disruptor Summit’s crowd. Rapper-turned-podcaster Cameron “Cam’ron” Giles told the story of how his sports show with rapper Mason “Mase” Betha, “It Is What It Is,” became one of the most popular podcasts in sports during an early afternoon session.
Launched in February 2023 on his own Come and Talk 2 Me podcast network, Giles created the talk show podcast after a two-hour phone argument with Mase, his childhood friend and former rap nemesis, about sports.
Nominated for a 2024 Webby Award, Giles told the crowd he intentionally avoided simple production and format cliches often seen in podcasts about sports and culture.
“Most people are in their living room, bathroom, or on their couch with microphones and headphones,” he said. “We needed to make it look good but talk how we talk amongst each other when it comes to basketball.”
Credit: The Tyler Twins - Black Enterpri
Credit: The Tyler Twins - Black Enterpri
Giles told the audience that one of his critics online recently told him that he should only discuss sports on his show. He advised the audience to persevere even when naysayers feel threatened.
“Don’t let anyone box you in and tell you what you can or can’t do,” Giles said. “Let the public decide if they like the product.”
Other speakers included ALTRO founder and CEO Michael Broughton, whose Black-led “financial wellness” app aims to help users boost credit scores through subscriptions and utility bill payments.
ALTRO was a class project Broughton turned into a business while attending the University of Southern California. The app has since gone through the highly selective technology accelerator program Y Combinator and received seed funding from Marcy Venture Partners, a venture capital firm co-owned by Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter.
“You can empower others when you are empowered yourself,” Broughton said. “We all see things that could be better but taking the first steps to create a path that’s not there is daunting. Having the nerve to do something new makes a difference.”
Fearless Fund founder Arian Simone was also present at the Summit, and was given a social impact award during an honors ceremony.
In August 2023, the Black-and-woman-owned venture capital fund was accused of racial discrimination in a lawsuit filed by the American Alliance for Equal Rights. During her acceptance speech, Simone told the audience Fearless Fund’s legal issues are a temporary setback.
“When you’re a disruptor, you have to be willing to encounter disruption,” Simone said. “Right now, we are facing some disruption, but do not worry. We will continue to be disruptors, disrupted and continue to stand against this disruption.”
Credit: The Tyler Twins
Credit: The Tyler Twins
This was the second year for Black Enterprise Disruptor Summit, the Black business publication’s daylong conference held May 18 at Southern Exchange Ballrooms.
“This is about our economic advancement as individuals, communities and as people,” said Alfred Edmond, Jr., Black Enterprise’s executive editor and senior vice president. “We think about key issues that entrepreneurs try to solve and what opportunities they should be aware of and take advantage of.”
In addition to sessions led by celebrity speakers and business leaders, attendees could also receive group business coaching and participate in a 90-second pitch competition.
Debbie Dickinson, co-founder and CEO of Thermaband, won the pitch competition’s $15,000 grand prize. The startup company is behind a wearable cooling and warming device called a “zone,” aiming to provide relief for women experiencing hot flashes.
Dickinson said the sessions, workshops and keynote speeches empower Black entrepreneurs to pursue their ventures despite the obstacles they face.
“The ecosystem is supportive and inspirational,” Dickinson said. “The odds are so insurmountable to be a disruptor and entrepreneur, but the recognition, insights and encouragement validates our ideas.”
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