A BRAND GROWS IN BROOKLYN
Tap, tap, tap…mic check 1,2 1,2
Over the last year, I have been focused on expanding the Soulful Silverback brand vision and building the backend infrastructure for the business.
Having just celebrated our fifth birthday, I am excited to share how I have been cultivating and pruning the elements of this creative brand into a cohesive experience:
A LITERARY BRAND GROWS IN BROOKLYN.
Less than five percent of all published literary voices in the United States are by Black authors.
At the heart of the Silverback, the brand's mission is to share a collection of pieces that gives voice to the beautiful complexity of the Black millennial experience in the 21st century.
In publishing these pieces over the years, I have found common bonds with a diverse community of people that are genuinely passionate about social justice across all aspects of American life.
Over the last five years, I have painstakingly honed that writing voice and have continued to develop a brand narrative that roars about my experiences grappling with these complex issues as a first-generation Black man in America. The outcome of the sound that I have been tinkering with has produced two manuscripts: Chaining Day and Music is Life.
Chaining Day is my debut e-book, a multimedia reading “mixtape” that features a collection of essays that center around my experiences with race in the States.
Music is Life is my personal narrative, which will continue to delve into my love affair with the game of basketball in the late 90s throughout the early 00s.
The central question to Music is Life is, “How will Neville overcome the nuanced challenges of being a first-generation American Black man living in Brooklyn, and will he overcome?” - and in many ways, that story is still being written both in my life and in these stories. I still have doubts about my ability to overcome and despite the questions in my mind, I continue to press on doing the best I can with what it is I have (ashé).
Last winter while I was living in the Netherlands, I paid to have both works reviewed by a publishing consultant to see if the story I’ve been crafting was worth marketing to a broader audience.
The consultant's feedback really encouraged me to continue developing the vision for these stories and hone in on the themes that I hope will inspire readers to find encouragement in their own authentic voices.
As I continue to dig deeper into the roots of the Silverback, I hope to inspire readers to find confidence in themselves and lead others to find understanding in hearing a Black literary voice roaring into the metaverse.
I intend to share more glimpses of that narrative with you in the coming months and while I have lots of writing and editing to undertake, I wanted to share a snippet of the consultant's feedback that encouraged me to keep writing behind the scenes:
“I was absolutely floored by the vulnerability and emotional complexity you bring to these important issues. You have an uncanny ability to bring your ‘characters’ to life on the page – making for a compelling, captivating read from start to finish. It was a pleasure to read.”
A CANNABIS BRAND GROWS IN BROOKLYN.
Less than two percent of cannabis business owners in the United States are Black.
When I founded Soulful Silverback in 2017, I did so with the intent of eventually growing into a cannabis brand. I knew that the New York State (NYS) legislature was holding out on lifting the prohibition on recreational cannabis until certain social equity carve-outs for communities of color that were most impacted by decades of policing inequity were going to be codified into the State’s bill.
With that in mind, I began designing the Silverback brand elements and I wanted to ensure that I legally owned the business entirely - including all of the associated visual trademarks - with the U.S. government in the event that cannabis prohibition was lifted and the social equity carve-outs were solidified in the NYS legislature.
In the meantime, I got to work on writing the soulful story of a creative brand.
Last year, the Silverback trademarks were finally approved by the U.S. government and the NYS legislature passed the Marijuana Regulation & Taxation Act (MRTA) with one of the most progressive cannabis laws in the nation. It was time to enact the next phase of the brand vision.
The equity carve-outs were granted in the MRTA bill that was passed and I am proud that I’ve written a brand narrative for the Silverback that aligns with the social justice elements established in the bill, has a unique literary sound, and has a clean brand design.
I am excited to share that I have begun to take the necessary steps to position the company to be an early participant in the burgeoning multi-billion-dollar New York State cannabis industry as a minority-owned applicant later this year!
A STREETWEAR BRAND GROWS IN BROOKLYN.
Less than six percent of retail business owners in the United States are Black.
I’ve always believed that retail brands should welcome customers with open arms.
So I am thrilled to announce that I’ve exposed the Silverback brand to hundreds of millions of potential new customers by opening digital storefronts on the Amazon and Etsy marketplaces.
In anticipation of providing new potential customers with that warm welcome, I’ve refreshed the Silverback shopping website to bring together our streetwear and storytelling products across all e-commerce platforms. Check out the homepage updates in the link below.
In the coming months, I plan to expand the Silverback product line so customers and readers can continue to rock the gorilla proudly!
IMPACTFUL. COMFORTABLE. STREETWEAR.
(Thanks for always tagging us in pics of y’all rockin’ the brand, it means the world to our team)
A BLACK-OWNED BRAND GROWS IN BROOKLYN.
Less than one percent of founders backed by venture capital in the United States are Black.
With all these initiatives underway, the brand has come to an inflection point. In order for folks to hear about the stories we are telling and the products that we are selling, then we are going to need a much bigger megaphone to amplify what we’ve developed.
To that end, I’ve scoped out an annual marketing plan for potential investors (sneak peek here) toward raising the capital to breathe marketing life into the Silverback experience with hopes of increasing streetwear revenue, driving awareness around the brand narrative, and applying for cannabis licensing.
If you know of any investors please help me set up introductions or support our brand’s mission by shopping the Silverback apparel on any of our online storefronts!
SUPPORT THE BRAND AT: THESOULFULSILVERBACK.COM, AMAZON, & ETSY