Written by | Ray Cornelius
PEPSI recently celebrated an evening of Black achievement by hosting a networking reception titled #TheRecipe. The invitation only event took place at Atlanta’s Do Restaurant and featured some of the city’s game changers and the secrets to their success.
Laz Alonso with Will Packer
Panelists included television and film producer Will Packer, Atlanta Hawks Diversity and Inclusion Officer Nzinga Shaw, Executive Director at Atlanta Workforce Development Agency Michael T. Sterling and Atlanta Falcons players Roddy White and Devonta Freeman. Actor Laz Alonso and Growing Up Hip Hop star Angela Simmons served as hosts and moderators.
Highlights from the discussion included Packer’s backstory on the making of “Stomp the Yard” and the difficulty he faced in getting a Hollywood studio to produce the film. Sterling talked about how he turned down a chance to run for the Senate after a heart-rending conversation with an Atlanta mentee changed his trajectory. Freeman recalled how seeing the body of a close friend while working at a Miami funeral home changed his entire life’s perspective.
Notables spotted in the audience included RHOA star Kandi Burruss, REVOLT TV’s Kenny Burns, actress Keshia Knight Pulliam-Hartwell, reality-starlet Monyetta Shaw, singers Algebra Blessett, Kelly Price and Anthony David, comedian Rodney Perry and Dominic L. Santana, the actor who plays Suge Knight in the upcoming Tupac Shakir biopic “All Eyez on Me.”
Check out more photos below:
Kandi Burruss & Christian Ruffin of Do Restaurant and One Stop Productions
Angela Simmons
DJ Fadelf and Dominic L. Santana
Monyetta Shaw
Nzinga Shaw and guest
Comedian Rodney Perry
Singer Kelly Price
Kenny Burns and guest
Michael T. Sterling, Dovonta Freeman and Roddy White
Keshia Knight Pulliam-Hartwell
Photo Credits: RayCornelius.com
