ATL LIFE Magazine Fall 2022

ATL

Publisher's Note

Staff: CEO & President Halo Davenport

VP of Sales & Marketing Elijah Summerour Publisher Teia Hill

This has been one of the more anticipated issues for good reason. It's a new season... Fall, and it's a lot going on in and around Atlanta. From festivals, to concerts, gift giveaways, fashion shows and benefit runway shows, the past few weeks and months have been very busy with no signs of slowing down!

It's good to see people out and about and enjoying life again. We hope you enjoy this issue as much as we enjoyed the coverage and putting it together for you!

Cheers,

THE WNBA AND NBA RELEASE A JOINT

REGARDING

BRITTNEY GRINER

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver issued the following statement regarding Brittney Griner:

“Today’s verdict and sentencing is unjustified and unfortunate, but not unexpected and Brittney Griner remains wrongly detained. The WNBA and NBA’s commitment to her safe return has not wavered and it is our hope that we are near the end of this process of finally bringing BG home to the United States.”

McHale makes his return to E! as host and executive producer of

Beef,” the cooking show that turns pop culture feuds into a battle of foods,

This comedic competition series will follow two celebrity contestants each week as they go head-to-head-in a cook-off and squash their beef with knives in hand, spices on the rack and ready to prepare the best dish this side of the Hollywood Hills. As the celebrities attempt to settle the score in the kitchen, things get spicy as they reveal the inside scoop of their rivalry.

Loni Love

As host, Joel acts as prosecutor, judge and jury, creating twists and turns with various challenges throughout the showdown. The winner of each challenge will have an advantage over their competitor, such as being treated to exclusive ingredients, while the loser receives a cruel punishment, like swapping out their knives for gardening tools. At the end of each episode, the contestants present their final meal

]to Joel for the ultimate taste test, as he crowns one person the winner and helps the duos squash their beef once and for all. The victor will also receive a trophy and is awarded $10,000 for their charity of choice. Celebrity contestants include Cheryl Hines & Rachael Harris, Ben Higgins & Nick Viall, Cynthia Bailey & Todd Bridges, Andy Grammer & Justin Baldoni, Justin Sylvester & Loni Love, Dolores Catania & Caroline Manzo, Missi Pyle & Jeff Lewis, Nikki & Brie Bella.

Underground Atlanta Hosts Atlanta Fashion Week 2022

ATLANTA (Fall 2022) – Underground Atlanta owner Lalani Ventures announced that Atlanta Fashion Week (ATLFW) will make its debut at the historic arts district this fall. ATLFW is a week-long event, highlighting the culture and innovation of Atlanta’s diverse fashion scene. Featuring a broad mix of creatives, ranging from fashion to music to art, the event is the latest activation to join the historic property as Lalani Ventures continues to draw interest from immersive concepts that recognize the value of being located at the iconic venue in the heart of downtown Atlanta.

“Concepts like ATLFW are essential to honoring the history of Underground Atlanta as the city’s

center for culture, art and entertainment

Fashion

(ATLFW) is committed to evolving into a global fashion destination with the mission of celebrating diversity, innovation, and creativity in fashion. Our primary goal is to create an interactive hub for fashion designers where trend-setting work is celebrated before it reaches a mainstream audience. ATLFW is the ultimate resource for fashion designers and represents fashion as a conduit for expression in technology, music, and visual arts.

“Atlanta’s influence can be felt throughout many disciplines such as music, film and television. Now is the time to position our city as a global destination in fashion and art. Underground Atlanta is the perfect location to start this journey”

~ Angela Watts, founder of

producers of ATLFW.

ATLFW made it's debut this October 5-8, 2022. It was my pleasure and honor to attend and cover this amazing event! There was a broad mix of creatives, ranging from fashion to music to art, highlighting the culture and innovation of Atlanta’s diverse fashion scene The energy and vibe was more than upbeat and infectious.

To fully represent Atlanta’s diverse elements of culture and fashion, the event was open to applicants who were evaluated to see if they harnessed the drive of “a maker,” a quality design portfolio, originality, and appreciation of current fashion trends.

Shaneel Lalani, CEO of Lalani Ventures and owner of Underground Atlanta said “Concepts like ATLFW are essential to honoring the history of Underground Atlanta as the city’s longtime center for culture, art and entertainment as we continue our revitalization efforts with larger activations. We are passionate about supporting artistic ventures like ATLFW with a goal of bringing art and artists back to the community as we bring new life and business back to Downtown.”

ATLFW transformed the district into a fabulous fashion showcase featuring three shows a day, a marketplace and merchandise store, cocktail hours, expert panel discussions, live DJs and more The shows featured men’s and women’s ready-to-wear and streetwear that reflects the collaboration of music and visual arts defining Atlanta’s fashion and culture.. I was very proud and honored to attend and cover this wonderful event I'm looking forward to next year's Atlanta Fashion Week already!

FIVE DAYS AT MEMORIAL ACTRESS

JULIE ANN EMERY

In Her Own Words...

Tell me about your background and your time growing up in Atlanta

I was born in a small town called Crossville, TN which is about a four hour drive from Atlanta and I know this because when I was about thirteen my dad moved to Atlanta so I spent a lot of summers in Atlanta. My dad lived in Roswell and Marietta and my stepmom owned a hair salon in Canton. Jimmy Carter's mother would come into the salon and get her hair done once a week. I spent a lot of my time riding bikes, going on adventures and drinking Coke Cola's out of a glass bottle, hanging out at Lenox Square mall and saw some of my first theater performances at The Fox Theatre. I have a lot of love for Atlanta. Atlanta sprawls far and wide kind of like Los Angeles does, but I always say Atlanta is like LA except with good home cooking!

You have a new show on Apple TV + called Five Days at Memorial, describe for our readers what that relationship is like with Apple TV + Well first off we have some of the most creative minds in the industry, Oscar winner John Ridley and Emmy winner Carlton Cuse as the captains of our ship. They wrote the series together and directed the first five episodes. Apple really gave them creative freedom to do what they felt they needed to do for the story and they gave us enormous resources. We built a working heli-pad and landed a real Coast Guard helicopter on it. A lot of our cast went out on set when we weren't working to see the amazing set that was built, it was that impressive. I have to give Apple TV + real respect and kudos for not only choosing to tell this story right now, but also giving our creatives the resources that they needed in order to tell the story in a real human and heartfelt way. I'm so proud to be a part of it. To do something that really matters right now... there's really no substitute for that.

Tell me about your co-starts and supporting cast on Five Days at Memorial

We all went all in as actors for our roles. This cast is wildly talented and if there was no other reason to jump onto this project, the cast alone would do it. The cast got really close during the filming. The material is so deep and intense that I think we really needed each other and had a lot of love for one another. We began shooting at the tail end of lockdowns from the pandemic so we were able to create a "pod" together because we were being tested for Covid so frequently, and we spent a lot of our downtime together. I think we were all seeking some comradery together off set because the material was very deep on set. John Ridley said to us at our first cast meeting over zoom, as he quoted Mark Twain "History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme." We've seen that with Katrina and collective crises since. We saw it with our healthcare workers during the pandemic, systemic racism and how resources get divided in our communities. We are still seeing so many of these problems and haven't gotten much better at these moments. My great hope is that the show creates a conversation in this country and that we as a citizenry demand our institutions and our leaders take stock and do better.

As you know, Atlanta is quickly becoming dubbed "The Hollywood of the South".. As a great actress, what advice do you have for talented individuals in Atlanta who want to break into the industry especially for more dramatic roles?

First of all, I tell theater students to move to a market like Atlanta or Chicago because it's a little easier to break into the business there. If you're in Atlanta, you've already taken step one. It may not be something they want to hear but... study, study, study! Find a class that challenges you, find a great acting coach or teacher that pushes you to be a deeper and better artist. Dramatic roles are not the easiest roles to audition for. Because you have to be able to dial up the emotion to takes you there. That requires practice. You get practice through study. Most of our cast on Five Days at Memorial started in the theater. Go see some plays, find a great theater company, a lot of casting directors and agents go to see plays to scout talent. There's no substitute for being able to tell a story from beginning to end in one night. Really get into your character, learn what theater is like, it's a great transition into on camera. Do the work and study, go to classes, go to plays, look for a challenge.

Tell me what's next on the horizon for you.. In your career and life in general

In my career I have a Netflix movie I just wrapped that should be out next year with Lexie Alexander who wrote and directed it. There are a few other projects that I'm excited about that I can't talk about yet. My hope for my career as it rolls on, I hope that I can continue to find challenging female roles and step into those minds. For life, I became a gardener during the pandemic, so I'm looking to settle on a farm where I can continue to grow my fruits and vegetables with my husband.

Genevieve Gaignard Unveils

OBM, (Orange Barrell Media) the largest operator of outdoor signage in the Atlanta Arts & Entertainment District, and internationally recognized artist Genevieve Gaignard have transformed the north façade of the utilitarian parking garage at 79 Marietta St NW into a dynamic public art destination. The exhibit takes place at one of OBM’s newest sign locations in Downtown Atlanta and reflects how the intersection of outdoor media and art can enliven public spaces. in Iaddition to launching Gaignard’s impactful large-scale installation, Look At Them Look At Us features the photographic works of eight Atlanta based emerging artists on OBM’s new digital display. The exhibition amplifies themes such as the construction of identity, Blackness, authenticity, and invisibility in conversation with Gaignard’s artwork. Local artists include AD Kaya Clark, Ken West, Chip Moody, Davion Alston, C. Rose Smith, Jhalin Knowles, Artemus Jenkins, and Natrice Miller.

“Using our media platform to enrich communities and extend the reach of diverse public art is at the heart of OBM’s mission. Our role is to support artists, art organizations, and civic entities like Arts & Entertainment Atlanta and we’re proud to be a part of this exciting project. It is powerful when culture, commerce, and community work together,” said Pete Scantland, CEO of Orange Barrel Media Gaignard is a Los Angeles and Massachusetts based multidisciplinary artist whose work focuses on installation, sculpture, collage, and photographic self portraiture to explore race, class, and femininity. The artist’s public installation in Atlanta is a new reworking from her 2020 series, Look At Them Look At Us. The series invited viewers to look within and reconsider preconceived notions of race through diverse pieces which included photography, sculpture, and mixedmedia works. The new work in Atlanta exhibits Gaignard’s distinctive aesthetic, which blends glamour and camp and resonates with the exaggerated visuals of the social media age.

“Collaborating on public artwork for the city of Atlanta is such an honor. The city is so rich in culture and creativity like none other! An artist's work is not always given a platform to reach folks outside galleries or museums on such a grand level. In this presentation, not only does the work reach pedestrians and drivers, but OBM has set it up so I can be in dialogue with other artists in the community, which is such a beautiful thing,” said Genevieve Gaignar

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