Atlanta‘s Hottest Award Creator Interview Interview By By Teresa Teresa B. B.
The Heat Seekers Magazine: Thank you for creating Atlanta’s Hottest Awards! Since THS was awarded as the Hottest Magazine in Atlanta, I couldn’t wait to interview you! Tell us: Who is Bryant Marshall? Bryant Marshall: I am just a man who loves God, and people, spreading love and living life to the fullest. I come from a close family unit that helped shape my love of family and community. I developed a love for entertaining others at an early age as my family realized I could sing; I was often called upon to sing at various functions. I grew up discovering the many gifts that I had been blessed with, among those, singing, dancing, acting, modeling, writing songs, and producing music. I also discovered a knack for organizing events and creating entrepreneurial endeavors early in life which extended into adult life. I am a man of strong faith in God and I am driven and determined with a no quit attitude. Motto. "If there is no door. make one and kick it open" THS: When and how did Atlanta’s Hottest awards come to fruition? BM: Prior to the ATL's Hottest Awards I was producing events from fashion shows, weddings, expos, parties, concerts, and more. I was motivated after hearing multiple individuals and businesses claim to be The ATL's Hottest. I had a vision to create a platform that would shine the spotlight on those who were truly providing quality experiences and doing great work. I wanted to allow the fans and followers to vote on who they felt was the ATL's Hottest in various categories of entertainment. The 1st Annual ATL's Hottest Awards took place in 2009. THS: Did you have anyone that influenced you along the way through this creation process? BM: Yes, over the years there have been many people who have been a part of the shaping of the awards from the early days till now.
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THS: How was the response from the community the first year? Where was it held and how many attendees? BM: The first year was met with a mixed bag of reactions from mostly positive to a few not so positive. I chose to focus on those who would participate and focus on attention making the awards so good, so big that others would have no choice but to get Involved. Any difficulty came from the fact that no one had ever produced a club award and some just didn't know why I was the one who wanted to do it and there were of course financial struggles. How do we pay for this and how to get the right people involved? The finances came and so did the people. Overall there was enough positive reception to continue the vision. The first year, the awards team pounded the pavement going from venue to venue introducing ourselves and the concept of Atlanta's Hottest Club Awards which was the original name. The 2nd year brought great growth and three times the attendance of year number 1. This growth came as a result of hard work and the addition of the entertainment awards categories such as hottest band, vocalist, and many others. There was no such awards show such as ours named after and dedicated to the ATL Entertainment scene. The first year saw about 150 attendees THS: Are you an Atlanta native? If so tell us about growing up in the “A”. If not tell us about where you grew up and how you came to ATL. BM: Yes I am a Georgia native, literary born in a hospital in downtown Atlanta. However I was raised primarily in cities surrounding downtown, but I spent a lot of time in and around the ATL as my family was all over and I was performing everywhere as a singer with my group Raggtyme. THS: It's sometimes difficult to start communitybased projects and services. Did you get any assistance from anyone outside of family and friends? BM: Yes, I received assistance and well wishes from people who saw and understood the vision. The assistance came in the form of small sponsors, advice and connecting me with others who had shared interests. THS: What advice can you give other individuals who want to create and assist the public? BM: I would say know your what you want to do and know your "why" you want to do. Educate yourself on the topic and don't be afraid to hear the word no. Use it as fuel to keep going. Know the joy of victory is worth any difficulty you may face.
