BLACKWEEK is headed to the west side for it’s third year.
After two years in NYC, BLACKWEEK, an economic forum and festival, will expand it’s reach to Los Angeles from October 7-9 at at NYA West Studios.
Founded by several media executives — Andre Gray, Monique Nelson, Gabrielle Sheridan, Adan Romero, Walter T Geer III, Dabo Ché and Joseph Anthony — the forum and festival brings together dynamic executives, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders for real conversations about the economic power of culture.
“Black week is a conference we started three years ago, and we really wanted to just create a space around the idea that culture drives business,” Gray shared on a recent episode of The Breaking and Entering Show.
The goal of the multi-day festival is to ignite discussions on disrupting and improving the current state of marketing, media, tech, and entertainment.
This year’s theme, “How To Own It In America,” centers around ownership and access. The official description reads:
“All of our futures are being shaped today — by people in rooms, in conversations we haven’t historically been allowed to access. No access means no ownership: not of the land, the LLCs, the capital, or even the narratives around us. BLACKWEEK 2026 is the blueprint to changing all that. The world in 2026 is refreshing every day, and owning is the key to building our futures.”
Seven themes serve as the framework for the theme – Money, Brand, Entertainment, Sports, Tech, Health, and Creators.
Speakers for the 2026 edtion include Tyrese Gibson, Tommy Davidson, Jordan Chiles, Ashley Everett, Christopher “Kid” Reid, Roy Wood Jr. among others.
The festivals dynamic programming can be attributed to their attendee growth from 1,300 attendees in 2024 to 2,000 in 2025 (per Gray). The conferences combined have seen a mixture in roles from mid-level to c-suite executives. The organizers of this year’s festival have given away over 200 seats to junior creatives and black women impacted by layoffs with the support of Shipt, E.L.F Beauty and eos Products.
Despite it’s name, the founders emphasize that all backgrounds are welcome as a panelist or attendee.
Past speakers include political commentators, actors, authors, founders, musicians and more.
At the 2025 forum, speakers Tamika Mallory, Joy Reid, Don Lemon, and Lena Waite, were among many panelists who activated and informed listeners.
Reid reminded the audience that “citizen journalism” is the future, Mara Brock Ali emphasized the need for showcasing Black families in film, and Kenan Thompson discussed remaining true to your voice while scaling growth. More recaps can be found on the instagram page.
Tickets are available at blackweek.co,