Essence Todman
Ravena,New York
Summary
Whimsical Artist with superb artistic skills and knowledge of Fashion, Photography, Acrylic pour painting, etc. Proficient in creating detailed masterpieces for clients using multiple types of media. Polished in public speaking, business management and networking. Known for strengths in project design, planning and management to exceed customer expectations.
Overview
23
23
years of professional experience
6
6
years of post-secondary education
Work History
Event Organizer
RAW Albany
Albany, NY
01.2022 - Current
- Participated in strategy development and planning to grow organizing program and advance campaigns.
- Wrote e-mails, promoted events via social media and drafted phone scripts to recruit volunteers.
- Coordinated florists, photographers, videographers, musicians, officiants and ceremony participants during rehearsals and pre-ceremony, ceremony and reception events.
- Fostered collaborative efforts to schedule, host and facilitate events and identify further opportunities to reach members of community.
- Identified community organizations and leaders to establish and nurture relationships to help build awareness and win reforms for public.
- Discovered opportunities to gain deeper insight into creating efficient and streamlined processes.
- Coordinated volunteer activities and facilitated distribution of promotional and marketing materials.
- Planned large-scale Artists Showcase Events
- Organized, coordinated and deployed Artists Sowcase events while focusing on delivering superior customer service.
- Managed event logistics and operations.
- Managed administrative logistics of events planning, event booking and event promotions.
- Supervised onsite team of caterers, audio-visual technicians, and facility management team.
- Led vendor negotiations to obtain cost-effective services and products.
- Coordinated schedules and timelines for events.
Fashion Designer
Essence Latifah, LLC
Albany, NY
01.2016 - Current
- Researching current fashion trends and determining what consumers will like
- Creating clothing patterns for production
- Creating production sketches for development packages.
- Conducting market research to identify new trends, fabrics and techniques, and seeking design inspiration.
- Selecting fabrics and trims.
- Negotiated with vendors on availability, product specifications, distribution, delivery deadlines and price.
- Sketched artistic and fresh designs for upcoming seasons.
- Collaborated with other artists and professional to achieve target results.
- Reviewing product for style and fit during presentation.
- Presenting story, mood, color boards, and samples to buyers.
- Conducted research, gathered information from multiple sources and presented results.
- Developed and maintained courteous and effective working relationships.
Artist
Essence Latifah, LLC
Cohoes, NY
01.2013 - Current
- Established and maintained productive, professional working relationships to promote beneficial project results.
- Maintained and shared portfolios of artistic work to demonstrate styles, interests and abilities with potential customers.
- Ordered and maintained adequate supply of materials, supplies and equipment.
- Advertised and sold mosaics and drawing pieces at local markets and established piece pricing on customer demand, labor costs and raw material costs.
- Made use of materials, such as ink, watercolors, charcoal, oil, computer software, paints and pencils to complete unique piece for customers.
- Developed art and design concepts.
Photographer
Essence Latifah, LLC
Cohoes, NY
01.2013 - 04.2020
- Digitally edited photos to enhance appearance.
- Determined and adjusted subject position, props and lighting equipment while selecting camera angles to optimize final product.
- Photographed high-quality images for various print and digital projects.
- Scheduled and booked locations for photo shoots, working collaboratively with clients and contacts.
- Maintained and shared portfolios of artistic work to demonstrate styles, interests and abilities with potential customers.
- Completed complex photo shoots at indoor and outdoor venues.
- Edited, toned, captioned and uploaded photographs for publication.
- Planned and prepared for on-location and studio shoots.
- Produced album publicity photo sessions for artists.
- Consulted with clients to discuss commission ideas and style preferences to create mutually agreeable project parameters.
- Shot photographs in controlled lab, field and remote environments.
- Experimented with different lighting effects to deliver unique images.
- Selected and set up appropriate props, backdrops and lighting.
- Directed wedding guests to pose for photographs.
- Calculated quotes for clients.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Fashion Design
Cazenovia College
Cazenovia, NY 08.2007 - 05.2011
MBA - Business Administration
Metropolitan College of New York
New York, NY 09.2011 - 06.2013
Skills
Event sales
Meeting planning
Vendor and contract negotiations
Scheduling
Business administration
Budget development
Sponsorship development
Garment construction
Apparel Design
Pattern making
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop
Cultural Awareness
Multitasking Abilities
Strong compositional skills
Adobe Creative Suite
Fashion photography
Timeline
Event Organizer
RAW Albany
01.2022 - Current
Fashion Designer
Essence Latifah, LLC
01.2016 - Current
Artist
Essence Latifah, LLC
01.2013 - Current
Photographer
Essence Latifah, LLC
01.2013 - 04.2020
MBA - Business Administration
Metropolitan College of New York
09.2011 - 06.2013
Bachelor of Arts - Fashion Design
Cazenovia College
08.2007 - 05.2011