OnRaé LaTeal Watkins
Los Angeles
Summary
Award-winning producer, creative arts educator, cultural organizer and museum professional with over ten years of specialized experience in multi-media production and out-of-school education. Supports local and national organizations' efforts to produce racially inclusive and diverse programs through OnRaé LaTeal Productions, an A/V production and special programs consulting agency. Specializes in merging urban contemporary sounds, visual storytelling, and imaginative speculation to investigate complex racial and gender equity issues impacting marginalized communities.
Overview
12
12
years of professional experience
Work History
Owner
OnRaé LaTeal Productions
Saint Leonard, Maryland
01.2015 - Current
- Provides specialized public programming, creative production and education consultation services to local/national organizations
- Supervises a team of consultants to design and execute new, innovative and community centered audience engagement experiences for clients
- Oversees the operations of two grassroots education initiatives including the Freedom Futures Collective and Black Girls Handgames Project
Founder
Freedom Futures Collective
Washington, DC
10.2020 - Current
- Manages operations and production of projects supporting local and national social justice campaigns, initiatives, direct actions and special events
- Directs curation of innovative education resources, professional training and special programming for youth artist activists
- Supervises fundraising efforts by managing program budget, identifying funding sources and preparing grant proposals
- Directed production of the multi-award wining audio/visual album of original freedom songs, "We Keep Us Safe"
Founder
Black Girls Handgames Project
Washington, DC
05.2017 - Current
- Directs the production of education resources, multi-media content and programming centering the cultural tradition of hand games, racial/gender equity and hip-hop
Cultural Organizer
Freelance
Washington, DC
01.2016 - Current
- Produces multimedia assets to document direct actions, audience engagements, and the stories of community leaders on behalf of local/national mission-driven organizations
- Supports local/national/international organizations' efforts to build art-based social justice education projects, programs, and resources targeting marginalized youth audiences, educators, and freedom fighters
- Curates interactive freedom music performances to nurture community building during rallies and protest marches
- Directed the production of the Black Youth Project 100's internationally recognized musical compilation album, The Black Joy Experience
Public Programs Consultant
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
Los Angeles, CA
07.2022 - 04.2023
- Directed the curation, cross-departmental program management, and overall execution of museum's historic 2023 three-day celebration event, Regeneration Summit: A Celebration of Black Cinema
- Evaluated existing audience and programmatic structure to produce new, inclusive and hybrid public engagement opportunities highlighting the museum's groundbreaking exhibition, Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898–1971;
Lead of Public Programs and Community Engagement
Arts and Industries Building
Washington, DC
01.2021 - 09.2022
- Directed the design and execution of more than 30 community engagement programs and multi-day festivals impacting over 81,000 visitors to successfully reopen and close the country's first national museum
- Co-led the design of an overarching audience engagement strategy, budget plan, vision and goals for AIB's thematic public programs aligned with the 8-month exhibition, FUTURES
- Supervised AIB programs staff and special consultants to execute all weekly programs and festival-style events
Youth Education Liaison
Smithsonian Institution
Washington, DC
03.2021 - 10.2021
- Served as key consultant for Our Shared Future Reckoning with Our Racial Past (OSF) pan-institutional initiative
- Co-led implementation of an overarching education strategy focused on K-12 students, educators, and other key stakeholders
- Led overall curation and production of the initiative's learning lab profile, and official K-12 education resource website page;
- Supervised and facilitated the initiative's series of research-based listening sessions with 117 educators nationwide
Senior Manager of Teen Programs
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Washington, DC
02.2018 - 01.2021
- Directed the overall planning, direction and execution of over 320 education-based public programs for local/national teen and general audiences
- Increased teen participation by 66 percent, and established on-going large-scale programs capturing nearly 19,000 teen program participants
- Developed and supervised subordinate managers, special project vendors, and team of diverse education staff
Arts and Media Youth Developer
Latin American Youth Center
Washington, DC
04.2015 - 04.2017
- Produced and facilitated comprehensive radio and music production curricula for underserved youth and young adults
- Built and nurtured partnerships with external organizations to enhance LAYC’s services
- Directed recruitment tours and orientations for new program participant
On-Air Personality
WHUR 96.3 FM
Washington, DC
02.2015 - 01.2017
- Created, hosted and produced "Bridging the Gap", the network's first one-hour nationally broadcast underground gospel talk and music program
- Managed guest booking, content creation, and all phases of production
- Produced and directed videos for show promotion via social media outlets including, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
Creative Services Producer
WHUR 96.3 FM
Washington, DC
05.2011 - 03.2015
- Managed and produced 5+ talk programs conducting content research and scriptwriting for promotional and creative content
- Produced high quality radio imaging content across entire radio network under strict deadlines
- Supervised operations of student-led network, Glasshouse Radio
- Led network to top ranking position in DC evening radio programming for two consecutive years as Executive Producer of The Weekend Review
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Radio, Television, Film: Audio Production
Howard University
District of ColumbiaSkills
- Curricula Development
- Event Curation
- Education and Public Programming
- Audience Engagement Strategy
- Program Management
- Youth Development
- Training
- Public Speaking
- A/V Production
- Musical Composition
- Creative Direction
- Performance
sections.external_links.name
Body of Work
Productions
- 2014 "OnRaé LaTeal Presents... Libra Season." EP.
- 2015 "Libra Season." Album.
- 2015 "Bridging the Gap." Sirius XM religious talk and music program.
- 2017 "Miss Mary Mack." ft. Jaydee Polo, Wifty Bangura and Bennu Byrd. Hip-hop single.
- 2018 "Black Joy Experience." Musical compilation album.
- 2020 "Freedomside." Music video.
- 2020 "Middle Finger to the Law" ft Fresco Steez and BYP 100. Hip-hop single and music video.
- 2020 "We Keep Us Safe." Musical compilation album.
- 2022 "Ella Baker Shaker" ft. Big Freedia and Jonathan Lykes. Bounce music single.
Installation
- 2021 "We Keep Us Safe." Pop-up mixed media installation. DuPont Underground. Washington, DC.
Event Curation
- 2016 "Play for Pride." Donation drive concert. St. Stephen and the Incarnation Episcopal Church, Washington, DC.
- 2018 "Emerging Artists". Teen digital art exhibition. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Washington, DC.
- 2018 "Emerging Artists: The Future." Teen digital art exhibition. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Washington, DC.
- 2019 "Emerging Artists: Vernacular." Teen digital art exhibition. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Washington, DC.
- 2019 "Emerging Artists: 51%." Teen digital art exhibition. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Washington, DC.
- 2019 "The Salon." Black hair history pop-up exhibition and film screening. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Washington, DC.
- 2019 "DC Collide." Teen art and music festival. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Washington, DC.
- 2019 "Black Joy Experience." Liberation music festival. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Washington, DC.
- 2021 "Futures Remixed." Museum opening event. Arts and Industries Building. Washington, DC.
- 2022 "Future of Fashion." Immersive fashion show. Arts and Industries Building. Washington, DC.
- 2022 "FUTURES Field Day." NFL Sponsored community field day. Arts and Industries Building. Washington, DC.
- 2022 "Earth Days @ FUTURES." Multi-day Earth Day celebration. Arts and Industries Building. Washington, DC.
- 2022 "FUTURES Forward." Museum closing celebration. Arts and Industries Building. Washington, DC.
- 2022 "Living Longer Festival." Multi-day World Health Day celebration. Arts and Industries Building. Washington, DC.
- 2022 "Regeneration Summit: A Celebration of Black Cinema." Three-day Black cinema history festival. Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Los Angeles, CA.
- 2023 "Glow Night Arcade Party." Smithsonian Saturday Solstice celebration. Smithsonian Institution. Washington, DC.
Performance
- 2016 "Play for Pride." St. Stephen and the Incarnation Episcopal Church, Washington, DC.
- 2016 "Capital Pride Festival," Capital Pride Alliance. Washington, DC.
- 2016 "Good Morning Washington, ABC 7." Washington, DC.
- 2018 "In Solidarity We Rise: Healing, Opportunity and Justice for Girls." National Crittenton Foundation. Atlanta, GA.
- 2019 "Black Joy Experience." Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Washington, DC.
- 2019 "Folklife Festival." Smithsonian Institution. Washington, DC.
- 2020 "Demand DC" The Palm Collective Direct Action.. Washington, DC.
- 2021 "Fuck Nellies," Harriet's Wildest Dreams Direct Action. Washington, DC.
- 2021 "Mic Check #Freedom." Eaton DC. Washington, DC.
- 2022 "DC Funk Parade." Washington, DC.
- 2022 "Chocolate City Jubilee." Freedom Plaza. Washington, DC.
- 2023 "CALL to Action." UCLA, Los Angeles, CA.
Accomplishments
- 2020 Open Society Foundations Fellow
- 2021 Highlander Research Education Center Grantee
- 2021 Venice Shorts Film Festival. "We Keep Us Safe."
- 2021 Brighton & Hove Pride LGBTQ+ Film Festival
- 2021 International Music Video Awards Finalist
- 2022 Telly Award. "We Keep Us Safe." Silver medal, general- non broadcast.
- 2022 (4) Telly Award, "Our Shared Futures: Reckoning with Our Racial Past Forum." Smithsonian Institution. (1) Gold, (2) Silver, (1) Bronze.
- 2022 Webby Award's Inaugural Anthem Award, "We Keep Us Safe." Silver Medal. Best Local Community Engagement.
- 2022 Black Truth Film Festival Winner. "We Keep Us Safe."
- 2022 Roddenberry Foundation Grantee
- 2023 Highlander Research and Education Center Cultural Organizer Training the Trainer. Acknowledged training completion.
Publications and Press Coverage
** indicates OnRaé LaTeal Watkins author credit
- "Regeneration Summit: A Celebration of Black Cinema," Event Web Page. Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, 2023.**
- "D.C. advocates, criticizing commercialized Juneteenth, aim for local and free." Washington Post, 2022.
- "OnRaé LaTeal Says “Black Joy Is Essential." Washington City Paper, 2021.
- "How Educators Can Boost and Activate Teen Voices." Smithsonian Magazine, 2021.**
- "Educator Tools for Teaching about Race," Resource Web Page. Smithsonian Institution, 2021.**
- "MTV And The Smithsonian Channel To Explore Black Women & Sex In Hip-Hop With New Digital Series." Essence, 2021.
- "Local activist creates ‘fight songs' for protesters fighting for racial equality." WUSA9, 2020
- "Check Out This Amazing Music Video Shot on the Black Lives Matter Mural", Washingtonian, 2020.
- "OnRaé LaTeal's Freedom Songs" The Uncommon District, 2020.
- "No Movement Without Music': DJs, Go-Go And Hip-Hop Have Invigorated This Summer Of Activism In D.C.." WAMU, 2020.
- "Local Artists And Activists Create A Visual Album To ‘Radically Reimagine' Policing." DCist, 2020.
- "Reimagining Classic Games with the Black Girls Handgames Project." Smithsonian Folk Life Festival, 2019.
- "Rebel Girls: D.C. Women Making Music," Smithsonian Folk Life Festival, 2019.
- "Reclaiming Black Girlhood with Hand Games." ASCD, 2019.
- "Black Girl Hand Games Magic! at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival." Montgomery College Television, 2019.
- "Good News Report | November 9th: Black Joy Experience." The Grio, 2018.
Public Speaking
- 2023 "Lunch and Learn." BUILD, Washington.
- 2022 "Art as Community Activation: a Conversation Featuring Local & International Artists." Kennedy Center. Washington, DC.
- 2023 "Regeneration Summit: A Celebration of Black Cinema." Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Los Angeles, CA.
- 2022 "Toronto Music Entrepreneurship Exchange with OnRaé LaTeal Watkins." University of Toronto. Toronto, CA.
- 2022 "ChangeMAKERS: Cultivating Change Through Creative Expression." National Campaign to Stop Violence. Washington, DC.
- 2022 "Futures Remixed." Arts and Industries Building. Washington, DC.
- 2022 "Futures Forward." Arts and Industries Building. Washington, DC.
- 2022 "DON'T MUTE DC: Conversation & Crank featuring Backyard Band." Kennedy Center. Washington, DC.
- 2021 "Using Sounds of Black Joy as Resistance" St. Norbert College. De Pere, WI.
- 2021 "Youth Activism Virtual Scholar Talk." Smithsonian Affiliates. Washington, DC.
- 2021 " Singing Freedom Futures." The Choral Commons. Washington, DC.
- 2021 "Identifying the Barriers to Diversity and Inclusion in My Informal Education Space." Smithsonian Institution. Washington, DC.
- 2021 "Reimagining the Museum: Community, Collaboration & Radical Inclusion." Hammer Museum. Los Angeles, CA.
- 2020 "Youth Leadership and Activism." Smithsonian Associates. Washington, DC.
- 2019 "The Salon." Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Washington, DC.
- 2019 "Youth Access Grant Forum." Smithsonian Institution. Washington, DC.
Timeline
Public Programs Consultant
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
07.2022 - 04.2023
Youth Education Liaison
Smithsonian Institution
03.2021 - 10.2021
Lead of Public Programs and Community Engagement
Arts and Industries Building
01.2021 - 09.2022
Founder
Freedom Futures Collective
10.2020 - Current
Senior Manager of Teen Programs
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
02.2018 - 01.2021
Founder
Black Girls Handgames Project
05.2017 - Current
Cultural Organizer
Freelance
01.2016 - Current
Arts and Media Youth Developer
Latin American Youth Center
04.2015 - 04.2017
On-Air Personality
WHUR 96.3 FM
02.2015 - 01.2017
Owner
OnRaé LaTeal Productions
01.2015 - Current
Creative Services Producer
WHUR 96.3 FM
05.2011 - 03.2015
Bachelor of Arts - Radio, Television, Film: Audio Production
Howard University
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