by Dan Perkins

On July 3, 2003, the DuVernay Agency, LLC. of Los Angeles announced the launch of the Urban Beauty Collective. The collective is an invitation-only network of top level Black hairstylists and barbers.  The collective serves as an informal network for the dissemination of information to the Black community.  The initiative is the brainchild of the agency's founder, Ava DuVernay, who conceived it while waiting to be serviced in a hair salon.  

The Urban Beauty Collective is an exciting new chapter for the highly innovative DuVernay Agency, which has among its clients some of Hollywood's leading entertainment companies including DreamWorks Pictures and Warner Brothers.  

With over 10,000 establishments already participating in the collective - in New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Detroit, Washington, DC, Baltimore and a host of other cities - the DuVernay Agency has assembled an extraordinary resource for the Black community and those who want to reach it.  

The DuVernay Agency intends to use the network to disseminate a variety of programming, including promos.  Each month, participating establishments receive a VHS cassette containing the latest information on movies, music, television and lifestyle brands.  The network allows marketers to tailor promos to the patrons of urban salons and barbershops.  

DreamWorks and Warner Brothers Home are among the first entertainment marketers to tap into the potential of the collective.  The visionary DuVernay Agency is so confident of the collective's potential to function as a network, it has begun marketing the programming as UBC-TV.  For the owners of beauty salons and barbershops, the programming provides them a way to enhance the quality of their patrons' experience.

Ellene Miles of the DuVernay Agency said the agency invested "a good six months" researching the viability of the collective.

In addition to the entertainment promos, the distributed programs feature businesses that are part of the collective.  Each month, a participating salon or barbershop is featured, and Ava DuVernay believes the programs will appeal to salons and barbershops that want to showcase their facilities, employees, products, or simply exchange information on styles and best practices.

The first salon to be featured is PHASE II, located in Los Angeles.  The owner, Jasmine Kimble, and manager Karen Butler, welcome the opportunity to be in the initial video program and on the newly created Urban Beauty Collective website, which can be accessed at www.urbanbeautycollective.com.

The Urban Beauty Collective has the potential of evolving into a valuable resource for the Black community, shop owners, and marketers interested in reaching urbanites.

Barbershops and salon owners who wish to be considered for the Urban Beauty Collective are invited to call Ellene Miles of the DuVernay Agency at 323-860-7060 (Extn. 202)  

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