J. Carter (Atlanta)Published in Grip Magazine
By Kandis Knight
Around the corner from the trendy Slice Pizza on Peters Street is the swanky Midtown loft that houses Atlanta’s premiere entertainment company, Sol Fusion. Walking into the art deco loft is a fresh and exciting experience. Much like the cutting edged events the group is well known for producing.
From the art on the walls, the vibrant colors and the ethnocentric music, the Sol Fusion mantra is evident. It is all about a “progressive urban” vibe. “I am from Harlem, Sugarhill is an area in Harlem that is about real progressive, urban culture. You meet everyone from corner office executives, to thugs who can pass for attorneys,” explains J. Carter, the young, charismatic owner of Sol Fusion.
J. Carter brought that “progressive, urban” culture with him to Atlanta in 1990 when his father’s job relocated. Carter, a Business Economics graduate of Florida A & M is not new to the entertainment game. His promotions career started while in high school and followed him through college where he threw parties for his fraternity Omega Psi Phi.
“When I came to Atlanta, I didn’t understand the lingo, the style or the music. Once I understood it, I loved it. I will never move back to NYC.”
Another reason why Carter will never move back to New York is because he has been busy carving out a niche in the entertainment market. Since 2002, Sol Fusion: An Intercontinental Lovefest has been capitalizing on Atlanta’s rich diversity. A carefully selected mixture of music styles; hip-hop, funk, soul, reggae, the classics, Latin vibes and alternative rock are what attracts the multi-ethnic broad of partygoers, up to 1500 monthly.
To add to the success of his company and monthly events, Carter recently became part owner of Sugarhill and Motions nightclubs in Atlanta’s Underground. Carter lives a lifestyle many of us can only dream of. “I don’t call myself a promoter, I am more like a social politician.” His phone rings and he jumps up to wheel and deal, then promptly comes back to interject a thought.
“You know, the best thing about having my own venue is now I have more creative control over some of the things I want to do,” he explains. “Before I had to wheel and deal with venue owners and restaurants as far as how far I can take it and what I can do and what I can’t do. Now there is no cap on the creativity.”
Within a four year period, Sol Fusion has touched over 100,000 people, and was voted the #1 club event in Atlanta in 2005. All of the success has impressed big name sponsors, such as Heineken who sponsored Sol Fusion for an entire year.
“If your intentions are genuine your rewards will follow,” says Carter. “Put in the hard work and keep your intentions pure,” he smiles.
The constant flow of money, beautiful women, and hot parties has not changed Carter. “A lot of new promoter’s get into it because they think there is going to be a lot of ladies, cash and opportunities to meet celebrities,” he explains.
“That’s cool but I think you should just keep it humble. If you are in it just to make money, after awhile that poison will kill you.”
Another company under the Sol Fusion umbrella is Diamond Lounge Creative. Diamond Lounge is a very visible Atlanta marketing firm that recently produced all of the creative branding for the Shirley Franklin campaign.
Looking into the future it seems like the sky is the limit for this young ATL hustler. “For 2007 we are going to renovate Motions and expand Sol Fusion to four more cities, we are looking at Charlotte, Orlando, Birmingham and possibly LA.”
For more information please visit http://www.sol-fusion.com/
Around the corner from the trendy Slice Pizza on Peters Street is the swanky Midtown loft that houses Atlanta’s premiere entertainment company, Sol Fusion. Walking into the art deco loft is a fresh and exciting experience. Much like the cutting edged events the group is well known for producing.
From the art on the walls, the vibrant colors and the ethnocentric music, the Sol Fusion mantra is evident. It is all about a “progressive urban” vibe. “I am from Harlem, Sugarhill is an area in Harlem that is about real progressive, urban culture. You meet everyone from corner office executives, to thugs who can pass for attorneys,” explains J. Carter, the young, charismatic owner of Sol Fusion.
J. Carter brought that “progressive, urban” culture with him to Atlanta in 1990 when his father’s job relocated. Carter, a Business Economics graduate of Florida A & M is not new to the entertainment game. His promotions career started while in high school and followed him through college where he threw parties for his fraternity Omega Psi Phi.
“When I came to Atlanta, I didn’t understand the lingo, the style or the music. Once I understood it, I loved it. I will never move back to NYC.”
Another reason why Carter will never move back to New York is because he has been busy carving out a niche in the entertainment market. Since 2002, Sol Fusion: An Intercontinental Lovefest has been capitalizing on Atlanta’s rich diversity. A carefully selected mixture of music styles; hip-hop, funk, soul, reggae, the classics, Latin vibes and alternative rock are what attracts the multi-ethnic broad of partygoers, up to 1500 monthly.
To add to the success of his company and monthly events, Carter recently became part owner of Sugarhill and Motions nightclubs in Atlanta’s Underground. Carter lives a lifestyle many of us can only dream of. “I don’t call myself a promoter, I am more like a social politician.” His phone rings and he jumps up to wheel and deal, then promptly comes back to interject a thought.
“You know, the best thing about having my own venue is now I have more creative control over some of the things I want to do,” he explains. “Before I had to wheel and deal with venue owners and restaurants as far as how far I can take it and what I can do and what I can’t do. Now there is no cap on the creativity.”
Within a four year period, Sol Fusion has touched over 100,000 people, and was voted the #1 club event in Atlanta in 2005. All of the success has impressed big name sponsors, such as Heineken who sponsored Sol Fusion for an entire year.
“If your intentions are genuine your rewards will follow,” says Carter. “Put in the hard work and keep your intentions pure,” he smiles.
The constant flow of money, beautiful women, and hot parties has not changed Carter. “A lot of new promoter’s get into it because they think there is going to be a lot of ladies, cash and opportunities to meet celebrities,” he explains.
“That’s cool but I think you should just keep it humble. If you are in it just to make money, after awhile that poison will kill you.”
Another company under the Sol Fusion umbrella is Diamond Lounge Creative. Diamond Lounge is a very visible Atlanta marketing firm that recently produced all of the creative branding for the Shirley Franklin campaign.
Looking into the future it seems like the sky is the limit for this young ATL hustler. “For 2007 we are going to renovate Motions and expand Sol Fusion to four more cities, we are looking at Charlotte, Orlando, Birmingham and possibly LA.”
For more information please visit http://www.sol-fusion.com/
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