Building Legacies through Art & Business

This special panel discussion hosted by Blackstone LaunchPad at BCC celebrates the vibrant and creative entrepreneurial spirit of the Bronx. Organized in partnership with the Bronx Economic Development Corporation (BXEDC), this event will feature local artists, innovators, and small business owners who have successfully leveraged their creativity and resilience to make a lasting impact in our community.

Connect them with Bronx-based creative entrepreneurs—individuals who have turned their artistic passions into thriving ventures, disrupted traditional business norms, and contributed to elevating the cultural narrative of the Bronx.
RSVP by October 17, 2024, to secure your spot. (LINK) 

Join us for lunch and a chance to win prizes. 

For more information please contact: Email: ana.mendieta@bcc.cuny.edu 

Panelist:

Amaurys Grullon – Founder – Bronx Native
BIO: Amaurys Grullon is an artist and creative social entrepreneur based in The South Bronx and is the Co-Founder & CEO of Bronx Native & Tag Up Studios. He is a community leader elevating and moving the culture forward by way of his multiple business endeavors and the, Change the Narrative, non-profit dedicated to creating social change and creating equity for all. He has had the pleasure of collaborating with notable brands such as Nike, PayPal, NYCXDESIGN, Master Card, Netflix and more and his work has been featured in The New York Times, ABC, Business Insider, Forbes, and The New York Post and most recently graced the stage of the TEDx Bronx.

Gregory Hernandez – Founder – Green Canvas
BIO: Gregory Hernandez is a Bronx filmmaker and video producer. He enjoys the collaborative process of making films and videos. He believes filmmaking to be one of the most inclusive art forms imaginable. In 2016, he completed a feature length comedy and sci-fi web series, called “leaky thoughts” that was filmed over the course of two years in over 70 locations throughout all five boroughs of New York city. Since 2017, he has been producing and directing a feature length documentary called “1.5 million” which centers around the literacy crisis in the Bronx. This film is currently in postproduction. He produced an interview series, called “Bronx Vignettes” which highlights activists and creatives in the Bronx. In 2019, he co-founded “Bronx film 48” a filmmaking initiative with the goal of increasing the amount of filmmakers in the Bronx.

Tiffany Gomez – Founder – Gomez Design Studio
BIO:Tiffany is a sustainable artist and designer who founded Gomez Design studio six years ago with the intention of combatting the waste problem in the design and construction industry. Her practice as an artist focuses primarily on construction waste which she transforms into geometrically rich surfaces used primarily in furniture applications. Tiffany earned her BFA from the New York School of Interior Design, majoring in interior architecture and design with a particular focus on sustainability and the built environment. Tiffany’s mission is use design as a way to challenge the perception of what is considered waste and create more opportunities for others to have direct involvement in this process.

Moderator:

Rob Walsh – CEO BXEDC
BIO: Rob Walsh was appointed President of the Bronx Economic Development Corporation (BXEDC) in 2022, where he focuses on building capacity and supporting small businesses, particularly through capital access. Previously, he served as Senior Advisor to the Manhattan College president, forging strategic partnerships across New York. He hosts a radio segment, “The Bottom Line for Small Business,” on 1010 WINS and has taught at Columbia and Baruch College. As former Commissioner of NYC’s Small Business Services, he led efforts that secured over $200 million for small businesses. Walsh holds degrees from Fordham University and completed executive programs at Harvard Kennedy School.