I first conceived TOWNIE as a Music, Arts & Culture program for Chicago public radio and television. But after my initial Cultural Ambassador / Citizen Diplomat experience via CSCI, I expanded the concept to showcase Chicago and its many international sister cities. The idea was to celebrate civic pride, cultural diversity-&-heritage, and global citizenship collectively. But after my third award for The DownNow Project (2020), I paused TOWNIE so I could concentrate my focus. This is still a favorite project though, which I intend to refresh, and was part of the motivation for my Euro Grand Tour (2022).

The photo gallery below is in no specific order; it illustrates the kinds of interesting people (and stories) I routinely access through my professional and personal networks and activities. I embrace the media personality category which I most clearly fit —the “true-school” .hip-hop elder statesman (e.g., Sway Calloway, Ebro Darden, Elliott Wilson, etc.). But I also know my journalistic interests and aesthetics differentiate me from my contemporaries, especially with regards to international affairs and global cultures. My work at the intersection of journalism, culture and entertainment ranges from mainstream/commercial to esoteric and eclectic.