MADE, a blockchain-powered verification platform designed to protect Black creativity and commerce, claimed the top prize in the first-ever “Keep It 100” Pitch Competition, presented by Elite Media at The One Club’s Where Are All the Black People conference in New York on Friday, October 17.
Founder and CEO Tommy Johnson accepted a $50,000 grant onstage from Chris Crawford, Founder and CEO of Elite Media, joined by the full judging panel: Carolyn “CC” Concepcion (c/o c), Cassandra Illidge (Getty Images), Adrianne C. Smith (Cannes Can: Diversity Collective), Jimmy Smith (Amusement Park), and LaGloria Wheatfall (Elite Media). Photo credit: Arturo Holmes.
Positioned as a cultural trustmark and registration system, MADE aims to “put Black culture on the ledger” by authenticating creative IP and transactions for Black artists, founders, and brands. Judges cited the venture’s direct alignment with WAATBP’s mission to expand opportunity and ownership across the industry.
“The ‘Keep It 100’ pitch competition celebrates the power of attention, the power of purpose, the power of supporting one another,” said Elite Media’s Crawford, adding, “Today, the community won. Every contestant brought it. Their audacity and ambition were on full display. We’re proud to help this inaugural group of creators, innovators, and entrepreneurs bring their visionary ideas to life.”
In addition to the grand prize, five finalists each received $12,500 to accelerate their ventures:
- Mec Zilla — CrackedVC: A reimagined framework to replace traditional venture capital.
- Morgan Means — Evental: A marketplace enabling suppliers to monetize inventory with real-time pricing, availability, and instant booking.
- Adam Franklin — Twendi: A sports media platform spotlighting African and diaspora athletes through short-form, cinematic storytelling.
- Ayo Abigail — Walk of Same: “Empowerment jewelry” that blends fashion, function, and fearlessness into a new standard for wearable confidence.
Harlem-based, Black-owned, and women-led, Elite Media conceived “Keep It 100” to shake up the status quo and model a community-first approach to growth. The agency’s challenge to the industry: “Out-good” one another — and create change that meaningfully transforms communities
REEL 360 News congratulates Tommy Johnson and the MADE team on the win!
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