DURHAM, N.C. (January 24, 2022) – The inaugural Bull City Summit (BCS), a new showcase festival and business conference in downtown Durham celebrating innovation in Music, Art, Science, and Technology, announces its first phase of programming, including opening and closing musical performances, art exhibits, featured panels and other highlights!
The four-day event officially kicks off on Wednesday, March 23 at Motorco Music Hall with a highly-anticipated performance by Durham-based breakthrough rapper and producer JooseLord. The pioneering artist and activist have earned Best New Artist and Best Male Hip-Hop Artist at the Carolina Music Awards and Artist of the Year in the WRAL Voters’ Choice Awards. JooseLord is receiving critical acclaim for his recent release “Quarantine,” written during the pandemic lockdown. Opening night will also feature techno producer Calapse, whose upcoming album “New Era” follows his 2020 breakout track “Impending Eternal Doom,” released on Durham-based label imprint Maison Fauna.
On Thursday, March 24, North Carolina’s award-winning, multi-platform music and culture brand Carolina Waves curates a Thursday night showcase at The Pinhook, featuring R&B artist Imani Pressley and alternative hip-hop artist 3amsound, along with emerging local MCs and producers. Carolina Waves, founded by Miriam Tolbert in 2017, promotes aspiring artists through concerts, podcasts, showcases, industry mixers, festivals, open mics, and a radio show on K97.5 FM featuring Carolina artists.
On Friday, March 25, legendary global DJ/producer Tommie Sunshine, host of Red Bull TV’s “After The Raves,” headlines his Brooklyn Fire Records label takeover at downtown Durham’s Surf Club, presented by Greensboro-based nightlife promoters Strictly Social. Sunshine, who has collaborated on remixes with Katy Perry, Fall Out Boy, Major Lazer, Billie Eilish, Bob Marley, Santana, and many others, will curate a select lineup of North Carolina-based DJs and producers.
The festival’s closing BCS Fest 2022 Barbecue takes place at The Blue Note Grill on Saturday, March 26, featuring guitarist, songwriter, and blues-rock virtuoso JD Simo, along with Triangle-based Americana artist Clint Roberts, funk-soul outfit Jives, bluegrass storyteller James Dalton, and local blues-rock acts Jason Damico and the Gabe M. Trio. The event will feature multiple stages as well as the Blue Note’s signature southern BBQ fare. Additional BCS music showcases throughout the week, curated by partners including Maison Fauna, Raund Haus, Polychromatic Records, FLOODFM, Triangle Blues Society, and others, will be released when Phase Two programming is announced on February 15.
BCS is also proud to announce that the festival’s Art Fair, open to BCS Business PRO badge holders, will feature exhibitions by Ban Art, Beth Palmer Studio, Brooks Frederickson, Durham Production Company, Shilpa Kancharla, Sophia Sobers, Sugar Cadavers, Steven Pestana and Tommy Coyote, with others to be announced. Participating galleries, artists, and photographers will display, perform, and sell visual, sonic, and digital art on Thursday, March 24, and Friday, March 25 at WeWork’s downtown Durham office location. Additional art installations will be featured in music venues during evening showcases.
BCS will host entrepreneurs, community leaders, city officials, local artists, industry experts, and members of academic communities to take part in discussions and panels, keynotes, and lectures representing multiple perspectives and contemporary issues. BCS Panels will take place in Cinemas 1 and 2 at The Carolina Theatre in downtown Durham, on March 24 and March 25 from 9 am to 5 pm, open to BCS Business PRO badge-holders.
In addition, BCS has launched its 2022 Arts Grant Program in partnership with Durham Arts Council and Love, Tito’s. Artists can apply online at the BCS Applications page and submit their work in various categories for a chance to be awarded cash microgrants. Submitted artists will be juried by Durham Arts Council with local art organizations nominating category award winners.
Apply on the BCS Applications page with your information, and include a brief description of how you will use the award money to further your art career through social justice. Submitted artists will be juried by Durham Arts Council, with participating local art organizations nominating award winners.
Exploring the emerging world of non-fungible tokens, BCS is partnering with Fanaply, the leader in live event-driven NFTs, to deliver the Keys to the City Collection to VIPs and attendees. These special editions Bull City Summit NFTs, crafted by local studio Durham Production Company, will unlock perks this year and for future festivals so attendees should look for on-sale information coming soon.
Rounding out the BCS art program, Creative Allies, a North Carolina-based, minority-owned, female-led marketing firm, is launching a pair of design competitions to create official commemorative items to be sold online and on-site at the festival. The competitions are open to Creative Allies’ global creative community as well as all North Carolina artists. Applications are available at the Creative Allies website.
The BCS Phase One announcement also includes a range of panel discussions and presentations which will take place in Cinemas 1 and 2 at The Carolina Theatre in downtown Durham, on Thursday, March 24, and Friday, March 25 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., open to BCS Business PRO badge holders. The Phase Two announcement on February 15 will list the keynote speakers and participants for the following panels:
“The Return To Live”
Featuring talent agents, record label executives, touring artists, promoters, and other industry leaders to discuss the reimagined post-pandemic music business.
“Outlook on Cryptocurrencies”
Covering current trends in the cryptocurrency space and what the future may hold for these assets, their value, and their effect on issues ranging from global commerce to income inequality and climate change.
“Music and Art as a Tool for Social Justice and Personal Reform”
Give a Beat, a national organization using music as a pathway to justice and healing joins members of The Justice Arts Coalition and Creative Allies to discuss the power of the arts to effect change in the age of mass incarceration.
“Metaverse: The Internet’s Future”
Exploring the future of the metaverse and the impact it can have on education, social justice, recidivism, and bridging the gaps in society.
Presentation: Project Aeschylus
Durham Production Company founder and CEO Scott Frey demonstrates how an Augmented Reality (AR) initiative is preserving stories and artifacts from Durham’s history, bringing art and architecture to life as a way to support local businesses.
Presentation: Revolutionizing Local Music Booking
David Baird, CEO of independent music booking marketplace Gigmor, discusses how technology is bringing game-changing improvements to the local music landscape for emerging artists and smaller venues across the country.
Presentation: NFTs and the Environment
Fanaply’s VP Sam Huntington explains how the company’s proprietary technology is dramatically reducing the environmental impact of NFT transactions.
Applications to showcase or present at BCS 2022 are still open through January 31. BCS Business PRO conference badges, inclusive of all live music concerts and showcases, the BCS Art Fair, panels, and networking events, are now on sale at www.bullcitysummit.com. COVID-19 safety and health protocols are also available at the festival website.
About Bull City Summit (BCS)
In celebration of the entrepreneurial spirit, BCS is a destination showcase festival featuring new innovations in music, art, technology, and science. BCS embodies a commitment to inclusion, diversity, and social justice, and seeks to develop careers and business opportunities for all by championing, funding, and raising awareness for organizations involved in multiple causes. BCS is produced by Durham-based marketing and event production firm UG Strategies, previously behind critically-acclaimed events including Moogfest, Winter Music Conference, Durham Summer Wine & Food Festival, L!ve In The Lot, the Mobile First Summit, and others. www.ugstrategies.com
About WeWork
WeWork (NYSE: WE) was founded in 2010 with the vision to create environments where people and companies come together and do their best work. Since then, we’ve become one of the leading global flexible space providers committed to delivering technology-driven turnkey solutions, flexible spaces, and community experiences. www.wework.com
About Durham Arts Council
Durham Arts Council, Inc. is a catalyst in the cultural development of Durham – it leads, inspires, and promotes excellence in and access to the creation, experience, and active support of the arts for all the people of our community. DAC is a 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit organization funded by earned revenues, grants and contributions from corporations, foundations, individuals, and support from the City of Durham, Durham County, North Carolina Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts. www.durhamarts.org
About Gigmor
Gigmor’s live music marketplace makes it easy for talent buyers, event planners, venues, and individuals to find, book, and pay musicians and bands. We dream of a world with more live music than ever because we’ve made it easy to find and book the right talent. www.gigmor.com
About Fanaply
Fanaply creates official, eco-friendly NFTs for the biggest names in sports, music, and entertainment. From creating the NHL’s first NFT program in partnership with the New Jersey Devils to working with the Coachella Music & Arts Festival to create the event’s most successful digital activation in its history, Fanaply has been at the forefront in developing pioneering NFT drops and programs for some of the world’s most renowned brands. www.fanaply.com
About Creative Allies
Creative Allies is a certified, minority-owned, multicultural marketing agency that focuses on content generation. Our strong internal team, combined with our vetted freelancer community and strategic partner relationships, allows us to offer you access to a highly specialized team for each engagement. We help you grow your brand through innovative content and compelling stories that connect brands to fans, consumers, and followers. www.creativeallies.com
About Tito’s Vodka
Tito’s Handmade Vodka is America’s Original Craft Vodka. In 1995, Bert “Tito” Beveridge obtained the first legal permit to distill in Texas and created Tito’s Handmade Vodka. We batch distill our corn-based vodka using old-fashioned pot stills and the vodka is naturally Gluten-Free. Tito’s Handmade Vodka is distilled and bottled by Fifth Generation Inc. in Austin, Texas on the very same land where the whole venture started. www.titosvodka.com