Joseph of Mercury

Joseph of Mercury

Between his retro style and timeless tunes, Joseph of Mercury has managed to stand out in Toronto’s dense music scene. Before pursuing a solo career, Joseph had an impressive resume behind the scenes, penning and producing songs for Majid Jordan, Nelly Furtado, and Blood Orange. Today, he has a buzzy EP and unique visuals under his belt that has caught the attention of Globe Style and Billboard.

Though Joseph of Mercury’s has over 5k followers, his online reach is over 13k, with 25k impressions. His audience is main demographic is between 25 and 34 years old in Toronto, LA, London, Mexico City and New York.

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Randi Bergman

Randi Bergman

You probably love the 90’s, but you definitely don’t love the 90’s as much as Randi Bergman does. Randi is a freelance fashion writer and 90’s enthusiast based in Toronto. Prior to being freelance, Randi worked as the Executive Digital Editor for FASHION Magazine and led her team to four consecutive awards for best website at the P&G Fashion and Beauty Awards. Now, in addition to writing, she hosts a throwback podcast, Capsule ‘98, where she covers all things 90’s.

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Darren Messam

Darren Messam

You can follow Darren here.

Who are you?

Darren Messam, Father, Fiance, top shotta.

Where are you from?

Brampton, Ontario 

Freetown, Jamaica
Living in Toronto now.

What do you do?

Day Job: IT guy for some pro sports teams and dabble as an Actor also a Father

Night Job: Professional Ad-libber.

What is your dream creative project?

Want to able to be multifaceted. Podcast, Acting, etc....

What's your strategy for creative block?

Keep at it. Start slow and keep it simple.

If your life was a movie what would be on the soundtrack?

R&B specifically the New Jack Swing era and early 90s Dancehall

Jhanelle Peters

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Where are you from? Toronto

What do you do? Day Job: Social Housing Manager / Night Job: Netflix and No-Chill Specialist

Do you consider yourself a freshman, sophomore or senior? Sophomore

What needs to happen before you can "graduate"? I can finally say I graduated when I can look back at marginalized communities in Toronto and see less stigma and stereotype surrounding the need for psychological support. In order to do that, I will need to finish this Masters!

What is your dream creative project? And what's stopping you from it? What do you need? Creating a program in the Afro-Canadian community where youth can receive psychological support for direct/in-direct contact to trauma. Many of these youths are overlooked, and then penalized later on in life for their behaviour, when they received no outlet support during their hardest times. There is nothing stopping me from getting this done, I'm on my way.

What's your strategy for creative block? Don't force it. Inspiration has no expiration date.

If your life was a movie what would be on the soundtrack? 90's R&B, remixes and dancehall

Where can we find you on a Friday night? Roaming the streets of Toronto looking for a new food spot.

You can follow Nelly here.

Matthew Medeiros

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You can follow Matt here.

Who are you? 

I am 29 years old and live with my guy Ryan and our dog, Nomi. I am a lover for all things beautiful. I enjoy coffee, interior design and weed. I love working out and run with a Nike Crew that focuses on bringing awareness LGBTQI in fitness. 

Where are you from? 

I grew up in Brampton and moved to Toronto in 2009. I live at Queen and Ossington. 

What do you do? 

I work in fashion. 

What is your dream creative project? 

To have a small collection and present it in Paris. 

What's your strategy for a creative block? 

To immediately seek inspiration. 

Where can we find you on a Friday night? 

You can find me at home with friends.

Molly Willows

Molly Willows

Molly Willows is a Freie University-educated filmmaker, multi-disciplinary media artist and producer. Her style draws inspiration from the likes of Werner Herzog, Jill Soloway and Tavi Gevinson and her work hopes to empowers all women in media. In addition to her films and content, she accomplishes her empowering agenda by running a storytelling symposium for women called Ladies Lugging Gear.

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Jo Jin

Jo Jin

Jo Jin is a prop and wardrobe stylist with the Toronto chapter of Judy Inc. As a stylist, Jo has an impressive roster of clients from Canon to Google and Volve. Her work has been seen in print, on billboards and on TV, with thoughtful placement, perfect balance, dueling textures taking centre stage.

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Carlos Achoy

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Who are you? 

I am Carlos, 37 a hospitality professional and gym enthusiast with interests in music, films, fashion and arts.

Where are you from and where do you live? 

I am from Culiacan, Sinaloa in Mexico. I moved to Toronto, a place I now call home, in 2004. I live in Corktown.

What do you do?

I manage a Mexican restaurant in the entertainment District. MIlagro, a traditional Mexican eatery inspired by the great Mexico City cantinas of the golden era.

What is your dream creative project?

Musicalize fashion shows, run parties and/or coordinate events for a big art gallery or museum. 

What are your top 5 songs of the moment? 

1. - Arisen my senses by Bjork

2. - Visions of Gideon by Sufjan Stevens from the Call Me By Your Name Soundtrack

3. – Orcus by Kaiserdisco

4. – Sanctuary by Anja Schneider

5. – Speak to silence by Ghost Note

Where can we find you on a Friday night?

At Milagro Mercer and if I am not too tired after work I am either hanging at one of my friend’s place or entertaining at home ;)

Bobby Bowen

Bobby Bowen

A creative multi-hyphenate who has been called “the face of fashion in Canada’s creative capital” by Paper Magazine. After styling multi-platform projects for the likes of Nike, Nylon and OVO, Bobby recently launched Bully Magazine, an LGBTQ publication where he serves as founder and editor.

Each well-styled post receives an average of 360 likes from his 5.6k followers, with a stellar engagement rate of 6.6%.

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Killa Kels

Killa Kels is a Toronto-based DJ and influencer with cosigns from Lululemon, Nike and American Express. She is also a founding member of the creative agency, GXXRLS, which seeks to empower women through artistic collaboration. As a leader in the growing group of women DJs in Toronto, her work contributes to a more balanced, inclusive nightlife community.

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Mellissa Miller

Melissa Miller is works double-time as a spa-owner and model in New York. The self-proclaimed ‘caged elephant’ is looking to turn the tides of Black business ownership with her spa by taking away the stifling titles, a timely and intrepid approach. Also, a scroll through Melissa’s Instagram, full of plenty of snaps of her beautiful bod, will sure be a testament to her wellness expertise!

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Jasmine Solano

asmine Solano is a Brooklyn-based DJ and one half of international music duo Electric Punany. Since spinning for brands like Donna Karan, Apple, Nike and Tophop and artists like Beyonce, she has transitioned into more curatorial and hosting work. MTV documented her journey as an emerging DJ on Scratch The Surface and she is currently spinning for HBO’s Mixtapes & Roller Skates tour.

Stats: 26.7k Instagram followers.

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Paolo Roldan

With campaigns for Giorgio Armani and his BFF Phillip Lim, Paolo Roldan is one of the faces at the forefront of Canadian men’s fashion. Since making his debut walking for Givenchy he became one of Ricardo Tisci’s muses and was catapulted to the forefront of the industry. He is now known to grace runways and sets around the world, and gets some shine his own eclectic personal style as well.

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Ian Isiah

According to SSENSE, Ian Isaiah is a “Brooklyn choirboy turned ‘hood-maternal’ vocalist, a sensual R&B songstress with an ascending trajectory.” His ascent is multifaceted; his industry clout and inimitable style has bred collaborations with Longchamp and ongoing contributions to his bff’s brand Hood By Air. Meanwhile, his smooth vocals has bred collaborations with Chromeo and a tour with Blood Orange.

Stats: 42.6k followers

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Kilo Kish

Kilo Kish is a bicoastal singer, visual artist and influencer whose cross-medium approach to art reflects her boundless creativity. Since first emerging onto the NYC music scene, she has scored features on The Gorillaz and Vince Staples’ 2017 projects and on an HBO-funded Game of Thrones mixtape alongside Big Boi and Common.

Stats: 56.7k SoundCloud followers, 66.8k instagram followers

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Karim Olen Ash

Karim Olen Ash

Karim Olen Ash is a Toronto-based DJ and content creator who has established himself as a staple in Toronto’s emerging art scene, and is gradually taking his influence beyond his hometown and into other markets. In addition to DJing, Karim curates events with Something Special and is one of the creative heads of Freshman Friday!

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