Molaundo Jones Interview
[EXCERPT]
Molaundo Jones:
I'm not going to be depressed by my work situation. I'm going to create the reality that I want. And so I decided to create a company where I could work with my friends and we could work on creative projects, work with other creatives, work with organizations that are doing great things to make the world a better place, and to make that work as fun as possible. So it was really like born out of a desire to create a work environment and dynamic that I would enjoy and that other people would want to be a part of.
Dr. Durell Cooper:
Thank you listeners for joining us once again. So I am back with another episode of Fluency. And today I'm joined by the amazing Molaundo Jones. Molaundo, how's it going today?
Molaundo Jones:
It's going well, Dr. Cooper. Thanks for having me.
Dr. Durell Cooper:
(laughing) No, it's just Durell for you, just Durell. Molaundo, you are Senior Director of Communications and Partnerships at Art21 and also the founder at The Clever Agency, but you're so much more than that. So the first time that your name came into my ecosystem, it's when you were at the New York City Arts and Education Roundtable. But by that time, everyone that I was talking to already knew exactly who you were and people that I really love and admire like Lisa Yancey who I've had on this podcast and Jessica Care Moore who I've had on my web series Flow, like just these incredible women, black women, who I love and adore. They have so much admiration for you the moment your name came up and I was like okay I need to know more about Molaundo, so thank you so much for being on and for sharing your life today.
Molaundo Jones:
My pleasure. I'm also a big fan of Jessica and Lisa as well.
Dr. Durell Cooper:
I love them. I love them so much. They fill me with so much joy.
Molaundo Jones:
Yes, yes.
Dr. Durell Cooper:
So what have you been up to? I know you're doing big things right now at Art21. It's been still just under like two years, right?
Molaundo Jones:
Yeah, it's been about a year and a half now. It's an inaugural position. This is the first time Art21 has had this role. And so I've been creating a comms department sort of from scratch, but it's awesome in that I've been a long time fan of Art21. I learned about Art 21 while I was in grad school. So it's great to be in the fold and to be part of the leadership team and to have some influence on the future and direction of the organization.
Dr. Durell Cooper:
Oh, thank you so much for that. You mentioned hearing about Art21 when you were in grad school. I should have started with this, you're actually a Morehouse grad as well, right?
Molaundo Jones:
Yes, yes.
Dr. Durell Cooper:
What was that experience like for you, just like, you know, going to college there? And especially at such, like, a formative time in your life?
Molaundo Jones:
Yeah, Morehouse was awesome. I went to Morehouse in the mid to late 90s. So I was there when it still had a little bit of that A Different World sort of vibe.
Dr. Durell Cooper:
(laughing) I love it.
Molaundo Jones:
And yeah, I learned about Morehouse actually after seeing Do the Right Thing as a teenager. I was such a big fan of that movie and Spike. I was like, let me learn about this guy. And then I found out he went to Morehouse. And that's when I learned Dr. King went there. And all of these other heavyweights in the Black community were graduates from Morehouse. And I was like, yeah, I want to be a part of that tradition and that legacy. Yeah, Morehouse was awesome. I'd do it all over again if I could. And even to just be in Atlanta during that period of time where it was like Freaknik was still a thing.
Dr. Durell Cooper:
Okay.
Molaundo Jones:
That's when Atlanta really first started to make its moves as a presence, a serious presence in the hip hop community. Now basically Atlanta runs hip hop. So yeah, it was a great institution to be a part of and a great time to be at Morehouse as well.
Dr. Durell Cooper:
And what was your major there?
Molaundo Jones:
Yeah, I majored in business administration with a concentration in marketing.
Dr. Durell Cooper:
Got it, got it. Okay, so yeah, that makes a lot of sense. I grew up in the South. I grew up in Alabama, so, you know, just like neighbors right there. And, you know, growing up in the 90s and, well, late 80s and 90s, but Atlanta was definitely always like this Mecca of just like black excellence and really, to be really honest with you, it was more like a black joy thing. Like I just remember being in elementary school and my mom and sister going to like Six Flags there and like even that being a big thing. And then as my siblings got a little bit older and started talking about Freaknik, I was like, man, Atlanta just got it all. You know what I mean? Like you made it there, you done made it somewhere, you know? I can imagine that had to be amazing. What was the transition then like for you to come back up north?
Molaundo Jones:
Yeah, so after I graduated from Morehouse, I actually moved to Illinois. I got my first job at the National Council of Teachers of English. I worked in the marketing department there. So I was there for three years before doing a short independent study. I did a Spanish immersion program in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. And while I was there, I applied to a couple of grad schools and both were in New York. One was at SVA and the other was at Pratt. Pratt dissed me, SVA accepted me, and then I came back to New York to attend the MFA and fine arts program at SVA.
Dr. Durell Cooper:
I mean, that was definitely their loss on that one. That's probably one of the things they look back on and be like, ooh…
Molaundo Jones:
I mean I really loved SVA in general. My primary draw to Pratt was their Brooklyn campus. Like I fell in love with their Brooklyn campus. But overall, SVA; I really loved my experience there.
Dr. Durell Cooper:
What part of the city do you live in? Are you in Brooklyn now?
Molaundo Jones:
No, so I have a place in Atlanta and in Birmingham. I'm from Queens originally, but during the pandemic I bought properties in the South.
Dr. Durell Cooper:
Oh my goodness, wait, so you have a property in Alabama?
Molaundo Jones:
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
Dr. Durell Cooper:
Oh my goodness.
Molaundo Jones:
We actually talked about this, but it's been a couple years now.
Dr. Durell Cooper:
OH NO!
Molaundo Jones:
Because I can remember like tripping off of, like, that serendipity that you were from Alabama and I was like, hey, I just got a place there.
Dr. Durell Cooper:
Oh wow, I can believe it, especially because my mind is being blown even right now. And first of all, thank you so much for that, for investing in my home state, for being, you know, a black homeowner there, even if it's an investment property or a vacation home. I really appreciate it because we need it. So for people listening to this. Well, what has your experience been like being a homeowner there?
Molaundo Jones:
Yeah. I mean, well, it's been great. My mother's side of the family is all from Alabama. So like my grandfather is from Selma. My grandmother is from Birmingham. My mom moved here years ago. So yeah, Birmingham's great. My family is really close. So even though I've lived apart from my family, pretty much ever since I graduated from high school, we're really close knit. So to have a space that's like close to family, it feels really good. And that was like my incentive to get a place here during the pandemic. It was like at the time I was living in Jersey City, which was already sort of an isolated experience for me in terms of community, because most of my peeps are in NYC proper, between like Brooklyn and Manhattan. And so when everything went left and got weird, I was like, I need to be close to family during this time. And so yeah, I made my way south like pretty early on. So I spent some time in Atlanta and in Birmingham during the course of the pandemic when it first hit. And so, within that first year, I was like, well, maybe I should like actually look at like planting some roots and like, you know, getting a space here, all while maintaining my place in Jersey City. And, and yeah, you know, it's much easier to make happen in the South than in the Tri-State area too.
Dr. Durell Cooper:
Yes, yes, I definitely agree with that. I have a house in Montgomery, although I went to high school in Birmingham which is amazing, but I have a home in Montgomery. And let me tell you, the property taxes there, a year, especially compared to this area here is insane. You know what I mean? I see it, I'm like, are you sure? Are you sure this is all it is? Alright, well, thank you. Thank you for that.
Molaundo Jones:
Right, you can buy a house in Alabama for the down payment on an apartment in New York.
Dr. Durell Cooper:
Yeah.
Molaundo Jones:
Which is insane.
Dr. Durell Cooper:
Yeah, I'm kind of thinking too, like just the nature of the type of work that you do. There are some things that kind of happened during the pandemic that really kind of allow for this, like, remote lifestyle to be even more prevalent and even more relevant. And especially for people who may not understand exactly like what you do, like when we say creative direction and marketing and branding and strategy, tell us a little bit more about this one area of expertise of yours.
Molaundo Jones:
Yeah, so I've actually been working remotely for just over a decade now. So I was rooted in this way of working long before the pandemic hit. Most of the work that I do is digital or can be done digitally. So you're talking about lots of design, strategic planning, and creative direction. The times where I have worked in person have been largely professional development workshops. I worked for several years with Queens Council on the Arts, my home borough, facilitating professional development workshops with a focus on marketing and grant writing for artists. So those would be the primary instances where I'd show up in a physical space and like workshop with people. But after the pandemic hit and workshopping shifted into the virtual realm, I was already comfortable working in that space. So it was an easy pivot for me. So yeah, so much of my work is done on a computer. It doesn't require me to show up and be hands-on with people. So, it's been organic for me to work in this space remotely. And the first full-time job that I had that was a remote organization was with Fractured Atlas, which is the largest fiscal sponsor for artists and arts organizations in the country. And so that organization introduced me to Zoom and to Slack and all of those digital tools that became ubiquitous once the pandemic hit. I had already been working with these tools for years. And so, yeah, now that the world is like acclimated to, you know, working virtually and hybrid, you know, it's something that everyone can relate to. I can remember early on when I would tell people that I work remotely, the normal response would be, I don't know how you work remotely. I wouldn't get any work done. Like, how do you do that? But everyone had to figure it out. At least the people who didn't work in service industry or hospitality sorts of jobs, everyone had to figure it out. And I know that some people still aren't as efficient working remotely as others, but for me, I'm pretty good with self accountability. So it's never been an issue for me.
Dr. Durell Cooper:
Yeah, I'm sure a lot of people hear that self accountability part and they're like, okay, yeah, that's probably where I might not quite be that great. (laughing) You know, for some people it comes very naturally. For others, you know it's a for real discipline that they have to like put their focus on to be able to do it. But I think that's probably one of the traits that also makes you very successful as an entrepreneur as well, and running your own company. Tell us a little bit more about that decision to start your own business, The Clever Agency, and then sort of where it is now.
Molaundo Jones:
Yeah, so Clever is about 10, 11 years old now. I've always done entrepreneurial things, but it wasn't until Clever that I actually went through the incorporation process and made it official. I was inspired to do it like after a job that I had at the time. It was, like, a pretty grueling sort of situation. And so I made the decision, like, alright, I'm not going to be depressed by my work situation. I'm going to create the reality that I want. And so I decided to create a company where I could work with my friends and we could work on creative projects, work with other creatives, work with organizations that are doing great things to make the world a better place, and to make that work as fun as possible. So it was really like born out of a desire to create a work environment and dynamic that I would enjoy and that other people would want to be a part of.
Dr. Durell Cooper:
I love that. And was the idea for you, like majoring in business and marketing back at Morehouse, was the idea always to work close with the arts and cultural and humanity space, to work within that space? How did you sort of find yourself working so closely and within arts and culture?
Molaundo Jones:
Yeah, well, I've been an artist my entire life. You know, I have artwork that my mother has shown me that I don't even remember making, you know, since I did it so young. So for me, like creating The Clever Agency was about fusing the worlds and my interests in business and entrepreneurship and arts and culture. And so many of my friends are like brilliant, you know, musicians, dancers, designers, sculptors. And so I was like, alright I need people to help me bring this vision to life. And there are so many geniuses and, you know, so many super talented people that were right around me. I was like, why make it harder than it has to be? This friend does music, this friend's a great designer, this friend's a great writer. And so I really just created that space for people to come in and play if they wanted to and haven't looked back since. These days I work on like one to maybe two on the outside projects a quarter or two a year just because my current role at Art21 takes up so much of my time. So I haven't been like deep in the trenches with my work with Clever like I was in years past, but I still get to work with some pretty cool organizations and on some great projects.
Dr. Durell Cooper:
Yeah, and honestly, that's sort of like the beauty too of having your own business, you know, it's there, you know, as an additional outlet. But the energy that you put towards it, as the CEO, you know, that's all up to you. And at this point, you know, you have, like you said, over a decade of receipts on the quality of work, on you know, clients.
Molaundo Jones:
Absolutely.
Dr. Durell Cooper:
I feel like that's kind of like as an entrepreneur, that's one of the ways that you can actually burn out very quickly, fairly quickly, by not really realizing that and just going completely like 120% all the time. It's like, alright , that might be great year one, year three, year five, but you're talking year 10, year 15, year 20. You might want to have some staff in there at some point. You might want to think about that strategy for the long term. That's a lot of stress, you know?
Molaundo Jones:
Exactly.
Dr. Durell Cooper:
No, but that's amazing. So, you know, I kind of opened this up with, you know, some of the people that we both know in common. So one of the things that I kind of see from that is like, you're, like, incredible at networking and talking to people and like relating to people. Where does that skill set come from? Was it something that you were just kind of born with innately or is this something that you sort of developed like growing up? Like when did you first start to, like, realize, oh, you know, I'm really good at, like, connecting and like networking and talking to people?
Molaundo Jones:
It's definitely something that I've developed over the years. I'm more of an introvert than not. In general, I require very little human interaction to be happy and healthy. So when I do get out amongst people, I'd really like to, you know, enjoy myself, make those connections, have great conversations, and make that time count. So if I'm in the house four or five days a week, that one or two days that I go out, I'm definitely making the most of it. And then, like, specifically living and working in the context of New York City, it allows the extrovert or the person who is willing to make those connections to flourish and to thrive because there's so many more opportunities to meet people. You literally just have to get out there and show up. And so, I know a lot of places, probably most places, there aren't as many opportunities to connect with people as there are in New York City. Like you can literally just be walking down the street and run into someone who you idolize or someone that you've been wanting to connect with for forever and it's just, do you have, like, the courage to approach people and to introduce yourself to people? And that's something that I've actually never had an issue with. I'd rather approach someone and not have it be a successful interaction than to not approach them and then think about it later, like, damn I should have said something or I wish I had spoken to this person. Like for every time I've had that experience or that thought, that's inspired me every other time to make sure I don't pass up on those opportunities. And when I talk to younger professionals I always encourage them, like, look, like, get outside of your head. If you see someone that you're inspired by, or you think they could help, you know, move your life forward or change your life in any way, just go make the introduction. Really, what's the worst that could happen? And I sort of live by that on the day to day professionally.
Dr. Durell Cooper:
Oh my goodness, that is such a great life hack. That's such great advice! I definitely struggle with that. I definitely consider myself to be introverted, which I didn't until, like, I get around extroverts and I'm like, okay, yeah, this really is not for me, like all this, like, informal banter, like that's not really me. But, you know, I was a theater major and so, you know, get me on stage or, you know, if I'm giving speeches, you know, in person, and I have a microphone, you know, that's a very different type of thing. But it's very easy for me to, like, get drained, like, socially with a lot of things. But definitely like going up and, like, talking to people, you know, it's so different. Like I'm much more, like, sit back in the corner and hope, like, to get somebody caught up in my web of like charm or something. I don't even know. But one thing that kinda I started to do, I'm like, okay, so if I see somebody like that, and I don't know what else to say to them, like I run into like an Oprah or something like that, which has happened before. And I'm like, I don't know what to say. Then I know I'd, like, the only thing I say is, like, thank you. I'm like (laughing) I'm like, thank you. I just don't - thank you. I'm like, thank you for everything that you've done. Thank you for your work. Especially if they black, I'd be like, just thank you. If I can't think of anything else to say, I'd, like, say thank you. And you know, that's just a thing that I kind of do, but you know, expressing gratitude also goes a long way.
Molaundo Jones:
That’s what I was going to say. I think that's valid. It doesn't always have to be a transactional interaction. It can literally be you giving someone thanks and letting them know the impact that they've had on your life.
Dr. Durell Cooper:
Yeah, well, you know, Melondo, what's up next? What do you have going on that you would like to kind of like talk about or share with the listeners?
Molaundo Jones:
Well, the big thing right now is, so Art21 has a series that's been running for almost 20 years called Art in the Twenty-First Century. It's our PBS broadcast series and it documents four artists per episode who are great emerging, groundbreaking contemporary artists. We just premiered the first episode, Everyday Icons, last month. And next month on June 20th, we're actually premiering the second episode of Art in the Twenty-First Century, which is called Bodies of Knowledge. So in that episode, it's going to be featuring Hank Willis Thomas. So the Embrace piece in Boston, we documented the entire process of that piece. And so, you know, that made major waves on social media, for better or worse.
Dr. Durell Cooper:
Oh yeah.
Molaundo Jones:
And so it's going to be great to have that out in the world and to see what sort of conversations come around it. So there's Hank Willis Thomas, Anicka Yi, a multimedia artist, Tauba Auerbach, who is another multimedia artist, and the Guerrilla Girls, which if you're unfamiliar, they were very big activist artists in the 70s and 80s. And they're still doing activism-based work around the arts just to make sure that there's equal representation of women and people of color in the art world. So that episode premieres on PBS on June 23rd. And so I'm preparing for that premiere. And then the third episode comes out in October. That one's entitled, Friends and Strangers. And that features the filmmaker and artist Miranda July, the artist Cannupa Hanska Luger, Christine Sun Kim and Linda Goode Bryant, who is an artist and activist and had that installation at MoMA, JAM. So.
Dr. Durell Cooper:
Oh yeah, yeah.
Molaundo Jones:
Yeah, so that's like the big thing right now. So, you know, anyone who's listening to or watching this, definitely, go to art21.org. It's Art21 across all social media platforms and check us out on June 23rd on PBS, on the app or online, to see Bodies of Knowledge. And that Everyday Icons episode that I mentioned, that featured Amy Sherald, who did the portrait of Michelle Obama. So that was, like, really awesome to be a part of. I think it was my second week on the job, I was part of the production on-site at the High Museum in Atlanta when her works were installed there. And it also features the artists Rose B. Simpson, Alex Da Corte and Daniel Lind-Ramos, who has a show up at MoMA PS1 in New York City right now as well.
Dr. Durell Cooper:
Oh my goodness, yeah. Well, I'm definitely gonna go back and check out Everyday Icons and I'll be watching on the 23rd or shortly thereafter. You know, you said earlier that Art21's keeping you very busy and I'm listening to these projects and the people, I'm like, oh yeah, yeah, that would keep me pretty busy too. And then how can people follow you? Lastly, you know, we know how we can follow Art21 now, how can we keep up with you? Well, there's no keeping up with Molaundo, but how can we follow?
Molaundo Jones:
Yeah, I don't post on social a lot because, you know, I'm so deeply entrenched in the digital world with my work, but on social media, I'm at TheCleverAgency across all platforms, The Clever Agency. And then if you want to learn more about me personally, my website's molaundo.com. M-O-L-A-U-N-D-O.com.
Dr. Durell Cooper:
Thank you, thank you so much for that, Molaundo. And thank you for being here today. And thank you for being you. I mean, you've been in the game for a minute, and honestly, you've paved the way for people like me to be able to come in behind you. So thank you for everything that you're doing. Thank you for continuing to do the work. And yeah, let's keep building.
Molaundo Jones:
Absolutely. Thank you for having me, Durell. It's great to see you and chop it up with you for a little while.
Dr. Durell Cooper:
Oh always, always.