(January 4, 2020) - "Him and my parents were close friends years ago," said Pastor Vincent Bohanan (House of Hope 5th Street Church) about him being the first to sign to Bishop Hezekiah Walker's label HezHouse Entertainment distributed by RCA Inspiration.

Vincent Bohanan and SOV (Sounds of Victory Fellowship Choir) is the package deal HezHouse received. The three-time Stellar Award nominated Vincent and his SOV Fellowship Choir are celebrating seven years in 2021.

"He heard of the choir," Bohanan continued about Bishop Hezekiah. "We have a lot in common, being a Pastor and a Gospel artist."

Vincent came from a very Spiritual family. His mother founded the House of Hope 5th Street Church in 2015 because she felt it was her calling.

"I didn't know I would be doing this (Ministering)," Vincent said. "My mom passed away three years ago and she wanted me to take over the church. I've been at it ever sense then. It's all about making sure it (the church) stays alive. She put a lot into it. I'm the youngest and the only boy - a momma's boy."

Pastor Vincent formed SOV Fellowship Choir, New York based, in 2014 just before his mother passed and The Victorious Army (TVA) Choir, Atlanta based, in 2019. The TVA Choir consists of members from Georgia, Mississippi, and North Carolina. The SOV Fellowship Choir consist of over 50 young members (vocalists and musicians) from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and the DMV (Delaware, Maryland and Virginia) areas. The Vincent Bohanan and SOV 3rd album, a live EP released in 2019 titled "Road to 5," debuted at #1 on the Billboard Gospel Chart, and garnered two Stellar Award nominations. The Choir has recorded with Cece Winans, and sang backup for P. Diddy, Mariah Carey and Bishop Hezekiah Walker.

"We recorded the album in Chicago last year," he pointed out. "We brought the whole choir."

The Vincent Bohanan & SOV Fellowship Choir released the first single from the HezHouse project titled "Any Day Now" in late 2020, with plans to release the "Live in Chicago" album in early 2021.

"We're releasing it in January, the weekend of our 7th anniversary in Philly," Pastor Bohanan said. "(‘Any Day Now') It's a great song. Everyone will enjoy it. We have about 80 young people now, ages 20 - 35, that love what we do and are not able to travel with everyone all the time."

"Live in Chicago" (HezHouse/RCA Inspiration) was recorded at the Greater Harvest Baptist Church, www.VincentBohanan.com www.RCAInspiration.com

(January 8, 2021) - "God gave me my first music video project," said Dominga Martin, a film writer, producer and director. That music project was for Russell Taylor (VH-1). "I never really wanted to direct other people's projects. I always wanted to write and direct my own stuff."

Martin's first film project was a short film called Bum (2001) through her company House of Ming. Then she released Yellow (2005), which aired on BET. Yellow won the "Best Short Narrative Award" at the Hip-Hop Odyssey International Film Fest. In 2008 her project was a documentary called Fiche D'Identite where she followed the President of Senegal. In 2014 she toured Italy for 10 weeks producing and directing short films by request. In 2015 she wrote and directed a national commercial for Walmart starring Toccara Jones ("America's Next Top Model") for TV One. Dominga has also designed a 2021 academic curriculum in music, visual arts, dance, theatre and multi-media, as the Arts Ambassador for the Massachusetts Statewide Artist-in-Residence program via their Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

"I'm attracted to projects that are interesting," she pointed out when I asked. "All genres of films - shorts, documentaries, national campaigns..."

Dominga Martin's career started when she interned at L.A. Reid and BabyFace's label LaFace Records (TLC, Usher, Monica) while attending Clark Atlanta University for Radio, TV, Film and Journalism. As a journalist Martin wrote for such mediums as Rolling Out, Vibe and Essence magazines and BlackFilms.com. She went on to work on the New Edition 10 Year Reunion Tour as a back-up dancer via a contact she had with Bobby Brown's sister. After the tour she landed a VJ gig on "In the Mixx" where she interviewed everyone from Diddy and Jermaine Dupri to Lil' Kim and 112.

"Russell Taylor, I've known him for over a decade. I directed his 1st music video off of his first album. We met after my short film Yellow," she pointed out. "After Russell's music video, I got Musiq Soulchild's music video ("Forever" featuring The Floacist). It was kind of destined (directing music videos). I don't even answer a question without consulting God."

How the Boston native came to direct a music video remotely began, she said, when "In 2018 I felt stuck. I did not understand why I accomplished so much but for me I felt stuck. I then felt God nudging me to make a switch. So I put in a file folder my visual references for inspiration for future projects. One day I got a call from Russell, after the pandemic hit, he said, ‘I got a project I want you to direct.' He said, ‘We can do it remotely.' I asked him what do you see. And oh my God, it was my visual references in my future projects folder. So I sent it to him."

Dominga also directed the music video for Russell Taylor's single "Come Morning." The current music video she directed and produced remotely for Russell is for the single "Wake Up" (2020), which features Trina Braxton (Braxton Sisters), Sy Smith and Kimberly Nicole ("The Voice").

"I'm finalizing a documentary I've been working on the last two years about social justice," Martin said when I asked what was her next project. "I'm staying focused on 2021; working on music videos is really stressful (today). Trying to keep the entire staff safe is so stressful. I had to take a break and focus on writing the documentary." www.DomingaMartin.com 

(January 12, 2021) - "It goes hand-in-hand with music," said nine-time Grammy Award winning Dionne Warwick ("Do You Know the Way to San Jose") about the link between interior designing and her music. After many years designing interiors for homes and businesses via Dionne Warwick Design Group, with offices in Los Angeles, Hawaii and Rio de Janeiro, Warwick partnered with Los Angeles Interior Designer Bruce Garrick to form WG Design Lab about four years ago. She went on about the link between creating music and interior designing, "It includes colors, it's warm, it's cool, has a feel to it. All the things that go into designing music, goes into designing interiors of homes."

American Music Awards Honoree Dionne and Interior Designer Bruce are not however new to working with each other. In 1987 Garrick and Warwick formed Dionne Warwick Design Group, with Bruce as Vice President and Senior Designer. They became one of the leading interior designers in the field - designing private estates (Mockingbird), residential and commercial properties (Villa Granada, Villa Montana). At WG Design Lab, Dionne and Bruce are the only designers.

"I was asked to join a design company with a designer who was very, very active in Los Angeles. The architect of the company was talking to me....that is how it started," she said about the beginning of her journey as an interior designer.

Dionne, a Grammy Hall of Fame Recipient, said their designs are according to what the client envisions.

"My partner Bruce Garrick and I design for the person who lives there," Dionne said. "We make it comfortable for them....how they want it."

The Grammy "Lifetime Achievement" Honoree explained how the process of Interior Designing goes at WG Designer Lab, "We do client analysis, which includes a bunch of questions. Then we include you in the design, showing you colors, fabrics...and after that you decide and then we do the designing."

When you visit the WG Design Lab website www.WGDesignLab.com there are pictures of their many projects completed and on-going. The interior designs from Warwick and Garrick vary per project, from homey and innovative to classic and progressive. You can still catch Billboard Music Awards Honoree Dionne Warwick in concert singing her legendary hits such as "Alfie," "I'll Never Love this Way Again," "Déjà vu," "This Girl's In Love with You," Promises, Promises," "You Lost that Loving Feeling," "You'll Never Get to Heaven," "Anyone Who Had a Heart," and "Walk on By." The ASCAP Lifetime Achievement Award Honoree recently performed in 2019 at the Feeding America Relief concert in Ohio with John Legend, Master P. and Shawn Stockmen (Boyz II Men). Dionne received her Grammy Lifetime Achievement Honor in 2019 as well. It was also in 2019 that she released her 29th album "She's Back" (Kind Music/eOne) which features Kenny Lattimore and Musiq. "She's Back" is produced by her son Damon Elliott. Elliott, in his own right, is a very versatile (R&B, Pop, Hip-Hop, Rock, Gospel, Reggae and Country) songwriter, producer and singer with credits that include projects for Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Destiny's Child, Beyonce', Mya, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera. As a label owner of Kind Music Group and Confidential Records he is quietly putting his mark on the music industry as well. www.OfficialDionneWarwick.com www.WGDesignLab.com

(January 15, 2021) -    “Last year I shot so much stuff,” actress Erica Shaffer said about the three 2020 projects - Warner Bros., Bounce TV and Amazon Prime - running in 2021. “We were shooting back to back in March (2020). Then we had to shut down. We finished this fall (2020). It was crazy…people being constantly tested.”

   The San Diego native’s acting credits include “Days of Our Lives,” “CSI: Miami” and “The Young and the Restless.” But this artist is also a dancer, with credits that include The California Ballet Company. She is a member of SAG/AFTRA and AEA (Actor’s Equity Association). She has also appeared on “S.W.A.T.”, The Fugitive, “Hawaii Five-O,” “Ghost Whisperer,” and “Scandal.”

   Erica told of her on-site experiences during the pandemic, “On set we wore a mask the entire time until they said ‘action’. The crew was in face shields the whole time. That was the case in all the projects I worked on this fall.”

   The Bounce TV project, “Family Time,” premiered the end of 2020 and also airs on Amazon Prime’s Brown Sugar app which has African-American projects. “Family Time” also stars Angell Conwell (“Young and the Restless”) and Omar Gooding (Barbershop), and is produced by Bentley Kyle Evans (“Martin,” “Love That Girl”). The Amazon Prime project, “By Design,” premiered end of 2020 as well. The Warner Bros. project, King Richard, also starring Academy Award winning Will Smith (Men in Black), arrives at theatres and streaming venues November 19, 2021.

   “King Richard is in post-production to be released in 2021,” she informed me and wanted the readers to, “Watch ‘Family Time’ on Bounce TV or ‘By Design’ on Amazon Prime. Bounce TV’s (episode) is funny. I have a scene with Robin Allen (Lady of Rage) she is a rapper. She was incredible that day. My character has been in prison. ‘By Design’ is a drama…about how life is never how it’s portrayed. We are three good friends…it shows what’s going on at home. It’s a series that follows the lives of three women with three different backgrounds…who are middle age.”  www.EricaShaffer.com www.BounceTV.com www.Amazon.com/Prime www.WarnerBros.com