Dear friends, partners, clients, and comrades,
The month of December marks one year since Watkins Agency of Joy LLC was established. To that end, I am filled with so many emotions. Love, gratitude, pride, and, of course, JOY.
To mark this anniversary and each to come, I’m publishing my top 10 joy moments, sharing my appreciation and reflections on the year.
In 2019, I took to the stage, took on new clients, and coached dozens of new storytellers.
I had the joy of supporting clients to celebrate its leaders, reimagine worlds of Black liberation, and better understand the social media landscape. In addition, I’ve learned so much about the inner workings of building and running a business – and I love it.
As the year and decade winds down, I wanted to share my top joy moments of 2019. Featuring highlights from Agency of Joy, the progressive movement, and pop culture, this list is both celebratory and inspirational. It’s my belief we must smile, laugh, and share some joy if we are to get stronger and keep fighting. In the same fashion, I hope this list brings you a bit of the joy it brought me this year.
In love and solidarity,
Sean
Top 10 Joy Moments of 2019
1. The Read on Fuse
After dominating the podcast arena since 2013, co-hosts Kid Fury and Crissle have made their way to our televisions. Their new variety and talk show premiered this October on Fuse and showcases the two queer friends being unapologetically themselves. From episodes like “Unsolved Heterosexual Mysteries” to now-iconic celebrity interviews, these two are bringing Black queer joy to millions.
2. Sean on Stage
Stepping into my own light, I was invited to be a guest speaker at a couple of events this year. Sharing my story in a public space is both a liberating and healing ritual. I’m able to stand in my fullness and move others into tapping into their own agencies of joy. Much love to the LGBTQ Humanist Alliance and my alma mater’s LBGT Resource Center and Office of Cultural and Academic Transitions.
3. ONE100 Awards
This spring, Agency of Joy supported The Solutions Project to launch the 2019 ONE100 Awards. Featuring a surprise appearance from actor and board member, Don Cheadle, the awards celebrated local environmental activists of color in Los Angeles. As Narrative Consultant for the project, it was a joy getting to know this year’s awardees and hearing what inspires them to keep fighting. Congratulations Ruth Andrade, Deborah Bell-Holt, and the students of Wilmington’s Youth for Environmental Justice.
4. Normani’s ‘Motivation’
This summer, Normani announced to the world she’s a star with the debut of her hit single and music video. Paying homage to pop moments of the 2000s, the “Motivation” video has over 74.5 million views and inspired viral recreation outfits and videos across social media. With fans including Beyoncé and Rihanna, this young Black woman is proving to be a source of joy and inspiration for the next generation.
5. Wakanda Dream Lab
This year, the folks at Wakanda Dream Lab and Resonance Network teamed up to launch a new anthology, “Black Freedom Beyond Borders: Re-Imagining Gender in Wakanda.” A post-liberation, Afro-futurist project with several moving parts, Agency of Joy was brought on to help lead social media and publicity both around the anthology and its online community. Being able to support a project so focused on a collectively Black liberated world has been a gift.
Download your free PDF of the anthology here.
6. Power of Partnerships
This year marked the start of my solo partnership with P.S. 314, a matchmaking agency for social change. As a Social Media and Storytelling Project Consultant for the collective, I supported emerging Black artists and legacy nonprofit clients to better understand the digital landscape and take their social media strategies to new heights.
These partnerships, rooted in community and truth-telling, are key elements of my own agency of joy. I’m grateful to P.S. 314 for championing my work and connecting me with new changemakers around the country.
7. Trump Impeached
This month, the House of Representatives impeached President Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Despite future potential setbacks from Republican-controlled Senate, this marks a moment of joy for many of us in resistance against this man’s racist and manipulative administration.
Much love and solidarity to Representatives Maxine Waters (CA) and Al Green (TX), both who pushed for accountability since Trump took office. There’s still much to be done (total system change, anyone?), but it’s important we take a moment to celebrate something which, being honest, I didn’t think we’d see three years ago. That’s worth something to me.
8. Storytelling Coaching
This year, I grew my role as a facilitator and coach to support leaders in telling their own stories, and what a joy! From being out on the California coast with the Million Person Project and Patagonia ambassador athletes to working with the Castanea Fellowship of food justice leaders, I was in awe at the personal transformations I witnessed in leaders after tapping into the power of their personal story.
Equally important, I had the opportunity to do multilingual individual coaching for the first time this year supporting indigenous leaders from the U.S., throughout Central and South America, and Indonesia. Those days working around the UN Climate Action Summit this September were amazing. It felt like tapping into the Soul of the World, a deeper connection to inner purpose.
9. Janet Mock’s Big Deal
Earlier this year, Janet Mock made history again. She became the first out Black trans writer-director to sign an overall deal with Netflix. The best-selling author, producer, and director signed a three-year multimillion-dollar deal, giving Netflix exclusive rights to her TV series and a first-look option on feature film projects. MAJOR!
As someone committed to seeing more storytellers break walls down to get different kinds of authentic queer and trans stories told in Hollywood, this news brought happy tears to my eyes. With Janet calling the creative shots, this deal will make way for more people to see themselves on screen. Cheering you on, Janet!
10. HOMECOMING
Is a top 10 joy moments list even complete if Beyoncé isn’t on it? Don’t answer that.
One year after she headlined Coachella, Bey snatched all of our edges again when she dropped her Netflix film ‘Homecoming’ this April.
An intimate, in-depth look at the concert and “emotional road from creative concept to a cultural movement,” the film has been named one of the greatest concert films of all time by publications from The Washington Post to Deadline. In addition to the film, Bey also dropped the accompanying live album containing her cover of Frankie Beverly And Maze’s “Before I Let Go,” a song that quickly became my most played track of the year, with over 9 hours of playtime.
This list could go on and on. What were some of your top 10 joy moments of 2019?