Hip Hop Photography Pioneer Ernie Paniccioli’s 70th Birthday Bash

About

Ernie Paniccioli is one of the most influential Hip Hop photographers of all time, a Native American Cree elder from Brooklyn, NY. His work has been featured in every Hip Hop and music publication imaginable, including: Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Time Magazine, The Source, Vibe, The Village Voice, Playboy, and Entertainment Weekly among many more.

The Ask

Ernie’s 60th birthday party was an event to remembered that was covered by major press in the music business so he wanted his 70th to follow suit. Being fans of New York hip-hop, 8th Nation was honored when Ernie reached out to help organize the event. The only issue, there little to no budget to pull it off.

What 8th Nation Did

Utilizing Ernie’s vast network and clout as a respected elder in the hip-hop community, 8th Nation persuaded major shoe brand, Steve Madden, to generously sponsor the event and feature it as a part of the Steve Madden Music Series. 8th Nation also locked down the logistics of partnering with event space, Littlefield, to host the event and restaurant, Sweet Chick, to cater. On the day of the event, over 200 of Ernie’s closest friends were in attendance and were treated to a performance by hip-hop legend Melle Mel, a longtime friend of Paniccioli, with the legendary Soul Rebels serving as the house band throughout the night. In addition to Ernie’s notoriety in hip-hop, Ernie is also deeply connected to social justice activism surrounding his First Nation heritage and 8th Nation also organized an incredible Hip Hop and traditional tribal dance fusion performance by Cree Nation dancers who traveled from Canada.

• Ensured the event was covered and captured by appropriate media channels
• Coordination of volunteer teams for seamless event execution
• Collaborated with Ernie and team members to brainstorm, plan, and develop new ideas and strategies
• Created a run-of-show for day-of-event with clear roles for all team members to ensure seamless flow for the event
• Created crowd control for event space to minimize crowd control issues
• Sourced and coordinated third-party resources such as vendors and security in the early stages of the project and throughout as needed
• Crafted marketing collateral to realize Ernie’s creative vision and aesthetic for the party
• Coordination of volunteer teams for seamless event execution
• Troubleshooting AV needs before and during the event to ensure technical efficiency
• Worked as a liaison between key stakeholder and PR crafting press releases and managing any media needs such as interviews and invites for members of the press

The Results

$0 was spent on the event, all of this was done with the donation of time, talent, and resources from the venue, catering and performers. The event also got major press and was covered by Rolling Stone, The NY Post, Okayplayer, MassAppeal, Brooklyn Vegan and Steve Madden.