Business Unusual: The 135 th Street Agency
Takes Old-School Marketing Approaches to Next Level

 By Janet Tzou

Two women figured out how to do what every corporate employee secretly dreams of: They’ve made a home based business profitable.  Working out of Atlanta and Harlem, Shanté Bacon and Saptosa Foster’s PR/marketing firm, the 135 th Street Agency, has made strides in its first year of business, with no office space and zero capital investment. 

“The old ethic of hoping hard work eventually pays off is simply not realistic in today’s microwave society,” Bacon says.  “Everyone wants the payoff now.”  Still, Bacon made her move carefully.  After ten years in the music industry, she had a well-paying marketing executive position at Def Jam.  She soon realized, though, that she could capitalize on her own experience (which included nurturing double- and triple-platinum artists like Ludacris and Kanye West) to launch a low-overhead, service based marketing business.  Her former employer, Def Jam, signed up with the 135 th Street Agency almost immediately; BET soon followed.

Bacon and Foster took a cautious, traditional approach to attracting new clients.  They avoided the flashy allure of entertainment PR events and strategically tapped into more corporate routes.  “Music industry parties are great for connections, but typically, people aren’t there with the mindset to conduct business,” Bacon explains.  Instead, the two partners began attending national black-enterprise conferences.  “Conferences are an excellent way to pitch your business because people attending are there to develop contacts and present products,” Bacon continues.  “Most PR firms overlook those types of opportunities.”  (Bacon and Foster secured their largest account, the United State Postal Service, at one such conference.)

Foster, an entertainment journalist with 10 years experience, joined the 135 th Street Agency shortly after Bacon launched the operation, and attributes the firm’s success to imaginative thinking.  “In any industry, there are going to be 20 other companies who want that business, and it’s usually creativity and experience that will distinguish you from others,” she says.  “Especially in the music industry, you have a lot of people who have gotten rich quickly, but it’s never just about the connections,” she adds. 

“Nothing beats hands-on experience and actually being in the trenches.”

“Our biggest strength is our passion for what we do,” Bacon says.  “A lot of people have fantastic ideas, but they can’t find the ambition or the passion in themselves to execute them.  We’ll spend our last dime making something happen, which is what leads to closing the deal.  That’s the biggest win for us.”

King Magazine, pg 170