Colin Gayle is the Co-Founder and CEO of Africa Creative Agency (ACA). The mission of ACA is to conceptualize, create, and leverage intersections between African culture and global markets by creating the first Pan-African Talent Agency and Digital Marketing/Branding Agency. Drawing on decades of experience across music, media, television and film, Mr. Gayle set his sights on Africa and introduced a myriad of entertainers and brands to the continent for the very first time. Among his notable accomplishments are:
• Serving as Creative Executive and Executive Producer for Bounceback Media, which produced the number one-rated show for Channel O/MNET, Diamond Life as well as The Beef, Behind the Scene, and O’Access. The latter saw Soweto-born host Nonhle deliver American music to the African audience for seven years while also offering a platform for local talent
• Implementing the launch of the 2010 World Cup Inaugural Event.
• Overseeing and producing, hip hop superstar 50 Cent’s storied Tour of Mozambique and South Africa, which ended with the rap legend meeting Nelson Mandela for a highly publicized MTV segment
• Spearheading the rebranding of the South African Broadcasting Corporation with top global performers
• Brokering the agreement to bring world renowned Bishop T.D. Jakes’ Mega Fest to South Africa
Yvette Gayle serves as EVP of Communications. Currently she is Vice President of Publicity at Interscope Geffen A&M Records. Over a span of 23 years, Gayle has crafted campaigns for a multitude of multiplatinum artists which include Nas, Diddy, 50 Cent, Mary J. Blige, Keri Hilson, and Keysha Cole to name a few.
Gayle has a Bachelors degree in Political Science from West Virginia University. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and resides in Los Angeles, CA.
Roger L. Patton is a graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law School where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. Currently, Mr. Patton serves as General Counsel and Head of Business Development, North America and International for ACA. Prior to joining ACA, Mr. Patton served as General Counsel and EVP of Business Development for Hidden Beach Experiences, an independent record label and experiential entertainment production company based in Los Angeles. Mr. Patton was responsible for overseeing all legal and business affairs as well as spearheading all new business ventures and strategic alliances. He also represented a select number of clients under his own law firm banner, the Law Offices of Roger L. Patton, where he provided a diverse roster of clients with legal, business affairs and strategic business development services in the areas of entertainment, new media and co-branding.
As a transactional entertainment attorney, Mr. Patton served as director of business and legal affairs for the music division of Warner Bros. Pictures where he brokered composer agreements, soundtrack deals and music licensing agreements for the major motion picture studio. Later he became a partner at the Beverly Hills boutique entertainment firm, Bloom, Hergott, Cook, Diemer & Klein, where he represented some of the top recording artists, producers, independent labels and production companies in the entertainment business, brokering deals for a diverse A-list client roster including Destiny’s Child, TLC, En Vogue, Coolio, Snoop Dogg, Babyface, Narada Michael Walden, Vanessa Williams, Chris Rock and others. Mr. Patton’s diverse entertainment experience also includes having served as Chief Entertainment Counsel for former President Bill Clinton’s Presidential Inaugural Committee, where he negotiated all of the entertainment and media related agreements for the Clinton Inaugural activities.
Kevin Boakye serves as CFO for the Africa Create Agency in an advisory capacity. Currently, Mr. Boakye is a Senior Associate in the Sub-Saharan Africa fund with the Carlyle Group. He is based in Johannesburg.
Mr. Boakye previously worked for three years as an Associate in Carlyle’s Corporate Mezzanine Fund based in New York. He was responsible for structuring, evaluating and executing private debt and equity investments across various industries including business services, industrial, healthcare, consumer and retail. Prior to joining Carlyle, Mr. Boakye worked as an investment banking analyst in the Global Leveraged Finance Group at Lehman Brothers.
Mr. Boakye received an M.B.A from Harvard Business School. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) degree from Dartmouth College.
Thami serves as a Junior A&R and Executive Assistant. He is a big fan of music and was an active musician for over 6 years.
With 5 Years experience as a Junior Business Coach and lead administrator of one of South Africa’s leading Micro Enterprise Incubators. Thami has helped grow over 100 businesses and through that aided in creating over 180 jobs.
Born in South Africa but grew up around the world, Nandi started her music career in Canada with Chris Smith Management working with artists such as Nelly Fertado, Tamia and Fifi Dobson to name a few. She furthered her experience in New York to work in music publishing under the same company. Nandi has a background in music business development and marketing and is now back in South Africa bridging the gap between Africa and North America and by extension the world.
Former Ogilvy Pan African Media Manager and Brand & digital Manager East Africa Kenya Orient Insurance Ltd. East African Digital Marketing and communications Assistant Manager ICEA LION Group. Advertising Brand Specialist with experience throughout the Pan African region as well as Australia Michelle is fluent in 4 languages with an expertise in cross cultural media communications across the region and diaspora.
Leah Marville is a renaissance woman. She is an Attorney-at-Law, holding the titles Miss Barbados World 2009, Fashion Model, TV host, entrepreneur and philanthropist.
Leah started her career as a model in Cape Town South Africa, where she lived and worked for some time before moving on to different cities around the world. She made her name as one of the top fashion models of the Caribbean, winning an award for the same in her hometown of Barbados. While traveling and working as a model, Leah juggled her time to finish her studies at Law School in Barbados and later Trinidad and Tobago.
While pursuing her legal career she worked in Jamaica at the Council for Human Rights, where she oversaw the rights of death row inmates and then later went on to work for the prestigious Gordon| McGrath Jamaica – an intellectual property firm. She has also lived and practiced throughout Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago in the areas of entertainment law, corporate and family law.
In 2009, Leah went on to represent her country on the world stage, as Miss Barbados World, where she became one of the country’s most successful contestants. She was awarded The Continental Beauty Queen of the Caribbean by the Miss World franchise, a first for Barbados. She was named by The Jamaica Observer newspaper as one of the 69 Most Powerful People in Jamaica and was voted as “The Sexiest Woman Alive” for 2009 by premier pageant magazine group Global Beauties.com. Leah Marville is also the recipient of two national awardsfrom the Government of Barbados, for her work in HIV and with the youth.
Her entertainment career also led her into television where she was the main host for US Network, BET-J Caribbean music show Wicked Style, which later became Splash! on BET’s sister station, CENTRIC. She has also produced and hosted her own show Passport 246 and a show following her charity’s work in “The Love Campaign School Tour” which aired throughout the Caribbean. Leah is also the face of many documentaries on Barbados as well as several television shows that continue to air throughout the Caribbean.
Leah now blends both her legal and fashion careers in several entrepreneurial ventures and recently moved to Los Angeles where she became a part of the Africa Creative Agency family.
