Today we’d like to introduce you to Roquois Clarke.
Hi Roquois, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Plus Ultra Entertainment started off as an idea between 2 friends that attended a plethora of anime and comic book conventions and enjoyed cosplay, creativity, music, gaming and arts, but didn’t see enough of themselves in those spaces that so many black and brown people patronized. We created a space for those people to see themselves and it grew from there.
Plus Ultra Entertainment started right before COVID hit with our first event slated for May 2020 but then we went on lockdown. Once the world was safe enough to be outside we launched with our first event Halloween mid COVID 2020 with an outdoor go-kart cosplay event we named “Nerd4Speed” which became an annual event. It provided a safe space for nerds and alike to come together and enjoy music, cosplay, go-karts and community. From there we created unique event experiences, parties and more geared toward nerds; Cosplayers, Gamers, Artists, etc. and independent creatives.
Through our passion we very quickly developed relationships and partnerships with nationally and internationallyrecognized conventions and organizations such as Awesome Con, Anime NYC, Dream Con, Anime Frontier, Smithsonian, National Harbor, the city of Washington DC, Sakura Matsuri, National Cherry Blossom Festival, Tokyo Comic Con, and more! We were also featured in a PBS/WETA documentary which earned 2 Emmys. We started the first Prince George’s County Public School Free Anime Club at Cora L. Rice Elementary and opened the first ever third space for the nerd and creative community at National Harbor.
Plus Ultra Entertainment is also more than just anime and cosplay, we have curated unique experiences and events in fashion during New York Fashion Week and have produced incredible stage shows for concerts and festivals with over 10,000 attendees. Our events overall have included a range of attendees from 50 to over 50,000 attendees. Our mantra “Why Just Have A Good Time, When You Can GO BEYOND!”
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Some of the obstacles and challenges we have faced are getting people to understand what we do, why we do what we do and the actual value that the nerd and creative community bring to society. Anime and cosplay pop culture are now billion dollar industries that earned their popularity and have been made trendy primarily by audiences of color and the rise of new media. We’re often asked “why nerds, why anime, why cosplay” and the answer isn’t just “why not” but “because we love it, it’s our safe space, it’s where we’ve made forever friends, found our people and realized we can build a business with our friends and in an area we’re genuinely passionate about”
With growth also comes others being inspired by your creation and wanting to replicate it. This is a challenge that isn’t the worst to have but it does sting when you’ve spent years building your ideas, your connections, your skills and your reputation just to have others see what might look “so easy” and completely copy your blueprint and never credit you as their inspiration and fall flat on execution because it’s not actually easy. We understand it happens all the time to successful businesses and ideas but many times it seems to come from those just looking to profit off “trendy” and not actually those interested in building safer spaces and uplifting the community.
Another challenge is being a women owned business in a male dominated industry. While my business partner is male, I am the one with over 15 years of event and entertainment industry experience, accolades and knowledge. I used my knowledge and skills to grow Plus Ultra Entertainment into what it is today and educated my partner and my team along the way. I can’t even count how many meetings we have been in or events where my presence is dismissed or the other men in the room are only addressing my partner just to then be shocked when he directs the bulk of their questions to me. We receive so many compliments on the quality of our work, our events & experiences and the reason is because I’ve poured all those years of experiences from my previous high end event productions into Plus Ultra. Not just a “woman’s touch” but an experienced professional who brought something new to the anime, comic, cosplay and entertainment industry.
The last challenge/obstacle I’ll speak on is funding. Opening up a brick and mortar location was in our 5-10 year plan that we accomplished in the end of year 3. All we had was an idea, a space and our friends to help us build it out, paint, tear down walls, and move in. We used our own funds to create the first event third space for our community and struggled with visibility, recognition and funding. We reached out to news outlets to feature our small business with no luck. Our space included a game lounge, photography studio, pod cast studio, recording studio, creative studio for cosplayers and crafters and an overall event space geared toward the nerd and indie creative community. We offered affordable rental rates to fit the growing community. We applied for creative grants, publication features and more and no one seemed interested. We did receive a co-sign from celebrity actor Orlando Jones and a feature on YELP MD but we feel more could have been done from our local community outlets. Our location started off as a pop-up for just two months turned into two years. An incredible accomplishment and achievement for us.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a musician, cosplayer, event director, community leader and entrepreneur. My business partner works for the government and is also a creative and a cosplayer.
What are your plans for the future?
Our plans for the future are to hopefully find a permanent home for our brick and mortar and to continue to expand Plus Ultra Entertainment events and experiences across the US and internationally. We have already left our footprint in LA, Vegas, Houston, Ft Worth, Austin, ATL, NYC, DC, MD, VA and most recently internationally in Tokyo, Japan but we want to establish deeper connections in Japan, Europe and of course locally where we can continue to not just grow our community but create opportunities for them to thrive in their creative genres as well. Through what we have built we have been able to get indie cosplayers get featured as special guests at conventions, we have been able to secure talent at conventions that often go underrepresented. We’ve been able to grow black and brown audiences at conventions and also highlight underrepresented black and brown artists and creatives at our events, festivals and more!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.plusultraentertainment.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/plusultraentertainment
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/plusultraentertainment
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/iamplusultra
- Youtube: https://YouTube.com/plusultraentertainment
