You’ve seen his work. From Los Angeles to Atlanta, Harlem to Chicago, Japan to the U.K., Shawn Prez, President & CEO of Power Moves, Inc. (PMI), a full service marketing, promotion and event planning agency, has combined his innate understanding of the urban market with his passion for arts and entertainment to create one of the most recognizable ‘urban youth’ marketing agencies.
With 32 street teams nationally and internationally, Power Moves, Inc., has expanded its roster of clients to include: Bad Boy Entertainment, Sean John, PEPSI, Virgin Records, Miramax Films, New Line Cinema, 1800 Call AT&T, MGM Studios, AND 1, VSOP Passion Blend (a new malt liquor), EA Sports, Interscope Records and several other internationally known companies.
Shawn Prez is taking the advertising world by storm and forcing corporate America to take notice of the effectiveness and cost efficiency of hand-to-hand guerilla marketing.
While guerilla marketing is not a new concept, Shawn Prez has defined and redefined guerilla marketing through the lens of urban youth culture.
As an economics major at SUNY Binghamton, he began his career in marketing by promoting parties. It was at this time that he mastered the art of using hand-to-hand guerilla marketing to its maximum potential. As a promoter, he did not have access to the resources of traditional marketing so he had to use unconventional weapons and tactics that substituted time, energy and imagination for money.
He used his first hand knowledge to get industry experience where he worked for Atlantic Records and as an intern at Bad Boy Entertainment. As Senior Director of Promotions where he headed the Bad Boy national street team, Sean Prez’s name became synonymous with guerilla marketing, prompting Sean P. Diddy Combs to bestow on him the title of Ambassador of the Streets, a much deserved title. He is the man behind some of the biggest, most creative campaigns for the label’s top selling artists including: P. Diddy, BIG, MA$E, Faith Evans, Carl Thomas and Black Rob.
What makes him a success is that he maintains a relationship with his target audience by communicating what will most excite them. He maintains his standard of excellence so much so that he does not work on a project that he can not market with pride and passion because he knows that every project is a separate enterprise.
He knows what the people want. In a sense he’s a psychologist because he knows that the law of human behavior determines buying patterns. He is a master in his field which is why he was called upon to head urban youth marketing projects for both “A Raisin in the Sun� and P. Diddy’s new political campaign Citizen Change Initiative. Most readers by now must have seen the slogan “VOTE OR DIE� on t-shirts worn by celebrities and urban youth. “I have a personal connection to the Citizen Change Initiative. It’s not about just getting people to register to vote. We have to get people to the polls,� says Prez.
Most recently he was at the Democratic Convention in Boston where his marketing talents were used to urge people to vote. He will also attend the Republican Convention in New York City. Both events are a platform for not only the politicians but also for urban youth. Through his presence at these conventions, Prez represents a generation that for the most part has been marginalized and ignored.
After reading about him and speaking with him, I also believe that the title of Ambassador of Urban Youth Culture is also appropriate to describe his love of youth and the community that he comes from. Although he saw hard times while growing up in poverty in the Bronx, Prez always knew he was destined for greatness. Now that he’s in the field that he always wanted to be in, this is just the beginning.
“This is not my final calling but it found me,� he says. “I was doing a job. I don’t like to lose and I just wanted to be the best. This was my way into the game because I wanted to be in the industry. In the beginning, it was more about props, being recognized. I wanted to build my name, the brand. That was my old interest. As I got older and really honed my craft this became bigger than just a job. This is what I love to do.�
Prez has made a commitment to be a leader in the marketing and promotion field and because of his investment in urban youth culture his marketing campaigns have been consistent. This is why every product he promotes is well received by the public. He is very humble and confident which makes others confident in his ability to deliver.
So the next time you see urban youth marketing anywhere in your neighborhood, you are most likely looking at the work of Shawn Prez. His life and accomplishments remind us that, “without struggle, there is no progress.�
Keep up the good work Mr. Shawn Prez.
More information about Shawn Prez’s company can be found at powermovesinc.com
