Bronx Narratives
Dondre Green, Decota Letman, and Hoay Smith are Bronx Narratives. Founded in 2014 in the Northeast Bronx, Bronx Narratives is a digital and print publication storytelling and documenting the Bronx and its people. Dondre is the Creative Director and Founder, Decota handles Strategic Partnerships and Outreach, and Hoay takes care of Art Direction and design work.
So, how did Bronx Narratives start?
Hoay: We met in Brooklyn though we're all from the Bronx; once we met, we connected, and it turned out that we all lived close to each other too. That's how we started working. It all started as this photo-based project, and then we moved on to the print magazine and online publication.
Decota: I met Hoay separately, but Dre [Dondre] and I met in Brooklyn. I was doing PR at the time and met Dre at a mutual client's event. He had a show, and we were randomly talking. I think we just randomly mentioned that we were both from the Bronx. I'm like: "Yo! Split an Uber with me".
We were in the car heading back to the Bronx, and like, the universe must have been aligned because our driver overhears us talking about the fact that we're both from the same neighborhood uptown, yet we're meeting in Brooklyn. So, he [Dondre] and I were bouncing ideas around, like, we should really do something to shift the narrative about the Bronx. Then after that, he wanted to expand on the idea and started shooting random stories, like, random people in random neighborhoods in the Bronx. And, like, "what's your narrative?" asking people to share their background being from the Bronx.
What can you tell me about the journey from meeting to the inspiration behind it all? Especially at the time.
Dondre: Before Bronx Narratives I was working at a sneaker boutique in the city as their lead photographer. And I got let go out of just, you know, the way life works. And after that, I was spending a lot of time in the Bronx and I was like "Man, I don't really know my neighborhood like that". Like, I'd invite people to come up and they'd be more adventurous than I would be about Gun Hill Road and Hunts Point. That encouraged me in a lot of ways. I started to appreciate the Bronx more and wanted to do more.
Hoay: Yeah. When we started doing the Bronx Narratives thing, we went on little day trips everywhere. We would link up–the three of us–and go to a restaurant or to meet with people. And for me, that was connecting us back to our hometown.
Decota: So from the summer to December 2014, we started implementing and executing our ideas. And that's when we had the exhibit at The Point. People received us so well. We didn't expect such a big turnout because it was a rainy-cold winter. I don't even think we had thought about making this long-term at the moment. It wasn't until people said we need more stuff like this in the Bronx.
We felt like we owed this to our community.
What was that first event like?
Dondre: I saw people that never come to the Bronx come to the borough, and it was raining.
Decota: Yeah, like people from Jersey. lol
Dondre: Every excuse imaginable could have worked that day. It was rainy, in the middle of Hunts Point, and at a place where most people probably hadn't been. You know, it's a little far from the train. But it all worked out, and people seemed to have a good time–they wanted to know what was next.
True. True. So, how did y’all transition from the photo project and exhibit to the publication?
Decota: So, after our event at The Point, we were more intentional about making this long-term. In 2015, we met up a lot, trying to figure out our next step–figuring out how we're actually bringing this to life. You know, gathering a team and figuring out our vision. We spent a lot of 2015 planning, and then we did another event in the summer.
That's when we were intentional about Bronx Narratives and making it an online platform–at that point, we didn't have the vision of a print publication. I think we just knew that we wanted to be a community, like a space for creatives, for young people, but also for other people that may not be from the Bronx or that have this negative or different depiction of what it means to be from here. This is an outlet to show you our side of the fence, what we see, and what it looks like to be from our neighborhood.
Hoay: We did a soft launch of a sample magazine at the Bronx Museum a bit later. We even had a show with people performing. Yet again, the reception was so well received, so we knew we had something. The next step was to figure out how we were gonna roll out our first official magazine issue; that came out later at the end of 2016. Since then, we've done a drop every year–we're on our sixth issue now.
I would say it was about figuring out what we wanted to do and then how to go about doing that. We knew that if we were gonna write articles, we needed writers, designs, graphics, and photos. We had to put together a team. I feel like, for me, that's been one of the most challenging things. You know, putting together a good and cohesive team where everybody vibrates on the same frequency.
What was the process like working on that first issue? How’d that first year feel?
Dondre: That first year was very fun. For me, shooting in a new canvas, in the Bronx, I felt like I wanted to be here more often. I wasn't scared or nervous cause I had a few experiences where before Bronx Narratives, I was part of a mobile photography magazine, so I was comfortable creating content and organizing things like that. And I, in a lead photographer role at the boutique, had a good idea of what it was like to take a large number of images, organize them, and put them together. I brought a lot of my previous experiences to Bronx Narratives, and I'm still doing that now.
Decota: Each process has been different because we've been developing as things come–taking it one step at a time. I don't think we've ever laid out a five to 10-year goal. We have a very loose five to 10-year plan, but a lot of what we've built from inception was just as-we-go. Dre loves shooting, and Hoay loves drawing and creating as a graphic designer. And I love bringing experiences to life and creating events. And I think that's what made us all come together, but also what makes us so unique. We are really in our element doing what we love.
Hoay: We were doing a lot of running around. We were, you know, shaking hands, kissing babies, and all of that. I just felt like there was just a lot of work that we had to do. We had to meet a lot of people, write a lot of stories, publish a lot of content and put a lot of graphics out. That first year was very very busy–we had to be a multifaceted platform. It's not just the magazine and online publication but also events plus more. It was taking the momentum we had built and just keeping it going. I think that where we're at now, we've done a lot of the groundwork. We have the frame or the base built out, so we already know what we're doing. It's about doing more of that for better results.
“With our family,
it's been positive because the work that we're doing
is positive.” –
Dondre
What did everyones family think about this? Was there any pushback? Investing so much time into this project fresh out of school.
Hoay: I definitely feel like all of our family and friends have been supporting us since day one–from our very first event. It might have been, you know, 20 of her [Decota] peoples, 30 of my peoples, 40 of his [Dondre] peoples, something like that. The support is definitely there, and they continue to support us. That's why things moved forward. I'd like to give a shoutout to everybody that's helped us this far.
Decota: Heavy emphasis on that. I'd echo what Hoay said for sure–they've been supportive since day one. I think for me, my mom truly believed it when she saw the turnout. When she saw people really coming out, and every time she saw us do something different, it was just like “Wow, you guys are serious. Like, y'all are really out here”. And then when we had our first feature on News 12, it really started to hit. She's like "Yeah, no, what are y'all doing next? You need to do more". She's definitely an avid supporter.
Dondre: With our family, it's been positive because the work that we're doing is positive.
Any challenges that y’all would like to highlight?
Dondre: There are a lot of challenging things. In the beginning, it was like getting media coverage for some of the work that we're doing. But when you also become a media source, you start to understand that you can't cover everything, you know. If I were entirely honest, I would look back at whatever sucked or whatever's challenging as just growing pains.
I think Bronx Narratives, to me, is still an ongoing research project. I'm always learning something new. I'm always meeting really cool creatives that are like-minded. It's never dull. There's always something fresh to see and new businesses popping up that are worth checking out.
Decota: The challenging part is sometimes finding a balance–finding people just as devoted or invested. We're an organization, but we all do it for the love. With life and work, it's often challenging to balance both your passion and your priorities.
Dondre: We've thrown three or four parties. They've been highly successful because of Decota putting them together and making them bigger and better each year. It would be nice to see some of that energy transfer to our other areas and stuff. Sometimes people come to the events and just wanna vibe. Thats all cool, but like can y'all grab a magazine too? lol
Have there been any surprises or things that have happened, positive or negative, that have caught y'all off guard? How did y’all respond?
Decota: Theres an article that one of our writers wrote that, for the most part, was well received. I guess, I'm so optimistic that I forget how vocal people can be in New York. The article, I wouldn't even say that it was controversial, but it wasn't received as well by some people. One organization had a lot [negatively] to say about this article and were very vocal on Instagram–and I was shocked. They were just very intentional and kind of attacking us. Since this was the first time it had ever happened to us, I would say it was very surprising. I had a different way of how I wanted to deal with it. And Dondre was a diplomat.
Dondre: I think in this world, everyone's open to their opinion.
Whats the most rewarding part? Is there a favorite storytelling medium?
Dondre: I love print and the magazine–seeing what Hoay ends up designing and creating. He closes his door for a bit and then opens it when it's ready. It's his process–you can't quite smell the food, you just know; This is why trust is so important.
Decota: I'll echo that. I think I become like a fan girl right when I see them in their zone. I don't know if I've ever told them that, but I definitely fan out cuz they're so invested. Seeing them bring the print magazine to life and then the finished product is just always, like, wow, damn guys, this is amazing.
Hoay: I appreciate all the experiences, seeing new faces and people every time, and finding ways to connect. I like all the interactions. I enjoy it all. Being a part of the brand has blessed me with the opportunity to do that. I'm truly grateful for that.
We would love to do other things, such as owning a creative space or something like that, where we could do everything inside, from events to our podcast, and so on.
