IM3 Media’s Isaac Hamm Talks Black Music Month and “The Comeback”
Dyana Williams receives award from IM3 Media CEO, Isaac Hamm
Root: Tell us about your company IM3 Media. What do you specialize in?
Isaac Hamm: We are an events marketing and public relations company. Some of our more recent productions in Philadelphia area was a huge show that we did with PJ Morton and a book signing tour with actress Sheryl Lee Ralph. We basically specialize in event marketing, whether it is at Warm Daddy’s, at a park or a LIVE event, we can do it.
Root: Who are some of IM3’s clients?
Isaac Hamm: Mo’Shay Lauren from 107.9, Dyana Williams (Co-Founder of Black Music Month), Sheryl Lee Ralph and a few local Philly artists. I have also been heavily involved with Philly fashion week for the past two years.
Root: Tell us about “The Comeback” black music month event you are doing at the end of June?
Isaac Hamm: The idea to do “The Comeback” event actually came to me in a dream. It wasn’t until I saw Dyana Williams at the Arts Garage speaking at an event that I even knew what black music month was. I was unfamiliar with Black Music Month and it’s origin at the time but once she started talking about how her and Kenny Gable wrote the African American Music Bill in 1979 and actually lobbied to get the bill approved, I was intrigued. Congressman Chaka Fattah was the one who took the bill an got it approved and on June 7, 1979, President Jimmy Carter announced that Black Music Month was officially noted for June. In 1996, Dyana realized that the bill was never signed by Jimmy Carter and it was then signed by then president, Bill Clinton. In 2010, I decided to do a Black Music Month event and Dyana was one of the first people to get involved. That year we honored her with an award for her contribution to Black Music Month and currently we have an award in her honor named the Dyana Williams Excellence Innovation Lifetime Achievement Award. Gamble and Huff, Congressman Chaka Fattah and Lady D (Popular Philly DJ), are all recipients of this award for their contribution to black music. At this year’s event we are honoring Charlie Mack for his community service and we are also honoring Carvin and Ivan, who are Grammy Award winning producers from Philly. I’m still working on getting Philly natives, Jill Scott and Patti Labelle to be apart as well. The whole premise of “The Comeback” is to come back to a place in time where music was the essence of everything. When you hear an old O’Jays song, it brings you right back to a time where things were good.
About Isaac Hamm
Founder and creator of The ComeBack “Philly Style” and IM3Media Philadelphia Isaac Hamm is working hard to get that Philly Sound back in Music.
In 2010, IM3Media hosted its first annual Black Music Month event called The Comeback “Philly Style”. The City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection has a long, storied history of avant-garde contributions to the Arts. This critically acclaimed music… showcase and awards ceremony is dedicated to preserving the musical legacy of Philadelphia.
In its first year, Isaac honored Ms. Dyana Williams with The 2010 “Profile in Excellence and Innovation Lifetime Achievement” Award. This award was later dedicated in her name. The 2011 award recipients were: Kenny Gamble; Leon Huff; Chaka Fattah and Wendy Clark aka Hip Hop Pioneer Lady B.
This year IM3Media is embarking on its third year of celebrating Black Music Month. “The Comeback – “Philly Style” will continue to capture the essence, ambiance, and spirit of “feel-good music” for which our great city is known. Bringing the old and the new generations of singers back to their original roots has always been the focus of this event.
Always looking to grow and improve IM3Media has focused on making this year’s The ComeBack “ Philly Style” bigger and better than last year. In addition to this event IM3Media has partnered up with local event producers in the city and created “Black Music Month Week”. Black Music Month Week is an entire week of activities center around honoring and show homage to the contributions African Americans have made to the music industry. This week will run from Sunday, June 24th to Saturday, June 30th and will be filled with various opportunities for the city to join in the celebrating of Black Music Month.
Philadelphia native Isaac M. Hamm, III, 29, grew up not so much on the mean streets but in a working-class neighborhood where he attended high school at The Randolph Skills Center. After graduation, Isaac attended the Community College of Philadelphia, majoring in Communications where he was an aspiring television producer. After an on-campus, chance meeting with a local radio station representative he secured an internship and immediately put his salesmanship skills towork.
Isaac quickly earned recognition and increased responsibilities as he proved himself through both his uncanny ability to recognize talent and keen insight into how to properly develop, market and promote it.
Isaac’s business acumen combined with his solid reputation led to his ascent within the Philadelphia local music scene. He ventured into event marketing and caught the attention of prominent promoters as well as major recording label representatives and executives alike.
As a result, demand for his services steadily increased and eventually led him to form his artist management and consulting company, New Artist Spotlight, as well as his event marketing and promotions company, IM3Mediacom.
Alongside his passion for developing and promoting talent, Isaac is committed to the cause of fulfilling the need for increased music education within the Philadelphia school system.
He is currently partnering with The School District of Philadelphia to achieve this goal and set scholarships for achieving graduating high school students whose major is in Arts and Entertainment; scheduled to launch in the 2011 – 2012 school year.
Isaac has graduated with his Bachelor’s degree in Corporate Communications from LaSalle University.
About Dyana Williams
Dyana Williams, a native New Yorker, is a radio and music industry professional, as well as the co-founder of the Pennsylvania based, non-profit advocacy organization, the International Association of African American Music Foundation (IAAAM Foundation).
Williams started her professional broadcasting career when she was hired in 1973 by radio boss, Bob “Nighthawk” Terry to join the staff of 96.3 WHUR-FM in Washington D.C.. Her radio handle was Ebony Moonbeams. Two years later, legendary radio icon, Frankie Crocker hired Williams at Inner City Broadcasting’s 107.5 WBLS-FM in her hometown, New York City. In 1978, she became the first African American/Latina woman Rock DJ at the ABC FM affiliate, WRQX-FM. Williams made a move to television when she became an arts and culture contributing reporter for P.M. Magazine on the CBS affiliate, WDVM. After moving to Philadelphia in 1980, Williams established a show called “Love on the Menu” for 105.3 WDAS. Williams also did freelance entertainment reporting for BET, and served as a music consultant for The Soul of VH1 where she interviewed prominent recording artists. Closely associated with “The Sound of Philadelphia” (TSOP) and Philadelphia’s jazz and soul artists, she produced and narrated the The Philadelphia Music Makers in 1990. It aired on the Philadelphia PBS outlet, WHYY. As a writer, Williams has contributed to The Philadelphia Tribune, Billboard and The Philadelphia New Observer. Williams currently hosts a weekly broadcast, Soulful Sunday on Radio One’s 100.3 WRNB from 10am to 3pm.
In 1990, Williams and Sheila Eldridge launched the Association of African American Music Foundation (IAAAM Foundation) to promote and preserve Black music. Williams co-wrote House Concurrent Bill 509, which recognized African American accomplishments in music and helped establish “Black Music Month. In 1997, Williams earned her B.A. degree in television, radio and film from Temple University, graduating cum laude.
Williams frequently lectures about African-American music and popular culture to universities, colleges, and music conferences throughout the United States and around the world. Williams has been interviewed by CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Tavis Smiley, and Tom Joyner among others. The recipient of numerous awards and recognition, Williams has received citations from: the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s House of Representative: State Senator David P. Richardson, December 9, 1987, a proclamation from Congressman Chaka Fattah, February 11, 2000, a Liberty Bell from Mayor John F. Street, March 18, 2000, City Council City of Philadelphia Citation from Councilman-At-Large, W.Wilson Goode, Jr., November 8, 2003, City of Philadelphia Citation from Mayor John F. Street, May 28, 2003 and was honored with Dyana Williams Day in the City of Philadelphia by Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller and all members of the City Council, November 6, 2008. The Southeastern Pennsylvania March of Dimes presented Williams with the 2006 Achievement in Radio A.I.R Award for the Best Weekend Show in Philadelphia, November 1, 2006. In 2011, News One listed Williams as #7 on the “Top 20 Black Radio Jockeys of All Time”* and RadioFacts.com recognized her as #8 on the “Top 30 Black Women in Media.”*
She is also the CEO of Influence Entertainment, a media consulting and artist development firm where she coaches high profile celebrities in the sports and entertainment arenas.
Williams is mother to Caliph Gamble, Isa Salahdeen Gamble and Princess Idia Gamble, from her former union with Grammy award winning songwriter/producer and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Kenny Gamble.
