April McDaniel has spent 17 years ideating events for an extensive list of prominent names – think Tao Group, Heineken, Lebron James & Maverick Carter’s SpringHill Company, Jen Atkins, and more. Remember Drake’s 30th Birthday party or 2 Chainz “Pink Trap Salon” in Atlanta? She created those as well.

McDaniel hails from South Jersey, and like many, she dreamed of a Sex and The City life in New York City, which is precisely what she got, two days after graduating with a degree in Public Relations from Temple University.  She landed her first job in New York as an assistant to Jim Burns, co-creator of MTV Unplugged, though truth be told, she was really his canine best friend’s assistant as she was tasked with taking the semi-famous dog to the Sex and The City set, where he was a featured character. After wiggling her way out of dogsitting, she met Noah Tepperberg and Jason Strauss of TAO Group. The two gurus took the aspiring party and event producer under their wings and spent 12 years training and placing her in negotiation meetings with Robert Goldstein and Sheldon Adelson among others. After finding the willpower and courage, she launched Crown & Conquer with just three clients.

Read on to discover that April’s story isn’t just one of hard work, but also of the universe having its own hand in your trajectory along with the added support of a ton of manifestation.

Please explain Crown & Conquer and what you and your team do as if you were talking to a middle schooler.

First and foremost, we are not a public relations agency. We don’t handle PR. We are storytellers; folks have classified us as a creative agency, and there’s some truth to that. For example, within the first six months of Crown & Conquer being a company, we created the 2 Chainz Pink Trap Nail Salon down in Atlanta, which was in partnership with Spotify. We tell stories through numerous verticals, which happens through the three divisions that make up Crown & Conquer. [The first is] Creative and Strategy, which deals with ad campaigns. You may have seen Adidas with Yara Shahidi, Adidas Black Ambition with A.V. Rockwell and Pharrell Williams, and an Adidas x Tik Tok campaign which is coming soon. Our second division is Influencer. We work with these individuals to help them tell stories with brands through their own personal lens. Finally, our third division tells stories through experiences, and this division has its hands in many projects because there are an endless number of ways to bring stories to life.

Tell me about a project you’re working on right now that you’re allowed to talk about.

We are blessed because we had to stop taking on events for the rest of the year as we’re at our bandwidth. I can’t go into detail on everything for contractual reasons but right now we’re working with HBO, SuperBowl events, and something exciting with Masterclass.

Looking back on the last five years of your career, what’s the highlight?

The biggest highlight of my career as a business owner has been the people; it’s really the reason Crown & Conquer exists. Anybody can call themselves a producer and put some crap together, but we make things feel. I know that for a fact and doing it with a group of women while we build a legacy is what it’s all about. There’s not another C&C out here. There’s not another version that looks like us, works like us, or moves like us. We’re almost exclusively a team of mothers orchestrating all that Crown & Conquer gives to the world.

Imagine your company in three years. What do you hope will be different about it then compared to now?

At this point, I’m not wishing for anything different. We want to continue creating incredible work with brands that value us as well. We bring a specific Je ne sais quoi that a lot of agencies do not. I believe what I’m looking forward to the most is growing the team with top-notch talent. Boutique agencies have some unwarranted stigma attached to them because we’re smaller. People think that we can only do certain things when, we can do whatever we please. I’m also looking to continue building opportunities; for example, we run the BEATS HBCU program with Apple. We have a partnership with Getty and Wire Image, where we’re working on diversifying red carpets.

Looking at your website and seeing your team’s black and white photo, it’s 99 percent women. Is this intentional, and if so, why?

Very intentional! Women use their voices in a certain way. When you’re a group of diverse women, how you talk or present often leads to people categorizing and classifying you in a certain way. I’ve made a conscious effort in my friendships, life, and the things I work on to make sure I’ve played in different spaces explicitly to keep people from having the option to confine me. It’s priceless to own an agency where the women are allowed to have a strong point-of-view and come to work as their whole selves, whether with an Afro, lime green nails, or long braids.

What would you say is your company’s most muscular strength in terms of the services you offer?

We discuss capabilities a lot on phone calls because we’re constantly asked, “What are you good at,” but the fact is we’re amazing at creating. As we create, we leave a mark on culture. For example, the Two Kings Dinner. I worked with the team for nine years on that coveted event. Crown & Conquer creates memorable moments that ignite emotion.

What do you feel your purpose – as an individual – is as it relates to what you do or seek in your professional life?

I want people to FEEL; it brings me joy. I also want to change how people perceive a marketing agency because people automatically think of all the long hours that come with this industry. When someone walks into one of our events, it’s not just a party. It’s not just a vibe, it’s a memory.

Crown & Conquer has worked with several notable brands. Who do you want to work with that you haven’t yet and why?

Target! I love Target. I live, die, and spend all my money at Target, haha. I must one day be able to say I did an event with Target.

How does Crown & Conquer differ from other boutique agencies?

Ultimately what makes us different is the level of collaboration that happens internally. Our collaborative efforts fuel creativity and that creativity is driven to the level that it currently sits from the number of different perspectives seated at the table. We don’t have a creative director but are hiring a creative lead. I don’t believe one person can be a creative director for everything. Sure, they can guide and be a part of all the processes, but other people help bring these visions to life.

What motivates you to work?

For one, I’m extremely competitive but it’s pure willpower to be honest. For every five million, it’s that much more complicated because there’s a lot of pivoting and growth that must happen. As a leader, you start to realize how much everything you do or the risks you take affect others. Women are unstoppable, and Crown & Conquer has gotten to the point we’re at on sheer willpower. There are women on my team with infants and toddlers working their asses off, giving so much to this agency. They’re my drive! It’s a huge responsibility to have and you know it’s a part of our culture not to fail. We can’t because too many people are looking at us and depending on us.

What influences you on a daily? Are you chasing aspirations, or is it something else?

Freedom and Love. I want to be free. I need to be free. I just hired a new COO who’s worth every penny because I don’t want to run the business day-to-day as I’m currently doing right now. I want to be free to create, support, be in the community, lead my team, and guide. I never witnessed my parents have freedom. As a widow and mother of two young men, I want my kids to see their mom have that.

IG (personall): @AprilsOffice

IG (business) @Wearecrownandconquer