As CultureCon 2025 pulsed with energy, creativity, and community, one of the weekend’s most powerful messages came from Detavio Samuels, CEO of Revolt, who reminded attendees that the fight for Black ownership, especially in media, is far from over.
Speaking to The Quintessential Gentleman on-site, Samuels reflected on the role spaces like CultureCon play in sustaining the next generation of Black storytellers and creators.
“I’m thrilled to be here at CultureCon,” he said. “Revolt and Offscript are media partners tied in with this thing. I love all the work that they’re doing. Spaces like this have always been important.”
The Power of Unity and Collective Growth
Samuels referenced one of his favorite quotes — “Surely we will all hang together; otherwise, we will all hang separately” — to emphasize his belief that collective support is no longer optional; it’s essential.
“It’s so important that we’re hanging together, finding ways to build together, to co-create together, to lift each other up,” he shared.
That spirit of collaboration adds to a broader conversation taking place across the country. Just days earlier, during the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C., civil rights attorney Ben Crump urged the community to financially support Black media institutions.
Crump pledged $50,000 to the Black Press of America, emphasizing that “nobody carries the Black narrative and the Black information to Black communities more passionately than the Black Press.”
“He Who Controls the Narrative Controls Everything”
“It’s super simple,” Samuels explained. “We need our Black media companies not just to survive, but to thrive. And it comes down to one thing: He who controls the narrative controls everything.”
He pointed to how misinformation and misrepresentation continue to shape how Black communities are viewed and treated in America. “I don’t think we’ve ever been able to trust others with our stories,” he said. “How people see us is how they treat us… That’s why we need to control our platforms and our narratives.”
Samuels’ and other leaders like Crump and the next generation of creators share an understanding that the health of Black storytelling depends on investment, not just inspiration.
A Message to Black Men: Protect Your Mind, Protect the Village
When asked what advice he’d give to Black men navigating today’s world, Samuels says, “Winning as a Black man in America comes down to two things.”
“First, we have to take care of ourselves, especially our minds. There’s so much going on, so much chaos, so much disorder. We gotta take care of our mental health because, as the king goes, the tribe goes. As the king goes, the village goes.”
His second piece of advice circles back to community. “No one is coming to save us. It’s really up to us. So us finding ways to build together, to make together, to build wealth together, to share ownership together.”
Building, Not Borrowing, the Future
As Black media continues to evolve in a rapidly changing digital landscape, Samuels’ call to action is clear: invest, collaborate, and protect what’s ours.
Photo Credit: Revolt
