Cynthia Tate is a publicist and creative strategist with a background in performing arts, non-profit, and entertainment. She is a firm believer in the stewardship for diversity and inclusion within arts and entertainment. With 10+ years of experience in communications and community engagement, she launches cultural and community initiatives that promote inclusivity. She is the founder of Saint + Essex PR, a boutique marketing and PR firm rooted in communications strategy and experiential marketing for the performing arts and entertainment. In addition to her work for Saint + Essex PR, she develops strategic external communications for Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) institutional programs and initiatives, weaving a connecting thread among one of the country's oldest cultural institutions, media gatekeepers, the Brooklyn community, and artists. Previously she worked as a publicist for the world-famous Apollo Theater and in community and partnership engagement with Walker International Communications where she worked with the nation’s foremost expert in audience development, Ms. Donna Walker-Kuhne, to increase access to the arts for BIPOC communities. Her passion and commitment to the causes of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) and amplifying Black stories in the arts informs her work. Her expert knowledge of how to bring awareness to, uplift, attract, engage, and best represent BIPOC communities and their interests is integral to her work with artists, companies, and nonprofits. She has worked with a number of major brands on multicultural initiatives throughout her career including Essence (Magazine), Essence Festival, The Coca-Cola Company, Live Nation, SiriusXM, HBO, BET, Fox, MSNBC, ABC, Oprah Winfrey Network, etc.; leading cultural organizations including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Dance Theater of Harlem, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, etc.; Broadway productions such as the Tony-Award winner (Best Musical, 2019) Hadestown, Tony-Award winner (Best Musical Revival, 2018) Once on this Island, The Lion King, and Off-Broadway productions Smokey Joe’s Café and Little Rock. Cynthia is a co-founder, organizer, board member of the Arts Excellence Project. She’s a member of The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), New York Women in Communications (NYWICI), New York Women in Film and Television (NYWIFT), and The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ). She is a native of New Orleans, LA and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a minor in African and African American Studies from her alma mater Louisiana State University (LSU) as well as a Master of Arts in Public Relations and Communications from the University of Houston. She currently lives in Queens, NY on stolen Lenape land.