Welcome to Vancouver True Crime. I'm honored to have a very special guest, something very different that I usually do. I want to do more interviews of people in the community event coover and Metro Vancouver that are doing good, things in the community. And and revi here has an amazing page on Instagram. She highlights black cultural events and Vancouver Caribbean. You're doing a liquid from the whole entire black community and and things like concerts and
Fashion shows. I've seen so many and it's really caught my attention and I really wish and I hope everyone listening can support her and maybe and go to some really fun events because Vancouver. Truly needs more fun people and more fun events will be nice to bring the fun back to Vancouver. So revi, want to introduce yourself. Tell me about your platform and maybe some upcoming concerts and events that people can go to. Alright.
Hi, my name is Ruby and I am founder of black van Club on Instagram and I guess I describe myself as a events blogger. But this is all new to me. And like you said, my page aims to highlight black events or events by black people. Or if let's say, I'm black artist is performing in the city
will host bad for the community. To know what's happening in the city and I think, I don't want to get too far ahead, but why I started the blog was I think after the pandemic, I realized I needed to ReDiscover the city that lived in for about 12 years. I made a conscious effort to kind of, you know, explore the city this summer. Everything was back open. Everyone was looking to have fun and I think I start to document the journey on my page.
So came out of a place that you're saying you want. You, we went through the pandemic like all of us and you probably saw there was something missing in Vancouver as far as events and and community and you filled in a gap there by highlighting your community. Maybe told me a little bit about your background and and maybe where your food came from before Vancouver. And okay, yeah, so like many people in the city, I am a transplant. I was not Not born and maybe I'm here from Africa Zimbabwe.
Oh, wow. Yeah, so so long way the way I was as a student student I would explore was adventurous. I would go out, are these concerts the whole? You know, when you're young and then the older you get, the less time you have to spend. And the less in tune you are with what's going on on the scene, the older you get Right? Yeah, caught up in a Thing Called Life, right? I think, but I was still. Social person.
Yeah, go out my friends and then obviously the pandemic hit the right down and it was kind of, you know, a tough time for everyone around the city. I pretty much kept to my bubble for about two years. I didn't really go out to events like that and I think as a whole the whole Vancouver Community has events community and things going on in the city has kind of shifted, you know, I kind of yes scene. A change and it's like, yeah, this is used to go to are no
longer there, you know. Yeah, I noticed that too. Even restaurants, like, you know, your favorite restaurants. All that didn't make the pandemic that didn't make the pandemic and yeah, I know what you mean. Yeah, so I think like many people, I was just tired of being indoors. I was tired of, you know, not doing anything and being afraid, I made a conscious effort. I said, you know, I'm going to ReDiscover the city. I'm honored. Yeah, what Vancouver has to
offer? I wasn't even telling one of my friends, like I was tying them. Like I took a vacation in Vancouver. Like I? Yeah. Did he? Like, I would treat a city. I was visiting, right? Be a tourist in your own town kind of thing. Is clearly, I kind of lost touch with what was going on in the city and obviously there's a lot of things that I do know that with their before and new things that were happening in the city as a conscious effort by the city of Vancouver as well.
So yeah. Well it's really amazing. Like I said, you know my platform, you know I obviously you know crime-related and there's lots of crime to report in Vancouver and then I came across your page. I'm like oh this is nice. This is cool like that we need more of this. It's like, you know, you always highlighting, like he said, concerts events, fashion shows. And and again, you know, this is why people move to a city, people live, go to a city to have access to these things.
You know, museums restaurant events, you know, fashion shows, you know, live theater and I always felt the, you know, that it's always was very lacking in Vancouver even a little bit before the pandemic, been specially for the pandemic. So it's nice that people like yourself with some entrepreneurial Spirit going to fill in that Gap.
So maybe talk about maybe some upcoming events for end of September and maybe in October that people can go to and find out more about going on your platform about and keep informed. About these events are so basically I think the way I would Post. So I have a weekly event calendar black bag Club. So, I kind of compiled a list of about 27 events a week, which is a lot in Vancouver. Yes, yeah it is.
I like you get at least one event per day for a week or several events depends how busy that week is. So I posted on the Asian black fan club so I think yesterday I posted Vancouver events September yeah 24th to the 30th so if you're looking Before anything you can go on there. And if you take a quick scroll, you can see that this weekend that is, you know, the Vancity roots and culture experience Festival, that's going on at Granville Island.
So cool and like live reggae Reggae Hip-Hop soul. So where is that going to be located? Sorry, Granville Island Granville Island. So to so Their audience hears this so at Granville Island on September 24th. There will be live, reggae they'll be Latin reggae hip-hop dance, hall, R&B music, jam and local artists. Like you said, yeah. And the address is this 1411 rail. Spur a lie. Yeah. So I like trying to put the time and the location and then I
usually linked. Check my stories highlights. There's a highlights that doesn't events and when you click in there, sorry clicked on this. Yeah, I'll send a link to the website or where someone we can get tickets or more information. Yeah. And he did a great job organizing. You do like a nice slideshow. You can just slide through. There you go, through the list, look for the events that your inch, and there's quite, it's quite a quite packed like yeah.
Cuban cultural Gala at the Ukrainian all this one looks pretty. Citing Roz woman Champion, hearing couple are at the Civic Coliseum. I do for you wrestling fans, right? Yeah. Because I think not especially pertaining to black people, the black experience is very diverse and people for interest and from what I found out speaking to people is that they weren't seen in these spaces or they pretty much ignored in terms of the marketing, Pray that they get
kind of off the Crocs a little. They may not know like, you know, these are Cuban garlic going on, you know? So I think representation matters these types of platforms where black people can consciously see themselves doing these things and different types of things as well. Yeah, I know you're very diverse. Like you have everything from, you know, African dance Gianni cooking ghanian cooking Feast by a chef. That sounds pretty amazing and Even have stuff for, you know,
the LGBT community. Yeah, so it's a really diverse so it, you know, you've done a really great. Great job. Even a drag show on the 25th. So yeah, you know, again, one of the things that people always complain about Vancouver. Oh, there's nothing to do nothing to do, right, drum and dance performance at Richmond, Cultural Center. There's a lot of, a lot of really great things. Comedy comedy show on the 27th.
And then if you check the pages while I like to sometimes I post like festivals that are growing around. So I had the series going about some of festivals bunch of festivals that were going on. I think was a four part Series. So initially when I first did it, I was like, whoa, like wow, there's a lot of stuff going on about nine festivals. I posted really did well. And it had a lot of shares and a lot of Engagement. So I was like, well, excellent.
People are looking for this type of stuff. Yeah. Not like I'm doing anything. Us it's not rocket science you know know the presentation and making information easily. And yeah, I know you have a good. Your graphic design is really nice. I think you have a good, you have a good flare of how you present the information and stuff, it's very easy to read and it's very yeah.
You know, I enjoy the post I and you know, I share them to just to kind of give people a break from Mike, you know, Doom and Gloom and crying, you know, so I thought, you know, like I said, it's a, it's a, it's a bright light and In the city and I really appreciate what you're doing and stuff. And and you know, I want, I want that, I want Vancouver to be the place that I grew up in when I used to be fun. You see fun to go out, used to be fun to, you know, go to
events and festivals and stuff. And, you know, this generation the younger generation need that. Well, before they all move away, right? I mean, the thing is, what I've learned is they are a lot of people doing, the work is just about getting the exposure. So where every time I go, I try to chat to the people at the events or Organizers or the Arts putting in a lot of effort into a lot of these events. Oh, for sure. Yeah, you know a few people People brought up.
And actually aware that these things are going on so they can and them oh, for sure. Yeah, absolutely, yeah. No totally. Yeah. It again, you know, you know, there's a lot of these vets that, you know. Again, they take a lot of work, you know, coordinating finding the venue and you know again and so, you know, the oldest work, the no one shows up. Right? So the promotion or of, it's
important, right? And getting people have been stuck in this mindset of not wanting to go out there scared to go out and for various reasons. Now in other stuff that, you know, they can look at and choose to go and have some fun and it might be a good experience for them. Something, you know, for made me for non-black people like Asians or other people from other cultures. It'd be great for them to be exposed and different, you know, different, you know, of events
like this. And like you said, the black community is very diverse. It's extremely diverse. And and and so this, this is nice. How you you present that diversity from stuff? From the Ian from African to, you know what I mean? That it's a real. It's real interesting. Mix that you put together what I've known. What I think is the important thing to understand is that it's we want more of these events to happen.
Like we have to show up and support and is not absolutely as any Community whether you're black or white, you know, about supporting people of color black people, and whatever they do. And you know, because they invented a comedian whose black and white comedians, you know, jokes the jokes. Everything's. Yes. Yeah. So about the more we support. The more we see people color and black people doing These things for example, like the Juneteenth Festival that happened early on
the summer. That was the first one that ever happened. But you know, it was a great turnout. So they first think that, you know, and I feel like because it was such a good turnout and it was so successful that next year, you know, it might they might have more and more people write what not just, you know, black people but everyone from around Vancouver, to support black artists on the stage performing. So you know, once we The more people incentivized to do these
things. And I'm just playing my own part, you know, like I'm just a blogger. I'm just an average person. I'm not, I don't have any background in events, or blogging, or whatever. It's just something that was a passion project. And when I started posting, you know, it was a couple of events and people meeting and they were like, really like, oh, thank you for posting, thank you for sharing our work.
And I, you know, I always get DM's like thank you for sharing my stuff like people are really grateful. They like, you know, Oh, I feel skiing. I feel like you are genuinely trying to help, you know, expose our can, you know, help us as well, you know, share our work with the world. So for me, you know, I, you know, I just started off as a little fun project but it's kind of Bloom taking a life on its own. Yeah. So that's what keeps Going good.
Well that's wonderful. And again I really appreciate you coming on. I'm going to share this link on my platform and then hopefully people listen and hopefully, we'll get more people supporting and you know, I really enjoy it what you're doing and and when things quiet down, will be fun for me to go to some of these events as well. So I look forward to going as well, so and again, it is. So it's cool. Ha ha ha. I could do it, I could do a crime.
I could do a crime one, or something, right? Or maybe do some Storytelling. Yeah. Yeah. That'd be cool. Yeah, we'll talk about it for sure. That's that's kind of sounds intriguing, right? Yeah. Yeah, I know that it's funny though that you mentioned that and there are a lot of podcasters owner doing live shows and stuff and I, you know, I was totally cool. Wow. People are going to like there was 10. I think there were in beat a beacon.
Theatres, like, people are going to New York and buying tickets to sit in the audience and to listen to a podcast. They can just listen to it on their phone when they're walking. I think that's a terrific. Yeah, I'd probably do it in a different way. I'd have to do it where the audience would have some interaction for me to make it interesting kind of thing, right? I don't know. Did I don't know if when you were a kid, did you ever see the okay? There was these books were gonna
go off track. But who cares either they ever seen those books when you were a kid and you pick the ending of the story? Like you read the story and then you have to choose? Oh, does it? There's a person to this or not, and then the story had different endings, right? Depending of how you pick in the book so maybe I can do like, a podcast for the audience, picks the ending and then it's like a different outcome, right? Getting their participation, Thing.
You just engaging with the guests on stage and they like to see their finger people life. Yeah, you did. I could watch it on Netflix but I want to go watch it and yeah, that's true. Yeah, you know, again it's fun and like, you know, for myself not Towing talk with myself. It's a similar story as yours honestly. I thought I was just going to be, you know, I was bored. I was at home. I started working from home. My kids have are on the autism spectrum.
Spectrum. So I worked in a had a corporate background. I worked in corporate sales. I couldn't be out of the house, you know, you know commuting sometimes up for two hours a day and then being gone for 10 hours a day with my kids, I couldn't I couldn't do that and then I had a tragic, my wife passed away. So now I'm at home something.
Okay. Got to start something at home and this like this like you it just, you know, I it filled the void and that kind of created a life of its own, you know, so yeah. Yeah, yeah, I'm great. But you know I never I never in a million years like someone's like 10 years ago that I'd be doing this tiny never would have guessed this. I mean that's fruitful the beauty of life. You never know where you'll be, you know. Yeah, that journey of Discovery, you know, that's the best thing for sure.
For sure. And like I said, the the and when I said with another guy is the best part of having, this platform is meeting really cool people. I met you, I met a cowboy that goes to third world countries and These children from a human traffickers. I met, you know, high-powered lawyers. I bet you know, some really, really interesting cool people that I would never probably would have met in my real life. So I that that's the fun part 2. Yeah.
I could say the same the most interesting people, you know, and I would have never met them. So yeah, made some good connections. Some of them some friendships as well. So right crazy that that's what's happened from Small little idea. Yeah, and that's something. I actually encourage the audience because again, you know, there's a lot of people
with depression and anxiety. A lot of mental health issues Vancouver has a very high rate of people mental health and and this is how you get out of it. You find something that you care about something that you could put your energy into something productive and and it won't grow overnight, and that's not going to blow up over night, but little increments is slowly grows and grows a I'm like a Snowball Effect, right as so keep all controlling its bigger and bigger and then you have
something that you built with your own hands, your idea and anyone can do it. Like you said, what? It's not rocket science but it everyday, it's a little bit of work, a little part of applying yourself and, you know, and then it will be something. It definitely, it definitely takes consistency. Yes, and dedication. And I think what makes it easier for me to keep consistent is, I actually meet people in real I swear like, oh yeah, I saw this, if I go to the bank, oh, I saw Are these?
I saw your I've actually met people in real life. I've touched them. I spoke to them Exchange number. So it's like, wow, this is actually real. So yeah, you're affecting people in the community. Yeah, yeah. The World Wide Web. But when you actually go then you meet someone who's like, yeah, I go on your page all the time like like, wow, this is
crazy. Hey, you know, yeah, and and you're touching people in a positive way and it which is great and and you know, I really salute what you're doing and so tell people again, how can they find you how they support your work? How you know, all about that? SLI active on Instagram. So black van Club. So blackpearl8 Club CL movie on Instagram. I also have to go on that page. I have my link tree there.
But black man club.com page. I'm still working on developing that you know I have a full-time job on the side so it's hard for me to have the actual site. Yeah I know it's or I building my website as I speak because I get so distracted so many things like So like totally Philly, I guess it's probably building two years, you can see whatever update on Instagram is updated on the website. So, if you're not an Instagram person, you just go to the website, right?
Then I have Tick-Tock cannot Instagram person. I have a black fan club on Tick Tock. Well, fine antique Buck. Yeah, so I'm just growing that as well just different ways. People like to consume things
differently. Yeah, so what I'll do on the post, I'll post your link tree and then they can find how to No, you know hopefully though follow you on LinkedIn and get updated post because like I said, again just to break down for the audience to understand, typically what you do is you break down events for what's coming up for the for the, for the next couple of weeks at a time, did you through the 10 day period? Per week, right?
Going on. And then, if there's a holiday, like let's say there was Labor Day, I had a special post for those four days Friday to Monday, where it was just events for Labor Day. Right? I'll probably do the same thing. Maybe for like Halloween, where I pray. Okay. Yeah, you have a lot of events and usually there's, at least 10 to 12 to 15 events for that week. So people, They have nothing to do there there. There you go. Right there. Something. There's something for everyone.
And in your post like there's it's very diverse. It's and I really believe there's a something fun for everyone. There's family stuff. There's more concert stuff, there's LGBT stuff. So, you know, you really cover you do a good job, covering all the events and I'll have Festival post coming next week, so something for like fall because obviously the way we attend events changes is the weather changes. So right, you know, less outdoor stuff.
So, again, thanks for coming on. Maybe next time. You'll do a live with me. Yes. You know what's so funny? I'll tell you, I'll tell you a confession. I had my plan. Form, for a whole year, I didn't put my name. I didn't put a picture of myself. I only because again, Jen in the, in the beginning, I was putting more work into the podcast.
The Instagram was kind of like secondary and then and then, of course, the link the link to, I mean, not to LinkedIn the Instagram exploded and then then I used as more engaging in the local community and stuff like that. So, but for the first year, I did not have my name picture. Anyone everyone says are you like some kind of Batman character that don't want to, you know, I some okay, fine.
I started posting pictures and then slowly you know I started doing some live, they did a few one minute videos, I think if you look scroll down, I'm like walking through the forest and then you do a tank top right and and then you know, I got and then the first live I ever did was with two lawyers who high-powered lawyers and was a pretty intense conversation and and that was that's how I how I broke the ice on that, right? So it's like right at the deep end of the pool.
You know, you know, safety net and yeah. So so then they here we are today. So I have. I'm still discovering what I can do with the platform for sure. Thanks for me. If I'm going to be in front of the camera, it has to be meaningful it. Yeah, of course. Like I just want to be seen type of thing. Yeah. Because the whole purpose of the page is to promote the Creator's. Yeah. Secondary I am.
Do you want to take a step back? But you know what, you should be. You should be proud of what you did and you're a beautiful lady and I think people would love to see you. So thank you. Sometime soon. All right. Well, I'm Gonna Let You Go here and I'd love to do this again. Maybe we can hook up for a quick podcast for Halloween. We'll talk about some Halloween events. I'll be fine. Go from there.
All right, rather be thank you so much, and I look forward to seeing your events and I would love to go to the some, to, as well. Wonderful day. Let's see you later. Bye bye.