The Apollo announced today that Fatima Jones has been named the organization’s first Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, effective immediately.
Ms. Jones has been a part of the institution’s marketing and communications team since 2018. As CMCO she will oversee brand and performance marketing, creative, social media, digital marketing, public relations, and communications team.
With this promotion, Ms. Jones joins the organization’s executive leadership team at an important time in Apollo’s nearly nine-decade history. In 2023, The Apollo will expand outside of its historic walls for the first time with the fall opening of the Victoria Theater; continue to prepare for the renovation of the Historic Theater, which originally opened to audiences in 1934; welcome its first new president in two decades when current president Jonelle Procope steps down in June; and is approaching the completion of the institution’s $70 million capital campaign.
“From the first day Fatima joined The Apollo, she has offered strategic insights and deft management of marketing and communications, with a keen understanding of both our enormous history as well as our need to be innovative—especially during the pandemic when she oversaw The Apollo’s transition to digital programming to reach audiences trapped at home. Her dedication to ensuring that The Apollo remains exciting and relevant while also valuing its legacy as a beacon of Black culture is steadfast,” said Jonelle Procope, President and CEO of The Apollo. “She’s been a critical voice on the leadership team, and I’m delighted she is now officially a part of the executive team in this milestone year for the organization.”
“The Apollo brand is synonymous with Black culture and American creativity. For nearly for nine decades The Apollo’s impact on global culture is undeniable,” said Fatima Jones. “As we forge a path forward, we will remain flexible, adaptable, and innovative in the ways we reach our audiences and communities from Harlem and beyond. It is an honor to be a part of the fantastic team that will shepherd The Apollo into an exciting new phase of its history.”
Ms. Jones joined The Apollo after serving as Director of Public Relations at the Brooklyn Museum where she led communications and outreach efforts for blockbuster exhibitions such as David Bowie is and We Wanted A Revolution: Black Radical Women. Prior to that, she served as Associate Director of Communications at Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) where she worked for nearly ten years. Her work supporting Black artists and organizations include campaigns for Ronald K. Brown and Evidence, A Dance Company, Weeksville Heritage Center, and 651 ARTS, among others. Jones is a former member of the Bessies Dance and Performance Awards and was a Fellow of the New York Community Trust. Her work has been profiled in Essence, PRSA, Crain’s New York Business, among other publications. She is a member of the community service organization Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.
The Apollo
The legendary Apollo—the soul of American culture—plays a vital role in cultivating emerging artists and launching legends. Since its founding, The Apollo has served as a center of innovation and a creative catalyst for Harlem, the city of New York, and the world. In 2023, The Apollo will open The Apollo’s Victoria Theaters, which will include two new theater spaces, and begin the renovation of its Historic Theater, marking the first ever expansion and renovation of The Apollo in its nearly 90-year history. Read more about the project here: www.apollotheater.org/renovation-restoration-and-transformation/
With music at its core, The Apollo’s programming extends to dance, theater, spoken word, and more. This includes the world premiere of the theatrical adaptation of Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Between the World and Me and the New York premiere of the opera We Shall Not Be Moved; special programs such as the blockbuster concert Bruno Mars Live at the Apollo; 100: The Apollo Celebrates Ella; and annual Africa Now! Festival. The non-profit Apollo is a performing arts presenter, commissioner, and collaborator that also produces festivals, large-scale dance and musical works organized around a set of core initiatives that celebrate and extend The Apollo’s legacy through a contemporary lens, including the Women of the World (WOW) Festival as well as other multidisciplinary collaborations with partner organizations. Since introducing the first Amateur Night contests in 1934, The Apollo has served as a testing ground for new artists working across a variety of art forms and has ushered in the emergence of many new musical genres—including jazz, swing, bebop, R&B, gospel, blues, soul, and hip-hop. Among the countless legendary performers who launched their careers at The Apollo are Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross, H.E.R., D’Angelo, Lauryn Hill, Machine Gun Kelly, and Miri Ben Ari; and The Apollo’s forward-looking artistic vision continues to build on this legacy.
For more information about The Apollo, visit www.ApolloTheater.org.
Photo credit: By Nicole Mondestin Photography.
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