Meet Dana
Actor.
Boss.
Speaker.
Writer.
Artist.
Advocate.
I’ve been called a lot of things in my life…but these are my favorites. I’m at my best when I’m immersed in these areas or at those magical spaces where they intersect. As a kid, I had this intrinsic belief that artists were royalty. As I grew, I realized my illustrious perception was rooted in the value that art brought to me and the people around me. After all, what is a community without art? From then on, I acknowledged myself as a creator.
“A society that forgets art risks losing its soul.”
I spent years making sure my technique was on point. Whether it was dance, acting or visual art, I trained, hustled and performed my way to the spaces I was meant for. I formally trained in visual art at the School of the Art Institute Chicago and was a member of a dance company—all while in high school.
I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Arts, Entertainment & Media Management from Columbia College Chicago, and put my skills to work consulting for ad agencies. I was a stand-out—especially when it came to inclusion—and quickly became the go-to for top agencies’ diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
My ad work and acting started to have a special synergy as one informed the other. In both spaces, my approach was personal: representation for my community was the driving force. I started booking national commercials and joined SAG-AFTRA all while working behind-the-scenes on productions and helping ad clients shape the culture. I’m a better actor and a bolder media boss because of it.
Frankly, I was killing it in the DEI space so it only made sense to start my own multicultural media relations agency to better serve my ad clients. Concrete Runway was born. I began to create strategy for my growing client list and write their broadcast spots—adding even more perspective to my acting work. My copywriting led to playwriting and book writing, and telling stories on the stage helped me to tell stronger stories for brands.
Making my mark in DEI and entertainment, I saw another common thread: how necessary wellness resources were for the community. I went from pressed to plotting, and decided to shoot my shot in the wellness world. I fused my dance background with my advocacy experience to develop specialized and inclusive wellness programming. It’s the legacy for me.
I do a lot of heavy lifting across a lot of overlapping industries. I’m passionate about work that sparks dialogue and raises our voices—and community is always my through-line. I champion bigger and bolder performances, connections, stories and expressions. Through it all, there’s always one constant: I’m as real as the stories I tell. Honest. Courageous. Genuine. Consistent. You get 100% Dana, 100% of the time. Every 👏🏽 single 👏🏽 time 👏🏽.
Now, I’m here to teach creatives the game, build new tables in the industry and develop the productions I want to see. Why?
It’s in my DNA.
