“I would have to say Jay Z. Jermaine Dupri has been a client from the beginning. He is so down to earth. Talking to him is like talking to a brother. Jaime Fox is really funny and very kind. Rihanna is amazing” Says Brandi Simpkins, CEO of B. Lynn Group

I sat across from her, amazed at the strength contained within her small frame. She sat erect as she spoke of her early days in the industry; recalling how she became mangled in the unexpected collision between fate and destiny.  She spoke with such precision and careful use of her words, yet each breathe was carried by exceptional knowledge that could have only been obtained through a keen hustle and experience.

Our interview took place in a somewhat strange atmosphere for a woman with many accomplishments within the industry. We were surrounded by books and learning tools all to facilitate an atmosphere of growth and fun. I was intrigued by her passion as she spoke about her newest business venture Cutie Patootie; a learning play space for young children.  I questioned the whole experience of being in her presence.  How can a woman so young, so nurturing, so dedicated, survive in the cut throat world of the fashion business?  

Brandi Simpkins is what I call an uncommon phenomenon in an uncommon industry. What has struck me about this tiny powerhouse is not only her distinct beauty, but her quiet confidence that rest in the calm makeup of her personality.  She is not your average flamboyant, cocky successful business woman. She leads with strength that contains an unfamiliar humility.  She works in a type of passion for her clients that a mother would invest in her children’s success. Her mantra is that she can not represent anyone that she does not care for.  She has to be inspired by what the person stands for as well as the integrity of which they work.   She is a woman dedicated to the mission of empowering those around her.  She regards what she does as a blessing and not just a career. There is a strategic way in which she manages her clients, her family, and her life, which would resemble a work of art.

Brandi is the CEO of the B. Lynn Group, one of the leading boutique agencies in the fashion and entertainment industry.  She began her start while representing her best friend Crystal Streets, who became a wardrobe stylist upon graduating college.  As Crystal began to grow in her career, receiving more styling assignments, Brandi realized that she was working more for her than she was for her own job. She realized that she was not in a place in her life where she did not actually love her job; provoking her to place one foot in front of the other to take the faith walk of uprooting herself from DC to New York.  The increase for both of them caused Brandi to leave corporate America to focus full time on negotiating contracts for Crystal’s budding career.  Although Brandi admits that she was quite green upon entering this new field, she credits that to having no fear in negotiating for her client. She researched other agencies and watched the forecast of upcoming trends while building the B. Lynn brand.  People respected the two of them as young girls on their hustle.

One year later, Brandi and Crystal landed their first big client…Jay Z who was styled by the agency up until The Black album.  He initiated them as solidified stylist by having them search for an authentic Michael Jordan away team jersey to wear for an awards show.  After many calls, consults and headaches, not only did they get the jersey, but it was the jersey that belonged to Michael Jordan himself. This shows the pulsating heart of tenacity within the agency.
Fast forward ten years later with 6 wardrobe stylists, 3 makeup artists, 1 groomer, 1 hairstylist, and a personal trainer; a client base that includes President Obama, Diddy, Naomi Campbell, Rihanna, Jermaine Dupri, Jennifer Hudson, Rev. Run, Bow Wow and many others, along with a upcoming reality television series entitled, “House of Glam” that will be featured on the Oxygen network.  Hope Today Magazine was fortunate enough to come face to face with this woman of incredible drive to ask her how she continues to build her brand, her family, and her faith.

Diana Bridgett: When did you realize that this industry was for you?  That this was your passion?

Brandi Simpkins: It’s funny because back in elementary school a group of girls formed this group called, “The Ladies of Elegance.” We would sing all of the EnVogue songs for talent shows.  I would be the booker for them.  I would book them for talent shows and nursing homes. That was my role in the group because I could not sing.  In high school I was always called on to run campaigns.  People have brought to my attention that I have been doing this all along. We just haven’t called it that. It was just designed by God that the opportunity fell into my lap. It is almost as if God took my talent and created something for me.  I am to a fashion stylist what a sports agent is to an athlete. I direct their careers.  I handle their business and their affairs.  This just fits my personality.  I am extremely nurturing and maternal.  I receive fulfillment by helping my clients careers flourish.  

Diana Bridgett: What is the mission of the B. Lynn Group?

Brandi Simpkins:  I have always allowed the agency to grow organically.  I don’t have a one or five year goal.  My overall goal has been to grow my clients careers in the direction that they would like to go in.  I oversee ten careers right now.  They all want to go in different directions.  I have a client that wants to become a jewelry designer, another who just opened a Manhattan based salon.  There is another client who is starting a makeup line and one who is designing.  They are doing these things in addition to their styling, so my goal is to brand them as experts in their field.  The goal has always been to help my clients get to where they want to go.

Diana Bridgett: Describe the different personalities of your team.

Brandi Simpkins: I have soup to nuts.  Crystal who is my best friend is definitely my diva client.  She is a legend in what she does.  She has been doing it for a long time. She is very demanding but extremely creative and very good at what she does. Ammoy Pitters is my hairstylist.  We coined her the perfectionist of the group. She is very business minded but very soft.  You miss her business side because she has a cuteness to her that people notice, yet she is very much about business. Mike B is very creative, self promoting.  He is the hustler of the team.  He is personally very close to me.  I always say that he is my third son.  He shares the same birthday with my son. He is always at my home, eating my food, always on my couch.  Then we have Groovy. He is completely the legend of this.  He was the creative mind behind the look of Bad Boy.  He is well known throughout the world. There is a billboard of him in Hong Kong. He has amazing style.  He has a very gentle spirit. We also have Tia Danzler who is an amazing makeup artist. She is the sweetest, most kind person. She is an amazing makeup artist who people just love to have around because of her personality. Then there is Saisha Beecham who is based out of Atlanta.  She is my hustler.  She is very creative.  She also does body art as well as makeup.  She is always doing something.  I just picked up a new makeup artist, Ed Cruz who is impeccable. He has been in Miami, so my goal is to get him connected into the New York market.  

Diana Bridgett: What are you most proud of concerning your team?

Brandi Simpkins: That my clients are never not satisfied. When I say clients, I am referring to the celebrities that we work with.  My stylists always deliver.  There may be some creative differences but they deliver at a very high level.

Diana Bridgett: Which celebrity have you worked with been the biggest surprise to you?

Brandi Simpkins: I would have to say Jay Z. Jermaine Dupri has been a client from the beginning. He is so down to earth. Talking to him is like talking to a brother. Jaime Fox is really funny and very kind. Rihanna is amazing. When we first started working with her, she did not have a deal yet, now she is a Cover Girl.



Diana Bridgett: What has this business taught you about yourself and your craft?

Brandi Simpkins: When you first think of an agent, you think of this hard ass that will fight to the end, someone who is a nasty person.  I used to let people convince that this was the way to go. Over time I realized that is not my style.  I can’t pretend to be a hard ass if I am not naturally that type of person. I have had to create a style that fits my personality which is more diplomatic than hard ass, yet I still yield results.  It has taught me to create what an agent looks like for me.

Diana Bridgett: What gets you through those moments when you may be a little doubtful or face anxiety with regards to growing professionally and personally?

Brandi Simpkins: Nikki, Jontue, Camille, and Crystal.  Girlfriends, friends and family.  They know how important my business is to me, so they offer well thought out and genuine advice.

Diana Bridgett: When you view your work in present day versus when you first began, what progress do you notice? What progress do you wish to see in the next ten years?

Brandi Simpkins: My invoices are a lot better.  If you would have seen what we sent out in our early days, I think to myself, how did people actually pay for this? Billing has definitely gotten better over the years.  I would like to expand.  We have spent a lot of time in the music industry which has been a good thing.  I would like to diversify, not loose our core, but work within a broader range.

Diana Bridgett:  You have another title to add to your list of accomplishments which is Executive Producer for your reality show, “House of Glam.” How did a reality show come into your scope and what made you want to be an Executive Producer?

Brandi Simpkins: I still don’t know why I said yes to a reality show.  I knew reality was big.  I recognize the branding power of reality television.  My guy had executive produced a few shows.  I would always say to him you need to do a show about me.  He brought it up in a meeting with someone.  He came home one day and told me that they wanted to have a meeting with me about my show.  I said, what show! I was only teasing.  It was about a two year process. My decision to do “House of Glam” was more of a branding tool for me.  I decided to become Executive Producer because I would not have been comfortable with not being Executive Producer.  I needed to make sure that the finished product represented us well and it would be something that I was proud of.  

Once you do reality, you have a responsibility to it.  I wanted the show to be entertaining but also break barriers.  I wanted to show a modern family that is not broken.  I wanted to show a business that truly cares about each other; that you can be kind and productive. I wanted to show that this is a real career.  This is a lot of work.

Diana Bridgett:  What will your viewers get to see about you and what will they see behind the scenes of the business?

Brandi Simpkins: They will see that I do things differently in every area of my life.  I want to show a non traditional family that works and a non traditional business that works. I work from home not in a huge office building.  I hope that they see that I have done things differently but that it still works.

Diana Bridgett:  You are a very young woman who is successfully navigating this industry with children, a relationship, and family.  What is your balance?  Have you found balance?

Brandi Simpkins: I think that balance is something that we are always working on. I used to eat, sleep, and breathe B.Lynn.  It was my everything.  When I had my oldest son, I decided that I had to slow down. It was not until I had my second son that I really began to create boundaries. Everyone who knows me knows that being a mother is the most important thing to me in the
world.  Everyone who I work with understands that and works around that with me.

Diana Bridgett: How do you make your relationship work with both of you being in this industry?

Brandi Simpkins: The common thread between us is family.  We are human yet we inspire each other.  When either of us is going hard for something, it inspires the other person.  Does it get in the way at times, of course?  We are human, but we support each other’s ambitions.

Diana Bridgett: How do you feel about the overall lack of black presence in the fashion community, models, and designers?

Brandi Simpkins: It is like any other industry. It is changing. It takes time for some things to become balanced.  However, we see many behind the scenes models who are great.  We work with many black designers, one of my favorite being Rachel Roy.  What she has accomplished, no other generation has.  We are limited by the limits we place on ourselves. Let us not forget about the urban designers that killed the market for over a decade, like Sean John, Rocawear, and FUBU. It is changing.

Diana Bridgett:  What would be your advice to a young girl who wants to break in this field?  What should be her steps?

Brandi Simpkins: The first steps to doing anything are interning.  It is about managing your time. People complain about working for no money.  The success stories are about people who have been working this industry for years before you knew their names.  There are no short cuts to this. If you do take a short cut, someone will defraud you so fast and you will loose credibility.

Diana Bridgett: What are you most proud of?

Brandi Simpkins: My boys. They are little gentlemen, very smart, very interesting.  I like them.

Diana Bridgett: What is your greatest accomplishment to date and why?

Brandi Simpkins: My family.  The fact that I have a great career and a family is a great accomplishment to me.

Diana Bridgett: Do you feel you have a responsibility to younger women?
Brandi Simpkins: Yes.  I always try to show young woman what is to have their own. I show them the ins and outs of the business.  When I have a young woman with me, I take her under my wing. I try to show them what an entrepreneurial spirit in a woman looks like.

Diana Bridgett:  What is your definition of an empowered woman?

Brandi Simpkins: Self empowerment is always key for me. A woman that can multi task and do a few different things at one time is empowered.

Diana Bridgett: What is the definition of Brandi Simpkins?

Brandi Simpkins:  Mother.  Determined. Strong.  Entrepreneurial.  Loyal. Stubborn.