Creativity is an outlet that can be used in many ways, Southwest Atlanta native Royce Babble is a perfect example of that. Babble, 35, was raised in Southwest Atlanta, and graduated from Tri-Cities High School. With notable alumni like Andre 3000, Big Boi, and Kennan Thompson, it was there he would be able to find and express his creative side. He now leverages his career in brand partnerships to help fund the school’s arts program.
While most of his friends would end up going to art schools like Berkeley and Juilliard, Babble would attend the illustrious Howard University. While at Howard he had the opportunity to intern at Google.
“I had a little bit of a tech phase, learned about disruptive corporate culture and I carried that with me, Babble explained.” For the internship, Babble would have to move to California. That opportunity helped him see how creativity can be applied in many ways while in business. After spending time at Google he would work with Nielsen, and gain even more knowledge about business and the corporate world. .After working with Nielsen Babble would go back to Atlanta and start his own business, Roycebee Creative.
This is where Babble’s career in brand partnership began. Babble’s company Roycebee Creative is focused on making connections between companies and notable brands, with clients like ONE Musicfest, ATL Greek Picnic, and Twogether Land in Dallas, Texas. Throughout my interview, Babble stressed the importance of expressing one’s emotions no matter the medium. During his journey, Babble has had the opportunity to work with brands like P&G and Sprite, as well as set up activation like a full-functioning barbershop at ONE Musicfest.
Babble prioritizes giving back to his roots whether it be donating to his old high school, or collaborating with the Carter Center to educate the next generation through his Sweet Auburn stories series. Described as “a cross-generational storytelling series highlighting black trailblazers”, this series tries to educate the younger generation about important Black figures. With this series featuring guests like Xernona Clayton, Kathleen Bertrand, and Dr. Lonnie Johnson, Babble attempted to bring out another side to these trailblazers in order to make them more relatable to Gen Z.
Babble is truly an amazing example of when hard work meets creativity. His creativity shows in many ways whether it be his vision for brand partnerships or his innovative storytelling with Sweet Auburn Stories. If you’re interested in learning more about Babble and his company Roycebee Creative you can follow @roycebeedotco on Instagram or visit Roycebee.co
This story is part of the Digital Equity Local Voices Fellowship Lab. The Lab initiative is made possible with support from Comcast NBCUniversal.
