CEO + Publisher
Billy J. Strawter, Jr.
Born in Georgia and raised in Midland, Michigan, Billy Strawter Jr, has been a Metro-Detroiter since 1996.
He owns the full-service marketing agency MILO, headquartered in Detroit, is a partner in Busted Bra Shop with 6 locations in Detroit, Rochester, and Chicago, along with his newest opportunity, BLAC, Inc. where Billy serves as the CEO and Publisher of BLAC Detroit magazine and BLAC Media, a full service production company.
Guided by natural curiosity and constantly questions “How can we take something, and how can we make it better? How can we grow this?” Those answers are leading BLAC to reach new heights, including community involvement and partnerships, expansion into other markets, and evolving BLAC into a holistic lifestyle brand.
Team at BLAC - Black, Life, Arts & Culture
Ann Duke
Associate PublisherAnn Duke is a veteran of the magazine business with over 20 years’ experience on both the business and creative sides. As one of the founding staffers at Hour Media, she was instrumental in the launch of numerous publications including Hour Detroit and Detroit Home. While marketing director at Tapper’s Jewelry, she developed their very successful Jewelry Stars program for Tapper’s Accent magazine. By day, Duke is the director of philanthropy for Habitat for Humanity of Oakland County. For this issue, as feature editor for “A Night at the Opera,” she was able to tap into her love of architecture, fashion and Detroit history.
Darralynn Hutson
Sr. EditorI am a 25+ year expert Storyteller in Black American culture from our music where I started my career, to our enterprises, fashion, style, beauty, destinations, experiences, parenting, technology and wizardry that is often labeled Magic. I am proudly one of our generation’s griot in print, digital, TV and film that humbly shares my experiences and resources to a curated group of like-minded storytellers at www.stylistssuite.com. You can see my work in: Eater Detroit, The Next Web, Detroit Free Press, Travel + Leisure, Complex, Women's Health, Vogue Italia, Food & Wine Magazine, Essence, AskMen, Vibe and more including BLAC Magazine prior to becoming Editor.
MILO Detroit, Inc
Creative DirectionMILO was founded by a serial entrepreneur and dreamer who wanted to do cool stuff. Billy Strawter Jr. not only found a way to do cool stuff, but to do it better than anyone else in the digital space. With a traditional marketing background in public relations, integrated marketing and corporate communications, Billy seamlessly translated what he knew about media and messaging into a full-service advertising agency, creating unique innovative solutions for clients.
Victoria Webb
Director Of Business OperationsMost people in business talk about ROI. Victoria believes that ROA (Return On Attention) is what drives consumer behavior. “We need to go from marketing at people to marketing for people.” She is an internationally recognized marketing leader specializing in branding, strategic focus, equity building and growth through business development, integrated marketing campaigns and true innovation. Victoria has worked with companies of all size and scope, including Unilever, SC Johnson, L'Oreal, Hasbro, Lund International, Ecolab, Akzo Nobel and American Axle & Manufacturing.
Joshua Andrei Bon Gilles
Jr. EditorJoshua Gilles loves the romanticism of the written word and respects the authority of robust statistics. As a young journalist, he has been recognized as an outstanding student journalist among his peers. And he has helmed niche culture and arts magazines and written for trade publications. As a researcher, he has studied conflict reporting and it continues to inspire his approach to journalism. He’s fascinated by the cruelty of the arts, the humanity of statistics and the barbarism of culture. He firmly believes that contradictions are not to be merely reconciled, but its assumptions challenged and transformed to resolve what initially seemed incompatible.
Rachel Adenaas
Sales DirectorRachel began her marketing career 20 years ago with the Harte Hanks Publication, The Penny Saver. She proceeded to spend several years at Orange Coast Magazine, an Hour Media Group publication. When not hard at work, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their two children. As a former Mrs. Michigan 2019, she has continued to partner with many local and state charities to serve her community.