Jayde I. Powell Leads Adweek's Brandweek 2026 Ambassador Program in Atlanta
Atlanta, GA — Jayde I. Powell partnered with Adweek to spearhead the media company’s 2026 Brandweek Ambassador Program, bringing 22 creators, entrepreneurs, and marketing professionals into one of the advertising industry's leading annual events.
Through Creator Tea Talk, a media platform and community dedicated to helping creators grow their brands, build sustainable careers, and access opportunities in the creator economy, Jayde served as the program's creator liaison, working closely with Adweek to develop a cohort that reflected Atlanta's diverse creative and professional community.
Held September 15–17 in Atlanta, Brandweek brought together leading marketers, CMOs, and brand executives from companies including Zoom, Ben & Jerry's, and Crocs for three days of conversations about the future of marketing, creativity, technology, and brand building.
As an Atlanta native with 13 years of experience across marketing and advertising, Jayde brought both local industry knowledge and a unique professional perspective to the partnership. Her experience leading influencer marketing initiatives for global brands, alongside her work as an independent creator and entrepreneur, positioned her to help connect two increasingly intertwined sides of the industry.
Bringing creators into the rooms shaping the future of marketing
As creators take on greater influence in how brands build trust, reach audiences, and drive business growth, their role in the marketing industry continues to expand. Recognizing that shift, Adweek partnered with Jayde to bring more creator perspectives into Brandweek's programming and amplify the event's visibility through voices already shaping conversations across digital and professional communities.
Together, Jayde and Adweek selected 22 ambassadors representing a range of creative disciplines, industries, backgrounds, and areas of expertise. The cohort included individuals whose influence extends beyond their digital audiences into entrepreneurship, corporate leadership, education, and community development. Among the selected ambassadors were Roxanne Kaiser, founder of Proxy Wellness and a cast member from Season 2 of Netflix's The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On; Lana Ivory, Product Marketer at Meta; and Jad-Évangelo Nasser, an instructor at Spelman College.
The diverse cohort reflected the belief that influence takes many forms, and that marketing's future benefits from including professionals who understand culture, community, and consumer behavior from different perspectives. For Jayde, the program also created an opportunity to extend Creator Tea Talk's commitment to increasing access for Black, Brown, and queer creators who have historically been underrepresented in influential professional spaces.
“Throughout my years in marketing and advertising, I’ve attended a lot of industry conferences, and Black, Brown, and queer folks are consistently underrepresented in the room. When I planned this ambassador program, diversity was a priority, but so was diversity of influence. I didn’t want to only select people who were influential online. I wanted people who are deeply involved in the Atlanta community, so the room reflected people with influence both online and off,” says Powell.
By bringing creators into conversations alongside senior marketing leaders, the initiative offered participants greater access to the people, ideas, and relationships influencing the industry's direction.
Where creator influence meets marketing expertise
Jayde's role in developing the Ambassador Program reflects a professional background spanning traditional marketing and the rapidly evolving creator economy. Throughout her career, she has worked on influencer marketing initiatives for global brands while building her own creator-led businesses and communities. That experience has given her a practical understanding of what brands need from creator partnerships and what creators need to develop sustainable careers.
Through Creator Tea Talk, Jayde has continued to champion opportunities that recognize creators as entrepreneurs, strategists, and professionals whose perspectives deserve representation in broader industry conversations. The Brandweek partnership provided an opportunity to put that approach into practice on a national industry stage. The collaboration also reflected a larger shift in how the advertising industry approaches creator partnerships.
In its announcement, Adweek emphasized the growing overlap between creators and marketers, recognizing that creators are increasingly shaping culture, launching businesses, influencing purchasing decisions, and contributing directly to brand growth. For Jayde, leading the Ambassador Program brought those two professional perspectives together. Her involvement went beyond participating in Brandweek; she helped shape who would have access to the experience and how the event could reach new audiences through trusted creative voices.
The initiative also demonstrated the value of partnerships that give creators a more intentional role in industry programming, drawing on their relationships, expertise, and ability to connect with communities.
As the creator economy matures, collaborations like the Brandweek Ambassador Program offer brands and media organizations a chance to build stronger relationships with creators while expanding the range of voices contributing to the marketing industry. For Jayde, the partnership marked another milestone in her work connecting creators with opportunities, strengthening relationships between brands and independent professionals, and advocating for a more inclusive creator economy.
Stay connected with Jayde by subscribing to her personal newsletter for updates on upcoming speaking engagements, brand partnerships, and projects. For insights, honest conversations, and opportunities shaping the future of the creator economy, subscribe to the Creator Tea Talk newsletter.
Photography by Diandra Thompson
