"Something Like" Hosts Town Hall, Welcomes DMV Special Guests
Photos by WILLIAM LEUCHT
On August 31, over 60 DMV creatives spent their Sunday evening at the “Something Like” town hall in The Village’s pop-up at the Art Co-Hort in Union Market.
For the first time, the town hall featured a series of guests with niche industry knowledge and experience to share with attendees, along with breakout groups and networking sessions.
“It’s meant to get through the bullshit, it gets through the complaining to ask ‘Why are you complaining?’” said Lef, host and creator of the “Something Like” brand. “It’s solution-oriented over problem-oriented. That’s what I love about it.”
Art Co-Hort’s layout of a square sectional couch in its center encouraged conversation, curiosity, and vulnerability as the town hall began with an expert-led Q&A session.
Field experts included:
Alex Vaughn: Love Renaissance R&B singer-songwriter from Prince George’s County that hosts artist showcases in DC, such as AV Sessions
DJ Pae Me: a producer turned deejay whose shows range throughout the East coast, primarily in DC and New York
Deetranada: a Baltimore-based rapper, whose amassed nearly 830,000 followers and listeners since her 2017 appearances on Jermaine Dupri’s show, The Rap Game
Mango: a photographer who captures live events, parties, and portraits through his business Moments by Mango
Nicholas Golden: founder of NuGold and videographer, filmmaker, and creative consultant
Dior Ashley Brown: executive director and founder of DC Music Summit, a non-profit organization with a mission of accelerating local artists’ careers. In 2026, DC Music Summit will celebrate 10 years in business.
The six experts dived into their experiences and what artists should expect as they further their careers in the DMV area and at large. “You’re the one who got yourself here: don’t change what you’re doing. Keep the joy and the love. Remember you’re an artist and a creative, and always remember the work and sacrifices that got you to this point,” Golden said.
Questions ranged from building digital foundations, fighting for your artistic worth, and the art of negotiation. Delving into personal experiences, Vaughn, who returned back to the DMV from Los Angeles, also gave her insight on the music industry’s West Coast offerings.
Brown said her decision to appear in the town hall is rooted in valuing infrastructures such as “Something Like’s” vision of community elevation. Brown’s DC Music Summit team decorated their table with a red sign that read: It takes a village. “When he asked me to sponsor the town hall, I said, ‘We see each other on the scene, we cypher together!’ Let’s sit down and talk about this in a real way.”
“These types of infrastructures need to grow to the next level. We’ll worship larger organizations… but we have to elevate these foundations that are moving us forward,” she said. “When I say ‘value’, I also mean volunteering, giving back to the organizations. We’re here, and we’re the community that we’re all looking for. It takes this village, the village right in front of us.”
Referring to “Something Like’s” primarily Black audience, Brown also commented on the need to build a conscious community given the ongoing federal occupation of Washington D.C. Lef took heed to this moment; implementing a 10-minute speak-out session to brainstorm solutions against the anti-Black surveillance which has affected artistic opportunities and comfortability attending shows and events.
Representatives from 93.9 WKYS were also in attendance for the town hall.
“DC Music Summit and WKYS gave me some validity as far as the town halls being something you should be at. They stamp structure, ” Lef said. “I chose Alex, Pae Me, Deetranada, Mango, Nick and Dior because I believed people would be able to benefit from their knowledge in their fields.”
Sharing the Wealth
Attendees broke into groups of nine or ten as experts led each breakout session. A playlist featuring the DMV artists in the room filled in the white space as attendees mingled.
Monty Ayers, a photographer from Upper Marlboro, Md., said the town hall was his first-ever Something Like event. A photographer since 2018, Ayers said he enjoyed the breakout sessions that created synergy and identified best practices for his business.
“This event itself opened the door to know who’s here, who’s working, who’s trying to make it,” said Ayers, whose breakout session was led by Mango and Golden. “A lot of times in solo, creative work, it can feel like you’re alone and it’s hard to get things done but there’s people around that are trying to do the things you’re doing.”
William Leucht, has been a recurring patron of the Something Like brand, attending as the photographer of a few installments and a regular attendee. “The attendance for this one is larger, we’re at a new location, I really like the format of this one where people are interacting,” he said. “This is a little bit more collaborative and these groups with specialized strengths is kind of nice.”
With networking at the core of this event, Leucht, who works primarily with local entities such as Capital Pride, said his connections with others have been essential in his four years of photography. Watching Lef’s brainchild evolve and take various forms, Leucht says, has been a joy.
“He puts other people first. He’s got a lot to give and he’s good as an artist but this event isn’t about him– it’s about us,” Leucht said. “He knows where he’s going but at the same time, he wants to bring everyone with him.”
Since “Something Like” produces monthly events, September’s installment will feature a writing camp. October will be a DJ pool where local artists send their music in and DJs who attend mix it with popular songs heard in clubs and events. With the town hall his best turnout yet, Lef hopes to keep the Something Like audience intact and involved while expanding his vision.
“I just have to keep asking for more and doing more. I thought Deetranada wouldn’t answer my DM, that Alex would be unavailable, and even asking DC Music Summit was a last-minute idea, but it all worked out. We just have to plan ahead and keep everyone involved and the energy moving.”
