Today we’d like to introduce you to Givon Blakney.
Hi Givon Blakney, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Like many people, my first experience with beer was overindulging at college parties with the three amigos: Bud Light, Natty Light, and the champagne of beer, Miller High Life. Fast forward several years, and I began to notice new beers on the grocery store shelves. I started exploring different beers every week. After attending my first craft beer festival I was hooked. I’m originally from Illinois, and I was used to going to restaurants and breweries and trying new brews all the time. So, when my wife and I moved to Kansas City in 2016, I was a bit skeptical of how the scene would be. Little did I know that I would find a community of like-minded craft beer enthusiasts that I would bond with, as well as join them in propelling the local craft beer scene. I was inspired to make my Instagram page craft beer-focused after I saw an episode of Beerland on the Vice channel. I was introduced to Teo Hunter and his Black People Love Beer movement. I’m used to being one of the few people of color everywhere I go so to see someone who looked like me was a huge motivation for me to start posting more and studying the ins and outs of the beer industry. I never looked at myself as an influencer, until people started to message me to ask what beers they should try, and breweries started asking my opinion of their beers.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I haven’t faced any obstacles.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
When I first switched my IG page from a regular page to a creator page. I was very focused on getting the perfect shot. If the beer had a theme the picture would have a theme. I remember I posted a review of cookies and cream-inspired stout so I crumbled up some Oreos and poured milk around them to make the picture match the beer. I’ve done a few things like that in the earlier stages of my page. My favorite part of Instagram is engaging with my followers. When my wife was pregnant with our daughter, she had an app that would compare the size of the baby to the size of a fruit or food. Me being the nerd I am decided to use this as an opportunity to post a beer that was flavored like the food that the baby was the size of. When she was the size of an orange, I did a citrus-flavored IPA. When she was the size of a grapefruit, I posted a grapefruit-flavored sour beer. In the beginning I even found a macaroon flavored stout to match when she was the same size as a macaroon. And yes, believe it or not, they actually do make macaroon-flavored beer.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I define success as winning small victories until you reach your main goal. Whether it be excelling in a career, or in my case, turning my hobby into something other people enjoy.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://instagtam.com/sentricstyles
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/sentricstyles
