As a child, Cristina Whitlow always leaned into her creative nature. Now, in her adult years, she continues that journey as the CEO of Ambassador Entertainment Group, a company specializing in producing and consulting for arts, film, and TV projects, as well as educational workshops.

Even when she tries to step away from the creative gifts she’s nurtured over the years, Whitlow shares how her love for all things art has been ingrained in her DNA since the very beginning.

“I think I was born with it,” Whitlow told aspireTV. “Honestly, I had to have been born with it. I remember being a kid, playing on the playground, singing songs to myself, and just everything about me was in a space of being creative. I’d sing songs and dance. I’ve done dance, drama… I’ve taken courses to where I’ve applied for acting school. So, it has always been in my blood. Even when I wanted to escape, I’ve always tried to quit. I’ve always been like, ‘I don’t want to, I’m out of here, I’m leaving,’ and it just always finds me. I feel like I don’t even have a choice.”

Whitlow further explained how her brain operates, noting that she has two brain functionalities – half creative and half managing other creatives.

“I have two parts of my brain that work,” she said. “So I am a creative, but I’m also a manager of creatives. Or, I’m a visionary creative. I’m a big-picture person. So for me, I can look at a project and see what the overall goals need to be. I see the big picture, but I also see the things in between. I feel that creatives are called to be creative. I don’t know if everybody necessarily chooses creativity because it can be lucrative, but it can be a struggle when you’re starting. I don’t know if people would choose to go through the struggle of making a viable living in this world.”

Although she has fully grasped her role as a creative entrepreneur, Whitlow recalls the experiences that led her to realize that she was not meant to work a traditional 9 to 5. Whether it was being turned down for jobs she was more than qualified for, or people literally offering to help fund her entrepreneurial dreams, Whitlow remembers how this path has always been a part of her destiny.

“I worked jobs, but at some point the person would either think I was going to take their job, or I had people, even when I lived in Los Angeles, where I went to a job placement agency and I was like, ‘Look at my resume and help me,’ and every last one of them was like, ‘I’ll help you start your business,’” Whitlow recalled. “‘You’re an entrepreneur, what are we going to do with you?’”

She added, “It was like the world kind of spoke to me and told me, ‘You are a person that we need to support.’ I would go on jobs when I was in Los Angeles and I would just volunteer at different award shows and I’d have people I’d worked for say, ‘One day, you’re gonna hire me. I want to be a part of your team.’ And so again, it was like these things were happening and I’m like, ‘What? Why are people saying this?’ And so at some point, I had to believe what God was thinking about me.”

 

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Just as others helped Whitlow tap into her potential as a creative entrepreneur, she is helping others do the same by engaging with today’s youth through her Ambassador Arts Academy.

“The Academy is for ages 13 to 18 years old,” she explained. “So what the young people are learning are all the different careers that are available. They’re learning that these are different careers and they’re able to learn from people who work in the industry.”

In partnership with big tech companies like Microsoft and institutions such as the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), the Academy connects its participants with industry professionals, offering them the opportunity to learn directly from them through educational resources and hands-on experience.

“We have actors who are teaching from their perspective, so they’re able to connect with the students,” said Whitlow. “That is something that was so far removed from us and even now as adults, you’re able to learn from people who are actually working in the business studios and being involved in things like seeing a film studio and witnessing things in action. I think being supported in your voice and what you have to say is important.”

This year’s camp at the Ambassador Arts Academy runs from July 15 through July 27.

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