IC Success Alum, Jillian Hanesworth, Nominated for Emmy Award.

Choose Love: Buffalo Bills Honor East Buffalo Video is Produced By Literary Freedom, LLC.

Jillian Hanesworth, founder of Literary Freedom LLC, is making waves in the literary world for her Emmy-nominated collaboration with the Buffalo Bills on the “Choose Love: Buffalo Bills Honor East Buffalo” video. An IC Success Business Accelerator Alum, Hanesworth is dedicated to expanding literary access to communities of color and historically excluded communities.

Literary Freedom LLC was established by Hanesworth in 2021 with the aim of providing educational tools and empowering individuals to use the arts to share their stories and uplift their experiences. Recognizing the pivotal role that poetry, music, visual art, dance, and traditional storytelling have played in sharing Black stories, Literary Freedom strives to uphold these traditions.

Under the umbrella of Literary Freedom, workshops, trainings, and lessons are conducted to reinforce the company’s mission of providing access to educational tools and helping individuals develop the necessary skills to use the arts to make a meaningful impact. By ensuring that marginalized communities have the resources and support to share their narratives and preserve their culture, Literary Freedom is working to dismantle systems of oppression.

Hanesworth’s collaboration with the Buffalo Bills, titled “Choose Love: Buffalo Bills Honor East Buffalo,” has garnered much attention and acclaim, earning her a well-deserved Emmy nomination. The video serves as a testament to the power of using art to bring about positive change and highlight the resilience and strength of communities.

As the Poet Laureate of Buffalo NY, Hanesworth has demonstrated her immense talent and commitment to using poetry as a tool for social change. Her work has touched the lives of many, and her inclusion in the Emmy nomination is a testament to her dedication and skill.

At BNMC we are building an Innovation Community where everyone can access great programming and the resources all entrepreneurs need to start or grow their businesses.

To date, BNMC has supported over 500 entrepreneurs, graduated 200 companies from their programs, and engaged more than 1,000 volunteers and supporters championing this effort.

Innovation Center on Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus named certified incubator

Innovation Center on Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus named certified incubator

By Stephen T. Watson
The Buffalo News

Published

Empire State Development has named the Thomas R. Beecher Jr. Innovation Center on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus a state certified incubator, a designation that includes funding of up to $625,000 over five years to support local entrepreneurs.

The Innovation Center at 640 Ellicott St. now joins the state’s network of regional hotspots and certified business incubators. The designation and funding, $125,000 per year over five years, are part of the governor’s Regional Economic Development Councils.

The Innovation Center opened in 2010 and is one of three locations, and additional properties, where the Medical Campus organization serves more than 120 companies and startups.

The Medical Campus will use the Empire State Development funding to expand its business development programming at the Innovation Center, starting with the launch of the i4 Studio, an idea lab that teaches how to wp-contently creative thinking in the entrepreneurial process. Additional money will support the development of product prototypes and helping company founders connect with investors.