Chyna Williams and Johnny Lofton are the co-founders of entertainment and management company We Entertain. The couple launched We Entertain in 2008 and their vision was clear: they wanted a platform for creatives to feel at home. Today, We Entertain is more than an entertainment company — it’s an organization dedicated to fostering creativity and preserving artistic integrity. Based in Atlanta, the organization is comprised of We Manage, We Dance, We Film, We Music Group and the We Entertain Compound. And its founders work at the center of the hive, two people working in tandem to push the brand to new heights.
“We don’t do what everybody else does,” Lofton shares. He acknowledges that being industry vets taught he and Williams exactly what they didn’t want to be. “We learned from the industry and worked with some of the top companies and some of the top artists in the industry and were able to learn from different camps and different business what they do. But we started with our own plan. It’s a lifestyle and about being able to move on your own accord. You make money and moves with people along the way but we’re growing together and teaching people as we go. I think the rest of the industry doesn’t do that. It’s about whatever company is trying to chase the next company.”
Lofton worked with recording artists and Williams had an extensive background in dance. The two came together through her work with their work at a community center Williams co-founded. “He became one of the biggest sponsors of the community center and he became vice president of the board,” she recalls. “We always had a spirit of giving back and when I was working in dance and he in music, we noticed that the two really heavily relied on one another. So we said it would be great for us to come together. Hence ‘We Entertain.’ The ‘We’ started out as he and I. The ‘We’ took on its own life.”
That other life was the result of like-minded individuals wanting to join Williams and Lofton in their vision. As they themselves became closer, they also found talent that craved the sort of unique connectedness that We Entertain was cultivating. With a clientele that includes a wide range of talent and skill in a variety of disciplines — from famed choreographer Jeremy Strong to Dope star and recording artist Shameik Moore, WeEntertain has built its brand on the idea of integrity and togetherness. This is a family—and it’s that belief in each other that pushes We Entertain.
“Our Motto is ‘From I to We,’” explains Chyna. “People always ask how they can be part of We Entertain. You actually can’t. Everything about us is organic. We are a true family. We rely on one another, support one another and grow together. When we created the compound, it began as a place for one of our groups — Collision Crew — [who] needed a place to rehearse and we started with that. And the creative community just started coming here and it’s grown its own legs.”
Lofton and Williams also realized that their approaches to We Entertain are largely complementary. “We have to play off of each other’s strengths and weaknesses,” says Williams. “Typically, I’m a little bit more rigid. I handle a lot of the paperwork and I’m usually the one who has to stay on a traditional path. Johnny is a bit more open minded. If we were to go in any of those directions, we would not be as successful as we’ve been. Our relationship is one of balance. We’re both great at what we do, but the fact htat we balance one another makes everything move so much smoother.”
“I try to stay more on the creative side and inspiring people to be creative,” Lofton adds. “Being able to take the time to see what they’re doing: are they still living the goal and are they enjoying this moment and creating in this moment? We’re able to balance each other out as far as bringing us in and out of the things that need to happen today and things we know have to happen for our dream.”
And for these two, their greatest joy comes from watching that growth. “There’s such a warmth and community,” says Chyna of the family they’ve been able to cultivate. “This industry can be so lonely and competitive and mean-spirited, even. But we’re all about bringing people along with us and supporting those who may not even be a part of our team.”
