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Technology

Young Innovator Nominee: Tahirah Byfield, AKQA

December 1, 2014 | 3 min read

Tahirah Byfield

Current gig: senior copywriter, AKQA

Why she is nominated: If the industry is looking for a creative on the edge of changing the way we do business, it should pause to take in all that is Tahirah Byfield. Writer, Director-Producer, Podcaster and Chef, the bigness of her talents stretches well-beyond advertising.

That said, her most-recent advertising project was such a large undertaking it was more than a year in the making. While reaching out to make the lives of others in her community better in the process. In 2015, with the homeless population in Portland, Oregon at an all-time high, Tahirah thought beyond the normal boundaries of a mentor program and took creative lead to pioneer the launch of dfrntpigeon — a clothing line that raises funds and awareness for talented homeless youth by putting them in charge of a brand while creating apparel based on their lives.

Created through a series of workshops at the nonprofit New Avenues for Youth, dfrntpigeon employs and trains homeless and at-risk youth in and around Portland. Paying homage to the pigeon, a typically undesired and misunderstood creature, its name flips the perception of the bird, making it a rally cry for anyone who is different, overlooked and undervalued.

Recognized by PXD Monthly, Portland Mercury – The Design Issue, The Drum and most-importantly REDF, an organization that helps fund new ideas in employment, the fledgling brand earned an initial grant to give these young entrepreneurs a shot at a larger market. Carrying this momentum, dfrntpigeon continues changing lives as it grows inviting more youth to take part.

Always focused on the next great thing, Tahirah continues creatively outside AKQA as a director-producer (most-recently with Portland’s production of the Vagina Monologues). She is the founder of Gloria’s Kitchen (a Jamaican Pop-up event, inspired by her grandmother’s cooking) and is the host of a newly launched Soundcloud audio series titled “Gluten-Free Podcast” produced under the name Talented10thTV. We present you a natural leader, creative innovator and far-better-than-average citizen who acts instinctively to help her community without a thought of herself. We cannot think of anyone more deserved of this honor.

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Vagina Monologues

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