The Culture Builder: How Brandon Pankey Went From Producing The Roots Picnic To Building A New Era Of Artist-Led Storytelling – Essence

In the cutthroat world of music and entertainment, Brandon Pankey has spent two decades quietly building a reputation as someone who gets shit done. 

And he has a stacked resume to prove it. Throughout his career he’s climbed from business management to the helm of cultural landmarks like The Roots Picnic, Lil Wayne’s Weezyana Festival and Mary J. Blige’s Strength of a Woman Festival, and throughout his journey, mastered the art of bringing artists’ visions to life.

But mention APEX – his streaming platform for artists – and something shifts. “APEX is my passion. It’s what I love,” he says with conviction.

After two decades grinding in the music business, Pankey got frustrated with something fundamental. Artists, the natural storytellers of our culture, couldn’t get platforms to share their vision. “If you’re not Beyoncé or Taylor, you’re not necessarily getting the looks from an AMC Theatre or a Netflix,” he explains.

So the Philly native did what entrepreneurs do when faced with a gap in the market. He built the solution himself.

“Artists are some of our greatest storytellers in the world, and they just didn’t have a platform,” Pankey says. 

The platform, which launched two years ago, aims to give artists opportunities to tell their stories, whether through scripted content, unscripted series, or documentaries. APEX has already partnered with Issa Rae’s record label Raedio for an artist interview series and worked with director Stacey Muhammad (Queen Sugar, Bel Air) for another series called “On the Record.”

“In a perfect world, I want to see a horror movie from Lil Baby or a sci-fi movie or series from Dua Lipa,” Pankey says, describing his vision. “That’s the impetus for why I started APEX.”

But building a creator-focused network hasn’t been without its challenges. When asked about the biggest obstacle to building a scalable business while staying true to his mission, Pankey doesn’t hesitate: “Money. Money is always the impetus for this. Content is a very cash-heavy business to be in.”

He’s particularly candid about the additional hurdles he faces as a Black entrepreneur. “As a Black man raising money, that’s its own conversation, its own interview that we have at another point,” he notes. Still, Pankey remains clear-eyed and optimistic about APEX’s trajectory. “I know we’re going to get to where I envision this to be. It’s going to be slow and steady.”

While APEX continues to grow, Pankey has maintained his role with Live Nation Urban, where he’s been instrumental in producing major cultural events like the ones referenced above, but for the Philadelphia native, The Roots Picnic holds special significance.

“I’m born and raised in Philadelphia,” he says. “The Roots Picnic started in 2008. I’ve been a part of it in some capacity since 2008. And to grow, I’m the festival director now. That’s the most emotional. It’s the heart. It’s Philly.”

As festival director, Pankey oversees the entire event, making final decisions on everything from budgets to permits. “By the time someone gets there on May 31st and June 1st, it’s a seamless experience,” he explains.

Beyond his professional success, Pankey is equally passionate about education and mentorship. “If I wasn’t in the music industry, I probably would have been a pediatrician or a teacher. I love kids,” he shares. “I think unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of Black men in the educational system who are teaching, and I think that’s critical to a lot of young Black lives.”

This commitment to giving back stems from his own upbringing in Philadelphia. “I grew up in a certain area, when I was six years old one of my best friends at the time got shot. I care about young people. Because if we don’t care about them, then they’re not going to uplift and do a lot for our community.”

For Pankey, community is central to his vision of success. “Our greatest wealth isn’t the C-Suite, it’s another C, it’s community. And if we neglect community, then we fall apart.”

When asked what course he would create for young Black entrepreneurs entering entertainment, he doesn’t hesitate: “I would call it wealth building through community. That course would literally be about all of you entrepreneurs in the room finding ways to work together.”

He breaks down his philosophy with a metaphor that hits home: “The problem with a lot of younger entrepreneurs is, they have a whole pie. They want to eat a whole pie. You get full quickly off three slices if you really think about it.” He pauses. “So, if you share this pie and share that pie, you’re going to collectively still get your whole pie. But now everybody’s able to eat, everybody’s able to win at the same time.”

This community-focused definition of success extends to how Pankey measures his own achievements. “Success looks like this: Brandon Pankey starts a business, it thrives, and from it, dozens of others grow. Thirty years from now, you see 30 new ventures born from that one seed.”

Balancing APEX, Live Nation Urban, and raising his 11-year-old son means something’s gotta give. Usually, it’s Pankey himself.

“When I’m balancing both Live Nation and balancing APEX, my personal balance, not me, I’m not balancing myself,” he admits. “So now I’m not where I need to be on a lot of different levels, whether that’s mentally, whether that’s spiritually.”

Despite the personal cost, there’s no quit in him when it comes to APEX. “When you love it—you make sure that you foster it, you nurture it, and you take care of it. I’m never going to let APEX falter. Never going to let it fail.”

In the end, that’s what drives Pankey’s work across all his ventures: nurturing the next generation of creators, entrepreneurs, and culture builders. “What is the point,” he asks, “if we’re not helping?”