Mark and Savoy are the owners of Savvy Marketing Entertainment Group (SMEG) with over 20 years of combined experience in the entertainment industry. The Power Couple is currently working with artists like Monifah Gary Micheal Houston (Whitney’s nephew), Rodney Chester (Noah’s arc), Le France Caitlin Kelly (swimwear fashion designer ), Natasha Yvette Williams, Tobias Truvillion, SKYH Black, Heed Mag, Newark International Film Festival, Just to name a few.
We are a Power Couple because we’ve gone the distance, we’ve outlasted the ever-ending distractions, trials, and tribulations of life, and navigated how to cope and come to a medium that works for us.
MARK AND SAVOY’S STORY
How did you guys met?
Mark: Oh. We met at a friend of Savoy’s birthday party in New Jersey back on May 16, 2004…. it was a birthday party that my best friend and I got invited to. I wasn’t going to go but my friend talked me into getting out of the house so we went. I ran into Savoy at the party and my friend found him attractive and he was like, Who is that guy? I was like; “I don’t know him, but I saw him around so I can introduce you to him if you like”. My friend agreed so I went to Savoy and I said, “My friend finds you attractive and he would like to know your name”. And Savoy said, “ Oh, he’s cute, but what if I want to get to know you”. And I was like woo!! I went back to my friend and he asked “what did he say”. I looked at him and said “Molly gurl, you’re in danger”…. Lol. The rest as they say is history. We’re still friends to this day.
Interesting! So, how long have you guys been together?
18 years.
Wow! Would you consider your relationship a Power Couple or a Power House?
Mark: Hmm. Based on how most gay relationships end up, I would say, yes, we are a power couple because we’ve gone the distance, we’ve outlasted the ever-ending distractions, trials, and tribulations of life and navigated how to cope and come to a medium that works for us. Professionally, we are growing in that area. We still have our own business and we have our full-time jobs. So we’re still working on building and balancing our foundations in our company so that when we leave our 9-5 for good, the transition to running our own business will already be a well-oiled machine in motion.
I came across your company (SMEG), bringing my attention to the term Power Couple. How do you guys juggle your romantic relationship and working as business partners?
Savoy: We do things very delicately. We try to keep things in silos, so to speak. So, if we’re talking about business, then everything in our attention is strict to the business. We don’t mix the part of the relationship into it because then you can get back-and-forth energy. We generally agree on what we’re going to do with the business, how we’re going to do parts of it, and then we just execute it. It’s funny because we don’t introduce ourselves or come across as a couple when we’re doing business. We come across as business partners, and most people who know us come to us because of how we move and conduct ourselves in that space. And they appreciate us.
How do you fuel each other or motivate each other as a couple?
Savoy: That’s a good question… to give you a blanket answer to sum it up, we know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Being the older one, there are times that I drift out when it comes to business and Mark brings me back into it. I think what we do is that we understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses. And so with the business, Mark takes the lead and runs more of that side. I’m really good at the relationship aspect of things because of family and people who have been in the industry for years. I know and have met many people in the industry because of the relationships I have built.
So, I think by knowing each other’s strengths and weaknesses, we’re able to step in. And when I’m like, I’m not doing that, he’s like, all right. He comes and he does it. When there’s a social event or a social party, he’s like, I’m not going to that. I’ll be like, Okay, I’m going, I’m the socialite. I’m the one who wants to go out and party and meet people to converse and interact. And he’s the opposite. He’s good at business, managing, and ordering… if it’s not fueling us professionally or personally Mark shuts it down.
So, that’s kind of like you are more of the extrovert and he’s the introverted one.
Mark: To piggyback off that. As you mentioned he’s an extrovert. He speaks and I observe. I can watch a crowd, read the room, sense energy, and get a feel of what and to whom we should engage in conversation and who we should just be cordial with and keep it moving.
Socials:
Mark:
Savoy:
