PECHAKUCHA 32

This milestone gathering will be a marker and celebration of TEN years of PechaKucha events in the Holy. Over that period, more than 250 creatives of all stripes have shared what has inspired them in their unique and personal endeavors. PK 32 will be bringing back the original nine illustrious presenters from PK 1 and will afford them the opportunity to reflect once again on their creative drives and ambitions within our signature six minute-forty second formatting.

Among the returning presenters: Whitney Powers, architect and visionary behind “If You Were Mayor”; Tim Hussey, abstract artist extraordinaire; Jonathan Sanchez, proprietor of Blue Bicycle Books and founder of YALLFest; Brady Waggoner, Founder of HOOK and key member of The Dubplates; Nico Romo, owner of NICO; Marcus Amaker, Poet Laureate of the City of Charleston; Justin Nathanson, filmmaker and guiding force behind The Southern.

Robert Prioleau, Partner and Brand Director at Blue Ion and founding member of Charleston Creative Parliament, will emcee and Professor Ping will be DJing.

The event will be complemented by “Visually Speaking: PechaKucha Portraits by Jonathan Boncek”, an extravagant show of photography highlighting Charleston’s myriad creatives from among the works of our local ace photog.

“Visually Speaking: PechaKucha Portraits by Jonathan Boncek”

As a distinctive marker of the TENTH anniversary of PechaKuchas in Charleston, local superstar photographer, Jonathan Boncek, will be curating his selection of twenty-eight portraits of PechaKucha presenters taken during his 2011-2018 tenure as staff photographer for Charleston City Paper. These portraits will be on display in the upper gallery of Charleston Music Hall.

Viewing: Free Monday-Thursday, 12PM – 6PM and Friday, 10AM – 6PM; with admission, during CMH performances.

NICO ROMO

Born in Lyon, France, Chef Nico Romo is the youngest-ever US member of The French Culinary Academy (l’Académie Culinaire de France) and Master Chefs of France (Maîtres Cuisiniers de France), one of just 66 French Master Chefs in the country, and the only recipient in South Carolina. Both elite organizations represent and comprise the most highly skilled chefs in the techniques and traditions of the French culinary art.

Chef Romo graduated from the Helene Boucher Culinary Art School in Vénissieux at age 19 and perfected his skill under French Master Chef Patrick Henriroux at the dual-Michelin Starred restaurant La Pyramide in Vienne, France.

Chef Romo spent a decade directing Patrick Properties Hospitality Group’s culinary programs and helmed the kitchen at Fish Restaurant. During that time, he was named a Monterey Bay Aquarium Sustainable Seafood Ambassador and member of the Seafood Watch Blue Ribbon Task Force recognizing his commitment to ocean-friendly seafood and Lowcountry fishermen.

Chef Romo now brings his European training and appreciation for locally sourced ingredients to his own concept, NICO, which opened in the fall of 2017.

MARCUS AMAKER

Marcus Amaker is a karaoke singer, a Kate Bush fan and a donut eater. He is an award-winning graphic designer for a national music magazine, and works with local nonprofits to create websites, posters and videos. In 2010, he founded Charleston Scene for the Post and Courier. As a musician, he’s released 25 electronic albums and two records with Grammy-nominated producer Quentin Baxter. Marcus was named Charleston’s first Poet Laureate in 2016, and has published 7 books of poetry.