New Pittsburgh Courier

‘HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS’: An annual Pittsburgh formal event, presented by Pittsburgh’s own Howard Bullard Jr. and friends

HOWARD BULLARD JR., left, wants to fill the void of a lack of events for Black professionals in Pittsburgh. (Photos by Matt Urban)

HOWARD BULLARD JR., left, wants to fill the void of a lack of events for Black professionals in Pittsburgh. (Photos by Matt Urban)

by Rob Taylor Jr.

Howard Bullard Jr., Kevan Gaines, B.J. Flenory; three Penn Hills High School alumni who desired to create an event for African American professionals who were from Pittsburgh, no longer resided in Pittsburgh, but would definitely be coming back to the Steel City for Christmas.

Twelve years later, “Home For The Holidays” is still going strong, some say stronger than ever.

This year’s formal event, geared to Black professionals ages 25 and up, was held at Revel + Roost near Market Square, Downtown, Dec. 22, 2019. About 300 people attended the event.

Bullard, a 2000 Penn Hills High graduate and Howard University alum, got bit with the event marketing bug during his days at the HBCU. These days, he lives in New York City, acquiring the knowledge of how to establish oneself as a marketing guru and use the knowledge to build the entertainment scene for an untapped market in Pittsburgh—the young Black professionals.

“Sometimes in Pittsburgh, the good vibe, the good music with the right crowd…it’s hard to get all that at one event,” Bullard told the New Pittsburgh Courier. “It is just a huge void.”

His marketing company, Relative & Co., is looking to fill that void. Bullard, whose father is a noted educator in Pittsburgh (and the former principal of Schenley High School), hosts a number of events throughout the year in Pittsburgh, but “Home For The Holidays” is their signature event, giving more Pittsburgh Black professionals an added bonus in their stocking each Christmas.

 

 

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