Cultural Architect — Experiential Marketing — Brand Production — NYC

Culture is the strategy.

Fifteen years directing national tours, corporate activations, and brand experiences that command attention — and deliver numbers a boardroom respects.

On set — directing production
PepsiCo/ Room 112 National Tour/ Cardi B — NBA All-Star/ Crown Royal/ Tribeca Film Festival/ Total/ Donell Jones/ JLL Capital Markets/ PepsiCo/ Room 112 National Tour/ Cardi B — NBA All-Star/ Crown Royal/ Tribeca Film Festival/ Total/ Donell Jones/ JLL Capital Markets/
The record
Every production leaves a number behind.
1.4B+
TikTok views — Room 112 National Tour campaign
2.1B+
YouTube views — same campaign
50+
Live activations produced, 400+ attendees each
200+
Households reached — PepsiCo × JLL community program
01 — Personal Brand
Ray Lyles — Brand Architect
Founder & Self-Branded Operator

Built my own name into a brand — grew a personal following to 120K on Instagram through consistent content, positioning, and voice.

Took that same discipline and built Rose Noire Productions into an authorized NYC DOE vendor, earned civic recognitions from city officials across NYC and Westchester, and landed features in newspapers and blogs covering the work.

120K
Instagram followers
DOE
Authorized NYC vendor
Ray Lyles editorial branding shoot, retro living room set
02 — National Tour
Room 112 Tour
Experiential & Digital Brand Manager

Featuring 112, Total, Case, Donell Jones, Dream Doll, and Safari. Led integrated event marketing and fan engagement from concept through on-site activation — talent partnerships, riders, meet-and-greets, fan zones, and full production coordination.

Bridged legacy R&B branding with platform-native content built for a modern audience.

1.4B
TikTok views
2.1B
YouTube views
112 editorial portrait for the Room 112 National Tour
03 — Corporate Activation
PepsiCo — Confidence Walk

Produced a corporate experiential activation inside PepsiCo — event production, staffing, vendor management, timelines, and budgets. Gold-wall runway installation, product moments, full photo direction. Extended into a community partnership with JLL Capital Markets delivering aid to 200+ households across the Tri-State.

PepsiCo employee on the Confidence Walk runway with Pepsi product
Two PepsiCo employees with Pepsi cans on the activation runway
PepsiCo employee in Pepsi crewneck on the gold-wall runway
PepsiCo employee with product on the red carpet runway
Four PepsiCo team members with product lineup on the runway
PepsiCo employee presenting product on the Confidence Walk
04 — Civic Production
Mount Vernon Black Wall Street

Directed vision and creative production for the inaugural Black Wall Street event in collaboration with the Office of the Mayor — City Hall as the set, civic leadership and community as the story.

Black Wall Street event at Mount Vernon City Hall — civic leaders and police honor guard Black Wall Street event editorial portraits at Mount Vernon City Hall
05 — Creative Branding
Slow Down Clothing

Full creative direction and brand photography for an apparel launch — concept, set design, and editorial styling built to make a streetwear brand feel like a statement.

Slow Down Clothing editorial shoot, denim vest and boombox wall
Slow Down Clothing editorial shoot against denim wall backdrop
Slow Down Clothing editorial shoot against vintage boombox wall
Slow Down Clothing editorial shoot, denim wall close-up
06 — Founded Brand
Grapes & Raisins

Apparel brand built from concept to market — art direction, product photography, and campaign styling across every drop.

Grapes & Raisins purple and camo hoodie campaign shot
Grapes & Raisins grey hoodie campaign shot
Grapes & Raisins wine club hoodie on male model
Grapes & Raisins purple hoodie campaign shot
Grapes & Raisins broken heart sweatshirt editorial
Grapes & Raisins bandana headwrap campaign shot
Grapes & Raisins striped tee campaign shot
Grapes & Raisins graffiti tee campaign shot
07 — Films
The work, on tape.

Behind the Scenes

I produced this shoot from the ground up — coordinating talent, directing the flow, and holding the vision together when a dozen moving parts had to hit on time.

Dr. Crisp — Sneaker Cleaning Brand

I led brand management for Dr. Crisp — shaping the identity, the voice, and how the brand shows up across every touchpoint.

Crown Royal X Dr. Crisp

I shot this project and directed the concept for Crown Royal, translating a national brand into a scene that felt authentic, not manufactured.

Black Wall Street

I produced and directed Black Wall Street — a project built to honor legacy while speaking directly to today.

Industry Co-Sign

A Grammy-winning recording artist gave an unprompted, on-camera shoutout for the upcoming fashion show — no press ask, no paid placement. Just a genuine reaction to the work.

Press & Media
On camera. On stage. On record.

Interview and panel appearances discussing brand strategy, culture, and the business of experiential production — BronxNet OPEN and industry panel circuits.

Ray Lyles interviewed on BronxNet OPEN
BronxNet OPEN — Interview
Ray Lyles on panel discussing brand strategy
Industry Panel
Capabilities
Brief to load-out. One operator.

Experiential Production

Run of show, timelines, staffing, fabrication, signage, and on-site execution. 50+ live activations delivered end to end.

Sponsorship Activation

Property partnerships across sports, music, and film — Crown Royal, Tribeca Film Festival, NBA All-Star Weekend environments.

Talent & Artist Relations

Booked and managed talent for national tour dates — riders, schedules, meet-and-greets, fan experiences.

Brand Consulting

Positioning, visual identity, and campaign systems that turned hospitality and consumer clients into repeat-traffic brands.

Vendor Management

Sourced, negotiated, and managed production vendors — apparel, lighting, staging — contracts through on-site performance.

Budgets & ROI

Full budget development, reconciliation, and post-event recaps tied to enrollment growth, traffic, and contract expansion.

Next production

Let's build the room.

l.a.rayllc@gmail.com (917) 776-1635