We Are Inspired By This BOSS: Dee Dee Cocheta

Dee Dee M. Cocheta-Williams, Principal of A.B.C. Publicity & Founder of Queens Never Quit

Indigenous to the Yakima Tribe, Dee Dee M. Cocheta is a 20 plus year veteran in the entertainment industry, who lives by her hometown NIKE'S motto "Just Do It.”  In Dee Dee’s world, she is a free spirit that goes with the flow while trying to maintain balance in her life between her seven children, 2 grand twins, husband of 21 years, a Doula and as an entrepreneur operating - A.B.C. Publicity based in Atlanta, GA with an office in N.Y.

Dee Dee has always been known to be a great listener, friend, advisor, dream interpreter and when she was chosen at 12 years old to go thru a program to become a peer-to-peer counselor while doing an exercise, she came to the conclusion that her purpose in life has always been to assist those who are helping themselves in becoming successful and understanding their purpose in life.  Throughout her life, she was constantly helping others and mentoring that she didn’t realize when she set forth her seven goals at age eleven, she was preparing herself for God’s plans.  Those goals: 1. Get married & have Children 2. Be the first in family to go to college 3. Own businesses  4. Get a Doctorate 5. Write a book 6. Direct a film 7. Start an Educational Center

Many know her as the “Hip-Hop Mama” not just because she has such a ‘Hip-Hop oriented’ family it’s because music has always been in her life. Dee Dee’s many creative talents started with the element of dancing; taught by one of the New York City Breakers in Middle School where Dee Dee’s ability to move and dance her heart out on stage led her to being enthralled in theatre and performing arts while in High School where she felt she got her calling not directly to the stage but behind the scenes, doing makeup, stage management, lights, sound along with writing shorts and scripts.  Dee Dee knew all of these gifts would soon become a building block for what she would become in the entertainment industry.  Behind the scenes, Dee Dee felt the power she could have in having creative control and realizing how she could help shape artists and their talent. 

As a sophomore in high school being a leader as a sophomore class president, creating events, hair modeling, promoting hair shows, peer counseling and a decision maker, her strength dissolved when that same year her best friend and advisor in life died – her daddy.  Overwhelmed with adversity due to her fathers passing, Dee Dee withdrew from high school and became very self destructive - drugs, hanging with gangs, pimps & prostitutes, suicide to homelessness.  Just when she didn’t want to care anymore, Dee Dee met her husband who she contributes to helping her get her mind right and back on focusing on her goals.  With a renewed sense of purpose and drive, Dee Dee returned to high school and graduated on time with her class and matriculated through college becoming the first in her family to earn a degree from Clark Atlanta University. Dee Dee honed her marketing skills in Radio for a few years before she went on to her next goal in life in launching her own company – A.B.C. Publicity in 1999.

Since then, Dee Dee has consulted, coordinated publicity efforts for music events, conducted media training and developed marketing and PR strategies for hundreds of independent artists in addition to: Chaka Khan, KRS One, Killer Mike, Tony Terry, DJ Benny D, music producer Isaac “Ike Dirty” Hayes, III, Rudy Currence, Arrested Development & Cherish. Her company has done media/public relations and consulting for:  BET Hip-Hop Awards, Turner South, Hosea Feed The Hungry, Chef Ashley, Chuck D’s Slamjamz Label, Playwright Nedra Simone, National Black Arts Festival, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes Foundation, Konsole Kingz, Ryan Cameron Foundation, Fashion Stylist/Author Kim Maxwell, Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation, Fitness Expert & Trainer – Brandi A. Ray and UniverSoul Circus. 

Additionally, over the years Dee Dee found time to serve as a PTA VP & President, baseball/football team mom and as a board or advisory member to The SE Network of NABFEME (National Association of Black Female Executives in Music and Entertainment), SOFRAS (Society of Future Recording Artists & Songwriters), The Atlanta Hip-Hop Film Festival and founding board member of Black Music Month Foundation.

Her passion continues to be speaking to upcoming music artists, empowering youth and women about getting out of difficult situations, goal building - life's plans and purpose, leadership roles and entrepreneurial direction along with sharing her personal stories of dealing with the misfortunes while out of high school to later on handling sickness and depression.

Dee Dee’s motivation, you may ask?  She is spiritual, yet she does have her moments where she wants to stop.  Last year, while pushing herself and looking for inspiration, out of her subconscious soul came the words, “Queens Never Quit” which became her new motto.  While Dee Dee was tweeting & FB posting, those very words became inspiration to other women, which led Dee Dee down the path of divine order to create the organization Queens Never QuitÔ.  Dee Dee definitely lives and breathes life and love, a true Renaissance woman.

For more info on Dee Dee: www.abcpublicity.com / or find her on twitter.com/abcpublicity & www.twitter.com/queensneverquit

Come meet this BOSS "Influencer", and our 9 other phenomenal honorees, at The BOSS Network's "Influencers" event on October 13, 2010 in in Atlanta, GA. You can register for the event here. Come out and be inspired!