Case Study – Black Panther Nashville Premiere | LaKeithea Nicole

Client Work — Film Premiere & Community Event

February 2018  ·  Regal Opry Mills Nashville

Black Panther Nashville —
Black Carpet Premiere & Week of Community Events

Publicist  ·  Day-of Coordinator  ·  Press & Media  ·  Sponsorships  |  Client: Black Antiquity  ·  Nashville, TN  ·  February 2018

1 Week
Community events
6
National press hits
VIP
Black carpet premiere
IMAX
Regal Opry Mills
The brief
When Marvel's Black Panther hit theaters in February 2018 — the first major Marvel film with a predominantly Black cast and a Black director — it wasn't just a movie. It was a cultural moment. Black Antiquity, a Nashville organization rooted in celebrating Black history, heritage, and culture, wanted to meet that moment with something bigger than a screening. They hired LaKeithea as Publicist and Day-of Coordinator to build a week of community events leading up to an official VIP Black Carpet premiere at Regal Opry Mills Stadium 20 IMAX & RPX — and make sure Nashville's Black community showed up, showed out, and got seen doing it.
My role
Publicist Day-of Coordination Press & Media Outreach Sponsorship Brand Storytelling Community Engagement

Week of events
Leading up to premiere
Community Gatherings & Cultural Programming

A full week of community events designed to build excitement, gather Nashville's Black community, and frame the film as more than entertainment — as a cultural celebration of African heritage, representation, and Afrofuturism. Programming included performances, cultural activations, and community conversations in the days leading to the premiere weekend.

Sponsorships
Brand & Community Partnerships

Secured sponsorships to support the week's programming and the premiere — connecting local and regional brands to a high-visibility cultural moment that would reach press, community members, and influencers across Middle Tennessee.

Press & media
Nashville & National Media Outreach

Pitched and managed press leading up to and surrounding the premiere — resulting in coverage from local Nashville outlets including NewsChannel 5, The Tennessean, and national pickup through the Associated Press, The Washington Post, KMBC, and others documenting Nashville's African fashion, community spirit, and premiere energy.

February 15, 2018 · The Finale
VIP Black Carpet Premiere — Regal Opry Mills IMAX

The capstone event: an immersive VIP Black Carpet premiere at Regal Opry Mills Stadium 20 IMAX & RPX in partnership with GAWD, PacFest, Fellavision, The E.E.O.G., and Regal Entertainment Group. The Black Carpet featured paparazzi, luxury sports cars, and live African drummers. Royal attire and Wakandan cosplay filled the venue. VIP seating included Regal gift cards and commemorative souvenirs. LaKeithea coordinated every element of the day-of production.


The premiere
Black Carpet · VIP Premiere
Regal Opry Mills Stadium 20 IMAX & RPX
Nashville, Tennessee · February 15, 2018

Nashville's most immersive advanced screening of Marvel's Black Panther drew community members, press, performers, and sponsors together for a night that was equal parts celebration and cultural statement. The Black Carpet was designed as a full sensory experience — paparazzi, luxury sports cars, live African drummers, Wakandan cosplay, African fashion, and VIP seating — making it one of the most memorable community premiere events in Nashville's history.

Date
February 15, 2018
Venue
Regal Opry Mills Stadium 20 IMAX & RPX
Partners
GAWD · PacFest · Fellavision · E.E.O.G. · Regal
Elements
Live African Drummers · Paparazzi · Luxury Cars · Cosplay · VIP

Press coverage
National · Cable TV
CNN

CNN covered the national cultural phenomenon of Black Panther's opening — including the community premiere events and celebrations happening in cities across the country. Nashville's Black Carpet event was part of the national story CNN documented around the film's historic release.

National · Cable TV
BET

BET documented the cultural celebrations around Black Panther's historic opening — covering the nationwide movement of Black communities showing up in African fashion and royal attire to celebrate one of Marvel's most significant cultural moments.

National · AP Wire
KMBC (Kansas City)

National AP wire pickup documenting the African fashion and community celebration at Nashville's Black Panther premiere — reaching audiences well beyond Middle Tennessee with the Nashville story.

Read coverage →
Local · Broadcast
NewsChannel 5 Nashville

Local broadcast coverage of Tennesseans flocking to the Black Panther premiere — with Regal Opry Mills as the focal venue — capturing the community energy and cultural significance of the event for Middle Tennessee audiences.

Watch coverage →
Local · Print
The Tennessean

Nashville's newspaper of record covered the Black Panther premiere and surrounding events — including the week of cultural programming that Black Antiquity and LaKeithea built to give the community a full celebration around the film's release.

Impact
01
Produced Nashville's most immersive Black Panther premiere experience — a VIP Black Carpet event at Regal Opry Mills IMAX featuring live African drummers, paparazzi, luxury cars, Wakandan cosplay, and community celebration anchored by Black Antiquity's cultural mission.
02
Built and executed a full week of community events leading up to the premiere — giving Nashville's Black community a celebration that extended far beyond a single screening night and rooted the film's arrival in cultural context.
03
Generated national press coverage across six outlets — The Washington Post (via AP), CNN, BET, KMBC, NewsChannel 5, and The Tennessean — putting Music City's Black community celebration on a national stage alongside New York, Los Angeles, and other major cities.
04
Achieved both cable news and Black media representation — CNN and BET coverage ensured the Nashville event reached the two most important audiences: mainstream national viewers and the Black community nationally.
05
Secured sponsorships that funded the event experience and connected Nashville brands to one of the most culturally significant film releases in Marvel history — a $1.3B box office phenomenon that changed Hollywood.
Why it mattered
Black Panther wasn't just a movie — it was a moment. Every city that showed up for it wrote themselves into that cultural record. LaKeithea's job was to make sure Nashville showed up in a way that matched the gravity of the moment — not with a simple screening, but with a full week of community-building that put Black Nashville at the center of a global conversation. The national press that followed was proof the strategy worked.
"[Your quote here — share what you'd like it to say and I'll drop it right in.]"
— LaKeithea Anderson, Publicist & Day-of Coordinator · Black Panther Nashville Premiere, February 2018