Photo credit: lenoiragency.la
Tyra Nicole has been shaping Los Angeles culture for over a decade. Most people just didn’t know her name.
As CEO and executive producer of LeNoir Agency, she has produced some of the city’s most memorable moments. Her work spans Tabitha Brown’s viral husband retirement party to high-profile activations for Hulu, Black Love, the American Heart Association, and Jack Daniel’s. She built the agency one relationship at a time. First came event production. Then marketing. Then a full-service PR department. Moreover, every step forward came from the same foundation showing up with excellence, keeping composure under pressure, and making sure clients never see what happens behind the curtain.
From the background to the forefront
Now, after years of being the quiet force in the room, she is stepping forward. She recently secured the 2026 LA County Youth Summit contract and is also expanding her team. Furthermore, for the first time, she is ready to let people see not just the polished recaps but the full journey it took to build something real. LeNoir Agency is no longer just a behind-the-scenes operation. It is a growing, full-service creative agency with a clear identity and an even clearer mission.
Walk us through your origin story and how you became the CEO of LeNoir Agency.
Surprisingly, I went to school for nursing. Coming out of high school, you think you know what you want to do. Sometimes your parents guide you in a direction, too. I tried it, didn’t like it, and took a break from college. That break is when everything changed. I started working with an organization and handled all of their events and marketing. That is where I fell in love with event production.
After that, I worked a 9-to-5 managing a chiropractic office. That role gave me most of the marketing skills I carry into the agency today. Learning how to communicate with clients, manage operations, and build systems that work proved invaluable. Eventually, I realized I could do this on my own. So I opened LeNoir Agency, starting with event production and marketing. Then event production took over completely. In 2024, I added PR and became a full-service agency. It has been a long journey of testing, pivoting, and learning. But honestly, that is just the entrepreneurial journey. Every detour taught me something I still use today.
What was it about your vision that you understood before anyone else could see it?
I always knew I was an entrepreneur. A lot of people didn’t understand what a creative agency was. Many didn’t believe you could turn event production into something full-time and profitable. But I always saw myself at the C-suite level. Once I fell in love with event production, I decided to take it as far as it could go.
My parents are supportive, and I give them a lot of credit. However, their generation didn’t fully understand what entrepreneurship could look like. That’s not a criticism it’s just a generational difference. Additionally, a lot of people around me were still thinking in terms of traditional careers and stable salaries. Thinking differently was something I did instinctively. I kept going anyway, knowing what I was building even when I was the only one who could fully see it. That clarity kept me moving forward on the hardest days.
You’ve produced every major Tabitha Brown event for five years. What has sustained that partnership?
I love Tab. I met Tabitha through a mutual friend. The first event I did for her was her husband’s retirement party the one that went everywhere on social media. Fresh out of the pandemic and with a new baby, that moment was huge for me personally and professionally.
At that very first event, Tabitha spoke life into my business. She looked at me and said, honey, you are amazing at what you do. You need to charge more. She was the first person to say that clearly, and she said it because she understood this was my livelihood. Our relationship has been like that from the very beginning. She is a true supporter. Furthermore, she makes the creative process easy because she is a creative herself. She gives me her vision, I execute, and then we feed off each other’s energy from there. That dynamic has kept every event fresh and every collaboration meaningful.
What is the signature LeNoir element that should be present in every room, regardless of the client?
We bring experience and energy. The moment guests step into any event I produce, I want them to feel something. So I focus on key moments throughout the space. Being very intentional about what the space looks like, smells like, and feels like is central to how I work. I tap into every single sense.
A lot of people tell me they can identify a Tyra event just by the florals. That means a lot to me. It’s also an energy thing. My personality shows up in every room I design. Moreover, every vendor I work with is someone I have built a real relationship with over years. I give them the vision, and they execute it fully. Running LeNoir Agency events without my vendors would simply not be possible. Those relationships are part of the product itself.
How do you specifically design experiences that people remember long after the event ends?
Statement pieces and photo moments are essential. For events that need real impact product launches, personal milestones, brand activations I always include a photo moment. The energy in the room has to be right from the start. The guest list needs careful curation. Colors have to connect in a specific way, and every element must serve a purpose. Nothing happens by accident. Everything has to happen by design.
Beyond the visual, I also think carefully about how people move through the space. The flow of an event shapes the experience just as much as the decor. When someone walks in and everything feels considered from the scent in the air to the music playing to the lighting they feel it. That feeling is what they talk about afterward. That is what makes them come back.
What does it take for an independent Black woman-owned agency to earn repeat trust from brands like Hulu, Black Love, and the American Heart Association?
It is not just about what you know. It is about who you know and how you make people feel. You can do amazing work, but if the experience of working with you personally is difficult, clients will remember that first. So I keep things professional and efficient at all times.
This industry is demanding and stressful. A lot of people lose their composure under pressure. However, you can never let the client see what is happening behind the scenes. There have been many times when things did not show up on time or something went wrong. The client never knew. Staying calm and carrying it with grace is what separates agencies that get called back from those that don’t. That is not an accident that is discipline. Consequently, that consistency is what brings people back. Repeat business in this industry is built on trust, and trust is built one well-handled moment at a time.
From the Black Love Summit to the Fatherhood Block Party, community is clearly central to your work. How do you balance that with the commercial demands of running an agency?
Community is important to me because my community literally helped me build LeNoir Agency. Born and raised in LA, giving back is not optional for me. I also don’t center what I do around money. I truly believe this is my purpose. Your purpose will make room for you.
When you give back, it comes back. Not because you are chasing a return, but because you are acting from a genuine place. This work has to be something you love. Otherwise, you are just chasing a paycheck. Furthermore, when the work is rooted in something real, people feel it. Clients feel it. Communities feel it. Doing this for free would be something I’d choose if I could that is how I know it is real.
Your agency secured the 2026 LA County Youth Summit contract. How did that happen, and what do you want young people to take from the experience?
It is huge, and it was a long process. It took about eight months before I even knew I had the contract. There were many documents to submit and many steps to clear. However, it all came back to relationships. One of my existing clients heard they were looking for a producer and pointed them toward me. That is the power of relationships.
Working with youth matters deeply to me. Young people are our next generation and will carry everything forward. At this summit, we are focusing on mental health resources and offering career pathways beyond what young people typically see at these events. Gen Z is not like Millennials they need something that actually speaks to who they are today. So I am building an experience that meets them where they are. Additionally, I want them to leave the summit with tools they can actually use not just inspiration they forget by Monday.
What was missing in the traditional PR model, particularly for Black women and culturally influential talent?
PR gets a bad reputation sometimes. A lot of people hear it and think they don’t need it. Many are also moving toward AI. However, I believe strongly that you need a real person in your corner someone who understands your brand and how the public sees it.
Events slowed down in 2024, and that created space for me to move. Knowing how to do PR, the timing felt like a clear signal to go bigger. My director of PR, Indigo Dickens, came to me at exactly the right moment. We had worked together for years, and it felt like synchronicity. As Black women, we need people who look like us representing us. That is what LeNoir Agency’s PR department is built to be a backbone for your brand and your personal identity. Moreover, having someone in your corner who genuinely understands your culture and your audience makes every campaign stronger.
Has staying behind the curtain always been intentional, or are you ready to step forward now?
Stepping forward is exactly where I am right now. People can benefit from my experience, and I am ready to share it more openly. Over the years, I have mentored many people. However, only those who already knew my journey could access it. Opening that up more widely is something I feel called to do now.
Everyone shows the highlight reel and shares the beautiful recaps and photos. But what did it actually take to get there? Showing people that the journey is real that the ups and downs are real and that it can still happen is the message I want to put out. My voice needs to be heard. That is why I am stepping out from behind the scenes right now. Furthermore, I want other women especially Black women building creative businesses to see themselves in my story and know that the path is possible.
What does excellence look like when no one is watching?
Excellence to me is the people I am able to help around me. When my team is relying on me and I am able to come through for them — when they are able to live off of what I am building that is excellence. Clients don’t see that. The public doesn’t see it. But my team knows it, and I know it.
My entire team is women. Showing up for a group of women, even on the hardest days, is everything to me. That is what I am most proud of, and that is what I call excellent. Additionally, the fact that I can create real livelihoods through something I built from nothing matters more to me than any brand name on a client roster.
Before wrapping up, can you share some unfiltered takes on the events industry one rapid-fire question at a time?
One detail that instantly elevates an event:
Florals or any experiential element
whether that is greenery, LED experiences, or custom fabrication. Something that engages the senses immediately and signals that this is not a standard event.
One event trend you are ready to retire:
Standard step-and-repeats.
Everything should be a designed photo moment now. It should tell a visual story, not just display a row of logos on a banner.
First thing you notice when entering a venue:
Everything.
The flow of the crowd, the layout, the lighting, the energy. As an event producer, I cannot turn that instinct off. I am always evaluating, even when I am there as a guest.
Dream client or collaboration:
Beyoncé or Rihanna.
One of their brands, a Fenty collaboration any of it. It is going to happen. I am speaking it into existence.
What does excellence look like when no one is watching:
It looks like my team being able to live well because of the work we are building together. That is the truest measure of success I know.
Follow LeNoir Agency on Instagram at @lenoiragency.la. To hire the agency, email info@lenoiragency.com. DMs are welcome, but email gets the fastest response.
Source: According to Porsha, featuring Porsha Monique and Tyra Nicole the CEO of LeNoir Agency
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