As the VP of Parkwood Entertainment, Corey Stokes oversees the artistic direction for Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment — with him contributing to the vision and execution of some of Queen Bey’s most memorable moments over the past year. Stoke’s perfected his creative expertise through years of working in editorial, entertainment, and art. Stokes’ road to Parkwood was paved with creative positions at Complex, Essence, Highsnobiety, and Brooks Brothers. More recently, the Flint, Michigan, native revamped Essence magazine’s branding, bringing back the legacy publication’s iconic original logo. And just this year, Stokes ensured that Beyoncé’s creative vision for her history-making Cowboy Carter Tour came to life perfectly. While his work has amplified iconic institutions and some of entertainment’s most beloved figures, Stokes is also continuing to build his own creative spaces through his platform SOUNDSYSTEM. In partnership with executive director Justen Leroy, SOUNDSYSTEM aims to launch innovative exhibitions and public programming to evolve how we engage with sounds — including through events highlighting exciting artists like Samara Joy and Annahstasia. Stokes is an artistic powerhouse and all eyes are on his next steps to bring innovation and energy to the entertainment industry.