Events Production

Sitting behind prison bars, he began to realize that he needed to change from thinking he was only a thug to believing he was smart enough to start legitimate businesses.

CHILDHOOD

Robbie Long (RL) grew up between North Philly and New Castle, Delaware, always ‘hustling.’

“I joke and tell people I’ve been an entrepreneur since the blizzard of ’96,” he said. “I was allowed to go outside and shovel snow.” Even then, it felt like freedom to make money for himself and his family and be of service to his neighbors. 

As he grew older, RL started selling clothes, hats, watches, and anything else he could move. He was captain of his high school basketball team, was well liked and seemed to know everyone. 

EDUCATION PLAN

RL planned to go to college after graduating from high school, to study computer science. But his mother was struggling financially. She lost her house and RL worked to support her. He held 9-5 jobs but also started selling drugs.

LIFE LEADING TO PRISON

RL’s first venture outside the law involved his sales of ‘weed.’ He was arrested several times for minor charges, sometimes only spending a night or two in jail. Eventually he ‘progressed’ (Editor – not ‘progres’s in the usual, positive sense of that word) to dealing cocaine, which led to probation and finally his 16-month prison sentence for probation violations and drug dealing.

FROM PRISONER TO START-UP BUSINESS OWNER MENTALITY

His first thoughts after being locked up were, “How the hell did I get here?” Then he realized he was in a cell because of the person he had been pretending to be. “That I’m a gangster, that I’m a thug, that I’m tough, that I’m that dude.”

After a few months in prison, FL started thinking about who he really was and who he could be. He started reading the Wall Street Journal (a daily newspaper which focuses on the world of business) and aspired to be like the people featured on its pages. He knew – since his neighborhood snow shoveling days – that he was an entrepreneur at heart, filled with hustle and ideas. He was smart, too – others in prison relied on his help with their paperwork and he was doing well in the business classes offered in prison. 

So, RL started telling himself a different story. “That was a pivotal place in my life – when I stopped telling myself that I was a gangster and started telling myself I’m smart,” he said. “I stopped telling myself I was a thug and started telling myself I’m an entrepreneur – I can start a business and make it successful.”

CHALLENGE – SOCIETY’S FEAR OF EX-PRISONERS

After RL completed his prison term, his reentry into free society was initially difficult. Although Philadelphia law banned employers from asking about an applicant’s criminal record (which an employer could find if they took the time to look, aided by a skilled investigator), it was hard for RL to land a job. 

“There were a lot of jobs where I made it all the way to the point when they would say they would need to do a background check – that’s when I said to myself ‘Damn, I’m not going to get this job.” 

STUDYING CAREER POSSIBILITIES TO FIND THE RIGHT ONE FOR YOU

RL eventually found work with catering companies, where cash tips went a long way. He was gaining experience in ‘hospitality’ and watching how large events came together.

Many of RL’s friends were artists and musicians, so he offered to plan their events for them, tapping back into his entrepreneurial instincts. 

RL had a travel blog at the time, named Live24HRS, inspired by the places he read about while he was in prison. He got his passport just a few months after being released and saved up for trips to such places as Colorado and Puerto Rico. When people commented on his pictures, he’d often give the same response: “I’m trying to live more.”

His response became the name of his events business, using the same name as his blog. As RL notes, business has taken off. “It was a tough experience, but I gave it my all, and I always knew that I could do it… that confidence pulled me through.”

Live24HRS has hosted more than 100 events for different artists and organizations, including fundraisers for Philadelphia’s recently (2023) elected Mayor, Cherelle Parker’s campaign. But equally important to RL are the events he’s organized for the purpose of building community. 

His Dream Space series is designed for self-care and manifestation, based off his experiences dreaming of his future while he was incarcerated. Live24HRS uses multimedia art, spoken word and music to inspire dreaming, and distributes free self-care resources to attendees. 

“I feel like everybody deserves a space to experience the good things in life. To have space to reflect, building community, and live more,” he said.

RL also hosts The Circuit, events that bring together entrepreneurs from different sectors so they can network and learn how to effectively run a business. 

His most popular event series is Buds and Bubbly, a networking mixer for professionals and enthusiasts in the cannabis industry to connect and destigmatize the substance. 

‘EDUCATION’ MOVES FROM A PLAN TO REALITY

At age 33, RL enrolled in business school, earning his degree from Temple University four years later, while operating his business full-time during his last two years of college.

CAREER SATISFACTION

RL plans to keep growing Live24HRS and the different communities it supports. He can’t leave his past behind him, so he said he hopes to use his experiences to help people coming from a similar background and experiencing reentry into free society. 

“I live in North Philly. So, when I walk outside, I see people who act and think in a way that I used to think. And I feel like I have a duty to continue to create spaces to let people see more and live more and really take a moment to redefine their story,” he said.

“There are people who know me as Robbie Long and there’s people who know me from the past. My story isn’t a celebration yet, because there’s so many people who are still suffering from the effects of the system and not having things in place to help them.”

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This career story was based on a news article written by Nate File, published by the Philadelphia Inquirer on August 4, 2024, plus internet research.