ABOUT THE FOUNDER.
Lauran A. Smith was born in Memphis, TN to Rev. Dr. & the late Mrs. Ozzie E. Smith, Jr. She is no stranger to digital spaces, and has operated as a Digital Director, Content & Digital Campaign Manager, as well as a Social Media Specialist since the year 2012. She launched Elle's Digital Agency - A Digital Marketing Agency - as a means of support in digital spaces for the busy professional. Her laundry list of clientele consists of businesses such as hair salons, restaurants, event decor brands, celebrity clothiers, NBA & NFL players, micro & macro influencers, and often times submitting original articles for entities such as The Chicago Defender, JET Magazine, and EventNoire.
Chicago BLACK Restaurant Week, founded in September 2015 by Lauran was designed as a way to celebrate food/beverage/dessert businesses in the Black community. As a result of her work with Chicago BLACK Restaurant Week, she has been seen on WGN-Tv, Windy City Live, Fox News Chicago, & ABC 7’s “Chicago Proud”, has been heard on WVON, WBEZ, Urban Broadcast Media, The Sip Chicago, 102.3FM & 106.3FM. She has also been featured in Rolling Out Magazine, The Chicago Tribune, The Chicago SunTimes, Block Club Chi, TravelNoire, Time Out Chicago, Medill Reports Chicago, NPR (National Public Radio), Huffington Post “Black Voices”, and the Chicago Defender.
