Dream Drivers...here's something to think about. You have an amazing talent and/or dream, but can you monetize it? Can you sell it? How do you turn your creativity into a business? This week's guest Gina Charbonnet - an entertainment and event production veteran shares her story turning her love for art and media into a career helping to create events that inspire worldwide. Gina is the founder of GeChar-  a premier resource in multi-media production specializing in empowering cultural content and programming. Charbonnet’s professional achievement is marked by a longstanding relationship with the Essence Festival, where Gina and GeChar serve as the Executive Producer of the festival’s Empowerment Programming since 2003. Gina's expertise has been tapped for major events and organizations such as Essence, Black Girls Rock!, NAACP, National Democratic Committee, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, BET, and Converse, and more. Some of the things we discuss on this episode:- Growing up In New Orleans - Art's influence on Gina's life - Why dropping out of college turned out to be a critical blessing in Gina's life - Steps to take to turn your creativity into a business - The importance of nurturing yourself - The how-to's of monetizing your creativity - How Gina stumbled into the events industry - Tips for producing a successful event... and more Join on the conversation on social (@dreamsindrive) and make sure to use the hashtag #dreamsindrive. Enjoy! SHOW NOTES: http://www.dreamsindrive.com/gina-charbonnet BOOKSTORE: http://www.dreamsindrive.com/bookstore SHOP DREAMS IN DRIVE MERCHANDISE: http://www.dreamsindrive.com/shop SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER - THE KEYS: http://www.dreamsindrive.com/join  JOIN THE #DREAMSINDRIVE FACEBOOK GROUP: http://www.dreamsindrive.com/facebook EPISODE PARTNER:DKMS is an international nonprofit that has been helping people who are battling blood cancers and blood disorders all over the world. DKMS registers bone marrow donors and have registered OVER 8 million potential donors and facilitated over 70,000 bone marrow donations for patients in need. Learn more about DKMS and how you can help them save more lives today by texting DKMS to 50555 or visit dkms.org. FIND GINA CHARBONNET ONLINE:Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/g.therese_ Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/gecharpresentsWeb: http://www.gechar.com FIND RANA ON SOCIAL: Instagram: http://instagram.com/rainshineluv Twitter: http://twitter.com/rainshineluv FIND DREAMS IN DRIVE ON:Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/dreamsindrive Twitter: http://twitter.com/dreamsindrive Web: http://www.dreamsindrive.com