When TIME Magazine released its first-ever TIME100 AI list — recognizing the 100 most influential people in artificial intelligence — something remarkable stood out. Ten of those 100 people were Black. And nine of those ten were women. That's not just a statistic. That's a statement about who is doing the most important work in AI right now, even as the mainstream narrative keeps pointing elsewhere.

At Encoded Noire, we believe the future of AI for our communities depends on knowing who's already in that room. So here's what you need to know about these ten trailblazers — and why their work is directly relevant to every Black and brown business owner, artist, and entrepreneur reading this.

The Ten Pioneers You Should Know

Why This Matters to You Right Now

Here's the honest truth: Black and brown professionals make up only about 10% of AI specialists in the United States. That means the technology being built to automate marketing, analyze customers, and generate content is largely being built without our voices, our faces, or our communities in mind.

The good news? That's changing. And it's changing faster than most people realize — driven by the kind of people on this list. But their work only matters if we show up to use these tools, build with them, and demand that AI serves our communities instead of erasing them.

At Encoded Noire, that's exactly what we're doing. We use AI tools every day to build content, create brand ambassadors, and tell stories that would have been impossible five years ago. Taylor — our AI influencer — was built because we believed people of color deserved AI that represented them. Niecy Speaks exists because we believe AI should amplify Black voices, not replace them.

The pioneers on TIME's list are laying the foundation. We're building on it. And if you're a Black or brown business owner who hasn't started using AI in your marketing yet — this is your sign. The table has been set by people who look like us. Let's sit down.

Encoded Noire is a creative agency built for people of color — combining film, photography, AI content, and marketing strategy. Based in Acadiana, Louisiana. Let's talk about what we can build for you.

I started Vues de Culture without knowing what I was doing. Not creatively. Creatively, I knew exactly what I was doing. I have been making photographs and telling stories in South Louisiana for years. What I did not know was nonprofit law, governance, what a board actually controls, why 501(c)(3) is not the first thing you do, or why the passion that starts a thing is not enough to protect it.

I have built businesses. Encoded Noire runs. My photography work runs. Every one of them is profitable, and I know how to operate them. None of that knowledge transferred to Vues. Not directly. The nonprofit world has its own code, and I walked into it thinking what I knew was enough.

I Started It the Wrong Way

Vues de Culture documents and preserves Black Louisiana stories through film, photography, and cultural programming. That lane is ours. No other organization in Louisiana is doing Black cultural preservation through documentary film with the editorial identity we have. Not one. We co-directed and produced Built on Zydeco, a feature documentary that won a $25,000 Create Louisiana Film Grant from the New Orleans Film Society and TV5MONDE, and premiered at the Prytania Theatre on March 20, 2026. That film is real. The organization behind it is real.

What was not yet solid when I started was the infrastructure underneath it. The bylaws. The governance structure. The tax status. The meeting protocols. The question of who legally controls the organization. Those things have to be built with the same intention you bring to the creative work, and I underestimated how much that required.

I am not 501(c)(3) yet. Not because I couldn't file — because I made the decision to do it right instead of fast. Robert Chevalier is an attorney, a former assistant district attorney, and he sits on my board. He is also drafting our bylaws. He is the reason I know the difference between doing this right and doing this fast.

You Don't Own the Thing You Build

This is the one that stops people cold. You pour your time, your money, your relationships, your name into a nonprofit — and the law says it doesn't belong to you. A nonprofit belongs to the public. Functionally, it belongs to the board. Your board can vote on the mission. Your board can vote on leadership. You can build something from nothing and still lose it.

I knew this on paper. I did not feel it until Robert walked me through what it actually meant for my role. He was not gentle about it. He laid it out the way a former prosecutor lays things out — clearly, without softening the parts that are uncomfortable. I needed that. The conversation took time to land. And then it changed how I think about every decision we make.

The Board I Don't Deserve

This is the honest part. I got lucky — not randomly, but because I spent years in this community doing real work and building real relationships. Still. What I have is not what most people get.

Robert Chevalier is an attorney whose legal background runs deep. He produced Built on Zydeco and is drafting our bylaws — he is not a ceremonial name on a document. Dustin Cravins co-directed that film with me. He has over 15 years in Louisiana politics and community strategy, and if you know Acadiana, you know what that family has built. Maisha Chargois Drexler carries her mother Je'Nelle's legacy in the African American Heritage Foundation and serves on the LCG Housing Authority board. My wife Dawn is an MSN, APRN, FNP-C running her own healthcare practice. Micaela Simpson rounds out the board and brings her own weight to the table.

None of them said yes to a title. They said yes to the work. They have pulled me back more than once. "Milton, this is not an LLC." I heard it. I needed to hear it. Without them, I would have made fast decisions that would have cost the organization years.

Most people starting nonprofits do not have a Robert. They do not have a Dustin or a Maisha. They have friends who believe in them — which matters — but friends and a functioning board are two different things. This guide exists because the information my board gave me should not be gatekept.

Why Encoded Noire Built This

I came back home to Louisiana after 17 years in Austin because I believe this is where the work needs to be done. Black cultural organizations across Acadiana are running on faith and hustle with no institutional infrastructure. They have the mission and no roadmap. Encoded Noire is a creative agency — brand, marketing, photography, AI strategy — but the reason I built it the way I did is this: I want to use what I know to help organizations like Vues look and run like they mean it. Not just on the outside. Operationally.

The guide covers 501(c)(3) basics, board governance, fiscal sponsorship as an early alternative to incorporation, grant-readiness, budget fundamentals, and the questions you need to ask a lawyer before you file anything. It is not a substitute for legal counsel. Get a lawyer. But read this first so you know what to ask.

Enter your email below. The download is free. The work it represents was not.

Milton Arceneaux is the founder of Encoded Noire — a creative agency built for people of color in Acadiana, Louisiana and beyond. Questions about your nonprofit? Let's talk.

I want to tell you something that most marketing agencies will never say: the most powerful thing you can do for your brand isn't spending money. It's telling the truth.

I built Louisiana Creole Culture's Facebook page to over 77,000 followers. Not a single paid ad. Not one influencer partnership. No viral moment that the algorithm handed us. Just consistent, authentic, culturally grounded content — and a community that was hungry for it because no one else was feeding them.

Here's everything that experience taught me about marketing for Black and brown businesses.

Your Culture Is Your Competitive Advantage

The biggest mistake I see Black and brown business owners make is trying to sound like everyone else. They copy the aesthetic of big brands, use the same stock photos, write the same generic captions. And then they wonder why nobody's engaging.

Here's the truth: your culture, your accent, your community, your history — that is your moat. Nobody can fake authenticity. Nobody can compete with lived experience. When we built Louisiana Creole Culture's page, we weren't trying to appeal to everyone. We were speaking directly to Creole people who had spent their whole lives watching their culture get erased, misrepresented, or absorbed into someone else's narrative. We gave them something real. They responded.

The lesson: Stop trying to market to everyone. Market deeply to your people first. The broader audience will follow.

Consistency Beats Virality Every Time

I've watched pages with a million followers post one viral video and then disappear for three weeks. I've seen businesses spend thousands on a single campaign and get nothing lasting in return. Viral moments are lottery tickets. Consistency is a savings account.

77,000 followers didn't happen overnight. It happened post by post, week by week, for years. We showed up when it was inconvenient. We posted about cultural events that mainstream outlets ignored. We celebrated people our community knew but the algorithm didn't.

The lesson: Build a content rhythm you can sustain. Two posts a week for two years beats ten posts a week for two months.

Community Is the Strategy

Most brands think of social media as a broadcasting platform — a megaphone to push messages out. The most successful pages I've ever seen treat it as a gathering place. Louisiana Creole Culture isn't just a page. It's a community center that happens to exist online.

People share our content because it says something they've felt but couldn't articulate. They tag their family members. They comment with their own stories. They feel seen. That feeling is not something you can buy with an ad budget. It has to be earned through genuine investment in the community you serve.

The lesson: Ask yourself: does your content give your community something — information, pride, recognition, laughter? If the answer is no, it's just noise.

What This Means for Your Business

I'm not telling you paid ads don't work. They do — when you have a clear message, a defined audience, and content worth promoting. But if your content isn't connecting organically, paid promotion will just amplify the disconnection faster.

Before you spend a dollar on ads, ask yourself: am I telling the truth about who I am and who I serve? Am I showing up consistently? Am I building community or just broadcasting?

If you can answer yes to all three — you're ready. And if not, that's exactly the work we do at Encoded Noire. We help you find that truth, build that consistency, and connect with the community that's been waiting for you.

Milton Arceneaux is the founder of Encoded Noire — a creative agency built for people of color in Acadiana, Louisiana and beyond. Ready to build your community? Let's talk.