Best Events in NYC this Week and Beyond (4.15.26)

Did someone forward you this? Join 19,400 professionals & subscribe here!

🗓️ Weekly Rundown

1. Welcome + Join us at the LEVELUP in NYC Live Podcast Mixer tomorrow, Thurs. April 16th with some very special guests!

2. The LEVELUP List of Upcoming Events in NYC

3. Meet our LEVELUP in NYC Live Podcast Speakers

4. Meet our LEVELUP in NYC Live Performers

5. LEVELUP Links - Training and Funding Opportunities

Join us at our LEVELUP in NYC Live Podcast Mixer tomorrow, Thursday, April 16th!

Hey LEVELUP in NYC Family 🚀,

Welcome to the 900 new subscribers who subscribed to the newsletter this past week—we’re excited to have you here. Reminder: our next LEVELUP in NYC Live Podcast Mixer is happening tomorrow, Thursday, April 16th in Times Square from 5 to 10 pm, and this is one you don’t want to miss. LEVELUP in NYC Presents Story to Scale — How to LEVEL UP Your Brand Through Storytelling will feature powerhouse voices like Charles Beloved Kuykendoll, founder of Charles Beloved Productions and the nationally touring Oxtail Off; Kareem Edwards, Chick-fil-A franchise owner and business advisor; and Rashan Brown, founder of poetry, me, please—a platform turned cultural movement centered on storytelling and community.

Aligned with the theme of storytelling, the event will include a live podcast conversation, a special live performance by acclaimed Poet and Filmmaker Conscious Sheesh, and a live speed painting by Artist Danielle Bowman. This will be followed by a curated networking mixer hosted by our partners, Reforum Consulting. We can’t wait to see you all tomorrow! Grab your ticket (use Promo code LEVELUP20 for 20% off gen admission for a limited time). Please note that food and drinks will be available for purchase. We also need a few more volunteers to help with the flow of the event. Intersted in volunteering? Simply reply to this email to let us know you are interested and we can follow up. Now let’s get into the best events happening across NYC this week and beyond 🚀

Let’s LEVELUP Together,

-The LEVELUP in NYC Team

P.S. Want to advertise your event, business, or job opportunity to 120,000+ ambitious professionals across our newsletter & social media? Fill out our short partnership/sponsorship request form here and we’ll follow up with you.

🔝 The Insider’s List - Upcoming NYC Events! 

#1 Sponsored Event

[4/16] If the Vibe is Right Hip Hop & R&B Comedy Game Night (Bogart House)

If the vibe is right, anything can happen—If The Vibe Is Right brings a high-energy night to Bogart House from 6:30 to 9 pm featuring hosted games, live comedy from Chanel Ali, and feel-good Hip Hop + R&B designed to spark real connections. Guests rotate through interactive game rounds to meet new people effortlessly and leave with meaningful connections.

2. [4/15] Earners Learn Curriculum - Hosted by Earn Your Leisure and Angie Martinez  (Brooklyn Bank)

3. [4/16] The LEVELUP in NYC Live Podcast Mixer (Palma Verde)

4. [4/17] Out of Office Connect Summit (NY Marriott Marquis)

5. [4/17] NYBlackMBA Spring Mixer (NoFlex)

6. [4/17] Tech N Turnt + NSBE Presents Putts & Vibes (Puttery)

7. [4/18] Podcast to Cash Tour

8. [4/18] Essence Magazine Presents The Road to Essence New York Featuring Bevy Smith and Candice Bassett (Love’s Club)

9. [4/25] The Black Man Can Awards (Peter Jay Sharpe Theater)

10. [5/14] Wall Street Alphas Present SIP 2026: Spring Reserve-Honoring the Craft of Excellence (Alvin Ailey Studios)

That’s not all. We have 80+ more events on the full event guide! Click below for more!

 Submit your event to us for FREE! Want to see your event listed in the Top 10 events or featured as an advertisement? Explore our advertising and sponsorship options to amplify your brand with us.

Meet our Podcast Speakers for the LEVELUP in NYC Live Podcast Mixer Experience on Thurs., April 16th

Charles “Beloved” Kuykendoll is a cultural curator and founder of Charles Beloved Productions and founder of the nationally touring Oxtail Off. As seen on OWN TV’s Black Love and host of premier events like the Tyrese vs Tank Verzuz, he creates experiences that bring people together through music, food, and community—turning culture into movement.

Kareem Edwards is a NYC native, entrepreneur, and Chick-fil-A franchise Owner/Operator in the Chicagoland area. A business advisor, husband, and father, he’s known for his leadership, discipline, and commitment to building high-performing teams while empowering others to grow and scale with purpose.

Rashan Brown is the founder of poetry, me, please, a platform that has grown into a cultural movement celebrating storytelling and creative expression. He has built a thriving community through live experiences that center vulnerability, connection, and the power of sharing your story.

Meet our Live Performers for the LEVELUP in NYC Live Podcast Mixer on Thurs., April 16th

Poet and Filmmaker Conscious Sheesh will set the tone of the night as the live poet and creative storyteller, delivering a powerful performance that blends storytelling, culture, spirituality, and lived experience into an immersive audience moment.

DJ Capital Jay will curate the energy of the mixer as the official DJ, transforming the room with a genre-blending soundtrack that keeps the vibe elevated all night.

Acclaimed Artist Danielle Bowman will bring the event to life as the live speed painter, creating stunning, real-time artwork that captures the spirit and energy of the experience in front of the audience.

Check out the Podcast to Cash Tour this Saturday, April 18th!

Most people are working harder every year… but still not building wealth.

Here’s why: It’s not effort — it’s lack of strategy, structure, and leverage.

The Podcast to Cash Tour taking place in NYC on April 18th breaks down how to actually turn your ideas, content, and brand into scalable assets.

What you’ll learn:
• How to use media as a growth tool
• How to assess and manage income risk
• The difference between smart vs. dangerous leverage
• How to structure growth for capital acceleration
• Why asset ownership > chasing income
• How to go from idea → asset with clarity

This is the difference between: a business owner… and an asset builder.

👉 Grab your ticket here

Out of Office Connect Summit on Friday, April 17th

The OOO Connect Summit is taking place in New York City on April 16 and 17, a strategy and culture forward experience for professionals, founders, and creators built around connection, execution, and opportunity.

The experience includes a VIP Welcome Mixer on Thursday, April 16 at the LinkedIn Office at the Empire State Building, a full day of summit programming on Friday, April 17 at the NYC Marriott Marquis in Times Square, and the Official Afterparty that night at HK Hall, sponsored by Spotify with a live performance by Jadakiss.

Featured speakers include X Eyee, AI expert and CEO of Malo Santo, and Richelieu Dennis, Founder and Chair of Essence Ventures and The Sundial Group of Companies.

Sessions will cover AI, creator monetization, investor access, and building companies the market will buy. Attendees can also enjoy complimentary headshots, LinkedIn brand and resume reviews, and AI matchmaking.

Free GA tickets are available for a limited time, and paid VIP options are also available.

Check out the full run of show and RSVP here

Watch Episode 2 of the LEVELUP in NYC Podcast and Subscribe to our Youtube Channel 🎥

Watch our latest podcast below on Youtube and be sure to subscribe to our channel for updates on new shows. In this episode we interviewed Podcast Monetization Expert Brendan Boyd for an in-studio episode titled How to Level Up Your Life, Career & Business Through Media & Podcasting. Brendan will also be in attendance at our Live Podcast Mixer on Thursday so you can connect with him in person!

This billionaire strategy beat the S&P 500 by 3.1x from 2017-2025. Here's how to get in.

That’s not by picking the right stock or timing the market. It’s by holding three real asset classes in one strategy.

It’s anchored by an investment typically exclusive to billionaires.

Could be good timing too–

Bloomberg's Marcus Ashworth recently wrote, there’s "no more reliable safe havens."

The S&P, while hovering over 5 year highs, fell over 7% from the February peak. Bonds might carry less risk but they are barely keeping pace with inflation.

The things supposed to protect your portfolio started moving together.

Meanwhile, the world's wealthiest have been setting records in postwar and contemporary art.

After the dot-com bust, it grew roughly 24% annually for a decade. After 2008, roughly 11% annually for 12 years.

It trades globally in multiple currencies, has scarce supply, and has shown near-zero correlation to equities since 1995.*

Masterworks has helped 70,000+ investors allocate $1.3B fractionally across 500+ artworks featuring Banksy, Basquiat, and Picasso.

See if you can improve your portfolio performance in one diversified strategy.

Our subscribers skip the waitlist

^{*According to Masterworks data. Investing involves risk. Past performance is not indicative of future returns. Important Reg A disclosures: masterworks.com/cd}

How We Can Help You:

• 🖇️ Become a LEVELUP in NYC Paid Supporter: Join as a Paid Supporter to support our work and access premium benefits.

• 🚀 Advertise your event or business in this newsletter: Get your brand, event, product or service in front of thousands of ambitious professionals.

• 📸 Book us to Photograph Your Event - We’ll provide your members with a specialized photo gallery and post-event article featured on our website. We don’t just photograph your event. We amplify it to an audience of thousands in the newsletter and across all our social channels