Born on college campus circa 2011

Born at UIC around 2011, the first iteration of David Salako's vision involved informally linking five different colleges: UIC, DePaul University, Chicago State University, and Columbia College Chicago. Starting with just 17 members, what began as small apartment parties quickly grew into sold-out campus-wide events. At that time, student activities were not meeting their needs; they resembled circus nights with clown face painting, which didn’t resonate with 18- to 22-year-olds. So, David and his team decided to plan and execute more student-focused campus events.

They organized game nights that tackled sensitive topics like sexual health for new students, donation drives for food items, and Chicagoland's first-ever "ShoeBall," sponsored by Footlocker and House of Hoops (now defunct). As their "Commission" progressed, David joined the UIC Student Activity Funding Committee (SAFC), which was established to support on-campus registered student organizations and fund their initiatives within regulatory guidelines. This experience inspired him to explore what other schools were doing and led to the idea of officially linking campuses together like a fraternal organization, creating chapters or channels.

With this structure in place, marketing became easier. They transitioned from throwing house parties to hosting on-campus events with capacities of 400 to 500 people, eventually renting out the largest convention center on campus for events with up to 1,200 attendees from across the city. He also helped UIC establish "Spark In the Park" Inviting artists like J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar to the campus for performances on behalf of the school. However, the influx of money without a clear vision led to division within the organization, and ultimately, it was dissolved. Despite this setback, David kept the dream alive, realizing that by aggregating efforts, they could scale into larger events, from parties to comedy shows and even festivals. He committed himself to learning every aspect of the industry—from promotion and marketing to engineering, production, live streaming, and talent development—and he never looked back.

In 2017, David tried a new iteration of his vision. He leased an office space downtown, recruited interns from Chicagoland schools, and held informational sessions at UIC, Columbia College, IIT, and DePaul. This time, the focus shifted more toward the art and creation process. Students had 24-hour access to the office to edit content and create freely. This led to significant collaborations, including Big Jazz Band recordings at the Historic Lyric Opera House, partnerships with Chance the Rapper and the Field Museum for "Nights at the Museum," as well as additional collaborations with Chris Brown and WGCI, one of Chicagoland's leading radio stations at the time, and talent like Blair Christian, a longtime MTV and Wild 'N Out performer.

They offered drone piloting and audio and camera development workshops, which enabled them to cover local clubs like Crushers Club, a community organization led by Sally Hazelgrove that sponsored a boxing club on Chicago's South Side to keep youth off the streets. However, her donation-based model proved unsustainable. This prompted David to seek ways to advocate for syndication and sponsorship, which could help sustain the model and continue providing jobs and opportunities.

He also assisted Pastor Pervis Thomas with the "Battle of the Blocks Peace Tournament," a local initiative designed to encourage gang members to abandon violence and compete for bragging rights. This one-week tournament showed a measurable decrease in violence during that time. Connecting the dots, David realized the vision was becoming clearer: creating alternative programming that local communities support for their own sake and aligning with businesses that share their mission for advertising purposes.

Unfortunately, David began to feel overwhelmed managing production, events, interns, the office, and the business all at once. Once again, the organization dissolved, but he vowed not to give up. During this break, he conducted extensive research and discovered a Telehealth marketing platform that connected medical companies directly to patients when they needed it most, right at their doctor's office. This innovative system changed his perspective on marketing; he realized that when people need something, they are more willing to watch advertisements. This platform generated nearly $4 billion in revenue within its first couple of years, further legitimizing his idea of building a closed marketing platform tailored to events and students. Advances in AI and software also made his vision more comprehensive and achievable.

Now here they are in 2024. After years of touring experience, producing national tours, and international festivals, David has learned that overcoming communication barriers and effectively disseminating information is the most vital skill for a prudent leader. With this knowledge, he has decided to initiate the vision one more time, this time documenting every part of the process and delivering Torchlight Creative Group.