Creating Culture, One Story at a Time.
Magazine in Print or Digital
ABOUT
Founded by artist and filmmaker Leslie Cunningham, TRIBES is a boutique entertainment and digital media company rooted in filmmaking, publishing, marketing, and live cultural experiences. Creators of the award-winning TRIBES magazine, our work is driven by a singular mission: to spark dialogue, preserve cultural memory, and inspire meaningful change. From award-winning publications and documentaries to grassroots campaigns and immersive programming, TRIBES operates where creativity, culture, and purpose converge.
Our flagship multimedia project,The Harlem in Havana Project—recipient of theDancinema Uncovering History Award—revives the untold story of a groundbreaking Black and Cuban touring revue that reshaped American entertainment. It exemplifies our commitment to re-centering the narratives that history too often overlooks.
What We Do
- TRIBES Films – documentaries that center marginalized voices and ignite cultural conversation.
- TRIBES Magazines – publications celebrating independent black and brown art, music, and style.
- TRIBES Books preserving culture, amplify voices, and document legacy.
- TRIBES TV– spotlighting indie creators and cultural changemakers.
- TRIBES Entertainment Blog
- TRIBES Creative– designed to move audiences and ideas forward.
- TRIBES Radio (Legacy)
Our original platform for underground music and spoken word—laying the foundation for our independent spirit.
At TRIBES, we believestory is power—the power to heal, to build, and to transform. We use that power to move culture forward—one voice, one story at a time.
Film
TRIBES Stories
- New Book: Steel Town: Reliving a Black Punk Summer in 1982Summer of ’82. I left Prince George’s County with a sketchbook in my hand and a beat in my chest, chasing freedom in a steel city I didn’t yet understand. Pittsburgh was smoke and echoes, punks and prophets, shadows and sparks—and…Read more New Book: Steel Town: Reliving a Black Punk Summer in 1982
- BLACK EXCELLENCE TAKES CENTER STAGE“JIG SHOW | Leon Claxton’s Harlem in Havana” a documentary film by Leslie Cunningham Now Streaming on YouTube. A Dazzling Docuseries Unearths the Forgotten Story of a Revolutionary Black & Cuban Revue That Paved the Way for Today’s Icons WATCH. SHARE.…Read more BLACK EXCELLENCE TAKES CENTER STAGE
- The Flavor of Filmmaking: Black Southern FilmmakersFrom Theta Chapter of Gamma Xi Phi – Theta Chapter of Gamma Xi Phi, the fraternity for artists, presents a virtual panel discussion featuring three North Carolina-based filmmakers. The event highlights panelists Leslie Cunningham, Rukiya Shanteel, and Kimberly Knight, who discussed both the art…Read more The Flavor of Filmmaking: Black Southern Filmmakers
- New TRIBES Podcast -Listen now!Hosted by Leslie Cunningham, artist and publisher of TRIBES magazine, this podcast series features inspiring interviews and compelling stories wrapped around songs and spoken word poetry created by the pioneers on the frontline of urban music, arts and culture. Some…Read more New TRIBES Podcast -Listen now!
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