In I Am Young Detroit’s third IAYD.tv Webisode we chat with 38-year-old Hajj Flemings, Personal Branding Strategist & Founder of Brand Camp University as he drops some knowledge on why personal branding is important for young Detroiters.

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You’re smart, you’re talented, you’ve got new ideas.

In New York, you’re a sparrow. In Detroit, you’re a prized canary. This is Mecca for you, Mr. or Ms. Would-be Transplant, if you’ve got the brains and hustle to outwork and out-think the demoralized survivors of decades of renaissances that haven’t taken root.

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Name: Christopher J. Krupa, 23 (left) and  Joe Holcomb, 25 (right)
Hood: Brush Park/Midtown
Occupation: Recent Wayne State University graduate (dual degree in Business Management and Slavic Studies with a concentration in Polish). Currently applying to medical school.

See more of Chris’ digs…

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Yesterday, The New York Times published a lengthy piece asking Why are so many people in their 20s taking so long to grow up? Here’s an excerpt:

The traditional cycle seems to have gone off course, as young people remain un­tethered to romantic partners or to permanent homes, going back to school for lack of better options, traveling, avoiding commitments, competing ferociously for unpaid internships or temporary (and often grueling) Teach for America jobs, forestalling the beginning of adult life.

We asked IAYD readers what they thought…

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On August 28, 2010, Actor and Director Ted Raimi returns home to Detroit to screen his web series, PLAYING DEAD at the Detroit Film Theatre of the Detroit Institute of Arts. This dark comedy, written by and starring Suzanne Keilly, is about a down on her luck actress that takes a part time job as Death to pay the bills. Hosted by WDET 101.9 FM’s Ann Delisi, the live performance event includes creative independent rock performances from Detroit artists Troy Gregory and Lightening Love, Q & A with Raimi and Keilly, and features the work of Detroit visual artist SLAW. All proceeds from the event benefit the Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit.

Tweet this post (mention @iamyoungdetroit), or leave a blog comment below by Monday, August 23rd at midnight to enter! Four randomly selected winners will be chosen and notified by Tuesday, August 24th. Read more »

You know the feeling you get on your first day of school, or the first day of moving into a new place? You’re excited and eager to begin the next phase of your life. Everything is new to you, from the paint to the furniture and sometimes the location. That feeling was ever-present yesterday as Downtown Detroit welcomed Quicken Loans, Inc. to the Compuware building. I Am Young Detroit was invited down to take in the Day 1 experience.

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With all of the noteworthy conferences coming to the D, figuring out who’s who and what’s what has become quite the challenge. Not to mention we haven’t posted any cool lists in a while. Here’s our solution to both: “Three Must-Attend Conferences Coming to Detroit”: a brief lowdown on the most talked about events happening over the next few months. But which one must YOU attend? Continue reading to find out!

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Real Detroit Weekly has chosen their favorite Detroit blogs. Amongst them are yours truly and our very own IAYD.tv host and sometimes photographer Mike Han, creator of Street Culture Mash! Also featured are our friends at Free Is My Life and Detroit Girls About Town. Read what they had to say about these and more after the break…

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“Innovation Nation” – Detroit sits poised on the brink of economic collapse–and on the cusp of a post-industrial renaissance. Artists and iconoclasts are moving to this city in droves, purchasing foreclosed properties and relying on solar energy and other alternative solutions to pursue lives and careers outside the margins of mainstream society. Officials are looking to reinvent blighted segments of the city as urban farms. Detroit is dead–long live Detroit. Continue reading on Entrepreneur.com.

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MTV and ZYNC from American Express(SM) recently joined forces to provide an unparalleled opportunity for one social media enthusiast to move to New York City and work for MTV in their “Follow Me: The Search for the First MTV TJ” competition. The winner, announced on last night’s finale is one of Detroit’s own!

Gabi Gregg, 24, is the creator of the groundbreaking plus-size fashion blog Young, Fat and Fabulous and just landed herself a $100k job as MTV’s first ever “Twitter Jockey”. Congrats Gabi! Watch as she takes MTV viewers on a tour of her Detroit hometown after the jump…

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You’ve heard a lot this year about who should run Detroit Public Schools. What’s been missing in that debate is the voice of students — the people who actually sit in the classrooms. Unfortunately, ignoring people on the ground floor is the MO of most shot-callers and politicians.

That’s why an unpublicized meeting in Detroit Mayor Dave Bing’s office Wednesday afternoon was nothing short of remarkable. The man with thousands of developers, politicians and community activists pulling his coat sat down with more than 20 Detroit teenagers for two hours and simply listened.

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