Who Is Ngu Asongwed?

I am a NEWARK based video editor & graphic designer but I often refer to myself as a "Swiss Army Creative". In my time working in the creative fields I have played many different roles from artist to producer.

My journey began with the development of Submerged, a Newark based venue & art gallery. After a year of developing the space I moved to California to write for the skateboarding magazine “Power Edge”. I spent 6 months interviewing skateboarders, creating product reviews & assisting out Editor in Chief.

After what was supposed to be a brief trip home I was given the opportunity to develop a skate shop & brand based in Newark N.J.

We opened “The Kanek“ April of 2012. We specialized in carrying small brands, collaborating with artists and producing children’s skateboarding events with The City Of Newark. It was a great time where I learned what it took to run a business with very little.

After my time with The Kanek, I became the director of “The Life Lab” an artist incubator & event space. This was one of the most important times of my life. In that time I used everything I learned at the previous projects to create something truly special in my city. The Life Lab became a local staple in the underground Art & Rap scene at the time

We also were an early home for the growing Jersey Club movement. The Life Lab was featured in Noisey, The Fader & Resident Advisor, we also honored to host Newark’s first BOILER ROOM. After the closing of The Life Lab, I decided to focus more on creating art and producing events around the work. Under my artist moniker 6IXTY7EVEN, I began to create art speaking on the Black American experience.

In 2018 I had the opportunity to produce an event featuring my video piece, “City On Fire”, A short film in the form of a “skate video” about race in America through the lens of Newark’s 1967 Riots, for The Newark Museum. The video & event were accompanied by a limited apparel release and a hand made zine expanding on the themes of the video.

During this time, I continued throwing events with my frequent collaborator, Producer & DJ UNIIQU3, under our touring party brand PBNJ. PBNJ stands for “Philly, Baltimore, & New Jersey” places which are all homes of dance music on the East Coast. The party toured monthly between the 3 states featuring DJ’s & performers from across the region. During our last season, we produced the closing party for Afro Punk’s 2019 festival as well as Newarks 2nd Boiler Room.

The last 10 years has been a crash course on what it takes to create a movement with limited staff & budget. I had to find creative ways to solve problems, that often entailed with me wearing multiple hats. Having to handle so many tasks, I had to learn new sets of skills. Between video editing, graphic design, marketing, curating & event planning ,everyday was an adventure.

Now I am ready for the next stage of my professional career. My goal is to work with a firm to create dynamic video & graphics for clients, then transition in to an art direction role.