ERIK SANZENBACH / L’Observateur / April 29, 2000

LAPLACE – Two years ago Leo Alexander had an idea on how help the youth of St. John the Baptist Parish. Alexander knew a lot of kids were interested in getting into the entertainment industry, but they didn’t have a way in, or as he puts it: “They didn’t know how to be artists.”Alexander also knew these youth had to be taught how to sell themselves, how to have confidence in themselves and how to work hard at what they wanted to achieve.

“If they have dreams,” Alexander said, “it’s never too late to structure those dreams.”So Alexander took art, entertainment and hard work and combined them into a concept called the Platinum Group. Not only was he the driving force behindthe group, but he is also president and CEO.

Located in a small suite of offices on Belle Terre Boulevard, the Platinum Group is sort of a school, a training ground for young people who think they might have the talent or the skill in music, printing, writing, graphics and clothing design.

Downstairs looks just like a regular office with a waiting room, desks, computers, fax and copy machines, but upstairs is where the dreams are located for most of the workers at the Platinum Group. Up the stairs is afully-working recording studio just waiting for the next Snoop Doggy Dogg or Will Smith.

“The studio is the carrot,” said Alexander.

All the young men and women who come through the doors of the Platinum Group want that chance to record and make that big hit that will make them famous.

However, in order to do that, Alexander insists his young charges enroll in his program.

First of all, it takes money to record a CD. Studios charge a lot of money fortheir time and expertise. So first Alexander gets the new people to work forother parts of the Platinum Group. They can go out and get customers fortheir printing and copying company. Or, they can become journalists for thePlatinum Group’s magazine, Evolution, or they can help out in designing and selling the groups new line of clothing called PG-13.

All of these jobs helps them raise money to spend on studio time.

Vice president of the Platinum Group, William Baker, said, “We even had a couple of guys who went out and started their own car-detailing business to pay for studio time.”All of this helps the young men and women learn about business and life, according to Alexander.

“This is a three-month program,” said Alexander, “We teach them how to talk to people, how to present themselves. We show them productdevelopment, resumes, a sense of purpose.”Baker said the Platinum Group is more than just a company.

“This is a mentoring program through arts and entertainment,” Baker said.

“It allows us to give these guys jobs, and through these jobs these guys have to learn to sell themselves.””Yes,” agreed Alexander. “Everything stems from the mentoring program.”Baker said, “Our main objective is not looking to make money, but trying to make this concept self-sufficient.”At the moment, a trio of young men called Platinum Boys Inc., or PBI, arerehearsing in the studio. They have been working under Alexander and studiochief Desmond Barnes for the past five months. The group consists of Corey”Military” Labiche, Trohuan “Gemini” Johnson and Jeff “Ice” Warner.

“When we first came through the door,” said Labiche, “We really didn’t know what we wanted. Now we want to evolve with Platinum and help get other kidsoff the street.”PBI has been working with the printing aspect of the Platinum Group, and it has paid off as they are able to get some recording time and they hope they can get a contract sometime.

They have already had a concert at Kenny’s Key West in Metairie, and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation has agreed to let the group participate in a concert at Xavier University during Jazz Fest. Alexander saidhis Evolution reporters have been allowed free access to the New Orleans Fair Grounds to cover Jazz Fest.

What everybody in the Platinum Group agrees on is they are a family.

“It is a family-type atmosphere,” said Warner. “We open and close all ourmeetings with prayers, and we treat each other like a brother.”The family attitude is what attracted Rotajuana Cheffen, the chief engineer in the studio. A self-taught recording engineer, Cheffen said, “This place isstrong with a family feeling.””This is more than a record label,” agreed Barnes. “This is like a family. A lotof these kids have parents that just don’t give a damn, and we are here to take up the slack.”Alexander added, “We want to attract the parents, too. We want them toget involved.”The word about the Platinum Group is getting out into the parish. More andmore youth are being attracted to its weekly meetings.

“Every time we have a meeting,” said Labiche, “there are more and more people walking in.””We have more people than we have time in the day,” agreed Barnes.

A new arrival, Clinton Perrilloux, said he started attending the meetings several weeks ago.

“I was drawn here because of the good words I heard about them on the street,” said Perrilloux. “I want to help Platinum as much as I can, and maybemake some money as a rapper.”Baker said the company is outgrowing the present location on Belle Terre Boulevard and will move into bigger offices in Kenner. PBI will be releasing asingle in the near future, and there are negotiations for a soundtrack to a movie.

“There is a lot of untapped talent in St. John Parish,” said Barnes.The guys at Platinum are hard workers, sometimes putting in 10 to 12 hour days working on the printing business, then putting in more hours in the recording studio at night. But it all seems to be paying off for them.Barnes said, “As these kids grow as people, their talent seems to grow as well. It’s a real organic process.”As Trohnuan “Gemini” Johnson said, “We push positivity here. Withoutpositive meaning, nothing will happen.”

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