Angela Wagner, Esq. is an Entertainment Attorney, Owner of Sunshine Consulting Firm LLC, and this week’s #PeopleOfWilmDE. Read her story below.
“I moved from Charlotte, North Carolina to Wilmington for love. I met my partner, Brad Owens, in law school, and upon graduation, he moved home to Delaware. I made the move 6 months later. 6 years later I’m blessed to have an expansive and diverse network, resources, and friends.
Three fun facts about me:
1. I have a black belt in American Kenpo Karate.
2. I identify as a creative and enjoy drawing, painting, and styling spaces.
3. I have 15+ years of experience in the hospitality industry and plan to open another restaurant within the next 5 years.
My ideal night out in Wilmington? I love sitting at the bar at Bardea – starting the night off with a handcrafted seasonal cocktail, an order of goddess fries, and the upside pizza. If I can catch live music or an art show somewhere, I will support local creatives. During warmer months, I love walking the Brandywine trails on Saturday morning with my dog, Bowie.
I have a few favorite events in Wilmington: First, I’ve been a member of the executive planning committee for The Mill Summit for a few years now. We intentionally curate a lineup of dynamic speakers and topics. If you’re a young professional looking for networking and growth opportunities, buy a ticket for the 2023 Mill Summit! Second, I’m a huge fan of live music so I’ll group the next events into one category: The Clifford Brown Jazz Festival, Jimmie Allen’s Bettie James Festival, and Firefly. Lastly, this year a friend and client, Jet Phynx, held his first ever film festival in partnership with the Delaware Art Museum: Jet Phynx Presents the Dirty Popcorn Black Film Festival. We honored local, melanated filmmakers and their stories. We’re looking forward to the film festival’s return next year.
Although my industry (entertainment) doesn’t have a large presence here (yet), I continue to stay in Wilmington for several reasons. Most importantly, I’ve built a life here with my partner. I’ve also been able to seize entrepreneurial opportunities here at relatively low risk in comparison to other cities. I’ve started restaurants here, a consulting business, I’m advocating for the creative economy through the Pete duPont Freedom Foundation Reinventing Delaware pitch competition, and I’m building a full-service creative agency that will launch within the next year. There are tremendously talented people in Delaware who are contributing to our communities and I’m blessed to be just one of many who are looking to enhance our ecosystems.
I’m so excited for the work we’re doing to bolster the creative economy here in Delaware. I’m seeing a surge of energy and support around the arts, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to be a part of those efforts. In the near future, we hope to see film production take place in our State.
I would love to see our city be ranked one of the top cities to live and work within the next 10 years. Similar to how Charlotte and Austin put themselves on the map, this includes a rich cultural presence, art, music, thriving restaurants, and small businesses, and a thriving
downtown. Wilmington can become a launchpad for entrepreneurs (especially creatives). As for change within our city, I’d love to see more opportunities for inner city youth to fulfill their wildest dreams (like become artists or play sports), rather than die by gun violence.”
You can connect with Angela on Instagram and LinkedIn. Headline image by Blake Saunders.
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