A long way from the block
A long way from the block
A man of many hats. From pre-teen Jazz prodigy, Hip-Hop MC and Producer, Graffiti Artist, Creator of Unfamous Fest, Experiential Growth Facilitator to US Cultural Ambassador. My interview with Anacron Allen.
Anacron is an award-winning and published recording artist, Senior level certified Experiential Educator, and 2018-appointed United States Cultural Ambassador from Los Angeles, California. As a pre-teen jazz prodigy, Anacron studied at Alexander Hamilton Music Academy and Interlochen Center For The Arts before receiving recognition from the Charles Dolo Coker Foundation. By high school, he became an established contributor to L.A.’s seminal mid-1990’s cultural movement of Underground Hip Hop, which he pivoted directly into a college study adjacent professional career in the music industry. Over the following decade, he produced dozens of recordings and projects, toured internationally, and was awarded by major media outlets like MTV for original songs featured in film, television, and video games. Early on, Anacron accepted the responsibility of sharing his knowledge and experience with adult and youth musicians and scholars through various avenues of education, including a decade-long tenure at Chicago’s prominent Old Town School of Folk Music. Looking to supplement his industry experience with traditional learning, he enrolled in UCLA’s Music Business Studies program, where he graduated with honors in 2012. While studying at UCLA, he was introduced to experiential education by way of an emotional intelligence focused ropes course program, instantly developing an interest and passion to parallel his longtime love of music. Taking a hiatus from music to concentrate solely on Experiential Learning, Anacron lent half a decade to training, practice, and formal certification of his skills in conference-, retreat-, and wilderness-based facilitation. Upon becoming a Lead Facilitator for UCLA’s Experiential Education program, he branched out to other University of California campuses, working to Primary, then Senior Lead status, while operating and growing as a program facilitator and practitioner certifications trainer for top experiential learning and adventure firms in Southern California and beyond. Anacron’s consideration of client needs and assessments, robust practical knowledge and experience, and careful attention to details, paired with a serious and forthright, yet understanding and fun facilitation style, lends to expert delivery of uniquely customized learning and growth experiences. Most recently, Anacron’s music industry and experiential learning experience came together with his nomination and esteemed appointment as a United States Cultural Ambassador, internationally sponsored by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Currently, Anacron is a sought after and highly regarded ACCT-certified Senior Lead Facilitator, Curriculum / Program Designer, and Certification Trainer for the highest-rated Experiential Education firms, university programs, and training providers across the nation. Also, as a musician, curator, and executive, he maintains his original love of music; continuing to produce his own and other creator’s musical projects, while regularly traveling for artistic and educational endeavors alike.