BLACK WALL STREET WOODLAWN — 2026 HONOREE PROFILE
(BALTIMORE – May 30, 2026) – When Michael Preston first offered me a job at Baltimore’s $100 million federally funded Empowerment Zone, it was my first opportunity to take my journalism and media career to the next level. From 1994 until Mike’s phone call in 1999, I served as co-editor and ultimately editor of the Sandtown-Winchester ViewPoint Newspaper. By the time I arrived on that scene, LaRian Finney was already making things happen in Baltimore.
A proud graduate of Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, Finney embodied the excellence Poly has long been known for. No slight to City or any of the other outstanding schools in our region, but for me, Poly was the ultimate academic challenge. Smart people come out of Poly, and LaRian Finney has always been one of them. The biggest lesson I personally learned at Poly was to apply that new knowledge.
Mike had me work with Finney on some of his events. At the time, Jazzy Summer Nights had just begun. What I came to understand was that before BMORENews.com ever existed, LaRian Finney was already building something special.
For my generation, he brought some of the finest business and cultural events to Baltimore, featuring leaders such as Gloria Mayfield Banks and Don Peebles. I actually met my web designer, Julian B. Moore, at one of his events at the Hilton. That’s not even counting the legendary entertainers he has brought to our city, including Patti LaBelle, LL Cool J, Teena Marie, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, Chuck Brown, and countless others.
But the truth is, LaRian Finney’s impact extends far beyond concerts and events.
LaRian Finney is a nationally recognized marketing strategist, branding executive, and cultural producer with more than 30 years of experience creating impactful campaigns, experiences, and partnerships across sports, entertainment, business, and community engagement.
As Founder and Managing Partner of The Finn Group, he has led the development of signature events and platforms including AFROPreak, Jazzy Summer Nights, the Baltimore MET Gala, and major national activations tied to the NAACP, National Urban League, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Finney also serves as Managing Partner of Pier Six Pavilion, helping lead the reimagining of Baltimore’s iconic waterfront entertainment destination alongside partners at Knitting Factory Entertainment. For a man who has spent decades bringing world-class talent to Baltimore stages, it is only fitting that he now helps oversee one of the city’s most iconic stages.
Most recently, he served as a key executive and producer for the National Basketball Retired Players Association under Legends of Basketball during NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles, demonstrating the national reach and influence of a career that began right here in Baltimore.
What has always impressed me most about LaRian is his ability to bring people together. He understands culture. He understands business. He understands branding. And perhaps most importantly, he understands how to create opportunities that benefit entire communities.
For more than three decades, he has built platforms where entrepreneurs can connect, artists can shine, businesses can grow, and Baltimore can present its very best self to the world. Widely respected for his ability to merge culture, commerce, tourism, and community impact, Finney continues to shape transformative experiences that elevate Baltimore on a national stage.
And let’s be clear about something else.
LaRian Finney is a businessman.
Not just an event producer. Not just a marketer. Not just a cultural curator.
A businessman.
Over the years, I have watched him negotiate deals, build partnerships, secure sponsorships, and create opportunities where others saw obstacles. Time and again, he has demonstrated the kind of business acumen that separates those who participate in the marketplace from those who help shape it.
He understands value. He understands leverage. He understands relationships. And he understands that successful negotiations are not about winning an argument—they are about creating outcomes that move everyone forward.
That is one of the reasons he has remained relevant for more than three decades in an ever-changing industry. Trends come and go. Venues come and go. Sponsors come and go. Yet LaRian continues to thrive because he understands how to adapt while never losing sight of the bigger picture.
I’ve watched him make difficult decisions. I’ve watched him navigate complex situations. I’ve watched him bring together people from different backgrounds, industries, and interests to accomplish goals that benefit everyone involved.
That doesn’t happen by accident.
It takes vision. It takes discipline. It takes confidence. And it takes the courage to make tough decisions when others might hesitate.
You have to give him his props.
Because while many people see the packed venues, the celebrity appearances, and the successful events, what they often don’t see is the businessman behind it all—the strategist, the negotiator, the relationship builder, and the leader who helped make those moments possible.
That is part of LaRian Finney’s legacy, too.
For all of these reasons, BMORENews.com and the Joe Manns Black Wall Street Awards are proud to honor LaRian Finney.
This award is for Baltimore’s Minister of Culture.
A visionary. A leader. A trendsetter. A connector. A builder.
Congratulations, LaRian Finney.
Black Wall Street WOODLAWN • Thursday, June 4, 2026 • 6–8 p.m. • 6665 Security Blvd., Baltimore
Connect with LaRian Finney:
Instagram: @finngroup • LinkedIn: The Finn Group • Website: thefinngroup.net
RSVP: blackwallstreetwoodlawn.eventbrite.com
Doni Glover is the founder and publisher of BMORENews.com, now in its 24th year of covering Black Baltimore, and the founder of the Joe Manns Black Wall Street Awards, now in its 15th year. He is also the host of the Emmy-nominated Doni Glover podcast and The Doni Glover Show on WMAR-TV 2.
