Out of pandemic isolation and years planning dinners for millionaires, Peruvian immigrant Annie Gamez noticed a gap. Her community lacked the luxury and cultural representation she was curating for the wealthy. These threads came together in her most ambitious curation yet: Cultura Takeover, a community where Latinos in New York City gather, connect and heal through culture.
It also drives her mission to empower Latinos to build their own circular economy. “We’re about to be 25% of the population in this country — so who is putting together these types of events and experiences to bring true economic power?” Gamez said.
A cultural curator
Gamez’s gift for crafting meaningful experiences stems from her background in cultural anthropology. She grew up fascinated by museums and dreamed of being a curator. “In our communities, we’re not crazy museum-goers, because … especially in art, we don’t see ourselves represented,” she said. “I wanted to change that.”
Her first taste of this mission came at 19, working at a museum and launching an outreach program for Latinos. Studying anthropology helped her see that community has always been central to human survival.
Event planning “fell into her lap.” After graduate studies in London, she moved to New York in 2019 and began managing high-end cultural events, including dinners for multimillionaires, celebrities and even the king of the Netherlands.
“I was hosting these really gorgeous dinners where everybody was white, and thinking, ‘I want to create something like this for Latinas,’” Gamez said. “I love luxury, and I want to share that with people … Why am I just doing this for people who get these experiences literally every day?’”
From Latino Etsy to live gatherings
The tension between her professional experience and personal mission sparked the idea for Cultura Takeover during the pandemic. “In New York, it’s very easy to meet people, but to meet your inner circle is hard,” said Gamez, who was often the one coordinating the get-togethers.
She first considered a Latino-focused e-commerce marketplace — “a Latino Etsy” — but it was too costly and unsustainable. Instead, she leaned into her strengths as a curator of experiences. “It was partly for me — because I was trying to build my own network here — but it also tied back to my life mission of helping build generational wealth for people of color,” she said.
Cultura Takeover’s first event was held in September 2023. What began as Gamez’s personal search for connection has grown into a community platform of quarterly “takeovers”— thematic events blending panels, networking and celebration.
“We’re not a regular social club,” she said, echoing the tagline on her company website. “There are a lot of social clubs out there, and they’re cute, but I’m doing serious shit. I want to make an economic impact and create legacy.”
Building and expanding the business
One of her biggest hurdles was building a team — or, more accurately, not having one. Volunteers help Gamez run what is otherwise a one-woman show. Running events in the city is expensive, and she was self-funding. Pricing tickets was a delicate balance between covering costs like venue rentals, food and speaker fees and keeping events accessible.
“There’s this mentality that because it’s for the community, it should be free,” Gamez said. “But business is business.”
Gamez hopes to expand these gatherings beyond New York and eventually host a summit bringing together Latino leaders from multiple sectors. Upcoming events include a networking event on Sept. 17 spotlighting service-based business and a Latina Equal Pay Day workshop on Oct. 8.
Her anthropology training guides how she shapes each takeover. Themes align with seasons or cultural moments: A winter gathering might center on coziness, wellness and sexuality; spring on renewal or power; summer and fall on cultural moments like Hispanic Heritage Month. She brainstorms always with the question: what will make ours different?
The answer, for Gamez, lies in cultural curation. “At one of our takeovers, a woman told me, ‘I feel safe, I feel home,’” she said. “That’s everything.”
Advice for other entrepreneurs
• Lead from your life mission. When the work gets hard, writing and reflecting on your mission reminds you that your impact is bigger than that moment.
• Start with what’s feasible. From her initial brainstorm of a “Latino Etsy,” Gamez learned the value of assessing ideas realistically and pivoting when necessary.
• Ask for help early. Volunteers became essential in bringing her vision to life. Gamez says she wishes she had asked for help sooner: “I was afraid of being seen as not capable,” she said.
• Check in with your future self. Gamez imagines conversations with her older self to ensure her work aligns with long-term goals. This helps her maintain clarity and purpose amid daily chaos.
Visit their website at culturatakeover.com.
Follow on Instagram at @culturatakeover.
