Founders Future

Building Cultural Intelligence: The UNTOLD Story with Alana Cheeks-Lomax and Gary Johnson

Closers.io

In this episode of Founders Future, host Jae Encarnacion sits down with Alana Cheeks-Lomax and Gary Johnson, the co-founders of UNTOLD, a culture and community strategy consultancy based in Los Angeles. Alana and Gary share their inspiring journey of building UNTOLD, a company dedicated to helping brands authentically connect with Black and multicultural audiences through cultural intelligence and community-centered design. They discuss the challenges they’ve faced, the evolution of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into cultural intelligence, and their vision for scaling their impact-driven venture.

Alana and Gary dive into the core offerings of UNTOLD, including cultural strategy development, behavioral research, and creating “moments that matter” for brands and organizations. They also explore the importance of human-centered design and community engagement in today’s evolving landscape. With plans to develop a data platform and expand their thought leadership, Alana and Gary are paving the way for a new era of cultural intelligence, proving that understanding and valuing diverse audiences is key to long-term growth and impact.