Servanté Cook: The connector redefining Houston’s creative scene

Houston’s creative community is thriving, and at the forefront of its evolution stands Servanté Cook, a visionary, a connector and a leader committed to making space for Black and Brown creatives in the city. 

As the founder of LinkUp HTX and Oqupi Houston, Cook is on a mission to build an ecosystem that nurtures talent, fosters collaboration and ensures that Houston gets the recognition it deserves as a creative hub.

Born and raised in Chicago, Cook’s path to Houston wasn’t planned—it was a twist of fate. After attending college in San Francisco, a work assignment brought him to Houston for what was supposed to be just a year. 

“That year turned into several years later,” Cook says with a laugh. 

After over a decade in the city, he considers himself both a Chicago native and a Houstonian, deeply invested in his adopted home’s cultural and creative fabric.

Cook’s inspiration for creating Oqupi Houston stemmed from personal experience. As a creative entrepreneur with a background in event planning, he often felt isolated. 

“I didn’t have community,” he says. “I knew all these amazing creative people in Houston, but we didn’t have a space to network, connect, and build something sustainable.”

Determined to change that, he gathered 12 creatives in his kitchen and posed a simple yet powerful question: What if we built our own creative collective? That conversation was the seed from which Oqupi Houston and its flagship event, LinkUp HTX, would grow. LinkUp HTX has become a premier gathering for Black and Brown creatives to collaborate, learn, and find new opportunities.

The power of community

Community isn’t just a buzzword—it’s the foundation of everything he does. 

“Right now, our event has almost 300 people signed up,” Cook says. “That wouldn’t be possible without the people in our community—the PR experts, the branding strategists, the production teams. We’re all using our talents to push this mission forward.”

But building a creative community isn’t without its challenges. Funding remains one of the biggest hurdles. 

“People assume that when they see a great event, everything is figured out behind the scenes,” Cook says. “But we’re self-funded. Ticket sales don’t come in until a few days before the event, yet we have to pay for everything upfront. That means we’re often fronting our own money, taking risks, and hoping it all comes together in the end.”

One of the many creatives who has benefited from Cook’s vision is Amarie Gipson, founder and director of The Reading Room HTX. Gipson, a writer by trade, describes herself as a “reverse transplant,” born and raised in Houston before moving away for several years.

“I found LinkUp through Avante,” Gipson recalls. “When I moved back to Houston in 2021, I was searching for ways to contribute to the place that made me. LinkUp and Oqupi have been so formative in helping build relationships between city creatives—especially for transplants.”

Gipson has served as a panelist at LinkUp and was nominated for a Community Choice Award. 

“There was a lack of shared resources,” Gipson said. “Everyone needs space and opportunity, but there were so many unanswered questions. LinkUp empowers people by encouraging them to share what they do have.”

She sees LinkUp as a movement that amplifies the work of creatives like herself. 

“I run an independent library grounded in Black art and culture, and the Oqupi community has been instrumental in amplifying my work,” she says. “They share grants, events and resources that strengthen Houston’s creative ecosystem. There’s nothing else like it.”

When asked what she wants people to know about Cook, Gibson doesn’t hesitate: “Avante cares. He wants Houston’s creative community to understand that we are an abundant city. There’s no need to hoard resources because we all win when one of us wins. A rising tide lifts all boats.”

While LinkUp HTX is firmly rooted in Houston, Cook’s vision extends beyond the city limits.

“Houston is a creative hub—even if the rest of the world doesn’t realize it yet,” Cook says. However, his long-term goal is to expand to other cities facing similar challenges, such as Charlotte and Nashville, where Black creatives exist but lack centralized support systems. “The people are there—they just need a space, a hub, a foundation. That’s what I want to build.”