Richard E. Pelzer II has been a leader in marketing and audience engagement, but celebrating Harlem and Black culture through art production has been the center of his career. As general manager of the Harlem Fine Arts Festival, he is looking to create a cultural renaissance for Harlem, looking toward the future.
“I think arts and culture is big business, especially now in the creative economy, and I think there are a number of really great opportunities,” said Pelzer, 58. “These are full on careers and people should really take them seriously.”
For more than 30 years, Pelzer has represented different clients in the fashion, beauty, and entertainment industries through his companies Mega Personalities, a business development and talent management firm he co-founded in 1994, and Harlem CLX (Create Learn and Experience), a community engagement and marketing firm he created in 2013, where he works with artists, creatives and entrepreneurs to find ways to make revenue through their art.
Raised in Shaker Heights, Ohio, Pelzer studied business and art history at Kent State University. As he was interested in the fashion industry, he was directed to work at a modeling agency, which was his introduction to the arts management world.
After moving to New York in 1994, Pelzer co-founded Mega Personalities as a modeling agency. In the early 2000s, he says he became more intent on highlighting and celebrating Harlem, where he has lived for 28 years, and its rich cultural history through his company, which had shifted to a business management firm.
“The goal really was to represent the epicenter of Black culture,” Pelzer said about using his management experience in Harlem.
“As much as I love the time period of the Harlem Renaissance, I think that Harlem, in every decade, has something to really share,” Pelzer continued. “And so there are so many other amazing stories that we would be able to talk about.”
Clients he has had over the years include the NYSE Diversity Council, Sephora, The Apollo Theater, Schomburg Center, Essence Magazine, Walker International Communication Group, and SlayTV. He has also worked with the NYCxDesign Festival ahead of their annual festival in May. Under Pelzer’s leadership as a project manager, they are structuring the Harlem Design District, a 36-month campaign to celebrate Harlem’s architecture and design.
After meeting Dion Clarke, founder of the arts festival, Pelzer became a project manager for the company and soon became interim general manager. In September 2025, he became the new official general manager and will oversee this year’s show in February for its 18th year.
At the show, over 100 artists get the opportunity to showcase their work to an estimated 7,000 visitors across three days. Pelzer says they are intentional with supporting small businesses and making the Festival feel like an art ecosystem.
“We would be able to all come together and celebrate, you know, the arts, the culture, the design, the storytelling,” Pelzer said. Through his company CLX, the artists are able to take part in a business training workshop ahead of the Festival, called the “Brunch Pitch Series.”
In recent years, Pelzer has also worked with Barbara Askins from the 125th Street Business Improvement District on projects like the Harlem Holiday Lights Celebration, something he is uniquely proud of in his career.
Film production has been another venture he has recently gotten involved in, as the co-partner of iN-Hale Entertainment LLC, a content creation and production company. He has executive-produced the Emmy award-winning short film 90 Days, about a couple getting to know each other but are each withholding secrets from each other. On the horizon are his films Love Will Save The Day and Amazing Grace.
The Fine Arts Festival will take place at the Glasshouse in Midtown Manhattan between Feb. 20 and Feb. 22.