"Don't go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail"
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Alpatrick “Panama” Golphin started in the entertainment industry as a music producer in the early 90's, teaming with producer James “TJ” Thompson, former partner of producer Chuckie Thompson (Bad Boy, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Eminen, etc.), to create remixes for recording artists such as Eric Roberson and actress/singer Dawn Lewis. After a brief hiatus from years of performing, producing and writing songs for signed and unsigned artists, he formed The Clutch Group, LLC. to showcase his love of motorcycles through media. Serving as host and producer of “The Clutch”, a TV program created by himself and then Discovery Channel producer Kenneth Pryor (Orange County Choppers & Jesse James' Monster's Garage), he covered the fast growing sportbike freestyle stunt craze. He coined the slogan phrase, “Motorcycles, Music, Models & Mayhem”. Being invited to Daytona Bike Week by Michael Jordan's "Team Jordan Motorsports" and having the opportunity to meet and hang out with good friend and Team Jordan Motorsports General Manager Ken Abbott and Michael Jordan, as well as see the debut of Team Jordan Motorsports and Bullystyle Racing, was definitely one of the many highlights in his career.
Joining "919 Studios" and forming "Phantos Imaging Group" placed him in a unique position to recruit and consult models for "Capital Cuties", a website featuring some of the best models that the DMV area (DC, MD, VA) has to offer. This site has turned out a few magazine, television, and video vixens seen today. After one of their models won the very first Honey Magazine and the Funk Master Flex/King Magazine National Model Search back to back, he was asked by Funk Master Flex/King Magazine liaison and Model Search Coordinator, J. Fingaz, to help recruit models for the next Funk Master Flex/King Magazine National Model Search. He was joined by professional basketball player and then WNBA Guard for the Los Angeles Sparks, Tamara Moore, in his efforts to recruit the hottest models in the USA for the Funk Master Flex and King Magazine venture.
Panama later partnered with his aunt, Queen Sharlotta Shellman (Mary J. Blige's god-mother), and celebrity hair stylist, Dionne Alexander, to develop and co-manage his twin cousin's duo singing group, "TWIN". The twins were slated to be one of the first recording acts signed to Mary at the time. He was later introduced by his aunt to Nzingha Gumbs aka Nzingha Isis, an Award-Winning celebrity make-up artist, contributing Beauty Editor for Vibe, Essence, and InStyle Magazines, and Founder of Zface, Inc. After becoming close friends with Nzingha, he served as the Vice-President of Zface, Inc. to help with the brand. Nzingha was often asked by celebrity clients such as Janet Jackson, when would she have a cosmetics line available. Panama helped to strategize the creation and manufacturing of her pending cosmetics line.
Recognizing the talent in a budding couture fashion designer and celebrity stylist by the name of Kenny "KAS" Flanagan (former brother-in-law to Chante Moore), Panama served as President of Flanagan's couture brand, KAS Collection, bringing with him Blossette Kitson, a well-known entertainment industry veteran, to serve as an advisor to this project. This gave him insight into the world of couture design, fashion shows and runway. He left the project just before a deal was being negotiated with Henri Bendel and Saks Fifth Avenue for Kas Collection to get back to his roots in streets and sports.
He’s always been the creative force behind some of the hottest ideas within a culture. Not wanting to settle with a following of testosterone driven stunters and bike clubbers, he decided to create a magazine for his female model friends and female bikers called, “Clutch Girl Magazine”. This publication was to be distributed by Black Men Magazine owner at the time, John Blasingame. Panama’s philosophy for the style of models to be used and showcased for this magazine sent shockwaves through internet social network, Myspace, causing Clutch Girl Magazine’s profile to add 18,000+ friends in a three month span, outdoing Black Men Magazine, King Magazine, Smooth Magazine and Show Magazine’s friends lists COMBINED at the time. “Motorcycles and models go together like a hand in glove. You just have to do it the right way, by creating the right project, with the right buzz, at the right time."
Still having an itch for all things motorcycle, he sold the Clutch Girl project and went back to clothing as one of the owners of The Corsa Group, LLC., who created the motorsport apparel line, CORSA. That brand was also followed by a slew of models wanting to represent the label and model the fresh leather driven clothing line. Always keeping in touch with a core group of models, he recruited them for trade shows and appearances at open house events that were sponsored by motorcycle dealerships that carried the line.
Panama was asked to join the Mixcast Productions original series, "Flashing Lights", serving as Executive Vice-President. His ability to recruit and organize a group of people has always proven to be a factor when working on projects. Also serving as a producer of the show puts him back in the thick of things as he helped steer the staff and film crews on both coasts as well as casts and recruits talent for future episodes and projects that Flashing Lights is commissioned to do. He believed that Flashing Lights will be the next big thing to happen and with his skills in gathering the best that modeling has to offer, the sky will be the limit. He later evolved the Flashing Lights show concept into a model management company called, "Flashing Lights Model Management" and teamed up with friend, Dante Simpson, then VP of Business Development of Sony BMG and current President of DSA Media Group, to take the urban modeling business to the next level. Flashing Lights Model Management teamed up with Mixcast, The Professional Sports Wives Association, Vibe Magazine, celebrity publicist Echo Hattix of Echoing Sounds, and others to produce the Vibe Magazine/Mixcast “SuperLX” Super Bowl Luxury Experience event in Tampa, Florida.
Click On Image To Cycle
In 2009, Panama and long-time business partner, Khristian Gaines (CORSA) decided to expand their reach beyond motorsports into streetwear. He consulted with his cousin Tony Shellman, a renowned urban fashion designer and creator of the world famous urban apparel brands such as MeccaUSA, Enyce, and Parish Nation, a few years previously about the urban fashion industry and decided to make a move into the Action Sports industry. Not wanting to use the CORSA brand for this particular apparel line, he created the "Azz Monkey Clothing Carnivale" to brand their action sports apparel and accessories that cater to the affluent with a taste for living on the edge.
In 2018, Panama was the manager of Hollywood TV personality, actress, correspondent, and model, Faith Stowers @kingfaithhope, who also happens to be his god-sister. She’s had appearances on E!, VH1, ABC, MTV, and many other networks. You've probably seen her on TV shows such as "WipeOut", "Fit Club", "Wags", “Ex On The Beach”, and a she’s also been a two-year cast member of Bravo’s hit show, "Vanderpump Rules". Google her.
Panama created the group Adrenaline Brands which serves as a conglomerate of affiliated action sports, motorsports, and lifestyle apparel and accessories brands owned by him and his close friends. Recently, he became the Founder & CEO of two Washington, DC-based tech startups currently being developed to disrupt the global clothing industry. "The Plusary", launching in Spring 2024, is a fashion-based community marketplace for men's and women's plus-size & big/tall clothing. "Apparl", launching in Fall 2023, is a business social network and sourcing marketplace for the global clothing, textile, and fashion industry. He and his co-founders have participated and graduated the the Fall 2018 session of Startup School, created by world renowned Silicon Valley startup accelerator, Y-Combinator for his Apparl tech startup. His spare time is spent consulting for brands about the direction of their small business ventures and serving as a small business and tech startup advocate.