STATEN ISLAND, NY – New York City has no shortage of diverse talents and passions – from subway artists to bodega owners and beginning artists.

To celebrate this creative spirit, Pepsi has selected nine of these various residents of the five boroughs for its new summer campaign, “Pepsi. It’s a New York thing.

In addition, the company gives them $ 10,000 each to continue to embody the true character of the city that never sleeps.

Additionally, the brand invites New Yorkers to nominate six additional residents for their own $ 10,000 chance in support of their passion – for a total of $ 150,000.

STATEN ISLAND TARIQ ZAID

Tariq Zaid, a Staten Island-based entrepreneur who owns the local clothing store Richmond Hood Co. and Vodega, a vegan bodega offering exclusively vegan food in West Brighton, was one of the winners highlighted in the campaign which received $ 10,000 worth of Pepsi.

“I am very grateful to have been nominated, to participate and to represent the Borough of Staten Island. And also because I was the only chosen one from Staten Island. There were other districts from other districts but not from our district, ”said Zaid. “And it’s so inspiring to be recognized outside the borough. I look forward to doing all I can for our great community.

OTHER WINNERS

In addition to Zaid, performers, artists, entrepreneurs and others featured in the campaign include:

• Kwame “Hass” Thimbiano, a hospitality worker and artist behind Danyaki Designs, a brand of custom aprons for professional chefs based in the Bronx;
• Natalia “Saw Lady” Paruz, an artist from the Queens subway who uses the object of destruction to create strangely enchanting music;
• Andrew Ousley, musician from Brooklyn and founder of Death by Classical, a group that plays classical music in crypts, cemeteries and other unusual places;
• Pixie Aventura, a Latinx drag queen, actor and singer in Manhattan;
• Blu deTiger, a young recording artist and bassist;
• Shealyn Brand, a Brooklynite who turned her love of pizza into a business as a connoisseur of her favorite food;
• Ahmed Alwan, a young bodega owner in the Bronx who rose to fame on TikTok for the unique and fun way he engages with his customers;
• Caitlyn Doyle, an actress and designer from Queens who launched the @UrbanHaiku Instagram account as an ode to New York City.

DO YOU WANT TO NAME SOMEONE?

Fans can name people they know as one of the six additional winners by going to social media, using both the #PepsiNYCLocal and #Contest hashtags and tagging @Pepsi, and explaining to everyone why their nominee should be the next resident Pepsi honors.

For more information and for the official rules, visit www.PepsiItsANewYorkThing.com.