Historic First: Black Woman Buys Baltimore Waterfront Block.

Dr. Vonnya Pettigrew, CEO of Root Branch Media Group, has acquired a whole block in Baltimore.

Dr. Vonnya Pettigrew, CEO of Root Branch Media Group, has acquired an entire block in Baltimore to consolidate her media hub in one building. This landmark purchase makes Pettigrew the first African-American woman in Maryland to own a waterfront block.

The 14,400-square-foot building, formerly owned by Barcoding, Inc., now houses Root Branch Media Group’s extensive operations and spans an entire block in Canton Harbor. According to The Baltimore Times, Dr. Vonnya Pettigrew, a University of Maryland College Park alumna, owns all four sides of the commercial building. She financed this media hub, named “The Root Branch Multiverse,” through the Reinvestment Fund without external investors or grants.

Under the RBMG umbrella, the building hosts several entities: the award-winning media production firm, an upcoming coffee shop (Root Branch Press Coffee & Co.), a property management company (Root Branch Office Solutions), and a nonprofit dedicated to education and training initiatives (Root Branch Arts and Outreach Institute Inc.).

According to RBMG’s website, the media hub is described as a “100% African-American owned, certified woman-owned full-service media production firm.” Since 2006, the company has provided a wide range of services, including video production, creative development, motion graphics, and web design. RBMG’s mission focuses on empowering students of color, and through its renowned Film Academy, it is dedicated to giving them “the voice they deserve and the chance to use media in a meaningful way that rewrites the narrative of how they are seen in and depicted by the media.”

Pettigrew brings 27 years of media experience to this venture, with a background in filmmaking, TV production, directing, and casting. Her work has been featured on networks like Discovery and TV One, and her clients include government agencies and corporations. A former White House intern, she is a member of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, the National Association of Black Journalists, the Baltimore Association of Black Journalists, the NAACP, the Baltimore City Chamber of Commerce, and the National Association of Women Business Owners DC.

The Root Branch Media Group building is named after Pettigrew’s family property in South Carolina.