During the COVID-19 pandemic, international award-winning creative entrepreneur Rahfeal Gordon had an idea. A grant from Invest Atlanta helped him launch that idea into a global endeavor.

The isolation of lockdown gave Rahfeal time to slow down and think about his next project – a rare opportunity for the always-on-the-move orator, author, leadership advisor and founder of book publishing and brand marketing agency Madison + Park.

Rahfeal helps individuals tell their stories, publish their work and market their brand. He got into the business after he, himself, was having difficulties securing a publishing deal for his own book. “I was told that I didn't have any legitimacy,” he remembers.

So Rahfeal partnered with a friend and started his own publishing house, focusing on stories that impact humanity in a positive way – whether it’s an expertise, personal memoir or ideas that cultivate broader conversations. “When you hear a great story, it transcends,” says Rahfeal. “If it touches you for love, grief, joy, betterment – these are the stories I put out into the world.”

In the quiet hours of the pandemic, Rahfeal found himself thinking about the questions his clients so often ask about the writing process and what it takes to publish a book. It was then that he realized the journey can be just as powerful as the story itself.

“I thought, that's it, that’s my next project!” says Rahfeal. “I wanted to showcase the how and the why people write their stories and give a behind-the-scenes look into the process.” And so, the How I Wrote It docuseries was born.

Rahfeal received a Creative Industries Grant from Invest Atlanta and leveraged the business resources available on the ATLinBusiness platform to get his idea off the ground. With help from the grant, he put out an ad to recruit writers, which quickly generated hundreds of thousands of viewers and about 60 to 100 inquiries a day from around the world.

“I really dove into the idea and didn’t cut corners,” Rahfeal says. “I want the best of the best to be a part of it – every filmmaker, editor and writer who touches this project has to be fully dedicated to their craft.” Rahfeal is also documenting his own journey to inspire other creators and writers to see their ideas through fruition.

Rahfeal and his team of creatives have already produced 10 YouTube episodes, and he hopes to double that number by the end of 2026. Each episode features an author who shares the inspiration behind their book and the journey that brought it to life with Madison + Park, including unexpected opportunities that followed publication, new business ventures and global reach.

Rahfeal has the vision and ambition to continue leveraging his initial Invest Atlanta grant into a million-dollar project that will one day include actors, presidents, dignitaries and other public figures – and perhaps even some film festival appearances and award nominations along the way.

“It’s been inspiring seeing how the project has grown and the people that I come in contact with,” says Rahfeal. “There’s a lot of camaraderie, and they're all a part of my canvas. It's a beautiful masterpiece to see.”