The IEMC

Media Mogul In The Making: Meet Briyanna Brown

This week’s featured media mogul is the host of the popular podcast The Queen Pin, Briyanna Brown. Learn more about Briyanna’s creative journey below.

You are a multi-talented individual dipping and dapping in a bunch of other expressive fields. So, what was it about journalism or media that piqued your interest?

“Journalism has always been an interest of mine. I’ve always been a ‘talker’, extremely good at debating, and I watched a lot of talk shows growing up. I’ve literally always wanted to get my voice heard so I thought why not do something in the media. My actual goal is to be a radio personality one day and I’m definitely on the right track.”

How did you get your start in the media field? Did you study communications in college? Internships? Hobby writing?

“I did take a bunch of communications courses in college to get a feel for it but there wasn’t really a “start”. I simply logged into my Amazon Prime account bought me a Yeti mic plugged it into my MacBook and started recording the very next day. I didn’t have a plan I just simply started.”

Tell us about your platform. What’s your mission/goals? Who’s your audience?

“My platform is for the culture! I’ve always wanted to see people grow as I did. I believe there’s room for all of us at the table. Everyone has a voice, everyone has talents, but overall, everyone has a story or opinion worth hearing. My platform is for mostly millennials and anyone who can identify with moving somewhere away from their hometown that is learning to adapt to different things. I’m a transplant from Atlanta and I share my stories, lifestyle, and my best and worst moments here in Los Angeles. You get to hear me along with different guests every week. My goal is to eventually move my podcast from just being behind the mic to actual visuals so that you can actually see my content since most of us are visual learners. I am simply letting podcasting run its course and seeing where it takes me.”

So far throughout your career, what has been your proudest personal media moment?

“My proudest moment thus far was joining the Good News Radio and Podcast Network. There are two locations here in Los Angeles and It’s a Black-owned radio station that is growing rapidly. I was selected out of many candidates to have my show be apart of their platform and I am so grateful. I started my podcast in April of 2019 and joined them August of 2019. No real experience or even content but they saw my potential and best of all my personality shined through and I’m so grateful. I’ve been there ever since.”

What advice would you give aspiring mediapreneurs looking to enter the field?

“The best advice I would give a mediapreneur is that if you are thinking about it more than you think about anything else in this world do it. Write down the vision, get the equipment you need, and just START. Don’t worry about the “what if’s” the minute you say “I want to do this..” DO IT and don’t look back. I am the only host of my Podcast and I do everything by myself right now. Yes, it’s hard but it can be done!”

Connect with Briyanna Brown on Twitter and Instagram! Be sure to catch new episodes of The Queen Pin Podcast on your favorite streaming platform, click HERE to get started. Follow The Queen Pin Podcast on Instagram.

The Independent Entertainment Media Coalition is a 501(c)(7) non-profit organization dedicated to provided financial, educational, and professional resources for freelance media figures. Help in our efforts! To make a donation, please click HERE!

Media Mogul In The Making: Meet Templeton Wright

This week’s featured media mogul is the creator and host of the popular podcast The Grown Folk Table, Templeton Wright. Learn more about Templeton’s creative journey below.

You are a multi-talented individual dipping and dapping in a bunch of other expressive fields. So, what was it about journalism or media that piqued your interest?

“I’ve always had an affinity for creating. At first, I was all about making songs and producing beats but there’s just as much creativity that goes into curating conversations. How to express my thoughts, listening to differing opinions, having a comprehensive conversation and making that relatable. Plus, it’s way more inclusive since you don’t have to be musically inclined to partake. Anybody with an opinion can be a part of a conversation. I’ve always preferred more intimate settings. Kickbacks, Game Nights, things of that nature. I love throwing a topic out there and watching everyone engage in the conversation. In a way, I was moderating before I ever starting moderating on my podcast.”

How did you get your start in the media field? Did you study communications in college? Internships? Hobby writing?

“I’m a trained audio engineer and originally I would record artists in my home studio. I started noticing a growing interest in podcasting so I modified my studio to start recording podcasts. I would always catch myself producing my clients’ content in my head. Things I would change or do differently. One day it just clicked. I should start my own podcast. I already have all the equipment. I just needed to create the vision and the vessel.”

Tell us about your platform. What’s your mission/goals? Who’s your audience?

“My podcast is called The Grown Folk Table. I wanted to create a title that felt familiar that also sparks your curiosity. It’s always interesting seeing peoples’ faces when I tell them the title. You can see the cogs turning which is exactly what I want. Then my elevator pitch normally goes “Think of a Black Sitcom, but as a podcast”. It’s a form of entertainment that can make you laugh one moment, get you in your feels the next then drop some life lessons on you a minute later. Relatable content meant to make you feel like you’re sitting right at the table with us. Providing you with some dope, feel good, kickback vibes from the comfort of your AirPods.

With the podcast, I always aim to make our conversations feel all-encompassing. Talk about all the things that people like to talk about. All the things that make us innately human. Love, Society, Culture, Sex, Relationships, all the things that everyone has opinions on. Then we bring those conversations to the table for me and my cohosts to expound on. My co-hosts and I think so differently that every topic we talk about normally has one of us on the opposite side of the spectrum, which I feel helps the show’s relatability. More than likely your views and opinions will be expressed in one way or another. The show doesn’t work if the conversations are fleeting and my co-hosts do an amazing job expressing their own thoughts and bouncing off of each other’s opinions.”

So far throughout your career, what has been your proudest personal media moment?

“We did our first live show at SoHo house. It was a private show for their members but I was grateful for the opportunity. To be recognized by such an establishment was extremely dope.”

What advice would you give aspiring mediapreneurs looking to enter the field?

“Always stay genuine and have a clear goal/vision in mind. That will help get you through rocky waters and trust me, there will be rocky waters. Secondly, consistency will always be key. Keep at it, you’ll only get better with practice. Lastly, don’t be afraid to adapt. Sometimes that unwillingness to change is what keeps you the furthest away from your own vision.”

Connect with Templeton Wright on Instagram! Be sure to catch new episodes of The Grown Folk Table on your favorite streaming platform, click HERE to get started. Follow The Grown Folk Table on Twitter and Instagram.

Media Mogul In The Making: Meet Ayesha Gougouehi

Ayesh Go by Colin Pieters — Rising YouTube star, Ayesha Gougouehi photographed by Colin Pieters.

This week’s featured media mogul is the creator and host of the hit YouTube series Renewed or Revoked, Ayesha Go. Learn more about Ayesha’s creative journey below.

You are a multi-talented individual dipping and dapping in a bunch of other expressive fields. So, what was it about journalism or media that piqued your interest?

“Journalism, and media as a whole, has always been a field I loved. From being part of the yearbook committee in high school to taking my mother’s Vogue magazines hostage as a child, I always loved the idea of storytelling and connecting with an audience that loved the same things you loved. At one point, I wanted to be the Black Anna Wintour. Then, I religiously began to watch shows on BET including Rap City and 106 & Park, which lead me to change career path and vow to become the female version of Big Tigger (hahaha).”

How did you get your start in the media field? Did you study communications in college? Internships? Hobby writing?

“My start in the media industry was both traditional and non-traditional. I was part of the yearbook committee in high school, which was helpful because it led me to major in Journalism in college. While I was in college, I majored in Journalism and Media Studies with a minor in Digital Communication, but didn’t get an internship until my junior year of college AT my college; this was a fumble, I should’ve started sooner and also interned at other companies to build my network. I was able to graduate with a job offer, but the role had nothing to do with writing or Journalism. Now, here I am in 2020 after years of being a working professional in various industries trying to get back to my essence; some may see this as an obstacle or a hit to morale, but I see it as an exciting opportunity to create my career on my terms!”

Tell us about your platform. What’s your mission/goals? Who’s your audience?

“My platform is interesting because it started off as one thing and has shifted to something totally different. My platform started off as a platform about fashion, specifically high fashion in the urban space. Then over time, I realized my love and passion was for Hip Hop more than fashion; I wrote an article about why I choose Hip Hop over fashion citing how Hip Hop has always been with me through the good, bad and the many growing pains.

Hip Hop does have a huge influence on fashion, and vice versa, but Hip Hop encompasses so much more; fashion, art, activism and advocacy, socioeconomic empowerment, the list goes on and on. I haven’t looked back since I made the switch and I don’t plan on it!”

So far throughout your career, what has been your proudest personal media moment?

“My proudest media moment has been creating my own YouTube channel. While creating, growing, and maintaining my YouTube channel has given me long countless nights of worry, anxiety, and stress, and much more (nothing like editing a video and returning hours later to see the video still has 12 hours of processing), it has taught me independence like no other. I’ve learned how to troubleshoot, the importance of pre-production planning, what to do in pre-production to avoid re-shooting, how to edit in post, how to shoot in one take (I call myself One Take Drake behind the scenes), and the list goes on. During points and times in my career I wished I could be a small name at a larger company thinking that would help raise awareness and visibility to my work, but doing it on my own has actually taught me more than what I thought I needed to know. I taught myself how to fish and NO ONE can take that from me.”

What advice would you give aspiring mediapreneurs looking to enter the field?

“My advice would be two of my personal affirmations that I would love to share.

The first is, I bend I do not break. Meaning you’re going to bend and be flexible but you keep going. You don’t break. Your content may not getting as much attention as you’d like? Ok, how can you bend? Can you add more visuals? Can you make a slideshow? Are you speaking the language of your audience?

The second is, I affect not infect. Meaning are you putting out good, quality work and affecting people (educating, entertaining, both) or are you inflecting people with your work? Are you putting out work for the sole purpose of views, likes, going viral? Are you really going viral or are you being a virus? Think about and ask yourself those two things and it’ll help put your work, your purpose, and your next steps into perspective for you.”

Connect with Ayesha Go. on Twitter and Instagram! Be sure to catch new episodes of Renewed or Revoked on YouTube. To subscribe to Ayesha’s YouTube channel click HERE.