blogger – Independent Entertainment Media Coalition

Media Mogul In The Making: Meet Flisadam Pointer

Media mogul in the making, Flisadam Pointer. Photo provided by Flisadam Pointer.

This week’s featured media mogul in the making is the founder and editor-in-chief of the independent entertainment blog ENVERT and our very own editor-in-chief, Flisadam Pointer. Get to know Flisadam and her professional journey below.

You are an adjunct teaching Digital Media at Rutgers University. What made you go into education rather than staying in the media field solely?

“Truth be told, I had no intention of pursuing a career in the field of education! I have a great deal of respect for educators. So to be responsible for molding the mind of a pupil is one I do not take lightly. During my graduate studies, I had the opportunity to conduct a case study on how social media influences digital album sales examining Solange’s A Seat At The Table rollout. My professor at the time was impressed by my research methods and after graduating invited me to come back to teach undergraduates but I declined. She reached back out again, so I decided to take the leap and I’ve been teaching every since. She’s now my program director, I guess she saw something in me that I didn’t.

I love all forms of media which is why teaching it has been so enjoyable. After graduating I choose the path of digital media as in social media storytelling by way of marketing despite majoring in journalism because there are many ways to tell a story outside of just blogging. But life is full circle, in the past year or so I have been writing a lot more. Conducting artist interviews, album reviews, video spotlights and more. Quite ironic really.”

Tell us about ENVERT. How did it start? Where did you come up with the name and where do you see it in the next year?

“ENVERT is my creative baby! Initially, ENVERT started off as a one-hour weekly radio show on Rutgers University’s WRSU student radio station to showcase my favorite tracks I found on SoundCloud that week. It quickly grew into a two-hour weekly show with on-air performance, music premieres and in-studio interviews. There was a void to showcase independent artists and I tried my best to fill it.

It really upsets me that despite being in the number 1 media market with stations like Hot 97, Power 105.1, Z100, WBLS as well as major television networks like BET & MTV that these artists weren’t getting the media coverage they deserved. Execs would rather play the same 6 tracks or videos all day. So the name came from my goal to reverse what entertainers were getting attention or inverting the coverage.

We are growing little by little every day, so in the next year I would love to being producing a lot more video content and if possible live shows.”

Of all the forms of multimedia, what do you think is the most effective channel and what is your favorite or specialty?

“It’s hard to say which form is the most effective. It all depends on your audience as well as your intended goal with your content. Podcasts work great for long-form material. Video content is good for adding context to a narrative. Text based content is great for exploring opinions. I would say of all the mediums, I feel like words are my speciality so it’s my go-to medium. I am however beginning to explore outside of that with video and audio a lot more.”

Do you have a dream interview? If so, who?

“I love interviewing! I’ve always been a very curious person so speaking directly with the creative source is one of my favorite things to do. I have a ton of dream interviews. At ENVERT we cover independent artists so my list for indie musicians would be Kay Cola, ODDISEE, E-40, Kandi Burruss, Lupe Fiasco…there are so many. As for artists signed to the Big Three I would love to interview, Xavier Omar, Jazmine Sullivan, NAO, Lauryn Hill, Mariah Carey but I have an elite team I call my honorary Aunties that I would love to interview but I would probably pass out but I could get a word out that includes Anita Baker, Patti LaBelle, Chaka Khan and Diana Ross.”

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

“I have several pieces of advice I would like to offer that I pulled directly from my professional journey. First, it’s never too late to start. Even after graduating from Rutgers University with a degree in Journalism and Media Studies I decided to take another path. After hobby blogging for 6 years, I am just now fully embracing my identity as a blogger. Second, you are more than capable of turning your dreams into a reality. You do not need that “journalistic stamp of approval” from a major outlet in order to create amazing content. Research the market, network amongst those actively doing what you want to do, try your ideas out, fail then try again until you succeed. Lastly, understand that you may need to blaze your own path. The ideas you have may not be actualized in this moment, don’t let that deter you from executing on your vision. At one point executives though 106 & Park was a far fetched idea, fast forward to today it is internationally recognized as a culture reset and has influenced all other similar platforms that came after it.”

Why should someone support IEMC?

“People should support the IEMC because we are here solely to support the PEOPLE. As major media outlets continue to layoff and underpay their staff, it is important to us at the IEMC to provide the necessary resources whether financial, referrals, trainings and more to these media figures and journalists in order to help them earn a living off of their craft as a freelancer. Handing control back over to those who if they weren’t here the industry would come to a stand still. That’s why!”

To check out ENVERT’s latest coverage click HERE to visit its official website or follow the site on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

You can connect with Flisadam Pointer across social including on Instagram and Twitter.

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 K.B. Denis

Media mogul in the making, K.B. Denis. Photo provided by K.B. Denis.

This week’s featured media mogul in the making is the founder and editor-in-chief of Black Boy Bulletin, K.B. Denis. Learn more about K.B.’s 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?

“In high school, I was writing for the school newspaper and literary journal. I ended up serving as Editor-in-Chief of the latter and Media & Culture Editor of the former. Writing has always been one of my first loves, so I think it was kind of obvious that I would pivot to journalism and media. I’m constantly amazed at how the media can shift conversations and control narratives and minds. Whether it’s pop culture critique, film analysis, or politics, I’m all over it. While I can always express myself emotionally through poetry, singing, and acting, journalism gives me away to express my thoughts and feelings analytically. It forces me to compartmentalize and really dig into why certain things are important or why certain things provoke the reactions that they do.”

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

“I’ve been writing since I was a kid. Whenever there was an opportunity to write for a media outlet, I took it. Middle school newspaper, High School Newspaper and Literary Journal, and now my own site!”

Tell us how you built up your platform. What’s your mission/goals? Who’s your audience?

“I launched Black Boy Bulletin in the summer of 2017. A friend’s mom gave me the idea to start my own platform after reading a piece I wrote about Beyoncé’s Lemonade in my school newspaper. My intent was always to create a platform focused on reviewing and analyzing media from my perspective as a young Black man. I always want my Blackness to permeate through my writing. Blackness is not a monolith and my specific Black experience greatly impacts how I interact with different global events and works of art. Another one of the goals with my site was to highlight up-and-coming artists of color. Through New Artist Spotlight, I’ve been able to give a platform to a slew of rising rappers, R&B maestros, and pop stars. My audience is basically anyone who is interested in what I have to say. To be more specific, my target audience is internet stans. I gained a sizable platform on Twitter from them by covering the artists that they care about and delving into the depth of pop music in a way that is fresh and exciting.”

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

“I think I have a few proud moments. One of them is when I started getting sent press releases from record labels. It really shook me up because it meant that people were really paying attention to the work that I was doing and valued my platform! This year, I put out an article titled, ‘This Is Why ‘Saving Pop Music’ Is An Anti-Black Sentiment’. The piece went viral on Twitter and a bunch of editors and staffers from my favorite media news outlets reached out to me praise my work. Finally, I got to launch a column with AwardsWatch, an entertainment site that I had been following for years. That was a surreal moment for me!”

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

“Don’t get discouraged by engagement numbers. You likely won’t be an overnight success, but if you consistently put out quality content and build a relationship with your readers, you’re set. Sometimes I’ll put out a piece or an album review that gets 4 total views and the next day I’ll put out something that goes viral and makes my site crash for a bit. Ultimately, none of it matters because I’m staying true to what I want to write and that is more powerful than any number.”

Connect with K.B. Denis on Instagram to keep up with him. Follow Black Boy Bulletin on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. To view the latest posts on Black Boy Bulletin, visit https://blackboybulletin.com/.

Media Mogul In The Making: Meet Natalee Gilbert

This week’s featured media mogul in the making is entertainment journalist, Natalee Gilbert! While her work has been featured across many platforms including The Feature Presentation and FM Hip Hop, she’s building a quite a buzz with blog, The Fresh Finds. Learn more about Natalee’s 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 intrigued me because of the freedom to express that came with it. I was very interested by the way others often worded their opinions of another’s music through different structures and heavy research. Two blogs that really pushed me to pursue music journalism is DJBooth, which I commend for their unique approaches to different topics and artist pieces. Pitchfork also pushed me toward music journalism because of their ability to describe music and make one feel as if they’ve heard the songs already. They also aren’t afraid to be honest so that’s another plus.”

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

“I started through Tumblr. I never studied journalism or was apart of any internships but I had a strong desire for writing and underground music growing up. One day, I had the epiphany to delve into the industry when I attended a music festival called The Meadows in New York City. From then, I wanted to help artists tell their stories and get more exposure for themselves.”

Tell us how you built up your platform. What’s your mission/goals? Who’s your audience?

“I build my platform through Instagram, an app called Shapr and going to underground events. As the saying goes, it’s really who you know. I also tried my best to find any platform that matched what I wanted to put out. The first one I seeked for (outside of my own blog, The Fresh Finds) was a company called Kulture Hub, who I found through an Indeed ad. My ultimate goal is to have my own hub with Power 105.1 and expand The Fresh Finds. I really want people to enjoy reading my content about artist who are on the rise and I want the artist to like it it too. I’d say my audience is mostly hip-hop or R&B lovers.”

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

“I’d say my proudest was earning my internship with DJ Suss One’s The Feature Presentation. Before then, I’d apply to companies like XXL or Complex just to be shut down. But DJ Suss One and Amber really believed that I had what it takes.”

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

“Do your research and listen to music for your leisure or else it starts to feel like a job. But most importantly, keep pushing. This industry is hard to get into but I guarantee your work ethic will get you there.”

Connect with Natalee Gilbert on Instagram to keep up with her! Be sure to follow The Fresh Finds on Instagram.