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Media Mogul In The Making: Meet Justice Gray

This week’s featured media mogul is none other than Justice Gray, editor-in-chief of The Demo Tape. Learn more about Justice’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?

“Oddly enough, journalism did not initially pique my interest. I’m sort of here by accident because I initially wanted to be a criminal defense attorney. I didn’t enjoy the political science classes though, so my advisor directed me to at least pursue an undergraduate degree in a field that would sharpen my writing. I thought journalism would be perfect for both writing and research skills. What I didn’t know was that I would fall in love with it to where it would change the trajectory of my entire career path.

I just found everything about it interesting. Whether it be the writing or audio/visual
aspect, I just loved being able to create and bring to life whatever the wildest ideas my
imagination had in mind. To this day, the concepts and ideas I get most excited about are the ones I randomly come up with. Whenever I work on projects outside of The Demo Tape, creative freedom and control is still something that I try to retain because it allows me to freely express myself.”

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

“After switching my major in college from political science to journalism, my first
journalism professor encouraged the entire class to begin building their portfolios instead of waiting for calls from the CNN’s and NBC’s of the world. So I went back to my dorm that morning, and while I was sitting in the study lounge, I decided to call Jordan Taylor and The Demo Tape was born on March 31st, 2015. The Demo Tape was my first creative platform, and definitely, my favorite that I’ve been able to contribute to – no bias though.”

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

“It’s been a complete team effort. I’d be remiss to not mention everyone who’s played a
part in building The Demo Tape. Whether it be Jordan being here since day one,
Brandon Austin coming in and never wavering in his belief in us, or Gabrielle Manning-Jones forever going above and beyond on anything we ask her to do administratively. There’s so many more names, and I just want everybody that sees The Demo Tape to know this isn’t just me; I haven’t done this by myself. To be this good, for this long, you have to have a team.

Through the years thus far, we’ve been able to build our platform by delivering content
consistently and being able to adapt to the latest trends in terms of how to best deliver content. Whether it be interviews, videos, interactive segments, playlisting, or whatever the case may be, our team has been able to adapt and meet our target audience where they are. Right now, our audience looks like our staff; people ages 18-25, predominantly Black, who enjoy a central location to intertwine their passions in music, sports, pop culture, and a variety of other interests.

My mission is not so much tied up into clicks, or the big name interviews with the latest
celebrities. I’ve always said my mission is to inspire. When I started The Demo Tape, the list of people my age that looked like me and were doing what I was doing was slim. I want to be the role model to kids, especially from Baltimore, who are aspiring to become journalists. Impacting Baltimore in that way is immeasurable to me.”

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

“Though I’m proud of a lot of the stories I’ve had the privilege of writing and the pieces
I’ve been able to create, my proudest moments have not come from anything I’ve ever written. In fact, my proudest moments have come from what other writers of The Demo Tape have been able to do. I love it when somebody comes to us, and we’re able to give them a platform and help them elevate. I’m proud of Njera Perkins not only for what she’s been able to contribute to The Demo Tape, but for what she’s then been able to accomplish with other publications like Afro Tech and The Gumbo. It makes my day when I see Maurice Valentino traveling the world and pursuing his passions, and to get a phone call from him saying I’ve made a difference in his life.

I’m also proud of the annual back-to-school shows we’ve coordinated, where the price of
admission for attendees is school supplies donations for Baltimore City students. Through that, we’ve been able to help a number of families prepare their students for the school year.”

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

“I would give any aspiring mediapreneurs the same words of advice I heard the legendary Don Hewitt once say: “tell me a story.” I fell in love with journalism because I became enamored with the art of storytelling. At its core, I believe that is the driving force behind the best journalism. All the administrative things you will learn throughout your journey are important, and it never hurts to broaden your repertoire and pick up different skills, but the essence of all of this comes from those four words: “tell me a story.”

Connect with Justice on Instagram to keep up with him! Be sure to follow The Demo Tape on Instagram and click HERE to check out their official website.

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Media Mogul In The Making: Meet Tahir Register

TAHIRREGISTER-4(1) — Tahir Register, owner of TheBLACKMedia. Image provided by Tahir Register.

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?

“After taking psychology classes in college my mind was expanded. This one class, in particular, should be mandatory from elementary school through college called; social psychology. This class was one of the most eye-opening experiences of my life. Studying our social habits, understanding experimentation, programming, and world views made me realize the importance of ownership in a whitewashed world. At the time my goal was to take what I learned and apply it to my photography, music, lyrics, screenwriting, acting, and image. I had no idea a few years later after I graduated that I’d start a media publication, but the seed was absolutely planted in 2010 when I took that summer course.

I always wanted an entertainment/production company, I had no idea the moniker would be this news publication. What piqued my interest in 2013 was, after meditating, which I do every day, I realized there was way too much negativity online about us, the Afrikan American people. Remembering social psychology, I said to myself, the only way to fix this is to create and OWN our image so we may control how we are seen by the masses. After much research and a month-long creating process, TheBLACKMedia was born!”
How did you get your start in the media field? Did you study communications in college? Internships? Hobby writing?

“I got started in media at a very young age. I have been a photographer for a long time, 15 years to be exact, but before that, I was an aspiring photographer and would shoot basketball games in elementary school and write up a blurb with the photo. I would be asked to shoot events and write about it, and in high school, I was briefly apart of the school newspaper doing the same thing. As a singer-songwriter media training and education were important to the educators around me so they made sure I got a well-rounded education in journalism, investigative journalism, various forms of writing, and once it became popular, an education on social media.

I learned advertising, promotion, marketing, business, and writing whilst in college. Even though I have the experience, none of that prepared me for what was coming, maybe writing did, but nothing else. Experience in the field is the best education, hands down!”

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

“TheBLACKMedia is a safe space created to redefine what it means to be a person of colour in entertainment. No rumors, No gossip, No negativity, TheBLACKMedia is a news publication serving high-quality celebrity and entertainment news in a proper way. The goal is to continuously reach millions of people to inspire them to see people of colour as well rounded, full, Human beings, with limitless potential by using entertainment to reprogram our minds from the hundreds of years of monolithic programming racist inflicted upon our race and the world. Currently, our audience is mainly consisted of Black Women, with Black Men growing slowly, but surely into our support system.”

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

“My proudest media moment was when I achieved frequent engagement in 2019. Prior years I would only get engagement when I had viral moments. Moments before that would be absolutely silent! Now when I write an article or post a social media update I know for a fact, there will be engagement, and that comfort is unmatched! Prior to that my proudest moment was years ago when I achieved monthly visitors WITHOUT having to write new articles. I called it, sustainability. I still have that! Thousands of people from all over the world folk to my website, without me having to write or do anything new because of the work I put in for so many years. Of course, I update, but if I don’t for whatever reason it’s nice to know I won’t be forgotten.”

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

“I would tell them to develop something that is NOT OUT! Even though it will be harder, money will be tight, and you may not be as popular as fast as other common websites or media platforms, in the end, originality is what wins! Do not skip business plans, business structures, and do not rush releasing or premiering anything. Take your time to develop greatness! Most importantly LEARN EVERYTHING!!! Do not rely on others, even if you have a team, which I do not, learn everything! Every aspect of your business you should know! You should never be blind, ill-informed, or lost about anything. Media is a broad-spectrum, know every aspect of it. Lights, audio, filming, marketing, promotion, advertising, logos, tag lines, scripts, writing, journalism, article writing, CSS, HTML, social media, camera lenses, and so much more! Have a working understanding of everything you are doing and you will NEVER not work, never not make money, and you’ll always be five steps ahead of people who will…I repeat…WILL TRY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOU! They tried with me, never worked! :)”

Connect with Tahir Register on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook! Check out TheBLACKMedia on its official website here or on social media (Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook).