WATCH: The CEOs of Ebony, Diddy's Revolt, and KweliTV on the future of Black media
Black creatives and media moguls have been working hard to gain equity in their own storytelling, but what does the next chapter of that journey look like?
On August 18, entrepreneurship reporter Dominic-Madori Davis hosted a panel with three media executives discussing the future of Black media. They discussed what it's like running a Black-owned media enterprise in the 21st century as well as the challenges in maintaining control over Black stories in the US and beyond. They also spoke about their career paths and how they're increasing equity for the next generation of creative and professional leaders.
Meet our panelists:
Detavio Samuels - CEO of television network REVOLT, which was founded by mogul Diddy in 2013. It's currently one of the few Black networks to be carried on cable throughout the US.
DeShuna Spencer - Founder and CEO of the streaming service KweliTV which seeks to highlight Black stories from throughout the diaspora.
Michele Ghee - CEO of Ebony and Jet. Ebony is an iconic Black publication that dates back over 70 years. It relaunched this year seeking to connect with a new generation of Black leaders. Jet is set to relaunch next year, Ghee said.
Topics covered:
- Why distributors and advertisers still are not investing in Black media.
- How each panelist is helping to support the next generation of Black talent and leaders.
- How Revolt, KweliTV, and Ebony are investing in new media channels such as Clubhouse and NFTs to connect with audiences.
- Q&A with the audience discussing expanding into the African markets and what consumers can do to help support Black media.