When the talent is undeniable, you’ll find that your gifts will always make room for you.
At an early age, Gia Peppers knew she wanted her line of work to fall within the entertainment industry. It wasn’t long before those dreams became a reality, and now she is heading into the third season of her “More Than That With Gia Peppers” podcast.
"More Than That"
In an interview with AfroTech, she explained how the gig was made possible thanks to her friendship with Brittany Packnett Cunningham, another phenomenal journalist who at the time was unable to fulfill the role as the host of the show due to other obligations.
“She was so overwhelmed because, at the time, she was on the news every day,” Peppers explained.
“She was like, ‘G, I love how you move in this industry,’ which is another testament to the power of sisterhood. She’s a person I’ve known for several years now, and she was like, ‘Look, I can’t do this. I have too much on my plate. I think you’d be great for this opportunity.’ And I was just like, ‘What is it?’ And she’s like, ‘It’s this podcast, a sonic journey through Black voices, but it’s putting our stake in the ground when it comes to telling our stories on a large scale.'”
For Peppers, the alignment for the series was what fully brought her on board.
“It naturally aligned with me and my love of storytelling, my love of adding to people’s lives instead of taking away from their lives with, you know, low vibrational stuff 100% of the time, and giving people new ways to think,” she said. “So, in Season 1 it was all about social justice, but how can we find peace within the chaos? Season 2 was about motivation. This season we’re really doubling down on intentionality. We’re just doubling down on how we build legacy… how we build interpersonal relationships that help us and personal relationships with ourselves.”
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The Journey
As a veteran entertainment journalist in the game, Peppers has made quite the name for herself, serving as a contributor on NBC’s “TODAY” show, as well as a correspondent for media outlets including Essence, VH1, BET, and more.
One thing that she has never shied away from is knowing her worth within the industry.
“It takes a long time to stand on that and mean it because sometimes when you start in your career, you need the check, right?” Peppers said.
“Oh, and you need the visibility. I think people will sometimes forget that in order to have a job, you need people to know that you can do the job. And sometimes that looks like taking something that you know, for goodwill, isn’t gonna get you anything but a cute little Chick-fil-A happy meal. But at the end of the day, you know that look could lead to other looks.”
She continued: “But also, there’s this weird balance where you have to check yourself because you cannot define yourself by what a paycheck might say. Because if a paycheck isn’t reflecting your worth at the time, that doesn’t mean you’ll never get it.”
Leveling Up
As “More Than That With Gia Peppers” enters its third season, Peppers expressed how it has reshaped her views of the legacy she aims to leave behind.
“I learn so much when I am in season for ‘More Than That’ and even when I’m out of season for ‘More Than That,'” she said. “In Season 2, I fought to be an executive producer because my name is on the show, but that didn’t mean I had 100%, I still don’t have 100% control, but I needed more of a say in the creative and things like that… It’s a great feeling as a person who’s worked on many sides of media. It sucks when you’re not heard and you’re the face of something, and so I feel heard.”
New episodes of “More Than That” are now available on all major streaming platforms.
