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Nicky Saunders has tips and tricks to scale your digital presence. Saunders, a content strategist and CEO of Deeper Than The Brand since 2018, understands firsthand what it takes to build online. Called “the voice of content branding,” her platform offers helpful content creation suggestions that can be beneficial to businesses and content creators. Of late, she has heavily geared content around the various ways technology can be a resource, such as using an iPhone to edit live photos or artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT or Opus Clip. The latter allows users to repurpose long videos into shorter clips with one click, per its website. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nicky Saunders | The Voice Of Content Branding 🏁🦁🏁 1 of 1 (@thisisnickys) Thanks to her expertise, Saunders has built an online following of 12,000 subscribers via YouTube while impressing on Instagram with 187,000 followers at the time of this writing. Screenshot taken via Instagram /...
Stephen A. Smith knows his worth. The ESPN sports journalist and host of “First Take” is currently signed to an annual $12 million deal with the network that will be intact until June 2025. As previously shared by AFROTECH™, his salary includes an $8 million yearly salary and a $4-million-per-year production contract. Furthermore, with talks of renegotiations on the table, it has been rumored that Smith is seeking a $100 million contract to remain with the network for an additional five years. Recently, he addressed those rumors during a taping of “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace” on Max. He was asked by Wallace, “Your ESPN contract is, what we’re told, up next year and the word on the street is, you want something in the range of $100 million for five years. True?” While Smith did not confirm whether there was any truth behind these numbers, he did confirm he is looking to be paid his worth. “I’m not getting specific as it pertains to numbers, because only a fool discusses his own...
T-Pain had reportedly become a multi-millionaire at 18 due to his first record deal. Following the success of his popular single “I’m Sprung” in 2005, the artist was able to secure a record deal with Jive Records, Hot97 reports. The deal presented him with a $40 million advance, and many around him encouraged him to sign the deal. However, the deal also included a 15/85 split, in favor of the label, which he didn’t know at the time. He didn’t learn about it until 2022 when people started showing interest in buying his catalog, he said during a podcast interview on “Good Compenny.” “My first deal that whole first joint was 15/85 but they gave me crazy money,” he told rapper LaRussell on the podcast. “So, I didn’t even think about it. I didn’t care. Like, bro, they, like, straight up was like, ‘Alright, deal’s done. Here you go.'” T-Pain added, “So publishing, we worked around that. After probably about 10 years in that deal I was like ‘Yo we need to restructure this it’s crazy.’...
Shannon Sharpe is calling the shots now. The former NFL player, who is now a commentator and media personality, has found greater security by turning his full attention towards his own media company, Shay Shay Media, and through podcasts such as “Club Shay Shay” and “Nightcap” featuring former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson. Notably, the K att Williams interview with “Club Shay Shay” on Jan. 3, 2024, became the most-watched interview in YouTube history, with more than 68 million views. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shannon Sharpe (@shannonsharpe84) Sharpe’s accomplishment followed a challenging exit from “Undisputed” after the 2023 NBA finals. During a panel discussion hosted by “The Black Money Tree” podcast, he acknowledges the sacrifices he made for his prior job and how he had to find the light at the end of the tunnel, which inevitably led to his next career breakthrough. “I’d be lying if I told you I thought I would be where I am right now at this point in...
Absorbing books, consuming news, and learning new information has seen a significant shift with the popularity of podcasts. And whether you prefer Apple, Spotify, Audible, or any platform in between, listeners across the globe can access information otherwise not available, be entertained, and gain tools to maximize their trajectories. With great efficiency from the comfort of their smartphone, podcast listeners have a huge library of choices from genres such as comedy, society and culture, and entrepreneurship. The next time you are chilling, running errands, or engaging in the never-ending cycle of adulting, check out these podcasts that are putting in overtime to inspire and help you tap into the next level of your future.
In less than a year, Rory Farrell and Jamil ‘MAL’ Clay have gone from being supporting acts on the popular Joe Budden Podcast to carving out their own lane in the digital space and securing a $10 million bag. If there’s ever been a better example of the saying “what’s for you is for you,” the success of the New Rory & Mal podcast would be it. On November 2, the New Rory & Mal podcast made its debut on Stitcher’s More Sauce label just months after a public, yet messy, split from their previous platform. AfroTech got the chance to speak with the duo about their new Stitcher deal, life post-JBP, and how other aspiring podcasters can get turn a hobby into a lucrative business. When Rory & Mal began their podcast journey roughly six years ago, they had no idea it could transform into a career. It wasn’t until they sat with the late Combat Jack, who is credited for spearheading the hip hop podcast industry, that they realized its potential. “[At first, podcasting] was just some fun thing...
Back in May, Spotify announced a monumental initiative designed to invest in and amplify the work of Black creators in music and beyond. Today, the streaming giant has teamed up with Black woman-operated creative agency FourTwo Creative to rollout a new campaign continuing the momentum of the new budding creator hub. Frequency Podcast Campaign — which features a two-part video series highlighting select Black creators who have chosen podcasting as their creative avenue — was created by both parties in an effort to spotlight a space where Black voices are moving the needle and becoming a dominant force in audio. “Podcasting is yet another medium that allows Black creatives to have a space where they can say what they feel and tap into audiences who can relate,” FourTwo Creative tells AfroTech. “It’s a medium that’s also a level playing field of creating one’s own platform—there are so many resources available that allow creatives to start with what they have and produce quality...
Netflix has hired N’Jeri Eaton as its first-ever Head of Podcasts to help lead podcasting for the streaming giant’s marketing division. According to Bloomberg, Eaton — a former Apple Inc. and NPR executive — will support Netflix’s audio ambitions as its director of podcast programming as part of the company’s editorial and publishing team, which is headed by Michelle Lee and reports to marketing chief Bozoma Saint John. Eaton tweeted her excitement about her new appointment on Thursday (July 8) writing: “I’m thrilled to join @netflix as the Head of Podcasts. 16 years ago, I watched three DVDs from Netflix a day while working the late night lab shift at a university. My obsession for storytelling has taken me all kinds of places but this is truly a dream!” https://twitter.com/njerieaton/status/1413307047966220289?s=20 She previously announced her departure from Apple on social media as well after joining the company last August. “Today is my last day on the @ApplePodcasts team,” she...
Creator of “Black-ish” Kenya Barris is expanding his Hollywood profile to the music business with a new entertainment company. According to The Hollywood Reporter (THR), the famed writer and producer has announced the launch of Khalabo Music — a joint venture with Interscope Records that already has a stacked roster of fresh, talented artists. As an extension of his production company, Khalabo Ink Society, Barris is looking at new ways he can work his signed artists into other areas of his entertainment hub. “Kenya touches people in so many different ways and he wants music to be part of that experience, so the conversation is not just about, ‘Let me find this one artist and make the best record,'” Interscope Geffen A&M Records vice chairman Steve Berman told THR. “He wants to find the artists and be able to plug music into his universe in many different ways. It’s the complete picture with him.” Per Berman’s interview with the outlet — as part of Barris’ latest cover story — the...
It’s been a challenging year, and you may have found yourself with less free time than ever. But you can keep up with your interests and learn new things by listening to podcasts on your smartphone or smart speaker while you work, run errands, and handle household duties. Here are some of the best podcasts for aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners. Black Tech Green Money Hosted by AfroTech’s own, Will Lucas, Black Tech Green Money highlights successful black technologists and marries their professional profiles with practical entrepreneurial wealth-building insights that inform and inspire. The Black Techies Podcast Interested in consumer tech? Then check out The Black Techies Podcast , which examines new developments in the consumer tech space and how those developments intersect with the black community and black culture. Confessions of a Werkaholic This weekly podcast focuses on Black female entrepreneurs, with each episode spotlighting a different Black business owner....
Looking to become a successful YouTuber? Maybe you’ve considered the idea of starting your own channel, but never seriously pursued it. Beyond the obvious like finding a niche and investing in the right equipment, we’re here to give you tips on how to actually succeed on the platform. HOW TO START A YOUTUBE CHANNEL IN 2020: 3 VALUABLE TIPS JUST START You might think that starting is the most obvious part of having a YouTube channel. However, many people overlook the simplicity of starting right now. It’s easy to get caught up in planning and preparing to start your channel. This can lead to hesitation and procrastination because you’re thinking about every single aspect. Ready or not, just do it. Start your channel now. You don’t have to upload every video you record. So what if you look back at your first video and see how terrible it was? You have to start somewhere. And at least you’ll gain experience being in front of the camera and learn if you even enjoy making videos. DEVELOP...
Black women have always been at the forefront of diversifying mainstream spaces for our community, and the women of the newly-launched platform, The Joe Budden Network, are no different as they strive to amplify more Black women in media. As co-hosts of the See, The Thing Is… podcast, singer Bridget Kelly, popular podcaster, Mandii B, and DJ Olivia Dope have integrated themselves as part of the growing legacy that The Joe Budden Network is working to be for Black media personalities. In an effort to expand the network’s reach, Joe Budden and his team unveiled the women-led podcast last month as part of its plan to give these women a place to speak their minds in the digital space. View this post on Instagram And NOW we get to have some fun…. I always say on the pod there are too many topics that we can’t and shouldn’t touch.. and that women get to have all the fun… So I’m extremely proud/eager to introduce our new podcast “See, The Thing Is” featuring Bridget Kelly, Mandi B and...
The world of podcasts is getting a huge push in 2020, and now mega-media companies are getting in on the fun too. This week, mass entertainment companies ViacomCBS and iHeartMedia announced a three-year joint deal that includes a slate of over a dozen original podcasts based under both brands, Variety reports . According to a news release , the three-year pact calls on iHeartMedia — the biggest global commercial podcast publisher — to produce both new podcasts and shows associated with ViacomCBS’s portfolio of channels that span across different genres, including music, comedy, pop culture, and history. “We are excited to partner with iHeartMedia, the leading global commercial podcast publisher to expand our hit shows and IP into hit franchises,” said Keyes Hill-Edgar, chief operating officer of ViacomCBS’ Entertainment & Youth Group, in a statement . “iHeart’s wide distribution and availability across a number of leading platforms align well with our global reach and audiences.”...
Oprah is expanding her digital portfolio through her ongoing partnership with tech giant Apple to launch her new podcast, “Oprah’s Book Club,” reports The Hollywood Reporter . According to The Wrap , starting today “Oprah’s Book Club” will release weekly episodes twice on both Tuesdays and Thursdays. Each episode will feature Oprah — and an author — in talks with various big-name guests to discuss a popular book or novel. As part of its first installment, the eight-part miniseries will feature Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson. The two will discuss Wilkerson’s best-selling book, “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents” — a nonfiction work that illustrates the hidden hierarchy of human ranking that defines America. “I am honored and thrilled that ‘Caste’ has been chosen for Oprah’s Book Club and that its humanitarian insights will now reach a wider audience,” Wilkerson shared in a statement . “This work shows that the term racism may be insufficient in our current era. We...
While video content is dominating the online world, podcasts aren’t too far behind. According to Edison Research 2019 , over half of the U.S. population has listened to a podcast. And the Podcast Trends Report 2019 shows that 82.4% of people listen to podcasts more than 7 hours each week. So there is no doubt that podcasts are rapidly gaining in popularity. If you’re interested in diving into the podcast world, here’s a quick guide to starting your own. 1. PLAN THE DETAILS The first thing you should do is choose the topic of your podcast. To help you make a decision, think of the what, who, and why. This will help you narrow down your purpose. What will your podcast be about? Who will you be targeting? Why does your messaging matter to this audience? Once you answer these questions, you can start picking a name for your podcast, planning your episodes, coming up with episode titles, and choosing a format – whether you want to interview people, have a co-host, or go solo. Think about...