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One Leg Up On Boutique Media Relations With Jameka Whitten · OneLegUpAlex Media

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All right, Well, it is the One Leg Up with Alex Garrett feature.
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And I like to interview those who are have one leg up in their
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industry and our CEOs because they can actually inspire those who want to be in
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leadership position to have one leg up as well. And I feel like my
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next guest has a story to tell, and that's why I'm having Jamiica witten
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On. And Jamiica, you are a publicist, you're a consultant, but
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you also own JSW Media Group, which is what stood out to me.
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So firstly, thanks for joining the show, and thanks to pod match for
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connecting us. Oh my gosh, thank you so much for reaching out and
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accepting the call to interview me. I'm always humbled when people want to hear
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my little old story. I want to know, firstly, why you broke
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out of it. Sounds like the establishment kind of public relations. I mean,
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you were in this for twenty years and you broke out into your own
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media group. But tell us what corporate America was like for you, and
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then why you broke out. I've met a lot of great people, I
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learned a lot and made some incredible connections. The end game was always to
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live life on my own terms. You know, I knew that I wanted
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to help tell really great brand stories, and I knew that I couldn't do
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that other the offices of an organized structure that I wasn't in charge. I
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you know, I paid my dues. I used Corporate America to as my
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educational background, right, I used it as my training ground. I used
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it to you know, I made sure that I gave back to the company
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that I worked for in the best possible way. But the whole time,
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I knew I was just trying to gain as mistraction as I could so that
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I could go out on my own and make an impact. And did you
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feel like you were making an impact in the twenty years of experience as a
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in Corporate America or were you feeling a bit you weren't able to spread your
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wings it that way in corporate world. I have to say that that was
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part of it. You know. Corporate structure is just that it's a structure,
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right, So they don't necessarily want you to color outside the line all
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the time. And because I'm a strategist by nature, I'd like to figure
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out how to solve problems from conventionally and the establishment doesn't always allow you to
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do that. So you know, I've always been different. I've always considered
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myself other, so I think differently. I live my life in full color
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at all times. So yeah, I had to break out of my own
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you know, if you want to live by your own terms, sometimes that
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means being on your owe. Maybe those that are in the corporate world right
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now still could use a little advice on how to go with it with you
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know, twenty plus years of experience and grow and get that experience in corporate
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world. And those that you know want to still climb the ladder if you
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will, How do they do that in such a world that it's getting financially
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tighter. I mean, I think you can agree it's it's getting a little
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financially type for these corporations and for the business structure in general. To realize,
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oh absolutely, you hit the nail right on the head, Like you
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know, the purse strings are becoming tight. Different technology that has come along.
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You have to really be on your peas and you because you can be
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replaced and replace quickly. And what I would say to make yourself as valuable
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as possible is to never stop learning, never stop trying to get your skills
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better and expand you know, you have to work on your own personal brand,
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right who are you? Who are you to that company? But who
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are you to yourself? And how can you bring value wherever you're hone in
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those skills. It's networking so important. Networking outside of the company as well
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as within. Don't be afraid, even if you're a mid level manager or
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even you know, if you're entry level, talk to those executives, strike
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up conversations in the break room, talk to people. Let people know what
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your personality is. Because what I always tell clients and what I tell their
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folks is people still do business with people that they like and that they pose
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respect for and who can hold conversations and bring value to discussions and problem solving
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and conversations. With that experience you had, you were obviously a leader within
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that world as well. So tell us about growing to become a leader in
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the structure you were in and then breaking away from it. So I started
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off literally at the bottom. We're talking like temp contract work, and I
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would just go into the company and I would talk to any and everybody.
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I was never afraid to have a conversation and learn. I was constantly going
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in and saying, well, what do you do and how can I help.
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That's the key for networking I think that people forget about is it's not
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about what you can get from the other person. It's about what you can
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give. It's an even exchange of talents and activities and energy and all of
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those things, right, and you have to have it has to flow back
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and forth. It can't just be take, take, take and not give.
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So I think in that case, you know, I was definitely very
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cognizant about making sure that I was giving as much as I was getting,
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and I found great mentors, and I just done the sasional skills and my
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talents, and I offered to do things that didn't necessarily that weren't necessarily in
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my job description to again show how valuable I could be. So I would
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say that's how I climbed a little bit hold about the networking. And have
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you been able to take some of the connections you made in the corporate world
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into your entrepreneurialship. Have you done that? Oh? Absolutely. A lot
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of my clients come from the companies that I've worked for in the path,
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or from colleagues that you know now have their own companies or they hired me
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on a contract basis for some of the companies that I've worked for in the
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back. So it's all very circular, right time, right place, And
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it's about making sure that you make that you have those strong connections with the
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people that you work with, and that you build relationships with your colleagues so
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that they call you. You're the first person that they think of. I
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want to ask you about owning this media group because I am always all when
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people build their own network, their own world, if you will, And
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so have you taken all this that you learned as a public relations person,
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as a media sort of consultant and whatnot and made group? Like how did
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it all form together for you? Well? It started off because I used
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to work in fashion and entertainment a lot, and I was as well as
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you know, I was a journals you know, I was running of an
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independent magazine, So I had my hands on all these different connects, right
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and all these different consultants and all these different folks freelancers, and I was
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just thinking, wouldn't it be great if I could pass in with all of
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these talented folks for specific projects and make sure that they get paid accordingly and
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make sure that they are have the support that they need. So it was
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very organic for me when I was farming DFW media groups. And for those
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who aren't aware of ASW, yes, it's a media group. But what
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we do specifically is public relations and brand management. Branding is at the core
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of what we do. We like taking things from the very from the very
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beginning, you know, from the foundational and then building it up and projecting
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that for the world and making sure that everyone's image is where it needs to
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be and that it goes back to your core values of your company, and
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that you are projecting the right brand and expanding it and getting the right kind
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of attention. So it's just a matter of using all of my connects and
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bringing people together and creating an environment where it was creative and also a team
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and you just wanted to do really good work for people. Well it sounds
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now when I think media group, though, are you going to start like
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your own you know, serious XM radio thing or kind of a TV.
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What kind of outlet is it can people look forward to when they work with
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you. I've produced podcasts in the past, I've done some work on some
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vergeoning TV shows, you know, internet TV shows, and the size,
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the limits, basically when a client counts to us and what they If they
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tell us what they need, we can definitely make it. Ask I noticed
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in your bio that you, uh, you love poetry. That's kind of
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interesting and so it's very interesting actually, and so how do you as a
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business owner decompressed from the day to day grind if you will, if you
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feel like that, it could be at times it's poetry a way you decompressed
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and actually express yourself as well. I do, I do. I started
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off, I want to say that, oh goodness, Walt Whitman and Maya
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Angela were opening for me as a kid, you know, reading their work,
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and you know those are starkly different types of author right, but it's
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something soothing about reading the written word and it just made me want to create.
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And I love to express myself, and you know, just taking him
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the paper sometimes is the best way for me to be compressed. Other decompression
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techniques is a really nice glass of champagne at the end of a great day,
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doing some spot treatments at home and just sitting and being still and listening
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to beautiful music and just enjoying all of the gifts and all of the joy
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that you know, I've been able to be blessed with because of you know,
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just saying true too who I am and what I'm supposed to be doing
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that God has told me to do. Well, I know that you have
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you mentioned your faith and when you took this leap of faith, I mean,
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did you have did you believe that God was calling you to make this
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own group, to get out of Corporate American and say, hey, I'm
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gonna do my own thing. Was that sort of instinct that God told you
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to do? Would you say? I would definitely say it was on the
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past. You know, I had been running away from things that I feel
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like I was told to do for so long, and finally once I surrendered,
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so to speak, that's when everything fell into place and it came at
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a wonderful time and the reason why I left Corporate compeat me and you know,
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I have been doing JSW for you know, since two thousand and six
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on a part time basis, but I started full time in twenty fourteen,
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and I'm so glad that I did because the next year a few months later,
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actually my mother had been diagnosed with cancer and she ended up passing away
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from cancer in twenty sixteen. But had I not been a whole time entrepreneur
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with the flexibility to be able to spend that last year with my mom,
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I would not have had that time. And I'm thankful for that. You
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know, obviously I'd littered. I wish you'd still here, and seems taken
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away from me way too early. But you know, everything happens in divine
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timing. And had I not listened to that hug that nud to say go
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ahead and step out on face and do this, then I would have walked
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that time with my mom. Well, I do believe there's a timing for
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everything. And so you have this media group, you have everything going for
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you. What's next, I mean, what what are your goals with JSW
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Media Group? You know, it's just continuing to service clients really well.
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I mean, eventually I'd like to do even more speaking engagements and more workshops
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and helping the next generation of public relations professionals and branding experts trying to get
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up and get out and get their clubs done. That's definitely what's next for
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days. W's just you know, hiring even more, being able to hire
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even more talent, being able to expand into the additional cities. You know,
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right now we have remote offices and you know a lot of places in
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the southeast and New York. But I want to have syplical locations all over
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the country. So that's like the goal. Eventually. I love it.
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Now you have a great team behind you, So tell me about being an
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entrepreneur, being a small business owner and yet having a team behind you.
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I mean your leadership skills obviously, let you have a staff. So tell
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me about your staff and how important for entrepreneurs listening to have that staff behind
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you is if if they're not sure about dipping their toes into this, why
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need a team when you first start this? So you know, a lot
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of people will tell you in the beginning, you know you have to do
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everything yourself, and I don't believe that. And the reason why I say
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that is, you know, sometimes you need to don't have the money to
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hire right, but you have to invest in yourself. And investing in yourself
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is making sure that you have the right team to support your initiatives. I
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can be a bit of a control freak at tron and I have a tendency
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to try to put too much on my plate. My team is there for
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me to be able to delegate and so that I could be that as engineering,
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I can be that that business head that leaders to go out and get
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the new business while everything is still moving and taking the way that they should.
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My team also has, you know, business strategies. I have people
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on my team who are not afraid to tell me the truth. I don't
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have yes people. I would. My advice to those who are in entrepreneurship
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is to get to get a group of folks around you who are going to
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tell you the truth. They're going to tell you the hard truth, and
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they're going to do it for your benefit, and they're not always going to
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agree with you, but it's going to be for the good of yourself and
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the company. It's so important to have good people and take your time and
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vet and but put the money aside. You have to invest in good people.
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And even if you can't hire somebody full time off the gate, you
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know, you know, get some contractors, pay them a portion of whatever
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your projects come in. You know, do what you can. I got
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to ask you this. I mean, obviously you're a media group. So
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does this mean that you get to highlight other small business owners and entrepreneurs.
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Do you encourage that kind of collaboration through the media through your media group?
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Oh? Absolutely, I like highlighting all sorts of folks who are doing great
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things and positive things in the community and beyond. So you know, through
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my connections, I can you know, get you in contact with with other
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podcasters, with other people who are doing highlight real ones, moll businesses,
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or maybe we'll go live on Instagram so that you can share what you're doing
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with my audience. In vice versa, it's all about celaborations, it's all
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about working together, and it's all about making it as much as an impact
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as you can positivity. I have to say when we talk about small businesses,
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do you find that we sort of I hate to say neglect, but
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don't highlight the minority owned businesses enough. I mean, is there more we
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could do, especially as we hit the new year, to say, hey,
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here are these businesses it's minority owned. I mean, what are your
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thoughts on that. I'm just curious if we need to do more to highlight
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well, I think it's about making sure that everybody that everyone that's part of
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the conversation that you're trying to make a concerted effort to be as inclusive as
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possible. There are so many talents in entrepreneurs out there. There's so many
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talented small business owners that don't get the shine that they deserve because, you
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know, maybe things are not as equitable as they need to be, and
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they're not put in the right doings or not put on the right you know,
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they're not given opportunities, are put on the right stages. So as
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folks who may be part of the majority, you know, and who are
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not a part, I would say, you know, if you're not part
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of an underrepresented group, ask yourself, what are you doing to make sure
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that you are being inclusive yourself in lifting up your fellow entrepreneurs of color or
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other marginalized groups. What are you doing yourself to make sure that all voices
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are heard? Because nothing is going to change unless we all work together and
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get it done. Jamika, I see that you have all these different services
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that you guys offer to the media group, So give us a story that
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stands out in the in the almost twenty years, it's actually going to be
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what twenty I'm sorry eighteen years this year of work, I mean, any
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stories would stand out that might be interesting for people to know, Oh my
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gosh, there are so many goodness I have worked. I would have to
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say that it's super amusing working with celebrities because it's never what you think is
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going to be. You know, when I got into this business, I
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was so wide eyed and thinking that, you know, working with celebrities and
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celebrities the way to go, but realizing that these folks are just like everybody
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else. It's just that they have more fame and more of a spotlight on
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them, but they are just screwed up the next person. So I would
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just say that I don't have a specific story because because of Nbas, I
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can't really care some crazy things that have happened, but just know that some
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of your faiths out there are hot message. But they would and that's all
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all okay right now. Uh. You know what's interesting is that I see
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you got a lot, You got these consultations and whatnot, and yeah,
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I know it can be crazy, but when people find themselves in a bind,
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even you even do crisis communications, and I feel like every day there's
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a crisis going on in our in our public relations. I mean, hey,
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you have a young standby for Travis and Taylor if something goes wrong,
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right, I mean I said, listen, call me tall to me,
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saw me yees I. My crisis communications services really got heightened during twenty twenty.
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It wasn't even something that I was offering outside of my own client base,
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but I had to do with a stand alone because I had companies who
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were just at a lot, especially during when George Floyd murdered and we had
20:00
the elevation of the Black Lives movement. People didn't know what to do,
20:07
and they were saying things, and you know, corporate exacts and various business
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owners were saying things that they probably shouldn't just because they didn't know and they
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didn't understand, and diversity wasn't top of mind. But when that happened,
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everybody was that a standstill and was so afraid of saying or doing the wrong
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thing. And you know, our country was divided, and you know,
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there was all sorts of things happening. So crisis communication was super important at
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that time. And I was getting called left and right just to kind of
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come in and give a different perspective and train staff and make sure that people
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were getting back on the right track and just providing that alternative voice, that
20:49
alternative information that they didn't have because they had such a homogenous communication up until
20:59
then. They and realize that they needed to mavericify a little bit so that
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you can make sure that all stories were told effectively and in the right way.
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I know there were a lot of corporations that just did not know how
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to address that, and I'm sure you swooped in and saved the day,
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all right. I like that. You're right you have creative flair. So
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we mentioned team. Is the creative flair coming from you directly when people work
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with the Jamaica or is there a team behind you with the creative I feel
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like you've got the creative part of all this, right. I definitely have
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some of the creative, but you know, I've got some great I've got
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some great so on the team who is creativity without even prime especially a lot
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of my brand strategy and the graphics designers and even the fashion stylence that we
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have on that. You know, you come to us and you will make
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sure you look good, you sound good, and you feel good. I
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think the other thing about entrepreneurial spirit is that we all have a vision,
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right, we have a vision of what we want to accomplish every day.
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I have a vision with this podcast, but to start our own to start
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your own company takes a real vision. So how do people bring that vision
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to life? How did you bring the vision to light at the end of
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the day and really have one leg up on vision as well? You have
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to be your conviction conviction and you have to understand your why. If you
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don't know why you're doing something, then you're not going to follow through with
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it. I think that's the first that's the first step, right. So
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if you are creating a business, or you're founding a business and you're coming
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up with them, or you have this wonderful idea, you need to ask
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yourself why. What's my why? Is it because I want an instability for
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myself and my family? Is it because I want to build a legacy?
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Is it because I want to do good for the community? You know,
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this is bigger than me and I need to get this out there. You
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know, just figuring out what that why is it? The first set?
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Okay, you know why is strong enough? You will do whatever you need
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to do. To get it done. So you'll build that sounding and you'll
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stay up late at night putting into the nuts and boat together to make sure
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that your business plan is solid. You will figure out funding. You know,
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all of these things will happen if you're why, if it's strong,
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right, the why and whatnot. And I find a lot of people try
23:33
and art their business to go fund me or venmo. I mean, it's
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just it's it's a lot of patience and a lot of getting off the ground.
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Now. You had mentioned and I got to tell you we've just started
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talking for the first time today. But folks, if you're listening to js
23:48
W I Jamika s went in here, I can tell you she's very dedicated.
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She and she she she had to remember she had to tell her own
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story too. She's so focused on getting somebody else's story out there. I
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said, no, we gotta tell you today, Jamiica right. I mean
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that's your focus. Though. It's how focused you are on your clients that
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you forget you have a story as well. I do. I do.
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I forget that sometimes. And you know, I was reminded by my team
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and some close friends of mine that my story is also important and it could
24:22
help someone, So you know, I have that. I feel like that's
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part of my assignment is to make sure that I am showing and showing by
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example and helping people by example and you know, just being a resource and
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stuff. Back then, do you find you're a teacher, because we talk
24:41
about mentoring younger public relations professionals and younger entrepreneurs. Do you feel like a
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teacher? And did all of this experience help you become a teacher in this
24:52
kind of field and entrepreneurship as well? It did it? Did? It
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happened natural? I think when I got my first intern, before I knew
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it, this intern became like my mentee, and you know, it was
25:07
off of the races from there. But I also a little kid bit when
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I was still freelancing, and very early on in my career, I was
25:15
an after school teacher. I was, uh, you know, running an
25:19
after school program in the state of North Carolina, working with like, you
25:25
know, second, third, fourth, fifth graders and that was fun and
25:30
that who told you a lot about myself when you have to teach the next
25:33
generation, right, but that kids are unfiltered and they will let you know
25:37
when you are not doing the job. So that was good. And I
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also used to be a Sunday school teacher, which is crazy but considering I
25:47
could be a little unoff of us, but the kids seem to like me
25:48
in the church allowed me to keep doing it for a while, So yeah,
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I I do. I think that teaching is something that I've always been
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good at and that I do naturally, even if it's not formal. All
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right, when we're talking about one leg up, I also think that means
26:07
taking risks, and we've kind of got over that today, Jamika. But
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what's the biggest risk you found as an entrepreneur and is there a safety dept
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for others that that may face the same risk or worry about taking risks?
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I mean, I think that's part of evolving your company, right it is.
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The biggest risk was probably very early on. I didn't get traditional funding.
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I bootstrapped my company initially, and the scariest risks I probably took was,
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you know, taking out loans that I had no idea how it's going
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to pay back, and just getting it done and using my house as collateral,
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using my car as collateral, you know, just grinding it out and
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figuring out and figuring it out. When you put everything you have into something
27:03
without knowing how you're going to get it back or what next. That's the
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true faith walk, and that's when you know you are walking in your passion
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and you're walking in your destiny because God will make a way if you allow
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him to show you how you're supposed to get it done. Jamiica S.
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Whitten the Jswmedia Group, I'm seeing it here js Wmedigroup dot Com. I
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would love to stay in touch with you, and I see you put on
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some different events and maybe twenty twenty four you'll bring your media world to New
27:38
York again. How are you looking for? Are you doing any something like
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that this year? Yes, that's actually I was just talking about how I
27:48
needed to suspend at least you on the down and have a lot of and
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I want to build that back up again, and so I want to come
27:59
back and see with all that going on and take some meetings and see what
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I can get into. So that is definitely on the ticket for twenty twenty
28:06
four and beyond and Verus Podcasters if we don't, if we were more focused
28:11
on telling other stories, I feel like you're a reminder that we too have
28:15
our own stories. So how do podcasts? Would you say you published some
28:18
podcasts, did that tell the story of other podcasts? Or what kind of
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podcasts are you are you working on right now? I'm working on the Silence
28:27
Vegan podcast, which is telling the stories of other vegan business owners, individuals,
28:33
entrepreneurs to anybody who is promoting veganism. I used to do a podcast
28:40
call SIPs and Tips, which was giving business tips while having cocktaps. I've
28:45
done all kinds of things. Actually, we used to run a I used
28:51
to subdu jam Harts related podcasts. But to your point to your question,
28:56
podcasters, you know, when you establish a brand, and your brand is
29:03
very strong, you have to be able to tell your brand story because that's
29:08
what's going to make people want to listen, not just who you interview,
29:11
but who you are as as a host or a producer. So, you
29:17
know, work on that brand story a little bit and don't be afraid to
29:19
put that out there. Well this brand one leg up with Alex Garrett was
29:26
very honored to welcome you, Jamika, and let's let's create a connection here
29:29
and have you back on and and and and you know, I would love
29:33
to build a connection here with you because you sound great and determined, and
29:37
uh, it was great that Pop Match connected us today. Well absolutely,
29:41
I'm so glad that we got that connection and I would like to keep that.
29:47
Yeah, I got some stuff up my steam and it sounds like you
29:49
do too, So like, let's keep that conversation guy for now. J
29:55
Swmedia Group dot com. This was Jamika S. Whitten on the Alex Gare
29:59
Pod Guest Network. Thanks again, Jamiica, Thank you, I have I
30:03
have a great time. Thank you. M