“I grind, grind, grind in real life, so when it’s that time to show up I can get pretty,” says Tasha McCaskiel, Founder of Black Girls In Media.
Our Grind Pretty team had the honor of attending the first ever in-person conference for Black Girls In Media (BGIM). It was an action-packed day filled with speakers, photo ops, resume building, and impactful networking. Panel topics ranged from how to build a personal brand, how to become a leader in media, and how to establish an “on air” or “behind the scenes” career. Over 200 women gathered in Atlanta, Ga for the event.
“Atlanta is the first place I thought of for many reasons. We have a strong audience there, plus, it’s what I would consider the home of Black media. This life-changing conference will be the start of many more to come,” remarks Tasha.
BGIM was founded in 2017. Tasha was frustrated by her attempt to break into the corporate world of the media industry and as a result, she curated a small Groupme chat. What started as a safe space for women in the media industry to bond, give career advice, and create connections has turned into an Instagram community of 81.5K followers. From journalists to marketing coordinators, women are leveling up their careers through the help of BGIM.
“When it comes to being on air and hosting events it gets slower during quarter four of the year. So right now I’m focusing on saving so that I can fund my career going into the new year (2023),” says panel moderator, MiAsia Symone.
Heavy-hitters panelists included Vice President of Marketing at Warner Record, Shawnae Corbett-Rice, finance and business guru, Ellie Diop, and Viacom’s Talent Relations Manager, Ashle Mitchell to name a few. The Black Girls In Media Conference is expected to travel more around popular U.S. cities bringing the same activities and panels directly to their community.
The conference was just a reminder of the importance of finding your grind and sticking to it. Women in creative fields are busy juggling a career, sometimes school, a social life, their mental health, and most times children. Through the help of community organization, networking events like such spark personal and professional growth.
So how are you grinding pretty?
For more information on how you can get involved, visit https://www.blackgirlsinmediainc.com
Written by Taylar Broadnax, follow at @taylar.chanell
