We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Christia Clarkson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Christia below.

Christia , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Looking back at internships and apprenticeships can be interesting, because there is so much variety in people’s experiences – and often those experiences inform our own leadership style. Do you have an interesting story from that stage of your career that you can share with us?

I still vividly remember the moment I landed my internship with BET Networks in Los Angeles it was truly a dream come true. BET was one of my favorite networks growing up. I didn’t even have cable as a kid, so I’d go over to my friends’ homes just to watch the BET Awards. Suddenly, walking into the office as an intern felt surreal.
One of the first days, I found myself casually seeing Brandy in the hallway, and moments later I was giving input on show development for artists I literally grew up listening to. It was wild. And then getting the chance to attend the BET Awards as part of the team… I almost cried. I remember standing there thinking: I used to watch this on someone else’s TV and now I’m part of the network. It was such an out-of-body moment.
What really shaped me, though, wasn’t just the excitement it was how the executives treated me. Even as an intern, they always respected my voice. They invited me into conversations, asked for my notes, and allowed me to give real feedback on projects headed to air. Watching how quickly and creatively they developed shows was inspiring, but being encouraged to participate showed me exactly where I belonged.
That experience taught me something important that I carry with me as a producer today: never silence the interns. They didn’t silence me they empowered me. And giving me that voice is what confirmed that I wanted to help develop, create, and produce television. It was the moment I realized I wasn’t just dreaming about this career I was stepping into it.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

For anyone who’s never heard of me, my journey into television has always been rooted in one simple truth: I’ve been a creator my entire life. As a kid, I was drawing cartoons. Then I was rapping. I didn’t know what my career would look like, but I always knew it would involve creating something that made people feel something.
I was born and raised in Philadelphia, and at first I never thought about staying in my city for college. But someone once said to me, “There’s a difference between being a kid from Philly and being a Temple University student.” They were absolutely right. Going to Temple changed my life. It challenged me, shaped me, and introduced me to some of the friends who would later open doors for me in this industry.
I got into television by saying yes to every opportunity I could find. I interned nonstop. I would wake up at 4 a.m. to catch the bus from Philly to New York City just to make it to my internship on time. I was a full-time student with a full-time job, and I still made internships my priority. My schedule was so tight I had to skip class just to wash clothes. I wrote papers on buses, edited work on trains, slept whenever I could. It wasn’t glamorous but I knew it would pay off, and it did.
I loaded my résumé with experience: iHeart Radio at Power 99, WDAS 105.3, Wired 96.5, a daytime talk show, and more. I wasn’t picky I wanted to be knowledgeable in every corner of TV and media. By graduation, my résumé could compete with anybody, and more importantly, I had real relationships and connections from the people I met along the way.
Those relationships helped me land my first job out of college: a Production Assistant role on NBC’s The Voice. From there, everything started rolling, and my career has been growing ever since field producing, story producing, supervising producing, and helping create some of the biggest reality shows on air today.
Recently, I had the pleasure of being tasked to serve as the Executive Producer on the film Echoes. It was an opportunity I accepted with gratitude, and I’m so glad I did. Stepping into that leadership role felt natural, not intimidating. I wasn’t nervous I was comfortable, confident, and fully in my element. It was one of those moments that reassures you that you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be. It confirmed that everything I learned coming up in this industry prepared me to lead, to collaborate, and to elevate creative work at a higher level.
What sets me apart is that I’ve done the work from the ground up. I know every part of production pre-production, story, talent, field, post because I’ve lived it. I’m not only a creative; I understand how to execute, manage, and elevate content. I’ve been Emmy-nominated twice and GLAAD-nominated, but what I’m most proud of is staying true to my work ethic, my creativity, and the version of me that got on those buses at 4 a.m. believing this life was possible.
Today, I provide creative consulting, casting, development, pitch deck creation, story producing, and executive producing. I help clients build concepts and shape stories that connect with audiences. I also launched my own production company, Wide Awake Entertainment, to expand the types of projects I create and to give clients a home for fresh, bold, innovative storytelling. Through the company, I’m able to offer a full suite of production services from development to execution while continuing to elevate talent-driven and culturally impactful content.
What I want people to know about me and my work is simple:
I’m passionate, I’m intentional, I treat every project like it matters, and I bring a unique mix of hustle, creativity, and heart to everything I touch.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is simply being able to wake up every day and genuinely love what I do. A lot of people can’t say they love their jobs but I can, and that alone feels like a blessing. Being able to take an idea from a spark in my mind, nurture it, fight for it, lose sleep over it, sweat over it, and then finally see it come to life… that’s a feeling I’ll never get tired of.
There’s something magical about watching a project transform from concept to execution. Seeing the final product knowing every tear, every obstacle, every late night that went into it makes my heart smile. And when I get to see an audience react, laugh, connect, or simply enjoy something I helped bring into the world, it hits me every time: this is why I do it.
And honestly, seeing my name in the credits never gets old. It’s a reminder that I’m living the dream that younger me prayed for. No matter how much I grow or how far I go, I’ll always be a creative at heart. That’s who I am.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Yes, there is absolutely a mission behind my creative journey. At its core, I feel like I owe everything I’m doing now to the little girl I used to be. The little kid who would sit on the third floor, staring out the window toward downtown Philly… looking at the skyscrapers and knowing deep down that there was more to life than just Southwest Philly. I owe it to the dreamer in me who always wanted bigger, who watched every behind-the-scenes clip, every outtake, every glimpse of how movies and TV were made, imagining herself right there in the middle of it.
My mission also extends to the kids who grew up like me kids from inner-city neighborhoods who feel like Hollywood is a world they’re not allowed to access. I want them to see me and know they can do it too. It’s for the younger members of my family, and even my peers, who tell me they’re proud of me and that is watching my journey inspires them. That responsibility means something to me. It keeps me focused. It keeps me going.
But above all, my mission is fueled by pure passion. I’ve worked 18-hour days on set exhausted, running on fumes and still felt like there was nowhere else I’d rather be. Most people dread long workdays; meanwhile, I would take 18 hours on set over 8 hours behind a desk any day. I still have that fire in my eyes, the same fire I had as a kid, and nothing and no one can dim it.
My goal is simple: keep creating, keep climbing, and keep proving to myself and to anyone watching that dreams are reachable, no matter where you start.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mz1ofakind215
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christiaclarkson/