Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to DONIA DUCHESS. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
DONIA , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?
I absolutely love what I do. I love my life and I love all the challenges I’ve faced thus far to get to where I am. I’ve always known I wanted to work in television. As a kid I wanted to be on the Disney Channel. As a young lady I always saw myself hosting on E!. As an adult I figure why not dream even bigger and envision myself having my own show?! I’m constantly fascinated by people. Each person has such a unique story and I’ve always enjoyed the idea of being able to help them share their journeys with the world. With all of this, I’ve also many times wondered what it would be like to have a “regular job” The pressure that I put on myself to hit milestones of achievements was something I’ve battled most of my life. To the point where I didn’t know how to live in the moment and soak up the little successes I’ve had along the way. Sometimes, I wished and prayed that God would suddenly take away this drive and passion I have for wanting to “make it” so that I could be a second grade teacher in a small town and be happy with that life. But I know that’s not part of his plan. His plan has always been for me to be doing what I’m doing and to keep going even when I feel like giving up.
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?
Donia Duchess is an award-winning, two-time Emmy nominated producer, host, model, actress and motivational speaker. Having carved her own path to success, Donia is known in entertainment circles for her determination, outgoing flair, and fearless demeanor. Hailed as “one to watch,” Donia is using her distinct gift of gab to make a name for herself as a rising television personality!
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Donia is the seventh of eleven children. Raised in Stamford, Connecticut by Haitian parents who stressed education and a solid work ethic, Donia had an early penchant for modeling and acting. A graduate of Westhill High School, Donia reveled as a budding teen actress with roles in community plays, participating in the cheerleading squad, competing and winning the title of Miss Haiti Connecticut, and lauded as Prom Queen her senior year. Destined for a successful career in entertainment, Donia studied communications at Southern Connecticut State, where she earned a bachelor’s of arts and sciences degree in 2011, and secured numerous back-to-back prestigious internships with the likes of Glamour and Details magazines, all of which helped her generate a career and build her industry network.
Upon graduation, Donia landed her first job in television production with The Maury Povich Show, where she thrived as a production assistant, helping to book and coordinate some of the show’s most watched episodes. But by 2015, Maury’s executive producer approached Donia about appearing on the show to host a national segment, and Donia’s on-air career officially commenced.
In 2016, Donia was hired by The Real as an associate producer, and relocated to Los Angeles. Eventually promoted to senior producer, Donia caught the eye of show executives who proposed she host her own segment entitled “Steals on The Real,” and ended up taping more than 19 on-camera episodes, while garnering an NAACP Image Award and two Emmy Award nominations as a producer for the popular American daytime television talk show!
Donia’s career began to soar when she amassed coveted modeling jobs with BET, Amazon and Macy’s, and more recently, a national ad with American Express, modeling ad for L’oreal and commercial for CeraVe. A bona fide media darling and a seasoned personality, Donia has also hosted numerous television jobs with various major news and entertainment outlets, including Buzzfeed, Celebrity Page TV, People TV, and Rolling Out, where she conducted several one-on-one interviews with A-list celebrities, including Boris Kodjoe, Emily Blunt, Owen Wilson, and Katt Williams, just to name a few!
Bold, beautiful and brilliant, Donia Duchess is a renaissance woman. With multiple television and modeling credits under her belt, Donia is quickly becoming entertainment’s go-to celebrity reporter, on-air segment host, and lifestyle expert. Fierce perseverance, sincere passion and an undeniable propensity have helped Donia climb the ranks as one of television’s most sought after talents, and she’s just getting started.
Her producing resume is extensive with her having the opportunity to work in development at Telepictures with some of the industry’s top talents like RuPaul, Sean Hayes, Keke Palmer and Niecy Nash.
In 2017, Donia and her fiancé Joey Mejia were featured on the premier episode of TLC’S I Want That Wedding. The couple wed in 2019 and by 2020, Donia earned her first Webby Award as host of the sensational worldwide game app Song Pop Live, and the couple welcomed their first child that same year.
She’s since worked on countless game shows as a Producer. Who Wants to be Millionaire, Pyramid with Michael Strahan and more recently Password with Jimmy Fallon & Keke Palmer.
As a philanthropist, Donia is an advocate for the underserved, and uses her free time to support disadvantaged youth by giving away Prom experiences to high school seniors who can’t afford it, mothers with difficult pregnancies and issues concerning the Haitian community.
Donia lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her husband and their son Noah.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
Many people are always surprised by how much I share online and how open I am. I always say “I live my life and happen to share it online.” The best compliment anyone has ever given me is that I’m the same way I portray on social media. We live in a strange time where people tend to share only the good things happening in their lives. They share this false narrative of what their lives are actually like. I want to help change that. So part of my brand is being vulnerable to show people that I’m human and they’re not alone. I’m just as weird as you. I mess up too. I gain weight, lose weight, have happy days and days where I don’t want to do anything. I’m not just some “pretty girl on social media with a perfect family and perfect life” My life is far from that but I love everything about it. The good, the bad and the ugly. The older I’ve gotten the more power I’ve gained from accepting that everything that’s ever happened to me has happened for a reason. For a larger purpose even when I don’t see it right away.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Last year I was unemployed for 8 months. Those months were incredibly challenging for me emotionally, mentally and spiritually. My industry had been struggling. The entire entertainment industry was at a standstill. I would apply for jobs and immediately see how many other applicants there are. That number could be anywhere from 200 to 1,000. That entire experience really took a toll on me. I’ve always been connected to God and understood my purpose. It’s to use my skills to help others tell their stories and brighten their own inner light.
I love working in Television. I remember sitting in my car crying and feeling completely lost so I called a friend of mine who took the time to pour hope and positivity into me. I then got a surprise call from her Mom as well who helped lift me back up.
After talking to them I cried some more and prayed to God. I said “Did you forget about me? I’ve been doing everything right and have applied for at least 150 jobs.” At this point my unemployment had ran out 4 weeks prior and I’d started babysitting in a town I spent most of my childhood trying to get out of.”
I reached out to my old boss from “The Real”. She is the one who gave me my shot on camera there, promoted me to Producer and then to Senior Producer. She said there was a Producer position that opened up where she was currently and that she could connect me to interview for the job.
The VERY NEXT DAY…I had an interview. On Monday 2 follow up interviews and by that afternoon a DREAM job offer. I’ve since moved up to being on air talent at our local station and have been loving the opportunity to highlight local stories in Charlotte, NC.
The moral of that story is to let people know that God didn’t forget about me and he hasn’t forgotten about YOU. It WILL get better.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doniaduchess/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DoniaDuchess/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donia-duchess-82a111a0?challengeId=AQG6BEIjvY-fVgAAAYuGKfwThDywMGdh_NynLqpaCorVePfKWHnsVmok5QZvV_J4hh6xnYtKAyJcaLPXEMtBk0bWGnyrp8dILQ&submissionId=b93fe80b-ee37-9317-482c-8ee3afa9175e&challengeSource=AgGMN4jXGrMa8AAAAYuGKyzINLQaGMfznbWQ0Md8OxVX-EzeapV9RdecHFoXoDY&challegeType=AgHIYX8GbpO_eQAAAYuGKyzKhcDTy9Da8mpooN05W1Y9O7e9cAv_sXU&memberId=AgHn0pNGUqCx4QAAAYuGKyzNL5wED8COx42r5jxKS3AY_VU&recognizeDevice=AgFgPzT9FvA9KQAAAYuGKyzQEs4KDPZW8bbM9ymGrGEu4iKuxx4a
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/DoniaDuchess
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1zgSwaooHKOFuXEWcJ6cpg
Image Credits
@Prince.Nwaohuocha @ ImErickRobinson