We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dr. Ms. Jones. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dr. Ms. Jones below.
Dr. Ms. Jones, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?
I want to be remembered for a positive legacy. Legacy means the long-lasting impact of a person’s life. My grandmother left a legacy of service. She built the 1st African-American church that was built from the ground up in my hometown of Newburgh, NY. She fed the community, took in families that had nowhere to live, paid for people’s funerals when loved ones required assistance, and sold her car to save individual’s homes from being foreclosed. We were able to get a street named after her. My mother diligently served with compassion as one of the 1st Black nurses at Vassar Brothers Medical Center and has received countless merit awards and letters from patients.
I am hoping to leave a legacy as well, a mark in the world that I am remembered by. I just received my Doctorate degree in Journalism with a Minor in Faith-Based Media! I am a reporter for The Hudson Valley Press Newspaper, a Radio Announcer, and a TV Host. I host & produce my own radio and TV shows called “The Me & Ms. Jones Show” I am able to get out the stories of people through those newspaper articles and radio and TV shows that may not have been told otherwise.
As a comedian I enjoy making people laugh. People go through so much in their personal lives, they need laughter. I have performed on BET and on stages around the world! I love to joke about teaching children as I am a classroom teacher. I also make hip-hop educational children’s music. I love entertainment through education!
I recently received The Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award for the work that I have done volunteering in prisons and nursing homes, feeding and performing for the homeless on Skid Row, tutoring countless students, being a mentor for children and new teachers. I want my legacy to be that I made people laugh and I gave back to the community.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My journey has truly been an adventure. I obtained a BBA with a concentration in Computer-based Information Systems from Howard University in 1993. I graduated summa cum laude with a G.P.A. of 3.85/4.0 and I was valedictorian of my major. Upon graduation, I obtained a job with NCR/AT&T GIS. I worked there for 1 1/2 years. I felt strangely unfulfilled and began to learn that everyone in life has a purpose- something unique and important that they have been created to do, something that my inner being longed for. After great thought and prayerful consideration, I began teaching.
I became a substitute teacher in Atlanta, GA. I entered graduate school to obtain my teaching certification and master’s degree in Elementary Education. The road was very difficult. My salary from working with computers to substitute teaching significantly decreased. My lifestyle changed dramatically. I was a live-in nanny for a while; then I got a roommate to share living expenses. I worked several jobs and went to school at night. It was a struggle, but I kept my eyes on the prize. Then, I applied to Teach for America (TFA), a National Teachers Corps that recruits recent college graduates whose majors are primarily something other than education, to teach full-time in places that have teacher shortages. After a rigorous application process, I was invited to join the 1996 corps and to relocate to the Rio Grande Valley in TX.
After an intense four-week unpaid training period in TFA’s Summer Institute, I assumed my full-time teaching assignment in the Rio Grande Valley in a town called Weslaco, TX which is located about 10 miles north of Mexico. I was the only African-American teacher at my school. I taught my students about African American culture. In return, I learned Hispanic culture. While I was there, I continued to take classes at night to become a certified teacher. I received my certification in the spring of 1998.
After completing my two-year commitment in the Rio Grande Valley, I moved to Houston, TX in the summer of 1998. I possessed the urge to teach in the inner city where I could make the most profound impact. I taught at Anson Jones Elementary School, a school-wide Title I school which was located downtown. My students were from low-income families, 99% of them received free or reduced lunch, and the majority of them lived in the federally funded housing project across the street. Despite their circumstances, they worked hard! I expected and accepted nothing less than excellence! Those that didn’t have homework help at home received free tutoring from me after school in person or on the phone. Many of them came to me in 1st grade without recognizing the alphabet and sounds and left reading on or above grade level! Several read over 100 books during the school year as they participated in a reading initiative that I created called “The Read to Succeed Program.” Our class opened a student bookstore to encourage other students to read and promote reading school-wide. I worked with the community to donate one-cent, 5-cents, or 10-cents for each book that each child read. I also worked with Pizza Hut to donate personal pan pizzas to the students if they met their monthly reading goals; we would go each month and have a Pizza Reading party! I also took them to Black-Eyed Pea Restaurant if they received perfect attendance. The rewards were extrinsic at first, but then they became intrinsically motivated. I have continued with these initiatives and more throughout my entire teaching career.
I have taught in the Bay Area of California, South Central Los Angeles, Atlanta, Harlem, and the Bronx. I have taught in prisons. I have taught child actors on movie sets. I also had the opportunity to teach in London, England with The Fulbright Teachers Exchange Program! I have always taught through music. When I was teaching in Los Angeles, many people encouraged me to record my music. So, the day after school ended, my students and I went into the studio and recorded a skip-counting/multiplication CD entitled “Kids Multiplication Motivation.” It contains songs with a hip-hop flavor that children really enjoy. It got spins on the radio and people were putting us on TV shows and asking for performances, so we created a DVD. That was featured on CNN Headline News. The songs empowered my students to be accepted into the Gifted/Magnet Program due to high state test scores.
While in California I became interested in entertainment. I became a Radio Announcer with American Radio Network by seeing an ad in the newspaper; I hosted and produced my own urban inspirational radio show entitled “The Me & Ms. Jones Show.” I went on to work for them as a Trainer, instructing new radio announcers in broadcasting. I was voted “Radio Announcer of the Week” twice in 2003 and nominated for the 2004 “Radio Announcer of the Year Award” by The Southern California Gospel Announcers Guild. “The Me & Ms. Jones Show” has been on 99.3 FM, 89.7 FM, 87.7 FM, Radio Soul, and currently airs live every Sunday 8-10 am EST on 108 Soul, iHeart Radio, Tune In, and Clubhouse. It airs again from 2-4 pm on Uncommon Gospel Radio and Tune In. It also airs 6-8 pm EST on Stellar Award Winning All Nations Radio.
I became the Hip-Hop News Reporter for a Hip-Hop TV show called “Skee Loves House of Hip-Hop” and the Co-Host of “Showcase on the Rise,” a platform for new artists. I host and produce my own television variety show entitled “The Me & Ms. Jones Show” which airs every 1st Thursday at 9:30 pm EST on BronxNet TV! I also host “Praise Through the Night,” a new TV show that showcases gospel artists. I have interviewed many of the greats including Rick James, Teena Marie, Kool Mo Dee, LL Cool J, Brandy, Jaheim, Ruben Studdard, India Arie, Steve Harvey, Gabrielle Union, Traci Ellis Ross, Nicole Ari Parker, Mary Mary, Kirk Franklin, Dr. Bobby Jones, Fred Hammond, and many more! I have interviewed celebrities on red carpets as well as on these shows.
I am a stand-up comedienne, performing on stages around the world. I started because of the Legendary Comedian Michael Colyar. I would do trivia and give away CDs from the radio station during his comedy shows on Monday nights in Los Angeles. Then he asked me to tell a joke. I knew I always had to be ready with at least one joke. Then we decided that I would have a 3-minute set one week. Three months later I was on BET’s comedy reality show, “Coming to the Stage” hosted by Bruce Bruce and judged by “Queen Diva Judge” Kim Coles, Kel Mitchell, Phyllis Yvonne Stickney, Kevin Hart, and Comedy Icon Paul Mooney. I’m known as Dr. Ms. Jones “The Beauty of Comedy.” I’ve been on been on The Craig Shoemaker Show. I won the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival Spotlight Comedy Competition and the Comics Rock Comedy Competition and will be shooting my TV special soon. I have performed for thousands at McDonald’s GospelFest. I have shared the stage with Damon Wayans, Earthquake, Kym Whitley, Tony Rock, Tiffany Haddish, Leslie Jones, & more! I’ve performed at Levity Live, The Broadway Comedy Club, Yonkers Comedy Club, The Funnybone, The Stress Factory, The World Famous Laugh Factory, The Hollywood Improv, The HaHa Café, The Ice House, The Comedy Store, The J Spot, The Comedy Union, Uptown Comedy Corner, and more! I discuss many topics including teaching in the ‘hood, relationships, my zany family, and wearing wigs… I am an advocate! I am also known for infusing music into my set!
I have been the event coordinator and host for speed dating and Lock and Key Events for singles. I am a wedding officiant and I enjoy helping people find love. I am presently writing a book about relationships.
I am an International Host, emceeing various events in the community and abroad. These events range from fashion shows, award shows, brunches, plays, concerts, comedy events, election campaign fundraisers, and more. I modeled in Diamond Star Modeling Troupe and have acted in plays and movies.
I currently have a TV series on Tubi called “Bishop & Chainey” where I play April Reese, FBI Agent. I just shot a new movie called “Waymore Place,” where I play Dr. Jackson, a therapist.
I earned my Masters Degree in Journalism from Quinnipiac University in 2018 and became a reporter for The Hudson Valley Press Newspaper. I just received my PhD in Journalism with a minor in Faith-Based Media from Heart Bible International University in 2023. Students hold a special place in my heart. I would love to merge both loves and host and produce a fun after school or Saturday morning educational show, like a modern-day version of Reading Rainbow or Mister Roger’s Neighborhood… let’s call it “Ms. Jones’ Neighborhood” or “Dr. Jones’ Neighborhood!”
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is knowing that I am helping people. When someone tells me that my multiplication CD/DVD really helped their kid, it blesses me. I’ve had parents tell me that their kid was autistic and nothing helped them until they heard my music. I was performing comedy in New Jersey last year and a woman came up to me after the show crying saying that she hadn’t gone out since the pandemic began and she really needed to laugh because so many of her loved ones had passed away.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
The best source of new clients for me has been audience satisfaction/word-of-mouth. I obtain a lot of comedy gigs after performing. People will come up to me afterwards and say they want to book me for an event they are having. I also get referrals from people that have booked me; they tell people in their network. Then when they need someone, they book me.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.msjonesproductions.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/msjonesproductions/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/journalist.msjones/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/comedianmsjones
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/msjonesproductions
- Other: www.UrbanEdutainmentOnline.com www.CleanComedyCrew.com https://www.tiktok.com/@msjonesproductions?lang=en