We were lucky to catch up with Kadeem Lundy recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Kadeem , thanks for joining us today. Alright – so having the idea is one thing, but going from idea to execution is where countless people drop the ball. Can you talk to us about your journey from idea to execution?
I had wanted to start a podcast for years, and I had mulled over different ideas for the podcast based on what my interests are, what I cover in media which is mostly the entertainment industry and what I like discussing in my day to day life. I have always loved trying different restaurants and cooking and I began to say to myself “why not do a food podcast? As I was thinking of the idea I found out that BRIC was accepting applications for their Podcast Intensive Program which is a program that helps Brooklyn residents create and launch podcasts through weekly workshopping meetings via Zoom and in person and through in studio podcast studio training. I decided to name my podcast Not Enough Napkins. The name has a symbolic meaning as well as a literal meaning. When I was going to restaurants I found that they were never giving enough napkins with my meal. Symbolically the name means there is always more to be discovered in terms of exploring the flavors, flavor fusions and culinary innovations that Black people and other people of color are bringing to different sectors of the culinary industry.
I had to think about my audience and how I wanted to present to them. I chose a method of ins studio interviews with culinary innovators who are BIPOC. The first challenge I would have to say was getting guests. However about two months into planning a publicist had reached out to me about her client and after reviewing her pitch, I found that her client who is the Founder of a soul food seasoning brand was a perfect fit for the premiere episode and timely in celebration of National Soul Food month in June.
I help listeners discover new flavors, restaurants, chefs that they wouldn’t might not otherwise have known about as well as break stereotypes on the preconceived limits of what BIPOC can do when it comes to culinary arts.
After 15 weeks in the BRIC program the premiere episode of Not Enough Napkins debuted in June 2023.
Kadeem , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am a freelance journalist who covers the entertainment and food industries focusing on subjects that are Black and people of color. I currently write for The Knockturnal and The Quintessential Gentleman. The Knockturnal is an online publication which covers the entertainment industry featuring interviews with some of the top names in Hollywood. The Quintessential Gentleman covers subjects and topics relevant to Black men highlighting their achievements especially in entrepreneurship. I am also a podcaster who created the food podcast Not Enough Napkins. I provide an avenue for other creatives in the areas of film, music, television, theater and culinary arts the ability to share their stories and advice to help others in their industries or those who are interested in entering their industries.
Aside from launching Not Enough Napkins podcast I am most proud of my celebrity interviews in particular my interviews with Tyler Perry. What I’ve always admired about him is his always striving to elevate in what he does from starting in theater, to branching off into TV, film and books and become one of the most successful Black men in entertainment in the 21st century. So I was able to absorb that energy of the sky really os the limit by being around Mr. Perry and speaking with him on different occasions.
I started in journalism during my freshman year of college at Kingsborough Community College, when a movie actor asked me to interview him about a major movie project that he had a role in.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
I wish I would have known about in person networking resources more in my creative journey. I knew and utilize the standard social media resources such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and now Threads. However I wish I knew about more in person resources like Culture Con which I will be attending this year.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
I have had to pivot in life when it came to my media endeavors. I had to pivot from staying in the box of just doing written online content to other forms of content such as video and podcasting.
Early on in my media career I stuck strictly to creating written based content. As I saw that on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook that audiences were gravitating to more video and podcast based content I started to explore ways on how I could make content to fit the platforms of video and podcasting. Although Not Enough Napkins premiere episode is audio only, for future episodes I’m planning on a hybrid approach incorporating both film and video together.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/not-enough-napkins
- Instagram: Klunjuly9/NotEnoughNapkins
- Facebook: Not Enough Napkins
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kadeem-lundy-6764b515
- Twitter: Klunjuly9
- Youtube: @NotEnoughNapkins
Image Credits
Alex Musicci