We recently connected with Kristen Ayanah and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Kristen , thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
My senior year of high school I joined my cousin & her friends on their college radio show called “Island Mix” radio.
The show focused on Caribbean culture & the experiences of first generation Caribbean college students.
From then on I KNEW I wanted to have a career in media/journalism because I loved entertaining, speaking & overall sharing people’s stories.
Kristen , 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?
Kristen Ayanah is a multimedia journalist covering stories within music, entertainment, and lifestyle as well as a digital associate producer at the SHERRI show. She studied Media & Communications at Drew University where she earned her B.A . The New Jersey native and Jamaican-American is the founder & host of Black Talk Radio (BTR). BTR is a radio show and media outlet highlighting Black culture, news, and entertainment. Through Black Talk Radio, Kristen has had the opportunity to interview various Black creatives & entrepreneurs from actress Meagan Good, rapper Toosii, and reggae artist Skip Marley just to name a few. Aside from her personal brands, Kristen has also worked with numerous media companies. Some of these companies include Power 106 FM, The Rap Fest, AfterBuzz TV, NJ TV News, TheJasmineBRAND + more, where she focused on interviews, writing, production, and creative content development while in these various roles. Lastly, Kristen is also a YouTube content creator where she enjoys creating lifestyle videos, travel vlogs, and other forms of creative content for her viewers!
How I got into the industry: I got into media my freshmen year of college when I decided to launch my radio show & brand Black Talk Radio. BTR highlights Black culture, music & entertainment. I created this show because I wanted to provide resources for people who looked like me to share their stories & be heard.
I am most proud of BTR’s growth over the last 5 years. We continue to reach new audiences & share many meaningful stories. I want our supporters to know that patience is key when being a business owner & creative but as long as you stay consistent you will see results & that’s key.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
I built BTR’s audience on social media by being as active as possible & really paying attention to what our audience was responsive to. In addition, I’d say consistency is KEY. We live in an era where everybody wants millions of followers but just remember the right people will come across your content & it will reach who it’s supposed to reach — as long as BTR is impacting at least ONE person through our storytelling & content we are making a difference & impact .
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
I believe outside of business & entrepreneurship it’s important for me to take breaks. In order to be the best YOU breaks are super important. I’m an advocate for therapy & journaling . Those are two resources I use as a creative & entrepreneur to stay grounded, reset & keep myself focused.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kristenayanah.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/kristenayanah?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristen-a-oakley-b6064a12b
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/kristenayanah?s=21&t=oI-Xx4lEWsR9K8zSSf-hAQ
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/KristenAyanah
- Other: BlackTalkRadio.co https://twitter.com/blacktalkradio_?s=21&t=oI-Xx4lEWsR9K8zSSf-hAQ https://instagram.com/blacktalkradio?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Image Credits
For first photo (Pink button down shirt & jeans) please credit: R.O.C Photography