Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nik Manning. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Nik, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Have you signed with an agent or manager? Why or why not?

I have a fantastic agency, Moore Creative Talent out of Minneapolis, MN that advocate for me for my on-camera and print work. They are always submitting me for things that align so well with my goals and my skills/talents. We met because I submitted on a whim for an interview and my on-camera agent, Haley, had lunch with a friend who happened to mention me around the same time. I think I was top of her mind.

I decided to work with them because Haley seemed genuinely invested in me as an actress, despite having no professional training. She also spoke of opportunities I had not even considered, like model/print work and voice-over. She poured into me during our interview and I felt like it was a good place.

I think they decided to work with me because Haley could see not only my potential, but also my passion. I came prepared, ready and open to receive feedback and direction. This made all of the difference.

Nik, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Well, I’m Monique “Nik” Manning a digital creator, host, strategist and entertainer. I started on my creative journey as a child, wanting to be a singer and later after doing my first play, an actress. In 2016, I decided to take my passions for storytelling and cooking and start a blog, LizeeAngel. What started as a way for me to share recipes that helped me accomplish a 100+lb weight loss evolved into an opportunity to host a cooking show for McCormick, land a billboard in Times Square for SAMA Tea, work with brands such as Walmart, Target, Atkins, Duke’s Mayo and Ray-Ban and build a community of people I can pour into that pours right back into me.

In terms of what I provide for clients, it really depends on what they’re tapping me for:

In regards to the blogging and content creation, I offer authentic experiences and storytelling to help to talk about a product or service, how I use it and how others can use it as well. Exposing my community to their business.

As a host and actress, I bring my personality to entertain and inform audiences. I use storytelling to create a unique experience that leaves a positive impression in their minds.

And as a strategist, I use my knowledge and experience to help other businesses and individuals expand their online presence and/or marketing campaigns in order to build communities of their own.

I am most proud of the fact that I have gotten to where I am by being myself. I’ve never put on another personality or hid the unpleasant from my communities in order to sell a product or a fantasy. Authenticity and Transparency may be trending now, but it’s who I’ve always been!

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

This is going to sound super cheesy, but the honest to goodness best thing about being an artist/creative is seeing people connect with your work. I love cooking, I love entertaining, I love acting. I do it because I love it and it brings me an indescribable joy. But to see others make my recipes, send laughing emojis to my comedic content or let me know they saw me on a commercial with excitement is a kind of dopamine you can only receive from making that connection!

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

To best support artists and creatives, society can engage. Even if you are unable to purchase something from them, sharing, liking, commenting it means SO much. Recommending them in rooms they aren’t in, but you know they’d benefit from. These things are all free and they go so far in not only supporting the artist/creative, but helping them support themselves fully through that creative work.

A thriving creative ecosystem will be best served by one that has integrity and transparency and supports creatives of all types. It’s a well known fact that as a Black woman, I am less likely to earn the same as a White woman with the very same analytics and stats as me, simply because I’m Black. That we need to address and fix.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lizeeangel.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/lizeeangel
• Facebook: facebook.com/thelizeeangel
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/manningmonique
• Youtube: youtube.com/@lizeeangel
• Other: TikTok: tiktok.com/@heyyallitsnik