We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Queen Lea’ Gardner a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Queen Lea’, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

My mission or my purpose I always tell everyone is the same in whatever I do & have done over the course of several years from fashion, writing, creating & designing and mostly advocating as an activist to be the “Spark of Change” in a much-needed society in all of the industries. Simply being of service to the global community by taking models of all sizes, disabilities and races to the runways of New York Fashion Week to help bring awareness to acceptance of all individuals whose dream is to be a model! From giving inner city individuals dreams to act in a movie that get a sense and taste of pursuing dreams that they never thought they could ever achieve! Being able to show individuals no matter their size, color or disabilities that they too can pursue and achieve their dreams even if they have to do it differently and in their own way, that’s the example & role model I would like to be and strive to be so that people can see themselves through me & take back their power that society at times can make you feel like you can’t, but I’m living, breathing proof, that anything you set your mind to, you can do! Now, I’m able to provide and be of greater service in major ways with obtaining my own TV Network, “Black Opal TV Network” that airs on the Roku app & 24/7 on the website for free and all of its available TV Channels that is dedicated to the people globally airing in over 160 countries with the viewers capacity of 120 million viewers daily. Also, “Black Opal Cable TV Network” that airs on the Roku App, Apple TV & Fire TV, 24/7 in over 160 countries with a viewer’s capacity of over 250 million viewers daily. Lastly, “Black Opal Radio Station” TV Channel that streams through “Black Opal Cable TV Network” all established and created by Owner, Queen Lea’ Gardner and my mission is to change the game by allowing all voices to be heard, all having an opportunity bring their content & talents to TV and providing opportunities that all individuals may not be allotted to them via TV, Radio and more! It’s a complete game changer allowing all voices to be heard!

Queen Lea’, 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?

At times while wanting to pursue so many things, you are told or made to feel as if you aren’t good enough based on your size, color, social status, gender and differences or disabilities but in your heart, you feel like you can do it! If I listened to people telling me that “I can’t” then I would have never achieved being a “New York Fashion Week & International Fashion & Lash Designer that has showcased multiple fashion lines across the world globally from Tokyo, Japan, London, Paris, Italy, Nigeria, Africa and the list goes on with several debuts in New York City at N.YF.W.! Building your name, your brand & business being disabled in a wheelchair, what people consider morbidly obese at one time weighing almost 900 lbs. and being a black woman coming out of nowhere that wasn’t popular or connected and not taken seriously. In those cases, with those odds stacked against you, you learn and are groomed early to be a “Fighter” so it’s all I know! I started from nothing, no support, no family support and all alone and putting myself out there no matter the ridicule or prejudice that faced me & the endless “NO’S” & funny looks, and mockery’s and yes even charging me “2” & “3” times the normal fees they charge others due to taking advantage of me because I wanted & needed that opportunity to “shine!” You pray that people will see your talent, creativity and uniqueness that sets you apart from all others and you too deserve a chance to “SHOW & WIN” without them seeing your size, disability and color! There are some amazing people in the world who didn’t know me or my story but simply saw my creativity, uniqueness, talent, vision and beauty before they even saw “ME” and that has been the blessing that has allowed me along with my higher power and those blessings that has allowed me to be “Unstoppable” in my purpose and mission. This journey has not been an easy one, especially being alone and “Nobody” coming into all of these industries that can be unkind and very unforgiving and unaccepting! Ironically, the song phrase still plays in my head til this very day that “if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere!” It was New York that provided with my first opportunity and took a chance on me and showed me love and acceptance and put me on the map! I am and will forever be grateful for that love and inspiration that I have kept and carried with me my entire journey! That love manifested so much more that fashion, to filming to now having my very own TV Network that has a TV Channel dedicated to fashion that I can air and stream live my own fashion events and others along with showcasing Pay-Per-View events! With over 60 themed TV Channels that allows me to cover news, cooking, traveling, health, spirituality and more, I’m able to cater to individuals who would like to air their own content on tv related to these themes and can still maintain ownership of their projects and even capitalize off of their tv segments they stream and make money also which is a game changer from normal TV Networks that are governed by the government backing and rules and regulations and restrictions that my private independent TV Network, Cable TV Network & Radio Stations aren’t and we allow them to be their own business as well so it’s a partnership and not a dictatorship we simply provide airing packages for TV Shows, TV Segments, TV Commercial slots and more for our clients who would like their own TV show of any type, Movie Slots, Podcast, Cooking Show, Sports Show or whatever TV idea they may have or even the opportunity to lease their own TV Channel for the production companies that create their own content and want a home to air it. We even have a small in-house production company to assist in bringing our clients visions to life by creating their format and formula to create their own show and take care of all production needs for a fee that is pennies on the dollar for most content creators & TV Executive producers and all others. We also offer to turn every client into a business individual by instructing them on a few innovative ways to earn capital with their purchased airing packages to capitalize off of their investment into their own TV Show because we not only want you as a client, but we also want you to win at it & have longevity and be successful. We are able to accommodate our clients in pay-per-view events to make money with ticket sales and the use of private codes to give their customers for exclusive events as well as showcasing LIVE at their physical events.
What I’m most proud about is that normal everyday people will have an opportunity to have their show idea on tv and bought to life and they don’t have to compromise their ownership or authenticity of their ideas and due to airing packages that fit every budget and you will not find a cheaper price with any other tv network like you can bringing your projects to Black Opal TV Network & Black Opal Cable TV Network! With these low fees available, it allows all voices to be heard, all ideas to be expressed and not just an elite or exclusive set of individuals that control the narrative and feed the masses with their exclusive viewing programs where we are dedicated and committed to “The People!” Their Voices matter most to me, because I am one of “THE PEOPLE!” & I just want my voice, my mission & purpose heard simply to allow my blessings to be a blessing! Thats my mission and purpose!

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I want to be very transparent in this moment because I feel like that in my honesty that I hope to inspire all individuals that are in my same situation and shoes to know that no matter what, through sometimes the most impossible circumstances and a lot of times standing all alone with no one by your side or having your back that you can do it! When people look at you crazy because you say, I want my own TV Network! When I tell you that I had “NOBODY” that believed in me and even lost a great deal of my fashion followers and supporters because they thought my cheese had slid of my cracker to want a goal this big! As if that wasn’t heard enough, I faced some of the worst heal issues and situation throughout the entire process while staying silent, suffering silent whereas most people would have given up, my purpose was greater than my pain and suffering that I chose not to divulge or share with anyone or even on social media. Even now as I speak, I have been battling breast complications with “both” breast that have been severe in nature with constant bandages being changed, ridiculous levels of pain and no pain medication accept Tylenol and the physiological fortitude needed to keep going no matter what when you can’t even sleep in your bed for several months and have to sleep in chair and you have a mother with frontal lobe dementia that only you look after and oversee because there is no one else except you and her so you have no room for fear, pain, agony and the list goes on because nothing else matters but taking care of your mother and making sure she feels safe and your mission and purpose to be that spark of change and help change lives, including mine! I plan on sharing my story and all details and graphic images and videos in my tv docuseries that I will begin filming in a month and this will be incorporated in it!

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

Funding? That word alone brings me great pain and anxiety! Everything built by me was paid for by me out of my own pocket with my own limited resources with most of the work being done by me and me alone over the course of years. I have actually worn the same sneakers for “5” years because I believed in my purpose and I put money into people and providing free services and help to others for opportunities for me, my models, my artist and others in exchange to help. I have negotiated & created products to trade and so many innovative and over the top ideas presented to people to help me with my agenda because there isn’t funding available for my purpose yet but we are working diligently towards that journey and soon we will have the funding needed through bringing awareness through platforms like this to share this new and innovative tv network that’s bringing a change to TV, Media and Radio. With more awareness will come more clients and we will continue to pour into expanding this new concept and its capabilities and popularity. We are offering partnerships and more to all individuals who would like to invest, sponsor or donate to my mission and purpose! Using all of my ideas, talents and abilities so that this happens is my goal and with more exposure through opportunities like this to share my story is a great help to gaining support and support brings funding!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.blackopaltvnetwork.com
• Instagram: Queenofblackopaltvnetwork & BlackOpalTVNetwork
• Facebook: blackopaltvnetwork & queen lea gardner & blackopalcabletvnetwork & queenofqueensproductionsmodeling&management
• Twitter: blackopaltvnetwork
• Youtube: blackopaltvnetwork & iamfatfree & ladiesofsociety

Image Credits

Queen Lea’ Gardner, Owner
Queen of Queens Productions, Modeling & Management &
Black Opal TV Network