We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ricardo Wrice. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ricardo below.

Ricardo, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One of the toughest things about progressing in your creative career is that there are almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?

My journey was one filled with group think and expectations. As a young black man I was raised (by baby boomers). They believed that education was the safest bet and nothing else mattered. As a result, I spent the better portion of my life trying to fit in boxes and going in circles. Ultimately, what I discovered was that there was a purpose for all of my natural giftings.

Charting your own path, is both scary and empowering. Assuming you are strong enough to go against the status quo. For me, walking into media (after acquiring four degrees and some certificates) was the problem. Noone could see the vision but me. Not being able to explain the “invisible” plan to my family made life hard. It took complete faith and strong will to keep going. Loneliness, and isolation became all to familiar but stopping wasn’t an option.

I stayed on the path long enough to yield undeniable results. From my television show to my two podcast my family now understands better. Unfortunately, this is the plight of many creatives. Even with a bigger space for content creators, our families still don’t understand. We have to be okay with that and keep moving.

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 name is Ricardo Wrice and I am the CEO of the Leadership Blend Media Company. We house a television show, two live podcast, a magazine and we are now crossing into the filming industry. My type of media is a revival of true leaders. We seek to spark the hard conversations with the experts in the field. Our objective is the create a platform to introduce the next wave of change agents.

I believe the most distinguishing component of my company is our concept. I strive to ensure that we have discussions with leaders on a basic level. Our consumers “take away” is always my concern. We seek to synthesize vital information for the average joe. We do this, by not boring them with “shop talk” but making it enlightening.

I am most proud of how I was able to grow the fan base despite criticism. In Atlanta, entertainment media tends to rule. I was told that my type of media wouldn’t be interesting enough. I am so proud to say that one radio show paved the way for the empire it has become.

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

The biggest pitfall for creatives is funding. People will tell you that if you can’t get advertisers and sponsors you will fail. In the beginning, I drove myself crazy trying to figure out how to go about attracting them. I even hired a marketing “professional” to do the job. After losing money (and time), I realized that creating content was all I wanted to do. In that instant, I made a choice to self fund and keep going. I typically operate in the “if you build it, they will come” space. Five years later, I am so glad I did because many of my colleagues gave up. I vowed to never let a lack of outside support stop me from creating.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

Earlier in my journey, I allowed my family to push me to get a great education. As a result, I received my Associates, Bachelors, Masters and I was in dissertation for my Doctorate in Organizational Leadership. I also received two certificates in non profit management. Needless to say, my journey into media made no sense. It didn’t align with my educational background or the foundation I had built.

What I have discovered, is that there is no greater joy than to pursue purpose. I spent alot of time trying to make those degrees work for me or trying to “make money” off of them. Half of the time, I wasn’t happy nor fulfilled in any of those spaces. Once I followed my gut and not my mind, life made more sense. The pieces began to fall in place and my life finally brought me joy. Always follow your gut and discover why you have the giftings you possess.

Contact Info:

• Website: wricecommunity.com
• Instagram: rdwrice & leadershipblendmedia
• Facebook: Ricardo ricky wrice & the Leadership Blend Media Company
• Linkedin: Ricardo D. Wrice
• Youtube: The leadership blend live podcast & the leadership blend television show