We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tamara Washington a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Tamara, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

Starting my management firm, Boom Effect Entertainment and Sports LLC, (BEES), was taking a big risk. I launched the company during the peak of pandemic and no longer was confident that it would be a success. I can honestly say it was the best decision I made and has been a turning point in my career. The company was in the works before the pandemic. I was traveling across the country weekly and was creating a team that would make sure the clients who would agree to work with us would be successful. Well, during the pandemic, you could still travel, but we were not able to meet potential clients due to NFL, NBA and MLB rules. Most athletes were not fans of zoom and because they didn’t know me, FaceTime was out of the question. One thing I have learned as an entrapreneur is that you always have to learn how to regroup and find a solution. BEES was going to move forward, so it was creating a new way of how it would look. So instead of going after new potential clients, we looked at the current clients in the PR firm (Boom Media and Image Consulting LLC.) to see which clients would be best fit for BEES. It was a perfect situation because they knew us and trusted us with their brand.

Tamara, 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 use to work in television news for 10 years and fell in love with not only story telling, but getting answers for the community when they needed help. So digging deep going pass the surface to find a solution became my speciality. So creating a PR/Marketing firm came very natural for me because I continuet to tell stories through my clients and find solutions for my clients to be successful. I believe the biggest reason I had early success is because I worked in the media and worked with so many journalists for nearly a decade. Currently I represent a full-service PR and Marketing firm; offering the following services: public relations, marketing, business development, media training, branding, styling and event creation.
I get excited when I have the opportunity to create community givebacks for my clients. I have had the opportunity to help change the lives of thousands of people. Understanding you are responsible for someone having a roof over their head, food on the table, clothes, a chance to go to college and so much more places a big smile on my face. God has positioned me to be the creative and to bridge the gap for so many people in need.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

No matter who the client (celebrity or brand) is, be careful before jumping on board. Yes working with celebrties and large brands will help set you a part and grow your business; but working for celebrities and large brands can sometimes not be the best situation for your brand/business. It’s important to treat a celebrity and large corporation like you would any other potential client. Make sure you vet them and fully understand what you are getting into. Everything that seems good in the public eye is not always what it appears to be. Slow and steady is what I live by.

Any advice for managing a team?

COMMUNICATE!! Make sure you over communicate, so everyone is on the same page. Hold weekly team meetings and create a company ‘book’ that everyone can always count on for every project, standards and client information. It’s always important to make sure educational courses are always on the calendar and finally make sure there is constant training on the job.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.boommediaandimage.com
• Instagram: @boommediaandimage @boomtamara
• Facebook: @boommediaandimage @tamaramwashington
• Linkedin: Boom Media and Image Consulting | Tamara Washington
• Twitter: @BoomMandI @boomtamara

Image Credits
Caroline Hall