We were lucky to catch up with Taylor Elajas recently and have shared our conversation below.

Taylor , appreciate you joining us today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?

I intend to go down as one of the most prominent voices of my generation. At the age of 19, I conjured the idea of creating a content monopoly contrived around my pastimes which include: listening to music, eating, playing basketball, being entertaining, fashion, and more. I arrived at the concept for the logo of my content production company EBNTV, Inc., or Elajas Broadcast Network, in my collegiate dorm room several years back. I wrote the words “Creation & Innovation” on an index card, drew a lemon, and colored it red, thus EBN was born. I have several mottos that control how I live and interact with others. The first is, “I’m not weird, I’m unique.” My entire existence I have been referred to as a “nerd”, “odd”, “strange”, and many other demeaning vocabulary words. However, years later, I am referred to as a “genius”, “leader”, and “visionary”. I commonly struggled with being the token black kid in my environment, which essentially categorized me as too eccentric to be claimed by a particular culture. I denounce the word weird and its connotations because I am unique to myself and have found a way to garner thousands of dollars off simply using my personality, skills, and creative talents to build a community that I call the wolfpack that has supported me throughout my uphill journey to stardom. Another one of my quotes is “perception is currency.” I find this quote to be very fitting in today’s society and quite imperative to my current social standing as it is. I knew from an adolescent studying the biography of public figures, stalking their Wikipedia pages, and analyzing their filmographies and discographies, that social status runs the ecosystem. The higher you are perceived in society, the more benefits you reap and therefore the more money you accumulate.

All in all, I want my legacy to be that you can build an entity from the ground up off the strength of your own creativity without the need for a major corporation or support from others. I have battled self and projected doubt, constant hate from internet commenters, financial woes, mental inconsistencies, among many other obstacles. Perseverance, determination, and never giving up on my vision are what got me this far and will continue to push me to higher heights.

In addition, I want to make it cool to be smart and achieve the highest level of education, if that’s what that individual desires. Current society standards look down upon those that choose the route of furthering their education or becoming more knowledgeable in their field. “Nerds” are looked down upon as nice guys and people to be pushed over. I graduated summa cum laude at the second University I attended and have no problem boasting about my accomplishments. In society, particularly African American culture, we praise murderers and drug dealers because there is no personable face to represent the other side of the coin. I plan to show that entertainment and positivity can spark change and long-lasting impact on the world at large.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Taylor Elajas. I am an interviewer, reviewer, entertainer, entrepreneur, digital marketer, and overall creative. Additionally, I’m an avid basketball player, Portland Trailblazers fanatic, music lover, lemonade connoisseur, and food indulgent. As a child, working in the creative field seemed to be destined to align with my future as I was featured in the newspaper for my poetry as a mere elementary school student. Moreover, starting from elementary school, my Mother had me handmake every Christmas, Birthday, and Anniversary card for nearly 13 years for the individuals in my family. I became accustomed to thinking creatively on a regular basis, which also led me to do activities such as sitting in front of the television and drawing cartoon characters while the show was still rolling. In elementary school, I also performed live in front of students, faculty, and teachers showing off my prowess in playing the guitar while simultaneously singing, and playing the drums, electric, and bass guitar. The heavy involvement in creative works from under the age of 11 definitely played a part in my etching a niche for me in the entertainment industry over a decade later.

How you got into your industry / business / discipline / craft etc.
To many, I am considered a content creator and entrepreneur. To take it way back, my first real taste of content creation came back in high school when my friends and I were frequently posting to our sports blog covering basketball, football, and soccer. That blog then elevated to a podcast, which then elevated to me becoming the Social Media Manager of our Instagram page. This gave me a reason to be active on Social Media so I could build our fanbase and convert the Instagram audience to podcast listeners over on our Soundcloud platform. Concurrently, I was building a cult fanbase on Snapchat prior to the increased time for a singular Snapchat being raised to 55 seconds. I would post 5-minute-long stories of Snapchats that were no longer than 10 seconds each. I made sure to keep my Snapchat packed with content throughout the day not only for my audience but to also satisfy my own boredom. I eventually realized Snapchat was not conducive to growth and took my talents to Instagram. This transition would prove to be the best move of my career, as that would become my primary platform to where I would start to build the community I named “the wolfpack.”

From Instagram, I wanted to expand into other social platforms to gain as much of a following as possible. I began posting consistently on Youtube with videos ranging from vlogs to album reviews, music video reactions, Hip-Hop commentary, public interviews, and more. My Youtube career would never be the same after I released my first viral video: “What if you woke up as a Black Man?”. The full video as well as clips from that video have combined for over 15 million views and still get views to this day. The video went viral on Facebook, Twitter, Tik Tok, Instagram, and Youtube, and even caught the attention of Emmy-nominated actress Amanda Seales who reposted the video.

From Youtube, my friend suggested that I get on Tik Tok back in 2019. On my first Tik Tok account, I racked up over 1 million views by posting clips from the full-length show I posted to my Youtube channel entitled “A Day in the Life of LJ.” Then, for some odd reason, my Tik Tok account was terminated during DJ Khaled’s temporary influencer collaboration with the app. I decided to make another Tik Tok account and since then I have amassed over 10 million views on my Tik Tok branded as Taylor Elajas.

In 2020, I went viral again, this time for creating a Lil Baby Family Tree on Instagram. This Family Tree sparked some controversy in the music industry and even brought to light a rivalry between two rappers that the general public, including me, did not know existed. The graphic was posted by popular media platforms The Shade Room and Say Cheese, as well as other Youtube and Instagram media platforms who felt the need to chime in on the situation as well.

As of 2021, my content production company EBNTV, Inc. is distributed by Roku and can be accessed through the Roku app available on all smart televisions, or through the purchase of a Roku device online or at your local retailer.

In 2022, I began working heavily with influencers and restaurants to bridge the gap between entertainers and the food industry. Food reviews that are filmed with me as the host are posted to the EBNTV Roku channel, EBN Eats Youtube channel, EBN Eats Instagram and the Taylor Elajas Instagram.

What type of products/services/creative works do you provide
I arrived in the entertainment industry as an interviewer and although I still conduct interviews I’ve transitioned into more of a reviewer and serial entrepreneur. I review food, clothing, hotels, music, sports, video games, apps, cooking products, sauces, and more. My opinion is valued among many industries because of my wide knowledge in the aforementioned industries. I also run two media companies, one of them specifically for women, manage a producer, two videographers, and two hosts, and I have released my digital/print food recommendations magazine named EBN Eats, the first issue rolled out in March 2023 and the second issue followed up in June 2023. I also previously managed a female model, female singer, male photographer, travel vlogger, and fashion influencer, among others.

I previously ran a marketing service named EBN Marketing and served as the virtual assistant for twelve clients at the same time. My clients ranged from 5k to 100k and the EBN Marketing structure worked to increase their follower count, likes per post, engagement percentage, brand deals, and most of all build their personal community.

What problems do you solve for your clients and/or what do you think sets you apart from others.
EBN makes a positive impact on the community at large, informing all those that will listen of the highest quality products, no matter what the industry is. I work with sports apps, eateries, fashion brands, music public relations, and more but my goal is always to share the best quality product with my audience.

What also sets me apart from other creators is my willingness to be vulnerable and say aloud what other people think in their heads. The general public is obsessed with the concept of being liked while I understand that we are all too different for everyone to be a fan. There is a percentage of the public that will dislike me simply because I created a plan and stuck by it. Bluntly sharing my views, always keeping it honest, and either withholding bias or openly stating my bias have allowed my brand to be bound by integrity.

Moreover, what sets me apart from others is my ability to adapt to the landscape of the various industries that I inhabit. I bring a unique flavor to every genre of content that I produce, hence own of my slogans is “Creation and Innovation”. The experimental thought process doesn’t just stop at content either. In 2023, I released the spring and summer edition of my EBN Eats food recommendations magazine featuring over 22+ quality restaurants in New York. I also inaugurated my creative content marketing agency for restaurants in 2023 serving restaurants including All Star Bar & Grill, Everything Grilled, Antojitos, Melt Shop, German Doner Kebab, and more; EBN Eats clients presently range from 5k to 45k followers. Since the launch of the first EBN unisex fragrance in 2022 named Brasé, I’ve gotten positive reviews on its scent from Charlemagne da God, Amanda Seales, Dame Dash, Math Hoffa, Angela Yee, and more.

What are the main things you want potential clients/followers/fans to know about you/your brand/your work/ etc.
I’m most proud of cultivating the life I wanted to live. I’m nowhere near reaching my goals, but I am significantly pushing in the right direction due to my networking skills and persistence. Typically people have ideas and stop once they realize they don’t know where to start. Once I don’t know, that now challenges me to figure it out.

I’ve accumulated millions of views across all social platforms, met and interviewed some of my favorite artists, and made thousands of dollars, but still don’t feel accomplished. I’ve been told I also suffer from Imposter syndrome due to my constant lack of feeling like I have accomplished anything of note. In reality, I understand that over the last 5+ years of me carving my own lane I have experienced more than the average individual ever will. From open bars to paid brand deals, industry events, free concerts, and more. However, the ultimate goal of being one of the most prominent voices in my generation still remains to be grasped, so the task has not been completed.

I want my fanbase, the wolfpack, to dare to be different, dare to combat trends, and walk away from the crowd. Build leverage so that you can barrel into any situation and demand your worth in gold.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I have amassed over 100k followers combined across my several social platforms. The average answer someone would give is to be consistent, establish a niche, and stay motivated. Although these are very important, the journey doesn’t end there. This is the reason I released an E-Book in 2020 entitled “Behind Blurred Walls: Secrets to Expanding Your ‘Gram” for the individual that hears the same line every time. Bio and hashtag optimization plays a huge part in growing platforms on social media. Using the right hashtags pushes you in front of new viewers that wouldn’t have seen your content otherwise. Additionally, influencer marketing in your niche is important because it puts your posts in front of a viewership that is already open to the genre of content you create. Lastly, always remember that perception is currency. A solid digital footprint is essential to brand building, if nothing pops up when your name is entered into the Google search bar then you’re doing something wrong.

Don’t stop, it’s a long road ahead that many veers off once they feel the going gets tough. When the going gets tough, the tough get going. To boot, if you find yourself to be a talented individual like I view myself, you’ll commit this quote to memory. “Talent beats hard work when talent decides to work hard.” A lot of people are not born talented, they create the lifestyle they desire by working hard for it. Naturally talented individuals typically feel they have to work less because of their expertise. If the combination of talent and hard work is put to the fire, diamonds are bound to be the result.

Any advice for managing a team?

My advice for managing a team and maintaining high morale is to lead by example. I would never implore a member of my team to do a task that I wouldn’t do myself. I also do this because it took me a long time to get comfortable with the concept of delegating. I built my company from the ground up, so keeping it afloat alone isn’t farfetched from my norm. However, to continue to flourish in your business you have to let individuals in that are willing to help. I also manage my team by ensuring that I have their best interests at heart. I am not only here to see the success of EBNTV, Inc. but to foster the success I see for them and assist in them reaching their full potential. I find that I fail as a leader when my team isn’t growing their platforms or improving as people. We are ever-changing and evolving creatures and I always want those around me to know just because you were one way yesterday doesn’t mean you have to mimic the same behavior come the next day.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.theebntv.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taylorelajas/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/ebnmusicmedia
• Other: https://cutt.ly/yEdDE1Q: Add EBNTV to your Roku Channels https://youtube.com/elajasreacts https://www.instagram.com/ebneats https://anchor.fm/mercerboyzpodcast: Listen to the Mercer Boyz Podcast https://youtube.com/@ebneats https://www.tiktok.com/@taylorelajas https://www.instagram.com/shearealbad/ https://medium.com/@shearealbad

Image Credits
Zaepegstudios