We were lucky to catch up with Zoe Veranda recently and have shared our conversation below.

Zoe, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

From childhood, I always knew I wanted a creative element to my career and to be in the entertainment industry. I grew up in a household where music & art were foundational to my surroundings, supplemental to my growth, and aspirational to my goals. But I was only an “OK” singer, “OK” dancer, and beginner to intermediate in any instruments I attempted. As I approached my college years, I took a bunch of career quizzes, changed my major in college four times, and almost felt like the dream of breaking into the creative industry would be something I’d only experience when I was asleep. I would constantly try to figure out ways to piece together a career path that felt practical and would also allow me to express my creativity without the technical ability of being an artist & musician – it felt close to impossible.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My path as a creative was and is not traditional at all. Though many preached of college being the path that would get you to your dream opportunities, it didn’t necessarily work that way for me. I worked multiple jobs full-time while going to school full-time and didn’t have the opportunities to network, intern, and seek mentorship like many of my peers – critical elements of breaking into the entertainment industry. I realized I had to create my own way to achieve the things I was not afforded. In early 2016, myself and one of my best friends, Mark, were fueled by one of our daily passionate conversations about music and created & self-recorded a podcast series in my car called “Pass Me the Aux”. From the moment the show was birthed, it became foundational to my passion for creative ideation, production, and direction. With a mixture of the work experience I gained in college, the creative experience I gained through the podcast, and liaisoning with artists and my creative colleagues and friends, every part of my journey fell into place piece-by-piece. I earned the opportunity to work at a global, award-winning creative agency by day, and in my personal life led me to be a creative confidant & consultant to help Black creators carve out their bespoke niche and content.
I’m most proud of creating and continuing to create content that threads my passion for music and art throughout, and evoking the appreciation of Black art forms and innovators in the creative industry.

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

The best way to support a creative ecosystem is actually to value and support it. Though creativity is the backbone of every facet of society, educational art & music programs, media industry careers, and music royalties and earnings, tend to underserve and be the lowest-paid opportunities, especially for Black creators. The most optimal way we can help is to make sure we are paying creatives their value, not gatekeeping valuable information, and paying our knowledge and resources forward to others.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I feel that the best art evokes the passion of the intention, so I’m most rewarded in my passion when people sincerely express the genuine impact it has on them.

Contact Info:

• Website: the9c.co
• Instagram: @zoe_veranda

Image Credits
@oldnewyorker