Media Mogul In The Making: Meet Nadirah Simmons

This month’s featured media mogul in the making is none other than journalist, editor, and author Nadirah Simmons. With Simmons’ debut book, First Things First: Hip-Hop Ladies Who Changed the Game, slated to his retailers soon, we wanted to take a moment to spotlight her stellar media career.

From her previous time on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and founding The Gumbo to her earlier days with VH1 and The Daily Show, Nadirah’s journey across the mediasphere is to be admired. Learn more about Nadirah below.

You are a multi-talented individual dipping and dapping in a bunch of other expressive fields. So, what was it about journalism or media that piqued your interest?

I love telling stories and learning the histories of various things. I knew that I wanted to work in media in some form, and the opportunity to intern and then work in late-night TV allowed me to bring my love for storytelling and learning together. No matter what I did, I knew those two things had to remain at the forefront.

How did you get your start in the media field? Did you study communications in college? Internships? Hobby writing?

I studied Journalism and Media Studies at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. I’ve enjoyed writing for as long as I can remember. In fact, my first book was published when I was in elementary school, thanks to a language arts class project! So, while I was there, I had a bunch of internships and classes that allowed me to hone in on that love. In addition to writing, I learned a lot about television and radio production from courses, internships, and extracurricular activities that I participated in. Co-hosting a show at one of the Rutgers radio stations and interning at places like VH1 and The Daily Show were the things that made me realize that this is the way I want to tell stories. I want to be relatable, fun, creative, honest, and myself, just like I had been able to be at all of those places. Even though I decided to go into television professionally, my love for writing and music and my desire to see Black women get paid for their words led to the creation of my own company, The Gumbo, and influenced how I wrote my book.

So far, throughout your career, what has been your proudest personal media moment?

That is so tough! Starting The Gumbo comes to mind because, for a year, I literally saved up my Late Show checks to be able to start the company! And, of course, the fact that people loved it made me super proud. But even more than that, knowing I was helping to fill a void and doing the job I set out to do was even better. Truly the icing on the cake!

Congratulations on the upcoming release of your debut book, First Things First: Hip-Hop Ladies Who Changed The Game! What was the most challenging part about writing it? Could you tell me what you hope readers walk away with from this work?

Whew, what wasn’t challenging lol? It was hard. Easily the hardest thing I’ve ever done. But I think something that stands out when I think of the challenges that came with it is really me trying to fit every single detail and idea that came to my mind in there. I was so excited to talk about these women and their impact that some days, I would just go nonstop, trying to fit every single thing and all of the latest updates in the book. And then I would read what I wrote back and say to myself, “Girl you’re doing too much!”

So then, I would overthink that I wrote too much or said too much, which would then give me writer’s block! It was very anxiety-inducing. But once I accepted that eventually this thing is going to have to get printed and there might be developments and important moments that happen after the book goes to the printer, I was able to relax and have fun. Shout out to my team! They helped out so much with that! As far as what I want people to walk away with, I want them to learn about someone they didn’t know before, learn something new about something they knew well, be entertained by what they read or all three of those things. Hip-hop has always been one of my favorite things, and I want people to feel the same when they close that last page.

What advice would you give aspiring mediapreneurs looking to enter the field?

Get your copyrights and trademarks in order! It’s hard to be on top of these things because they seem so daunting and cost some money to get done properly. But they are so important to have in order to protect yourself. And to the money part, lean on your community. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from the people who support you and your vision.

Stay connected with Nadirah Simmons by following her on Instagram and Twitter. To purchase your copy of Nadirah’s book, First Things First: Hip-Hop Ladies Who Changed the Game, click here. To view Nadirah’s work via The Gumbo, visit its official website here.

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