Pursuing the passion.
After wrapping up five years working in higher education marketing, the next step of my professional journey brought me significantly closer to my personal interest and passions regarding entertainment and pop culture. Currently, I am a member of the Paramount family, as the Senior Social Media Manager for BET Networks—a well-established brand that has been a mainstay for both Black culture and my personal life for many years.
In my role, I oversee and manage the social media marketing strategy and execution of social content for all our tentpoles and specials including, but not limited to the BET Awards, the BET Hip Hop Awards, and the Soul Train Awards. I also shape and oversee the social strategy for acquired tentpole productions including the NAACP Image Awards and the Stellar Gospel Music Awards. As a key member in shaping our overall marketing strategy, I help craft and position social content related to our tentpoles and specials that optimizes the overall performance of that content to not only drive tune-in, but to help grow engagements, followers, and watch time,
BET Awards 2023
The 2023 BET Awards marked a special occassion, as it was also the 50th Anniversary Celebration of Hip Hop. As the lead in ideating, implementing, and overseeing the social strategy, I collaborated with various team members to conceptualize a new look and feel for social content. Throughout the process, we heavily focused our efforts on creating content that would prioritize engagement, and raise the aesthetic level of all of our assets to new levels. Below you’ll find examples of promotional material that dropped during the lead up period, including our very first announcement for the show, an animated BET Hall of Fame montage, and an example of our assets utilized to highlight nominees.
Hip Hop’s Greatest Celebration at the BET Awards
With a successful lead up campaign in full swing, content captured on the ground had to convey the energy of the BET Awards. Whether it was bookin rap icon and creator of Drink Champs, N.O.R.E. to host our social red carpet, or managing the production of compilations that highlight notable moments from the red carpet and show, the content created from Hip Hop’s Greatest Celebration was both dynamic and exciting.
House of BET
In the days leading up to the 2023 BET Awards, the House of BET returned to Los Angeles tO celebrate the Black Experience, BET IP and the Black Community. With a number of businesses, activations, giveaways, meet-and-greets, and exclusive parties, guests celebrated this years House by paying homage to the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop. To generate excitement, we created a series of lead up promos to illustrate the myrid offerings that would be available. Additionally, we produced daily recaps of the festivities to encourage local residents and fans to RSVP and attend other activations and moments happening throughout 2023 BET Awards Weekend.
Culture’s Biggest Night
The BET Awards Red Carpet (or in the case of 2023, PINK carpet) is not just any red carpet. The hottest celebrities in music, fashion, and entertainment make their presence felt as they gather for Culture’s Biggest Night. So to take that experience the next level, we booked rap icon and Drink Champs creator/host, Noreaga, to be the face of our social media red carpet space. Prior to his arrival, we filmed Get Ready With Me content as he ran into friends, fans, and other familiar face. Plus, we captured all of the exciting interviews he conducted as celebs made their way into the Microsoft Theater for the big show.
Hip Hop Awards 2022
The Community College Transfer Opportunity Program (CCTOP) is a scholarship and assistance program for students transferring from partnership community colleges into NYU. One of the challenges for the program was awareness, as it lacked a proper marketing strategy. Serving as the lead for all marketing projects related to CCTOP, one of the big project was to create a centerpiece video highlighting what the program is, and the benefits that students have experienced during their time at NYU.
Where Hip Hop Flows
To further elevate social content for the 2022 Hip Hop Awards, we established several collaborations with notable influencers and talent to increase fan engagement and excitment around the show. During our lead up period, we partnered with social media influencer Chaz Bruce to produce episodes of a Sink or Swim Hip Hop Karaoke challenge. In a series of social cyphers, celebrities and influencers stopped by Atlanta, GA to spit their hottest verses while we captured content for social. Lastly, we teamed up with the one and only Chris Too Smoove to be our social red carpet host to get the details about the hottest fashion from the celebs walking the carpet.