The world is going digital as technology keeps driving change. Be it shopping, banking or even holding meetings. Slowly but surely, your smartphone, tablet, and laptop are becoming the new workspace.
The Media industry is no different. The process of consuming news is now digital. Personal gadgets are increasingly becoming the norm rather than mere substitutes.
The proliferation of apps, websites, podcasts, and mobile devices has also had a major impact on digital media, making it possible to now consume media on demand in a variety of formats.
However, the ongoing problem of media bias still persists. So, for example, a recent study by the Pew Research Center found that Black Americans see several problems in news coverage of Black people. Most say that Black people are covered more negatively than people in other racial and ethnic groups.
This is why extra credit needs to go to individuals who are using their platforms to highlight, celebrate, and tell the stories of underrepresented groups. In our inaugural UrbanGeekz 50 2023 List we showcase five ambitious media mavens shaping the future of storytelling with their progressive news platforms.
CultureBanx Creates Business News For Hip-Hop Culture
Kori Hale is just one of the outstanding women on our recently published UG 50 listicle. The award-winning entrepreneur is known for her work in promoting financial literacy and economic empowerment, especially among Black entrepreneurs and investors.
In 2018 she launched CultureBanx, a media platform that creates stock market-driven business news for hip-hop culture. The trendy online publication is redefining business, finance, and tech news for black professionals.
“Who owns the media platforms that are driving the dominant narrative? These narratives shape policy, which becomes laws. These narratives shape perceptions, which can fuel or demystify biases that impact how we are treated in society. “
Speaking to UrbanGeekz about her entrepreneurial journey, Hale said, “I launched CultureBanx because I wanted to blend the worlds of social entrepreneurship and impact through a platform that creates stock market-driven business news for hip-hop culture. We have become the leading digital financial news outlet, as our cultural innovation literacy enhances the 2.1 million highly engaged CultureBanx audience members’ ability to make trusted financial decisions in their daily lives,” she added
“Our goal,” Hale continued, “is to become the go-to Black business news platform for financially savvy Black consumers seeking a reflection of their culture and community in high-level business news content.”
UrbanGeekz Launched To Fill A Gap In The Market
Our very own founder and CEO Kunbi Tinuoye also features on the UG 50 List. Born and raised in the UK she cut her teeth at the BBC before a stint as a News Correspondent for NBC’s theGrio.com.
The Cambridge Uni alum is the founder of UrbanGeekz, a video-centric African-American, Latinx, and multicultural digital news platform focused on technology, science, business, and startups.
Crunchbase has recognized Tinuoye as one of ‘25 Black Entrepreneurs Making Waves.’ Alongside the same lines, VentureBeat highlighted Tinuoye as one of ‘10 Black Journalists in Tech to Follow.’
On her motivation for starting UrbanGeekz, Tinuoye said “UrbanGeekz is the first-to-market digital news platform to cover tech, venture, startups, and innovation from a diverse and multicultural perspective.”
“When we launched, our goal was to fill this gap in the market. The innovation economy is a tool to build generational wealth, so it’s critical Black people enter, participate, and succeed in this sector.”
In other work, Tinuoye is a founding member of the fast-growing Black Innovation Alliance (BIA). She is also a board member for SXSW Pitch Advisory Board and CES Conference Advisory Board. Tinuoye serves as a lead mentor for the Comcast NBCUniversal Farm Accelerator.
Venture-Backed Blavity Has Had Impressive Success
Another trailblazer on our list is Morgan DeBaun. She is the Founder and CEO of Blavity Inc., a leading digital media company for Black culture and millennials.
DeBaun cofounded Blavity with Aaron Samuels and Jeff Nelson in 2014. They started with a curated video newsletter and built a website, which was only the beginning. The site features content created by and for young black Americans, including subjects such as the Black Lives Matter movement and protests of the National Anthem.
“I’ve always had an entrepreneurial itch,” DeBaun said in an interview with Forbes. “When I was younger, I would look for opportunities to make money, invest, and create things. I didn’t quite know where that would take me, but I knew that I wanted to create something that would be a reflection of who I was. Blavity is a manifestation of just that.”
The venture-backed entity has had impressive success. Their portfolio of brands includes Blavity News, AfroTech, Travel Noire, Shadow and Act, 21Ninety and Lunchtable. Their conferences include Summit21 for Black women creators and AfroTech, the largest tech conference connecting a global community of 20,000+ Black tech innovators through a series of digital and in-person events.
HerAgenda, Ambitious Brand For Millennial Women
Rhonesha Byng is an Emmy award-winning journalist and entrepreneur who also made the cut. Her mission is to transform millennial women’s empowerment. Byng’s philosophy in life is established by her acronym of N.E.S.H.A. No one Ever Slows Her Agenda.
This philosophy also fuels her digital media platform, Her Agenda, which she established to bridge the gap between ambition and achievement for millennial women.
“I am a purpose-driven founder,” Byng said in an interview with UrbanGeekz. “My purpose led me to journalism, which evolved into creating a media company rooted in amplifying the stories of ambitious women.
“Storytelling is powerful, and when I launched my company 15 years ago, I recognized how the gender inequity in media correlated to the lack of women in positions of power in society. The gender imbalance in media has been proven to have a direct correlation to women’s under-representation in the workplace and reinforces harmful gender stereotypes.”
On the power of the media to shape narratives, Byng explains that “the media has a great opportunity to shift those dynamics. It starts at the helm. Who owns the media platforms that are driving the dominant narrative? These narratives shape policy, which becomes laws. These narratives shape perceptions, which can fuel or demystify biases that impact how we are treated in society. “
BOMESI Launched To Create Lasting Change In Media
Her latest endeavor, the Black Owned Media Equity and Sustainability Institute (BOMESI), is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing Black-owned media businesses. BOMESI co-founder is DeVon Christopher Johnson
“I cofounded BOMESI (Black Owned Media Equity and Sustainability Institute) to disrupt the narrative and empower Black and Brown people to own our story with sustainable media platforms. We’re not just telling stories; we’re rewriting the narrative of possibility for countless individuals.”
Through BOMESI, Byng stands at the forefront of a movement to amplify marginalized voices, foster awareness, and create lasting change.
The Plug is a Subscription-Based News & Insights Platform
Sherrell Dorsey is a powerhouse. She is an award-winning data journalist, entrepreneur, speaker, and author teaching the world to redefine who gets to create and participate in the future.
Her company, The Plug, is one of the most distinct subscription-based digital news and insights platforms connecting business leaders to the Black innovation trends shaping the future of work and business.
“We bootstrapped a lot before we raised any money, so to be successful, it was important to be very intentional about utilizing our resources,” she said in an interview with Business Insider last year. “That’s why finding great deals for all of the tools we need to run and operate the business was so critical. It still is.”
The Plug was acquired by ImpactAlpha in 202.
These outstanding individuals continue to inspire people of color across various races to shatter barriers, pursue their ambitions, and leave an indelible mark on the world.
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