How I Got Started:
Whenever I meet people in person or check my DM‘s when I can, the most frequently asked question I get is “how did you get started?“ So, I figured I’d take a blog post to write a spark notes version of my start.
The answer is most easily explained in three parts: It was written before I could even comprehend it, my mom wouldn’t pay for my singing career so I needed a “real degree,” and there’s nothing you can’t do without a great network, a persevering faith, and a whole lot of hustle.
In November of 1990, my dad took me to the newsroom he was working in at NPR when I was just two months old. When we returned home, he filmed a conversation with my mom and me in which he retold the events of the day. In the video, my dad said he introduced me to all of his friends and that I “told'' everyone there that I was going to be a broadcast journalist. I responded by coo’ing and moving my arms. I have no recollection of this moment, but one of the illest things my dad did when we were growing up was to film all that he could. 30 years later, I found the video and clearly bursted into tears. If you’ve followed me for a while, you know that I love God and growing in my faith. I was bawling when I watched this video because it was tangible confirmation of one of my favorite verses in the Bible. Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Look at GOD!
The second part of my origin story is a bit more hilarious and relatable. If you grew up in a household like mine, you relate to this scene:
I’m kidding (kinda). My mom is super supportive and also my best friend in the world. But, in the 90s, a lot of parents didn’t consider a career in entertainment to be viable, long-lasting, or something that would get you out of their house. So, when I told my mom about my dreams of wanting to be a singer, dancer and actress, she told me that I needed to ensure that I got a college degree just in case things didn’t work out.
In 2008, I attended Rutgers University (RU), and majored in Journalism and minored in Theater Arts. I had always loved telling stories, so it was an easy transition. In fact, when I was a child, my parents knew they couldn’t send me to time out because I’d end up hosting talk shows on my bedroom floor with my stuffed animals, Barbie dolls, and my little brother’s action figures if I needed to round out the cast. When we would go on family vacations, there are a lot of videos of me “hosting” and “reporting” on the scene from our latest adventures. And when all of the cool kids wouldn’t sign up to do our high school’s weekly morning news announcements, you can guess which adjacently-cool kid signed up.
The truth is, I’ve always been a storyteller, a dreamer and a creative person. Journalism tied my love of performance, storytelling, and well... clearly... being in front of the camera together.
The third part of this story will probably make you want to Diddy bop. When I went to college, my dad told me that I didn’t necessarily need a Masters to succeed in journalism. I needed to make sure that I interned to get newsroom experience and create the foundation of a network that would help me grow in my career. It was one of the best pieces of advice I’ve received so far. The power of internships is real.
I started interning when I was 18 years old- the summer after my Freshman year in college. The first person I interned for was the original DJ, legend, and one of the nicest human beings you’ll ever meet, Donnie Simpson. I remember being nervous as I entered the WPGC studio on a swelteringly hot DC morning in June of 2009. If you are from the DMV like me, you grew up listening to Donnie Simpson every morning because his voice ran the airwaves and accompanied every family ride to school and work drop-offs. Plus, my mom had a major crush on him so I knew she’d be proud. I remember walking into the building at 5:00am to set up the studio and meet the producers - his son, Donnie Jr, and Meraf. I also remember thinking that it all looked so corporate for a place that upheld so much culture- and whew, that’s a whole ‘nother blog post- but, I was ready to work. I cleaned the mics and tables from the overnight host before. I scoured the blogs like “theybf” and NecoleBitchie to see if there was anything worth noting to pitch to the producers and then Donnie would come in just before the show went live at 6.
The first time I met Donnie, I thought he was the closest thing to an angel on earth. He had the real life aura of what I imagined Whitney felt on the set of “The Preacher’s Wife” when Denzel was in character. He was perfect - kind, confident, and eager to crack the mic. He clearly loved his job, even with all the recent changes that the industry would begin to bring to music, radio, and the financial side of audio programming as we knew it in the next two years.
That summer changed my life. Not just because watching Donnie enjoy a good mix with all of his favorite hits from the 70s and 80s was so sweet, it could give you a cavity, but because Donnie showed me that you could be a good person and succeed in this industry.
During this time, the music industry was very much about the ‘hustle hard, sleep when you die, walk across the Brooklyn bridge for cheesecake, step on your competition, it’s cutthroat out here, B’ energy. Being a girl who grew up in a sheltered-ish upbringing, I didn’t know if I could realistically make it. I didn’t want to step on anyone and I really never liked cheesecake enough to walk over a bridge for it. So, I was really worried that my Northeast to Uptown DC-PG-Moco self wouldn’t be able to maintain. Watching Donnie make every single person who came into the studio feel better when they left his presence solidified that not only could I succeed, but I could succeed with my heart, dignity and love for making people feel seen and heard in tact.
After that, I went hard. I interned every single semester or did whatever I could to network. My main reason for attending Rutgers in New Jersey was not because of the alluring size of the campus, and especially not because I loved New Brunswick or anything in Central Jersey (no shade, but it’s no DMV). I went because I wanted to be close enough to New York to intern and just far enough from home to spread my wings. Looking back, I would’ve applied to Howard because their network is insane too, but I wanted to get out of the DMV. I grew up on the campus, attending Girl Scout and arts camps at the Blackburn center and being my mom’s prize possession on The Yard from the time we were babies up until I was 18, at every single homecoming. Mommy loves her alma-mater, as anyone who went to the real HU does. Nonetheless, I believe everything happens for a reason and in God’s timing. With my strategy at the top of my mind, I began to apply for internships in New York City. After summer work at WPGC with Donnie, and then Big Tigger, Danella, Free (yes, THEEE FREE MARIE!), Donnell Rawlings and more, I went on to intern for two seasons at the “Wendy Williams Show” in its inception, at “Live With Kelly!.” I also attended the WEEN Academy my junior year. I met the women who would become my sisters in this crazy industry and my mentors who were, and always have been, my saving grace. I worked events and red carpets, I checked lists at doors, and did free event photography (I wasn’t that good but I did have a nice camera) to be in certain spaces. I was determined, green, and ready to make my dreams of being the next Free come true.
However, even with all that, I graduated in 2012 in the middle of a recession. All my interning didn’t guarantee me a job. I went to the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) conference in New Orleans that summer, and did my best at the career fair. But, when I got there, all I could remember was that I didn’t look like any of the girls who were going out for the anchor and correspondent news gigs. They were all buttoned up, with perfectly coiffed hair and really great makeup that held up in the humidity of August NOLA weather. I immediately remember feeling triggered, as I would hear my professors warnings in my ear while I was in the room. They all said that I have to move to a small town in Idaho, one-man band it for about four years, and then work up to getting to the number one market in the world— on television in New York. I figured that I was already making connections in the city, so I didn’t need to move. I knew my journey wouldn’t follow the blueprint laid out for me, but luckily for me, the blueprint would change with the rise of influencers, bloggers and event hosts. I went at it in my own way and learned the power of defining my journey for myself.
It’s also empowering to think about looking back, but I did not know how difficult it would be to walk a path that no one had ever walked before me. I had to learn how to hustle and keep my eggs in many baskets. After about 3 months of working random temp jobs, I got a call from a woman I met at the NABJ career fair about an overnight, entry-level gig in the CBS radio news room. I’d be working from 11pm-8am to assist the producers in story research, manning the phones, tweeting, and more. I took it. And after six months, I learned a lot and reaffirmed that I was not desensitized enough to work in hard news. My last straw was the Sandy Hook shooting. I could barely keep it together as I watched parents have to tell the world about their young children who would not be joining them for Christmas, because they were killed at school by someone who is mentally ill and had access to a machine gun. It was all too much.
I went to work in advertising for a year, but I started freelancing to keep my foot in the door. I started pitching myself to cover concerts at the Legendary SOBs concerts, working with the blog-Music Xclusives to cover red carpets, and sending my reel to whoever would watch it.
Eventually, I was a mainstay on the red carpet/blogger scene and I met Ebro Darden at the premiere for “This is Hot 97”- the VH1 reality show they had in 2014. He said I had a good face for TV and I’d end up seeing him at other events. He was always such a strong presence, and as one of the most powerful players in radio, I had heard so much about him. When he asked me to come run a new blog he was starting, I was surprised but he said he watched my work and was a fan of what I was doing. I took the gig and was the managing editor of BlameEbro.com. I’d report to his office and manage interns who’d contribute to the site. But most importantly, I would meet Scottie, Rebecca, Alysha and Sapphira. In those halls, we formed the initial conversations that turned into “Black Girl Podcast.” What a time.
During that time, my friend Wura from RU let me know about a tweet that she saw a mutual friend share from a host named Rodney Rikai. He shared that the Washington Wizards were looking for a new in-arena cohost, and that anyone interested should send in their reel. Mom and dad took us to so many Wizards games, that I knew every member of every team from 2002 to 2010. I was nervous, but I submitted and got a call to come to the first round of auditions. From there, me and other young women auditioned in front of the preseason home crowd to see who would be voted in to be “America’s Next Top Wizards Host.” That wasn’t the name of the competition, but I really couldn’t help it. Haha! After 6 weeks, I was voted in by my city and the front office of the franchise to be the co-host. That moment was my first major confirmation that I was on the right path. Those four seasons changed my life. I always call that experience the closest thing I would ever have to Grad School. I learned how to host in front of 15,000 people every week. I learned how to read an audiences’ energy and how to bring mine up so they’d have something to mirror. I learned how to recover on live TV, because the Jumbotron doesn’t lie. I learned how to navigate corporate settings and why it was important to speak up for myself. I saw all of my favorite basketball players play the game they loved from the court. I also turned up for all the times I didn’t do so in college because of interning. It was lit in so many ways and some of the best times of my life. I’ll love that time forever.
In the midst of my Wizards job and Hot 97 work, a LinkedIn connection reached out to me to let me know that her cousin worked at Essence. She shared that she was looking to hire a Junior Editor for the Essence Fest website. She asked if I would be interested, and I said ABSOLUTELY. I met with Dawnie Walton and she was also incredibly kind and brilliant. She gave me a shot, and it was like I was living a dream. I got to work in the headquarters, with the originators and creators of Black Girl Magic, excellence and inspiration. I interviewed Jill Scott, Marvin Sapp, Jordin Sparks and more. I was responsible for maintaining the website and app information on all the artists performing. It was tedious at times, but I was also there when they launched “Essence Live.” I knew they had a talented and super dope host, but I wanted to be the correspondent. So, when I wasn’t working, I’d head over to producers to let them know that if they ever needed me to do man-on-the-street reporting, or little on-camera gigs, that I’d be more than willing. Little by little, they put me on camera and I was getting more clips for my reel AND making connections that I still love to this day.
I know what you’re thinking. How was I working in DC, and New York doing three different jobs at the same time? That’s where the hustle comes in. While I was auditioning for the Wizards, I would pray to God on the bus down that He would make a way for me to keep all three gigs. And He did.
On game days I would go into either the Hot 97 or Essence offices at 8:00am, I would then get on the bus or train by noon to get to DC by 4:30pm. Once I got to DC, I would take the redline to Gallery Place to get to the arena by 5:00pm. From 5:00pm to 5:30pm I would do my make up and get cleaned up. At 5:30pm, we would have our production meeting about what the game would look like for that evening. At 5:45pm, I’d eat dinner, and at 6:10pm, we’d go live for our pre show - we’d host until about 9:15pm, or until the game would end. My mom, who loves basketball more than any person I know, would often be at the games or wait for me outside so we could head back home. The next morning, my dad would wake me up at 4:15am so that I could be ready to get back on the 5:25am Amtrak train, to be back in New York City by 8:20am, and at my desk at 9:00am. It worked just as if I had only taken the afternoon off to go take a kid to the doctor. I did that for 4 years, and I would never trade any lost sleep for anything. I’ve earned everything I have and that’s on my Amtrak points. Period.
The Essence Fest gig ended up closing in August of that year. When we were out of season for the NBA, I would only have one gig, working with Ebro. I eventually was introduced to producers at the BET digital team and was brought on to be a part of a new show they were developing called, BET Breaks. It was a great gig! But a tough one, with a less than desirable budget. However, eyes on the prize. I took it. And from there, I kept hustling. I’ve been in the Viacom family for a while. I hosted Black Coffee with Marc Lamont Hill and Jameer Pond. And then I hosted the Webby Award winning series, “Black Girl Beauty,” as well. Little by little, I was gaining more credits as a person who could host her own show.
Fast forward to now, I’m working on projects like Urban one nationally syndicated radio and podcast show, “More Than That with Gia Peppers,” still hosting “Black Girl Podcast,” contributing to “The Today Show” (come through PRIMETIME!) and hosting every week on Entertainment Tonight’s digital show, “The Download.” I also launched a YouTube series of my own, “Give you the Game” under my own company, Peppers & Prospect Productions.
The hustle is still real but I’m committed to working smarter, living out more of my dreams, taking up more space and being intentional about what my work says. And the wild part is, this is still only the beginning.
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