NABJ and CafeMedia are thrilled to continue our partnership in an effort to bring together new and veteran entrepreneurs that are working to expand their digital brands. With the support of our partner HP, we have launched the fall 2022 Entrepreneur Academy this month with 10 outstanding NABJ members who will attend sessions with a line-up of expert speakers on business development and digital strategy support. Congratulations to the fall 2022 cohort!
Meet the 2022 Participants
Dillon Bernard
Dillon Bernard is a content producer and digital strategist committed to using storytelling as a tool for transformative change. Dillon currently leads Dillon Bernard Media Strategies, a creative studio focused on supporting purpose-driven organizations engage young and multicultural audiences. Dillon founded Amplify Pledge, a storytelling collective imploring individuals and brands to actively utilize their social media platforms to support the work of grassroots movements.
Shana Black
Shana Black is the Founder of Black Girl Media in Cleveland, Ohio. Black Girl Media, produces content and community events that “educates, informs and amplifies underrepresented voices in North East Ohio.” In 2019, Shana was recognized as one of Cleveland’s Most Interesting People, and in 2020 she worked as Ohio’s Misinformation Fellow with First Draft. Shana is a recent graduate of the Executive Program In News Innovation And Leadership at CUNY’s Craig Newmark School of Journalism and currently serves on the board of the Local Media Foundation.
Javacia Harris Bowser
Javacia Harris Bowser is an award-winning freelance journalist and the author of the essay collection Find Your Way Back: How to Write Your Way Through Anything. She’s also the founder of See Jane Write, a website and community for women who write. Javacia has written for several media outlets, including Good Housekeeping, HerMoney.com, Good Grit magazine, and The Birmingham Times.
Dymond Green
Dymond Green is a journalist and entrepreneur based in Los Angeles. In 2015, Green took a 6-month trip to Ghana where she learned about the power of natural plants and herbs to heal chronic imbalances within the body. Today, she runs Herbal Harmony—a plant-based feminine care line of products to help other women find relief, with ingredients they can feel good about.
Eniola Longe
Eniola Longe believes in the power of storytelling as a tool to change the African narrative. Growing up in Lagos, Nigeria, she knew she would end up as either a lawyer or journalist. After studying law for six years and practicing for two years, she is now getting a professional Master’s in Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin.
Wayne A. Peterson, Jr.
Wayne A. Peterson, Jr., best known as Mr. Al Pete, is a Hip Hop musician, podcaster, journalist, and the founder of The MPN Network. Created in 2012, MPN reached instant success with the birth of two brands: Fly Socks and Tees and The Groove Suite. In January of 2020, Pete created The MPN Network, along with The Neighborhood Podcast Network, which hosts a range of podcasts.
Kyle Rosenbaum
Kyle Rosenbaum drives Marcom Weekly’s mission to advance diversity in marketing and media. He has more than 16 years of experience working with reporters and executives to produce stories that appeared in outlets including Associated Press, People en Espanol, and the Today Show. Kyle previously led PR programs for Universal McCann, Nickelodeon, P&G and Samsung.
Lisa D. Tinsley
Lisa’s passion for news and media began in her early teenage years. A graduate of Loyola Marymount and Florida State Universities, Lisa has worked as a news researcher and archivist for 25 years. On June 1, 2017, Lisa launched KISA Public Radio, an online African American news and culture station. Listeners worldwide tune in daily to hear dynamic audio documentaries and interviews at kisaradio.org.
Shernay Williams
Shernay Williams is a Baltimore-born freelance video journalist and entrepreneur. She has a passion for using video to tell stories about entrepreneurship and business development in underrepresented communities, including among mothers and people of color. She’s spent more than a decade as a journalist for local television, print, and radio outlets throughout the South and East Coast, covering everything from mayoral races to the heroin epidemic. Shernay has also served as an entrepreneurship coach and founded a content firm that helps businesses and nonprofits tell their stories more strategically. In 2020, she launched the Black Mompreneur Directory which showcases a growing list of 200+ Black mom-owned businesses in the U.S.
Joe Young
Joe Young is an award-winning cartoonist, filmmaker, producer, writer, and teaching artist. He is the Creator of the newly released KEMET comic property, which has a twenty million readership in Black newspapers nationwide. Joe is President of Joe Young Entertainment, LLC which distributes original digital content to streaming TV channels and media outlets. He is also the writer and executive producer of Hartford’s first major homegrown book-to-film project, Diamond Ruff. Young is a Guinness World Record Holder for creating the World’s Longest Comic Strip. Young is a Co-Producer of the full-length feature movie “PEP” filmed in Hartford, CT, executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio. He has been recognized for his many accomplishments, such as being an Amazon National Best Selling Author & The NAACP 100 Most Influential Blacks in CT, appearing in multiple national outlets including People, Ebony, GQ, CNN, and New York Times.
ABOUT NABJ
The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) is an organization of more than 4,000 journalists, students, media-related professionals and journalism educators. The association provides innovative, quality programs and services for Black journalists and communicators worldwide. Founded in 1975, by 44 visionaries in Washington, D.C., NABJ advocates year-round to ensure equity, diversity and inclusion are a priority across the news and media industries. NABJ offers programming and resources designed to meet the needs of today’s news and media professionals, ranging from career fairs and networking events to professional development workshops and technical training.
ABOUT CAFE MEDIA
As the world’s largest collective of independent publishers working toward a creator-first future, CafeMedia is committed to playing a role in democratizing the media landscape and leveling the playing field for content creators from under-represented groups, including members of the BIPOC community, through educational and networking opportunities.
