#AHHPowerfulWomen: HOT97’s Music Executive, TT Torrez Describes the Importance of Enjoying the Process
(AllHipHop Features) “Being focused on success wasn’t a choice it was a need. It was literally a need to succeed.” -TT Torrez Within minutes of our call with Music Executive, TT Torrez, we felt the vibe and an understanding of the grit and determination that this powerful woman embodied. The multi-media personality and music executive at HOT97 humbly made it clear that she’s worked very hard to be where she is. From a rocky start, being on her own since she was 14-years-old, she dealt with the harsh realities of many inner city kids. It wasn’t until she got to college that she discovered her love and passion for radio. Torrez made it her mission to make her way into the radio world and locked in her first professional role at WCHH Hot 92.7 in Charlotte, NC as a part-time radio host. She then moved further south to WSSP Power 94.3 in Charleston, SC to be a midday personality and producer for the esteemed Russ Parr Morning Show. After her time at The Russ Parr Morning Show, she spent four years traveling for Music Choice, writing and producing for television shows, and hosting on-camera interviews with celebrities. She even found time to work weekends as an on-air talent for the legendary WUSL Power 99 in Philadelphia. Torrez worked full-time as the afternoon personality and Music Director for WCDX iPower 92.1 in Richmond, VA prior to moving to New York’s Hot 97. Given her humble beginnings, Torrez ensures that she makes time to give back to the community through philanthropic efforts including her “Pink Birthday Party” charity event benefiting breast cancer research and the “I Will Wait Until I Graduate” campaign which was founded by Torrez to encourage young girls to graduate before parenting a child. Torrez recently received the award for “Best Community Service” from the VA Association of Broadcasters for her “Prom-A-Thon” campaign that provided over 500 girls with prom dresses, make-up and hair to attend their high school prom. Despite being an exclusive media source in her own right, Torrez has also been featured in various media outlets including The Source, Star, and VIBE magazine, television’s Nancy Grace, Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood, and blog sites like necolebitchie.com, bossip.com, and globalgrind.com. She also continues to cover the red carpet at the MTV VMA’s, the BET Awards, the BET Hip-Hop Awards and The Grammys. Ms. Torrez says the radio world can be a bit of a “boys’ club,” but through hard work, knowing what she wanted and successful networking, she’s managed to land her dream job. With the hustle and bustle of curating what hits the HOT 97 air-waves, AllHipHop got a few moments of her time to discuss her world as a female music executive: AllHipHop: Please explain what your job entails: TT Torrez: I am responsible for developing, coordinating, and supervising all music programs, production and overall day-to-day operations of the station. I also plan and produce special musical concerts and/or workshops and coordinate fundraising efforts. The main job of a radio station’s Music Director is to find the right music for the station, but it’s more complicated than just picking quality music. It’s making sure out of the music that’s available to us, we’re finding the right music our audience wants to hear, which generates the best ratings, which in turn helps our sales department sell airtime.” AllHipHop: What’s the most enjoyable part of the job and your duties? TT Torrez: Interacting with the community AllHipHop: What is the hardest part: * TT Torrez: Balancing work life and personal life AllHipHop: Do you remember and can describe a time of adversity in your career? TT Torrez: I remember the first time I got fired from my first radio gig. It was in Charleston, South Carolina, and I was producing The Russ Parr Morning Show. The company said they were selling their station and as of tomorrow, you no longer have a job. I remember crying wondering what I was going to do. I wasn’t making that much money, but one thing I’ve always been good at was networking. Russ Parr and I became really good friends –he became a mentor to me, and I told him ‘Hey I’m out of a gig,’ and he said there weren’t any positions available, he created an opportunity for me to connect with the program director and see what happens. So I packed up my Honda Accord, put my furniture in storage and drove to D.C. This taught me that you really have to humble yourself and be open to doing other things. I went from literally having nowhere to stay to gaining a great gig in Connecticut. You have to go through the trials and tribulations to get to where you want to be. AllHipHop: How do you express the pride of being a woman of color in the industry, being humble but owning your position and how does that transpire within the music and entertainment industry? TT Torrez: I mean, it’s very easy to get lost in this business. You have to be strong-minded and have a strong personality. Black women already face so many stereotypes when it comes to reality television and from what others perceive us to be. I think for me it was all about me being authentic to who I am…and I had a lot of people on the way that tried to change that or turn me into things that I’m not. I always had to stay strong to who I am while still maturing. You can’t get caught up in what this industry can do to you. You always have to strategize and not always wear your heart on your sleeves. You are smart and you can be on the same level as men. AllHipHop: How do you balance work and personal life? TT Torrez: I definitely I have the situation, but I have a 6-year-old son and I raise my nephew, and you really have to find what you want and how […]
#AHHPowerfulWomen: Emmy-Nominated Producer Elon Johnson is a Force to be Reckoned With
With more than a decade of experience in television production and journalism, Emmy Award-nominated producer, Elon D. Johnson has facilitated in the creation and execution of some of the most critically acclaimed and highly rated shows on several networks including syndicated channels (ABC, NBC, FOX), and cable channels BET, VH1, MTV, and FUSE. As a journalist, Elon’s work has appeared in Essence, Giant, Honey, Jewel, Juicy, King, Latin Girl, Long Island Village Voice, Mixmag, One World, Poz, Request, Set, Suede, The Ave, The Source, Unleashed, Uptown, Vibe, Vibe Vixen, XXL, XXL Presents Eye Candy, XXL Presents Hip Hop Soul, and on AllHipHop.com, Amazon.com, AOL.com, Barnes&Noble.com, BET.com, Hookt.com, MartiniPink.com, MTV.com, Papermag.com, VH1.com and Vibe.com. As the grandchild of immigrants, Elon and has maintained close ties to her family roots in Barbados, working on a number of international projects including entertainment TV shows and the marketing and advertising of women-centered and empowering tourism events. As you can see, this powerful woman is one to be reckoned with. AllHipHop.com got a moment to ask Ms. Johnson a few questions: AllHipHop: please, explain what your job entails? Elon Johnson: There are several levels to being a producer in television depending on the network or production company, but my job, essentially, is to manage, execute and produce an event, worthy of being on television. While there is no easy way to explain it, my job is really to make sure all elements of getting a show from conception to air are complete. Typically I start with a proposed creative perimeter, source out the right production team for said content, brainstorm ideas, and work with several departments – from legal, to clearance, to standards and practices, to sales and branding, all while making sure the content tells a full story, is entertaining and engaging and nothing is left unaddressed. AllHipHop: What’s the most enjoyable part of the job and your duties? Elon Johnson: The most enjoyable part of the job is having the ability to create television about things that interest me. I started in music news and had the opportunity to work with some of the biggest names in entertainment. It was a regular day at work to interview Destiny’s Child, Wu-Tang Clan, Britney Spears, Nas, Ja Rule, 50 Cent, Outkast, Christina Aguilera, Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliott, U2, The Fugees, and so many more. I moved on to talk television which was more lifestyle, women-centered and centered on A-List TV and movie stars, and now, the content that is before me can be anything from a large live awards red carpet show to developing a cult web series into a TV series, so being able to keep my finger on the pulse of pop culture is very much a dream job in many ways. AllHipHop: What is the hardest part? Elon Johnson: The most difficult part, currently, is viewer engagement. The face of television, how television is viewed and what keeps the viewer’s attention is ever changing and it is my job to not only stay abreast of those changes but to also be ahead of the TV trends. AllHipHop: What advice do you have to offer people that want to be where you are or aspire to make it in the business? Elon Johnson: Channel your passion, present your ambition, and most importantly let your reputation precede you. So if you’re an intern, be the standout intern. If you’re a production assistant (an entry level TV position), be sure to offer more than your job requires while at the same time, staying in your lane. I find the people who ask the most questions, seek out counsel to get ahead, and pay close attention to all the moving parts of production, often have the best success in moving forward fast. And if you’re DIY, take it seriously. Study the craft and elevate your idea. You have the audience, keep them. AllHipHop: Can you describe a moment of adversity personal and in your career? Elon Johnson: Who can’t? Nothing about the work force is easy. I have storiessssssss…. Especially in the uber emotional industry of entertainment. I once had a very popular female rapper threaten me because she found out I interviewed her former fiancé as part of her cover story for a magazine. I felt terrible that she was so angered by this but it was part of my job to get all sides of the story. I was once in a car with a very popular male rapper who decided to drive full speed ahead down the sidewalk because the cops had blocked off the street. I honestly thought my crew and I might lose our life that night behind his aggression. I’ve had hardships in the workplace just dealing with people wanting to pigeonhole me as a Black woman, despite the fact that I have seamlessly transitioned between producing a hip-hop news special that looked a beef between Nas and Jay-Z, to a talk show with top model Alexa Chung, to a show that required a full-fledged house renovation with Nate Berkus to producing 11 hours of live television in less than a week, all celebrating the BET Awards. As for the personal, I have freelanced as a producer and showrunner for over 10 years now. This lifestyle is not for the faint of heart. It is essentially a business you’re running as an individual so YOU are responsible for marketing yourself, staying relevant, and making sure people know that you are capable of doing this job in various mediums and doing it better than others. So that can weigh on your personal life as the hustle tends to take precedence. AllHipHop: What keeps you from giving up working within a male dominated industry… Elon Johnson: One thing I don’t focus on is gender in the workplace. I know I’m damn good at what I do period. I’ve had so much experience in so many facets of media that it is a gut sensation for me to produce. I deal with men […]
#AHHPowerfulWomen: After Apple iTunes, Thuy-An Julien Finds Her Calling In Music & Tech
Thuy-An Julien is a Grammy award-winning entertainment and technology executive, with more than 20 years experience at the intersection of music and technology. She has worked at numerous Fortune 500 Companies including Apple Inc., Time Inc., Sports Illustrated, and other major companies. Currently, Julien is CEO of Hartman’s House, LLC, a management and digital consulting company. She and her team set artists free to be creative while managing all other aspects of their careers and assist companies to bridge the gap between entertainment and technology. Her clients include Grammy Award winner Timothy Bloom, and former American Idol contestant Shevonne Philidor. Previously, she worked at Apple Inc. for 15 years and headed up original content brands in North America for iTunes and was “low-key” one of the most important figures bringing Hip-Hop and urban acts to the mammoth corporate entity. She played an integral role in the success of iTunes Store in multiple market segments. Some she created, while significantly expanding others. She also created the Urban Marketing department—the first ever targeted marketing group at iTunes—to address missed opportunities in the focus of the original iTunes platform, originally designed only for mainstream music. She is also currently responsible for market and growth development at Dash Radio. She successfully builds audiences, brands, and profits for the largest digital radio network in the world. She is also a Partner at Creator’s Capital, a business incubator/fund that was created to help creative- both entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs create their visions. We talked to Thuy-An about her business and other matters of extreme importance. AllHipHop: Explain what your job entails: Thuy-An Julien: I run a company that does a few several things. We do artist management, creative incubation and marketing consulting. I manage some amazing artists to get their music out in the world and steer their careers towards what we have determined is their goal, be it songwriting, producing, performing, etc. As for the incubation, I partner with Creators Capital to help music, film, TV and digital media entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs make their ideas for projects and companies investable, and then we give them access to sources of capital. AllHipHop: What’s the most enjoyable part of the job and your duties: Thuy-An Julien: I love helping people achieve their goals. I believe people need to realize that every short-term goal that is achieved takes you one step closer to your long-term goal. I love being around the creative. Hearing the music being created, attending the live shows, watching the vision turn into a business and knowing that I helped in some way make it successful. AllHipHop: What is the hardest part: Thuy-An Julien: I think there are two things that are the hardest. 1. The doors that get slammed in your face when you know an artist or a project deserves that shot hurts. It is hard, but I never give up. Getting underestimated as a woman when you walk into the room. I used to record live sessions for iTunes. I just remember numerous times having someone ask the sound engineer something and they would have to remind them that I was the producer. As a woman, you have to be assertive and yet walk the fine line between being too nice and being too “b#####.” When I negotiated deals at iTunes, often people would want to speak to my boss or a colleague who was a man because they didn’t think I had the power to execute. This is a foolish mistake on their part but just made me more determined. AllHipHop: What advice do you have to offer people that want to be where you are or aspire to make it in the business? Thuy-An Julien: My advice to everyone is to follow your dream. Don’t just hear that and not do it. Regardless of what you do with your life, it will be difficult. So you might as well pursue that which you truly want to do. But be smart about it. Get the tools you need- be it higher education, internship, get a mentor- whatever it takes so you are dressed for battle and have everything you need. I never thought I would use half the things I learned at the University of Delaware but you’d be surprised when random knowledge you learned comes into play. For young ladies, my additional advice would be to learn how to win in a man’s world, because it is still a man’s world, as we saw with the last Presidential election. We still get paid less than men for doing the same job. But show and prove yourself. Less complaining and more doing. I’m not saying take any abuse or discrimination that comes your way. I am saying know that the deck is stacked against you and know you will have to work harder and smarter — but show them your value. AllHipHop: Can you describe a moment of adversity personal and in your career? Thuy-An Julien: This thing we call life is full of experiences both good and bad. There are a few moments that come to mind but here’s one that people in the industry can relate to. Before I started my company, I was at iTunes for a very long time, Pretty much since their launch. Most people in the industry associated me with iTunes. It became so prevalent that I felt like my name was “Thuy-An From iTunes.” When I left iTunes, it was very interesting and a bit hurtful when people I had helped for years didn’t answer my emails or calls. It really played with my self-value and made me think that I was a less valuable person overall because of it. But we all know this industry is about what you can do for me and that’s why there are the term industry friends but I never thought it would happen to me. But two good friends said something to me that I will always remember. David Banner was quick to remind me that I was not […]
#AHHPowerfulWomen: AllHipHop Pays Homage To Powerful Female Leaders, Influencers And Bosses in Hip-Hop & Entertainment
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