Calynn M. Lawrence is the 27-year-old media personality and former international pageant queen, who owns the 18-time award-winning media firm, the Calynn Communications & Creative corporation. They’re the parent company of several online publications with hundreds of thousands of reads including The World Times, What’s Good Weekly, Millionaires in the Making, Icons in the Now and As Told By Calynn M. Lawrence. Some of their clients include Chick-fil-A, The Ms. International World organization and The Miss Black America organization.
They also have a nonprofit subsidiary, The Fresh Faces Project, one of the largest pro bono marketing agencies in the world. They have served over 800 talents, small business owners and public figures through their work. Their annual awards ceremony is one of their most impressive initiatives. For the last several years, they’ve honored nearly 200 impactful people and brands including entrepreneurs, public figures and creatives. Some notable past honorees include Mrs. International 2021 – Yolanda Stennett, retired school nursing leader Dr. Leretha Thomas, Hollywood actor Andre Bellos, popular dystopian/post-apocalyptic author, Marcus Richardson, and many more! Unlike industry competitors, this is done without sponsors, entry fees, ticket sales or nomination fees in order to eliminate budget related issues for honorees as it is 100% self-funded by the Calynn Communications & Creative corporation.
Some other initiatives that the Fresh Faces Project has led over the near decade they’ve been in existence are their 2017 documentary that garnered tens of thousands of views, their 5-star rated video podcast “Chicago Talent TV” with 3 successful seasons, and offering numerous opportunities for up and coming changemakers to get published in the news for little or nothing.
Walk us through your career and the roles you’ve held within the news & media industry.
I’ve had a love of media, especially fashion and entertainment magazines, since I was a pre-teen with a crazy collection to match. I’ve worked in the media industry since I was 15 years old. I started my blog, formerly Fashion Thunderclap, as a means to express my opinions about pop culture, beauty and fashion, and to supplement my application to a very competitive retail business internship at the downtown Chicago Nordstrom mall. I also was in my high school’s journalism club and served as their fashion columnist and school blogger. I ended up getting the internship and stayed there until I started college! While there, they showed us the ropes on all things sales, merchandising, media, design and events (mainly fashion shows) at a beginner level and gave us a great foundation to pursue careers in the field. I owe so much to that first job who gave me my footing in fashion and entertainment.
During college, I leveraged my blogging experience and knowledge from my internship at Nordstrom to launch my career as a freelance writer, editor and social media influencer. I managed to make a great part-time income contributing to numerous media outlets and building my own blog to the point where it was my ticket to countless red carpet affairs and Fashion Weeks in the US and even internationally in Europe. This got me noticed by CAN-TV and Africa International House who ended up hiring me to be their live cable TV host for 2 years where I got to interview many powerful, inspiring people on business and culture.
From there, I continued to build my blog and my presence as a media personality. Then one day when I was about 23, I decided I didn’t want to solely be a media personality who was seen as an individual. I wanted to be a publisher who owned and operated numerous outlets and showcased the voices of a variety of journalists, especially those from marginalized populations. Thus, the Calynn Communications & Creative corporation was born.
What was the process of launching your own media firm?
It was a few months of planning, research and getting my money prepared before I could officially launch. However, it didn’t take me too long to strategize and execute the idea. It was as simple as binge consuming Youtube videos and educational content from other publishers who’d been successful before me and taking note of what made sense for me to try. I already had knowledge of how to design and maintain blogs, as well as how to source and create editorial content so I needed little assistance there. As a former freelance journalist myself, I already knew of all the right agencies to recruit low cost good quality contributors, and where to purchase affordable stock imagery.
The more labor intensive part was figuring out what my target demographics were going to be and how I was going to tailor my publications to have varied appearances and subject matters but cohesive branding. I started most of the publications we own from scratch and acquired, enhanced and scaled a couple of them. With much effort and social listening, I eventually was able to discover a good harmony.
How do you, as the Publisher and Owner of various publications and a web series, manage the content that they release?
As a long-time media personality and journalist, I naturally consume a lot of news content and follow a lot of bloggers and media pages online. So, I’m always in the know about major things going on in the world. Whenever I see something relevant or interesting come across my feed, I just screenshot it and save it in my phone for later when I do my monthly content orders from our team of several freelance writers.
As each publication is different, both me and my Managing Editor (my mom) will edit them and publish the articles to whichever site fits the topic. The World Times is all things national and international news worthy across any subject matter. What’s Good Weekly is anything positive surrounding pop culture. Millionaires in the Making is all things business and finance. Icons in the Now is about showcasing heroes who don’t wear capes and telling their stories. My blog is solely about me and my life. The Fresh Faces Project blog and “Chicago Talent TV” solely publish free interviews to rising stars.
Why do you feel so strongly that minority owned media outlets are necessary in today’s world?
In the world we live in, systemic oppression and racism unfortunately still exists and the media world is no stranger to it. With the media being so immensely powerful, i.e the famous saying, “Control the press, control the masses,” we can not afford to not be a part of the conversation. Hence, having minorities who are in control of the news is a pivotal part in ensuring that our messages are properly told, publicized and received by those of our communities.
For so long, we had to fight for journalists and publishing houses who knew nothing about our lived experiences, challenges or emotions, to give us a few inauthentic sentences in their magazines and papers that would get lost in a sea of pages. Now that we as minorities have the chance to craft our own narratives and paint our own pictures through photo, video, digital, broadcast and print communications, we need to snatch every opportunity to shout our stories from the rooftops. I’m a big believer in the concept that “each one will reach one,” and every time I get the chance to share an inspiring story, and educational piece or a cautionary tale that will benefit my black and brown counterparts on my platforms, I try to jump at it. I vehemently believe in the transformational influence of minority owned media and will use this as a vehicle to advance us as a people until I am laid to rest.
Who are some of your minority media inspirations?
There are so many that I could name, but I’ll sum it up with my top 5. Oprah Winfrey was the first black woman that I saw growing up who was a talk show tycoon and had an enormous platform that had mounds of interesting content and influence. Wendy Williams was the first black woman who I saw revolutionize unfiltered celebrity and entertainment news through her fierce, unapologetic radio and television presence. Elaine Welteroth was the first black woman who I saw make it all the way to the top of the ladder at a heralded Conde Nast publication, as the youngest ever Editor-in-Chief in Teen Vogue history. Shonda Rhimes, who was named the highest paid showrunner in Hollywood, is the black female mastermind who helped bring us iconic TV staples like “How to Get Away with Murder,” “Scandal” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” Lastly, Cynthia Horner, the publisher of Right On! Magazine is a great example of someone who I’ve watched on social media make a large impact through her journalism. In fact, she was one of the first executives at a major media outlet to allow me to tell my story on her platform and I’m forever grateful.
What advice would you give aspiring black and brown media personalities and journalists trying to break into the industry?
I would tell them five things. First, always keep your integrity and tell stories that you believe matter, not just ones that you think people want to hear. Second, always keep your portfolio active through either a personal blog or a well maintained archive of your published pieces. Third, stay active on social media and constantly create conversations because people want to hear your voice! Fourth, stay abreast of the latest news by keeping up with numerous news outlets, making a conscious effort to follow a variety of them so your perspective isn’t too narrow. Lastly, if you have raw passion, good communications skills and are looking for an opportunity to get your work out there, come see me. You can send my team your submissions at team@caycomcreate.com and either I or my Managing Editor will get back to you. Good luck, go-getter!
Learn More About Calynn at www.calynnmlawrence.com
