The Top 100 People of Color in Media: Part 1: 100-91
From creators to executives, from technicians to producers, the world of media and entertainment offers thousands of professions that cross and merge, giving the people that work in it the opportunity to fully discover how creative potential and business acumen often overlap. It is fascinating to study the careers of some of these people, thus understanding which opportunities they were able to seize and when did “the right moment” happened. This is why A Hot Set has compiled a list of “The Top 100 People of Color In Media”, a new weekly series that for the next ten Mondays will explore a hundred of the most influential POC in the entertainment industry - and here are the first ten.
100. Lovelyti: “We are gathered here to sip some tea” is the catchphrase of YouTube personality Lovelyti, who has been an active member on the platform since 2006. From celebrity gossip to national news and scandals, she makes sure to cover anything that is of popular interest, whether it comes from the world of entertainment or business. Her intro perfectly captures the dynamic and friendly spirit of her channels: “If you're here to enjoy the tea and feel free to chat with me.”
Her main YouTube channel, Lovelyti TV, has accumulated a total of 434 million views and almost a million subscribers, while her second and most recent channel, True Crime Tea Time, currently at 300 thousand subscribers, used to be a news commentary, and now covers true crime stories. In addition to “spilling the tea” on all of the most famous celebrities, Lovelyti also provides insightful coverage of news of nationwide interest. In fact, her most popular video, which garnered an impressive 3.4 million views, is titled “The Teens Who harmed Amy Joyner tell "their side" of the story on Instagram” and talks about the most recent developments in the tragic attack on Amy Joyner, a 16-year-old girl that was assaulted in a school bathroom. Lovelyti goes in-depth investigation on social media to understand what really happened between the high schoolers responsible for the attack, possibly shedding new light on such a pressing issue.
In addition to her popular YouTube channels, Lovelyti also has a podcast on both Spotify and Apple Music called “Tea Time UNFILTERED with Lovelyti”, as well as a website where she sells both merchandise for her own brand, and the very product that she always spills in her videos - tea.
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99. Serena Rasoul: Serena Rasoul is a Muslim, Arab-American casting director, and founder of the diverse casting agency MA Casting. After obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Virginia, she continued her studies at Washington DC’s School for Dramatic Arts, as well as completing a Fellowship at Harvard in 2022. Her professional career began working in US governmental offices, like the House of Representatives and US Department of Education, as well as the US Institute of Peace. It was during those years, as early as 2014, that she contributed to publications that dealt with the involvement of Arab-Americans in the US Health System.
Ms. Rasoul founded MA Casting (formerly “Muslim Casting") in 2021 to address “the need for inclusive storytelling and marketing, both above and below the line”. MA Casting is a creative agency that brings forward the mission of a broader inclusion in brands and media for Muslim and SWANA (SouthWest Asian and African) actors and creators, via both company training and casting. It has already served major clients like Google and Maybelline.
In addition to her casting career, Ms. Rasoul has been recently appointed as the Community Engagement Manager at the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art and is on the Board of M-Film Lab, a non-profit that offers screenwriting workshops to incentivize minority filmmakers.
Peter Hurley Photo
98. Jennifer Betit Yen: Jennifer Betit Yen is president of the Asian American Film Lab, a non-profit organization directed at helping under-represented communities in media get a voice through film and television programming. They offer many initiatives and programs, like monthly screenings and industry panels that are open to the public, as well as screenplay workshops. Film Lab also produces films, online content, and a TV series called “Film Lab Presents” (started in 2014).
A Cornell University and Boston University School of Law graduate, Jennifer is also an actor and a writer-producer. On May 9, 2019, former New York City mayor Bill de Blasio proclaimed that day as “Jennifer Betit Yen Day” after she gave a speech at Gracie Mansion on the importance of diverse representation in the media. Quoting Jennifer: “Entertainment media is the method by which we, as a society, leave our history and tell the world who we are as people.”
97. Ja'Leah Davis: Figuring as one of the Forbes 30 Under 30 list of 2022, Ja’Leah Davis is the founder and CEO of Eyeconic Television, a television station that debuted in Houston in February 2018 and which is currently reaching the whole nation via Roku, Apple TV+, and Amazon. A graduate in Mass Communication from F. Austin State University, Davis’ goal is to educate through media, and her channel broadcasts more than twenty shows that have an educational imprint in various areas, such as financial literacy, a home improvement show, and weekly financial news. In addition to producing content for the channel, Eyeconic Television also owns physical studios up for rental, as well as offering on-air space on the channel to third parties, also during primetime.
In order to realize her educational mission, Davis also recently founded The Eyeconic Academy (T.E.A.), a non-profit that focuses on coaching people on “media skills, business skills, life skills, and personal development through technology”.
masmoriya.com
96. Mas Moriya: Mas Moriya is the founder and now event programmer of Strong Asian Leads, a non-profit that aims at improving AAPI representation in media by both helping creatives break into the entertainment industry, while also working with the studios to connect with the Asian American audience. First, a photographer, then a screenwriter, Mas approached storytelling from various perspectives, but the feeling that not all stories were being told was what drove him to found Strong Asian Leads: “change the way Hollywood sees Asian-Americans”.
Strong Asian Leads members have access to many perks, including the possibility to network with industry professionals, participate in workshops, as well career coaching. The organization also has a strong educational component, providing a retrospective on AAPIs in television and film to both increase awareness of the last century’s Asian-American cinema while reinterpreting the Asian representation in these films. One of the many initiatives, for example, is the Legacy Screening Series, which encourages the movie-going experience through monthly screenings of Asian American films. Additionally, there is also the “Strong Asian Lead Podcast”, whose episodes center around both cinema-related topics and Asian empowerment.
Korean American Leaders In Hollywood
95. Sarah Shyn Ayala, Edwin Chung, Ted Chung, and Sandra Kang (Co-Founders): The Korean American Leaders in Hollywood (KALH) organization creates entry points and new opportunities for Korean Americans in Hollywood. By uniting under a common goal, KAHL aims to build an expansive network for Korean Americans seeking a future in the entertainment industry. The co-founders of the organization are Sarah Shyn Ayala, Edwin Chung, Ted Chung, and Sandra Kang.
Edwin Chung is Vice President of Comedy Development at 20th Century Television Studios, where he oversees the development of half-hour series for both broadcast and streaming and serves as the executive in charge of the upcoming reimagining of The Wonder Years with Lee Daniels and the Modern Family spinoff, among other projects. He was previously Senior Vice President at Legendary Television, where Chung built and oversaw the studio’s current series department, working on such shows as Love and Lost in Space for Netflix, Colony for USA, Carnival Row for Amazon, and Looming Tower for Hulu.
Ted has been featured in Fast Company, LA Times, Wall Street Journal, CNN, AdWeek, Billboard, and VICE as an expert on multicultural lifestyle and culture marketing. An industry veteran and serial entrepreneur, Ted Chung have received accolades across the industry, including The Entertainment Mogul Award by Character Media and an ADCOLOR Rockstar Award nominee, which recognizes the top leaders and visionaries within the industry.
Sandra Kang, an innovative marketing professional with 20+ years of experience, runs the brand partnership business at the intersection of brand marketing and entertainment culture. Her expertise includes the development and execution of integrated marketing programs, which she leads with strategic insight, influencing social media, television, motion pictures, music, fashion, sports, and CSR across the Hollywood landscape. Her clients include The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, Samsung, Diageo, Burberry, and Dolby.
Moment House
94. Shray Bansal, Nigel Egrari, and Arjun Mehta (Co-Founders): In 2019, the trio partnership of Shray Bansal, Migel Egrari, and Arjun Mehta launched the live stream platform Moment House to connect artists and their fans for global ticketed experiences, such as concerts, interviews, and poetry readings. They've hosted elevated live-streamed events with celebrities like St. Vincent, Halsey, and Brockhampton, as well as overseeing the ticketing for Justin Bieber's New Year's Eve live stream. Moment House has secured $13.5 million in funding from investors like Scooter Braun, Jared Leto, and Halsey.
The group's partnership with publisher Billboard has highlighted Vince Staples along with some of the other incredible artists Moment House has been able to collaborate with. Moment House’s overall goal is reimagining the art of its collaborators through the new creative format of immersive digital experiences.
Influrr
93. Alessandra Angelini, Valeria Angelini, Paula Coleman, and Fefi Oliveira (Co-Founders): Influrur is a professional network that links brands and influencers worldwide. Influur facilitates collaboration by having firms post their advertising opportunities and either privately invite 'hand-picked' influencers or make their opportunity public for influencers to apply. Both parties have an end-to-end campaign management system using the platform, from meeting to publishing and paying. Former CNN journalist Alessandra Angelini co-founded the Miami-based platform, as does data analyst Valeria Angelini, chief product officer; Emmy-nominated journalist Paula Coleman, COO; and Fefi Oliveira, who starred in Nickelodeon's Club 57 and has over 6 million TikTok followers. Oliveira is the chief influencer officer for the organization.
Influur has facilitated campaigns for a few brands, including Hard Rock Cafe, Paramount Latin America, Boxy Charm, and Warner Music Latina. Influur is a digital platform that links creators with brands and media, according to these Latin American female cofounders. (As of 2022, it has over 4,000 creators and 1,000 brands.) The app allows influencers to access rates for specific engagements, feedback on firms and projects, industry information, and open employment possibilities. Influur has raised more than $6 million in capital from investors such as Point72 Ventures, H20 Capital, and Magma Partners, as well as celebrities such as Sofia Vergara, Danna Paola, and music executive Tommy Mottola.
Linkedin / fanhouse
92. Khoi Le, Rosie Nguyen, Amy Shen, Jerry Meng: Fame is fleeting, but it could be less so with a strong and supportive fan base that truly feels connected to the artist. Fanhouse is a platform that allows creators to interact directly with their top fans - and monetize it by offering exclusive perks and rewards, with an added level of security with watermarked pictures and videos to prevent leaks and ensure the safety of the platform. The company has raised $20 million and has already paid $13 million to the creators on it.
The team of co-founders is stellar: Khoi Le, CEO and co-founder of Fanhouse, is a tech expert that has worked both in startups and big companies like Apple after studying design and engineering at Stanford. Rosie Nguyen is also a co-founder and creator, a Wharton graduate that has experienced the incredible value of online monetization on herself and wants to help others as well. Amy Shen is the third founder of Fanhouse: she comes from an engineering background in major companies such as Google and Robinhood and wants to help incentivize people to connect online. Another cofounder and former team member of Fanhouse is “Forbes 30 Under 30” awarded Jerry Meng, also founder and CEO of the online shopping platform Relook.
Fanhouse’s goal is, ultimately, to facilitate the interaction between creators and their fans; the Chainsmokers are one of the many renowned creators that not only have financed, but are actively using the platform, advocating that it is one of the most useful tools to interact with their top fans in a safe space.
Linkedin / Twitter / Getty Images
91. Dennis Dortch, Numa Perrier, Brian Ali Harding, & Jeanine Daniels (Co-Founders): Dennis Dortch, Numa Perrier, Brian Ali Harding, and Jeanine Daniels launched Black & Sexy TV, a digital media network. The network creates scripted entertainment for progressive African American consumers. RoomieLoverFriends and Hello Cupid are two notable programs. BET obtained the rights to three of Black & Sexy TV's original series in 2015 and began airing them on their cable channel. In 2015, Black & Sexy TV switched to a monthly subscription model using the VHX platform. The organization has provided a platform for emerging Black talent, both in front of and behind the camera. Notable mentions include Ari Lennox and SiR, both of whom originally appeared in a BLACK & SEXY TV series.
For the past decade, the company has consistently delivered top-notch content, leveraging cutting-edge technology to provide viewing experiences that solidified Black & Sexy TV as a full-fledged brand that continues to push culture forward. The founders are filmmakers who started their platform to produce and distribute their projects. They believe there is a need for more stories and characters from a Black point of view. The company continues to embark on a phase of growth that will center around premium content production, offering community-building, and extending its footprint.