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In this episode of the Build Tech Stack Equity Podcast, host Darius Gant interviews DeShuna Spencer, founder of Kweli TV, a streaming service dedicated to showcasing Black stories from around the world. DeShuna shares her journey from journalism to creating a tech platform, discussing her experiences with covering crime stories, the lack of diverse narratives in mainstream media, and her mission to provide authentic, impactful Black content. Kweli TV offers a wide range of content, including documentaries, dramas, comedies, and children's programming, aiming to celebrate and connect the global Black community. DeShuna also delves into the technical challenges she faced, including early funding struggles and platform development, and shares future plans for immersive content and gaming. If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development. Founder Bio: DeShuna Elisa Spencer is the Founder & CEO of kweliTV. She's a former radio host and producer of emPower Hour, a show that examined social justice issues affecting people of color, on Washington, DC's. Spencer graduated from Jackson State University where she studied communications and journalism. She has written for The Clarion-Ledger, The Oakland Tribune and the Crisis Magazine. She is a Halcyon Incubator Fellow, a Voqal Fellow and a Google NexGen Policy Leader. Spencer was first place winner of the 2017 Harvard Business School African Business Conference Pitch Competition. She is featured in the book, “How We Fight White Supremacy” as one of the more than 60+ black leading organizers, artists, journalists, entrepreneurs, etc., combating white supremacy through their work. In 2019, the Digital Diversity Network named Spencer the Innovation & Inclusion Social Entrepreneur of the Year. She's an advisory board member of Full Color Future and the Multicultural Media Correspondents Association. Time Stamps: 00:34 From Journalism to Entrepreneurship 04:52 A Shift in Perspective: Empowering Through Storytelling 10:36 The Birth of Kweli TV: A Global Black Streaming Service 19:54 Content and Representation on Kweli TV 21:45 Acquiring Authentic Content for Kweli TV 23:32 The Birth of a Streaming Platform 24:04 Early Challenges and Learning Curves 27:17 The Developer Disappears 28:53 Releasing the Beta Version 30:27 Finding New Developers 34:06 Pitch Competitions and New Beginnings 38:37 Working with Third-Party Vendors 42:11 Future Plans and Innovations 43:34 How to Connect and Final Thoughts Resources Follow Darius Gant LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/m-darius-gant-cpa-44650aa/ Company Website - www.tesoroai.com Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4uDVNgsK3iNeu7yU4Inu2n Subscribe on Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ae/podcast/the-darius-gant-show/id1527996104 Company website: https://www.kweli.tv/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kwelitv-inc-/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/deshuna/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/kwelitv Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kwelitv/
DeShuna Spencer is the founder and CEO of kweliTV, a streaming platform dedicated to curating and celebrating black culture on a global scale. Before starting kweliTV in 2015, DeShuna was a journalist and radio host on Washington, DC's 89.3 FM WPFW. On this episode, Fanshen and DeShuna discuss DeShuna's path to becoming a storyteller, how she built a streaming platform before most others existed and why she's committed to “taking matters into my own hands.”
In our latest episode we interview DeShuna Spencer, the founder & CEO of the highly acclaimed streaming platform, Kweli TV. DeShuna graduated at Jackson State University and started her career in journalism before she became a Halcyon Incubator Fellow, a Vocal Fellow and a Google NextGen Policy Leader. Amongst her many accomplishments, DeShuna was also the first place winner of the 2017 Harvard Business School African Business Conference Pitch Competition and in this episode we talk to her about her about KweliTV, attracting investors for your company and her transition from journalism to creating a streaming platform that celebrates diverse communities. Follow Deshuna: @Deshunaspencer Web: Deshuna.com
In our latest episode we interview DeShuna Spencer, the founder & CEO of the highly acclaimed streaming platform, Kweli TV. DeShuna graduated at Jackson State University and started her career in journalism before she became a Halcyon Incubator Fellow, a Vocal Fellow and a Google NextGen Policy Leader. Amongst her many accomplishments, DeShuna was also the first place winner of the 2017 Harvard Business School African Business Conference Pitch Competition and in this episode we talk to her about her about KweliTV, attracting investors for your company and her transition from journalism to creating a streaming platform that celebrates diverse communities. Follow Deshuna: @Deshunaspencer Web: Deshuna.com
In this episode, the guys chat with DeShuna Spencer, Founder & CEO of kweliTV, about her journey to creating a video streaming service and lessons she learned along the way. DeShuna breaks down why positive black representation is needed today and the importance of showcasing authentic black stories. Later she give practical advice for anyone looking to start a business. Tune in! Learn more about kweliTV at http://www.kweli.tv/ More about DeShuna: DeShuna Spencer is the Founder/CEO of kweliTV, a video streaming network that curates undiscovered and award-winning indie films, documentaries, web series and children's programming of the global black community; and she's a radio host/producer of emPower Hour, a weekly social justice show on DC's 89.3 FM WPFW. Previously, she served as founding publisher of emPowermagazine.com where she launched the emPower Players Awards honoring community activists of color. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Spencer served as Director of Communications & Managing Editor for EdMarket. A Memphis native, Spencer graduated from Jackson State University where she studied communications and journalism. She has written for The Clarion-Ledger, The Oakland Tribune, the Crisis Magazine and AOL. A former AmeriCorps*VISTA and Chips Quinn Scholar, Spencer recently completed her first documentary, Mom Interrupted. She is a Spring 2017 Halcyon Incubator Fellow, a 2017 Voqal Fellow and winner of the 2017 Harvard Business School African Business Conference Pitch Competition.
How do we find our voice? How can we share the stories everyone needs to hear?. Hear the story of DeShuna Elisa Spencer, who created kweliTV to share the stories of global black culture. Our Guest DeShuna Elisa Spencer is the Founder & CEO of kweliTV, which celebrates global black culture through curated, undiscovered and ... Read more The post Mission Over Money: Changing the Story with DeShuna Elisa Spencer, Founder & CEO of kweliTV appeared first on Changing the Story.
On this episode we have Deshuna Spencer Founder and CEO of KweliTV. It is an online streaming service built to tell the stories from around the world through curated independent films, documentaries, web series, kids programming, news, and events/live experiences. This is an amazing concept seeing as how the black diaspora is extremely diverse and often times there are not enough platforms sharing services like this from an African diaspora perspective. I really dig into the PURPOSE as to why Deshuna started KweliTV. Another episode you don't want to miss! Follow Deshuna and her purposeful journey here: https://www.kweli.tv/catalog https://www.instagram.com/kwelitv/ Don't forget to follow the purposeful story podcast at www.purposefulstory.com and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/purposefulstory/. Thanks for listening and remember live everyday with purpose so all your actions are clear!
Your YouTube channel is a marketing engine for your VOD. It's where you get your streaming business discovered and grow your brand.Today, we're joined by DeShuna Spencer, founder of kweliTV to learn about building a successful niche video streaming business.Kweli means Truth in Swahili. In this episode, DeShuna shares the truth about running a niche streaming service. Stay tuned to learn:What KweliTV is and how it came aboutHow a niche entertainment SVOD can succeedHow a VOD platform can enable you to offer value to your audienceHow KweliTV seek out and get new contentHow KweliTV is managing the royaltiesThe importance of offering free trialsWhat does it take to grow in today's media landscapeHow KweliTV continues to grow and thriveCheck out kweliTV: https://www.kweli.tv/Have questions? Tweet us @uscreentvCheck out our free Video Business School here.Subscribe to Uscreen YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/uscreentv/?sub_confirmation=1Presented by Uscreen: https://www.uscreen.tv/
This week Alrik and Jeff welcome filmmaker and CEO/Founder of Kweli TV, DeShuna Spencer to the show! DeShuna talks to us about her streaming platform Kweli TV and the struggles she faces in running her own independent streaming service!
I’ve got some #wednesdaywisdom for you with this After Show with Deshuna Spencer of KweliTV. We talk about the importance of telling authentic visual stories in your marketing, doing the research on your content, and more. Sit back, relax, and enjoy this episode! Thanks for listening. The after show is where I ask my guests two questions that cut straight to great takeaways for how to improve the PR and marketing for your production and they throw one at me. Definitely worth the time to listen #indiefilmmakers! Find out more about Deshuna here: http://deshuna.com/ Check out KweliTV here: https://www.kweli.tv/ Picture Lock Links: Take my PR For The Indie Filmmaker online course here: https://indiefilmpr.thinkific.com/ Get a partner as passionate as you in your film or film event's publicity: www.picturelockpr.com Subscribe to this podcast in iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/kevin-sampsons-picture-lock/id639359584?mt=2 Be sure to visit www.picturelockshow.com for everything Picture Lock! Please give us a review on whatever platform you listen to this podcast on. Thanks so much for your continued support. Drop a line a picturelockshow@gmail.com to say hi and let us know what you think of the show. FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/picturelockshow SNAPCHAT: https://www.snapchat.com/add/picturelockshow YouTube CHANNEL:http://www.youtube.com/picturelockshowTWITTER:https://twitter.com/picturelockshowINSTAGRAM:http://instagram.com/picturelockshowPINTEREST:http://pinterest.com/picturelockshow
DeShuna is the founder of Kweli TV, an interactive streaming platform that celebrates the African Diaspora experience, community and culture through dope, undiscovered documentaries, films, web shows, children’s programming, news and more. In this episode DeShuna talks about how Kweli TV came to be, it's importance and significance to the African community, and the process they go through to make sure their subscribers get the best quality content.
Natalia gets the 60-second pitch from entrepreneur DeShuna Spencer of kweliTV, a streaming platform with documentaries and series for the global Black community. Tune in as Natalia advises DeShuna on what to keep, delete, and add to her pitch. In the Legal Minute, Mitzi Chang of Goodwin answers common startup legal questions. Our First Pitch segment explores DeShuna's pitch evolution. Plus, this week's Investor Take from Ruth Ann Harnisch of The Harnisch Foundation.
"Building Kweli.TV From Concept To Reality" Several years ago DeShuna Spencer had the concept of creating a live streaming television network similar to Netflix for the Black community. Kweli.TV would have shows produced, written, and starring Black actors that would show us in a positive image. Join us as DeShuna takes us on her entrepreneurial journey building a new streaming network for the Black community.
DeShuna Moore Spencer is the founder and CEO of kweliTV. kweliTV, Inc. is an interactive, streaming platform that offers independent films and movies, original docuseries, news programming, and educational content exclusively for people of African decent.