Author: Hyentbiz

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Michelle Obama’s presence is a welcome, seismic shift from the stereotypical image of women of color as accessories to their own exploitation in media. In her non-celebrity post as the Most Influential Woman of the Free World, Mrs. Obama is covered by media daily around the globe, giving her the power to unravel the thread of negative perception about Black women in a way that even the mighty Oprah could not.  Dealing a major blow to the video ho, Mrs. Obama is the only First Lady to make Maxim’s 100 Hottest Women In The World, holding her own at #93 with starlets...

15 June, 2009 /

RACHEL NOERDLINGER President of Noerdlinger Media, Executive Vice President of Communications for Reverend Al Sharpton and National Action Network  SISTER SWAN 1. What are you working on right now? I’m currently working on branding Rev. Al Sharpton and NAN (National Action Network), the organization he founded, while simultaneously building my own public relations consultation firm Noerdlinger Media. The Sharpton effort has been a gradual evolution and one that I have worked on diligently on for almost ten years. I’m also working on fulfilling my role as a new appointee to the Diversity Advisory Board of Ogilvy & Mather, one of the largest marketing communications networks...

10 June, 2009 /

YVETTE D. GAYLE VP Publicity for Interscope/Geffen/A&M Records [caption id="attachment_477" align="aligncenter" width="213" caption="Yvette D. Gayle"][/caption] SISTER SWAN 1. What are you working on right now? 50 Cent, Keri Hilson, and a stable of new up and coming R&B, Hip Hop, and Pop/Rock artists 2. What book(s) are you reading? Put Your Dreams First: HYEB. It’s inspiring ☺. I have a 3 year old and am addicted to buying him books. So this week we are reading The Lazy Lion, Hungry Hyena and Laughing Giraffe by Mwenye Hadithi & Adrienne Kennaway. My favorite books are: Celestine Prophecy, Tuesdays With Morrie and A Pilot’s Wife. 3. Share something you do for work...

03 June, 2009 /

THEDA SANDIFORD Serving the Cyber Generation [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Theda Sandiford"][/caption] Sister Swan 1. What are you working on right now? I'm working on setting up Jeremih, Lyfe Jennings, New Boyz, Lil Boosie, Reflection Eternal, Shawty Lo, Ginuwine, and Nicki Minaj. Along with Method Man & Redman, Camron, Mike Jones, Paul Wall. I'm also working on a series of mixed media self-portraits focusing on health, wellness, dreams and multiracial themes. 2. What book(s) are you reading? The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb and The Reagan Diaries. I love non-fiction. 3. Share something you do for work that’s harder than it looks. Online press is really...

27 May, 2009 /

[caption id="attachment_61" align="aligncenter" width="450" caption="Breakfast of champions of rap"][/caption] Pulling out some of my photos from the '90s, from a time I am so blessed to have lived and worked in; a decade that gave us hip-hop's golden era. I found the photos of BIG in this note, and reconnected to a time when hip-hop had purpose; had a sense of humor; had much more respect for its women (and indeed a chorus of female voices to boot); had a hunger for innovation that eclipsed its need for shine. Hip-hop's commitment to being dope is what turned the spotlight on her...

21 May, 2009 /

Exclusive Interview With His Granddaughter Mykah Montgomery By Thembisa S. Mshaka [caption id="attachment_419" align="aligncenter" width="253" caption="Charles "Buddy" Montgomery 1930-2009"][/caption] A Piece For Peeps Charles “Buddy” Montgomery, lovingly known by his family as “Peeps”, was a master pianist and vibraphonist. He was the youngest of the legendary Montgomery Brothers, pioneering innovators of West Coast Jazz. He also recorded and performed with Miles Davis, Slide Hampton and Big Joe Turner. He recorded 11 albums as an artist with a career that spanned 60 years. While I knew and grew up on Buddy Montgomery’s music, it wasn’t until his granddaughter Mykah and I met in the late ‘80s...

16 May, 2009 /

From First Wives' Club to the Old Boys' Club: Bette Midler Says Hollywood is Sexist Straight-talking icon of stage, song and screen courageously says what many of us already know first hand but are afraid to verbalize publicly. I applaud Ms. Midler as I have throughout her stellar career for speaking loud and clear on this. [caption id="attachment_413" align="alignright" width="210" caption="Actress/singer and founder of NYRP Bette Midler attends the opening celebration for New York Restoration Project's new community garden at 117-19 165th Street on November 3, 2008 in Jamaica, New York. (Joe Corrigan, Getty Images) "][/caption] Bette Midler has accused Hollywood of sexism, insisting there...

15 May, 2009 /

After 17 years of working with many a superstar in the worlds of music, advertising, and television, I’ve seen a lot of skin. I must say, however, that the concentrated display of nudity by females in the entertainment business over the last week has been very interesting to watch....

13 May, 2009 /

Put Your Dreams First: Handle Your [entertainment] Business is a professional retreat in the form of a book to help you gain new insight, re-evaluate your career path, shake off the haters, and emerge renewed. Like a massage, foot soak, or bubble bath, this is the kind of gift you give yourself — a fitting reward for an unspoken struggle. Treat yourself wherever books are sold: www.putyourdreamsfirst.com Whether you're the mother of a child, your career or both I wish you a very happy Mother’s Day, the kind that lasts well past Sunday. Buy The Book: www.putyourdreamsfirst.com My Blog: www.thembisamshaka.com On Twitter: www.twitter.com/putyrdreams1st...

08 May, 2009 /

Check out the Breakdown FM Interview we did with long time music industry vet Thembisa Mshaka. She breaks major ground with her first book 'Put Your Dreams First' which focuses on the challenges, triumphs and types of steps taken by 90 prominent women in various fields throughout the entertainment field.. Click to hear interview: http://odeo.com/episodes/24544818-Thembisa-Mshaka-Interview-Put-Your-Dreams-First The Blog: www.thembisamshaka.com The Book: www.putyourdreamsfirst.com On Twitter: www.twitter.com/putyrdreams1st On Youtube: www.youtube.com/thembisamshaka.com...

07 May, 2009 /

By Thembisa S. Mshaka as seen on NewsOne.com In the following open letter to Michelle Obama, author Thembisa Mshaka (“Put Your Dreams First: Handle your [Entertainment] Business”) talks about forging a new balance for women in America in the age of Obama. Dear Michelle, If I had to assign a visual to accompany Maya Angelou’s poem “Phenomenal Woman”, I’d choose yours. Your blend of confidence, humility, sparkling intelligence, and compassion you exude are indeed phenomenal. Neither a pre-positioned doll nor trophy wife you have real friends of your own; a life of your own design. The success I want for you in your...

06 May, 2009 /

BOOK SIGNING WITH THEMBISA S. MSHAKA AT HUE MAN BOOKSTORE   Date: May 13, 2009 Time: 6:30pm-8pm Location: Hue Man Bookstore Street: 2319 Frederick Douglas Boulevard Phone: 212.665.7400   Meet Thembisa S. Mshaka, author of Put Your Dreams First: Handle Your [enertainment] Business and purchase an autographed copy of the book that's been dubbed 'Mentorship In A Bottle' for the Entertainment Industry.   Blog: www.thembisamshaka.com On Twitter: putyrdreamsfirst.com About Book: www.putyourdreamsfirst.com...

05 May, 2009 /

Readings & Signings With Author Thembisa S. Mshaka My Blog: www.thembisamshaka.com Buy The Book: www.putyourdreamsfirst.com On Twitter: putyrdreams1st On Youtube: www.youtube.com/thembisamshaka LOS ANGELES, CA Fri Apr 24 5am: TUNE IN to 102.3 FM, KJLH Front Page w/Dominique DiPrima 10pm-12am: Mingle & Plei * e3rd Steakhouse * 734 E. 3rd Street (east of Alameda), Los Angeles Sat April 25 1pm: LA Times Festival of Books * UCLA Campus * Eso Won Books Booth #419D 6pm-8pm: Continental Gallery * Closing event for the French Artist * 408 South Spring Street, Los Angeles Sun April 26 3pm-5pm: Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Church * 1324 S. Normandie Ave., Los Angeles OAKLAND, CA Thu Apr 30 8:20am: TUNE IN...

24 April, 2009 /

Thembisa Mshaka, as a creative executive at Sony Music, helped launch the careers of Beyoncé and 50 Cent. Now an executive at BET, Mshaka has gathered her experience and those of almost 100 other women in the entertainment business in her new book, “Put Your Dreams First,” available as a FREE DOWNLOAD until April 22, 2009 exclusively on HelloBeautiful. The book is an instant mentorship in all aspects of the business: Movies. Music. Radio & TV. New Media. Advertising & Publicity. Style & Design. Management & Representation. We sat down with Mshaka recently to discuss how she turned the idea of...

20 April, 2009 /

VIBE MAY '09 ISSUE! Pick up the new May issue of VIBE. Not just because the Rihanna story is as eye-popping as the cover photo, but because Put Your Dreams First made the Agenda section! Vibe Magazine May issue streets April 21, just in time for the Apr 23 street of the world's first comprehensive entertainment career guide from the point of view of over 90 women: Put Your Dreams First: Handle Your [entertainment] Business. You might notice that I'm joined by Karrine Steffans in the mention. We're published by the same house and even share an editor, the fabulous Karen Thomas. Shout to Danyel...

18 April, 2009 /

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Tanisha Christie Publicity Manager 212-364-1260 tanisha.christie@hbgusa.com   Lee Rothchild Publicity Manager – Interactive One  (212) 981-5124  Lee_Rothchild@dkcnews.com       BUSINESS PLUS TO DISTRIBUTE FREE PRE-PUBLICATION E-BOOK IN COLLABORATION WITH INTERACTIVE ONE, THE DIGITAL CONNECTION FOR BLACK AMERICA   New York, NY—April 8, 2009—Business Plus, an imprint of Grand Central Publishing, which is a division of Hachette Book Group, announced today that it will publish a free pre-publication e-book Put Your Dreams First: Handle Your [entertainment] Business by Thembisa S. Mshaka, a media industry veteran.  This career guide focuses on the ‘ins and outs’ of the entertainment business through the stories of women who have made great strides in the industry. ...

15 April, 2009 /