Today we’d like to introduce you to Paris Simpson.
Hi Paris, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born in North Carolina, but Atlanta raised me. After my dreams of being a pediatrician quickly faded after I understood the amount of schooling involved, I chose the wildly unpredictable yet fascinating life of a creative in the entertainment industry. Throughout my career, I’ve been blessed to gain experience across a multitude of artistic outlets, including radio production, event planning, marketing/promotions, TV production, community outreach, social media, merchandise, and project management. Loving music and communication, I initially wanted to be a VJ like the ones I saw on 106 & Park or TRL, but after completing an internship at V-103 the summer before my last semester of college, that evolved into a desire to work in radio as a personality and/or a producer. I was adamant about getting a job there after graduation, but somehow, I ended up on a movie set instead. And I never left. For the last 12 years, I have been working primarily in TV/Film development and production, lending my creative insight and production management to scripted development, digital talk series, virtual summits, and other collaborative projects with high-profile clients like Harpo Films and the OWN network, Chatham Grove, CBS Broadcasting, and A Seed & Wings Productions. After years of working to build and support the works of others, I am in the process of establishing my creative consulting firm.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has been anything but smooth, but in hindsight, it’ll make for a great testimony one day! I can say that now because I can start to see the flowers starting to bud as I fight through the weeds. Of course, there are always external circumstances that we all face that make our journeys difficult, but for me, fear was the biggest catalyst in keeping me from moving forward and allowing myself to completely flourish. I was afraid to fail and afraid to succeed, so I found it easier to do nothing. Or hide behind work that I was doing for others instead of in service to myself. When I started my current entrepreneurial journey, I was fearful. I never wanted to be a business owner, but I couldn’t outrun myself anymore, so I decided to submit. Shoot, I still feel like I want to throw up and quit once a day, but I keep moving, and every day, I do a little something to make some progress, and that pit in my stomach feels a little smaller, and my confidence grows a little bigger. I’ve always had a pretty fruitful and supportive community, but being blinded by independence, I didn’t always know how to recognize or utilize the people around me who wanted to help. This season of my life is also teaching me to relinquish control and lean into the people who want to show up for me. There are so many people helping, encouraging, and loving on me right now, and I am so grateful.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
After 8 years in Los Angeles, I packed my bags (slightly on a whim) and moved back home, ready to bring fresh energy and my newly acquired skills to Atlanta’s thriving production scene. I made plans, and I think God laughed a little. The terrain was rough, and it wasn’t as easy as I expected to find work. But finally, there was a break in the clouds and a beautiful opportunity with a great production company presented itself, and then… the SAG and WGA strikes brought everything to a screeching halt. Once again, I was scrambling to figure out how to pivot and use my previous experiences to create something new to sustain my livelihood and creative fire. It was time to bet on myself, so I dug deep into my box of passion projects and cool ideas that I’d pushed to the side and decided to execute. Fueled by a desire to inspire, and encourage others through art and personal connection, my new goal to co-create impactful events, shows, products, and experiences was born. Enter, Agency of Affirmation.
My first baby and the start of a future multi-prong creative consulting firm that will lend itself to TV/Film production, development, and event execution, Agency of Affirmation was born out of my interest in delving into the world of event production and recognizing the necessity to create safe communal spaces for people of color to explore, discuss, and anchor themselves to their mental and emotional health. I am currently organizing our first event, affirmed: A Black Man’s Journey to Wellness, an intimate art exhibit + interactive panel discussion set for June of this year. Following its success, I already have ideas for other events I’d like to execute and am currently writing the first short film project for the production side of the company.
With my new ventures, my intention now, and always, will be to facilitate experiences that leave people better than I found them and develop content that is nuanced, reflective, and progressive in its representation of Black people and other under-represented communities.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
My biggest advice would be to find someone whose interests align with yours and who you have a genuine connection with. You should have a clear goal and questions in mind, do some research, and be open-minded when reaching out. Mentorship is a two-way street so be open to also leveraging your value and showing how you could be of assistance to them. As for networking, seek events and organizations that present opportunities to learn and mingle. I find it easier to get through a potentially awkward interaction of “What can you do for me?” if you have a common ground or topic to build on.
Contact Info:
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paris-simpson-8820943b/
- Other: https://agencyofaffirmatio.wixsite.com/my-site-1
