Today we’d like to introduce you to Sierra Porter.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I got my start in media and entertainment by interning at a notable hip-hop radio station in Atlanta, Streetz 94.5, in 2015. I provided content for the station’s website and created its monthly newsletter about current news and events around the city.
Next, I interned for publications True Urban Culture magazine and Rolling Out magazine while also running my entertainment blog, CeeSoDope.com, a play on my nickname. After graduating from Georgia State University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in multimedia journalism, I participated in the Student Multimedia Projects for the National Association of Black Journalists Convention in Detroit.
While in the program, I wrote both for the convention’s website, paper and created content for the convention’s podcast.
I was granted opportunities to interview Bobby Brown, Jemele Hill, and Tichina Arnold. In 2018, the then editor-in-chief of the Atlanta Voice, Marshall Latimore, who also attended the conference, loved my drive and asked me to freelance for the historical Black newspaper. I made the cover page with One Music Fest during my year there, a famous music festival, and profiled R.Kelly’s ex-wife Andrea Kelly following his controversial documentary.
I was also able to interview some of the most noteworthy figures in the Black community and Hollywood like Phylicia Rashad, Jermaine Dupri, Common, the Central Park Five (now the Exonerated Five), the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Chilli from TLC, and the British artist Estelle.
I pushed myself even more by picking up another freelance gig at the Atlanta Black Star, a Black-owned publication. I had built up enough experience for my resume to apply to a full-time reporter position, which led me to the Pulitzer Prize-winning publication The Des Moines Register in Des Moines, Iowa. I never pictured myself in the Midwest, but I needed to challenge myself. Sure enough, the experience was a ride I will never forget.
Now, I attend New York University to obtain my master’s in the magazine and digital storytelling program. I won a full-ride tuition scholarship to NYU thanks to NABJ.
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?
One of my biggest struggles along the way was balancing work and life. I know that sounds cliche, but I had moments where I would halt my mental, physical, and spiritual health in the hopes of reaching my career goals sooner. But, I realize the importance of putting myself first because opportunities will always be there, but I won’t. If I’m not at my best, my work won’t be either. That’s the main thing for me.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a professional entertainment journalist. I was working for The Des Moines Register/USA Today NETWORK for two years. However, I’m now a full-time graduate student at New York University and a LinkedIn News Editorial Fellow.
What makes you happy?
My work makes me happy because it’s something that comes naturally since I was a child. I always had a passion for writing, music, entertainment, and magazines like Word Up! I get to interview celebrities and humanize them in a way to connect them back to regular folks like you and me. It’s fulfilling. I also get to cover stories about the Black community, which pushes me even more as a journalist. I like to say that my career or life purpose chose me; I didn’t choose it.
