Life and Work with Melissa Ingram

Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Ingram.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
“It was all a dream, I used to read the word – ” ok, that was my nod to Black Music Month and hopefully a successful attempt to grab your attention.

In all seriousness, my journey started as a little girl born in raised in Los Angeles, California with a dream of becoming an entertainment attorney. It was that dream that carried me to Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia and landed me at the University of California, Berkeley (Boalt Hall) School of Law. After law school, I joined one of the largest Southeast law firms, Alston + Bird and after two years, I left in pursuit of my dream again and joined a boutique entertainment law firm in downtown Atlanta, The Carter Law Firm (TCLF) to represent independent artists, songwriters, and labels. While working with TCLF, I started consulting with an emerging cable network known as Gospel Music Channel (now known as UPTV) based in College Park, Georgia. I joined the network full-time in 2009 as Counsel, Business + Legal Affairs and in 2012, the network partnered with NBA legend, entrepreneur and philanthropist, Earvin “Magic” Johnson to launch a niche network targeting the Black audience, aspireTV. I started with aspireTV as Senior Director of Business Affairs + Legal and served in that capacity for nearly 3 years under the tutelage of my boss and mentor and in 2016, I was promoted to my current position as General Manager (GM) of aspireTV.

All along, I was in pursuit of my dream, but little did I know, my dream really wasn’t big enough as I never imagined myself as the GMof a national cable network owned by Earvin “Magic” Johnson, but here I am today.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road is never smooth, but without the struggle, there is no progress, no growth, no success.
My biggest challenge as a leader is myself and when I say “myself”, I mean the self-doubt in my ability to effectively lead. In difficult times, I often question whether I’m the right person in the seat; am I equipped enough; do I have enough experience as a leader under the age of 40 to lead? So, I combat my doubt with a lot of daily meditation/prayer, affirmation, and resources dedicated to helping me achieve a healthy mindset to lead yet with the self-awareness to never stop learning, growing and developing into a stronger leader and the best version of myself.

In addition to recommending a daily custom regimen of prayer and/or meditation; my advice for young women starting in their journey is to develop yourself as a leader. Join professional organizations that are committed to the development of women leaders in your respective field. These organizations often provide you with mentoring opportunities and effective programming for you to level up. As with any organization, what you gain is directly correlated to what you put in – so I encourage women not only to join but to get involved with organizations that are committed and invested in the development of women leaders.

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
On paper, my job as GM of aspireTV is to oversee the day-to-day operations, brand, programming, marketing and long-term strategy of the national cable television network owned by NBA legend, entrepreneurship, and philanthropist, Earvin “Magic” Johnson. Yet, I like to describe my role as GM in context to one of our core values at aspireTV – servant leadership – my role truly is to serve an amazing group of people primarily made of very dynamic and passionate women of color. To cast a vision for the future of aspireTV so that the team is engaged and empowered on a day to day basis to make strategic and sound decisions for the business; to develop the individuals of the team into the best version of themselves and collectively; continuously revive the vision; demonstrate the team’svalue and carry-out the values of aspireTV in my own walk so that we collectively can execute on not just a brand promise, but also on a mission to change the face of television by allowing an audience of color to see themselves through celebrating, sharing and reflecting Black culture and urban lifestyle.

As a brand, we are most proud of our programming and the strides we’ve made going into our 7th year of business this year. We are entering the 3rd season of our hit culinary cooking show, Butter + Brown, executive produced by Chef G. Garvin and Issa Rae and the 2nd season of our interior design series, Unboxed with Nikki Chu. This season, our host Nikki Chu is making over spaces for her celebrity friends like Tank + Zena Foster, Tisha Campbell, Nicole + Boris Kodjoe, Rodney + Holly Robinson Peete.

Also, this year, we expanded our offerings with 1) the launch of the aspireMKTPLC, a 360 discovery for savvy consumers looking for a uniquely Black curated shopping experience, and 2) the production of aspireTV’s first original short independent film in partnership with Nakia Stephens and her screenwriting label, Damn Write Originals (DWO).
As a cable network reflecting, sharing and celebrating Black culture and urban lifestyle, aspireTV is unique in the way in which we tell our stories – through lifestyle content (cooking, design, fashion, sports, and talk) and independent short films. Working with Black independent producers and storytellers like DWO, we’ve been able to tell stories and reflect the Black experience in authentic, entertaining and most importantly inspiring ways through our original programming.

Do you think there are structural or other barriers impeding the emergence of more female leaders?
Historically, male leadership has dominated in my industry and continues to do so; therefore, I believe those in leadership must not only change their view of women but support the women in this industry in order for us to realize female leadership in larger numbers and at a faster pace. In other words, the men in leadership positions, must recognize the disparity in the industry and then advocate for change. What does that look like? Men in leadership positions must mentor, advocate for and sponsor emerging women leaders. In short, they must make room for female leaders at the table within their respective organizations/companies. Men in leadership positions must become the allies of women as it relates to the advocacy of female leadership and not inactive or passive participants; otherwise, they become barriers to the cause.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.aspire.tv
• Phone: (770) 692-8890
• Email: gmspeaks@aspire.tv
• Instagram: melissamingram; aspiretv
• Facebook: aspiretv
• Twitter: tvaspire
• Other: aspire.tv

Image Credit:
Gold jumper – Dre Barnes, Yellow dress with arms folded – Allen Cooley, Black Dress standing – Allen Cooley, Pink Jumper (Seated) – Elton Anderson, aspireTV talent (Group) – Elton Anderson

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