Today we’d like to introduce you to Al-Tavon Lawson the Urban Journalist.
Al-Tavon, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I grew up in a poverty-driven environment, a historic project housing located on Martin Luther King Drive-In West Atlanta called “Allen Temple”. Raised by a single mother with three children me being the middle child Times was extremely tuff. I was fascinated with sports especially basketball. With my neighborhood having a cruel reputation the local park/recantation center didn’t want any kids from Allen Temple on their team. So, after just a couple of seasons, I wasn’t able to play basketball anymore. I still would always watch sports on t.v and, put on a toy headset and pretend I was the anchorman\reporter. In school, I was an honor roll student and was able to get a spot writing for my high school newspaper. It was B.E. Mays High School where I honed my ability to write about sports. After writing several great articles in high school, I captured the eye of the National Urban League of Greater Atlanta where I was awarded a scholarship. Ever since a kid, I knew I wanted to attend Georgia State University. I was accepted into there Mass Communication Program where I was able to accomplish a lot. I would broadcast live GSU Football games from the press box and also do pre/post-game reporting. I was also able to work on GSUTV which is an innovative student mentoring program that is broadcasted on (GPB) Georgia Public Broadcast.
Working with GSUTV, I was honored to provide all media content for the 2019 Atlanta Film Festival. While building my Journalism resume up, I was able to connect with all kinds of great individuals. I completed my degree at Georgia State in May of this year 2019 with a bachelor’s in Arts & Science/Journalism with a minor in Media Marketing One of my closes friends Brittney Keith who also worked with GSUTV was able to connect me with her sources. Brittney passed along some of my work to this magazine company which just so happens to be Rolling Out Magazine. They took a liking to my writing and my ability to capture dope interviews with celebs, athletes, entrepreneurs and so on. Rolling Out which is one of the top media production companies in Atlanta brought me along with their team. Here I am now creating content and reporting for one of Atlanta’s top media outlets.
Has it been a smooth road?
The road was definitely full of potholes. There were ups and downs along the way. The biggest struggle for me was transitioning from this inner-city kid who loves hanging out in his old neighborhood to becoming a prominent journalist who has a chance to fulfill his dreams. Once I graduated from college, I had to constantly tell myself that I was headed down a path that I worked hard for my whole life. Instead of hanging out in the neighborhood all night I would stay home and write articles or whatever task I had. Getting sidetracked and, losing focus was my biggest obstacle so far. I’ve since learned to just focus on the bigger picture and don’t miss my shot at success.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Rolling Out story. Tell us more about the business.
Rolling Out Magazine is an Entertainment and Media company with a trusted and influential voice. We develop rich, unique content around urban Lifestyle, Entertainment, and Music. At Rolling Out, I focus on writing articles for the Website. So, for example, if there’s an artist that’s doing press runs and, rolling Out is on there agenda I would be the one to interview them. We would partake in a sit-down interview that is recorded on video I will then transcribe the interview. After transcribing the interview, I will write my article and, send it to the editors who would then post it live. So, millions of our viewers and subscribers can have access to the article. I have the ability to have conversations with all kinds of people which makes for a great interview. I’m very relatable and understanding to most and I think that is what sets me apart from others.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
In the next 5-10 years, I will definitely have my foot in every avenue of media entertainment. I will still be writing and, reporting on urban culture, sports, music, and more. I could see myself being a sports analyst for ESPN. Also, I would tap into the music industry and, start my own Record Label. I have big plans for myself in the near future and I’m laying my foundation now.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://rollingout.com/
- Instagram: dc_kobe
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