Meet Carmen Simmons

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carmen Simmons.

Hi Carmen, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My story begins as a teenager from Brooklyn, New York. My Mom died when I was 14 and my Dad followed her in death a year and half later. Music and dance saved my life and Oprah and Wendy Williams raised me. With those influences, it was inevitable that I’d find myself enrolled in a Mass Media program to pursue what has become a passion for telling stories through entertainment or news.

After graduating from Clark Atlanta University with a degree in Radio/TV/Film Production, I didn’t have job offers lined up or even a full-time job. Shortly after graduation, I lost everything in a house fire days after a car accident. Feeling defeated and depressed, I knew I had to figure something out. I had gained invaluable experience interning at Def Jam South my senior year but I wanted to pursue television more than music. I began producing a show called Urban Runway TV (URTV) interviewing artists and music executives. My first guest were then upcoming artist Bobby V. (Slow Down), Janelle Monae (Lettin Go!), Jeezy (And Then What), Rick Ross (Hustlin), and not too long after heavy hitters like Russell and Kimora Lee Simmons, Ma$e, Pretty Ricky, Omarion, and more. The rules for broadcasting on community television prevented me from pursuing advertising so I needed a full-time job to support my dreams. Towards the end of 2005, I slipped back into the music industry via a job at LA Reid’s Hitco Music Publishing where I gained more experience and cultivated relationships which allowed me access to even more opportunities for my local tv show.

In 2009 everything seemed great. I was developing an idea to create a reality show inspired by the life of the office interns, I was engaged to a Grammy Award Winning Music Producer, and we were moving and shaking in the city. However, we were in a recession and business was slowly declining. Hitco closed, I became homeless, and ultimately my engagement ended. After a few short stays with family and friends, I ended up back in New York where it all started.

After two years in New York, I moved back to Atlanta with new ideas and energy to reboot and rebrand my show as N’Style Atlanta. Social media had exploded and Community TV was no longer a fit for our content. I developed nstyleatlanta.com and joined the worldwide web. Today I have a team of media correspondents that cover lifestyle and entertainment stories weekly, we broadcast on Roku and Amazon Fire TV streaming channel Watch This!, and I opened Invisible Ink Entertainment with Music Producer/A&R and Talent Manager Arturo Ayers Jr. to manage talent. After securing three deals for our clients, we partnered with Omar Holland/ Holland Bay to produce and develop content for television.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t been a smooth ride at all. On this journey, I’ve been unemployed, homeless, brokenhearted, and in 2020 I had COVID19. It hasn’t been easy at all. I am a firm believer that God doesn’t give us more than we can handle and with each experience, there was a lesson. If we fail the test to learn, he’s going to make us repeat the lesson until we get it right. I am thankful for each struggle I’ve survived. I know each test is a setup for something greater if not for me for someone else to learn from through me sharing my story. Test = Testimony. It’s all a part of a bigger plan.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m known as the woman behind the camera at N’Style Atlanta (nstyleatlanta.com). I’ve never had the desire to be in front of the camera. I have a team of media correspondents that interview entertainers, entrepreneurs and attend red carpet events to report the latest in hot topics from the newsmakers themselves.

During the pandemic, when entertainment news slowed down, I produced a reality tv show about my media outlet and the salacious group of women that I work with and released it online at nstyleatlantauncut.com. Also, I’ve created merchandise and a beauty brand called pləSH Beauty found on shopnstyleatlanta.com.

The quarantine was hard. It was lonely, it could be depressing at times, and to top it off I was infected with COVID19 and had to struggle through the symptoms at home alone with long haul challenges. During this time, I was pitching my reality show to the top executives at four major networks. I was actually burning up with a fever while on a Zoom call with Zeus executives and it was an epic fail. Everyone else was impressed with the quality of our production and gave hopeful feedback; yet we didn’t sell any shows.

However, what I’m most proud of is that when a door closes I’ve never been afraid to open a new one. As a graduate of Clark Atlanta University the motto “I’ll Find A Way Or Make One” rings in the back of my mind every time I face adversity. That’s what I’ve found sets me apart from others. I keep going. I may get stuck for a moment but I’ll find a way to start over or continue. You’re either with me or against me. If I believe in something, I’m all in. As my partner, Arturo would say, “It’s GO TIME!”

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
When I was interning at Def Jam South, I will never forget when the label President Brad “Scarface” Jordan told me I was very “resourceful” after learning I was successfully completing the task of one of his employees without supervision. As minor as that sounds, it was monumental for me because until then, I hadn’t realized the importance of what I was doing. I’ve always been a self-starter, a leader, and liaison between others. I encourage partnership in pursuit of success. I’ve never been afraid to knock on a door, send an email, or make a call. I can be very tenacious. Like a dog with a bone, LOL!

Contact Info:

• Email: info@nstyleatlanta.com
• Website: nstyleatlanta.com
• Instagram: @nstyleatlanta
• Facebook: @nstyleatlanta
• Twitter: @nstyleatlanta
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NStyleAtlanta
• Other: yowatchthis.com