Meet Stephanie Paraiso of Afro Fuse Box

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Paraiso.

Stephanie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was born in Liberia, West Africa and lived there the 1st 13 years of my life. I immigrated to the United States in 1990 due to civil unrest in the country. We lost a lot of family members and had to begin our lives over as we lost EVERYTHING. It forced me to face some harsh realities especially not havung all of life’s amenities readily available any longer. I started working at 14 full time while I went to high school. I completed and began college immediately that summer on a scholarship. Started off wanting to be a Pharmacologist because I wanted to help people and I figured being able to make medicines that helped people get better would be a great start.

See, I grew up in the broadcasting world. My mother was then the Asst. Minister for Culture Affairs and Tourism in Liberia, West Africa and she did a lot of radio and television and I would tag along (well, I really had no choice but to) during her interviews. An educator also had a television program that I was a studio audience member of. I honestly hated it! I vowed that I would NEVER do ANYTHING in broadcasting.

Well, fast forward to 1992. A cable company in Virginia, Jones Communications, was offering training for folks who wanted to learn more about TV production. My Pastor signed us up since I was the audio engineer at the time. We went and it was such an amazing experience to finally see how everything came together. I started producing and directing for the Public Access portion of the station shortly after completion for Truth Ministries Broadcast and was also responsible for the PR for one of its other programs (Gospel News TV). This actually sparked a desire to own my own broadcasting network. I put those plans on hold to go to Bible College in Columbus, Ohio.

I left in 1998 to attend World Harvest Bible College (now Valor Christian College) and continued to volunteer in its Media Department as a PA (production assistant) and camera operator.

Fast forward, upon graduation from Bible College, I was set to do missions work but it was interrupted by a move to Georgia to help out a family member. I started working with some churches around Atlanta and it was then that I the desire to have my own broadcasting network resurfaced. I had been the Youth and Young Adult Leader / Pastor; Evangelism Coordinator, in charge of securing and creating curriculums for Sunday School Focus classes and Ministers in Training,(preparing them for ordination), etc…. Even taught Public Speaking and Spoken Word at U P S T A G EChildren’s Theatre.

Things shifted and I began to do more Motivational Speaking and started a business as a Life Coach and Personal & Business Strategist. Why? Because I found myself mentoring quite a few young people and adults and the demand kept growing. I did that for several years independently and then partnered with my cousin, Nwane-Rose Williams to start LipFly – a branding and marketing firm.

It was then that one of the needs of our clients was radio and television commercials and interviews. I reached out to Atlanta-based internet radio (106liveradio.com) and when the owner responded, I thought he had read my email wrong. He was now requesting our services. We met and started doing some things together. We had discussed doing a show that would showcase Afrobeats and introduce the listening audience to the Afrobeat World. It was put on hold as I was asked to come on board as the GM but was encouraged to get the show up and running as I had put it off long enough. So, Afro Fuse Box launched in April of 2018 with Dj Tag. It was an amazing first Season that ended the last Saturday in April 2019!

We are gearing up for Season 2 beginning sometime in September of this year with some exciting new additions!! We’re still going to have amazing music and interviews but we are adding Visual and expanding to other cities. The nation’s capital, Washington DC is 1st on the list! Stay tuned for details!!!

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. One of the biggest was introducing the listening audience to traditional African Music and them appreciating it. It was a little testy in the beginning but once we started mixing up the beats with more popular Afrobeats and Hip Hop and R & B songs & artists, the reception got a little better. Now Afrobeats is trending in all arenas! Music is indeed life!

Time zones of some of our listeners was another issue we encountered. The platform was available in 179 countries!!!! Everyone is not in the same time zone so it was a little difficult at first to get committed listeners.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Afro Fuse Box story. Tell us more about the business.
Afro Fuse Box celebrates Afro & Afro Crossover / Infused music. It’s a distribution center that connects creatives of all ethnicities, and generations globally celebrating their contributions musically, poetically, fashion, dance, culinary, health and beauty and much much more.

Afrobeats, however, is our specialty alongside engaging conversations is what we are best known for. It has a history so deep & rich, it can be traced back to almost all genres of music – the sound is in the drums, acoustics, cymbals, stringed or horned instruments, they speak a language that gets you in the heart. then follows the dancing that keeps you moving to the beat.

What we are most proud of is Bridging the Gap between the cultures. We showcase a lot of crossover music, as well as blend our mixes with other genres, to create this dance party – foot-tapping, waist winding, all-around get up on your feet jams!

What sets us apart is that we do not discriminate. We thrive on combating the negative with the positive. That makes us authentic. Showcasing the good and providing knowledge and education about resources and the wonderful things that people of all ethnicities are doing to make the world a better place is how we fight the stereotypes.

So join dah pahtee Saturdays 3pm to 5pm on 106liveradio.com! Its a party you don’t wanna miss!

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I wouldn’t necessarily call it luck but experiences. They have played a major role in my life, in that, it has taught me what to do and what not to do in my personal life and business. I’m a God girl so I don’t think things happen by happenstance. I believe they are all part of the journey I was destined to travel.

It has taught me to separate business from personal and to make sure that everything I do is followed up in writing because conversations don’t happen and can be misinterpreted and misconstrued.

They all have made me a better person and I am grateful for them all. No one wants to be hurt, but it’s in those moments that you learn life’s greatest lessons. For me, the half-filled cup is an opportunity for the cup to be filled again.