Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiffany Clayton.
Tiffany, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Sure! Emceeing and hosting has always unofficially been a part of my life, I just didn’t know it!
Growing up, I was always super social. I was the student that had decent grades, but always the note of “too talkative” on report cards. I channeled that into leaving home in Los Angeles to get a BA of Public Relations from Hampton University. During my tenure, I was also a radio personality for the school’s station, WHOV 88.1 FM. After graduation in 2012, I spent a couple of years in different states to kick start my career. I eventually made it to Atlanta in 2014, working for a marketing agency.
In 2018, I went through a depression due to some unforeseen circumstances. But I decided to keep myself busy by answering an ad from Outspoken Entertainment auditioning for trivia hosts. I nailed the audition and started hosting trivia shows that same week. Later in 2019, things grew and I became an emcee for Timeless Brands and the popular Atlanta event, PlayDate.
My mentor, Jason Carey, helped me create the brand of “Tiffany the Host”. Things took off once I had a brand name. April 2019, I hosted the 25th annual Cali Picnic honoring Nipsey Hussle with 7K people. May 2019, I co-hosted the Atlanta VeloCity Bike Race at the Mercedes Benz Stadium. June 2019, I was selected to host the Brown Sugar Babe launch party with DJ Stormy. Over that summer, I gained more trivia locations through Instagram promotion. From September to November 2019, I was on tour with Ford for the #FordHBCU tour and got to dress as a drum major. All of this was happening while hosting trivia shows from Hapeville to Acworth and in between. When I tell you God looked at my life and said: “Sit down and let me drive this thing.” I said, “Oh ok you got it!” I’ve been riding the blessings ever since!
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?
HA! You already know the answer is “no.” There definitely were some struggles. A lot of my beginnings were a reaction to fighting personal struggles. I didn’t really have a plan in the beginning other than to just give this 100%.
Between 2016 – 2018, I was at a new job at a Fortune100 company while rekindling a history with an ex. Early in 2018, I discovered I was pregnant and due to certain circumstances, I felt I had no option other than to terminate my pregnancy. A few months later, my corporate job was doing internal layoffs in August 2018. Six months later, I was laid off again in a new role during the government shutdown in February 2019. By that point, I wanted to move beyond my grief and proclaimed hosting as my new career.
Hosting took off, but I was battling a lot internally and life just felt upside down!!
When your personality is your product, you can’t have a moment on stage. You can’t be crying on the mic! But that’s how I knew hosting was more than a side gig. I could put aside any hurt and feel brand new during a show.
Sometimes your darkest moments create the most beautiful things. Hosting helped me generate love for myself. Thanks to a phenomenal village, I was able to find balance and meet “Tiffany the Host”.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
“Tiffany the Host” is the name used for my professional emcee services. As an emcee, it’s my job to bring brands to life with an in person personality. This means being able to engage with a customers in unique ways through events. My goal with every show and client is to create everlasting memories through connectivity. I’m uniquely blessed to be able to start a career with something nontraditional. My brand’s growth has truly made me proud. Each opportunity proves my versatility of being able to work with any size crowd and audience.
At the core of it all is my true passion: connecting with people. My heart is warmed when I’ve run into audience members. They remember the most random things from my shows. One trivia member said I made his 75-year-old grandma smile when I had the restaurant sing happy birthday for her “21st birthday”. Another person remembered when I pointed her out from a crowd and we danced on stage at a festival in front of thousands. I’m not well known, but I’m happy to hear I made a moment for someone.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Short term, I’m working on a website for my brand. Instagram is great, but websites make you official. Also, I’ve got a new game concept I’m working on for some shows. I’m really excited about this and can’t wait to announce it!
Long term, I’d love to take this show overseas! It’d be a dream to host events in some of the world’s most beautiful cities. Before COVID-19, I was exploring hosting positions with cruise ships. Things are definitely on pause for now, so we’ll see what the future holds!
Contact Info:
- Email: tiffanythehost@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/tiffanythehost/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TiffanyTheHost/
Image Credit:
Photos taken by Michael Thompson and Gary Brooks
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