Today we’d like to introduce you to MiAsia Symone.
Thanks for sharing your story with us MiAsia. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I always get the question “How did you get your start in the media industry?” It’s interesting because I was in college to become an Athletic Trainer/Sports Medicine specialist at first. I have pretty much played sports all my life (basketball on a collegiate level). I never wanted to break away from that until I was basically forced to. My senior year in high school, I tore my ACL in my left knee during an AAU basketball scrimmage. It broke my heart and slightly deterred me from playing, but I didn’t give up. I completed physical therapy and went on to play two years of JUCO basketball. The constant running, jumping, and quick movements started to become a bit much for me as I felt I would never fully recover. I was never 100% healthy and it affected my game. The rainy days were even worse on my joints. I immediately started thinking of a plan B.
Growing up, I’ve always had a passion for both sports and entertainment. They pretty much go hand-in-hand. When I realized that playing sports wasn’t working out, I started to wonder what I would be good at in the entertainment industry. I attended five different colleges (a different school each year) chasing basketball. Something had to change. I needed stability. I knew that I was a great writer, loved music, and was even better at being a shoulder to lean on when my friends needed advice or wanted to vent about their problems. Giving myself journalist vibes, I linked up with a hip-hop blogger based in Atlanta who owned thehiphopfactory.com. This was my start. I began doing write-ups on upcoming and independent artists. After a few months, I was able to add two more blogs to my resume. Simultaneously, I was blogging for holidayseasonlive.com (DJ Holiday), bosslady.tv (Simone Amelia), and The Hip Hop Factory. During that process, I was attending Georgia State University where I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism.
From there, my career started to take off. I was interning at Streetz 94.5, running an all-female promotions team, bartending, driving for Uber and blogging while looking for that one opportunity to change my life. I remember being so motivated no matter the circumstances. I’ve always been a hustler. It’s crazy, back in December 2016, I was driving a Toyota Camry with over 200,000 miles on it. I was headed home from a Christmas party around 6:00 am and my car caught on fire. I jumped out of it before it actually burst into flames. It felt like a movie! However, that did not stop me from wanting to reach my goals. I was spending about $60 per day catching Ubers to the radio station, work, and school, all while trying to save up for another car. My ambition is one in a million!
To fast forward a little, almost a year later, my journey at Streetz 94.5 was coming to an end, I had already graduated from GSU, and I no longer worked at the bar. I felt like I was stagnant. I needed another way to jump back in and pick up the pace. I became the lead correspondent for #SweetCandorTV, a digital media network that focused on the positivity in millennials and celebrities. This is where I hosted my first red carpet interview. I was back and better! I felt like I was the perfect fit and this became my main focus. I stopped blogging. I was able to interview Jermaine Dupri, Spike Lee, Lou Williams, DC Young Fly, Miss Mulatto, SahBabii and many more under this platform. My brand started to take off, especially on YouTube. My channel currently holds over 1.4 million views and 5,000 subscribers. However, all good things come to an end, unfortunately. The platform closed and I wanted to get back into radio after being gone for about a year and a half. Atlanta radio vet, Beestroh, brought me on his show at #Be100WorldHitRadio to do a sports segment. At the same time, I created my own media platform #MiAsiaSymoneLive which is still my baby today. It was recently featured on VH1’s The Family Hustle as I was spotted interviewing T.I. at the grand opening of the Trap Music Museum. I have also interviewed Quavo from the Migos, Mona Scott-Young, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Monica Brown, and more under my own platform. Be 100 eventually shut down and I applied for a promotions position at Entercom to get my foot in the door and work my way up to becoming an official radio personality. This leads us to where I am now.
I am currently a Promotions Assistant for Entercom working with 92-9 The Game, V-103, WAOK, and Star 94.1. I’m also an event host outside of the station while managing #MiAsiaSymoneLive. I still haven’t gotten my life-changing opportunity, but it’s on the way! I don’t mind grinding and being patient because it’s all God’s timing. He’s grooming me into what I’m destined to be.
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?
My journey definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. In 2009, after tearing my ACL, I lost my father due to his battle with colon cancer. These two incidents were the original reason why I wanted to take up something relating to the medical field in college.
In 2016, I was actually let go from Streetz 94.5. Any time you lose any job, whether it’s paid or unpaid, it can be very discouraging. That radio station certainly didn’t help me pay bills, but I was there for the learning experiences and networking opportunities. I ended up bartending again at a sports bar, as well as picking up a second job as a waitress at a hotel.
In 2017, I had gone through a break-up after a nearly two-year relationship. I had to figure out where to live. Going back to my mom’s house wasn’t an option for me, being considerate of the fact that she had three siblings younger than me to look out for. I knew that I still wasn’t making enough to take on that kind of responsibility, but by the grace of God, I’m still living in the same apartment after eventually finding one during that rough time in my life.
Everyone pursuing careers in the entertainment industry is taking risks every day. It’s usually financially challenging until you land that big position. The ones who make it are the ones who never give up and aren’t afraid to risk certain things in order to chase their dreams.
My advice for women who are looking to start their journey in this field would be to know who you are a what you are capable of. Don’t be scared to do what you love based on the adversity you think you may face. I love the quote “Do what you love and love what you do.” Don’t settle for that 9-5 job if it’s not what you really want to do. Life is too short and stressful to not be able to achieve happiness.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
As a media correspondent, I cover exclusive events, usually star-studded. I specialize in celebrity interviews. My goal is to connect celebrities such as entertainers, athletes, and politicians to their fans. I’m known for doing this in the most graceful and positive way. I don’t want to have the reputation for being a “messy” journalist and exposing the negativity in people’s lives which goes back to why #SweetCandorTV was perfect for me at the time.
As an event host, I bring life to baby showers, game shows, fashion shows, and any other event people may need a host. I’m getting ready to add parties to that list as well.
As a promotions assistant, my job is to make sure I keep the listeners engaged with our radio station by providing an experience. People usually play our games and enter contests in order to win prizes and receive the cool perks of tuning in to us. The employees of the promotions department are usually the first people you see because we are the street team. It’s a pretty cool job. It definitely keeps me busy.
I love people. I’m usually a person that turns a horrible day into a fantastic one. I believe my energy, personality, and hard works sets me apart from others doing what I do. It’s one of a kind. I feel like people may do every single thing I do or are involved in the same things, but they will never be able to do it like me.
We’re interested to hear your thoughts on female leadership – in particular, what do you feel are the biggest barriers or obstacles?
As of 2018, I feel most of the previous barriers have been broken. There are more women sticking together and fighting for their rights. We are able to voice our opinions more and they are actually respected. Women are landing bigger roles in the entertainment industry. Our creativity and ideas are being taken more into consideration. It’s a beautiful thing. Of course, nothing is handed to us. We still have to work very hard for everything we have, but it’s exciting to see that we now have a better shot at becoming leaders and playing more significant roles.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://miasiasymonelive.com
- Phone: 404 956 6246
- Email: miasiasymone@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miasiasymone
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/miasia.burks
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/miasiasymone
- Other: http://youtube.com/c/MiAsiaSymoneLive
Image Credit:
@thebyrdcollective, @_rh_photography, @donthypeme, @alstonmediagroup, @fieldsvision, @1johnpapi
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