Janel St. John
Creative Director
About
<p>I was in my early 20s when my 'Why' was born. Shortly after leaving my gig as an assistant media buyer to become the morning show host at WTJZ, I became steeped in the consumption of Black radio. But I was unhappy about the content aimed at Black audiences. It was low-level and mostly entertainment. So I created NPR-style reports for my show. Within a month, all my radio vignettes had sponsor tags - courtesy of the sales department. A light bulb clicked! Then I won my first industry award from the National Association of Black Journalists - 'Best LIVE Radio Interview of the Year.' Not only was I good at this, it could also be profitable. My goal was form my own production company and create and sell intelligent content for Black audiences. </p> <p>Before I could do this, I was convinced to take a low-paying job as a reporter at the "Call & Post," Ohio's oldest Black newspaper, which was owned, at that time, by the infamous Don King. The managing editor, who became my mentor, told me that if I became a great writer, my career would 'know no bounds.' I did. He was right. </p> <p>After he left the company, I was chosen at the age of 28, as the new interim managing editor. I had amazing experiences, including, covering the Bush-Gore election, Tina Turner's farewell tour, and traveling to the L.A. media junket for John Singleton's movie "Baby Boy." Yet what I saw lacking in radio, was also lacking in print. </p> <p>I incorporated Conscience Media Productions (CMP) with the goal to produce intelligent content for Black audiences - 'multimedia with a conscience.'</p> <p>So I created the first Black art & culture magazine, radio show and podcast in the Midwest. I positioned "The Conscious Voice" to be the regional 'voice of diversity' and negotiated exclusive partnerships and luxury brand deals. </p> <p>I served in a PR capacity, for the City of Columbus, and was elected Co-Regional Director of the Fashion Group International of Columbus. (FGI) For our work on the annual Black History Month celebration, the Office of the Mayor presented CMP with an 'Excellence in Business' Award. FGI's annual fashion show fundraiser, 'Cocktails & Catwalk,' broke all previous attendance and fundraising records and was featured in the premier monthly glossy. </p> <p>I'm still creating content to this day. After the first website grew to 10,000 unique monthly views, I created BlackArtTravel.com. When Black culture became mainstream, the sites became the most-exciting places on the web to experience works by artists of color. </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p>
Brands
City of Columbus
Pepsi