Raven Symone on “The Big Idea”
In this post: Inspiration For Business, Building a Personal Brand, Creativity, Overcoming Obstacles
Raven Symone, one of my favorite actresses and business women, was on one of my favorite shows last night, “The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch.” She’s only 22, and is already an extremely accomplished young woman who sets the standard and rises above it as a musician, actress, producer, and entrepreneur. Raven not only has her own television show on the Disney Channel and a growing media empire, she has also starred in numerous movies (including ‘College Road Trip,’ now in theaters), TV shows and has won countless awards for her lively talent. We all knew her as the adorable Olivia Kendall on the ‘Cosby Show’, and now she is a mature, energetic, and hilarious role model for young people everywhere.
I was so excited, then missed it when it came on because I was too busy studying. I found these clips of it online today on the Disney Society Blog. Raven describes her brand as “positivity, confidence, being yourself and self-respect.” I was really inspired by what she had to say about building her brand, overcoming naysayers and her movie coming out, "College Road Trip" which I would love to see. Here’s what she had to say:
Part 1: Raven Symone on The Big Idea
Part 2: Raven Symone on The Big Idea
Watch “A Raisin In the Sun”
Be sure to watch “A Raisin In the Sun!” I first read the inspiring play by Lorraine Hansberry in junior high, and it is one of my favorite books. The movie premieres tonight, Monday, Feb. 25th 7/8c on ABC. Don’t miss this powerful adaptation of the classic play, starring Sean P. Diddy Combs, Phylicia Rashad, Sanaa Lathan and Young Black Star Justin Martin, who we got to interview for our Black History Special! (Graphic Above from the “A Raisin In the Sun” Website.)
Happy New Year
Happy New Year everyone! I am recovering from a minor surgery but will be back with more updates very soon. In the meantime, the quotes in the banner above are motivation for me to get my dreams out and into reality in the New Year. How simple yet true is the last one, “To begin, begin.” – William Wordsworth. I have a feeling it will be a Great 2008 (as my friend Evy calls it)… I wish everyone the best in the New Year!
Inspiration from “The Great Debaters”
I just came back from seeing “The Great Debaters” starring Denzel Washington and Forest Whitaker and I LOVED it. It’s become one of my favorite movies. The actors in the film were so vibrant and believable, especially Jurnee Smollett and Denzel Whitaker (what a star-studded name) but I mostly enjoyed how the movie revolved around something educationally stimulating. I think that it’s great to see young African American people in that type of role on the big screen.
It was obvious that the film took a lot of thought and care to weave together, with all of the attention to detail, and the beautiful set locations and cinematography. I was reading an interview with Jurnee Smollett on Essence.com and she said that “Oprah was in on the film for ten years.” (Shout out to Charreah who did a wonderful interview!)
The movie was very inspiring and I would definitely recommend it to anyone else who wants to see a film that is thought-provoking, moving and dramatic, and has its moments of humor as well. I wish there were more movies like this that young people could watch to show historically where we have come from and what we can achieve if we continue to dream, overcome obstacles and soar. (The pics are from the movie’s website).
P.S. Also check out Denzel’s (Whitaker that is) bio on Young Black Starz, one of the sites I contribute to. He’s the new Spotlight Star for the month.
“We do what we have to do so we can do what we want to do.” – One of the quotes I loved from The Great Debaters
In Those Genes: Merging Art and Science
Looking for a personal gift to give someone this Christmas? Check out DNA11 where you can get customized artwork made of your genetic code, fingerprint or even lip print. Among my visual arts and journalism classes I’m taking a genetics class this semester, and this jumped out at me as a such a cool way to merge two disciplines, science and art into something sophisticated, beautiful and valuable. Visit the DNA 11 website here to learn more.
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Nourishment for Your Dreams
