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In this episode of the Build Tech Stack Equity Podcast, host Darius Gant interviews DeShuna Spencer, founder of Kweli TV, a streaming service dedicated to showcasing Black stories from around the world. DeShuna shares her journey from journalism to creating a tech platform, discussing her experiences with covering crime stories, the lack of diverse narratives in mainstream media, and her mission to provide authentic, impactful Black content. Kweli TV offers a wide range of content, including documentaries, dramas, comedies, and children's programming, aiming to celebrate and connect the global Black community. DeShuna also delves into the technical challenges she faced, including early funding struggles and platform development, and shares future plans for immersive content and gaming.
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Founder Bio:
DeShuna Elisa Spencer is the Founder & CEO of kweliTV. She's a former radio host and producer of emPower Hour, a show that examined social justice issues affecting people of color, on Washington, DC's. Spencer graduated from Jackson State University where she studied communications and journalism. She has written for The Clarion-Ledger, The Oakland Tribune and the Crisis Magazine. She is a Halcyon Incubator Fellow, a Voqal Fellow and a Google NexGen Policy Leader. Spencer was first place winner of the 2017 Harvard Business School African Business Conference Pitch Competition. She is featured in the book, "How We Fight White Supremacy" as one of the more than 60+ black leading organizers, artists, journalists, entrepreneurs, etc., combating white supremacy through their work. In 2019, the Digital Diversity Network named Spencer the Innovation & Inclusion Social Entrepreneur of the Year. She's an advisory board member of Full Color Future and the Multicultural Media Correspondents Association.
Time Stamps:
00:34 From Journalism to Entrepreneurship
04:52 A Shift in Perspective: Empowering Through Storytelling
10:36 The Birth of Kweli TV: A Global Black Streaming Service
19:54 Content and Representation on Kweli TV
21:45 Acquiring Authentic Content for Kweli TV
23:32 The Birth of a Streaming Platform
24:04 Early Challenges and Learning Curves
27:17 The Developer Disappears
28:53 Releasing the Beta Version
30:27 Finding New Developers
34:06 Pitch Competitions and New Beginnings
38:37 Working with Third-Party Vendors
42:11 Future Plans and Innovations
43:34 How to Connect and Final Thoughts
Resources
Follow Darius Gant
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/m-darius-gant-cpa-44650aa/
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Subscribe on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/4uDVNgsK3iNeu7yU4Inu2n
Subscribe on Apple Podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/ae/podcast/the-darius-gant-show/id1527996104
Company website: https://www.kweli.tv/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kwelitv-inc-/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/deshuna/
X (Twitter): https://x.com/kwelitv
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kwelitv/
