Sean Bankhead’s Viral Choreography Is Reigniting Pop Music: ‘God’s Timing Is Everything’
He's worked with everyone from Cardi B. to Lil Nas X.
The seven-time VMA-nominated choreographer Sean Bankhead stopped by BLACK ENTERPRISE‘s The Culture Shift to share how he’s reshaping the pop music industry one dance routine at a time.
Celebrated among today’s pop music enthusiasts as the mastermind behind viral music videos like Normani’s “Wild Side,” Cardi B’s “Up,” Lil Nas X’s “Industry Baby,” and Victoria Monet’s “On My Mama,” Bankhead has been busy behind the scenes helping to bring out the best in some of today’s biggest musical acts.
Born in Philadelphia, but raised in Atlanta, Bankhead credits his father’s job relocation to “the A” for helping to introduce him to a city whose culture set the groundwork for his thriving entertainment career. From “emulating” the dance routines in music videos as a child, dancing at Atlanta’s famed Dance 411 Studios, and receiving mentorship from the renowned Fatima Robinson, Bankhead was destined to make it as a dancer/choreographer, even when he didn’t think it was possible.
“There was never a moment when I was like, ‘I want to be a dancer, I’m going to be a choreographer,'” he tells BLACK ENTERPRISE. “I just kept getting more opportunities to dance and choreograph.
“I think when I got to Atlanta and started working at Dance 411 Studios, I think there became a vision and like a clear pathway that I could do this. I could make money. I could make a name for myself.”
He started as a background dancer in Tiffany Evans’ “Promise Ring” and the moved on to dancing with Beyoncé, Britney Spears, and Missy Elliott. By 2014, Bankhead earned his first VMA nomination when he choreographed Fifth Harmony’s “Down.” His work with the group led him to meet his “muse” Normani with whom he helmed viral dances for her singles Motivation,” “Dancing with a Stranger” (with Sam Smith), and “Wild Side” (featuring Cardi B).
Bankhead discussed being nominated for multiple VMAs but not winning one, the importance of artist development for live performances, and how “humbling” it was to take off his choreographer hat to serve as one of the dancers in Usher’s 2024 Super Bowl halftime show.
“I think a lot of times people are afraid to dream big because they don’t really know how they’re going to get there,” he said. “But have that dream and God will take care of the rest.”
Performing with Usher at the Super Bowl was a “full circle” moment for Bankhead, “because when I was about 19, 20 years old I came this close to going on tour with him,” he shares. He ended up getting cut and it crushed him at the time.
“God’s timing is everything and I truly know being almost in this industry for 20 years. Stay focused, have vision, be diligent, work hard, and everything that’s supposed to happen for you will,” Bankhead says.
Press play below for the full interview and to learn Sean Bankhead’s favorite dance routine and what he has planned for the rest of 2024.
The 2024 Class of Disney Dreamers received their flowers in early April at the Disney Dreamers Academy.
The annual Disney Dreamers Academy 2024 took place April 3 through April 7 in Orlando, Florida. Thousands of students ages 14 to 18 could apply, but only 100 were chosen. The youth who make the cut display great character, initiative, and drive. Their dreams are big, and they are actively taking steps to achieve them.
The program is integral to Disney’s commitment to supporting diverse communities by encouraging the next generation to think and dream big. Dreamers possess outstanding resumes. The 100 Dreamers’ philanthropic work, artistic talent, and business acumen are admirable. Over five days, the dreamers attended hands-on workshops tailored toward their interests, received behind-the-scenes looks at Disney operations, and were treated to visits from celebrity mentors and guest speakers.
BLACK ENTERPRISE is dedicated to uplifting and amplifying the youth who strive to add value to the communities around them. The future of the Black business community was present at Disney Dreamers Academy. BE spoke with some of the exceptional young leaders of today and tomorrow.
Noelle Nelson
Noelle Nelson, 2024 Disney Dreamer (Photo: K. Edwards/BLACK ENTERPRISE)
You founded a nonprofit, Best Buddies Wear Teal & Red, that advocates for allergy awareness and sit on a board of directors. What have you learned about business and how boards operate based on those experiences?
We all have different thoughts and ideas that have been able to help us grow. We discuss who could sponsor and partner with us.
You are a journalist, health advocate, and business woman. If you had to pick one role, which would you choose?
Definitely, healthcare combined with education. I work with kids in camps once a month to help them feel supported and empowered in their journey and also learn more about their food allergies.
If you could put out an appeal to anybody to help your business grow what would it be?
I would ask 100% for more funding to be able to have educational curriculum. To teach about not just food allergies but all hidden conditions nationally. Nationwide awareness would help progress to have more empathy and legislation.
Jayden Watkins
Jayden Watkins, 2024 Disney Dreamer (Photo: K. Edwards/BLACK ENTERPRISE)
You are the CEO of Higher Is Waiting. Tell us about it.
Higher Is Wating’s mission is to host mentorship programs for teenagers in my area. I’m planning a huge book bag giveaway for the summertime and youth explosion. We donate care packages to the community, because that is where my passion lies.
How do you decide as the CEO, what’s needed and what’s next?
So prayer is very important to me. I usually have a vision. Always write down your visions. The youth explosion, I wrote it down on paper years ago, but now it’s coming to fruition. Also, you need a board of directors.
What have you learned from working with the board of directors?
Be open minded. You may have a dream, but God can bring other people into the mix to take that dream even further. We have wisdom as teenagers but other people have lived longer than us. So having a board gives new insight.
If you could put out an appeal to anybody to help your business grow what would it be?
We need mentors who will pour into us and not overlook us because we’re at the bottom right now. Give me advice, show me where I’m weak and be open to our ideas. I didn’t know about filing 501(c)(3). I had to reach out to people, and they did not reach back out to me.
If we want Black enterprise to thrive we have to work in unity.
LolaObasade
Lola Obasade, 2024 Disney Dreamer (Photo: K. Edwards/BLACK ENTERPRISE)
Let’s talk about your early reading initiative.
We host events to encourage children to read. We’ve been going to local schools and kindergartens and reading to them, and also passing out care packages with books to help inspire more kids to read.
You want to pursue neuroscience and focus on early reading gaps. How do those endeavors look in the future?
I want be like a scientific researcher managing a hospital one day, becoming a CEO.
What’s gonna happen to the reading initiative when go to college?
I still want it to continue during college and encourage my classmates to also participate in it, too.
What would you say to other children who want to start a nonprofit for early reading or anything else?
I would just encourage them to really be out there because, you know, I was really nervous to start it because I wasn’t sure if anyone wanted to do it with me. I learned that you have the power to be a difference and make change. Go for it.
TeLario Watkins ll
TeLario Watkins, 2024 Disney Dreamer (Photo: Mark Ashman/Disney)
Tell me about being a “Hunger Hero.”
I partnered with No Kid Hungry. I organize fundraisers to raise money and awareness for child hunger. They’ve given me the title of Hunger Hero.
Tiger mushroom farms is your business. Do you have any employees? Do you have any plans to scale up?
I do. I want to have a full, established food company out of Tiger Mushroom Farms. It’s only my family and I right now. We’re working on our seasoning line.
How do you manage running a business, running a non profit, going to high school, speaking engagements, etc.?
I finish my schoolwork while I’m in school, then I work in my business. l go down to my basement, take care of my mushroom sprouts. We plant them and once they start sprouting transplant them over to one of my community gardens.
How many acres do you have?
One acre was donated to us, and then we also have another acre where I donated around 250 feet to a local food bank for their garden.
If you could put out an appeal to anybody to help your business grow what would it be?
Volunteers. We definitely need a lot of volunteers for all the projects that we want to start.
Christiana Blankson
Christiana Blankson, 2024 Disney Dreamer (Photo: K. Edwards/BLACK ENTERPRISE)
Let’s talk about Ana Mission, what inspired you to start it? And how’s it going?
Ana Mission is my catering company. It came from my love of making and eating breakfast tacos. I love them so much, and I’ve become quite the connoisseur. I was inspired to make it a business. I started it in 2017 or 2018. I’ve been doing it every summer and long as I’m here I will keep building it. I also sell my cookies in my school cafeteria as a non-profit venture.
It’s very difficult to get school cafeterias to introduce a new food because of food allergies and safety concerns. How did you accomplish that?
A lot of meetings. Administrators asked me the ingredients and safety protocols. I had print them out along with my mission and post in the school store. I’m donating proceeds to kids in Ghana for their shelter, food and health care. It’s called Peacock Cookie, it’s mint chocolate chip. Soon I’ll introduce my gluten-free cookie.
Tell us about Black Girl unity.
I have two younger sisters in the middle school. As a girl, I feel like our experiences are different than guys. Black Girl Unity was really supposed to help fix the mistakes that I feel like are being made when it comes to Black girls assimilating.
No, Rep. Jasmine Crockett Did Not Call For Tax Exemption For Black Americans
Though some conservative media outlets and right-wing social media accounts tried to say Rep. Crockett suggested that Black people not pay taxes as a form of reparations, Rep. Crockett did no such thing.
During a March 29 episode of the Black Lawyers Podcast, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) briefly discussed the topic of reparations during an interview. Though some conservative media outlets and right-wing social media accounts attempted to argue that Rep. Crockett suggested that Black people should not pay taxes as a form of reparations, Crockett did no such thing, NewsOne reports.
Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) suggests exempting blacks from taxes.
She then says maybe it's not the best idea because many blacks don't pay any taxes anyway… so maybe give free checks. pic.twitter.com/hPCNleGl1p
According to Rep. Crockett, the idea of Black people not paying taxes came from an unnamed celebrity (the latest celebrity whose comments generated a discussion on reparations was Terrence Howard) and the caveat from this celebrity was that Black Americans would have a certain period of time set aside to be exempted from paying taxes. This idea, Rep. Crockett said during the podcast, was not without merit, but was an idea that would have to be carefully considered regarding how it could be implemented.
Rep. Crockett remarked that the idea of withholding taxes may be more palatable to those who object to giving Black people money, before pivoting to a short discussion of how tax brackets would be affected. Rep. Crockett seemed to indicate in the interview that the poorest of Black Americans are not really contributing that much to the tax base in the grand scheme of things, so the no-tax idea isn’t as far-fetched as some would like to think.
Rep. Crockett was also concerned about the way that the current reparations debate plays out in the political arena, saying that instead of both sides using preconceived notions about what reparations would look like, emphasis needs to be placed on studying and gathering data. Rep. Crockett also clearly stated that she believes that the United States has a moral obligation to pay descendants of enslaved people reparations, but she believes that the federal government needs to be the ones establishing policy and not individual states.
Similar to Andrew Gillum, the former mayor of Tallahassee, Florida, who ran for governor opposite current Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2018, Crockett holds a political office so it would likely not be well-received if she were to publicly advocate for no taxation. On a mini-pod of the Native Land Podcast focusing on taxes in March, Gillum told his co-hosts Angela Rye and Tiffany D. Cross, “I was a locally elected official guys, I can’t be like against taxation. Taxation goes—not to mention, my kids are in public school, paid for by my taxes that I pay on my house.”
O.J. Simpson Executor Vows Ron Goldman’s Family Gets ‘Zero’ From Estate
Prior to his death, the former NFL star owed over $100 million to the Goldman family from a wrongful death judgement.
The executor of O.J. Simpson’s will, Malcolm LaVergne, has vowed to not let the family of Ron Goldman receive any money from his estate. The 76-year-old Simpson died from prostate cancer on April 10.
Prior to his death, the former NFL star owed over $100 million to the Goldman family from a wrongful death judgment. Earlier this year, LaVergne was surprised by his appointment as executor over the estate. Regardless, he assumed the role with no favor toward the Goldman’s case. He told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that his “hope” lies in the family gaining nothing from Simpson’s assets.
“It’s my hope that the Goldmans get zero, nothing,” he told the publication. “Them specifically. And I will do everything in my capacity as the executor or personal representative to try and ensure that they get nothing.”
His disregard toward the family stems from Simpson’s planned book about the 1994 killing of Nicole Brown Simpson and Goldman. While Simpson intended to release a book titled If I Did It, the Goldman family won the rights to the project, adding Confessions of the Killer to its title. LaVergne also claims that the courts never ordered Simpson to pay the Goldmans, as reported by WBAL.
However, the Goldman family states that the issue is more about holding Simpson accountable and less about the hefty check. They won a 1997 civil suit finding Simpson liable for Goldman’s murder two years after his acquittal of the criminal charges. Following the judgment, the courts seized Simpson’s valuable items for the payout. Currently, their attorney stated that the Goldmans would evaluate the situation and see if they should proceed with the claim.
While unclear thus far how much Simpson had upon his death, his four children were listed as his beneficiaries. Anyone challenging “shall receive, free of trust, one dollar ($1.00) and no more in lieu of any claimed interest in this will or its assets,” the will reportedly states.
However, the court still has yet to tally Simpson’s full estate.
Black-Owned Small Businesses Eligible For $5,000 Grants From Comcast
Comcast is again ready to help spur growth and expansion for small businesses and entrepreneurs.
Comcast RISE is offering grants of $5,000 each to 500 small businesses in five regions.
All small businesses in Atlanta, Houston, Jacksonville, Florida, Richmond, Virginia, and southern Colorado can apply for $2.5 million in funding. Black-owned small businesses are among them. The grant package include business consultation, educational resources, and a technology makeover.
Businesses can apply from May 1 through May 31. Businesses can get more details here.
Now in its fourth year, Comcast RISE reports it has awarded 13,500 small businesses over $125 million in monetary, marketing, and technology grants. The new grants will be announced in August 2024.
Loren Hudson, senior vice president and chief diversity officer at Comcast, said,“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and are essential to building strong and thriving local communities. Comcast RISE is proud to help strengthen and empower these small businesses and entrepreneurs expand and grow.”
Insufficient or expired capital is a significant operating hurdle for emerging and mature small businesses. One report showed that 76% of Black entrepreneurs said access to capital was a challenge.
Though Black-owned businesses have grown robustly in recent years, 25% of them reportedly still struggle to obtain the needed capital to support their enterprises.
In general, grants can be used for several purposes: launching or expanding a business, for working capital, improving funding strength, and creating jobs.
Comcast RISE is committed to supporting the growth of all small businesses. Started in November 2020, it was initially aimed at aiding minority- and women-owned small businesses most affected by COVID-19. The push has since evolved to help all small businesses and their communities grow through such means as economic growth.
Comcast RISE is part of Project UP,Comcast’s $1 billion pledge to advance digital equity through programs and community partnerships.
More details about on what the grant package includes can be found here.
Relaunched Fund By NBA Legends Investing $23OK To Propel Black Youth And Entrepreneurs
The fund is led by NBA legends Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, and Dwyane Wade.
Led by NBA legends Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, and Dwyane Wade, the Social Change Fund United (SCFU) is investing $230,000 into two new initiatives to help uplift the Black community.
The latest effort by the trio—also philanthropists and entrepreneurs—is part of a strategic focus to economically empower historically marginalized U.S. communities as well as bolster Black youth and entrepreneurs.
Founded in 2020 to counter pervasive racial injustices nationwide, SCFU focuses on backing organizations that advocate for communities of color. The fund claims its work has impacted over 130,000 individuals through efforts like the George Floyd Memorial Foundation, scholarship distributions, and partnerships with nonprofits.
SCFU says it has distributed nearly $1 million in grants, including over $60,000 to small business owners in cities including New Orleans, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Now as part of a revived vision, SCFU maintains its plans to play a vital role in narrowing the racial wealth gap by fighting for entrepreneurship, leadership, and innovation for Black and brown communities.
With that, SCFU shared how it plans to invest the $230,000 into SCFU We Got Next and SCFU Legacy:
SCFU We Got Next is an initiative aiming to provide youth with access to build entrepreneurial skills to become future business leaders. SCFU will invest a combined $125,000 into its partners Gray Matter Experience, AllStar Code, and Rapunzl.
The SCFU Legacy initiative, in partnership with Stackwell Capital, will supply six grants to minority-owned, Los Angeles-based small businesses. The program will start this summer with its inaugural 2024 cohort. SCFU will put $105,000 toward the legacy initiative.
SCFU Executive Director Aida Morrow said of the fund, “We’re excited to launch a new dimension of SCFU and to clarify our purpose of empowering underrepresented communities. Through this redirection, we hope to light the way for a more inclusive future to unlock potential, bring on new partners, and authentically uplift the communities in which we serve.”
SCFU co-founder Chris Paul, now with Golden State Warriors, added, “Our engagement within communities of color is critical to producing the impact and results of our mission.” His co-founders, Wade and Anthony, respectively retired from the NBA in 2019 and 2023.
Callie Curry ,SCFU Advisory Board Member and Creative Artists Agency (CAA) Executive, reflected on the the fund’s new focus.
“We are proud of the progress we’ve made over the last three years and are confident that this next phase of our work will scale our efforts, gain new partners with a similar vision and capital, and impact more lives.”
Summit Highlights Black Women’s Impact In Food Industry, Features Pitch Competition
The Black Women In Food Awards represents a chance for Black women to receive recognition in an industry that often doesn't give them any.
Black Women In Food, an organization that emerged out of the Dine Diaspora in 2017, will host its Seventh Annual Black Women in Food Awards and its Second Annual Black Women In Food Summit in Washington, D.C., April 26 and 27.
As Forbes reports, the group announced its award nominees in March and honored the winners on April 4, but wanted to give the 31 honorees a chance to be celebrated by their peers in person.
This one's for the girls working towards their goals, pushing through when it gets hard, & leaving their mark through #food and beyond.
Nina Oduro, the co-founder of Dine Diaspora and Black Women in Food, told Forbes that she is most excited about the opportunities that the summit affords the attendees. “The summit is not only a place to network and learn. It’s a place where Black women across the food industry can forge connections and brainstorm solutions to overcome obstacles.”
“This year, we’ve introduced innovative components aimed at tackling the systemic issues of access to capital and market entry challenges faced by these women,” she added. “Our new marketplace shines a spotlight on their food businesses, while the pitch competition, courtesy of the New Voices Foundation, offers a vital avenue for accessing capital—a hurdle that often looms largest on their path to expansion.”
The pitch competition, which is only open to the attendees of the summit, is designed for businesses to pitch their ideas directly to a panel of judges composed of industry experts. The first prize winner will receive $10,000 and the second prize winner will get $5,000.
According to Oduro, the BWIF Awards represents a chance for Black women to receive recognition in an industry that often doesn’t give them any. In 2023, Oduro and her business partner, Maame Boakye, told Food and Beverage Insider that they wanted to spotlight more than just the visible aspects of the food industry because workers are often rendered invisible but deserved to be recognized by their peers.
“The food industry around the world is entrenched with racism and sexism that manifests in different ways. By centering Black women’s contributions to the global food system, we are combating narratives that seek to diminish their historic, current and future impact,” the pair said. “Black women in the industry around the world need to see their efforts recognized and amplified as they continue to shape the way food is experienced at all levels of society.”
The summit, taking place at the Eaton Hotel in D.C., will be hosted by Vicky V, a Houston-based chef consultant, influencer, and media producer. The editor-in-chief of Bon Appetit and Epicurious, Jamila Robinson, will serve as the keynote speaker at the event.
Understanding Resenteeism: The Unseen Struggle Of Staying Unhappy At Work
Some employees are fed up with their jobs but refuse to quit.
Resenteeism is the concept of being unhappy at a job but continuing to stay because of financial obligations or a lack of better options. Employees who feel overworked or underappreciated begin to resent the job, which often leads to low morale and low productivity. Similar to quiet quitting, employees come to work but are often disengaged and do the bare minimum.
Jennifer Libby, a district manager with Insperity in Kansas City, Missouri, said several factors can lead to resenteeism, including a toxic corporate culture, overwhelming workloads, and limited opportunities for advancement.
She said employees may try to seek new opportunities, but they are often unable to find employment that meets their needs, which may include salary, benefits, and work-life balance.
“Over time, they begin to resent their employer because they feel trapped in a job they do not want,” Libby told Fox Business.
Dominic, a 46-year old senior manager, told Fox Business that he has received more job responsibilities without additional compensation. He feels overwhelmed with his day-to-day tasks, which include managing employees, tracking inventory, and handling logistical issues. Although he aspires to change jobs, several factors prevent him from doing so. The father of two lives close to his job, which allows him to have more time to spend with his family.
“I have learned to accept the fact that I have to make the best of a somewhat bad situation,” he told Fox Business.
“Employers also have an impact, with resenteeism being more likely in organizations that do not promote psychological safety, employee wellbeing, and talent development,” Chloe Angus, leadership coach and trainer, told People Management.
Sima Sajjadiani, assistant professor at the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business, suggests that employers have to be willing to adjust to changing trends in corporate culture which include the normalization of working from home and hybrid job opportunities, which provide more flexibility and better work-life balance.
Mother’s Day Performance Featuring Kori Withers And Valerie Simpson To Honor Bill Withers And ‘Grandma’s Hands’
The special Mother's Day event will take place in New York City.
Bill Withers’ iconic song “Grandma’s Hands” has been released as an illustrated book and an animated music video to celebrate the iconic artist’s song.
His daughter, Kori Withers, and his wife, Marcia Withers, have been promoting the children’s book with special readings across California. Now, Kori, a singer and songwriter, is set to do a special musical performance in New York City, during which she will be joined by music legend Valerie Simpson, according to the official Bill Withers website.
The “Mother’s Day Brunch With the Music of Bill Withers” will take place at Manhattan’s City Vineyard (233 West St. at Pier 26) on May 12 at 12 p.m. Withers and Simpson will be joined by Marcus Machado and Everett Bradley. The book Grandma’s Hands will be available at the event for a special price.
The 32-page illustrated book brings Withers’ song to life on the page with vivid and colorful pictures. The illustrations were painted by multiple award-winning artist R. Gregory Christie, and published by Joel Harper’s Freedom Three Publishing in collaboration with the Withers Family’s Mattie Music Group in July 2023.
The book centers on a young Bill Withers being uplifted and comforted by his grandma and her unconditional love. It features themes of love, family, and relationships while discussing the resonating impact our elders have on shaping who we become.
In addition to the illustrated books, Sony Music’s Legacy Recordings enlisted Martian Blueberry to create a music video. Blueberry, an award-winning creative agency that specializes in vivid animation and art rendition, was co-founded by Carl Jones, who has produced popular shows like Adult Swim’s The Boondocks and Black Dynamite.
The animated video features Kori singing with Bill Withers in a new version of of “Grandma’s Hands.”
Bill Withers died on March 30, 2020, at the age of 81.
Withers, a former Navy aircraft mechanic, who taught himself to play guitar and went on to write iconic songs of the 1970s like “Lean on Me,” “Ain’t No Sunshine,” and “Use Me.” Withers, with his evocative and gritty R&B voice, released his debut album, Just as I Am, in 1971 when he was in his 30s. The multiple Grammy Award winner became disillusioned with the music industry after his 1985 album Watching You Watching Me and ceased recording and performing.
Withers was known for his conversational singing style, allowing his songs to speak for themselves. Leo Sacks, who oversaw the re-release of Withers’s catalog, described him as “a mystical man, like a Greek oracle,” according to The New York Times.
How ‘Earn Your Leisure’ Is Transforming Financial Literacy For The Culture
Rashad Bilal and Troy Millings open up how Earn Your Leisure ignited a new financial literacy movement for the culture.
Originally Published Apr. 14, 2021.
Earn Your Leisure is leading the movement to educate urban communities on finance, business, and entrepreneurship.
Financial literacy has become a hot topic on social media, but for years, the topic was reserved for MBA graduates, Ivy Leaguers, and the white middle class. Although well-intentioned, many Black parents weren’t equipped to school their children about stock options, real estate investments, debt management, and the importance of ownership or life insurance simply because they, themselves, did not have access to that information. Even today, many working-class communities of color still don’t have access to the economic resources shared by prestigious business institutions and outlets. Rashad Bilal and Troy Millings, however, are changing the narrative through Earn Your Leisure, a financial podcast that has ballooned into a wildly popular, multifaceted platform that is changing the face of wealth.
The Genesis
Before launching Earn Your Leisure (EYL) in 2019, Bilal and Millings taught financial literacy to public school students in the Bronx, New York. While working as an elementary school physical education educator, Millings incorporated financial literacy into his lesson plans during summer school classes. At one point, he asked Bilal, a financial advisor, to lecture his students about money. Eventually, the longtime friends built a complete curriculum on finance for the students. Meanwhile, Bilal also started building a robust social media presence by sharing financial information and wanted to expand his reach by starting a podcast. Naturally, he asked Millings to co-host, and the two launched Earn Your Leisure to discuss the money plays behind sports, entertainment, and business, along with the latest economic trends. On the show, Bilal and Millings dig into the backstories of celebrity entrepreneurs and renowned business owners like billionaire Mark Cuban, NBA legend and business titan Shaquille O’Neal, and social entrepreneur John Henry.
“There were a lot of business podcasts or business platforms [that gave] a lot of fluff, a lot of motivational stuff,” Bilal told BLACK ENTERPRISE. “I don’t really want to hear that. I want to know exactly what’s going on, and how did you do it?”
During the first few episodes of Earn Your Leisure, Bilal says he and Millings took “deep dives into case studies. That was the original premise of Earn Your Leisure. It was like pop culture mixed with Harvard Business School.” He added, we were “taking case studies of like Airbnb and breaking them down.”
Empowering The Culture
Their formula worked. Just seven months after its launch, EYL accumulated more than 6,500 subscribers and an average of 20,000 plays per episode by July 2019. Today, the show has amassed more than 5 million downloads as well as a whopping 422,000 YouTube subscribers and 702,000 Instagram followers. The hosts believe their following has grown because they’ve been consistently serving disenfranchised urban markets with content that’s authentic, palatable, and economically empowering.
“We created our own niche as far as in the financial literacy space. We took a different approach to it,” said Bilal. “For years, you had to wear a suit and tie in order to really be taken seriously and speak about business. And you had to shave your face, [but] we come in with beards, hoodies, and sneakers and hip-hop lyrics.” He asserts, “the best marketing tool was us just being ourselves.”
Millings says the key to scaling their audience was intentionally targeting underserved communities that historically lacked access to financial tools and resources.
“We added value to a community that needed it,” says Millings. “We mixed our barbershop conversations with Wall Street, and it just took off.”
In addition to the podcast, Bilal and Millings created Earn Your Leisure University, an online education platform offering dozens of courses across 35 different industries. They also launched the EYL podcast network, which currently produces and distributes shows like Inside The Vault with Ash Cash and Market Mondays with investor Ian Dunlap. Furthermore, the duo secured a deal with iHeartMedia and Charlamagne Tha God’s groundbreaking The Black Effect Podcast Network earlier this year.
Putting Plays Into Practice
Bilal and Millings aren’t just empowering a new generation with economic gems and exclusive interviews; they’re also applying the lessons to their own lives. For instance, Millings says Dunlap changed the way he saves money.
“When we sat down with Ian (Dunlap), I remember him telling us ‘listen, we used to tell you that you needed six to eight months savings to be secure.’ And I remember, he was like, ‘nah, my new theory is we need 60 months.’ And it took me off guard,” Millings recalled. “I said, ‘60 months? That’s almost five years of savings!’” Dunlap, however, explained that creating a bigger savings fund is the foundation for generational wealth.
“When you accumulate a certain level of wealth, it won’t be about you anymore, it will be about your family and your generations that will live on without you. And so that became my mindset now,” says the educator.
Similarly, Bilal says their interview with Wallstreet Trapper, a stock trader and YouTuber, moved him to open a custodial account for his son.
“That’s something I didn’t have for my son. I already knew about it, but just him talking about how much money he had for his daughter really encouraged me to really go forward and put money into my son’s account,” he said.
“I utilize everybody that we have brought on the platform that actually has anything to do with stocks,” says Bilal. “I pick their brain, I ask them different questions, and I learn from them as much as I possibly can offline.”
The Future of The Movement
From scaling their online university to opening a private equity firm, the sky’s the limit for the EYL brand, and the hosts are aiming big.
“We want to grow in the online education space and be the biggest online university like rivaling a Phoenix University,” says Bilal. “I think we have over like 9,000 members in EYL University. So, we want to get that up to like 50,000 or 100,000 members.”
He went on to reveal that he and Millings aspire to own a fleet of trucks and 100 real estate properties, open a private equity firm, and create a financial literacy curriculum for multiple schools.
“I feel like there’s nothing that we can’t do,” added Millings. “We’re just ambitious enough to believe that we can do anything. And so, you might see us in some films, you might see us in some short TV slots. It’s really limitless.”
Ultimately, he says they’re on a mission to bring EYL back to its roots in education. “One of my passions is to get back to that and sprinkle these seeds throughout communities that need us.”
Earn Your Leisure has now added Invest Fest to its portfolio. Invest Fest is a three-day conference in Atlanta aimed at providing growth and networking opportunities to entrepreneurs. You can learn more about Invest Fest here.
