English | Dominican
At school you could say I was White passing, I straightened my hair to within an inch of its life and glued in extensions. I listened to alternative music and had a fringe for a while to fit in with one type of friend, then I wore tracksuits and listened to 4x4 bassline (which I still love) to fit in with the next group of friends. On one occasion aged around 13/14 I went to a friend's house after school, she was new to our area and we were on MSN webcam to one of her previous school friends. Her friend asked me to step out of the room for a second, which I thought was odd. I did out of curiosity ask what the friend wanted to say in private. She looked at me and said ‘are you Black?’ ‘My Dad hates Black people’. It was such a shock and of course something I’d never tried to hide but at that point it was clear to me I’d hidden so much of my identity it wasn’t obvious in either my appearance or my personality. It was the most surreal situation I’ve ever been in and I felt physically sick. I felt really ashamed and angry that I wasn’t being true to myself. I could never change my skin colour but I could be Black and proud, and stop shying away from the things that make me unique.
At age 25, I quit my job and started my own company, which changed my life in many unexpected ways. I work as a Talent Manager, specifically managing digital creators and have worked in this industry for over 7 years. I’ve always been hyper aware of the lack of diversity within the entertainment industry but more so when I started working in it myself. My surroundings in the office, at meetings and even the conversations we were having about exciting new talent were all the same; White and middle class. During the pandemic, it became more obvious than ever that my values and that of the company I worked for were misaligned. In June 2020, from the kitchen table of my parents house, I left and reflected on what was truly important to me, hence the birth of my company, Season25. We represent digital creators and entertainment talent within the Black community.
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