Ever questioned who’s behind your favourite TV reveals on TV One and Cleo TV? That will be community president Michelle Rice, who oversees the day-to-day operations of those Black-owned networks. “All the divisions report into me, from finance and authorized to programming, advertising and marketing and manufacturing,” she tells EBONY.
Rice, who began with the corporate when it first launched practically 20 years in the past, understands what it takes to offer uplifting and profitable programming to a Black viewers. Right here, she shares the secrets and techniques to her success and the thrilling enlargement of Cleo TV.
EBONY: How would you describe TV One to somebody who’s by no means seen the channel?
Michelle Rice: As an leisure and culture-driven community, it represents the very best of Black tradition in present and nostalgic programming. We’ve got nice nostalgic TV reveals like A Completely different World and Residing Single and our signature reveals like Unsung. We’ve got an eye fixed towards genuine high quality and constructive portrayals of Black folks, and we management our narrative: it is for us, by us.
How will we carry extra Black pleasure to Black viewers?
Black persons are not a monolithic group. We’ve got a number of tales that must be advised. I can solely communicate for the viewers who come to us, however nostalgia, leisure, high quality, enjoyable and tradition rise to the highest. You are by no means going to see something to ratchet on TV One. Our viewers holds us to the next commonplace.
What are a number of the sizzling new tasks on the networks?
CleoTV, which we named after Cleopatra as a result of she was a younger girl of shade and a boss, offers voice to these viewers who had been going to HGTV or YouTube for residence and cooking ideas or for vogue, hair and wonder. My daughter and lots of of her buddies had been going to the web for this content material as a result of they needed to see themselves portrayed authentically, so we needed to give attention to Black ladies, particularly Gen Z ladies of shade. We’ve got Tradition Kitchen, that includes Afro-Latina chef Bren Herrera. It’s the intersection of meals, household and tradition. She talks loads about her Jamaican and Cuban heritage and has had her mom on the present. And on TV One, now we have a brand new present known as Elevating Fame that includes dad and mom of well-known folks. It is hosted by Sonya Curry, who’s the mom of Steph Curry, and Lucile O’Neal, Shaquille O’Neal’s mom, primarily based on their podcast.
How did you land the highest function at these networks?
I believed I might turn out to be a journalist, however I interned at a tv information community. From that publicity, I understood that the overall supervisor is hands-on with all the pieces. I at all times inform younger people who interning is a good alternative to determine what you need and what you don’t. I pursued a level in Communications Administration after which took my first place within the business in gross sales. I began with TV One early; the community launched on January 19, 2004, and that was truly my first day of labor.
Your administration fashion is to sprinkle fairy mud on tasks to carry out the very best in folks. Are you able to develop on that notion?
I need somebody to belief in my capabilities, in order that’s how I deal with the individuals who work for me. You rent the very best folks, get out of their method and allow them to do what they do. We search for go-getters, creatives and individuals who can collaborate, after which we permit them to stretch. Folks will typically quote me as saying that you probably have a job and on day one you recognize all the pieces there’s to find out about that place and what to do every single day, you are in all probability not the precise particular person for the job. You will not innovate or be excited to come back to work every single day. In a loopy, artistic atmosphere, folks must be allowed to function at their truest and greatest selves and contribute to areas aside from their very own.
