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From Side Hustle To Senior Vice President: Dimplez Is Lighting The Way In Digital Marketing
The ItGirl 100 List, in partnership with Hyundai, is a celebration of 100 Black women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table.
If turning your side hustle into a flourishing career was a person, it'd be Dimplez Ijeoma.
In 2007, the Senior Vice President of Marketing at Capitol Music Group and digital marketer discovered her knack for building websites and blogs for social media’s early tastemakers.
“I got very, very curious about everything that went into making a website pop,” she tells xoNecole. “I started to dig into the minutiae around what excited people to view and visit certain sites — it was very apparent that there was a lane for me to explore.”
At the time, Dimplez was a grad student studying physical therapy, so while marketing and digital storytelling wasn’t the initial path she saw for herself, it was the one her curiosity led her to. “It wound up being a circumstance of my hobby piquing my interest in this area, and there ended up being a career path for me in the area.”
As many up-and-blossoming ItGirls use the internet to share their niche interests and build communities around their hobbies and passions, a common hesitancy for some is turning their hobbies into careers, only to lose the initial spark that brought them joy. For Dimplez, the distinction within this conundrum was clear.
“There's a difference between hobby and passion for me,” she explains. “I would never monetize [my hobbies] because that's something that just genuinely brings me joy.”
She continues, “I'm passionate about how people think, what people enjoy consuming, and how artists tell their stories. That's my passion. I don't mind monetizing my passion because I would do it whether I was paid for it or not.”
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"I'm passionate about how people think, what people enjoy consuming, and how artists tell their stories. That's my passion."
Dimplez is candid about the fact that when she first embarked on her career, social media was shifting into an entirely new frontier, and the title of “digital marketer” didn’t exist. That’s why, years later, becoming a director of digital marketing and now, the Senior Vice President of Marketing at Capitol Music Group, is a full circle moment.
“I definitely want to give a nod to Michelle Jubelirer, who was the CEO at the time,” Dimplez shares. “When Michelle was appointed CEO, I was one of her first calls because she cares about artists, she cares about storytelling, and she wants the best people around to do those things. Under her tenure and guidance, I co-lead a team of the best digital marketers, short-form content creators, and digital technologists in our industry. And with them, we were able to not only turn the company around but turn the label group around to its greatest success in the last 19 years.”
For Dimplez, lifting as you climb has been the hallmark of her trajectory and the template for the ItGirls coming behind her, looking to blaze their own path. “I expect anyone who wants to be a digital marketer to beat me: be better.”
On what it means to be an ItGirl:
"It means that I am representing us well. My mom is my favorite girl known to man, because in every room, she represented, not only herself, but she represented everyone who she stood for, well. Oftentimes, I am in rooms where I am the only Black woman, I am the most senior Black woman, I am the most senior immigrant, I am the only immigrant, whatever the case may be.
"Oftentimes, I am in rooms where I am the only Black woman, I am the most senior Black woman, I am the most senior immigrant, I am the only immigrant, whatever the case may be."
"It's not lost on me that in the spaces I occupy, I am not only representing myself, but I'm representing everyone who will come after me. And to be an ItGirl, it means I am doing this justice."
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On how she overcomes challenges in her career journey:
"The biggest challenge that any of us will ever face in different environments is communication. It's not that we're not speaking the same language, but we're not understanding the same. I remember one of my mentors once told me that we judge ourselves based on intention, but we judge everyone else based on action. And what I found a lot in the corporate space was, people were judging actions versus intent, and we needed to level set.
"A lot of workplace or career challenges literally boiled down to miscommunication — whether it be intentional or unintentional. And as an executive, a woman, and a human, the moment we become better communicators, the less friction we will have."
On the advice she'd give women who aspire to follow a similar path as her:
"To anyone looking to follow in the same pathway: do it and do it better, be greater. I was only able to even visualize my role because I thought of executives that came before me. I think often of Vivian Scott Chew, Lynn Scott; these are Black women marketers that lifted as they climbed, and made it a point to protect their artists, protect the talent that they represented, and create a lane for themselves that didn't really exist.
"Whatever anyone is thinking, you can do it. Do it even bigger. Do it even better. Because I think everyone is capable of doing it."
To learn more about the ItGirl 100 List, view the full list here.
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Aley Arion is a writer and digital storyteller from the South, currently living in sunny Los Angeles. Her site, yagirlaley.com, serves as a digital diary to document personal essays, cultural commentary, and her insights into the Black Millennial experience. Follow her at @yagirlaley on all platforms!
This article is sponsored by Hulu.
UnPrisonedhas returned for its highly anticipated second season, delving deeper into the complex dynamics of the Alexander family.
The series premiere comes a year after its debut season garnered rave reviews from fans and critics and earned record-breaking ratings for Hulu's Onyx Collective brand. UnPrisoned's success can be attributed to its raw, relatable themes and comedic appeal.
Inspired by creator Tracy McMillan's life, the show follows Paige (Kerry Washington), a therapist and single mother whose life takes an unexpected turn when her father, Edwin (Delroy Lindo) --who was released from prison-- moves in with her and her teenage son, Finn (Faly Rakotohavana).
Throughout UnPrisoned's first season, viewers witnessed how Edwin's incarceration deeply affected Paige's life and relationships. In the series, Paige unpacks her trauma through interactions with her inner child and her online followers. Meanwhile, Edwin is overcoming specific struggles with his own past that led to his life of crime, including a dysfunctional upbringing and his mother's arrest. As the Alexanders attempt to reconcile, new challenges arise.
This new season promises to further explore their unconventional family dynamic. Here are several compelling reasons why season two of UnPrisoned should be on everyone's watchlist.
The Alexander Family Life Is Still In Shambles
UnPrisoned's second season resumes where the series left off, with Paige grappling with the fallout from her troubled therapy practice and Edwin navigating life independently after moving out. Meanwhile, Finn faces his own challenges. The teenager is battling anxiety and seeking information about his father—a topic Paige avoids discussing.
The Alexander Family Are Attending Therapy To Resolve Their Underlying Issues
Amid the chaos in their lives, the Alexander family decides to mend their bond by confronting their past traumas. They seek professional help and attend therapy sessions with a “family radical healing coach,” played by John Stamos, a new cast member. This collective effort aims to unravel the complexities of their shared history and strengthen their relationships.
The process of unraveling each character's internal conflicts and their potential impact on future relationships may clash with Paige's textbook therapy approach. While Paige is used to being in the therapist's seat in both career and family, this forces her into the unfamiliar role of a patient during therapy sessions. This shift would compel her to look in the mirror and try a radically different approach.
The Alexander Family Learned A Big Lesson During A Therapy Session
In therapy, the Alexanders are tasked with addressing their individual traumas to salvage their remaining relationships. One of the family therapist’s eccentric suggestions was an exercise involving a family wrestling match. During this session, Paige faces tough questions about her refusal to share information about Finn's father.
While it's unclear whether this scene is reality or fantasy, the image of the family duking it out in the ring certainly makes for hilarious yet compelling television.
Paige Tries Dating Again Following Failed Relationships
Amid her life's chaos, Paige decides to step back into the dating field. However, her many attempts have left her with mixed results. The dating apps have turned out to be a fail, and an outing with her ex Mal (Marque Richardson), who is also her father's parole officer, doesn’t go quite as expected after he brings an unexpected guest – his new girlfriend.
The situation takes an awkward turn when Mal's new partner learns why the former couple split, partly due to Paige's self-sabotage.
UnPrisoned Is A Perfect Balance Of Comedy And Drama
As a dramedy, UnPrisoned takes a comedic approach to its heavy subjects. The show takes us on a ride with Paige's dating misadventures and navigating a friendship with her ex.
Other lighthearted moments include Edwin's attempts at CPR based on online videos and, of course, the antics of the Alexander family's unconventional new healing coach.
The second season of UnPrisoned is now available on Hulu.
UnPrisoned | Season 2 Trailer | Hulu
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Blair Underwood Initially Turned Down 'Sex And The City' Because 'It Was About How Samantha Was Fascinated By Dating A Black Man’
Actor and heartthrob Blair Underwood is opening up about why he turned down Sex and the City the first time he was offered a role. Many fans of the HBO series may recall Blair's time on the show in which his character was dating Miranda (Cynthia Nixon). However, he was previously offered another role where his character would date Samantha (Kim Cattrall).
During his interview with AV Club, the Set It Off star revealed that he was uncomfortable with the initial offer due to the character's fascination with him being a Black man.
“I actually did say ‘no’ the first time,” he said. “The first time they had offered the role, to be honest with you, it was about how Samantha was fascinated by dating a Black man and wanted to know if, uh, all of the rumors were true about our anatomy! And I said, ‘Listen, I’m honored, thank you, but I just don’t want to play a character based on race, on curiosity about a Black man.'”
But that didn't stop them from reaching out again. This time he was offered to play Dr. Robert Leeds, the love interest to Miranda and he decided to go for it. "So they were nice enough to call about a year later, and I said, 'Well, is it gonna be about race?' And they said, 'No, no, no, we’re not even gonna mention race!' And I think it really did only come up maybe once," he recalled.
"It did five episodes, and I think Samantha mentioned it once, saying something about 'a Black doctor' that Miranda was dating. And that’s really been a consistent thing in my career: not wanting to be boxed as 'the Black guy.'
"I’ve had that conversation with many producers along the way, and they were so great. They said, 'No, he’s just a doctor who Miranda meets in the elevator, and they have a nice little fling.' And it was amazing."
Blair has had a wide-ranging career playing everything from a lawyer on L.A. Law to playing Madame CJ Walker's husband on Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madame CJ Walker. And during his interview, he revealed another role that he initially turned down, Set It Off. The movie, which is considered a classic in Black culture, stars Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, Vivica A. Fox, and Kimberly Elise. Blair's character, Keith, played a banker and love interest to Jada's character, Stony.
He explained why he said no at first and eventually accepted the offer. "I had initially said “no” to that. Because I was playing this historic, iconic African-American historical figure in Jackie Robinson, and the time, y’know, there was Boyz N The Hood, and Menace II Society was out there, and I’d finished playing this noble Negro… [Laughs]," he said.
"And I’m reading the script, and there’s a scene where Jada Pinkett’s character—Jada Pinkett-Smith now—was going to sell her body so she could make some money to send her brother to college. And I remember, honestly, I threw the script across the room. I was, like, “I don’t want to do this. I want to do something uplifting for the Black culture and Black characters, and I don’t know if I want to see this.”
After a conversation with the movie's director F. Gary Gray and the actor's manager encouraging him to finish reading the script, Blair had a change of heart. What he first thought about the movie turned out to be totally different.
"So I finished the script, and I saw that the character they were asking me to play was really the love story in the midst of all of this turmoil of all of these characters, the four ladies: Queen Latifah, Vivica Fox, Kimberly Elise, and Jada," he explained.
"It was so well-written, it was such a great platform for them. And to be able to play the love story and the storyline that gave Jada’s character a leg up and a way out of this world, something to hope for, to wish for, someone to love her… I said, 'You know what? I’d like to be a part of that.'
"And I’m so glad I did, because that film resonates to this day. People all the time come up to me and say that they love that movie. So I’m glad that I did it."