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'Ebony' Is Back! Meet Their New Leadership Team And How They Plan To Take Over (Again)
Ladies and ladies, Ebony Magazine is backkkkk! And not only are they back, they have arrvied with solid plans to take over media and the Black publication space once again! #comethrough. If you aren't familiar, partner companies Ebony and Jet, found themselves facing bankruptcy after struggling for multiple years. Ultimately, as a decision was being made, they were last published back in 2019. That was until serial entrepreneur Junior Bridgeman, took Ebony and Jet out of bankruptcy in December when his company, Bridgeman Sports and Media, bought the assets of their parent company, Ebony Media, for $14 million.
And listen, Mr. Bridgeman's portfolio is super impressive too, with a 12-year tenure in the NBA, to owning hundreds of Wendy's and Chili's franchises across the Midwest and the South, and then selling them in 2016 when he became a major distributor for Coca-Cola.
His money is long and he brings it back to the community, which is a mood, a flex, and all the things.
From here, his daughter Eden Bridgeman Sklenar, enters the chat, as the Head Sis In Charge leading the revival of the publication. Additionally, she serves as chairwoman of the new parent company of Ebony and Jet, and has recruited Michele Thornton Ghee, formerly an executive at BET Networks and CNN, as the company's chief executive; Marielle Bobo, a former fashion director of Essence magazine, is Ebony's new editor-in-chief.
And man, does this team have some amazing things coming.
For one, they plan to add more full-time staff members and regular freelance contributors in the coming months.
Until last year, Ebony was almost a thing of the past forever. They had insurmountable debt, and the original parent company, Johnson Publishing, sold Ebony and Jet in 2016 for an undisclosed price to Clear View Group, a hedge fund in Austin, Texas. That ownership team cut staff, reduced office space and was accused of not paying employees on time. This resulted in Ebony being frowned upon by the National Association of Black Journalists.
Print editions are scheduled to come out four times a year, starting in 2022.
Eden Bridgeman Sklenar attends AfroTech Executive 2021 luncheon at The LINE LA on August 28, 2021 in Los Angeles, California.
Randy Shropshire/Getty Images for Blavity Inc/AfroTech
Currently, Ebony has been operating digitally, and only creating digital copies. The official reboot began in March with daily articles and videos posted on its website, which came back to life after years of being idle. The site also offers digital magazine covers featuring portraits of the hip-hop artist Tobe Nwigwe, the writer and actress Lena Waithe and the NBA star Karl-Anthony Towns. Its September online cover shows the Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson, who plays Aretha Franklin in the biopic Respect.
For now, there are no (admitted) plans for Jet.
And they've entered a partnership with Bloomberg Media + more.
In a formal announcement, the two companies revealed that the collaboration would include amazing content such as original videos, news articles, a newsletter and cross promotion on social media. Bloomberg will also assist with the revival of the Ebony Power 100, an annual list of influential Black Americans, with an hour-long special scheduled for the cable channel Bloomberg Television in November.
Additionally, in a separate partnership with HarperOne, a division of HarperCollins, Ebony's book division will publish a memoir by Viola Davis next August.
In the end, Ebony wants you to give their new direction your support. Of the reboot, Sklenar says:
"You just have to look at today. The historic moment of an African American and South Asian woman vice president, to everything that happened in the past year, of voices being heard in a way that they haven't been before."
Ghee added:
"Because we acquired out of bankruptcy, we're a start-up, which is a curse and the beauty. We get the opportunity to take a historic brand and retrofit it."
A perfect new start to a community staple. Congrats to this team!
Are you a member of our insiders squad? Join us in the xoTribe Members Community today!
Featured image by Randy Shropshire/Getty Images for Blavity Inc/AfroTech
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Charmin Michelle is a southern native and creative spirit who works as a content marketer and events manager in Chicago. She enjoys traveling, #SummertimeChi, and the journey of mastering womanhood. Connect with her on Instagram @charminmichelle.
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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Mariee Revere On Her History-Making Million-Dollar Sales And The Future Of MoonXCosmetics
If the name Mariee Revere sounds familiar, it's probably because you heard of her beauty and skincare brand, MoonXCosmetics, or you may have heard about her history-making achievement of making $1.8 million in less than eight minutes. But before starting her million-dollar brand, Mariee was just a teenager trying to cure her acne.
While she grew up in the skincare capital of the world, South Korea, Mariee didn't really experience breakouts until her senior year of high school. Like many people who get their first breakout, she didn't know what to do, and there weren't many products out there at that time. So she decided to experiment. What she didn't know was that what she came up with would ultimately be her ticket to success.
"When I graduated high school, I moved back to America, Georgia, and I ended up making, like, the oil, the Rose Galore oil, which is like the staple product of my brand. I don't know what made me make it, but I did, and it literally cleared my face up," she tells xoNecole in an exclusive interview.
"I end up selling it as a body oil first because, obviously, I'm 17, [and] don't have any background as an esthetician or anything like that. I just made a product that worked for me, but people bought it and was using it, and I reformulated it, and then it just stuck like with me."
While MoonXCosmetics is known for its facial products, it wants to expand to body care and home. It just released its new product, Moon-Gel body wash, and it's only up from there. As Mariee continues to grow the brand, it's more than likely that she will see more history-making moments. And so far she has.
Photo courtesy
When asked if she feels pressure to obtain more of those milestones, she says yes and no. "I did $1.8 [million] again, and then I did $2 million but I feel like now, currently, I don't look at that as one of my goals anymore because [of] the headache and just everything that came with it, but I was thankful and blessed to have that milestone, but now I'm looking for more," she says.
"I want to say more reach than more like fast-paced sales. I do want that. Obviously, every girl wants that, but I do want to have a better overall reach for my brand because I did take two years off so I was able to learn, [and] study a lot of different things. See how things have changed from 2020 to now."
"I did $1.8 [million] again, and then I did $2 million but I feel like now, currently, I don't look at that as one of my goals anymore because [of] the headache and just everything that came with it, but I was thankful and blessed to have that milestone, but now I'm looking for more."
Another part of expanding for any company is hiring people. Finding the right person to help you can be a hassle, especially for business owners who are used to doing all the work themselves. Mariee can relate to this, and she touched on this topic in her documentaryThe Million Dollar Story. She recommends having someone be your "right-hand man" who you trust to handle the ins and outs of the company.
"I could say, definitely get, like a right-hand man to help you within the process because that really was what helped me. I never had a job. I literally was 18 now, being like, you know, the boss of over 30+ employees at one point in time, and I didn't know anything. I didn't know anything about no W-2s, no taxes, no clock in, clock out because all I [have] ever known was my brand," she explains.
"So I definitely partner with people who are very skewed and versed in those areas, and they helped me get through it. Even to this day, I still have my same person helping me with hiring, firing, [and] doing everything that I can right now because I'm still learning. But obviously people get jobs young, so they have way more experience than me, but still learning."
And though she is still learning, one thing she makes sure to stay on top of is being consistent. Consistency is what trips many people up when it comes to achieving goals, but Mariee says it's all about scheduling. Whether it's when to post on social media or email marketing, scheduling it out can make a world of difference. That same practice also works when planning out her future goals for the company.
"Right now, future goals would be to drop at least five more products before the end of the year. We always do outreach, where we do drives and all that, but definitely do way more this year, she says. "Then really dive into body [care], and then hopefully open up MoonXBody underneath MoonXCosmetics to let that branch out and be open and definitely get back consistent."
For more information, visit moonxco.com.
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