"I didn't have a resume, and I need people to understand that. I didn't have a resume when Lil Wayne hired me. I didn't have a resume when Beats by Dre flew me across the country to be their 12th employee. I still don't have a resume!" Karen Civil is the badass millennial mogul that plans to change the economic landscape for people of color for good. The 31-year-old New Jersey native has pioneered a 10+ year multi-faceted career in entrepreneurship, and thanks to her latest collaboration with Complex, will give other young go-getters the opportunity to do the same thing.
Civil recently announced the release of her new show, Good Looking Out, that will give young business owners the opportunity to receive industry advice from market professionals. The guest panel will feature technology, fashion, music, food, and lifestyle experts, including but not limited to Gary Vee, Duckie Confetti, Kahlana Barfield Brown, and Kevin Liles.
Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for Under Armour
Often called the Oprah Winfrey of the hip-hop industry, Civil built her illustrious career through blood, sweat, and a hell of a lot of hard work.
I think that we can all remember a time when we spent hours trying to perfect HTML codes so that our Myspace page would be tweaked and customized to perfection, but at 13, Karen Civil was on another level. The branding and marketing strategist got her start in middle school, when she created a fansite for her favorite group at the time, Backstreet Boys, that won her a meet and greet that would fuel her ambitions for years to come.
"When I was in eighth grade, I created a Backstreet Boys fan site. I came in third place in a fan site contest and got to meet them. In high school, I created a fan group for J.D. Williams who played Bodie on The Wire. I had the chance to meet him and he took me to have lunch at iHop. At that point in my life, I noticed this Internet thing was giving me the chance to check off goals off of my bucket list."
Her brief encounter with the stars taught her that the internet was the gateway to her dreams.
In 2002, the Haitian-American girl boss scored an internship with DJ Funkmaster Flex on Hot 97 where she realized that she was ready to develop her own digital footprint. In 2008, she created her website, KarenCivil.com and shifted her focus to digital strategy and started working with Diplomat Records.
"Once I started working for DipSet, I realized you could monetize off of this platform if you understand how to engage your audience."
Civil told Essence:
"I always knew I wanted to do something in entertainment. Since I could not sing, had no rhythm, and did not want to be a baby mama, I thought I would explore the Video DJ route." While working for Diplomat Records, I helped several artists with their online branding and social media. Once I left the label, I worked directly with artists and noticed many artists were overlooked and underrated if they weren't in XXL or The Source. In 2008, I started KarenCivil.com interviewing artists like Nicki Minaj and Drake before they were huge."
Later, Civil collaborated with Lil Wayne to create weezythanxyou, a platform that revolutionized social media by allowing the rapper to communicate with his audience via fan letters while he was in prison. The project commanded the attention of major industry professionals including Dr. Dre, and shortly after, she was commissioned to the be the 12th employee and digital marketing manager at Beats By Dre.
Since her industry debut, the influence/philanthropist has garnered a number of impressive partnerships, including affiliations with The Hillary Clinton campaign, Tiffany & Co, Louis Vuitton, and Google. Thanks to her long list of accolades, and ability to network, Civil says that she has what she calls the Carson Daly effect:
"I'm just me. I'm that cool girl who, as I like to say, I have that Carson Daly effect, where if you watched TRL, he was able to do interviews with NSYNC, blend right in, and then he would do interviews with Cash Money and blend in there and you just naturally liked him."
Civil is a reminder that a badass mogul mindset and a good understanding of social media can make every dream that you have a reality.
"Now, metaphorically I sit at any table that I want. I can sit with the jocks, I can sit with the gang members, I can sit with the politicians, I can sit with the CEOs. My brand can fit anywhere."
Check out the first episode of Good Looking Out here.
Featured image by Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for Under Armour
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Credit: Malcolm Roberson
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Featured image by Malcolm Roberson
My main motive? Mostly, I hope that it will serve as a solid reminder to embrace all of the things that you adore about this time of year, so long as you do it in moderation and you weigh the costs.
Especially as far as drinking alcohol is concerned.
PRO: Manages Blood Sugar Levels
GiphyHere’s something that you may have never seen coming. Were you aware of the fact that alcohol can actually help to stabilize your blood sugar? Yep, according to the American Diabetes Association, so long as you leave it to no more than 1-2 cocktails a day, alcohol may be able to lower your A1C levels. Pretty cool, right?
CON: It’s a Carcinogen
GiphyAlcohol is a carcinogen. The reason why this should somewhat alarm you is because carcinogens are things (like tobacco, UV rays, processed meats, etc.) that can increase your chances of being diagnosed with cancer (especially mouth, throat, esophagus, stomach and breast cancer). There are various ways this happens including the fact that alcohol, specifically, can hinder your body from breaking down certain nutrients, it can cause your estrogen levels to spike and alcohol can also cause certain toxins to damage your DNA and certain bodily proteins over time.
PRO: Cultivates Euphoric Feelings
GiphyIf you find yourself feeling more euphoric while you’re enjoying a drink, it’s not all up in your head. Although, for the more part, alcohol is considered to be a depressant, when consumed in small amounts, it can provide a stimulant effect. This happens due to the fact that when you first start to consume alcohol, it causes the production of the feel-good hormone known as dopamine to increase — and since dopamine makes us all feel more relaxed and confident while heightening our senses of pleasure too…well, there you have it.
CON: May Increase Anxiety/Depression
GiphyAs they say, “what goes up, most come down” at some point — and that is what you have to be careful of when it comes to alcohol consumption. For instance, when you drink alcohol, although it tends to initially cause your dopamine levels to uptick, because it is a temporary bodily response, sometimes the dips are lower than the rises…and that is when anxiety starts to kick in. A similar point is made with depression because oftentimes, people with depression-related symptoms, will use alcohol as a way to deflect from what’s really going on with them — and that can make them feel even worse than ever once the buzz of alcohol starts to wear off.
PRO: Has Some Heart-Related Benefits
GiphyWhen it comes to your heart, there are interesting findings surrounding its relationship to alcohol. For instance, some research states that, so long as the consumption is moderate, alcohol can actually help to increase the good cholesterol in your system while also breaking down proteins that can potentially lead to blood clots; both of these factors alone can reduce your chances of dying from heart disease.
CON: Packs on Pounds
GiphyIt’s no secret that alcohol tends to contain quite a few calories. That’s why, it’s not uncommon for people who’ve lost weight to mention “I’ve stopped drinking” as one of the causes for the shed pounds. That’s not to say that there aren’t some alcoholic beverages that have less calories than others including vodka (133 calories per serving), white wine (148 calories per serving) and tequila (99 calories per shot). Just keep in mind that the more you drink, the more calories get into your system and the more weight you stand to gain.
PRO: Lowers Inhibitions
GiphyAlthough you really should only be uninhibited around people who you absolutely trust, if that person is your partner and you’re looking to have a pretty — eh hem — active evening, alcohol can certainly help to make that happen. The science of it all is the prefrontal cortex of your brain is what regulates your inhibitions and levels of self-control. Meanwhile, alcohol suppresses your inhibitions which can cause you to be more spontaneous and open to trying things that you might not immediately do if you were sober. And with the right individual, that can be sexually beneficial (emphasis on “right person”).
CON: Makes It Harder to Orgasm
GiphyOn the other hand, as odd as it may seem (in light of what I just said), if you have too much alcohol in your system, it could make climaxing difficult. That’s because orgasms happen, in part, due to your nervous system being stimulated — and since alcohol is technically a depressant…well, it could reduce nerve sensitivity (especially as far as your clitoris goes) for you while making it challenging for your partner to remain erect or have consistent stamina. And yeah, that sucks.
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‘Tis the season. And with that, if some wassails or hot buttered rums are in your immediate future — hey, don’t let me stop you — not even a lil’ bit.
All I’m saying is now that you know what alcoholic drinks have to offer (both ways), you can know exactly how to incorporate them into your holiday plans. Enjoy!
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