One of our forever first family members are making some moves and we are here for it! The eldest daughter of the Obama clan, Malia Obama, has joined the writers room for a potential series that Donald Glover is producing as part of his newly inked 8-figure overall deal for Amazon Studios, according to The Hollywood Reporter. And this is quite the first job for the upcoming college grad who is set to graduate from Harvard University as part of the class of 2021.
Our good sis has shown interest in Hollywood for quite some time, as in the past, she landed an internship with The Weinstein Company (2017) after having previously interned on HBO's comedy Girls and worked as a production assistant on CBS' Halle Berry drama Extant.
Or in other words, don't play with our cousin, she is coming for her coins!
The usually lowkey daughter may not be on TikTok (although she has had her own stint of living her best life), but she is ready for her close-up. And it showed in her mom's documentary, Becoming, where she was able to speak life into her mother after watching her on a tour stop. She says to her mom:
"You're so good, I love you too much."
After reiterating how proud she is, she then adds:
"This has demonstrated in a way ... those eight years weren't for nothing. You know? You see that huge crowd out there and that last kind of speech you gave about — people are here because people really believe in hope and hope in other people."
Netflix/Becoming
Another scene cuts to a glimpse of the two sisters discussing what's next for their very famous family. "I'm excited for her to be proud of what she's done," Sasha says in the clip referencing her mom. "Because I think that's the most important thing for a human to do is be proud of themselves."
"No longer facing that same scrutiny, being able to let all of that leave your mind, creates so much more space," says a fearless Malia.
The same was done for dad, who disclosed that over the summer, the two were in "organizer mode" for BLM protests last summer.
"I didn't have to give them a lot of advice because they had a very clear sense of what was right and what was wrong and [of] their own agency and the power of their voice and the need to participate. Malia and Sasha found their own ways to get involved with the demonstrations and activism that you saw with young people this summer, without any prompting from Michelle and myself, on their own initiative. They didn't do it in a way where they were looking for limelight. They were very much in organizer mode, I could not have been prouder of them."
We stan philanthropic, young black ladies who step fully into their purpose!
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As for Glover, the multi-multi-multi-hyphenate is taking his talents to Amazon after having previously worked with FX. The new deal cancels out current deal with FX, where his critically acclaimed series Atlanta, which has been on hiatus since 2018, is set to begin production on seasons three and four in March.
We can't wait to see the brilliance this duo has up their sleeves!
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Featured image via Kamil Krzaczynski/EPA
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While an evolution is a natural progression that happens as businesses grow, a rebrand is a total change. Lola tells xoNecole, "A total rebrand is necessary when a business’s current reputation/what it’s known for is at odds with the business’s vision or direction.
"For example, if you’ve fundamentally changed what your product is and does, it’s likely that your brand is out of alignment with the business. Or, if you find your company is developing a reputation that doesn’t serve it, it might be time to pump the brakes and figure out what needs to change.
She continues, "Sometimes you’ll see companies (especially startups) announce a name change that comes with updated messaging, visuals, etc. That usually means their vision has changed or expanded, and their previous branding was too narrow/couldn’t encompass everything they planned to do."
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The Brand Doula was born in 2019, and its focus is on putting "the experiences, goals, and needs of women of color founders first," as well as brands with "culture-shifting missions."
According to Lola, culture-shifting is "the act of influencing dominant behavior, beliefs, or experiences in a community or group (ideally, for the better)."
"At The Brand Doula, we work with companies and leaders that set out to challenge the status quo in their industries and communities. They’re here to make an impact that sends ripples across the market," she says.
"We help the problem solvers of the world — the ones who aren't satisfied with 'this is how it's always been' and instead ask 'how could this be better?' Our clients build for impact, reimagining tools, systems, and ways of living to move cultures forward."
The Brand Doula has worked with many brands, including Too Collective, to assist with their collaboration with Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty and Balanced Black Girl for a "refresh," aka rebrand. For businesses looking to rebrand, Lola shares four essential steps.
1. Do an audit of your current brand experience — what’s still relevant and what needs to change? Reflect on why you’re doing the rebrand in the first place and what success would look like after relaunching.
2. Tackle the overall strategy first — before you start redesigning logos and websites, align on a new vision for your brand. How do you want your company to be positioned moving forward? Has your audience changed at all? Will your company have a fresh personality and voice?
3. Bring your audience along the journey — there’s no need to move in secret. Inviting your current audience into the journey can actually help them feel more connected to and invested in your story, enough to stick around as changes are being made.
4. Keep business moving — one of my biggest pet peeves is when companies take down their websites as soon as they have the idea to rebrand, then have a Coming Soon page up for months! You lose a lot of momentum and interest by doing that. If you’re still in business and generating income, continue to operate while you work on your rebrand behind the scenes. You don’t want to cut existing customers off out of the blue, and you also don’t want so much downtime that folks forget your business exists or start looking for other solutions.
While determining whether the rebrand was successful may take a few months, Lola says a clear sign that it is unsuccessful is negative feedback from your target audience. "Customers are typically more vocal about what they don’t like more than what they do like," she says.
But some good signs to look out for are improvements in engagement with your marketing, positive reviews, press and increase in retention, and overall feeling aligned with the new branding.
For more information about Lola and The Brand Doula, visit her website, thebranddoula.com.
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