Quick Question
Nobody was blogging on Instagram because they saw no need for that, and they were wrong.
Since its launch in 2014,The Shade Roomhas become the No.
1 destination for all things Black culture, celebrity gossip, and entertainment news.
It really was just like an experiment, she says.
I had no idea it would become this.
TSR outranks media giants like E!
Nwandu credits the publications meteoric climb to its dedicated base, whom she calls roommates.
That term came from one of her earliest loyalists I think she was follower No.
5, the Los Angeles native recalls because the visitors live in TSR with their round-the-clock engagement.
They also often direct the days coverage with the tips and scoops they submit.
I wanted that too.
I wanted 24-hour news [and] I wanted it on social media…
I wanted everything short and digestible [with] picture first content.
Shes now preparing to add her love of scriptwriting back to her day-to-day with her second film,Juju.
(In 2018, she co-wrote the award-winning filmNight Comes On, starring Dominique Fishback.)
I ended up experiencing a lot of physical and sexual abuse it was a tough time.
It took me a long time to be proud of my story.
To say, Look, this aint my fault.
This is not embarrassing, and to walk in victory.
I was in foster care until I was 18, then I went to Loyola Marymount University.
And the struggles didnt end there.
I graduated with a 2.8 GPA, was unemployed, and bombed all graduate school standardized exams.
I was in a place where I had nothing.
I even got denied from working at Pinkberry.
And I failed at my first business venture, Jujus Closet, an online boutique shop.
I had nothing left.
What inspired your journey into filmmaking?
Writing was my first love.
I was trying to break into filmmaking right before The Shade Room took off.
I ended up writingNights Comes OnwithOzarks Jordana Spiro.
The movie did well.
Speaking ofJuju,what is it about, and when can we expect to see it?
Theyre met with consequences along the way.
As the age-old story goes, what you want isnt what you need.
The idea came from my much-hated high school experience.
The project is still in development at Universal Pictures; we dont have a release date yet.
How do you balance working onJujus script and running your digital publication full time?
Writing the script has been the most challenging.
Recently, the project team added another writer to rework the script, which helped.
Whats the key ingredient?
Delegation is the most important thing.
Then, you have to show up.
When you lead a company, its so easy to back out.
But your team needs you to be present even if youre not feeling inspired.
Whats in your soul/self-care toolkit, and what have been the best ways youve prioritized wellness?
There were years when I didnt take a vacation.
But as time moved on, I began listening to my body more.
(And I do recognize that this is a privilege.)
During that time, I typically travel and do nothing.
Decompressing is so important.
If you dont care for yourself, how can you show up for anyone else?
You shouldnt wait until youre empty because once youre empty, thats when you burn out.
And once youre burned out, you lose your passion.
Once you lose your passion, what kind of business are you building?
Im going to take a weekend off every month and go somewhere new.
It could be a road trip an hour away or across the country.
What can we expect from TSR in the future?
A lot of programming content.
Were going hard on YouTube now.
Ourfirst interview showgot 2 million views.
Were also developing more verticals, perhaps fashion and food.
Weve been getting more into political coverage and investigative reporting.
I feel like our stories are monopolized by big media companies, and none of them are Black owned.
What would you tell someone thinking about breaking into your industry or self-starting?
Figure out what your need is and what you feel is missing from the media.
When youre doing something that the market doesnt have, it can be scary.
For The Shade Room, the idea all started because of what I wanted from social media.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Dont spend too much time worrying about the future.
Even now, thatd be the advice Ill give myself.
I still spend an ungodly amount of time worrying about the next 10 years.
Like, whats the business going to look like?
Look at how it looks now.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
This article was originally published onSep.
