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Meet Ursulline Okonkwo of UrsullineTV

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Ursulline Okonkwo.

Ursulline, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
So I moved to Los Angeles in 2011 with a few remnants of the sparkle and dust from my recently retired pageant days and less than $300 to my name. It was in the middle of an unexpected recession that left me and several of my college peers out of real viable job opportunities directly after graduation. I was also still lingering off of the effects of strict Nigerian parents whose desire was to have their children work (their versions) of a “suitable” job directly out of college. My Global Business and Financial Management degree wasn’t really having employers knocking on my door so I went directly into sales opportunities that I could find because, well, that was honestly all that was available for recent grads at the time. This eventually led me to a series of terrible attempts to sell technology that I could barely understand and into the world of TV hosting.

I remember seeing a mutual pageant girl on Facebook who had friend requested me taking lots of videos and pictures of herself on red carpets and junkets or exciting events while talking to the camera but I had no idea what to call what she was doing I just knew it looked exciting. So I messaged her and she agreed to meet up for dinner and in that dinner conversation I learned what I needed to do to get started on what has been an exciting ride cultivating a presence as an Entertainment and TV Host.

I’m still in the middle of my journey doing red carpet interviews, booking fun campaigns, creating and producing my own YouTube series all while vying to work for Access Hollywood or any large network as a TV Correspondent. I have aspirations to write a book about my crazy journey here and want to use my presence as a Host to inspire young girls and women of color to always believe in themselves and their dreams. I’ll be utilizing my platform to make large charitable efforts that I’ll create to help individuals and families who find themselves in temporary tough times.

My mission is to start a charity house and foundation where people who are middle class or in between work can have access to resources that can help them while they are in between jobs. The united states as it stands now only provides emergency assistance to individuals who make $0 or who are homeless on the streets. However there are no established programs in place for people who are in between work and just need assistance until they get to the next established set-up.

Unemployment Insurance is not something that is a viable option for a lot of individuals and families and with my foundation, it would provide access to organizations and resources to help support these efforts.

Has it been a smooth road?
It absolutely has not been a smooth road! In the first six months of moving to Los Angeles four of those months I slept in my car until I could come up with funds to get into my first LA apartment. With my career it’s a constant hustle but with more and more of the connections I make I’m getting close to landing at a large network soon and I’m so excited already for how my story will unfold and how I’ll get to tell it.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with UrsullineTV – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
I specialize in covering social good stories about celebrities. I started a YouTube series called Celebs That Give A Bleep! They are one minute cheeky bite-sized videos where I cover the topic of a celeb doing something and giving a (bleep) about the world!

My style of hosting is very conversational. I have been hosting for seven years and have trained as a host in many different styles and I will say that getting more comfortable in front of the camera means I’m more comfortable with myself and the conversations I have with everyday normal people so it’s made communicating on camera much more easier over the years.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love the fact that ANYTHING and I mean ANYTHING is possible in this city of dreams. Just when you think an opportunity, a connection, a product, a discovery is impossible or could not possibly happen, this is the one city in the world where that one idea could actually turn into fruition.

I think having a sense of community in this city can be hard and making as many connections as possible is more of an effort than most cities because LA is so spread out. Either we’re all mostly in our city bubbles or in our cars so there are some missed connections that aren’t being made. All in all I wouldn’t have it any other way, I love LA!!

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