A Conversation with Germany Kent, One of LA’s Most Inspiring People

Today we’d like to introduce you to Germany Kent.

Hi Germany, so excited to have you on the platform. Your quotes are enormously popular with people around the globe and can be found everywhere online.  Before we merge into your work-life, can you share how you got into writing quotes and if you have a favorite quote.

Sure, I started writing quotes in high school.  I was the editor of my school newspaper and always included a quote in the paper and one day I just started writing my own quotes.

My favorite quote is:

“Never underestimate the power you have to take your life in a new direction.”— Germany Kent

Can you bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?

Absolutely. I’m a former pageant girl, so early in life I was privy to traveling the country, public speaking, and being exposed to a lot of other cultures at a young age.  I won “Miss Personality” in an international pageant at the Apollo Theater in New York out of girls from 68 different countries.  For me that is how it all started, being thrust into the spotlight and wanting to leave a mark on the world.  That experience, coupled with the fact that growing up my favorite uncle was best friends with Michael Jordan’s father-in-law during his prime provided me with unique experiences.  Through him, I got to attend a lot of high-profile events, witnessing luxurious lifestyles and being in the company of prominent people in sports and entertainment, which exposed me to a lot and basically was the segway for where I am today.

I also served as a VIP tour guide at Walt Disney World and that made a big impact on my career and how I approach things.  Specifically, it helped to shape my outlook on life and instilled in me a sense of excellence as it relates to having business savvy and providing exceptional customer service.  I went on to graduate from the Disney Institute, which is built on the global success of Disney with time-tested best practices.  Having that on my resume has helped open doors in my career and created possibilities for jobs and collaborations.

Throughout the years, my expertise has driven powerful results and measurable outcomes for communications, branding, and marketing to diverse businesses across different spectrums.  I’ve provided strategic counsel directly to senior executives and provided services for companies ranging from startups to the Fortune 100.

I maintain a clear, creative, strategic, and innovative approach to communications and community engagement, while cultivating a spirit of excellence in everything I pursue.  By default, I am an extravert, ENFP personality type, and have always had excellent business acumen.  It goes without saying that I have broad experience and understanding of all facets of marketing and communication, which has helped tremendously across various disciplines throughout my professional career.

As a media communications professional with insights-led ideas and an entrepreneurial spirit, I excel at creating content-driven tools and brand building directives to communicate with key target markets via owned, earned, paid and shared cross-platform marketing, delivering maximum impact.  My portfolio shows a diverse leader with a profound digital presence, success in consumer and business press execution, thought leadership, print media, marketing and outreach, with the ability to produce results amid an ever-evolving landscape.

I’m no stranger to working in multicultural settings and also in the public eye.  I have served in spokesperson roles for Fortune 500 companies and served as a reporter, anchor and talk show host in Los Angeles, the second-largest media market in the U.S.  I have interviewed more than 200 celebrities including Oscar, Golden Globe, Emmy, Tony, and Grammy-Award winning artists.

To date, I have proven my ability to work well with others and manage strong relationships and partnerships, for example, various roles have afforded me an opportunity to engage with advocacy groups and businesses, local communities, politicians, civil servants, universities, charities, trade associations, unions, think tanks, and high-profile individuals, including celebrities and influencers.

 

Prior to moving to Los Angeles in 2011, I served as the human resources director for Starwood Hotels where I managed corporate communications, public affairs, and crisis-response plans.  Prior to that, I was the director of human resources and a recruiter for MetLife where I handled media relations, marketing strategies, and advanced diversity and inclusion at the firm.

Before making an impact in HR, I worked as a college administrator at the University of Houston, the University of Tennessee Knoxville, the University of Alabama, and Mississippi State University.  In those roles, I provided strategic and creative communications externally and internally, and spearheaded branding, media, marketing and university relations initiatives.

Because I have a strong eye for creating effective compelling content and outcome-oriented messaging, I decided I wanted to switch to focus more on public relations and mass media.  In addition to the highest standards of leadership and various types of media roles (both in front of and behind the camera), my expertise has helped to build brand authority, grow channels (television, radio, podcasts, and social media), and achieve measurable results with outreach, and engagements.

I have also managed programming for radio, television and online media outlets, and have extensive experience assisting in the planning, publicity, and execution of projects and high-level events throughout Los Angeles.

As a public relations executive, I have worked with clients on branding and image consulting, multimedia proficiency in conceptualizing, prioritizing and managing creative content that has been leveraged across a variety of media channels.  I have been widely considered as a trusted media contact for press and media relations forming wide-ranging relationships with local and national press for key stories and also brand awareness.

My background also consists of demonstrated success with news-gathering, show preparation, shooting video and still photographs, multimedia news editing, and content generation.  Additionally, I have been recognized as one of the Top 100 Individuals and Brands in Social Media Marketing and have utilized social media marketing techniques to create a portfolio for high net worth clients and created strategies that beat the market allowing me to be a nationally recognized leader in the field, four consecutive years.

To date, I have led communications efforts to improve and cultivate relations with target demographic markets, often receiving praise for advancing awareness for programs and causes, and for increasing engagements.  I currently sit on several community boards and I’ve been chosen to serve on national panels, task forces, and speak at local to global events.  I’ve been instrumental in leveraging key stakeholders to help organizations and community members engage in more meaningful and authentic ways, and winning the trust of investors to promote and support philanthropic initiatives.

 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?

For the most part, it has been smooth sailing.  The problem for me has always been tailoring it down a bit.  I am a results-oriented person with high esthetic standards so finding passion in the work that I do matters because I want to deliver above and beyond in everything that I do.

As communications, journalism and marketing are all complex, multifaceted industries with changing dynamics, and practices, it is important to have a strategist who is leading the way, constantly keeping up with the times, and one with the awareness, knowledge and courage to promote change.  I’m that person.

This is why I have a strong desire to keep up with the changing landscape and try to educate myself on the latest protocols so that I can be on the cutting edge of new technologies.  I am tech-savvy which helps a lot.  I’ve learned that it is good to go back to school or sign up for online courses, seminars, and conferences to sharpen your skills so that you can stay abreast of what is happening in the industry.  I firmly believe struggles in business come when you are not adaptable or when you become unwilling to hone your craft.

There is still room to grow, always. I am a student of life – always learning, growing, and looking for ways to be proficient in the work that I do.  I have completed post-graduate studies at USC in journalism, as well as organizational change and leadership in preparation of being a master in the field, as a practitioner, pundit, trainer, and mentor.  I also believe struggles may come for some people who are not flexible or those who are not focused on the big picture.

With experience as a former FOX News evening anchor, I know what it’s like to be pitched and understand what news directors and audiences want to see.  As a credible, seasoned, and poised professional with demonstrated experience in assessing multifaceted situations and collaborating across complex organizations, I provide effective communications initiatives for various mediums.

It goes without saying, working in media and entertainment in Los Angeles has afforded me the opportunity to connect and maintain relationships with diverse communities.  Naturally, with broad knowledge in mass media and entertainment, I understand the evolution and inner workings of each industry with an awareness of and enthusiasm for high-quality production and responsiveness to good journalism, public relations, marketing, shooting video and still photographs, multimedia news editing, as well as demonstrated success with news-gathering, content generation, and effective media relations.

I believe you must stay focused and passionate about what you are working on, at every level.  Some of the lessons I’ve learned along the way really boil down to three things: Being multi-skilled, staying relevant, and adding value.  As long as you are passionate about what you are doing, and you’re at the top of your game, the road will continue to be smooth because you are giving to the world the best that you have.

 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?

I love being a media personality, entrepreneur and content creator.  I am a high-energy collaborator bursting with ideas and the drive to turn them into great stories.  I am the founder and CEO of Star Stone Press Media Group (SSPMG), an award-winning public relations and image consulting agency with niches in VIP branding, media relations, events coverage, production, book publishing, and publicity.

With a wealth of experience creating exclusive content and brand development, coupled with a long history of working with luminaries, authors, actors, top nonprofits, and reputable corporations, we pride ourselves on being a premier image-consulting firm.  With the know-how to creative strategic messaging, our agency is equipped to develop marketing strategies and execute measurable deliverables designed to help with media, public relations, publishing, production, and branding goals.

We have the resources, connections and expertise to take brands to the next level.  We are brand strategists and bridge builders, networkers, thought leaders and change agents.  Bringing expertise across traditional print and broadcast media, tech, hospitality, fashion and the world of entertainment, we are also a diverse group of power players dedicated to strategic communications, reputation management, and excellence in storytelling for our clients.

In addition to managing media for my own company, I most recently worked behind the scenes as the chief media and public relations officer at Najah Roberts.com and Crypto Blockchain Plug Inc.  I executed branding and marketing initiatives and also secured celebrity endorsements and top media placements for the Najah Roberts branches including the Black Wall Street, a collaborative effort with New York Times bestselling author and actor Hill Harper.

Recently, I managed the line producer for a syndicated radio show on Tavis Smiley’s KBLA 1580 Talk Radio, overseeing content research, media and press.  I have also gained first-hand experience as a field producer at PopSource TV, as a podcast host for Women of Prominence and other shows, and as a radio personality at KTYM radio station, working in collaboration with artists, performers and other program contributors, moderating discussions on topics such as current events, conversing with callers, assisting with promotional activities, making promotional appearances as well as hosting live events.

Presently, I still work as a freelance journalist covering news and entertainment.  As a journalist, I am not afraid to head out into the field and break the big stories, while working under intense deadlines.  For my coverage of the Thousand Oaks (Borderline Bar & Grill) massacre, I won a national Sigma Delta Chi Award in 2019 from the Society of Professional Journalists for deadline reporting for a piece that I shot, edited, produced and published.  For comparison, the affiliated outlet that won in the same category was the Los Angeles Times.

As a writer, I’m happy to say that my work has been featured in a variety of publications such as Forbes, Inc., Parade, Bloomberg Business, Yahoo, HuffPost, MSN, Reader’s Digest, Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, and Fast Company, to name a few.

I am honored and humbled to have received worldwide attention as a wise wordsmith, and to be quoted by businesses, and cited by newspaper and magazine editors, bloggers, educators and industry leaders from all walks of life.

I strongly believe that a major factor in my success lies in the combination of experience in front-line press, spokesperson roles, as a reporter, anchor, host, media pundit as well as a producer, which all collectively have pushed me to new levels and shaped me into the person that I am today.

At the end of the day, my greatest joy comes in motivating and empowering other people.  I want to help others live as close to their unique potential as possible. I aspire to inspire people daily and truly believe what sets me apart from my peers is my commitment to volunteerism and philanthropy.

I am grateful that my work as a humanitarian has been widely recognized so that it may inspire others to embrace giving back in their respective communities.  Above all else, I want to be known as a person who made an impact in her community and helped to make a difference in the lives of others throughout the world.

Another one of my favorite quotes is “If you’re not reaching back to help anyone, then you’re not building a legacy.”

One thing that I am most proud of in my line of work is being named by the Los Angeles Business Journal’s Women’s Council as one of their Powerful Women Making A Difference in Los Angeles.

I want to continue to do work that inspires, motivates, educates and empowers others here in the Southland and beyond.

Contact Info:

• • Website: https://about.me/germanykent
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/germanykent
  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/germanykent
  • Other: https://expertfile.com/experts/germany.kent/germany-kent