Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiffani Rooney
Hi Tiffani, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in a very homogenous neighborhood in Long Island, NY where everyone had an unnecessary sense of entitlement. Growing up, I was always trying to balance who I wanted to be vs. how people saw me. This was always tough because I never felt like I fit into a specific category.
My school environment was much different than my home environment. Not in terms of wealth or affluence but in the sense that there was a very obvious gap in cultures and societal norms. For example, everyone else’s dad worked in finance, and mine worked with the biggest pop stars in the world. In addition to that, my mom was raised in Brooklyn, and my dad was raised in Queens. So I guess you could say I had a little more flavor than the average suburban black girl!
I had always felt isolated because I couldn’t relate to anyone. But now I’m *somewhat* relieved to know that I’m not alone. For years, I would spend my time going on pop culture deep dives because I wanted to see more people that looked and acted like me in media. As the only black girl in my graduating class, obviously that was not something I would come by everyday. I looked up to people like Raven Baxter from That’s so Raven, Scary Spice from the Spice Girls, Downtown Julie Brown from MTV, and even Zoe Kravitz!
Once I moved to Los Angeles, I realized that there were so many other people out there who were interested in the same niche things that I was!
This eventually led me to create my brand Elite Urbanite where I am constantly inspired to share all things “eclectic & culturally aware”. My goal with Elite Urbanite, is to continue to build a platform that allows me to speak on my personal experiences and interests all while bringing comfort and relatability to others along the way through events, music, & pop culture!
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?
Truthfully, I feel at times I am my own worst critic and my greatest obstacle. I am very hard on myself. Just because there’s SO many people in this world, so who am I to assume that I would make a difference?
However, every time I finally let go and let the universe do it’s thing — everything ends up going as planned!
For example with my monthly event “The Friendly Function”, I spent months ideating and trying to perfect every detail. But once I locked in the venue and officially had a deadline, I had to force myself to finally let go and say F it!
Another example of this is when I started recording videos for TikTok & Instagram. The internet can be so cruel! So I had quite a lot of anxiety about posting myself on the internet, however the reception has been so lovely that it has actually motivated me to keep going!
We’ve been impressed with Elite Urbanite, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Elite Urbanite is a multifaceted media brand that I have used my personal and professional life experiences to help create.
In my day-to-day life I actually am a project manager, working specifically in the digital marketing space (formally at AT&T). Prior to that, my entire work background can all be attributed to working in television & entertainment. I have been lucky enough to work on some of the most popular reality TV shows of all time; such as Keeping Up with the Kardashians, The Real Housewives of Miami, Married to Medicine, The Challenge, and many others!
But even prior to that, I’ve spent my entire life surrounded by music and pop culture due to my father’s work as a Grammy Award winning producer and former VP at Sony Music. He has worked with the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Destiny’s Child, Michael Jackson, Mary J. Blige, El Debarge… the list goes on. Even his parents were involved in music — my grandparents were in a musical group in the 1960’s called The Exciters, they actually toured with The Beatles! So it’s safe to say a career in music & entertainment was written in the stars for me.
Despite my family’s major successes, I have began to carve out my own lane with Elite Urbanite. Luckily my experience in entertainment, both professional and personal, gives me quite a lot of credibility to discuss trending topics and provide my expertise as a cultural tastemaker. I have done this through various forms of media such as podcasts, blogs, playlists, reviews, interviews, and most recently community events!
I am also always looking to highlight up and coming eclectic artists by either reviewing their music, featuring their songs on a playlist, or even having them perform at one of my events! I truly am a strong believer in supporting one another to achieve greatness!
My current event, “The Friendly Function” is one of the many outlets where I do this! Each month, I host a monthly game night in DTLA for creatives and like-minded individuals. Making friends in Los Angeles can be very difficult, so a game night is the perfect way to break the ice and make some new friends! I am working on a few other events, so be on the lookout for those at the top of the year as well!
Another outlet where I enjoy expressing my interests is through my monthly playlist, Elite Urbanite Radio. What started out as a monthly radio show, turned into a monthly curated playlist based on whatever I’m feeling that month!
I was previously using the Spotify Talk + Music function to post my radio show, however I must’ve been in the minority because they took it away! Sigh. Thankfully, TikTok has given me another outlet to post my music & pop culture opinions, but it doesn’t seem like that will be around much longer either! Luckily, I’ve got even more media plans slated for 2025!
Once life calms down a bit, I also hope to get back into DJ’ing (but don’t hold your breath with that one lol.)
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
As mentioned, learning to let go has been the most important lesson! I am a constant over-thinker and perfectionist almost to a fault. It has held me back from putting myself out there many times. Everything I’ve created through Elite Urbanite has been very well received, so part of me feels like I wasted so much time being overly critical to myself!
Building Elite Urbanite has taught me to lighten up on myself, and to also learn to easily pivot when something doesn’t go as planned. It’s not the end of the world!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.eliteurbanite.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eliteurbanite
