Inspiring Conversations with Milan Zoe

Today we’d like to introduce you to Milan Zoe. Her team shared their story with us below:

Nicknamed “The Olivia Pope of Entertainment”, Milan Zoe is constantly working to elevate the status of the culture both in front and behind the camera. Originally from New York and a proud Alumna of Howard University, Milan began her career in entertainment at BET Networks and worked for the network for five years before stepping away to start her own production company, Laniland Productions.

It was once said that diversity was not needed behind the camera in order to tell the story of diversity in front of the camera. This statement could not be more inaccurate and was the moment that Milan knew that she wanted and more importantly needed to be a producer. To date, Milan has produced everything including but not limited to music videos, commercials, and films. While film and art do maintain entertainment value, Milan’s projects also aim to address social issues as well. She believes that media directly impacts the worlds perception of the unfamiliar and that the preconceived notions consciously and subconsciously formed affect how we all co-exist. Milan is working diligently using her art as a form of activism to change the narrative so that she can ultimately change interracial interactions all over the world. More recently, my Milan has sold a docuseries to NBC about American gentrification with partner Kareem Lawrence and Questlove. Milan is also producing a documentary for Nigerian artist Davido and has just been greenlit to develop a show about female executives in Los Angeles.

Milan has recently invested in a start up company called Film Gear Club which is a subscription-based membership house for artists to be able to have more access to equipment. www.FilmGearClub.com

In the last nine months Milan has opened not 1 but 2 health and wellness spaces in LA. The company is called Melanin+ and was created to help usher in a safe space for minority women to matriculate through their health and wellness journeys. www.MyMelaninPlus.com

Additionally, Milan is the founder of #ChangingTheNarrative, nonprofit that teaches and encourages people of the need to create their own content, tell their own stories, live in their own magic, and determine their own legacy through art and media cultivation. www.ChangingTheNarrative.com

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has absolutely not been an easy road. I have dealt with a lot of things you would anticipate many African American females in this industry and more particularly this city would face. For me, this has looked like people not trusting or respecting my knowledge or experience. I have also dealt with people trying to take advantage of me and entertaining what I am bringing to the table for the wrong reasons like personal gain.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Melanin+, FilmGearClub, and Changing The Narrative?
Melanin+ is a health and wellness space in LA created as a safe space for minority woman to matriculate through their health and wellness journeys. We do facials and waxing but specialize in body sculpting.

Remove Laniland all together since it is not mentioned in the question or you can add Laniland Productions to the question above

Filmgearclub is a subscription-based membership house for filmmakers to have more access to production equipment at an affordable price.

Changing The Narrative, 501c3 is an organization that encourages and empowers people to disrupt the status quo promoting inclusion and social responsibility in art, media, & entertainment.

Contact Info:

• Email: Milan@FilmGearClub.com
• Website: www.MyMelaninPlus.com
• Instagram: @MissMilanZoe