We’re looking forward to introducing you to Evan Jackson. Check out our conversation below.
Evan, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What are you chasing, and what would happen if you stopped?
I feel I’m chasing a lot less the I have in the past and nowadays I’m all about living in the moment. Being a journalist especially in the world of entertainment news it’s 24/7 non-stop, constant overstimulation. On top of that running my own entertainment media news company with Young Bold Regal I have to discern what my audience sees. So living in the moment allows me to slow everything down. Enjoy it more but also have a keen eye on what’s important.
Even if I want to stop storytelling I couldn’t, I wouldn’t! It’s in me to continue to frame the best stories, take them and share them. That’s my purpose, so be it through my camera lens, through Young Bold And Regal or any avenue I’m going to continue.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
In 2013 I was in an interesting crossroads in my life. I had already been out of college two years and getting comfortable becoming a journalist, having split my time interning at Pasadena Magazine & LA Confidential magazine while putting the free in freelance writing for online publications. But I grew restless and almost like Neo in the Matrix I had to make a choice. Do I continue to grow within a company slowly in a traditional way or do I take a chance on myself and develop my own publication? I chose the latter and broke out of my own matrix of being comfortable. So in August of 2013 I started my publication Young Bold And Regal. For me it started out as a blog and meant the world to me that I controlled, owned and operated my journalistic career.
I soon discovered I needed a brand identity when it came to Young Bold And Regal and I wanted to highlight Black women in the fields of the arts, entertainment and entrepreneurship. I wanted to be on the foundational level of discovering the newest and brightest talent Hollywood had to offer. With a special emphasis on Black women too, I didn’t see the representation I wanted of them in publications on newsstands or online. So I took it upon myself to champion them and frame their stories giving them a platform to also tell their own stories. Through the years and in 2015 I expanded the main focal point to be about Black women and women of color.
I always say Black women are the centerpiece of Young Bold And Regal but not the only piece. As we’ve interviewed and featured an assortment of people.
In 2015 as well I started the Young Bold And Regal YouTube channel. Fast forward now, we have over 15 million views. And have done such milestones such as interviewing Angela Bassett, Jamie Foxx, Reese Witherspoon, Viola Davis, Eva Longoria and many more iconic figures. Garnering a team during that time and throughout has allowed me to have on air correspondents who gave the same amount of care and attention to detail as I did.
We have expanded the Young Bold And Regal brand to included a management department where we manage talent in the entertainment industry. Positioning our clients with the best opportunities to be seen and align their brand with their overall goals.
This fall Young Bold And Regal is launching a film and television department where we will develop original films, original tv programs, original content as well as acquiring projects to be distributed and theatricality released.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
My mom is originally from Belize in Central America. As a teenager she came to live in the United States. Prior to that for a time she did not see her mom, as my grandma was establishing herself in America and preparing for my mom to join her.
One day I asked my mom the penultimate question, something I myself think about often. I asked her, “What was the moment you felt like you ‘made it’?”. I think about that question so much for myself and others. Almost like a test of success. How one sees themselves or their life moments through other eyes.
And my mom is very successful. Owning her own home, first one in her family to graduate from college in America, and -before she retired- being a nurse of over 40 years. And of course raising my two sisters and I.
My mom said she knew she had made it when she stepped off the airplane for the first time in America and saw her mom after she had not seen her for a while. I was like wow!! That amount of sacrifice from my grandma and my mom so my siblings and I can have the future & opportunities we do is, to me, the greatest story ever told. It keeps me humble, hopeful and grateful. And honestly powers me to hear more stories. Not only like my mom’s but stories that shape people’s lives. Leaving indelible marks.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
I had hit a real dry patch in developing Young Bold And Regal about five years in. I had grown frustrated with the lack of access to the bigger events. So had quietly said to myself that the next event I goto would be my last. I had gone to a LA screening of “Sorry To Bother You” presented by the Sundance Film Festival. So energized by seeing Tessa Thompson, icons like Danny Glover I was wowed and felt good about this being my last event. After the film I decided to stay for the after party and I had bumped into Jhené Aiko. And finally deciding to leave a friend of mine who was at the premeire acknowledged the work I did with Young Bold And Regal and encouraged me to keep going. All of those moments combined with the joy of me being there I decided I couldn’t walk away. So I vowed to never quit, I could even slow down but I have to give myself a chance to win.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
“You have to wait your turn.”
Especially in the entertainment industry you have to make your own breaks. Look at the success of Jordan Peele with “Get Out” and winning an Oscar for his work. Or the very much recent success of Zack Cregger, filmmaker and writer of “Weapons” and it becoming the number on movie in the country.
Hollywood rewards those who make their own breaks, develop their own projects and presents them in a creative way.
When I first started Young Bold And Regal nobody would interview with me and I would constantly get rejected for award shows. So I wrote the best recaps of those award shows possible to make my work undeniable. And I would pitch the main organizer of the award shows myself to show them what they were missing out on if they didn’t have me on the red carpet. And it worked! I’m politely persistent and I’m always optimistic because I know the worth I bring to the opportunity. That mentality has served me well.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. When do you feel most at peace?
I love listening to a good story. Hearing people’s story, watching films, watching documentaries, it all just puts me at ease. Constantly working, what puts me at ease is taking in the stories and finding the origin of them.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.youngboldandregal.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/youngboldandregal?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-jackson-64254b122
- Twitter: https://x.com/youngboldregal?s=21
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/youngboldregal?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@youngboldandregal?si=yc_EjiHktHfkF9lG
- Other: Tik tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bowtiebandit?_t=ZT-8ymfRNbj9NG&_r=1
