Meet Jenile Brooks of MOXIE in Mid City

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenile Brooks.

Jenile, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Where does my story begin? Was it when I started my TV career at Nickelodeon, or when I became a mom? Was it when I started parenting consciously or when I was a kid in predominantly white private schools? I can’t say for sure when the moment was that I realized Black children are socialized to believe they are less valuable than others, but it is that realization and the will to transform it that has gotten me to where I am today. Just like there is a Black experience in this country tainted by racism, injustice and social inequity, so is the Black experience of childhood, and I want to change that.

I’m a mom to a three years old boy. I’m a seasoned TV producer with over a decade of experience producing and developing content for TV and films. I’m also a certified coach that works with parents to deconstruct their opinions and approaches to parenting that are more deeply rooted in fear than in love.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I discovered in college that I wasn’t the type of person who was going to follow a traditional path. But the rebellious spirit in me that rejects following predefined steps is the same spirit that was intrigued by so many things in life! My biggest struggle has always been about finding balance between focus and curiosity. I made a lot of lateral moves early on in my career as a producer as I found interest in different types of content that didn’t always equate to more money or power, which was the only way I knew to define success at the time. I even moved to my hometown, Detroit, MI to start a food venture and take part in the city’s resurgence. I would watch as friends rose quickly through the ranks of corporate life and it repeatedly caused me to question my choices and my instincts. I doubted myself. I left my startup. I shrank in many ways just due to uncertainty. That’s the worst kind of struggle – when it’s internal. My twenties were a vicious cycle of me vs. me.

MOXIE – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I started MOXIE because I saw a complete whitespace in mainstream children’s entertainment that has been slow to embrace the social and developmental needs of all kids.

MOXIE is the first children’s network with an expressed mission to make inclusive children’s TV. While every other network has an upwards of 95% animated content and more animal, monster and robot characters than Black or brown kids, our goal is to celebrate racial and social diversity on screen, focusing on real kids and real life. We do this by licensing and creating authentic original series and books for kids 0-13 years old. These critical years of identity development and social and emotional growth are the most important to help kids become resilient and resistant to bias and to keep the fire of curiosity, courage and compassion alive within.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I used to define success in terms of money, titles and power. I would measure my chances at success in terms of effort and productivity. Now, I believe the tangible things we want are a natural consequence of a moment-by-moment honoring of ourselves, which makes success a relentless commitment and pursuit of the vision you hold of you.

I ask myself more often now, “am I staying true to me?” Sometimes that looks like a power session that goes well through the night, but other times it looks like rest. In either case, when I’m fulfilling on what I need at the time, it’s life-giving and fuels my passion for this work. There’s no success in getting to a certain point in life drained and depleted.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.moxiekids.co
• Phone: 213-326-9934
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/moxiekidsco
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/moxiekidsco
• Other: www.instagram.com/jenilebrooks

Image Credit:
Leah Lee

Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.