Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Hampton.
Articulate and confident and born to lead, as a child Lauren had a simple purpose and a special gift that would one day change the world. Lauren’s desire is to help others, be sensitive, empathetic and patient to those in need. Lauren always had a determined giving nature and self-confidence about herself that far exceeds her age. Her personality exudes strength, beauty, integrity and selflessness that creates a strong connection where people are eager to work with her.
As an Alumni of the illustrious Clark Atlanta University located in Atlanta, GA and with a degree in Mass Media Arts: Speech Communications, it’s always been Lauren’s passion to impact the world by creating intelligent, positive & thought-provoking content on all platforms, on and off camera. Lauren is currently an experienced Television producer and within the past year has been newly named Video Director/Producer where she produces and directs on a digital platform in conjunction with ELLE Magazine’s Elle.com. Lauren resides in Los Angeles, California and launched her career working as a Researcher at The Dr. Phil Show. Lauren has produced some of your favorite Emmy Award WINNING and Nominated Daytime Talk shows such as The Dr. Phil Show, Judge Judy, Divorce Court, TMZ Live, Paternity Court, Couples Court and The Real. Lauren has a very extensive resume, she’s produced everything from game shows to live award shows and even singing competition shows like FOX’s -The Masked Singer: Season 1 & currently filming season 2, Lip Sync Battle Shorties, Game Show Network’s America Says: Season 3, Nickelodeon’s Kids Choice Awards and Teen Choice Awards just to name a few.
When people ask me how I got my start, I always preach the gospel of how important it is to make the connection and network because it’s all in WHO you know. I started off as a promotions intern for T.I.’s record label “Grand Hustle” my sophomore year in college. While others were thinking, “why are you already interning as sophomore; when you don’t get college credit?” My plan was to build connections with people within all genres of the entertainment industry. I then moved on to BET Networks and partnered with the Corporate Communications team working as a Public Relations Red Carpet Assistant for all of their award shows. While interning at BET, I was able to network with an Atlanta radio personality, he invited me on his show for a spring break college segment and from there I started interning for Atlanta’s #1 radio station in Atlanta v-103. From v-103 I began networking with several publicists and artist managers. I was also extremely active on my college campus, I served as Promotions Director of my school’s radio station WSTU Radio and was responsible for coordinating meet and greets with a plethora of celebrities in and outside of Atlanta. I started to build my contacts at the radio station with the effort of creating an experience for the student body on campus.
From there, I was granted an internship with Radio One Atlanta which allowed me tap into my true calling. At Radio One, I was asked to create a vision board and to this day I still stand firm on the belief of setting goals and the biblical reference behind it “Then the LORD answered me and said: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it.”Habakkuk 2:2 NKJV.
My goal was to become familiar with all aspects of media not just one outlet, that’s why I had so many different internships to make sure I was well rounded in the business. You should know that NONE of the internships were paid however it was all worth it.
Speaking of well rounded, my degree is actually in Speech Communications which opened so many doors. I’ve always said that’s what’s most unique about my journey, I chose a major that wouldn’t limit my career path . ( I started off as a Theater Arts major and made the switch my junior year of college). From Radio One, I continued to freelance with BET just to stay in the mix and meet industry executives that could potentially bless me with my next big break, it also served as motivation to see people that looked like me and successfully doing what I’ve always dreamed of one day doing, producing! When I graduated Clark Atlanta University in 2012, I was determined to land a career my field and gave myself no longer than a year to do so. After graduation I was still working retail at The Coach store at Phipps Plaza, a very high-end mall in Atlanta, however I had no intention on making that a permanent career path. I started assisting an alumni of my school with her PR company that worked very closely with the company Proctor and Gamble in conjunction with The My Black is Beautiful Tour. I was hands-on and saw every opportunity to network with some amazing deep routed industry executives that represented clients in all aspects of the media realm. In fact, that leads me to my next major gig. My dream was to move to California post-college to ultimately work in television production to one day become a producer and eventually a mogul like Oprah Winfrey (my idol). A classmate of mine put me in contact with an Executive Producer of a talk show that she was currently in production with who was looking for recommendations for someone who was interested in relocating to California for a pilot show called “The Test”. The Executive Producer contacted me while I was working my shift at The Coach store. I ended up taking a skype interview in the stock room of the store and within a week I was quitting my retail job, booked my one way flight and moving to California with $500, talk about determined. The show “The Test” was Executively produced by Dr. Phil’s son and was filmed at Paramount Studios. I was so excited that my dreams were starting to come true. But it didn’t stop there. The show “The Test” was only a 4-month gig but that didn’t frighten me one bit, even though it was only four months I knew I had to work my way up if I wanted to stay longer than the allotted four months. Within two months of working I was asked to interview for an open position at the Dr. Phil Show, I landed a job within a job and was a hired as a Researcher. Within three months, I was promoted to Associate Producer. Since then, my career has skyrocketed far beyond my wildest dreams.
Lauren is a member of The Producers Guild of America and is multi-faceted in the communications arena. Lauren admires the guru of all things television, Oprah Winfrey and is often told by her friends that she’s the NEXT Oprah of television. With these skill sets, it is Lauren’s ultimate goal to become the CEO and Executive Producer of her own television network. Over the years, Lauren’s educational experience has allowed her to identify that success does not equal happiness unless there is a deeper meaning attached to it. Lauren truly believes that Networking is a lifestyle not a full-time job, build the relationship first and allow your creative juices to organically flow. No matter how challenging it gets and as Lauren continues to reach greater heights, she still stand firm on Clark Atlanta University’s motto “I’ll find a way or make one.”
Has it been a smooth road?
I believe that everything you do comes with a challenge, that to me is the beauty of it all. I’ve had to face many roadblocks and I’ve been told NO more than once but I’ve learned that you must have INTEGRITY!
If you didn’t know, the world of production is extremely fickle. I’m considered a freelance producer which affords me the opportunity to bounce around and work on several projects at a time. Sometimes it could be a contracted gig where I’ll be on a project for six months and sometimes a project could be for two days. I’ve been blessed to work year-round and no day is ever the same. I don’t like to dwell on the negative or go into much detail about some of the dark experiences that I’ve endured while on set, but I’m always grateful for the lessons that have encouraged me to keep going and my faith grows stronger with each experience.
What else should our readers know?
I’m known for producing colorful thought-provoking content on both digital and TV platforms. I’m in the process of releasing a “How to” production bible that will serve as a guide to those that are eager to break into the world of television production. I can wait for the world to see all that I have in store creatively, this is only the beginning.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I’ve been blessed to be in rooms and meetings with some of media’s most innovative and creative risk takers. I see myself collaborating with some of those heavy hitters that I’ve had the opportunity to rub shoulders with in those same rooms. By God’s grace and divine timing, I know that I’m destined to become a household name and allow my work to speak for itself.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @la_hampton
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenahampton/
Image Credit:
Lauren Hampton on set in PRODUCER MODE.
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