Meet Miyoshi Price

Today we’d like to introduce you to Miyoshi Price.

Hi Miyoshi, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My story has not always been straightforward. I have seen my fair share of challenges. The difference is that now, I know I am supposed to be here.

I graduated from Crenshaw High School in 2011, ready to go to college so I could immediately make the big bucks. That is what my mother told me when I was transitioning to college. She ensured that I knew I was fabulous and mediocrity was a sin in our household. Haha, I know that was not in the bible, but she said it ALL THE TIME. I had no desire to be average, but sometimes, your girl did not feel great. So I had to learn how to fake it while afraid.

I got good at it, and people would say, “you got it made.” You make it look easy! But deep down, I was praying for God to show me how he wanted me to be and what he wanted me to become. At that moment, I heard my mother’s voice. You can do all things through Christ, who strengthens you. I started to go hard! While in high school, I joined every club I possibly could. I played basketball and volleyball, and I ran track. I worked with my Councilmember because I knew that I would be in public service somehow, so I wanted to perfect my skills in being able to speak about uncomfortable things. I began to develop an even deeper love for giving back and being a resource for my community. I began to feel great because I was focused on God’s purpose for my life. I do not mean to Jesus you all to death, but God opened doors I was too afraid to walk through but somehow I was curious about how far in life I could go, so I continued taking a leap of faith. Don’t forget, I worked hard as well.

I had to develop discipline and an understanding that I might lose my motivation but my consistency will keep me at my best. So I went to university with that mindset. I accepted my early admission to the University of California Santa Barbara and declared that I wanted to be a Film and Media studies major. After the two years of prerequisites, I finally started taking the classes for my major and I was a little salty. I don’t regret my college journey but studying the theories of film history was not in my future. I started something and was already so deep in the process that I had to keep going and finish what I started. Also, I was too afraid to start over. Not another 2.5 years here!!! FEAR was alive and well in my journey. I can have every cheerleader, but that saying, “you can be your worst critic” was so true in my life. I could champion my friends, my family, and the young girls I mentored but for some reason, I was so hard on myself. I learned that ultimately, I never wanted to let any of my supporters down.

I AM NOT SELF-MADE. By the grace of God, I have a village most significant encouraging, reminding, and pushing me to see my greatest potential.

But back to my college journey, I was unsure what I would change too, but I knew with my degree, I would be able to get to wherever I wanted to be. So I continued with the major and started joining clubs that would sharpen my camera skills. And In that, I knew that I wanted to be in media, maybe not film but something in media because creating stories and telling stories became my thing.

Skip some years, yes, I worked for free. Yes, I work jobs but I quickly started applying where my potential needed to be seen. I began working for the National Football League Network (N.F.L. Network), and that Is when my life burst into possibilities. I always tell people to try to get into those environments that will test you while at the same time can make you smile. Like, “Okay, look at me, killing it.” I had the opportunity to work with one of the biggest brands in the world and rub shoulders with some G.O.A.T.S. This period in my life was my learn and absorb period in life. I was now an adult and I had to take charge of my life and make moments count. I got to know many execs and television talent because those positions and responsibilities excited me. I dressed up, sharp every day, and even though I was working in the Graphics department, I made it known that I meant business no matter the department or title. I was happy to roll up my sleeves and dive in. I got great at my role, and when you are great at what you do and people like you, you can build genuine relationships. So my boss started introducing me to people who would teach me new skills.

I admired the work that one of the Vice Presidents was doing, and I asked to join. While joining his team, I created funding opportunities for some of my childhood community businesses with the N.F.L. God is good!!! Am I nervous about speaking up at that table? Absolutely! But my mother always told me I was fabulous, that mediocrity was a sin, and that I had no desire to be average. My time with the NFL is definitely going to be one for the books. I will never forget how incredible it was to be in that space.

I knew It was time for me to spread my wings, so I resigned on a high note where everyone I have ever worked with wanted to write me a recommendation. It felt good to have done something like that with one of the biggest brands in the world, but I was no longer afraid anymore; I knew what I wanted to be… A Television Journalist.

Yes, I would cover red carpets, go to premieres, and develop news packages while working all those years but I did not sit down and go hard at getting a job with a station. So on my birthday, I sat down, prayed, and asked God to give me FAVOR because I was about to take a leap of faith. I applied to tons of stations, and I just knew I would end up in the middle of nowhere, BUT GOD. I was granted the position as a Multimedia Journalist for my first choice in California. I am Miyoshi Price, A News Reporter for K.E.S.Q. News Channel 3, The Deserts News Leader.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Honestly, my biggest obstacle was me. I would let fear stop me from growing. I would judge myself too harshly. I was never the person that cared about what other folks said about me per se, but at the same time, I did not want them to say bad things so I would work myself to death. That was a war within me. I had to really commit to self-care and self-preservation. I had to hold myself in high regard and not just hear it from family and friends. That was my biggest obstacle.

Now, my career obstacle is attempting to be a journalist and having excruciating acne, and allowing my insecurities to hold me back. Yes, I could’ve started this career a long time ago but I was not secure enough to go on television. Now that I am in it, low-key, I think I made a good decision because people can be mean on social media when you don’t look how they want you to look. Now, I don’t care what they say but then, I knew I had to make some tough financial decisions if I ever wanted to confidently go on screen. At one period in my life, for an entire year, I did not buy new clothes, or shoes, I did not go out, I saved every dime for my dermatology appointments and medicine. I don’t know about you but I did not have insurance and I was paying almost $1000 a month on medical services, facials, and every face treatment you can think of for acne and scarring. And honestly, it worked for a year and came back: not as bad though. Just like everyone else, I had to pay my bills and eat. In my head I had to fit “the standard” and that was the only way I could succeed and get a journalist job, I desperately needed clear skin. I was extremely insecure about it. Some days, I did not eat but your girl knew, she NEEDED that medicine and treatments. I also knew I didn’t want bad credit. I did not ever want late payments. So I worked two full-time jobs and I was a bartender at The American Legion on Slauson. I would wake up one day and come home to sleep the next and wake up in a few hours to do it all over again.

I was so frail. I was so tired. I was ready to give it all up but I said to myself, If I sacrifice this one year, it will prepare me for the rest of my life. No, I would never tell you to do what I did. I would just say ASK FOR HELP. PEOPLE! You might find some folks that genuinely want to help you. But I was too prideful, I did not want people to think I did not have it all together. That was a problem I had. It almost killed me but I am thankful I made it to the other side because now, I think about how I treat myself. I know what hell feels like. I know what sleeping in your car feels like, but we are not going to go there because again pride will have you in some places you have no business being in. But God granted me favor in my darkest moments when people just start helping just because. And help is not always financial. I learned a lot from my struggles but I also learned that I created some of them. Be careful how you treat yourself.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I love the career I am in today! I am not stuck at a desk. I am always out and about. I have the privilege of meeting all kinds of people and sharing stories and information for thousands to see and hear. Every day I have the opportunity to get better and tell a new story.

It is about to sound extremely stressful but It makes me so happy to know I was chosen to do it. As a news reporter, you have to know what is going on. I like to say, “I’ve got my ears to the street 24/7”. I have to be able to absorb complicated information and share it with people in the most simplest but accurate way. I am in the phase of my career where I have to do pretty much everything. I look for stories. I pitch stories every day. At first, hardly any of my stories were getting picked up. So I had to go to the drawing board and see, what is it that this community cares about, what is important to the community, and how do I get access to that information. So I did what I normally do… Go outside and start talking to strangers and I started creating my network. Sometimes people will email me story ideas, text me, or even stop me at a CVS in the shampoo aisle.

After I pitch, whether my story is picked up or not, I am assigned one. I have to go out and find the right people to interview while writing a web post with the information I do know and updating it throughout the day. Once I have all of my interviews finished, I have to transcribe the footage and pick the best sound that tells the story correctly. Then, I have to develop a script and get it approved by the News Director. That is my most challenging task right now, but I love going through the process of making it better with my News Director. She challenges me to think out of the box while being conversational. It is an art and I love it. I can tell you many stories about working with her but I am already going too long. Then, I have to edit, which is so hard when you are on a time crunch. Because every reporter will tell you, YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS SLOT. That basically means your segment is not ready to play and could cause the newcast some dead air. Now, at my station, we have awesome Producers. They make sure we do not have dead air but it does make them pretty unhappy when they have to rearrange the newscast because you have not gotten your package turned in. There are times I have to get my package in early because I am assigned to go live in studio or on location. It changes based on the story. Once your package aires, you have to upload your video clip to the web post and make sure all of the information is up to date with everything you learned.

Then, you go home and make sure your pitch for the next few days is solid and that you have an angle, a headline, and a focus and you wake up to do it all over again.

It sounds stressful and sometimes it can be but I am so happy to say, every single day that I go to work, I leave with something to show for it.

How do you think about luck?
FAVOR AIN’T FAIR. I AM NOT LUCKY, I AM BLESSED. I am also willing to work for what I want. I don’t believe I have had bad luck, I just made some bad decisions or I did not trust my gut. I had to bet on myself to complete the mission and just remember the advice from the people I have encountered along my journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.miyoshiprice.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iammiyoshi/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MiyoshiPriceKESQ/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/MiyoshiKESQ
• Other: https://kesq.com/about-us/news-team/reporters/2022/04/26/miyoshi-price/

Image Credits
Amanda Edwards