She Quit Her Job to Start a TV Network | Here's What Happened

Jaleah Davis: 00:00:00

First and foremost, the media icon. I literally try to be iconic in whatever I do, to editing the show, to writing the script, literally every single spot.

I started in eighth grade because that elective was available.

Jaleah Davis: 00:00:12

I'm someone who knew exactly what I wanted to do starting eighth grade and I never wavered.

Jaleah Davis: 00:00:16

Like I never. So that's where I started interviewing celebrities, advertising, marketing. I just opened up into the streaming world. Truly.

,: 6000

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 00:00:44

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ShySpeaks: 00:00:55

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Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 00:01:08

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ShySpeaks: 00:01:21

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Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 00:01:36

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ShySpeaks: 00:01:51

We can't wait to help you unlock CEO mode and the freedom you've been working for. Now let's get back to the episode.

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 00:01:59

Welcome, welcome, welcome to the Minding My Creative Business podcast. The number one podcast for creative entrepreneurs to learn strategy, structure and self development. I am your host, Ron ironically.

ShySpeaks: 00:02:10

And I am your host, Shy Speaks in this episode. You know, I want to say is going to be my favorite. I just, I already know because we have none other than Director B. Right.

We got event curator, we got producer, we got.

Jaleah Davis: 00:02:30

I mean we.

ShySpeaks: 00:02:31

It's so many things that we have Speaker. There's so many things that we. Sitting right here, ladies and gentlemen.

Jaleah Davis: 00:02:36

CL. Thank you for.

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 00:02:43

Thank you for being. Thanks for being.

ShySpeaks: 00:02:45

I just had to make sure it was clear that.

Jaleah Davis: 00:02:47

And I'm.

ShySpeaks: 00:02:47

And I didn't want to say all those things to like get you to be like, okay, well, what? No, it's some stuff that's going on. There is a actual business, a creative based business, a brand that's going on. More than one.

More than one business. Because you got it like that. You got it like that. So let's get into it. Let's talk about.

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 00:03:06

Hold on before we go there, because that's how we normally introduce.

ShySpeaks: 00:03:09

That's true, that's true.

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 00:03:10

So how would you introduce yourself, Lucille?

Jaleah Davis: 00:03:14

Oh, how would I introduce myself? Okay, so I would say, you know, first and foremost, the media icon. That's what I've got that name shoot in high school, honestly.

So now I've stuck with it. So that's how I got the whole iconic brand. Media icon.

Reason why I say they call me the media icon is I literally try to be iconic in whatever I do, you know, especially in the media.

So you have directing films, producing TV shows, producing podcasts, creating the entire brand of whatever that exposure is from advertising, doing commercials, Literally anything in the media I've done, which makes me the media icon because I'm not just in front. I've interviewed celebrities. That's actually one of my first jobs, was interview a bunch of celebrities and then having my own TV show.

But literally everything I always tell people I know what to do in my industry because I was also the janitor in my industry, is what I feel like, you know, like, so I learned every single thing from working a camera to editing the show, to writing the script, literally every single spot. I come across people in schools now, unfortunately, my interns, they'll be like, I just know how to write scripts.

I'm like, no, you need to know how to edit it, then shoot it. Everything. You know, that's how you don't get fired. But, you know, that's why I say everything. Media.

And of course, only event space and production studio as well, and event coordinator and personality. So.

ShySpeaks: 00:04:48

I.

Jaleah Davis: 00:04:49

My head down.

ShySpeaks: 00:04:49

I just want y' all to see. I want just throwing round titles out here. We're going to be talking about iconic, right?

You talked about media, but iconic is, you said, having my own TV shows and television network, right? So we want to start there, right? Let's talk about the network.

We know you went the ground up and kind of got to the point where, you know, all the roles or a lot, a lot of the roles in media. But we want to talk about what, what did. What was missing, you know, what.

What were you looking to see when you decided, okay, you know what, I'm going to start iconic Television, Right. So let's talk about that.

Jaleah Davis: 00:05:24

So with iconic television, first I will say it's all about the foundation of where I started. Right? So I did get my bachelor's in radio and television and film, shout out to sfa, Go Jets.

But I actually started doing media and television honestly in the eighth grade. So, like, I always tell people it's so important. And this is why I want my own, like, media school.

I started in eighth grade because that elective was available. You know, these days I hear, like, media is not even an elective.

No, right, but, but I was in eighth grade at Dulles Middle School, then I ended in Dulles High School and I was in media the entire time. So I'm someone who knew exactly what I wanted to do. Starting eighth grade, I never wavered. Like, I never did anything.

I went to college for that major and it's just always been media. So when I graduated, I worked for a television station. It's called Urban Houston Network.

And it was the only black owned television station at the time here in Houston, Texas. It was channel 43, so it was in Telepath. You didn't have to have cable. And I worked there as just a personality.

So that's where I started interviewing celebrities. My show was called Media Icon Alive. I started interviewing a bunch of celebrities.

And as I bring ideas to the station, he was like, okay, look at those. I was probably 22, like 22 years old. I was just like, you should do this, this is. And then like, he just started.

He bumped me up to like, basically the advertising marketing liaison is what he called at the time. And then I have my own show. So I'm like trying to help out with the station, doing all these things. And then I started doing sales.

And again, I started doing everything, right, everything that just. Everything, just selling the station, getting people involved in the station. And then Guy Raz, at the age of 52, he passed away due to a stroke.

And so it was just a random day at the station. And we got, we all got the call. I'm wondering where he's at. And so once that happened, I literally was like about to leave the station.

So I would say this, a week before that happened, I had just interviewed Cardi B. And I never forget, it was one of my best interviews. She was funny. It was going viral and I was like, I'm about to move to la.

That was like, that was what I needed to do. Like, I'm about to go all this because it was just like we had to wait till something Huge. Come to Houston. Like, that was Super Bowl All Stars.

Like, I had to wait till stuff happened to come to Houston at that time. Now, of course, they be all over, but at that time, it was like, we need to go to LA to get these interviews. So I said it to say I was.

My mindset was like, okay, I can't be here long. I'm gonna move to la. That's what I want to do. But when he passed away, I didn't want to leave the station, just there.

Like, I felt like I helped it become something. I couldn't even bring myself to just leave, right? So I stayed. His family made me vice president at the age of 25 years old.

I was vice president of the section. And so I was just working my foot all like, I was just working. And I think it took me a moment, especially because 53, 52 is not old, not at all.

Right? So it's still even at that age. Unfortunately, he didn't have his life in order as far as, like, for insurance or where things go once you do depart.

Like, you know, language is very important because half the reason why I left is because his. His family, his kids were fighting over everything. And it became a, you know, horrible environment because nothing was said on there.

So one day I came in, it was like, julia, we wanted to be a country station, or Julia wanted to be a gospel TV station, and duh, duh, no, let's switch to comedy. Like, I was like, oh, look, right? And at the end of the day, this wasn't mine, but I'm putting blood and sweat and T words or something, you know.

And so I remember it was the Thursday. It was the Thursday before Thanksgiving, and I had put my two leaks in because I was like, you know what? I'm just gonna go off of a.

A dream and, you know, I'm just gonna move to la. And I really put in my. Noted my notice in. And I want to say it was a. Like a meet and greet, social networking for media. And I was in a conversation.

I was at George R. Brown, and I was in a conversation where it's funny because it was two Caucasian men. That's fine. But they were talking to me and they were just like, yeah, yeah. And it's a TV station for sale in Stafford.

And I think they said that because it was like, it was, no way I'm gonna be at Bedford. Nothing like that. And I beat it because I definitely was only like 25. So I get in my bank account was nothing but traveling money.

And I Just left my job. So, you know, they just talking. But something told me, go check out the station.

And the station was seven minutes from my house, and I'm really big on, like, the number seven. So for me, I was like, no, that's God talking to me. Let me go check it out.

I remember I went to go check it out, and the guy was selling a station because he had a family emergency and had to move to Dubai. And so what happened was he was like, I tried to hire you. He showed me the email where he tried to hire me as a programmer when I applied for jobs.

This is a long time. And so he was like, you know, he. All the stations typically know of each other, all the antenna stations.

We all have to know that he knew about me in the programming because we had got, like, a lot, a lot of good ratings and Nelson ratings on that station. And he basically gave me a station for half off. Not even half off, really. Penny. Yeah, I'm with you. Like, he just blessed me.

And it's not even like I had the money. I had angel donors who came from the other station and saw what I did with that station and was like, you know what? You deserve this.

Because I left and I didn't get nothing from that segment, but I kept it afloat for a year and a half after he passed away. So the angel donors helped me out with this station.

And that's when I realized, okay, you know, like, I want to be able to give people the platforms to do what they want.

At that time, you know, podcasts were just started, were audio based, and I always be like, man, I help them turn a visual because I swear, like, a lot of people did not have visual.

ShySpeaks: 00:11:07

Yeah, visual.

Jaleah Davis: 00:11:08

But I allow people to bring in, like they're, you know, to not. What I did was help them and teach them how to, you know, turn that podcast or TV show into dollars. Yeah, yeah.

So it was in that moment where I was just like, all about letting your creative mind make creative dollars for you. Like, that was my main thing. So teach them how to push it, how to advertise little things.

Like, you know, I was just like, you know, I mean, you can get on a podcast and say, this is brought to you by whatever, and that's $50. Like, you know, just start telling people just different stuff or just having, while we're talking, something just scrolling at the bottom.

That's $20, baby. Do so many episodes and just multiply on the different.

Just different things for just showing them how to make money, you know, off of their content and. Yeah, so.

ShySpeaks: 00:11:54

Okay. So. Okay. So first of all, I was. I was really wondering. I mean, I asked this question for, you know, for the careerpreneurs who are watching to.

To know like Pay it Television Network. Like.

Jaleah Davis: 00:12:10

Right. Okay. What you say?

ShySpeaks: 00:12:12

Like, that's how I got to the network, basically. You were a part of a network and so you know how to run a network. Exactly.

Not necessarily just because you was working and doing all the things, but because after the person who owned it transitioned, you had to step in. So now you know how to run it. Because it's like, how can someone know how to run a network?

Jaleah Davis: 00:12:34

I was on my way. You have a t. It People almost think I'm. I wasn't one. Now they don't go that far by. Nah, there's no way. But they're like, yeah, I started my own.

And then at that time I was 26. 26. So I started my TV network at 26. 25, 26. Going to that. I'm sorry. I became vice president at 22.

ShySpeaks: 00:12:54

Okay.

Jaleah Davis: 00:12:55

At that station at 25. 26. That's when I purchased my station.

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 00:13:00

Okay.

Jaleah Davis: 00:13:00

So I was at the time the youngest in the nation. The next age was like 38. I think I'm still the youngest, actually. Right. Well, it's still. It's like the.

I mean, literally, it's a channel here in Houston. It's just like your cage, like your ABC or your Fox. Except I'm not on cable. But it's just channel. It was channel 15 here at Houston.

I had it for six years.

ShySpeaks: 00:13:20

Wow.

Jaleah Davis: 00:13:21

And I just. I just cut the cable this past. Not this past August to August before. So that I can now be on streaming.

So now I'm on Roku fire stick, Apple TV and Google because in Houston I hit 3.2 million viewers on my Nelson rated.

ShySpeaks: 00:13:33

Sorry. We understand. We get it. We did it.

Jaleah Davis: 00:13:37

He out here throwing around.

ShySpeaks: 00:13:38

I just cut the core, you know. Right, right. Like all these term. We know you know about these things. So Nielsen. Tell us about that when you're saying Nielsen, just in case.

Jaleah Davis: 00:13:47

Sorry. Okay. So in Nielsen ratings. Nielsen ratings is basically.

A lot of people don't even know it, but it really is like basically they go into the households and they get comic. People are watching, you know, the TV channels and they usually times it probably about like two or three, depending on the family household.

But that's how we're able to capture and see how many people are actually watching the station. So in my last two years, I was in the 3 million range, and that might sound like a lot, but it's really not compared to.

I want the whole world to see my channel.

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 00:14:19

Yeah.

Jaleah Davis: 00:14:20

So I had to really. That was a big jump of faith.

Like, faith for me, because last August, I had to make the decision, do I want to stay a TV channel, you know, antenna base, or do I want to be global?

ShySpeaks: 00:14:33

Right.

Jaleah Davis: 00:14:34

Because with my. With my streaming channel, I have downloads in Africa, and I have downloads in Kenya and China and all these other places. But I couldn't have.

They could have never seen my content, you know, with just here in Houston.

ShySpeaks: 00:14:47

Right.

Jaleah Davis: 00:14:48

So that's kind of. Even with cable, you know, cable channel here is not really. Not always. Like, it's. You got, like, you have. There's so split.

Now you have direct Comcast, literally, I can have a channel on direct. But then you might not have direct.

ShySpeaks: 00:15:01

Exactly.

Jaleah Davis: 00:15:02

But everybody have a smart tv. Literally everybody has smart tv. Everybody has a phone. You know, you can just download that.

ShySpeaks: 00:15:08

So you were. So the iconic television was primarily on the local antenna, just a local channel. It wasn't a cable channel. It's. Everybody has it, which is great.

So shout out to you for that. And. But then you're saying, as a visionary, you have to decide, do I want to continue to serve this local body? Which I do. You do.

But it's like you can. The only thing you can do from there is try to increase people's. More people's attention to it.

Or you can go ahead and shift to where you know they're watching it at, which is a smart tv. Okay, run about the lead into your category then. What is the difference in.

I know the difference from it from a vision perspective, which is just like, do I want to serve local or do I want to serve natural national? But what's the difference in it? Like, is there a difference financially?

Jaleah Davis: 00:15:57

Like, yeah, earnings. That's what's made me jump. Because you get people like I'm trying to pitch to Coke. They like, you know, Coke or Sprite or anything like that.

And they're like, well, we don't have fans just in Houston.

ShySpeaks: 00:16:09

We have.

Jaleah Davis: 00:16:10

Not fans, but we don't have, you know, viewers. What's the word? Consumers. Yeah, we have my consumers just in Houston. We have consumers everywhere.

So why would we spend our ad dollars with you when you're. And I can now, if you had your ad out, if you couldn't. If everybody could see your show anywhere right then.

Yeah, but I start, like, advertisers start telling me, no, I had to But I had to go to local advertisements and go in there. That's cool. And I was even bringing them dollars. But, you know, then, like, things are happening. Covet.

That was happening where local mom and pop business were, what, shutting down. Right.

ShySpeaks: 00:16:44

But really, the big business that was still really going.

Jaleah Davis: 00:16:46

That's actually what made me buy a local, buy, get a location was because all the locations I were using, they were closed down. So I had, like, literally, when Kobe hit, I literally ran off the bat because everybody was just like, you know, you want to start on our podcast?

I'm gonna start a TV show. I want to do this, I want to do that. I want. Again. I started doing, like, influencers and YouTubers. Like, YouTubers that do credit.

I was doing their courses. I was recording their courses, making their courses for them. They'll literally come and be like, I do credit, and this is what I want to do.

Like, there's a guy out there right now, like, he's a millionaire. And I started his course, like, made him do a course, brought him like, 50,000. I didn't even realize he could do something with that. But I just.

I was like, just sit down. I had cameras, brought it in, recorded it, put everything, even made the course for him.

And it's just like, you know, that's the only reason why I honestly survived Kobe. I kind of just shipped it. But my advertising dollars are usually what pays for the station. Advertising.

ShySpeaks: 00:17:45

Advertising.

Jaleah Davis: 00:17:46

But I was thinking, yeah, I was cut because everybody else was closed. Like, even car. Delicious clothes.

ShySpeaks: 00:17:51

Like, so local.

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 00:17:53

So you was cut from the local. Right. So, like, okay.

Jaleah Davis: 00:17:56

And that's when I had a local channel.

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 00:17:57

So, right. I'm like, local channel. I have local advertisers because the big boys don't want to mess with me.

So in order for the big boys to mess with me, I got to now pivot. I got to make the adjustment. So I have to expand. I have to broaden. Unless I want to stay local, but I don't want to stay local because you saw the.

It's the ceiling there. So it's like, okay, I can broaden this vision and then broaden that vision. I'm assuming it took a little bit more work.

Jaleah Davis: 00:18:22

Yes. And it's still taking work. It's only been a year since I cut the cord, so it's still fresh. It just made a year August.

So, like, even right now, I'm even.

Which is why I was telling you earlier, before we got on the podcast, I was saying, like, I was rebuilding my team because I Wanted to make sure I knew exactly what I wanted to do. That's the perfectionist image. Working on that too. But I say that to say is because like I'm trying to, I'm even shifting what I'm doing on that.

Like, I'm taking it more so independent films, creating a lane for independent films, Creating a lane for like independent, more independent shows. I just cut my contract. I had a contract with CBS where I had like Cheaters and the Home Improvement show, whereas I saw that all that stuff.

So like judge shows. It almost was like I had a lot of UPN 20s.

ShySpeaks: 00:19:07

Yeah.

Jaleah Davis: 00:19:07

But that contract just spilled over from when I had my antenna. So I just went ahead and put those shows on there. But ultimately I'm about to like that, take them all down.

ShySpeaks: 00:19:18

Okay, so first of all, because, okay, so we asked you about you. So now you're telling us how you got to this point.

But I want to make sure that other creative entrepreneurs who are watching this, who are interested in media and communication and understanding, like, okay, how can I take my, my ability to direct, my ability to produce, my ability to. My desire to want to see other people. I can produce my own stuff around other people on the platform, which is where a network comes into play.

Jaleah Davis: 00:19:48

Right.

ShySpeaks: 00:19:48

To where TV comes into play. Somebody who's aspiring to do that, they need to. I want them to understand some things. So you just said you were saying you had a contract with cbs.

So if I'm somebody who's. I'm like, man, she said she got a TV show, I want to start one at 20, you know what I mean?

Like, how do I go about getting contracts so that I can have shows on my network?

Jaleah Davis: 00:20:15

I'm gonna be very honest with you.

The only thing about that, of course that was more so I think they just came along with me when I did the streaming part because really they are for like more so of your local channels, your antenna based channels, your cable networks, they're really more so for those networks. And my contract just still had more a couple of on it. So I think they just rolled over me when I went to streaming.

But to be very honest with you, that part is a little blessed. Because the only thing is those contacts I had came from the other station. So I was already in communications.

And I told them because the other channel, once I left, to be very honest with you, three days, three weeks later, it shut down. Okay, so that channel, whoa, wow. So I didn't expect that. But three weeks later it shut down.

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 00:21:01

So it just said now because you left or it was already. I mean, obviously it sounds like it was a little chaotic. They.

Jaleah Davis: 00:21:07

I mean, I couldn't, I couldn't. It was just me and I had interns, but no one knew it. But I had to leave. Yes, it was a bad environment. I had to be. So it's not like I could even.

And even if they bought somebody in, it was. I couldn't teach nobody all the things. It was no way. That was three years of burning. It was no way.

ShySpeaks: 00:21:26

Right.

Jaleah Davis: 00:21:27

You know, so when I left, you know. Yeah, that's why I heard three weeks later, the section went down. You know, so it probably was. I didn't know the financial.

So it probably was already headed in that way. But, you know, that's what happens.

ShySpeaks: 00:21:38

So it's good that you mentioned that because you wanted to make clear that the other channel was down. And so some of the relationship I had already built, they didn't. I wasn't cherry picking another relationship. They feel like that. That is dissolved.

But we do still want to work.

Jaleah Davis: 00:21:53

With you where you are.

ShySpeaks: 00:21:54

Where are you now? Oh, I'm in a network and it's a network that I own. So then that's kind of happened.

So then that blessing kind of walked you into a contract with cds, so then you were able to get those people on channels.

Jaleah Davis: 00:22:06

Hold on. Okay, hold on, hold on.

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 00:22:07

So what I'm hearing.

ShySpeaks: 00:22:09

Yeah.

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 00:22:10

Just now, based on what you just said, is that your network, your net.

Jaleah Davis: 00:22:16

Worth, because that's exactly that in their relationship right now. That's literally my network of people because I was so. And you know, it's crazy.

My network is how I got my station because I could have been like they, to be very honest with you, they cut my payment and it gave me more hours. How they work, I don't know. But that's what happened. It cut my pay, made me come in more than I was. I was coming in like Monday, Wednesday, Friday.

I was now coming in like Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, like it was. And then they cut my pay. They couldn't pay me. So I say that to say the board members, the investors saw how I handled something that wasn't mine.

That's what made him say, look, Jaleel, we believe in you so much. Here you go. And I said, angel donor, meaning they don't want nothing back from me. A dime back from me.

To this day, I always be like, can I help out with something? Like her? Go on about your life. Like, oh, see, cuz he been great. Do what you ever, you know, like it just literally my network spilled into this.

And it was because of how, you know, I was with that business. No matter what came in me, I was still myself. Like, you know, I just helped when I could. You know, things happen.

So it's just like I know life happens and I just did what I could and I adjusted. Even with that being said, they didn't actually have a CVS contract. They had a contract.

It was the same people within the CVS network, but they had a contract where they was doing the like the little advertisements that come on at 3 o' clock in the morning. Like the little vacuums laid vacuum. Like you want to use this vacuum purchase. So that's another way to get money too.

It'd be those commercial advertisements though. You know, you look for the, it's the telethons. The telethons. That's how, that's how TVs were really. That's how they get like.

It's still to this day, antenna base at 12am you can go through one through. I think now we got like 120 channels without cable in Houston. But you can go through my.

At 12, 1 o', clock, 3am unless it's a show, it's going to be like all those telethons about things trying to get money, trying to sell you something. Tick tock on. On tv. Exactly. It's tick tock on tv. Funny because it was backwards, but tick tock on tv.

But that's is those, those people, they're, they're the ones who say you want to do, you know, TV shows because you can get paid through their advertisement. All I do is give them a block. They give me the shows for free and then I give them a block.

And then what happens is I get paid off of the commercials within their shows. So again, advertise work. And so that's how I was able to open that country.

So it's like you said, your network is your network for still, for people who want to do. Even on streaming, you still can import. They have like where you can go look for like the telethon commercials. Airtime.

ShySpeaks: 00:24:56

So how do you say they have where you can go?

Jaleah Davis: 00:24:59

Airtime? Yes. Airtime Media is a good company. All they do is they just have like 30 seconds, 60 seconds. You can apply to Airtime Media.

They'll vet the network and then you can put the commercials. They'll send you just a bunch of commercials. She contact me. Her name, I mean my rep. His name Sierra. She contact me 30 million times a day.

You want this Commercial.

k. Be like the chick. Be like: 3500

But, you know, like, the advertisers sold. I didn't make the commercial. I just put it into the.

ShySpeaks: 00:25:39

You know, put it into the block. Okay. I'm not sure if this is translating to the. To the. To the viewers, but I want to.

I can just tell that you know so much about it that you just talk about it. So, like, it's like. Yeah. You know what I mean?

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 00:26:00

Yeah.

ShySpeaks: 00:26:00

Because so. So, you know, excellent. So if somebody was doing a network, you would know exactly what to tell them to do.

Jaleah Davis: 00:26:07

Right.

ShySpeaks: 00:26:08

So I want to. I'm going to challenge you really quick. If you watch this, tell me the. Because I'm. I'm normally.

Ryan is always asking about the strategy behind it, and you've kind of talked about some of the things that happens, vision and all that. You've had to revamp your vision and so. But I always ask about things that have to do with the system or the process or what is the structure.

So if someone was in the process of having a. They wanted to do a TV network, and we're gonna. We're gonna move on. We're gonna move on to the other thing, we're gonna talk about iconic.

You said we got iconic television. We have iconic studios. We're gonna move on to studios to now iconic Academy and iconic Academy now all iconic.

Okay, but before we do that, I just want you to tell me and tell our viewers, especially if they're interested. How.

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 00:26:52

How.

Jaleah Davis: 00:26:52

If.

ShySpeaks: 00:26:52

If you're interested in having a network, what. What would I need to do? Like, just give me a process, like.

Jaleah Davis: 00:26:58

Well, so first thing, of course, I would say is know what you want, what you want, you know, your content to be about, or what do you want to tell the people? For example, my thing is the three E's. I entertain, enlighten, and educate the community. Those are my three E's. That's what I do.

So anything that comes my way, it could be entertainment. It could be something that's enlightening. So enlightenment.

So that's like your do it yourself videos, home improvement videos, stuff like that, or educational. So your documentaries. I love documentaries.

You know, just giving people the knowledge of whatever it is so knowing what you want to get out there in the world, knowing what you want, like, your station to be about after that, you don't want to get. Honestly, you want to get the content first.

Because, I mean, even me, like, right now, even me right now, I'm just like, okay, I'm trying to get more content in before I push the rebrand. Like, Fredo announced a rebrand, you know, but before you would get a network, you need to make sure you have some content lined up.

ShySpeaks: 00:27:55

Now, how you going to get the content?

Jaleah Davis: 00:27:57

So it's either way. It's multiple things you can do. Either you team up with people that already have the content, depends on where you're at in that media realm.

Me, I am a creative, but I feel like it's always a difference between a creative and a creator. Like, you know, you could be creative, you can have that creative mind, you can have all the ideas.

But the strategy comes when you realize that every idea is a business, right? So every idea, that's how I treat. I treat all my ideas as different businesses. So, like, I have to have, like, a plan.

I have to have a business plan for this idea. I have all the notches, everything I need to do just for this one idea, but I do that for everything.

That's literally my strategy of how I, like, move through all these projects that's in my head.

But I say that to say, you know, you have to be able, either you are the creator or you to create creative, you know, so if you're the creator, then it's easier for you because you can get up there, set up a camera and just start filming and editing, and there's one piece of content, you know, you could just go. But then I think the best is when you do both, right? Because then the. The second thing is teaming up with people, which is what I'm doing right now.

Looking into that, Like, I'm like, okay, what's something with me being in film a lot lately? I'm like, okay, there's a lot of film independence here in Houston, for sure.

So many people that are trying to get their movies on tubi and all this stuff, and I'm just like, you know, okay, let me give them a la me. Because some people can't, or maybe you don't meet the criteria. You know, you can't.

You might not can be on Netflix, but you could be on Iconic, which is just as good, you know. So that's all literally on my tv, it's Netflix, and Iconic, like, you could download it's the same thing. You download it.

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 00:29:36

Right.

Jaleah Davis: 00:29:36

It's an app. It's just literally the same thing. So for me, I'm just like, okay, let me open that lane for them.

So now I'm about to open up the floodgates for all these independent films. It's going to look like I just have all these. But really, I just, you know, I networked, you know, and I collaborated.

So that's what's very important when you're starting to network. I would say collaboration for sure, because back then my collaboration was cbs. My collaboration was just people that are doing interviews.

Like, at that time, like, my collaboration was just people giving me content which will make everybody go to your station. Because it's so many other people, it makes everybody tune in.

So for me, let's just say, like right now, I literally, in November, I'm planning on taking like 50 films. Well, that right there is 50 downloads. I know.

Okay, but what about the 30 people that are all in those films as 50 times 30 downloads and in the home, you know, it's just right. Collaboration could take you so far.

ShySpeaks: 00:30:32

Okay, so we got. We got know your vision. We have contest get the. Get the content. And that content was split off into to.

You can go and get programming from people who already make content regularly.

Jaleah Davis: 00:30:47

Or you can make it.

ShySpeaks: 00:30:48

Or you can make it. Or do both.

Jaleah Davis: 00:30:49

Or do both.

ShySpeaks: 00:30:50

Right, so and then which I'm gonna talk about that and then collaboration, right? So then after that, now we get.

Jaleah Davis: 00:30:58

To the technical things, right? And some people might do it backwards. Somebody people might just try to build it, but I feel like they're gonna.

ShySpeaks: 00:31:05

Do it your way.

Jaleah Davis: 00:31:06

Come on my way. It was really my network because it was just like, okay, so as soon as I finish building happens is now we're creating content while I'm building it.

That way I'm not delayed on this vision because what happens is I could be focusing on.

Because I know myself, I'll focus on everything trying to be perfect and then trying to go get some collaborations when they could have been working simultaneously if I would have just focused on getting everybody together. Okay, now everybody working on they stuff now to work on the technical part.

So when it comes to the technical part, and if you're looking to get like a station, like an actual network channel, like in Houston right now, unfortunately there's none available. So it's checking the Nelson rating. Checking.

Oh, I cannot tell y' all the name, but you can, you can chat gbt, Google, like, you know how to purchase a network and It'll give you a website where you're able to check how like what stations are available. I know in Houston, in Texas, there are no stations out, but there are some stations in Vegas and Atlanta.

I was looking at a station in Vegas actually a couple months ago. Just curious. But, you know, you just go look and see what stations are available now. They are a little pricey. Tell us how much they cost.

ShySpeaks: 00:32:12

Like an example.

Jaleah Davis: 00:32:13

Give me an. What's considered pricing these days. I was like, Jesus, these days they had like half a million for a station.

Like and it just depends on where it's at. It could be like in a small town. Find out the station first. Find out where is it. All that good stuff. Get your money. You know, you.

You can purchase the station simultaneously. You need to be working on your optics and the. Behind the, behind the scenes as far as. How's your station running?

So looking for what you would use for as far as the. What am I trying to say? The channel, the programming. So the different part. Now I have someone build me a program system. I have no name for this.

When I tell you I have somebody build it, I mean literally build the entire drive and build my. A coder that built my whole programming system. Yeah, you need a programming system basically, almost like a scheduler.

And I feel like nowadays it's probably easier, but almost like a scheduler. I've had, I had that for like six, seven years. So.

Yeah, you just need like a schedule that will schedule out like the different shows and things like that. With the streaming. Streaming, it comes with the scheduler. So I don't have to figure. I didn't have to figure that out with the streaming part. Okay.

But you just have to do a scheduler so that you're able to schedule your times. Because that's very important when it comes to local channels.

You literally cannot be a minute off when have you watched TV and the shoot, the show said come on at 9 and it came on at 9:05.

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 00:33:33

Right.

Jaleah Davis: 00:33:33

Now it is not tell you.

ShySpeaks: 00:33:37

That.

Jaleah Davis: 00:33:38

Part of the network was such a. Because you almost want somebody watching it 24 7. So I bought a mini computer, I mean a mini tv, right? And I had it with me everywhere.

Like I used to making sure. Make sure they were on the channel, right?

Because you have to, especially with the network, anything can happen if it's a storm, you know, like that's when, you know, TVs just go out. Like, you know, if it's a storm, TV can go out, but I gotta see it. And then I might have to go up and fix the server.

I might have to run up to my server and go fix it. It's just anything can happen. It's definitely different from streaming.

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 00:34:12

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ShySpeaks: 00:35:13

Okay, so you have all these, you have all this content. So let's say I have, I have 24 hours worth of content, but I have 20, 24 one hour shows.

Jaleah Davis: 00:35:23

I'm just making up. Yeah.

ShySpeaks: 00:35:24

But I have to also have commercials and all this kind of stuff.

Jaleah Davis: 00:35:27

So think about what you just said. You have 20. This is how much. This is why I said it's so important to collaborate. You just told me you have 24 hours of content. Right.

You have 365 days. You really need 24 hours time. 365 days of content. Unless you're about to be. I'm about to do that math.

Unless you're about to be showing the same thing every day.

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 00:35:47

Yeah. CG said 44 times. 365, like that's 8,760 hours.

Jaleah Davis: 00:35:55

That's hours. And everybody don't really shoot hours. Right. See shows and shows don't even be. No, they only be 30 minutes. Shows are now like 20, 22 minutes.

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 00:36:04

Now because you got it.

Jaleah Davis: 00:36:05

Just the advertising.

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 00:36:06

Advertising.

Jaleah Davis: 00:36:07

So like you just got this. It's a lot of content. Yes. And that was the stressful part is just making sure I get content. Make sure I'm like refreshing.

Make sure I'm getting different shows and it's a lot of content. That had. Yeah.

ShySpeaks: 00:36:20

Once I saw thanks Rhythm.

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 00:36:22

So now you kind of missing how you can start a network. Right. But then how do you monetize that network?

Jaleah Davis: 00:36:29

Like advertisement advertising. Yeah, everything will be advertisement. I sold blocks, so yes, you know, I did sold blogs.

So that's that mean if somebody came up to me and was like, okay, you have a T with you. Everybody, if they came up to me, they'd be like, oh, I have a TV show. I have an idea.

You know, if I'm not co producing it or if I don't feel like it's not in my range, but as long as it fits the three E's, I might have sold a block for like 400. Which see CW, Fox, they all do this. DirecTV2, they all do this.

can sell that block for like: 1500

I was able to sell blocks within because again, I can't come up with all this because I'm having relearn. So, you know, I can't come up with all this content, but especially with just me. Like, I was. It was. No, I had a VP my first year, and then.

No, for the first two years I had a vice president and it was just me and interns.

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 00:37:28

And then now if I want to collaborate with you, right, let's say I'm a creator. I'm a creative and creator. And I'm like, yo, I want to put my show on your network. How does one go about collaborating with a partner?

Jaleah Davis: 00:37:40

So is this the antenna or the streaming one? We're talking about the Apple.

ShySpeaks: 00:37:44

We talking about yours because yours is now on both.

Jaleah Davis: 00:37:46

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. So yeah, we're gonna shoot out. If you said, if you said, hey, like, hey, I have.

Or like, for y' all show, like, if you say, hey, we want to put our.

Our content on your network, then like, I would be like, okay, well, for example, my November deals, like right now for like podcasts or TV shows, it's 250 for the month. Like, it's 250.

ShySpeaks: 00:38:03

That's. How many slots do you get for that?

Jaleah Davis: 00:38:05

Well, you get to put your whole season. If it's eight, typically it's like eight episodes. Eight to 12. But I do eight. If it's 12, then it. It goes up just a couple more.

But typically, like, my sale right now is like 250. You come with your own content. 250 for the month. And it's 250 per month. But here's the thing. You have two ways to make money. Two different ways.

The first way is any advertisement. That's your. That's your show. So any advertisement you bring in, that goes to you 100%.

So what I do is give you the opportunity to tell somebody, I'm a Roku fire stick. Apple tv, Google tv. Let me. Y' all go to advertisers, and what I'll do is I'll give y' all our analytics.

It's like, from how many downloads we have and everything.

So if y' all go to like a small or any business really, and you'd be like, you know, hey, it don't matter what your advertising, you know, dollars or how much you, you know, you just let them know your price. And you'd be like, oh, we're on these. These other platforms as well. That's you. They ain't got nothing new. With me, if you, if somebody.

If you charge somebody $2,000, it's still 250amonth. I don't care. That's you. Now. That's one. Now, if you want to do exclusive podcast content, I have pay per view capabilities. That's a lot.

ShySpeaks: 00:39:12

A lot.

Jaleah Davis: 00:39:12

That's one thing that. Because there are people out networks, you have Zoo, Sina, but they don't really do pay per view. I have pay per view capabilities.

So I have some movies that are 5.99, 12.99, or y' all podcast could be $5, right? And you'd be like, okay, we want to put our podcast up there. The channel's free, so the download is free.

But you say, we want our podcast out there for $5. So I'm like, okay, so now people got to pay $5 to pay to watch your stuff. Yeah.

So I always give people the opportunity to make different, you know, different money. But for me is more about. It's more about how many. I can't even think of the word right now. Value.

With all bank of my money with value and advertisement, I'm not about to charge people on arm and leg to be on, you know, a platform. I'm just not. Okay, so.

ShySpeaks: 00:40:00

So we're. We can make advertisement. And you gonna make advertisement. Like, how are we gonna do this? Right? So.

Jaleah Davis: 00:40:06

So I have. What happens is I have it where, like, my stuff is really where I put the advertisement in. I don't.

Unless I do like some type of deal with somebody, like, you know, maybe they have like a bunch of shows they know that's something different. You know, I.

It's definitely a case by case, but typically, what if I'm making money off advertising, it's because it's in my content, which is why I say do both, right. I tell people, you know, make sure you do your own content, you collaborate. But if it's something I co produce, then I made money off.

We, you know, me and whoever I co produced it with, we both made money off the advertisement.

ShySpeaks: 00:40:39

You got a question?

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 00:40:40

No, I mean, I mean, I have a lot of questions. Yeah, we haven't even gotten to Academy. It's a lot of things.

ShySpeaks: 00:40:51

Okay, so. So we talked, okay, we first shout out to you because you did the challenge, right? You talked about how to. How to get your network profit.

Jaleah Davis: 00:41:00

So.

ShySpeaks: 00:41:00

Okay, but we needed to move on because we talked about producing your own, being your own creator. And if you're going to create your own show, of course you can create something in home.

Some people are swanky enough to go, maybe a group of fitness people, they go rent out a warehouse and they all rent that warehouse and they just. They put out all their content there. And then maybe they make their fitness show that way. But then there are some people like, I need to.

For what I'm creating, I need my own studio. I need my own space so I can turn into what I can turn it into. And you've done that, right?

You've created a studio space so that you can create your own content. And as you were stating earlier, you were able to help people who also were trying to produce their stuff. They needed to get their visuals up.

And so you're like, okay, I need a space for that because you could have kept shooting it at other people's studios. So let's talk about the iconic studio.

Jaleah Davis: 00:41:53

Yes. So like you said, I used to shoot at, you know, shout out to them. But Houston Media Source, it was ran by the mayor. What about the city of Houston?

And so I was shooting there, faithfully. Loved them, absolutely loved them. And then Covid hit. That was one of the first places the cut shut down. I'm like, oh, time make my money.

Oh, that's how we. That's where I shoot. That's what other people shoot. And so that's when I was like, okay, I need a space, right? And so a little backstory just won't.

ace during COVID It was about: 1200

My contract was for five years, but I was there for a year. And then unfortunately, it got robbed. My studio got robbed. So I lost over like 60, 70,000 worth of camera equipment, everything.

And it had to be an inside Job. Because I always say you need a key. I had a level A security, so you had to get. You need to keep in the building on the floor and in my office.

Janitorial left my doors open. I don't know how the people got in there, but it was on Crime Stoppers. It was big. The city got involved.

Houston mayor Seves, attorney at the time, rest his soul. He passed away, but he got involved. So many people got involved. For me, had my back. And I just left that studio.

But I think God has a very funny relationship with me because he be like, I be telling you to move, and you be thinking about contracts and stuff. Move. Because that was a. I was there a year and I had a five year contract with him.

ous. But that was like I said: 1200

So I was like, okay, let me go look for something else. Like, this is crazy. I've only been here a year. Find this place that's 53, 000 square foot. Paying basically almost the same price I was paying.

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 00:43:37

ld on. Yeah, that's. You said: 1200

Jaleah Davis: 00:43:41

Yeah.

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 00:43:41

. Not: 5350

Jaleah Davis: 00:43:44

What? I say: 5300

You know what that means? My next building is gonna be 53,000. 5,000. Well, 5,300 square foot, but still it's crazy. Yeah. Because I was paying like, like almost four.

Three is like three, three, 800. Almost four. And at the end of the five year contract, I would have been paying 448, like, because it was gonna go up every year. Right.

shy of what I was paying at a: 1200

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 00:44:32

Wow.

Jaleah Davis: 00:44:33

And now I'm at a standalone. Like I have my own building.

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 00:44:35

Yeah.

Jaleah Davis: 00:44:35

No, nobody had a key. Like, you know, so it's just. It was nothing but guy.

But I say that to say, you know, I got in that space and it was actually, coincidentally, a covet center originally. So everybody, everything happened. It was just the COVID center where people used to come and get tested.

ShySpeaks: 00:44:51

And then.

Jaleah Davis: 00:44:52

So it was just a warehouse. Yeah, it was just like a warehouse open Space.

And so I ended up just creating multiple sets in there, multiple places to do, like, my shows, and then gave the opportunity for other people to do their shows. And so I was able to make that creative space.

And then that creative space ended up one day, two years later, somebody came in, was like, can I have my birthday party there? And then end up in the event space?

Literally, after, after that girl came in, I was like, I never thought about, well, I mean, it do sit here on Saturday nights and Friday nights and weekday it's production. And then it became an event center. So then I started doing my live productions. Like, I host the industry Tuesday for artists where they were.

They perform. And so now I'm like, oh, that's content. Like, I'm recording and performing. And now they can be on the channel. Like, you know, it's just. It's just.

It all just unfolds. But yeah, the. Having a creative space is very important.

Even if you go to like a we work space, you know, but just having the space to create, because me, you can do it at home, but sometimes at homes make you a little lazy. Unless you're going to like an Airbnb, you know. But yeah, having that space, it just opens. It opens up so much more.

And then I, like, I have an interchangeable space. So you can literally, it could be 20 shows shot there. You wouldn't even know those. All those shows are shot in the same place.

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 00:46:10

Based on what you just said, like, with the event space, with the, the, you know, that whole mindset of partnering, collaborating you talked about, you open it up for artists to be able to utilize the space. I'm going back to that, that through line of network. Network, Right.

I see where it's like, and I don't know, it's because people invested in you that you feel as though you have to give back as well. Like, where does that come from?

Because even with the iconic Academy, right, Which you haven't even talked about, right, but the nonprofit aspect, where you're giving back to young people. But you said, and you said that your love for this took place in eighth grade. You said you knew you wanted to.

Jaleah Davis: 00:46:51

Be eighth grade in eighth grade. I think that's where my blessing comes from too. It's just that's why I feel like environment is so important, because what if that wasn't available?

You know?

And honestly, like, I always tell people, like, they, like, you know, how everybody had to go to school and then what was the second language everybody was learning Spanish. Mine's a sign language. That's what I've been. I'm eight years. Sign language. It's like a fun fact. But I learned that in high school.

My high school had that available and me being different, like, I want to learn sign language. And so I did sign language in college, too. So I did it for four years there or four years in college. Like, literally, like, it's your environment.

What is available for you, you know, you don't know what. You don't know what. What's out there because it's not available.

So even now, you know, I be like, I even go back to, like, they don't have health no more. Like, that's crazy to me. Like, y' all don't have health. Y' all don't have home ec. Y' all have none of this stuff. Like, I know I don't.

I mean, I will say I'm 33. I don't have no kid. I have a puppy. But I knew, you know, back then, I didn't want no kids having to carry around that baby.

And that was middle school, based on.

ShySpeaks: 00:48:00

Being immersed in that class. I know just all that.

Jaleah Davis: 00:48:03

You know what I'm saying? And I actually learned how to bake my first cake and that, like, it's just stuff that's like, what's available for you.

And I guess that's what makes me be. So let me make this available. Because even when artists come to this day, they'd be like, wait, because I have, like, a photo room.

I have a green screen room. I have a white room. They come in there and they'd be like, oh, I can do. Or I'll shoot them a mic drop.

And I'm like, oh, all you need is, you know, they see these mic drops and, you know, it'd be famous mic drops that'd be out there. So artists feel like they can't even upcoming up and coming artists, like, they can't even get to that. That's how you can create that.

You know, it's just that just in ding in their head, like, what? So, like, yeah, you can create whatever you literally want to do, you know, but if it's not in front of them, they don't know. They don't know.

Like, you can create a TV show. You. I. I will create a whole, like, live experience, like, live audience, everything.

And I'll bring in my interns and they'll be like, like, how did we do this new life? Like, how? You know? But you don't know because it's not available.

So that goes when I was little, I feel like I was just so blessed to be immersed in all this. But that's because it was available for me.

ShySpeaks: 00:49:10

Right.

Jaleah Davis: 00:49:11

So, you know, it's environment.

ShySpeaks: 00:49:13

So I love what you're saying as far your, your, your why behind it, like your, your vision to do it is because you want to make sure you make things available so that people can explore things.

Jaleah Davis: 00:49:24

Right.

ShySpeaks: 00:49:24

So I actually, I 100% agree with that. Like, you have to be able to explore the world before you're able to like make your market.

Like, it sounds crazy because you mentioned you have a puppy, but if you think about that, if a puppy or, you know, they come into a room, they got to check it out first. Yeah.

Jaleah Davis: 00:49:40

They go sniffing every sniff in every. Yeah. It's just.

ShySpeaks: 00:49:44

And then they figure out, okay, cool. And so we're. If we're taking away opportunities for people to explore, then pretty soon they won't know where they're going.

So I want to say shout out to the iconic academy for making that possible for people. So that's pretty cool. So now you have a place to do that.

Jaleah Davis: 00:50:02

Yes. Right.

ShySpeaks: 00:50:03

You have a studio to shoot content for the television network, but the studio is also for other creators to make their content. And the studio has availability on the weekend, so you are able to monetize that as well with the events.

You're able to create events as well, live events, showing your interns things. And so I want to. You're one of the first people people have mentioned. Like, you've mentioned interns a couple of times, number one thing.

So before we, before we. Because I know we get, we have. We may have to bring you back on. No, we're not surface. Yeah, we're out of time. And it's like, I haven't gotten.

But it's like, I want to ask you about that because for me, I think it's very important to. When we're thinking about scaling a business, you have to think about how can you automate certain things, how can you batch certain things?

Which I know you know about batching, because when you tell new world of media, go ahead and batch all these shows, we have all the content ready, boom, that's great for you. But in other worlds, people don't realize badging. So I, I believe in that. I also believe in automation. Certain things can be.

Some things we're going to do the same way over and over everywhere. We might as well just go ahead and streamline, especially with the world of AI and all that. And then of course. But the lastly is delegation.

And that falls into having systems and having structure. But how do you. You go about getting interns and how do you keep them organized on what they're going to do?

So, because I know that there's a creative preneur, we're watching this and they're like, I want some interns.

Jaleah Davis: 00:51:32

You know? Yeah. So interns is an answer to prayer. I'm not gonna lie to y'. All. But it could be an answer prayer and it could be a nightmare, right?

So when it comes to, like you said, delegation, it's funny because delegation was my word for two, three years because I was struggled with delegation. It took me being stressed out and took me being sick to realize, okay, I gotta delegate. So she know I'm going out in town.

I just told her I'm nervous, but I love her. I love her, but it's a lot of stuff that needs to be done.

However, when it comes to interns, number one, if you have a business, you know, all you gotta do is go to the schools, meet with the deans.

So when it comes to like tsu, Texas at the University, Prayer View, even HCC or the College of Arts in Houston, U of H, all I do is meet with their deans. I send an email, hey, look, this is what I do. Show them what you've done. It could be small. It don't even have to be big.

Because the thing about is the kids right now, they're learning all these vocabulary. They need practical. Practical is really what teaches you what you need. So a lot of them, you know. Yeah. So many people in.

So many people in the class, they can't.

I mean, they teaching everybody, but still they're getting what, 45 minutes in a class, you know, know, it's not really a lot, you know, so when I get into hers, they really. I've gotten. Excuse me for pv love. Pv love pb. However they come, they like they never held a camera.

How are you about to graduate and you've never had to held a camera? It's just. And they are mass communication, radio, television. So the thing about that is, I mean, I get it, it's not enough time.

Maybe it's not even enough equipment. So if you go to a school, honestly, no matter what feel you in, you could be in event planning.

They have like the event planning courses and you know, manage marketing. You can be. You could be a lawyer, you could be a law firm, you could be. It don't matter what you're doing. Obviously you graduated in it, right?

You know, so you go back to those departments in those different schools, you let them know what you have available and that you'll give them a credit for class. So now the intern is going to pay attention because it's a credit. It's your grade. You need.

You need me to graduate at this point, you know, so that's how you kind of keep them. Like, you know, you give them the credit, but. But for me, like, how I make sure they're good is always hire somebody that's over the interns.

Number one number. Because my heart, I'd be like, I didn't became the intern sister. Do not do that. Because you put on their family.

You know, you love them, but it's just like, I gotta keep a distance.

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 00:53:56

I gotta get stuff done.

Jaleah Davis: 00:53:57

I gotta get stuff done. So. And that's something I actually struggle with is teaching. Like, I know how to teach, but I know I teach fast.

And it's really unfortunate because a lot of them, they even come from college, they really don't know. So, you know, doing those classes, I do training.

So doing those trainings on your business and what you do and what you need and then finding out what the. The most important thing is, find out what they want to do. Yeah, because you mess around and put somebody that's.

That hates editing, like me, but I'm so good at it, but I hate it. That hates editing. You put them in a. In a. Have them editing the. The film because they know how to edit, but that's not what they enjoy.

So you think that you're about to get a great project? Well, no, they actually enjoy putting the script together.

They actually enjoy being a runner and getting things done and putting the chords where they. They enjoy that. So, you know, really owning into their niche to see what do they like.

Although I teach all my interns, that's why I always tell people I'm a janitor. Like, I do everything. Everything. You are the last person to get fired if you go to a news station. Right now, it's robots working the cameras.

There's nobody behind the cameras no more. It's a robot in one person in the room. You can't be like, oh, I'm a camera operator. You're not getting no job, so you need to be every single thing.

You know, I teach them that. However, I still put you into where you look, you know? But I think with interns, when I used to intern, Nolan asked me what I wanted to do.

They just put me in where I fit, you know, And I feel like this Is very important. Then when it comes down to systems, you know, you know, you have your.

We used to use Notions where I interned, so that was a good app that we used to use Notions. And then you, as a leader, as a visionary, had to have the vision, which I knew for me, that I wanted something different.

A year ago when I cut the cord and I said, you know what? I want to figure out where I want to go before I lead people. So this is my first year not having interns.

Of course, I didn't need it fully because I collabed a lot. But they're just the answered prayer, you know, because I do do a lot of running around. But I had to figure out some things when my.

Basically when my business shifted. So now I'm about to do interns in November, and they'll come on basically December, and it'll be a spring internship.

So I'll have them from, like, December to, like, May. And most of them stay.

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 00:56:23

Right.

Jaleah Davis: 00:56:23

You know, most of them is. It honestly end up saying like, a whole year, you know, because there's also. I always offer paid opportunities.

Like, if you bring in a show, you want to produce it, like, you'll get paid off that, you know. Yeah. I offer pay even during the internship. Honestly, be like, some you can't. Like, you'll say the school will be like, you can't.

You know, But I just, you know, if they can, I don't mind, because you don't even have to be in school. That's the thing. So you don't have to be in school. And again, so many people, even my age, that just don't even know that this is even possible.

ShySpeaks: 00:56:52

Exactly. You know, I want to say something right here, but.

And I hope, because this, like I said, this is the first person who talked about interns so distinctly. I can tell that you mentioned it so many times that you knew about it. I do believe.

Jaleah Davis: 00:57:04

I do agree with you.

ShySpeaks: 00:57:05

Interns. Interns. Interns.

And I think that going about getting them and knowing the proper way, you just actually told that, which is reaching out to the colleges, going to the deans, being able to show proof of what you've been doing so that they can accreditate you to say, yes, if you do this, we'll give you your credit.

Jaleah Davis: 00:57:23

Right.

ShySpeaks: 00:57:24

That's the way. It's not like I'm just getting somebody to do something for free. It's not for free. They're getting the credit for it.

So technically, there's a mutual exchange. Exchange. And then also offering incentive past their term to maybe even stay on or paid opportunities and things like that.

So I really, I thank you for that because I know as other creative entrepreneurs, whether you're watching this and you don't have a desire to be in media, film, event space, studio, any of that, you probably are wondering how can I have interns and how can I structure them? So the proper structure is to go about them the right way.

It's wrapped them around college credit because then you know how I mean college hours, because then you know how long you have them. I know I have you from January to May, or I know I have you from this time of this.

Jaleah Davis: 00:58:09

And they have so many hours they have to complete. So it's kind of like, it just helps out because it's like, okay, well you have, you have to complete a total of 62 hours.

You know, I could break up your hours and working on projects, it's just, it's just, just easier when we do go through schools. It is much easier.

ShySpeaks: 00:58:23

Wow. Cheat code. Now that, that's cheat code. Last thing is you said I needed to figure out where I'm, what I'm going to do next.

Jaleah Davis: 00:58:32

Right.

ShySpeaks: 00:58:33

And where I'm going to go next. So that before I bring them back in, here's what, here's the vision. We're working now because we've expanded the vision.

So I want to ask you this last question. And then because we, you know, our whole goal is to go behind the brands of six, seven, eight figure business businesses.

So I know you just cut the course. I'm gonna assume you're not at the eight yet.

Jaleah Davis: 00:58:52

Right, so not the eight. Right, right.

ShySpeaks: 00:58:54

Not at the eight yet.

And so I'm gonna, so we're going from the, the, the, the income bracket you are now I'm sure you have a new income bracket that you're trying to go to in order for you. What's the new income bracket? What's the new income goal that you have in mind? Just, just give me a range me. This, this. That's the goal.

Jaleah Davis: 00:59:17

I would say, I would definitely say like you, it's okay.

ShySpeaks: 00:59:25

She going to say something like five. What?

Jaleah Davis: 00:59:27

No, no. I'm looking at like if I'm trying to think about, if I do a number and I write on, I write on my whiteboard, I do quarterly stuff.

ShySpeaks: 00:59:34

Okay.

Jaleah Davis: 00:59:35

But just got to ear, like semi ear because honestly this year probably has been, it's crazy because it has been a good, a really good financial year for me, but that's because I've been booming in the not. That's because. Because the thing about it is I haven't did much advertisement on my streaming. So I know what I'm. What it's capable.

It's capable of doing like your 78 figures. Like for sure. Like if I just, you know, once I get the back to getting everything involved.

But I've been so focused on the studio this year and live events and streaming, man, that's another thing. I just open up into the streaming world. Truly.

ShySpeaks: 01:00:10

But just like if you packed it all together.

Jaleah Davis: 01:00:13

If I packed everything together, this should easily be like a 2, 3, 4, 5.

ShySpeaks: 01:00:20

Okay, 5.

Jaleah Davis: 01:00:21

Okay, so just say 5 because I'm counting each one. Like all of them together. Because streaming is my new thing too. Like, I've been producing a lot of streamers.

,: 6000

ShySpeaks: 01:00:36

Right?

Jaleah Davis: 01:00:36

The streamers, yeah. And that's them barely doing something. This is my young streamers too. There's not enough. They own streams like four hours, five hours a day.

ShySpeaks: 01:00:46

Okay.

Jaleah Davis: 01:00:46

So crazy.

ShySpeaks: 01:00:47

That's what I'm saying. I'm trying to say you got the five. Yeah, it is crazy. I'm like the fact that you're just talking about all this just like.

Jaleah Davis: 01:00:53

So, okay, so I'll be wrapping my head around. I'll be like trying to process this streaming, honestly. Streaming.

And no matter what you do with your business, like even if you're like a lawyer, it's. It's not too much you can show. But you know, streaming, you going to just streaming. This streaming world is just crazy.

So now what I'm doing, just sidebar is because this is something I'm learning. Like I'm right now like I'm teaching myself. AI Half a lot of my movie stuff, nobody knows, but a lot of stuff was AI that I did. Side note, hold on.

ShySpeaks: 01:01:23

This is why we say we got to have her back.

Well, part two, because right now we've just been talking about the network and the studio a little bit about the Academy, but we didn't talk about that. The fact that you're a director and you actually just direct a hundred cast person movie. A film. A film.

And that is actually out and it premiered and it had over six, over 600 people.

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 01:01:44

Everybody. Everybody couldn't even come.

Jaleah Davis: 01:01:46

Everybody couldn't even come.

ShySpeaks: 01:01:48

And you're still in premiering mode because.

Jaleah Davis: 01:01:50

You'Re going to have to do another ride was why.

ShySpeaks: 01:01:51

So that's a you possibly to come back just to talk from the director world. Right. So. But anyway. But you have Such capacity to be able to do all of it because you was put in a position to do all of it.

But, but back to this 5 million because we got, we got to rapify.

Jaleah Davis: 01:02:06

So I would say if, if everything is just booming, it will. I could definitely like fight.

And of course it takes a team because I can't do that by myself, you know, So I know the capacity of what can happen with all the businesses into one.

Because what happens is all I'm doing is shooting one thing, but that one thing is gonna go to YouTube, it's gonna go to my channel, it's gonna go to streaming, it's gonna go. There's like so many other. It's gonna go to shorts on Tick Tock.

It's gonna go like it could get broken down and go to all these different social platforms on top of my streaming, on top of advertisement for that. Then what comes after that one content I shot, I shot. You know, advertisers can reach out just for that one. It's just.

And that's just thing that I could shoot. So when it's booming, honestly, the possibilities is unlimited.

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 01:02:52

Right now I want to ask you. So. So that's the goal, right?

Jaleah Davis: 01:02:56

That's the goal.

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 01:02:56

Find that 5 million, right?

Jaleah Davis: 01:02:58

Minimum.

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 01:02:59

Minimum. Who do you have to become in order to get to that goal?

ShySpeaks: 01:03:03

That's what we want to know.

Jaleah Davis: 01:03:04

Who do you have to become? You talking about me? Myself. Yeah. So that you have to become someone. It's almost what we talked about, the creative and the creator, right?

Like you have to become someone that you really have to walk as if you already have 5 million. You truly have to act as if. I feel like that's the only reason why I'm here is because you have to act as if you already have.

That that's already in place and that's actually how I kind of move is that my station is a billion dollar station. Can't nobody tell me nothing different, you know, Like, I don't care if you look at my view. I mean my views versus to be or.

Versus your Netflix or whatnot. Like I have a five billion dollar station. That is gold. You know, it can. It helps. It does all this for the community, for the world.

And what you also have to do is stop being a perfectionist, because that's me. I'll be trying to do things and be perfect and everything. And that delays me trying to be perfect and everything. Once you realize.

And this is why streamers are so important. You have to not care because I'm streamers get on their tv, on them phones and them cameras and just do. And make a million dollars just doing.

So you have to. When they sit, when you're in a honestly a great place, like the media tech world, just do because it's content, right?

Rather you mess up, fall in your face, guess what? That mess up, it can go viral. Could be what makes you viral world, or could be what makes everybody go tune into the station.

So literally you have to just be a doer. You cannot talk much because me, I'm a planner. And that's something I'm trying to step back from planning so much.

I'll plan so much and then the time somebody else didn't already did it. And that's just the truth. Like, so, I mean I can come back and I might do it different, but still, you know, I had planned so much.

I didn't did all this. I didn't make this. Like, I told you, I'm cool. I used to be yearly. Now I'm quarterly. Yeah, I'm qu. I look at everything.

Like, I be like, okay, so for the week, for the. I just try to like really not look so much into the future. Because looking into the future can get you lost, you know.

So I just really try to just do.

ShySpeaks: 01:05:14

It's like, oh, so you'd have to be a. A doer. You have to as more doing, less plan. Like less planning. You already have a plan. You have a vision.

Jaleah Davis: 01:05:24

It's just the point. Trust it, trust it. Trust yourself. Trust your vision. Trust it. Faith it. Faith it till you make it. That's my motto.

I say fake it and it's F A I T A not fake it, but I faked it till I make it. Like, this is a good. I put it. I might make it plain and simple. Put it on the paper, write it down. I am a writer downer, right? So I'll write it down.

It's going to happen. I'll just do it. I need to stop worrying about, well, what outlet can this plug go? Or like I go that detail.

Like, you know, but no, you just need to do it. You just need to go. You know, because if God gave you that vision, you also got to know that he gave you the tools to make that vision happen.

And that's what, that's just what I be working on. Like, okay, okay. He didn't give me this for no reason. You know, it might be a little difficult, but I'mma figure it out. And that's what I always say.

Z know, I be like, I'mma figure it out.

ShySpeaks: 01:06:06

Right?

Jaleah Davis: 01:06:07

We gonna figure it out.

ShySpeaks: 01:06:08

Right. So. So who you need to become in a nutshell is what. How would you say it, honestly?

Jaleah Davis: 01:06:16

I mean, in order to be a 5 billion. In order to be $5 billion, Jaliah, you got to become a. A different version of yourself.

Like every time, everybody, everything should make you a different version. So the best version of me would be the 5 billion. Right. The best version of me is basically honoring everything I say that I struggle with. Right.

So that version of me is really somebody that is the doer, you know, in order for me to become that version of me, I just have to let go.

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 01:06:51

That's it.

Jaleah Davis: 01:06:51

That's my main thing. It's letting go. Yeah, it's just letting go. Because that. Yeah, let go. Like, I. That's. That's the version of me that I work towards.

Because again, I'm a planner, you know, I have so many ideas. I just told y' all that each idea is a business plan to me. Like, seriously, I'd be like, I gotta do this, you know, but that's even.

I'm telling y' all this, but I'm still working on just doing, you know, and just stop. I have, like I said, I have all these plans, all these ideas, and I just need to go my best things done when it's.

I don't want to say rushed, but just when it's just done, you know.

ShySpeaks: 01:07:26

I love that and reason why to ask you is just to like, put you in a position of like, self reflection as well. Thinking.

Jaleah Davis: 01:07:34

Right.

ShySpeaks: 01:07:34

And so, so I thank you because you were like.

Jaleah Davis: 01:07:39

Yeah, I really processing.

ShySpeaks: 01:07:40

Like, I have to be.

Jaleah Davis: 01:07:41

I gotta let go. Angry of you.

ShySpeaks: 01:07:43

Yeah, Mean, I have to let go. Yeah, I have to do. Mean, I have to let go. And also, I just want to say this is like pretty much all we off the script at this point.

There is no script. We're just having a conversation. But I'm saying we're probably leaning over time.

But I just want to say this to you, for me, you were put in a position early on, like in your 20s, to to have to do all the things and you couldn't mess up and you couldn't get it wrong. And so, you know what I mean? Like, so now it's like, like, I don't have to do all the things. I can let other people do some of the things.

So define whatever it is that's you going to say. I want. I need three more me. Yeah. Some people don't even have the capacity to even do one of the things that you say that you know how to do.

So I think that that is amazing. But we want to ask also about, you know, where you're going to go in for five years or in five million.

Because we know that as a creative, creatives always have something next in mind. Like, so we wanted to see what that was. But more so what we heard you say is you need to pretty much mind your creative business by.

Okay, I got it going, but let me step back. And it leaves us. Me. It leaves me.

I'm thinking into this challenge that Ryan and I put together, and we want to challenge the creative preneurs who are watching to join the Creative to CEO challenge.

Jaleah Davis: 01:09:04

Right.

ShySpeaks: 01:09:05

Somewhere linked to this video, you should be able to click the link and join the Creative to CEO Challenge.

You have to move out of the mold of being the creator with all the different things, with all the different, you know, to the point where you're in the CEO seat.

Jaleah Davis: 01:09:18

Right.

ShySpeaks: 01:09:18

And if you're going to be in a CEO seat, you're going to have to move like a CEO. And so we put together some. Join a challenge, created CEO Challenge. Pressing it. You're going to get live coaching, mentorship.

We're running out for five days. There's a VIP opportunity as well if you want to have some extra Q and A time.

But more so, yeah, we're gonna, you know, some planning, some work, workflow, auditing, some rhythms, like, trust me, if you wanna go to the next level, whatever your next level is, they need to do what, Ron?

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 01:09:51

Join the Creator to CEO Challenge. So, yeah, on that note, like I said, we thank you for your time. This has been a phenomenal interview. You dropped a wealth of information.

I'm excited to see that transition.

Jaleah Davis: 01:10:07

Right.

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 01:10:07

I'm like, we're gonna be tuning in and saying, okay, iconic. Then went from this to this. So we're excited for that.

Jaleah Davis: 01:10:13

Thank you so much. Welcome to Houston because ain't good.

ShySpeaks: 01:10:17

And that stage. Yeah. All right. So thank you. For real.

Jaleah Davis: 01:10:21

For real.

ShySpeaks: 01:10:22

Thank you for coming. If we can have you back, we would love to.

I know you just premiered this film and we didn't get a chance to talk about it, but if we want a part two, if y' all want a part two, drop it in the comments. Part two, Part two. Yeah.

Jaleah Davis: 01:10:35

So she could fly.

ShySpeaks: 01:10:36

She want to get.

Jaleah Davis: 01:10:36

She moved out to Dallas. One of the best. I'm the best episode.

ShySpeaks: 01:10:42

So.

So, yes, we want to talk about all those things, but thank you so much and thank you for tuning in, if you're still looking at this point, you're serious about your creativepreneur journey. And so we shout out to you for that. And we always end on a note, right? We do all the talking where we've been talking. We let the guests talk.

You've been hearing from us, but we want you to hear from yourself, because it's take self development, which takes affirmations, to actually, like, drive on, right? So I want you to repeat after me, all right?

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 01:11:10

Repeating after you.

ShySpeaks: 01:11:11

Okay, Everybody repeating after me.

Jaleah Davis: 01:11:13

All it takes.

ShySpeaks: 01:11:14

All it takes is consistency.

Jaleah Davis: 01:11:17

Is consistency.

ShySpeaks: 01:11:18

Intention.

Jaleah Davis: 01:11:19

Intention.

ShySpeaks: 01:11:20

And laser focus.

Jaleah Davis: 01:11:21

Laser focus.

ShySpeaks: 01:11:22

To mind my creative business.

Jaleah Davis: 01:11:24

To mind my creative business.

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 01:11:26

And that.

ShySpeaks: 01:11:26

Know it.

Ron "iRonic" Lee Jr.: 01:11:27

We out.

Jaleah Davis: 01:11:28

Jesus.