Black Girl Nerds

On this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds Podcast we welcome the team behind the new book "Noir Is The New Black". Featured in the interview are: David Brame, Mikhail Hardy, and TC Harris. TC Harris Editor of "Noir Is The New Black" and creator of  "The Circuit" Mikhail "MikMakaw" Hardy is a Washington DC-based comic artist and painter. He's worked on several indie anthologies that include Delta Volume 1, The 27 Club and most recently "Noir is The New Black". David Brame is an educator, afrofuturist, artist, illustrator, and cartoonist. His works fit within a framework of afro-pop surrealism with a heavy focus on narrative and mark making. Host: Ryanne  Music by: Sammus Edited by: Jamie Broadnax

In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast we welcome entertainers in TV and literacy! Segment 1: From creator, writer, and executive producer Lena Waithe and Hillman Grad Productions, the GLAAD Media Award-nominated series, 'Twenties' follows ‘Hattie,’ a masculine-presenting queer Black woman in her twenties.  Featured in the segment are actors Jonica T Gibbs (Hattie), Christina Elmore (Marie) and Gabrielle Graham (Nia). Host: Stacey Segment 2: Cynthia Manick is the author of Blue Hallelujahs, which won the 2016 Lascaux Prize in Collected Poetry, and editor of Soul Sister Revue: A Poetry Compilation (2019). She is the co-editor of the new book 'The Future of Black'. Host: Ryanne Music by: Sammus Edited by: Jamie Broadnax

This week's Black Girl Nerds Podcast welcomes the women behind Crunk Feminist Collective. Guests Brittney C. Cooper, Susana M. Morris & Chanel Craft Tanner of Crunk Feminist Collective authored their latest book, 'Feminist AF: A Guide to Crushing Girlhood'.  It’s a resource guide for young feminists especially geared towards young girls of color, designed to help them navigate some of the most pressing issues young people face. Using intersectional frameworks, Feminist AF helps young feminists grapple with friendships, bodies, family dynamics, emotional health, pop culture, dating, sex, sexism, racism, homophobia, classism, and xenophobia.  Host: Ryanne Music by: Sammus Edited by: Jamie Broadnax

In this 2-part episode of the BGN Podcast, we welcome DC Comics superstars Ashley Romans and Anjelika Washington. Segment 1: Ashley Romans stars as Agent 355 in the FX/Hulu series 'Y: The Last Man'.  A drama series based on DC Comics’ acclaimed series of the same name by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra, Y: The Last Man traverses a post-apocalyptic world in which a cataclysmic event kills every mammal with a Y chromosome except for one cisgender man and his pet monkey. The series follows the survivors in this new world as they struggle with their efforts to restore what was lost and the opportunity to build something better. Host: Ryanne Segment 2: Anjelika Washington stars as Beth Chapel/Dr. Mid-Nite in the CW series 'DC's Stargirl'. The story follows high school sophomore Courtney Whitmore and her stepfather Pat Dugan as she leads an unlikely group of young heroes to take on the legacy of DC’s very first superhero team, the Justice Society of America. In the thrilling second season, Courtney and her friends take on one of the most frightening adversaries in DC’s mythology – the dark entity of corruption known as Eclipso. Host: Ryanne Music by: Sammus Edited by: Jamie Broadnax

In this week's episode of the BGN Podcast we chat with the cast and crew of the highly-anticipated series 'Hightown' on STARZ. Featured in the episode are: Writer and Creator: Rebecca Perry Cutler and Executive Producer Gary Lennon. And featuring cast members: Monica Raymund, Riley Voelkel, James Badge Dale, Amaury Nolasco, Atkins Estimond, and Dohn Norwood. In the second season of 'Hightown', the picture-perfect version of summer on Cape Cod clashes with its off-season reality. Jackie Quinones (Monica Raymund), achieving her dream of becoming a real cop, is out to do some good in this world. Thrust immediately into the crime wave of deadly carfentanyl flooding the Cape, Jackie is laser-focused on bringing down drug dealer Frankie Cuevas (Amaury Nolasco), the man Jackie holds responsible for the death of her best friend, Junior. For Jackie, it is personal but then again, for Jackie, everything is personal.  Hosted by: Stacey Music by: Sammus Edited by: Jamie Broadnax

In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds Podcast, we welcome co-founder and COO of the cryptocurrency/crowdfunding startup Polinate. Polinate is a next-generation crowdfunding platform designed to discover, launch and empower creatives globally in a permissionless way. Azeem Khan is a New York-based entrepreneur who's worked in tech, blockchain, biotech, esports/gaming, and entertainment. Most recently he ran partnerships and growth at Aglet, doing deals with the likes of Gucci and Stadium Goods. Host: Jamie  Music by: Sammus Edited by: Jamie Broadnax

The Black Girl Nerds Podcast welcomes actor Milan Ray.  The Baltimore native has starred alongside Hollywood legends including Alison Janney and Viola Davis in Amazon’s 'Troop Zero' that followed a group of young ladies competing for the town’s prized possession of Birdie Scouts Leader. Up Next, ABC’s highly anticipated re-boot, 'The Wonder Years.' She’s the new Winnie, the love interest of Dean Williams — the one for which Dean tries so hard to connect with.  Host: Ryanne Music by: Sammus Edited by: Jamie Broadnax

In this week's episode of the BGN Podcast, we welcome stand-up comedian and author Gina Yashere. Standup comedian Gina Yashere recently released her memoir Cack-Handed, which chronicles the story of growing up as a child of Nigerian immigrants in working-class London to becoming the first female engineer with the UK branch of Otis, the largest elevator company in the world. Her time at Otis was a baptism by fire dealing with racist and sexist co-workers, so she left to become a stand-up comic and became one of the top comedians in the UK. Gina then came to the U.S. as a finalist on NBC’s Last Comic Standing in 2007 and never left! A few years ago, Chuck Lorre found her standup online and reached out to her to co-create, produce, write and act in the CBS comedy series 'Bob Hearts Abishola'. The show captures the heart of the Nigerian immigrant experience and many of the stories are pulled from Gina's personal life.  Host: Ryanne Music by: Sammus Edited by: Jamie Broadnax

In this week's episode of the BGN Podcast, as we cover the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival, we welcome actor, director, and writer Justine Bateman to talk about her directorial feature film 'Violet'. Justine Bateman has an impressive resume that includes 'Family Ties', 'Satisfaction' and 'Arrested Development', and many more. She has earned a Golden Globe nomination and two Emmy® nominations. An advocate for Net Neutrality, Justine holds a degree from UCLA in Computer Science and Digital Media Management. VIOLET, Bateman’s directorial feature film debut of her own script, stars Olivia Munn, Luke Bracey, and Justin Theroux. It premiered at SXSW 2021 and has its International Premiere at TIFF 2021. Host: Jamie Music by: Sammus Edited by: Jamie Broadnax

In this week's episode of the Black Girl Nerds podcast, we welcome  Emmy-nominated actor, comedian, and author Yvonne Orji. On television, she stars in HBO’s critically acclaimed comedy series 'Insecure'. A distinguished standup comedian, Yvonne previously opened for Chris Rock on various stops of his Total Blackout Tour and headlined her first comedy tour, Lagos To Laurel, at the top of 2020. She subsequently debuted her first one-hour HBO standup special, Momma, I Made It!, in June 2020. Earlier this year, Orji released her faith-based advice book, Bamboozled by Jesus: How God Tricked Me Into the Life of My Dreams, and can currently be seen in the Hulu film 'Vacation Friends', alongside Lil Rel and John Cena. In September 2018, Yvonne made her feature film debut in Universal’s 'Night School' alongside Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish. She is also the co-host of the podcast Jesus & Jollof alongside Luvvie Ajayi. Outside of her creative work, Orji is dedicated to her charitable efforts. In 2008 she spent six months working in post-conflict Liberia with Population Services International (PSI), an NGO that utilizes social marketing in the adoption of healthy behaviors. While in Liberia, she worked with a group of talented youth to help build a mentoring program as well as a weekly talk show that helped educate and prevent teen pregnancy and HIV/AIDS. Orji has brought her work with the youth community back to the states, where she is currently involved with (RED) campaigns and faith-based youth ministries. Before moving to Los Angeles, Yvonne earned a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a Masters of Public Health from George Washington University. Host: Ryanne Music by: Sammus Edited by: Jamie Broadnax