Bobby Pen is not only the voice of the culture but she is also the wave of the future. The brand coach and author has sat down with CEO In Her to talk about how she is leveraging the pandemic to take her experience with top brands to another level, plus she is offering to help others level up as well.
Bobby Pen began her career right after college. ” The Bobby Pen is where I started. I created my platform lifestyle and entertainment website in 2010 when I graduated from undergrad. I was coming out, I had, had internships with the newspapers. I wrote for the student run newspaper. I had interviewed a couple of celebrities already so I just knew that when it was time for me to enter the job market that doors were going to be flying open and I was going to get my dream job. That didn’t happen.”
Like many graduate students Bobby Pen faced the backlash of not having enough experience. So she took matters into her own hands and created her own website which was an online media site where she hosted interviews, and wrote articles. I created my website as sort of like a living resume and that’s still how I treat it. I originally just wanted to prove that I could do the work.”
Eventually her hard work paid off and led her into writing and interviewing for other big brands like The Grio, Hello Beautiful, and Revolt.
Sustaining her journey in publications for 15 years, like many around the world Pen was faced with a curve ball due to the pandemic and the fight for justice. She explains how it curtailed her career topics from primarily publicizing in the entertainment industry and interviewing with celebrities like Snoop Dogg, Nick Cannon, and Brandy Norwood, Pen had to change subject matters into more political stances focusing on social justice, and activism. Instead of hitting the studio and red carpets, she found her self attending life changing events like the Funeral of George Floyd ” I definitely take pride and I have honor in the capacity I have in documenting this turning point in history.”
Pen is using her outlet and experience to continue to push as the voice of the culture by not only diversifying her topics to focus on activism and social justice but also highlighting other talents through the Put Yourself on Podcast where she and others open up about the fulfillments of success.
Pen also helps others with creative directing, as she has worked with many well known names she understands the media strategies necessary for branding.
“I’ve seen a lot of set backs, but I truly believe they have made me a better person, a better professional, but also a better human. I have had challenges, I am able to be empathetic. I am a very passionate person, everything I do I give 110 percent. Just working through that and knowing that it is a marathon and not a sprint just helps me keep going.”
“The phrase enjoy the process is really important”, Pen stated. Giving advise to the next generation journalist and creators Bobby Pen says, “what I tell anybody whether you are a child or an adult is to just get started. That is the easiest way to be better. You have to actually do it. Build your own brand, start with yourself, and that’s how you learn what you are capable of. Challenge yourself.”
In her journey, Pen has learned how to prioritize and how to compartmentalize. “Organization and prioritization are the two keys to keeping it all together”.
As the Voice Of The Culture Bobby Pen stays active on her social media, allowing other to reach out to her through her media links https://www.instagram.com/bobbypen/ by web https://thebobbypen.com/consulting/or email at thebobbypen@gmail.com.
