Ever wondered what it takes to leave a corporate tech career and build a media empire from scratch? Join Corey Gumbs in the debut episode of The Sound of Us as he sits down with the legendary Anna DeShawn to discuss the evolution of storytelling within the diaspora and the transition from corporate life to audio entrepreneurship.
In this deep dive, Anna shares her raw and honest journey of building E3 Radio and the innovative platform known as The Qube.
After 15 years in the industry, she provides invaluable insights into the challenges of tech startups, the necessity of pivoting when the original vision fails, and the importance of grounding oneself through mental health and community support.
We explore the critical need for marginalized voices to own their narratives and why Anna is now on a mission to build the largest database for black and brown podcasts to solve the industry’s discoverability problem.
Whether you are an aspiring podcaster or a seasoned creator, this conversation covers everything from funding and distribution deals to the philosophy of falling in love with the problem rather than the solution.
Anna explains how the new iteration of The Qube is removing barriers for creators by including both RSS feeds and YouTube URLs, ensuring that our cultural stories are preserved and easily found by the audiences that need them most.
Chapters
0:00 Welcome to the Sound of Us
2:45 Introducing the OG Anna DeShawn
7:15 The 15 year journey of E3 Radio
12:30 Transitioning from corporate tech to audio
18:00 Planning the leap of faith with family support
23:15 The birth and naming of The Qube
28:40 Lessons from the first iteration of the platform
34:10 Navigating funding and the VC landscape
39:50 Pivoting to production and distribution deals
45:20 Building community through the Podcast Salon tour
51:15 Grounding practices and mental health for founders
57:30 Embracing failure as a badge of honor
1:03:00 Falling in love with the problem
1:08:45 Solving discoverability for black and brown creators
1:14:10 Rebuilding the mission and launch strategy
1:19:30 How to add your podcast to the database
1:24:45 Why the Qube includes YouTube URLs
1:29:10 The future of deep search and visibility
1:33:50 Archiving and preserving our voices for the future
1:36:20 Final thoughts and how to support
If you believe in the power of our collective voices, please support the mission by adding your podcast to the database or joining the community on Substack. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share this episode to help amplify these stories.
👉🏽 👉🏽 Join and add your podcast to the Qube today - https://theqube.app/
#podcasting #blackcreators #mediaentrepreneur #audioindustry #storytelling
