Sunday Morning Read: Partnership Wisdom From Odell Beckham Jr. and Ajay Sangha, In Entrepreneur Magazine

When Entrepreneur magazine came in the mail this time and landed on the bench in the front hall, I felt compelled to read it. Compelled, like, drawn to. Like there was an article in there that was speaking from behind the cover that whisper-yelled: “Reeeead meeee”.

So I picked it up for my Sunday magazine read, and started with the cover story for Odell Beckham Jr. Not knowing who he is. The article promised a story on “the art of the perfect partnership.” That’s something I’ve been thinking a lot about, so I started there.

Wow. What a mind-cycle-breaker to read about how he and his partner and best friend, Ajay Sangha, came to be business partners. And how Ajay grew in the relationship, balanced by Odell.

Takeaways From The Business Partnership

The journalist and magazine’s Editor In Chief, Jason Feifer, pulled out a few secret ingredients to what has been making this business partnership work, that started in friendship. Here are a few:

- Fear: Ajay was afraid of failing Odell, from it seems like, the very beginning. It’s a fear that stays with him through the many investments they have done together. But Ajay is able to harness that fear, and let it fuel him. However, it is with Odell’s outlook on life that makes balancing this fear possible. Said Ajay after their latest large investment: “I mean, it’s not my money. It’s a lot of money, right? It’s a lot of fucking money. And it’s a venture investment. It could go down the drain. I didn’t sleep for a month and a half.”

On the other hand, Odell’s approach is this: “I’m okay with taking the risk in hopes that it pays off. And if it didn’t, I was going to beat him up and then we’d move on to the next one.”

- Burned For Kindness Being Weakness: When Odell, an NFL player, he had fun dancing and taking videos of him out having a good time. But he said that started to change when the videos began to be “used as a downfall.” When he was open and authentic, he felt it backfire, and viewed “Kindness is taken for weakness.” The reporter noted that Odell closed himself off, quoting Odell as saying: “It’s hard to live in a lens where I’m going to be judged for those moments.”

- Short Term vs Long Term: As an NFL player, Odell was living a short and fast life, with big money going in, and big money going out. He began to think about his mortality, his unpredictable career, and how to make his career more scalable.

- Looking Around: When Odell invited Ajay to live with him in his big football house (according to the article, this is common for celebrities to do who need their social life close and private to them), Ajay accepted and they started moving and grooving. When Odell approached Ajay about doing the business development stuff, Ajay immediately looked around to find out: “Who can I trust? Who can I learn from? Who is doing it right?”

- Calmness: From the article, you’ll learn that Ajay is constantly thinking of what can work, what needs to change in order to grow, and what is fulfilling to their business and their people. But - Odell brings Ajay back down to calmness. Eventually the two moved apart from each other, and this improved Ajay’s mental health. “It gives their relationship more of a rhythm. ‘When I visit, [Odell’s] like ‘Hey man, you’re here for the weekend. Stop thinking, stop talking, just relax, enjoy a beer.”

- Wisdom: Here is some wisdom Odell shared with the reporter, that he tells to friends who are struggling: “I’ve said this so many times - I’m like bro, just remember the other time where you thought you weren’t going to be able to keep going, and the worst fucking possible thing happened, and then you got over it. And then it happened again, and this one was worse than the last. And it’s like, you just have to know that it is going to happen. It is. And that’s kind of what you’re saying about a moment, not the moment. I don’t really know if there is the moment. There might be that once-in-a-lifetime thing, but I feel like if you’re waiting for that, you’re not being present, and you’re not living in a bunch of moments that are happening right in front of you.”

Go read the full article. Better: subscribe to the magazine in print so that you can experience it as a page-turner on paper.

Black Girl Nerds; A Podcast Highlighting Your Geeky Guide To Pop Culture Entertainment

If you need a good podcast to listen to, this is it! Black Girl Nerds is Your Geeky Guide To Pop Culture Entertainment. In this episode, they interviewed Emmy-nominated actor, comedian, and author Yvonne Orji. Going to need to listen to and buy the paper version of her book Bamboozled By Jesus.

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.”

50 Cent Opens Student Entrepreneurship Program For 3 High Schools In Texas

Photo Credit: Screenshot from HISD website.

The Houston Independent School District (HISD) announced its partnership with 50 Cent (Curtis Jackson) to launch an entrepreneur program at 3 of their high schools with the intent of giving students opportunities and business education that 50 Cent himself did not have access to at that early age.

50 Cent has moved to Texas, and is is investing $300,000 into the program, which will offer high school students the chance to apply for paid internships as well as take part in the G-Unity Business Lab. 50 Cent is funding the launch of the program through his nonprofit G-Unity Foundation, the mission of which is to empower youth in America’s cities (50 Cent’s film and production company is called G-Unit Film and Television). The program will launch at Wheatley, Worthing, and Kashmere high schools, with up to 50 students in the program when it launches this fall.

According to G-Unity Foundation, the 3 high schools “will work with HISD educators, Houston business leaders, and the G-Unity Foundation to complete an after-school course that teaches MBA concepts aligned with Curtis Jackson’s book, Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter. The goal of the program is to arm youth from urban areas with education and business acumen in the hopes they will be able to start their own companies or manage a company.”

Students will be given the chance to learn core business values, as well as develop their own business ideas.

The musician and producer is involved in another project involving high schoolers as an executive producer on the reality series called Dream School. According to HISD, 50 Cent said: “These opportunities are huge opportunities that I didn’t have. Being able to provide that in the early stages, I think it changes the direction and the choices that they will make. It prevents them from making some of the mistakes that I made.”

The Houston Independent School District is the largest school district in Texas and the seventh-largest in the United States. It serves approximately 209,000 students at 280 campuses and is one of the largest employers in Houston, with about 27,000 team members.

And now you know. As business owners and creators dream big when they think about how to get the word out, it’s important to know what your favorite celebrities are up to, as they make social investments like this. Browse Tin Shingle’s Media Contact Idea Center and use our Community to bounce ideas off each other before making an outreach.

Additionally, if you work for or run an educational center - be it ginormous like HISD or small like a charter school - an announcement like this is a great edition to your own business blog, in addition to pitching it to the media. This news came from a simple SEO search in Google. We talk about SEO as well when you’re a member of Tin Shingle.

The Second Run Of 'Tamron Hall' Set To Air on OWN

Photo Credit: Disney

Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) has licensed Tamron Hall - daytime talk show to begin on Monday, September 14. New episodes will run on OWN Monday-Friday at 8am and 1pm. Season One episodes of Tamron Hall will also air on OWN Monday-Friday at 9am and 2pm.

“Tamron is a dynamic host and an incomparable journalist. She delves into important conversations that matter to OWN viewers and we are so excited to have her as a part our daytime lineup,” said Tina Perry, president, OWN. “Tamron joined Oprah on her recent ‘2020 Vision’ tour, and we saw firsthand how engaging she is with audiences. Her show is a breakout daytime hit, and we welcome her to OWN with open arms.”

“Having Oprah’s engaged and passionate OWN viewers join us at our table is both meaningful and a privilege, especially during this moment in history where conversations matter more than ever before,” said Hall. “I can’t imagine a more perfect second home for my show and I am thrilled to join Oprah and the OWN family.”

Keeping Up With The Kardashians Ending After 14 Years And 20 Seasons on E!

Photo Credit: E! Entertainment

Keeping Up With The Kardashians, the reality series on E! News is ending in 2021 after 14 years and 20 seasons.

The family broke the news in an Instagram post on September 8th.

“It is with heavy hearts that we say goodbye to Keeping Up with the Kardashians. After what will be 14 years, 20 seasons, hundreds of episodes and several spin-off shows, we’ve decided as a family to end this very special journey.  We are beyond grateful to all of you who’ve watched us for all of these years – through the good times, the bad times, the happiness, the tears, and the many relationships and children. We’ll forever cherish the wonderful memories and countless people we’ve met along the way,” the family wrote.

“Thank you to the thousands of individuals and businesses that have been a part of this experience and most importantly, a very special thank you to Ryan Seacrest for believing in us, E! for being our partner, and our production team at Bunim/Murray who’ve spent countless hours filming our lives,” they added.

The announcement was signed by Kris Jenner, Kourtney Kardashian, Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian, Rob Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, Kylie Jenner and Scott Disick.

Its 19th season will begin airing on September 17 and will be followed by one final season, season 20, in 2021.

Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson And T.I. For TV Series, 'Twenty Four Seven', At CBS All Access

 Twenty Four Seven, a drama starring T.I. Inspired by Notorious C.O.P.: The Inside Story of the Tupac, Biggie, and Jam Master Jay Investigations from NYPD’s First “Hip-Hop Cop,” will be produced by Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson.

The series is currently in the works and the final pieces for the project will be produced by CBS TV Studios and Lionsgate TV. Dallas Jackson writes the series based on the book written by Derrick Parker and Matt Diehl and Curtis Jackson executive produces the series through his G Unit Film & Television.

T.I. will play the role of Derrick Parker who was involved deeply in rap history, including, the first shooting of Tupac Shakur.

Nick Cannon's Podcast "Cannon's Class" Dropped By ViacomCBS, Citing "Bigotry"

Nick Cannon
Photo Credit: CNN

On July 14, 2020, Deadline.com reported that ViacomCBS dropped Nick Cannon’s podcast, “Cannon’s Class” after he made what they considered “hateful speech and “anti-semitic conspiracy theories” during an episode. The podcast also aired on YouTube, that airs on YouTube. The “Cannon’s Class” continues to air on YouTube and has 391K subscribers.

The podcast is about “all things Cannon,” and recently has been focusing on racism, white supremacy, and the police. Nick’s video, “I Can’t Breathe, Again!” went viral after COVID-19 broke out and the racial protests started after the murder of George Floyd.

According to the Deadline.com article, Nick made comments on racism, sharing that people who have “the lack of pigment” are “a little less” than those who do, and have “a lack of compassion.” He continued, “They’re acting out of fear. They’re acting out of low self esteem. They’re acting out of a deficiency. So therefore the only way they can act is evil. They have to rob, steal, rape and [unintelligible] in order to survive.” He then shared, that Black people are the “true Hebrews.”

ViaccomCBS issued the following statement to Deadline:

ViacomCBS condemns bigotry of any kind and we categorically denounce all forms of anti-Semitism. We have spoken with Nick Cannon about an episode of his podcast ‘Cannon’s Class’ on YouTube, which promoted hateful speech and spread anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. While we support ongoing education and dialogue in the fight against bigotry, we are deeply troubled that Nick has failed to acknowledge or apologize for perpetuating anti-Semitism [Nick has since issued an apology], and we are terminating our relationship with him. We are committed to doing better in our response to incidents of anti-Semitism, racism, and bigotry. ViacomCBS will have further announcements on our efforts to combat hate of all kinds.

Cannon shared with Facebook and Twitter: “Anyone who knows me knows that I have no hate in my heart nor malice intentions,” “I do not condone hate speech nor the spread of hateful rhetoric. We are living in a time when it is more important than ever to promote unity and understanding.”

He also specifically apologized to the Jewish community: "I must apologize to my Jewish Brothers and Sisters for putting them in such a painful position, which was never my intention, but I know this whole situation has hurt many people and together we will make it right," he wrote. "I have dedicated my daily efforts to continuing conversations to bring the Jewish Community and the African American community closer together, embracing our differences and sharing our commonalities."

Nick Cannon’s podcast, “Cannon’s Class” continues to air on YouTube, and he remains the host of "The Masked Singer" following his apology for recent anti-Semitic remarks.

Dear Media: Please Publish Nothing That Kanye West Says. You Know Why. Remember It.

For The Media:

Dear Media: Please publish nothing that Kanye West says. You will aid him in splitting the vote and keeping Trump in. Please. The amount of air time that you gave a Trump during his first election got him elected. It was actually your fault. Please don’t repeat your mistake. Report on anything else. There is so much to report on!

For Everyone Else:

Tin Shingle has never been into dreaming of PR from celebrity PR from the Kardashians. No no. You must ignore this now. For regular people: for your social media: nothing. No stories about Kayne West. No spreading the word of caution.

If they get no spread from us, he doesn’t exist. Focus your energy on Kamala. And how to vote. Because that sh*t is getting crazy.

What Does Meghan and Harry's Exit (Megxit) Of Royalty Mean For Businesses Wanting Celebrity PR?

Screenshot Photo: The Sun

Meghan and Harry’s announcement (which was dubbed Megxit) wasn’t the first within the last 6 months of a member of the royal family no longer being a royal, but it was the first within these months to be by their choice. Prince Andrew was apparently told to leave, after a revealing interview he held with the BBC Newsnight with Emily Maitlis during his Jeffrey Epstein scandal. But what does Megxit mean for businesses who dream of having royalty touch their product or recommend their service?

Meghan and Harry Magic Will Probably Continue - And Grow Stronger

Meghan and Harry’s independence will most likely strengthen their brand as individuals. Not operating under the restrictions of royalty may even lighten their stress load a bit, and open creative doors to more define them. NPR and People Magazine reported that Meghan and Harry filed a trademark for their new charity, Royal Sussex, “which reportedly applies to items ranging from education to clothing,” according to NPR.

Maybe Your Shipping Costs Will Decrease - Canadian Address?

Speculation at The Sun and NPR is that the couple may move to Canada, as their statement indicated. According to the NPR article: “But many believe the couple will instead make a home in Canada. The pair just returned from spending six weeks at an estate on Vancouver Island…And they say they will continue to honor the British Commonwealth, of which Canada is a part.”

Don’t X Them Out

Don’t nix them just yet from your celebrity dream wish list, like Madame Tussauds did by removing their statues (awkward!).

How Do You Pitch Celebrities?

Yes, let's discuss! We reached out to our friend Sarah Shaw who specializes in how to get press from celebrities - the right way. She's been a guest expert on a TuneUp of ours before, and she's returning to discuss this with us on Wednesday, February 19th at 12pm EST. Register now and mark your calendar!