Spit 2 Da Beat Podcast
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Spit 2 Da Beat Podcast
Inside the Vivacious World of PR with Miriam Nubnqueen Graham : Triumphs, Trials and True Stories
Ever wondered about the meticulous planning it takes to pull off a grand event like the Stump the City Iconic Awards? Or how it feels to work closely with some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry? This episode with our guest, Miriam Graham, founder of Nubian Queen Management PR, uncovers it all! Join us as we traverse her fascinating narrative filled with celebrity clients, promotions, and her unwavering approach to handling these high-profile personas with humility and respect.
Our lively chat with Miriam doesn't stop there. She transports us through her extensive career journey, sharing insights from her involvement with different initiatives like Kids with Friends International and Soul Train. She even takes us behind the scenes of her very own TV show, Talent Conspiracy. Listen in as she reminisces about her role in street promotions for Columbia during Destiny Child's early days in the music scene. But what's most riveting is her unwavering commitment to promoting positive music and respect, particularly through her work with Stump the City, a movement dedicated to combating gun and domestic violence.
As we wrap up, we turn the spotlight on Miriam's philanthropic pursuits. She opens up about her association with the Heal the Hood Foundation of Memphis, a nonprofit committed to empowering the youth of her city through the arts and media. Her advice on understanding the business side of the industry is a must-hear for every upcoming artist. So if you're in the music industry looking for a stage to share your story, or simply fascinated by the inner workings of the entertainment world, this episode promises a wealth of insights and inspirations. Join us and get ready to be amazed by Miriam's impressive career journey!
If your in the music industry- singer, songwriter, composer, indie, neo singer, rapper, country artist, promoter, manager, music lawyer or blues please email me to be a guest on my show at myguest@spit2dabeat.com I would love to hear your Spit about the Music Industry.
And welcome to Spit to the Beat podcast. I'm your host, stacey aka Beat Unstoppable Per Year, and today I am graced in the studio with a very special guest. But before I bring our own, I want to make sure we go ahead and hit this intro and thank you for joining Spit to the Beat podcast. You can definitely catch clips and video clips of my show on Stacey Beat Unstoppable Per Year on Facebook, as well as Stacey Spit to the Beat Per Year. Also, don't forget to go and subscribe to my YouTube channel, spit to the Beat. Hit that subscribe, like and notification bell and we are back in the studio with my very special guest. I'm going to let her introduce herself, because I'm still trying to get close to that name.
Speaker 2:Hi, I'm Miriam Graham Newby and Queen Management PR.
Speaker 1:Welcome to the show.
Speaker 2:Thank you for having me Stacey.
Speaker 1:Yes, I found you on Facebook. I like. Okay, I got to have this lady on my show, oh my gosh. Yeah, you are doing some amazing things in the city of Memphis. Tell us a little bit my audience, a little bit about you.
Speaker 2:Well, I am from San Diego, california. I've been in Memphis, I think, about 18 years now In the music industry. I'm also a PR for a nonprofit organization and also do PR for other people, like Monique Phillips, lovely Lisa I do some stuff sometimes for her Gina Hills I'm also a partner with Never Stop Entertainment with Radio Promotions, so I set up interviews for artists like Lenny Williams, kenny Lattimore and many others.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I've seen you had a very extensive actors and entertainers list of people that you have taken pictures with and stuff like that. Tell me, tell my audience, a little bit about how is it working with artists and entertainers.
Speaker 2:I have no issues. No issues at all, because I treat them like people. I've never come across anybody with the arrogance no diva attitudes. Everybody's been so sweet and so humble and very open. I just have to treat them like they're normal people, because I'm not a groupie or any of that. So I do my business, get them going and get them on the platforms that they need to be on.
Speaker 1:Okay, great, great. You just had a very big event past a week or so ago Stump the City Iconic Awards. Tell me about that.
Speaker 2:Stump the City. Iconic Awards was created by Michael Darkery is to bring awareness against stop and the violence gun violence, the domestic violence. So he solicits his celebrity friends. They come into the city, you know, to address some. You know the violence in the city or in their own community. But it's also an award show, so there's people who get their accolades for what they do.
Speaker 1:I was looking at your video and the work that you had to do to pull it off. I mean it's a great thing what I admire what you did and I do amaritages about other people too. They give recognition to the people that help them. It's very important to recognize people. That's in the trenches with you, you know, day in and day out and throughout the whole process, that process you was talking about was it really tough?
Speaker 2:Yes, because thank God for my cousin. She came. She was supposed to just been there just to help me a little bit, but she stayed with me. I was like, go get dressed, go get dressed, get dressed. She said, no, I'm gonna be right here with you, whatever you need. So I had to show appreciation for her cause. She did it. It was her first time working a red carpet with me to set up and to break down. You know, sometimes things happen with your team or people who're supposed to help you under circumstances, but when you have that one person you have to acknowledge them for what they did. There was other people in the background but putting that red carpet together I have to give it off to her.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, and you mentioned several others. You know, from the photographers to the catering, to all the wheels, that was involved in making that event a success.
Speaker 2:Yes, a lot of the media people came from out of town.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they came last year. You know I have a relationship with a lot of the media because I, you know, contact them to get celebrities on their platform, on their podcast, you know, virtually, or if, they're in that city, you know, set up interviews. I have some amazing photographers here, you know, when I call, they're there. Yes, the caterer, Ms D, she did that last minute.
Speaker 2:She put it together, not to take away from anybody else, but you know, my focus was supposed to have been that red carpet but I was doing other things behind the scene to make sure everything goes smoothly according to what we had planned to do. So it was exciting. There was a lot of moving pieces to this event.
Speaker 1:So tell me a little bit more about the not on the event, but you've been doing this. Is this the? What year is this of this event?
Speaker 2:right here, this is the third year, but it's my second year with them.
Speaker 1:Okay, okay. So they brought you in and seen your credentials and all that stuff, they brought you in.
Speaker 2:They seen how I move and shake.
Speaker 1:They hey, I was saying the politically, there you go.
Speaker 2:No, they didn't see my credentials. They just seen how I was moving. They saw my credentials.
Speaker 1:Okay, okay, great, great. So are you enjoying the ride, the experience?
Speaker 2:Yeah, of course you know I've been in the industry for over 30 years.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Before my daughter was born, I was in the industry, so you know this is what I like to do.
Speaker 1:So, being in the music and the entertainment industry, what has been some of the more memorable situation that you may have done with any actors or entertainer, artists or anything like that, any crazy story that stands out from your past.
Speaker 2:Not at all what you got a clean record, nothing at all, honestly Okay.
Speaker 1:So no artist was difficult to work with or anything like that. You just what's your process of working with?
Speaker 2:Just being me, honestly. I'm not taken away from anything or anybody. It's just being me because you know I'm very spiritual.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:And I'm very approachable and I try to make people feel comfortable more than anything. So it's not a process for me. I just use my gift and let my light, my Christian light, shine.
Speaker 2:And you know what I mean. Just like with Vivica Fox, wonderful lady. When I'm on that red carpet or when we have a guest in town, you know I'm the PR. Come on hospitality, I just take them and it's that. You know Dmitri McKinney from House of Pain I love her. When we had her here a couple of years ago, just as humble as she wanna be first time meeting me, and then you know, she asked her PR, she said you're in good hands, so I make sure when clients come to town I'm their PR assistant and I wanna make sure that they feel like they're safe, they're gonna get treated right. Even Steven Russell was here a couple of months ago with Heal the Hood Foundation of Memphis and you know we've been talking back and forth. We know the same people and it's just like hey, come on when you wanna go eat. We went out to eat and it was just wonderful conversations.
Speaker 1:You sing from just listening to you. You learn you know how to be a good relationship with people and I know that you're a people person. Being in this type of business, you have to be. You got to love people beyond themselves and loving yourself at the same time. While you're doing this and to be out front, you know people have to feel your vibe and your energy to make that connection and make them long-term relationships. So I definitely see you. You know automatic. You do that with a perfect smile. I wanna see you smile.
Speaker 2:I see what about friends? Like every time I see your pictures you're smiling. I said I don't know no other way. I said when I'm not smiling I feel like I'm looking means Because, you know, when I was younger I said why don't you smile? Why don't you smile? You know, especially guys, you need to smile and now it just comes natural. Natural, yeah.
Speaker 1:All right, hold tight for us. I'm gonna take a little PA break and we're back to spit to the beat podcast. I'm your host. They say a KB unstoppable prayer and I'm joined in the studio with newbie and queen. I'm gonna go through them the middle night. Miss Graham, how you doing.
Speaker 2:You can get my first name we go. I accept that newbie and queen, I earned that name.
Speaker 1:All right. All right, we were discussing about the personality of being into in the business and everything like that. You've been in there for 30 years, 30 plus years. How has your journey been?
Speaker 2:It's been good actually, because I started out working with kids with friends international and then I just kept going. I did soul train.
Speaker 1:Oh, wow.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we were recruiters in San Diego for models and stuff to dance on soul train, so that was fun. Then I did street promotions for Columbia when Destiny Child first came out. So I was being a street promoter for them and I just moved up and I had my own TV show called talent conspiracy. So that's when I started. So you guys had the podcast and you know, before American Idol and all that. I already had that.
Speaker 2:Wow, I would have artists come on my show. I had a host, my host. They had to have a talent, they had to sing or whatever. Because they had to perform too, and they did interviews, so I was the first black woman to have her on TV show in San Diego.
Speaker 1:That's amazing. Now I did catch up. It was on cable TV some channel. I watched the history of soul train and most of the soul train dance was talking about the two piece chicken box and all that. It's true, yeah, and you was behind all that.
Speaker 2:As far as recruiting, the people going out and looking. Well, in San Diego, we only got girls from San Diego. That's where we were from.
Speaker 1:Okay, only from San Diego.
Speaker 2:Okay, we have some beautiful girls. So how was it working with Duncan? I didn't work with him Because you know we had to be in the audience. So yeah, you know he'll pass by will way, but he was a no nonsense guy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I can see that, see him being like that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's true.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so how long did you do soul train?
Speaker 2:I did it for two years.
Speaker 1:For two years, great learning experience and everything it was great being behind the scenes and meeting everybody.
Speaker 2:You know, from Christina Aguilera to Silk. Who else? There's so many. I met so many people and going to the award shows that was fine.
Speaker 1:So you've been around in entertainers and artists, singers, and all majorities are a portion of your life. Yeah, three over three decades. Yes, wow, wow. So let's bring it back up to 2023. What are working with the artists now? How has those relationships been, with the new artists coming out and stuff like that?
Speaker 2:Well, I limit myself to certain artists because I work with kids and, you know, through outreach ministry. So I have to be careful how I surround myself in an environment I go into because I try to teach kids how to be positive, positive music, the integrity in young girls having respect for themselves. So I have to limit my environment of how I present myself and how I deal with other artists on that level. So I tend to deal with more R&B and blues artists.
Speaker 1:So what was the connection with the Stumpter City? I kind of wore bringing celebrities, artists in and with the kids. How does that all tie in?
Speaker 2:That's all, michael Dockery. That's his vision. My portion of it is to set up the interviews and talk to the artists or their management and, you know, kind of get things lined up. But those are all his visions that he brings to the table.
Speaker 1:Okay, and being that you do promotion with, was he advertising I?
Speaker 2:do social media.
Speaker 1:Social media advertising. Okay, great, great, let's talk about the India Post. Is that a magazine right?
Speaker 2:That is a magazine.
Speaker 1:That's not like your baby, from what I was reading it.
Speaker 2:Actually, that is Gina Sedman and Andrew Sedman. I met Gina through social media.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:She lived in Palm Springs but now she lives in the UK. So I reached out to her and said hey, would you like to interview certain celebrities? And from there they made me the publicist of her magazine. So when you go on her site a lot of the placements is for me.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we're a team, we're a team.
Speaker 1:So you reached out where across the waters.
Speaker 2:Yes, international publicist International yeah, we're around.
Speaker 1:That's, that's amazing, that's amazing.
Speaker 2:Her magazine is top notch. She does not talk about negativity. She does not bring up any drama in the conversations when she's doing her interviews. She's a Christian, so when you look at her magazine, she always have biblical scriptures in there. So that's my girl.
Speaker 1:Let's talk about your nonprofit organization. Tell us a little bit about that.
Speaker 2:Hildahood Foundation of Memphis, we use media, science, such as the arts, to impact the youth within our city and surrounding areas. So, like music, dance, acting, singing, production whatever kind of art kids like to do we kind of tap into their talent. So we give them out there something to reach for. Because if you look at everything that kids do now, they want to either play basketball or football. But when you tap into their talent and build on that, you give them something to be motivated about. You know what I mean. So, like with our music, we'll go into these schools and then we'll talk to the kids and they see our wake up tour. They'll be like I got talent. Well, come on with us. We're going to bring out that talent.
Speaker 1:So that's another thing I wanted to talk to you about. How are you coming back from the music and entertainment industry to tap into kids and bring your knowledge, what you know about that, and how will it affect them? Because I know young kids, especially African American kids. They want to grow up, they want to be something. They want to be your entertainers basketball, some type of professional athlete and stuff like that. So are you coming in with the music and entertainment and whatever else you bring into? How did you able to tie yourself in to make that connection with kids?
Speaker 2:Well, everybody has a gift.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:And when you do not give kids an option or show them their gift and support them, they can be lost. So it's just a matter of finding what they're passionate about. And entertainment is what kids are passionate about, because that's what they know, that's what they see everybody doing, because they think they can get rich off. But they don't know the business side of it, what it really takes. It's a facade. Everybody thinks, oh, if I do this, I'm going to be a millionaire. But they don't understand the business side is that you have to pay these people back, everything is rented, they don't own anything. So we have to teach them that business side and not think, okay, they're like this, they don't understand that they can get caught up in drugs and they submit some situations as well. So we just try to teach them that.
Speaker 1:And that's why I invite people like you, yourself and others who can come on my podcast and educate my audience, because still today a lot of potential upcoming artists they just look at the fame side, the music side, where the money side of it. They don't understand the business side of it, the structure that needs to be in place before you go out there and sell yourself and then don't reap nothing. And they need to understand it. So did y'all do any type of workshops with the kids to teach them that business side?
Speaker 2:Well, at Heal the Hood, Monday through Thursday we have different classes. We teach Crop my guys on Monday, tuesday is production, music production, like it can be piano, guitar or just recording. Then on Wednesday we have dance and Thursday we have acting. So I'm going to be teaching artists development soon, but right now this is where we are because I got to teach the especially upcoming artists. Even the artists that are out now. They don't know what their PROs are. They don't know what split sheets are. They don't know 80, 20 deals or 60, 40 deals. They just said I want to sign. They don't understand that you need an attorney. They don't know how to read contracts.
Speaker 2:And they're getting caught up, like they think the little money that they get is a lot of money, just for a single to put out. A single is $250,000 because of the marketing promotions behind it and the videos and everything else is involved. So the little 30 $40,000 is no money and they're signing themselves off. Yeah, yeah then understand that.
Speaker 1:Right, right, I mean they definitely need to know that to tie them down, to sit them down and say, look, let me, let me teach you the business side, because they so anxious about getting behind the mic or getting in the video shooting and stuff like that, so you got to try to direct that energy to this side as well. Hold tight one more time. We're taking a break. Hey, this is Stacy aka beyond. Stop over, per you. Thank you for listening to our show, spit to the beat podcast. If you would like to be a sponsor, visit our website at www. Dot spit to the beatcom and click the support tab and leave a donation. We really will appreciate it. Thank you again for listening.
Speaker 1:So catch every episode Thursday morning at eight. And we're back to spit to the beat podcast. Yo, host, they say, okay, be unstoppable prayer and in the studio and miss Miriam Graham, okay, let's go, let's go with that. Let's go with that, let's. We was talking about the workshops and stuff that you provide in the teaching to help these young potential artists. You pretty much stepped into my next question and it was going to be what advice do you give up-and-coming artists or entertainers who's trying to put their foot out there getting on, get seen what process or step they need to take first before.
Speaker 2:First thing is really to learn the business. Don't be so anxious to get in a studio. Don't waste a lot of time in a studio recording and you do not understand the mark and promotions that's behind the music if you want to make your money.
Speaker 2:Understand you have to pay for advertisement. Understand you got to pay a radio promoter to put your music on these radio stations. And it is about relationships but it's also making those connections. I always tell people when you go in that studio, make a clean version first, because radio you still can't cuss on the radio. Some of them have underground and everybody's like well, we have Spotify, we have Pandora, but you're not at the top of the food chain. So you got to really work to get at the top. So if you want to be an R&B singer, you want to be on that playlist with Beyonce. It's a lot of work to get to that level. You can tell people oh, I'm on Spotify, but they have to Google you or whatever to get in there. But when they play that list, you want to be at the top. How do you get there, having the right promotions behind you and that money behind you?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I hear a lot of artists. I mean potential artists, up and coming artists I always talk about. I always ask them how can people find you on social media platforms all the social media platforms, as well as screaming with Spotify, amazon Music, google, apple Play, stuff like that but has screaming music? I'm asking your opinion on that. Has it been a hit or a miss for most artists?
Speaker 2:It depends on how they promote themselves. It can be a good hit if you have the funds to pay Spotify to put you at the top of the food chain, or you're just there. You're not making any money. So it all depends on you as the individual, the artist or your team, how they market and promote you, but also that a lack of knowledge hurts them or how to work it in hiring the right team and also not having any websites. The website you gotta have a website because when you put everything out there and have your QR code, they can just scan that and get to every platform that you're on. So they're not utilizing the network or the resources that is required to sustain yourself through social media or streaming.
Speaker 1:Exactly, it'll be the tapping. And that's the one thing I always ask them as well, cause a lot of them don't have that in place, and I listen to them and, of course, I give them my advice as well get your stuff in order, get your marketing, get your advertising. I'll let it in order first, before you just put in yourself out there, cause nobody can find you. I'm telling you, last time I seen you, it wasn't the last time I seen you, exactly, and your social media is not all in place and stuff like that. So that's great information that you just shared. Let's, last but not least, I know you got a book sign by a great artist that I love too, kim. How was that?
Speaker 2:You were really watching my live video.
Speaker 1:I have to study my guess, and that's my job, I see.
Speaker 2:It's like you. You gotta know Kim, my Kim. I see I was honored. When I'm in this environment I kind of wait till last to ask. So I went to his concert. His PR was able to get me tickets a couple of months ago when he was in Memphis at the Lander Center, so just to see him in person and get that autograph. But I got to say the first chapter I read it was really good. So the book is really good. You really get to know who Kim is as a person and the journey that he had prior to him being an established artist. So his story is amazing. So is Darren Henson. He had a book as well.
Speaker 2:So I was very honored and I got a couple of magazines that I got the artist to sign for me. Like LaVell he signed his, keith Robinson signed his magazine for me. So it's just something that I can have Because sometimes when you meet these people it's like okay, fly by, okay, whatever, you never see him again. But I have something that I can give to my daughter and eventually, hopefully she has some kids and she can give to my mom and did that. So I'm honored.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, that's amazing. I've noticed a lot of artists are writing books now. I really never expected I was waiting on the next album, the next song. Now they're writing their biography of their life and what's going on and stuff like that. So that's totally different to hear. A lot of artists are doing it now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because you got to look at it this way. We want to know the artist, right, right, but we want to know that person. Yes, and those books is telling us about the person, because when they do these interviews it's typically the same old question is never nothing out the box. So they're saying, hey, first of all I'm human, yes, I'm Kim, but I'm also Kim the person. So they're letting you know who they are, to get to know them as a person.
Speaker 1:And it's good that they're alive to tell their own story, versus when they pass and somebody else try to drum up to all the information they need to tell this person's story. You know, like they said, give their flowers why they alive. Exactly so. I admire artists that does that. You know, hey, who better tell your story?
Speaker 2:than you, Than you exactly.
Speaker 1:Exactly, that's it. Again, I want to thank you for joining me on Spirit to the Beat podcast. Thank you for coming in, sharing your wealth of information with my audience and teaching us about promotion and getting everything in order and stuff like that. So what's next? What you got playing on the books.
Speaker 2:The next week we have Taste Around the World for Heal the Hood Foundation. It's a fundraiser. Then we have our what's it called Hoops for the Holidays in November, and then in December we have 12 Days of Christmas. Ok, so you can go to wwwhthmemphisorg for more information.
Speaker 1:Well you heard it for yourself. She's in the house, the queen herself. Go ahead and tell me that name one more time. It's.
Speaker 2:Miriam Graham, Newby and Queen Management PR.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. I believe I was saying it correctly though Lord help him Thank you. Thank you for being in this, no thank you Awesome.
Speaker 1:So we wrap this show up, thank you. If you'd like to be a guest on my show, give me a call 901-341-6777,. Or email me at myguestsatspit-to-the-beatcom. I would love to have you as a guest. If you're a music in the music industry entertainment actor, actors, songwriter, producer, all of that Please don't hesitate. I would love to hear about your story and the information you would love to share with my artists. And, with that being said, we are out. Attention Spit to the beat Ha ha, ha ha. Jazz, it's all about this. Other music industry. Industry is strong. Nobody do it better.
