Hey there guys I hope you are having a great morning so far! A few months ago, contributing editor Katrina Garnes who writes for Imagine! magazine reached out to me and wanted to do an interview with me about blogging and social media. I was tickled to do it and now it’s here! I’m featured in the December 2014 issue with Actress Vivica A. Fox on the cover in the entertainment section called, What’s Going On? Check out my interview inside and thanks to Katrina for thinking of me for the fun interview!
How did the Talking with Tami brand begin? I started Talking With Tami in 2005. I had just moved here from the midwest and wanted to start my career since my son was starting kindergarten and my daughter was in 3rd grade. It was not easy but I started my own talk show on a cable access network and that’s pretty much how it all got started. I stayed consistent, diligent hungry for information and eventually it got easier for me. Then the blogs came around and I transitioned over to that and it took off from there.
Talking with Tami consists of several aspects; media, life and fashion blogging, to name a few. For those who don’t know what is Talking with Tami? Talking With Tami is a mix of fashion, beauty, lifestyle, red carpets, a lil bit of celebrity tea/news.interviews and a whole slew of things. My mother in law came up with the name since I wanted to be able to chat about any and everything and that’s how it was created. Now I travel the world, interview top celebrities, cover amazing red carpets events, work with over 3,000 brands and so much more!
Was there a point in your career where you knew your career had begun to transition to another level, if so what was that moment? Yes, that moment was earlier this year when I was invited by Lincoln Motor Company(as one of their top bloggers) to fly out and attend the Essence Black Women In Hollywood Luncheon. I was seated next to some heavy hitters in the entertainment industry like Oprah Winfrey, Kerry Washington, Lupita Nyong’o just to name a few. I cried like a baby after that amazing experience and it was humbling that they thought enough of me to invite!
More recently you were one of a few chosen out of thousands of candidates to represent Ford in blogging about its new 2014 Ford Fiesta. Did you find this to be something outside of your normal blogging experiences? No, not at all. I always have had a love for vehicles and reviewed them monthly on my blog, so that was just the icing on the cake to be able to drive a brand new prototype for almost a year with free gas daily and a black card! I was in heaven! Thank you Ford for the fantastic experience!
You’ve partnered with over 3,000 brands, correct? How has networking played a part in your career? I always tell newbie bloggers, be nice it will take you a long way! Treat people with respect and do a good job, eventually brands, sponsors, pr & mktg companies will take notice in some type of way.
You’ve begun to host blogger luncheons. Was this a way for you to inform and unite fellow bloggers? What were your motives when starting this series of luncheons? I wouldn’t say I was necessarily trying to “unite” bloggers lol. I really just wanted to have a platform to bring women together and have them learn from my experiences what actually goes on in the world of blogging. Too many times from my experience, things are water downed and not talked about in the world of blogging! I wanted to shed some light on the truth of it. For some reason there is a lot of misconceptions of bloggers out there. I wanted to shed some light on that too. I also add in an interview with a celebrity guest and let the attendees interact with them so that they can see how it all works, hear their opinions on social media, being on blogs etc.
How has social media played a role in the growth of your brand? Social media plays a huge part of your success nowadays! You can not live without it and especially if you are selling something or promoting anything, it’s definitely a must!
You went from media, to blogging, and then films with your most recent appearance in “Nice Guy” in 2012. How did this opportunity come about and can we expect to see Tami in any future film roles? I’m not an actress and do not aspire to be one lol. I did a favor for a movie producer but that’s really not my lane. I’m also not into being a reality star either which a lot of people assume. My dream is to be a red carpet correspondent hopefully working with E! News or some huge news outlet like that. I LOVE interviewing people, fingers crossed!
The role of women in society has drastically changed over the past few decades. With your hectic schedule and an excelling career, how have you been able to balance business with your personal life? With a lot of prayer and an open line of communication with my husband and kids, it hasn’t been too bad. Having faith and believing in God keeps the Reed family grounded.
You are the true definition of a fashionista! What advice would you give to the modern mom looking to be trendy on a budget? Budgeting and good planning are the key words! I’m not rich by no means but I have a gift of gab and an amazing sense of networking skills. I put that all together to reach out to potential fashion brands but most of the time they contact me which makes it easier. Now when I have red carpet events or something huge to attend or host, I just send out an email or give a call with all key information. Most brands are happy to dress me for most occasions. As long as I give them great exposure and take really great pics and post they are happy to work with me. I love that part of my job!
You’ve accomplished so much in your career thus far, whats next from you? I have a lot of great opportunities coming up next year! I plan on traveling to Bermuda, London Fashion Week and so much more, God willing! Things are looking up for 2015!
What advice would you give to someone like myself interested in excelling in a career in media or blogging? Take a peek at some of your favorite bloggers and emulate what you like and dislike about their sites and create your “own” look and voice. Every blog has to have some sort of tone to it. Have a lot of tough skin because the bigger you become, the more haters you will attract! Noone will tell you that and people around you will start to change with their behavior, so you have to prepare to lose a lot of people that you thought were your friends. It’s pretty lonely at the top! Ask huge celebs!
Congrats on all of your success. That’s a nice article.
Thanks Mell!