Diamond Magazine Vol. 2

Diamond Magazine

Fall 2020

Diamond Volume 2 Number 1

Magazine

It is when the pressure is applied that you reach your full potential

Vote 2020

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Diamond Magazine

Fall 2020

Diamond

Magazine Staff

Editor-In-Chief Kayla Grant

Chief Photographer Kayla Grant

Layout & Design Kayla Grant

Welcome to the second issue of the Diamond Magazine, a magazine designed for extraordinary artists from all fields.

I am a graduating senior majoring in Mass Media Arts, concentrating in print journalism, attending Clark Atlanta University. I aspire to be a cross-topic journalist with a focus on entertainment and African-American culture, while traveling the world. At a young age, growing up in the Bronx, New York, I always was fascinated with entertainment media and the world of journalism. Because of this fascination, I always knew that I wanted to become a journalist.

Many may be wondering, where did the name for this magazine come from? The first reason is that diamonds are not made perfect. They must go through intense heat and pressure to become the beautiful gemstones that they are. The second reason is that due to my academic achievements, my family has started to call me “Diamond Girl.” The word “diamond” empowers me to be the greatest I can and embodies every individual and production featured in this magazine.

Diamond Magazine is a seasonal magazine that highlights individuals who are doing spectacular things in their industry. This issue of the magazine will feature stories about food, the November 2020 elections, beauty, television and film. In addition, it will feature advice from established sports and entertainment lawyers.

The year 2020 has been rough. With this magazine, I aim to add happiness to each reader’s life, while shining light on the importance of voting and Black representation. I hope you all enjoy!

Thank you,

This magazine is a senior project for partial fulfillment of credit for MMA 490, Media Seminar, in the Department of Mass Media Arts at Clark Atlanta University.

Table of Contents

Food ...................................... 3 • Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks Voting ................................... 4 • “Black-ish” cast discussion Beauty ................................... 5 • Amplifying Black Voices and Beauty with Angel Lenise Music .................................... 6 • The Life of Willie The Kid Television .............................. 7 • Erika Alexander discussion Advice ................................... 8

Editor-in-Chief

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• Leon Rogers • John T. Rose

Diamond Magazine

Fall 2020

Food

Derrick D. Hayes changing the world one cheesesteak at a time made me a man because I had my biggest obstacles as an adult in Atlanta.”

Hayes is the founder and CEO of Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks, which is a restaurant that brings traditional Philadelphia cuisine to the south. He began his journey in 2016 merging his passion for food and business with his first location: a small gas station restaurant located in Dunwoody, Georgia.

Named after his father who passed away from lung cancer in 2009, the Black-owned business represents more than money for Hayes. “I’m chasing Photo courtesy of Derrick Hayes levels to financial freedom and to change generational curses in CEO and founder of Big my family, so I use my dad as a Dave’s Cheesesteaks. backbone to keep me from giving

By Kayla Grant up, to keep me hungry and to keep me grounded,” he said.

At the 2018 World

Upon launching the Food Championships in Orange business, he expected long Beach, Alabama, Derrick lines and extensive wait times; D. Hayes made the philly however, Hayes asserted that cheesesteak that ultimately he could not get five customers ranked top 10 in the world for a day. People told him that he the Best Sandwich category on did not get the right location a hot plate that he placed on and that the business would not top of a barbeque grill. succeed. He used that as fuel to

“From there on out, continue elevating his business I ain’t never looked back. It’s and reaching for his goals. been nothing, but a journey

The day that the … and nothing can break me actress and rapper Eve came down because I’ve been down into his restaurant changed before,” he said. “If you ain’t the trajectory of his business. never hit rock bottom before or Eve, who is also a Philadelphia felt failure before, it’s going to native, told him that she would kill you when you fail.” promote his business on her

The West Philadelphia social media, if it tasted good. native moved to Atlanta for

“It was like going a fresh start leading to the to war for me,” Hayes said. beginning of his multimillion “When I was making that dollar company. Hayes cheesesteak, I was like, ‘This attributes the streets of Atlanta is it. It’s either now or never.’” to his overall growth.

After Eve raved about

“Coming from Philly, the food on her social media it’s a rough city, so I was platforms, the noterarity of the prepared for whatever,” he said. restaurant increased drastically.

“Philly raised me, but Atlanta

That simple action brought a Dave’s Cheesesteaks still lot of traction to the restaurant, is flourishing. He attributes as people from across states his success to the two-way would come to try the street that he created with his infamous philly cheesesteak. customers and the community.

Since its launch,

“It can’t be one-sided.

Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks has When the customer and the expanded to two locations: neighborhood is hurting and Atlanta and Doraville, Georgia. the community is suffering, Also, Hayes recently opened a you got to give it out,” he said. food truck that only sells both

During the pandemic, buffalo-flavored and regular the restaurant provided free chicken, salmon and beef meals to health care workers egg rolls. The most popular and distributed masks and other sandwich, which sells an medical supplies to neighboring estimate of 12,000 sandwiches hospitals. In addition, Hayes per week, is called the Dave’s partnered with CAU alumna Way sandwich, which he and Slutty Vegan founder Aisha dedicates to his father.

“Pinky” Cole to provide the

Throughout his family of Rayshard Brooks with journey, Hayes taught himself a car and college scholarships the intricacies of owning a for his four children. business, while perfecting

Hayes hopes to his craft to decrease the wait give back to lower income times. He asserted that the communities through youth biggest lesson that he learned opportunity centers. “I want was that not everyone is to have … a center where kids looking to hurt him. could go … on computers,

“You really have get information they need, to not think everybody is have the resources to learn out to get you, but you have certain things [and] educate to protect yourself so much themselves outside of school,” because being a Black man he explained. in America … and having

He is motivated to something powerful is give back to Atlanta because dangerous,” he said. of how he was treated when

Unmotivated by he moved to the city. He money, Hayes stated that said,“When I came here, he is chasing success and to [Atlanta natives] opened their empower his community. arms like I was born and “Money don’t move me. raised here. That’s why I stand Money don’t change me. I’m for the community so much chasing success … and that’s here because without them I the difference,” he said. “I’m wouldn’t be where I am.” chasing to empower my people, employ my people [and] show the guy that might have made a mistake that he could do it too because I did it.”

While many businesses are closing or losing a lot of business Photo courtesy of Derrick Hayes due to the pandemic, Big The “Dave’s Way” sandwich

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Diamond Magazine

Voting in America:

Fall 2020

The importance of voting, Black stories and the next generation of leaders

Photo courtesy of Shawntavia Ross The Blackish cast: (left to right, standing) Yara Shahidi, Marcus Scribner, Laurence Fishburne, Marsai Martin, Anthony Anderson and Miles Brown (left to right, sitting): Jenifer Lewis and Tracee Ellis Ross

By Kayla Grant

After a long week filled with anticipation, Joseph Biden Jr. and Kamala Harris were announced as the winners of the 2020 presidential election.

Despite the pandemic, the attack on mail-in voting and other voter suppression tactics, the president-elect still made history by receiving over 76 million votes, turning the battleground state of Georgia blue and honoring his promise to restore the “blue wall.”

Many minorities, especially in the Black community, viewed this as a win for democracy. This year the Black Americans not only had to worry about the coronavirus, but also systemic racism, police brutality, voter suppression and more.

As art imitates life, Kenya Barris’ sitcom “Black-ish” intends to explore systemic racism, the election, police brutality and reform, protests and the pandemic in its upcoming season.

“Anything that is happening in our real lives will be reflected in our television show because that’s what it’s about. [Being] a

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voice for the people and for the community,” Anthony Anderson, who plays Andre Johnson on the show, said.

“Black-ish” addresses every aspect of Black lives and showcases it for the world to see, which initiates a conversation around various issues affecting the Black community.

“I think it has given [non-Black people] a window into some of what our experiences are like,” Laurence Fishburne, who plays Pops, stated. “I think it has given them the opportunity to embrace our humanity a lot more fully and to recognize themselves in us.”

The television show franchise, which includes “Grown-ish,” “Mixed-ish,” and the upcoming show “Oldish,” ensures that viewers are educated in the history of the Black community as well as addressing the current issues. Fishburne asserts that understanding the history is important because it serves as a roadmap for the future.

“This is why I keep telling this story,” Fishburne said. “This is why it is important for us to keep saying their names, to honor their

memories and to push for legislation to make a change.”

In the midst of the pandemic, the untimely death of George Flyod and the lack of justice for Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks and others enacted a series of protests around the world. In their memory, protesters demanded justice, police reform and an end to police brutality.

“We the people are the ones that have the power, so using our voices to make sure that we are letting people know that … we are sick of being killed in the streets for doing absolutely nothing wrong and we are tired of what’s going on in this country,” Marcus Scribner, who portrays Andre Johnson Jr., said.

The 20-year-old actor said that he was taught that the government should work for the people and he believed that this generation is doing the right thing by uniting and mobilizing to create change through the various ways of protesting.

“There’s being on the front lines, there’s holding up a sign, there’s marching [and] there’s forcing change,” Scribner said. “Voting is a form of protest … It’s the most important and powerful tool that we have to create change.”

Fishburne sympathizes with those who feel as though their vote does not matter. He shared that when he finally became of legal age to vote in the United States, he did not feel like his vote was going to make a change.

“I can tell you from personal experience that … your vote does count,” Fishburne said.

Fishburne asserted that everyone should vote for the countless number of people who made sacrifices for future

generations to have that right.

Fishburne said, “Out of honor and respect for them, I would urge you and encourage you to vote.”

Anderson, who recently became a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated, discussed the importance of Black greek life in terms of coming together and voting to enact change.

“If we galvanize each other and get out and vote not only on the national level, but on the local levels for our district attorneys, for our judges, for our mayors … you will see things change within your community,” he said.

The next generation of leaders, voters and change agents have been using social media and other forms of communication to spread hope, knowledge and enact change anyway that they can.

“I want to make sure that we use our voices in the highest way possible, … especially for young kids like us,” Marsai Martin, the 16-year-old actress who plays Diane Johnson, said. “It’s really tough to have [hope] during these times, but we always make sure that us as a generation are always doing our part and there’s no one left behind in a situation like this.”

Both Martin and Miles Brown, the 15-yearold actor who portrays Jack Johnson, are using their platforms to educate and inspire the next generation.

“We are going to be the ones that are going to be in charge. I want to make sure that we all have a good head on our shoulders,” Brown said. “I don’t want there to be any grey area when it comes to certain things that the older generation left for us [to do].”

Diamond Magazine

beauty

Fall 2020

Amplifying Black Voices and Beauty with Angel Lenise

Photo courtesy of Angel Lenise CAU alumna and AMP Beauty LA Co-Founder, Angel Lenise

By Kayla Grant

As minorities in certain spaces, it is essential to push for the representation of all minorities and provide them the platform and tools to share their stories, according to the co-founder of AMP Beauty LA.

“[Black women] push a lot of [trends] forward, but we often are never credited.

People of color are never credited. Members of the LGBTQIA+ community are never credited,”Angel Lenise, who is also the supervising video producer at ELLE magazine, said.

The Dallas native prides herself on amplifying Black voices, pushing for representation and revolutionizing the beauty industry.

“By no means am I the voice for all Black people, but when I do get into a space or an environment or a certain room, I understand the responsibility that people are going to look at me as such,” she said.

She attributes some of her values, self-worth and success to her undergraduate education at Clark Atlanta University.

“Clark instilled this level of pride in me that I carry into every space that I enter,” she said. “Clark helped me figure out that I want to be a proud Black woman who carries that into every space that I am in. I want to be a resourceful Black woman who always gets the job done.”

In 2016, the Columbia University alumna became a member of ELLE magazine’s first integration video team that worked across multiple brands.

At that time, video production was a “new frontier” and it was beginning to be merged with digital and print publications.

Lenise co-directed and produced the first documentary for ELLE.com, “Braided: An American Hair Story.” The idea for it originated from 60-second videos that she produced for ELLE’s Facebook page about braiding hair. The documentary discussed braid culture and appropriation in America.

“It was at a time when the Kardashian/Jenners were getting applauded for wearing boxer braids … [and] at a time when baby hairs are starting to go mainstream, but the people and the cultures and communities who originated those styles were not getting credited,” she said.

In January, Lenise worked with two other Black women, Nerisha Penrose and Chloe Hall, at ELLE.com to produce an editorial package called “The State of Black Beauty.” Released in August, this project compiled a series of audiograms on race, hair and microaggressions that Black women face on a daily basis.

This project was special to her not only because it was initiated by Black women younger than her, but also it addressed issues that she deals with personally.

“I can’t say that tomorrow I’m gonna take out my braids or remove my extensions and take off my black face and experience life as a white woman … I’m a Black woman,” she said.

As a minority, the WEBBY Award-nominated director and producer asserted that she understands the responsibility falls to her to amplify other minority voices.

“As a cisgender straight black woman, I can’t speak for a trans black woman. I can’t speak for a gay black woman,” she said. “If you say that you want to empower other people to share their stories or build their own tables, you have to step back, hand over the mic, shut up and let other people tell their story.”

Lenise is not only amplifying Black voices by giving them the platform to share their stories, but also by her disruption of the beauty industry.

While visiting her two line sisters in Los Angeles, the idea for the future Black womanowned online retailer, AMP Beauty LA, was born. Sparked

by Lenise’s need for edge control, the three women began a conversation about the access to Black beauty and how Black women shop for their products.

“I’m sure some of y’all on this call had the same experience, but you go to the store and [the products are in] the ethnic aisle or the black hair section. You go to a Sephora and … they don’t have the edge control that you use,” she said.

“They don’t have the cultural favorites that we use and that we need.”

By the end of the conversation, Lenise, Montré Moore and Phyllicia Phillips decided to create a “one-stop shop” where women of color can get everything from a dollar cocoa butter stick to a $150 flat iron or a

$200 face cream. They wanted to create a central space for all beauty products, especially Black-owned beauty brands.

“Our mission is to amplify Black beauty and create a digital space where Black women and other beauty lovers of color can shop for their beauty products online in a very easy, convenient and elevated way,” Lenise said.

Officially launching in September 2020, Lenise, Moore and Phillips intend to continue enhancing the company. Within the next year, they hope to add more beauty brands and products, while also introducing some tech elements to the experience.

“Things like a facial scan to say, ‘Hey girl, you got a little hyperpigmentation’ or ‘You got some sun damage. You should probably start using SPF,’” she said. “We want to centralize it, but also add elements — because we’re all at home and everybody is shopping from home — to make it that much easier for us.”

Lenise wants to use her platform and her voice to continue to empower Black people. She said, “I think it’s an even bigger blessing and opportunity when I can build my own table, which I am trying to do now, but also in building my own table, not just bring others to mine, but empower them to build their own tables.”

Photo courtesy of Angel Lenise CAU alumna Angel Lenise

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Diamond Magazine

Music

Fall 2020

Willie Buckley defied all odds and continues to elevate

Photo courtesy of Willie Buckley Hip Hop recording artist and entreprenuer Willie Buckley

DJ Drama’s “Gangsta Grillz: The Album” and “Gangsta Grillz: The Album Vol. 2,” he released his debut album “Absolute Greatness” in September 2008.

Throughout his career, Buckley experienced not only working with a major record company, but also being an independent artist. Under his own imprint, The Fly LLC, he released 23 music projects with his latest project being “Capital Gains,” which was released in October 2020 and charted Top 20 on iTunes Hip Hop.

Buckley asserted that he had to become an independent artist to control his music, the representation of it and his

By Kayla Grant

Willie Buckley, professionally known as Willie The Kid, grew up in a city that made the Forbes List as the worst city in the nation for Black economic opportunity. However, The Grand Rapids, Michigan, native did not let that statistic stop him from pursuing his dreams.

“It also inspired people, like myself, to not let that be the statistic that affects our people and be the badge that we wear, so we got on a relentless, unyielding pursuit to change that perspective and change that statistic,” he said.

Inspired by movies like Spike Lee’s “School Daze” and television shows like Bill Cosby’s “A Different World,” Buckley made the decision to leave home, travel approximately 790 miles to Atlanta and enroll in Clark Atlanta University.

He values his experience at the university describing it as an “exciting time.”

“It kind of just broke me down, built me back up and improved on everything I already had going on,” he said.

Upon graduation, the 22-year old secured a huge record deal with Aphilliates Music Group/Asylum Records where he worked closely with DJ Drama and Don Cannon. After appearing on both

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Photo courtesy of Willie Buckley

CAU Alumnus Willie Buckley pictured ahead of his album release. own destiny.

“If I’m not gonna succeed, it’s going to be because of me [and] not because of somebody else or something else,” he said.

In addition to being a successful hip hop artist, Buckley also is the co-owner of Ambiance GR Restaurant and Cocktail Lounge, the co-founder of Motu Viget Spirits Company, a tech investor and a film producer. He continues to diversify his business portfolio by searching for things that he believes would have benefited him and that will help give back to his community.

While being your own boss

“Stay true to yourself. Your uniqueness and your qualities are what’s going to propel you to the next level.”

- Willie Buckley

and running a successful business seems glamorous, Buckley explained that there is another side to entrepreneurship.

“The ugly side is it’s all on you,” he said. “You got to have that same accountability [when things are not working out], to rise up and do the great things that you have when it was time to be the champion.”

He also urges the upcoming generation to change the narrative from being self-made to being self-directed or self-motivated.

“I don’t know anybody who’s obtained a certain level of success who didn’t have mentors … or didn’t have experiences that they learn from, or didn’t have people that told them no,” he said.

“That gave them the motivation.”

The Clark Atlanta University alumni charges the budding entrepreneurs and artists to understand who they are and the value of staying true to themselves Buckley said, “Stay true to yourself. Your uniqueness and your qualities are what’s going to propel you to the next level.”

Photo courtesy of Willie Buckley Willie Buckley featured on with a bottle of Motu Viget celebrating his album

Diamond Magazine

Fall 2020

THE ACTOR’S CORNER

Erika Alexander on Congressman Lewis’ documentary and Color Farm Media

Photo courtesy of Erika Alexander Actress, producer and co-founder of Color Farm Media, Erika Alexander

By Kayla Grant

The entertainment industry thrives off of content and the people who generate it will be successful, according to actress and co-founder of Color Farm Media Erika Alexander.

Born in Flagstaff, Arizona, Alexander is the daughter of a pastor and a teacher. At 14 years old, her father had to move to Philadelphia for a position with the German Lutheran Church, which resulted in the opportunity of a lifetime for her.

In Philadelphia, she participated in a six week course at the Freedom Theatre, which was founded by John Allen Jr. and Robert E. Leslie, Sr in 1966.

According to Alexander, Allen’s mission to teach Philadelphia youth how to conduct themselves and to communicate, which would ultimately make them powerful.

During the fifth week of the course, the casting crew for the movie “My Little Girl” came to Philadelphia and was seeking to cast a young Black girl.

Thousands of young females auditioned, but Alexander landed the role of Joan for the film.

Since her discovery, Alexander

continues to have a successful career landing multiple influential roles throughout her acting career. Her most famous roles include Maxine Shaw in Yvette Denise Lee Bowser’s “Living Single,” Cousin Pam in Michael Leeson’s “The Cosby Show,” Detective Latoya in Jordan Peele’s “Get Out” and Perenna in Tony Isabella’s “Black Lightning.” She stated that throughout her acting career, the pressure of success was stifling.

“There have been plenty of times, even inside of so called success, that ... I thought I’d just be swallowed up into the earth, I was so heartbroken and overwhelmed and not prepared,” she said. “The pressure of being successful sometimes is worse than being a failure because you know what you can lose.”

Alexander suffered from survivor’s remorse and imposter syndrome, due to her initial discovery.

“I didn’t understand why someone who showed up for a 6-week program … got this opportunity when there were girls who had gone to that program for years,” she said. “I wanted to do something for them.”

From those feelings and emotions her production company, Color Farm Media, was born. Co-founded with Ben Arnon in February 2018, Alexander describes her company as the “motown of film, television and tech.” Since its initiation, Color Farm Media produced content, both scripted and unscripted, for films, television, streaming and podcast platforms that tell stories that are typically left untold.

“We are there to create equity [and] much more variety from different voices. Those voices are important because we don’t just address race and gender biases, which is huge. We also address ageism. We address disability and we address geographic biases. We think of ourselves as a global company because we have a global conversation with culture,” she said.

The latest release from the company is a documentary detailing the life of Congressman John Lewis, titled “John Lewis: Good Trouble.” Alexander

asserted the importance of telling the stories of civil rights activists who paved the way for Black Americans.

“We need to tell those stories and it’s time for American history to acknowledge that the founding fathers did not stop at the Constitution that they said so bravely and creatively made for white male men,” she said. “Our founding fathers and mothers are still creating this nation, this republic and so John Lewis’ time has come.”

Alexander asserted that survival in the entertainment industry requires every individual to consistently evolve and grow in the business.

“You cannot be in this business without learning other parts of this business,” she said.

The NAACP Image awardwinning actress stressed the importance of producing good content above all other skills in the industry.

“It is about content. Content is King. The people who can generate it and make it in its highest levels win,” Alexander said. “If I were you, I would learn how to create content.”

Alexander stated that she believes that the future of everything rests in the hands of the next generation. She said, “You are the ones that we need and we are looking for you. It’s your time. If anything changes in the world, it is because of you.”

Photo courtesy of Erika Alexander

Actress and Producer Erika Alexander with Congressman John Lewis

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Diamond Magazine

Sports & E n t e r t a i n m e n t L aw :

Advice from Established Lawyers

John T. Rose

By Kayla Grant

A lot of long sleepless hours, creativity, reading and researching is what it takes to put forward the best defense, according to entertainment and sports attorney John T. Rose.

Rose is an associate at Fox Rothschild and a member of the firm’s Corporate, Entertainment & Sports Law, Litigation and Intellectual Property departments. He represents a variety of highprofile clients, including awardwinning creatives, producers and celebrity entertainers.

In 2018, The Hampton University alumni graduated with his Juris Doctor degree from Emory University School of Law. Coming from a historically Black university, Rose went from being

Photo courtesy of Leron Rogers

Entertainment and Sports attorney, Leron Rogers

Leron Rogers

By Kayla Grant

It’s very important for young professionals to take the time to become an expert in their main craft, according to entertainment and sports attorney Leron Rogers.

With over 20 years of experience, Rogers’ represents corporate entities, high-profile celebrities and athletes in their personal and professional

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Fall 2020

surrounded by a multitude of individuals who resembled him to being the minority.

“It just made me work harder and that’s what we have to do every single day as young Black men and women, so [I was] up for the challenge,” he said.

While he was prepared for that challenge, he still had to adjust to the rigors of law school. Rose soon realized that the way grades are handled in law school are completely different than how they are handled during undergrad.

“In law school, one exam. Blind grade number. So, the entire time I’m sitting there going to the professor trying to build a relationship and be all nice -- none of that mattered,” he said. “The work product has to speak for itself.”

As a recent law school graduate and a young lawyer,

Rose advises budding lawyers to read everything.

“I can’t stress enough how important it is to … read in full,” he said. “Don’t skim through it.

You might miss something that is very important.”

He also stressed the importance of maintaining a good reputation and paying attention to detail.

“Once you have misquoted someone or you’ve misquoted a case ... that judge won’t trust you. The audience won’t trust you,” he said.

He encourages everyone to find multiple mentors and to listen to their advice.

“Not just only one [mentor], find a few because it takes a village to raise … a young adult,” Rose said.

According to Rose, one of the misconceptions about attorneys is that they are liars.

Photo courtesy of John T. Rose Entertainment and Sports attorney, John T. Rose

career. Currently, the Texas State University graduate is a partner at Fox Rothschild.

In 1999, Rogers obtained his law degree at Florida State University College of Law. He advises aspiring lawyers to go to the best law school that they could get accepted to and afford.

“If you do what you are supposed to do in law school and then you come out and you are a good lawyer, you will [be successful],” he said.

When it comes to completing law school, Rogers said that in conjunction with going to class there is a strategy to succeeding. “Anyone who wants to go to law school, talk to some younger lawyers, so you can get the lay of the land on how to succeed in law school,” he said.

Rogers advises young professionals to focus on learning and developing their main craft before moving on to other ventures. “Focus for a minute and become a skilled

person at that and then you can branch out and do other things,” he said.

Another piece of advice that Rogers shared revolved around the importance of reading.

“In terms of your profession … reading is preparation,” he said.

He stressed the necessity of having working relationships with media professionals. When a situation arises, it is beneficial to have connections with journalists and media organizations who will provide the client with the opportunity to share their side of the story.

“I came to realize that we have a 24-hour news cycle and if you don’t say anything, something will still get written, you just won’t have a say so in it,” he said.

Rogers is one of the few attorneys that do both litigation and transactional, which means that he negotiates his clients’ deals and handles

the litigation if something happens. According to the Atlanta-based lawyer, a misconception about lawyers on the transactional side is that they are trying to take advantage of people.

“When I represent a client and the other side is not represented by an attorney, I don’t have any duty to that person,” he said. “I represent my client. Let’s be very clear who I represent and who I have an obligation to do the best for.”

Rogers urges all budding lawyers to start focusing on their craft and learning how to be a good lawyer, while focusing on their mental and physical health.

“There’s no time like the present, but you can’t just be out here haphazardly wanting something. You have to be strategic. Then, you gotta do the work,” he said. “That work starts with your mental and physical health. Take care of yourself and then, do your skill building to your goal.”

He said, “At the end of the day, we can’t lie. We can’t make any misrepresentations to the court.”

Rose encourages everyone to protect the energy surrounding them and to manifest their goals.

“Protect your energy. That is key. Energy is contagious,” he said. “Speak what you want into existence.”