Sequoia Holmes
Sequoia Holmes is the host of Black People Love Paramore. Follow her on Twitter here. Follow Black People Love Paramore on Twitter here.
If nobody has listened to Black People Love Paramore, where should they start?
Okay, so there are certain episode *topics* that really resonate with people – like the Tony Hawk episode, the Ariana Grande episode, and obviously, the Paramore episode. So those are good places to start, but then there are episodes that are just really well done – like the Twitter episode and the Phrases, Idioms, and Colloquialisms episode. I’d say any of those 5 are good places to dive in!
What’s your goal for the show?
In her TED Talk, Chimamanda Ngozi talks about the dangers of the single story. “The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they aren't true, but they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.” In mainstream media, Black people are often presented as one dimensional stereotypes. Only seeing people who look like you represented in incomplete tropes can be taxing on the psyche. I want to help complete the story and create a space for Black people to come and feel *scene* (get it?)
What do you do to grow your audience?
I try to go on other podcasts and I leverage TikTok! TikTok is an incredibly underrated marketing tool for podcasts. Because I don’t record video for my show (yet), I can’t just drop clips of it on TikTok, so instead, what I do is make TikToks about episode topics that I think will grab the interest of people who would fall within the podcast’s target audience. The Tony Hawk episode was so successful due largely to TikTok. Same with the Ariana Grande episode. TikTok is a place where niche topics thrive, and BPLP podcast is a niche topic goldmine. Humans love to feel seen so when you present them with niche topics that help them feel that way, especially Black people who have been starved of that type of representation for forever, they want to listen.
If you were going to start another podcast, don’t worry about the logistics or whether or not anyone would like it. Oh and your budget is $1M. What would it be?
Whew, good question. I’ve been wanting to start a self-help(ish) podcast aimed at Black women (and women generally) aged 17-24 just giving advice for stuff I wish I knew sooner. Stuff that I wish someone had told me at that age. Being the first person in your family to accomplish different things comes with a level of confusion that’s very uncomfortable. Lots of learning as you go which can – in some cases, not ALL – set you back a little when it feels like everyone else has help at their fingertips. I’d like to try to level the playing field a bit with regard to college admissions help, early career steps, money management, etc. I’m still learning too, but I’ve picked up some things along the way.
Do you listen to podcasts?
I do!
What’s a podcast you love that everyone else knows about?
The Read, of course.
What’s a podcast you love that not enough people know about?
Here’s three! Balanced Black Girl, Note To Self by Payton Sartain, and A Few Minutes Pod
Thanks, Sequoia!