Owning your story: Q+A with Kim Smith Jenkins
Kim Smith Jenkins, Founder/ CEO of LNQ Media
Achieving a greater purpose beyond self-gratification continues to be the inspiration to Kim Smith Jenkin’s journey. She worked her way into television news and eventually climbed her way up to a few top 10 markets and earned an Emmy Award for a sports and pop culture show in which she hosted and produced. It’s the journey along the way that has truly shaped her. Kim always knew that she wanted to eventually create a platform to connect women and share their stories in hopes of inspiring and offering a blueprint for success. She once chased a dream of climbing the ranks in television, but she quickly realized that her calling was to be in a position to pour into the people around her and to provide opportunities for others.
Q+A with Kim Smith Jenkins
How did you get into the media industry?
The hustle was real from day one! I remember sitting in my classroom at Southwest Dekalb High School and listening to a local news reporter speak at our Career Day. This was a pivotal moment for me. I decided on that day I wanted to be a tv reporter and I sought after every opportunity to make this dream come true. I went to college at The University of Georgia to earn my Bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism and Consumer Journalism. But, graduating right at the start of the Great Recession led to a lot of doubt and rejection. I questioned whether or not this was the field for me several times. I decided to continue to fight for my dreams. I moved to Nashville to attend graduate school at Belmont University to earn my Master’s degree in Sport Administration and then talked my way into an internship at a local news station and worked for free to gain as much experience and build a solid resume tape. That tape actually landed me a job, so let’s just forget about the one I used when I graduated college. It was absolutely terrible! I got my first job in the “Circle City!” Dothan, Alabama was a complete culture shock in so many ways. I remember sitting in my news vehicle crying to my mom that I wanted to quit and come home. Of course, she quickly calmed me down and reminded me of my dreams. I remember that day so vividly. It was pouring rain and I was sitting on the side of Ross Clark Circle, the main road in this small town, and at that point I decided I wasn’t going to focus on where I was but where I was headed. I worked every day to try and get better at my storytelling, my videography skills, getting more comfortable going live on air and thinking through my stories doing my homework and crafting better questions. I continued to grow in my career and a few jobs later landed in Atlanta, GA. The summer of 2015 really proved to me that God’s favor was real and that I couldn’t let “no” be the final answer. Even when I was in discussions to come to Atlanta, there was initial rejection, but I didn't let that derail me. Now, an Emmy later, 2 top 10 markets-- Atlanta and San Francisco, and countless tentpole events and hundreds of incredible individuals that I had the honor of covering, I felt as if the time was right to take the next step towards ownership. I knew I always wanted to own a media company.
Which journalist influenced you the most in your career?
Everyone who knows me knows the answer is Oprah Winfrey. It sounds so cliche! I knew that I wanted to be more than just an anchor or a television personality. I wanted to own a media company. I wanted the chance to empower young talented journalists and creatives. I wanted the chance to control the conversations that I was a part of and own the content and the visions I would produce. I wanted a chance to pass down something of value whether a tangible company or learning lessons to my children. Oprah has inspired many, and for me it was her ability to recognize her value early and seek to have a stake in her brand and the content she produced.
What kind of stories inspire you the most?
I love stories that uncover a part of humanity that I never knew existed. I love learning about other cultures and the most obscure places on the planet. I love understanding the way people think about life. It’s probably why Anthropology was one of my favorite classes in college. I think society fosters an environment to constantly assume things about one another. Social media helps to amplify this message. We present what we want people to think about us. But, I truly enjoy hearing about the layers that make up a person.
How do you feel about the current state of storytelling?
It’s an exciting time to be in the content creation space. My background is in news and I’ve seen how the industry was slow to embrace the fast-moving digital era. Flash forward and newsmakers are thinking digital first. They are embracing the various channels to reach their audiences. You see veteran news anchors getting hip to using social media as a tool to connect with their audience. Before, I remember hearing, “This isn’t how the news is done!” You don’t hear that much anymore. A good example is using short form video to create mini newscasts inside of Instagram, SnapChat and TikTok. This era is all about finding the audience where they are and creating content for the specific platform. Anticipating the next audience and the shift in preference and consumption was something that the news industry didn’t prepare for with the millennial generation and I think they’ve learned their lesson as big tech continues to have a major foothold in the news business.
When it comes to the creator side, the world is so wide open! Now, there are so many tools for monetization and opportunities to build your own network or create the next big TV show from a passion project on YouTube (kudos to Issa Rae). We are seeing so many unconventional ways of inserting talented creators into a space that was once only plotted for tv executives, bigwigs and let’s be honest non-BIPOC individuals. It’s great to see talented individuals make their own stage and actually have the tools to monetize as platforms are providing more opportunities to incentivize creators for their work. Although, there is still a lot of work to be done to address the inequities on social media platforms.
What advice would you give women in the media industry?
Wow! So many things to share, but the biggest piece of advice from me is don’t take “no” as the end to your dream. Sometimes those “no’s” are actually protecting you from taking a bad opportunity or allowing you to have more time to be groomed for the moment that you desire. So, a rejection can be a good thing. I received a ton of rejection throughout my career. When I look back over my 12 years in the industry, I see how God was simply keeping me on course. There were some opportunities that I wanted so bad and I was crushed when I didn’t get it at the time. But, looking back now, I see how it would have taken me away from the very thing I am walking in now. You truly have to know who you are, know that you are talented, and grow thick skin to hang around this business. Don’t take everything personally and certainly don’t trade in your morals for the sake of an opportunity. The right one will come!