Whether you have already stepped into the entertainment industry or are just preparing to, Reggie’s tips will help guide you on how to flourish in this business. With 40 years of experience, he explains the business aspect of the entertainment industry.
November 2019 Reggie Lewis was onset directing models for a photoshoot in Helen,Georgia. Photo Credit Approved by Tyrus Davis.
Reggie Lewis played several instruments growing up and would perform for family events. He started in the entertainment industry when he became a DJ for his high school.
“I loved making people dance. I can’t dance very good, but I always could make other people dance. I really enjoyed that as a DJ. That kind of started my career into learning more and becoming more passionate about the entertainment industry.”
Reggie Lewis,Tyrus Davis, and Terrell Wicker present Urban Spice Magazine issue in May 2017. Photo Credit Approved by Tyrus Davis.
Now he is a business mentor, senior director of Reggie’s kitchen, and co-founder of Urban Spice Magazine. Reggie and his business partner have been serving the community through the magazine for 10 years.
“Urban Spice was formed to give insight to the communities. We do a lot of research and use a lot of graphics models, artists, different things people like to read about and like to see. It creates a platform for you to venture into things you may be interested in such as journalism, modeling, becoming an artist, or entrepreneur. That’s what Urban Spice is designed to inform and inspire the community.”
Here are Reggie’s 7 tips on how to navigate the entertainment industry:
“Putting Effort In”
In this industry, he mentions, it’s very important to put in the work in order to see results. The amount of effort put in will show professionals how much a creative is willing to succeed.
“Develop Tough Skin”
When pursuing a passion, it can be full of rejection and disappointments. Reggie lets creatives know that you need to be comfortable being uncomfortable.The fear of rejection should not hold people back from continuing to perfect their talent.
“Trust your Intuition”
When starting out, it’s key to meet people within the industry, but also do your homework about them. Pay close attention to what people say and who they hang around. Reggie’s says to listen to our built-in radar whenever something feels uncomfortable.
“You will go through trial and error, your going to meet a lot of bad people. Now, I can give suggestions about what to do after you meet a bad person. But, I don’t think you can avoid being scammed, making bad decisions, they call it a learning curve. The more knowledgeable you become about something the less likely you are to be manipulated and scammed.”
Urban Spice Magazine present 7th Annual My Sexy Little Valentine Domestic Awareness Fashion Show in February 2017. Photo Credit Approved by Tyrus Davis.
“Build Relationships that Lead to Resources”
Network. Network. Network until it’s engraved into the mind. This step is the foundation of building relationships. When meeting someone in the industry, let your personality shine through your conversation. Reggie’s tip to aspiring creatives is they can take their career to the next level just by connecting with good resources. Start immediately and use every opportunity to create a relationship.
“Unless you were born rich, you’re going to need resources to navigate you through your career. Build relationships with everybody you can, because you don’t know what resource and people they may be connected to. Relationships to me are first priority. I know millennials and generation Z are accustomed to technology. Now it’s replacing physical relationships, but build social relationships which people are doing now. You don’t have to necessarily know somebody personally in person to build a relationship. Your resources only go as far as your relationships go.”
“Connect with Peers”
Meeting people with similar interests can be a great support system. It will allow creatives to network and develop relationships.
“I would start building relationships with my peers. If i’m a model I want to build relationships with other models.”
“Create a Social Media Resume”
In this type of work, personal branding is a must in order to get noticed. In the digital age, Reggie touches on how to stay consistent, gain an audience, and build your engagement.
“A social media resume is driven by numbers and these are the people in the industry that we are looking for. Most people that you see that go to the next level somebody positioned them and gave them that opportunity whether they earned it or not. That’s why your social media resume is so important, because people admire other people who have success they created without getting a hand up. So if you can create your own resume and have hundreds and thousands of people following you and nobody has given you a hand up, that’s impressive.”
Reggie has helped several models and artist achieve their goals within the entertainment industry. Urban Spice magazine gives back to the community by presenting creatives with opportunities to work with the magazine.This can help creatives build their resume in the industry they are interested in entering.