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As you all may know, I had the opportunity to interview Nicki Minaj on July 4, and instead of asking her about salacious gossip and rumors, I wanted to talk about something positive for a change.  I asked her about a young lady that was on the boat with her that day that she was using as her makeup artist name Tatiana Ward.  Tatiana goes by the name of Beat Face Honey on YouTube and she gained popularity and a huge following through her makeup tutorials–some of which were inspired by celebrities.  Tatiana received her big break of being a celebrity makeup artist this year when Brandy allowed her to do her makeup (after Tatiana’s followers bombarded her with messages) and now Tatiana is working with Nicki Minaj. You can see her work on Nicki in the upcoming “Clappers” and “Get Like Me” music videos as well as the 2013 BET Awards.
[To catch up on the story click here.  Also click here to read Tatiana’s email after she worked with Brandy.]
I logged on to Instagram the day I uploaded my interview with Nicki and was in tears when I read Tatiana’s response.  She wrote:
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Can I say tearjerker?
People may wonder why I write about Tatiana’s story so much and my only answer, besides the fact that it’s inspiring and she has an amazing spirit, is that I am paying it forward.  When I interned in radio, I had no money and I wasn’t eating and I remember walking in the Assistant Program Director’s office one day and I told her with tears in my eyes, ‘I can’t do this anymore.’
I had been in that radio station every day for six months straight from 7am in the morning until 10-11pm at night working for free because I was not only passionate about it, but I knew I had to do what others wouldn’t to get any job that became available. So I would come in and learn how the morning show worked and get coffee and all that jazz, I would go back to the promotions department for a few hours and help the marketing director, at 2pm, I’d go back to the studio and help the afternoon jock book celebrity interviews and run the boards. I’d do van runs with the promotions assistants in the evenings and on weekends.  I attended sales meetings and learned how the station made money. I did whatever it took to be useful vs. being useless. But I was also hungry and broke, and  days away from getting kicked out of my apartment.
When I came into her office crying, Kris Kelly, the assistant program director at WJLB at the time, immediately wrote me a check and she said “I’m doing this because this is an investment. You are a star!” [The first time I had ever heard those words.]  She said, ‘I don’t need this back. All I ask from you is that you help other young women in the same way as I helped you.’
Since then, I always remembered that. When I started my blog and it began to grow, I always made a conscious effort to hire young women, (especially those in small towns who had limited opportunities) to work for me, whether it was in graphic design, designing outfits for big events, working as my personal assistant, digital marketing, etc. I provided not only a mentorship, but an opportunity within my brand. I had to fulfill that promise.
I post on Tatiana because she is a star, her story is beyond inspiring (she really renewed my passion in what I do) and I know that she is also paying it forward by helping someone else.
A huge dream for me is to create a platform for these type of stories and I promise you I am working on it every single day.
Thanks everyone for the continuous love and support and thank you Kris Kelley (WGCI) for that check. It got me through the next week before the station hired me as the Promotions Coordinator.  Look at GOD!
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Me and Tatiana (Beat Face Honey) on July 4: Myx and Mingle Cruise

And my interview with Nicki Minaj on how she hired Beat Face Honey: