Today we’d like to introduce you to Taminique Blackwell.
Hi Taminique, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Little did I know my journey would start when I was a young girl. God had been planting the seeds along.
Ever since I could remember, I had an interest in entertainment. I remember for Christmas one year, my parents got my sister and I a hot pink camcorder, and she and I would record ‘MTV Cribs’ style videos. When I discovered YouTube, I would sit at my vanity with my camcorder, and record beauty videos. I had always been the kid in school that would volunteer to present projects. I would always volunteer to present holiday presentations with my youth group in church. While other kids shyed away from speaking in-front of everyone, I embraced it.
I had always had the dream of being a red carpet reporter asking the celebrities “Who are you wearing tonight?”, but I thought jobs like that were reserved only for celebrities, so I “let the dream go”.
I started chasing my dream of being a talk show host the second semester of my sophomore year. I originally begun college with an interest in being a Mental Health Therapist for adolscents with the goal to open my own practice. I realized it wasn’t my passion when my professor started lecturing on mental illness, and I wasn’t fired up to learn about it. It was just another class, another lesson to me. A few weeks into first semester of sophmore year, I was introduced into a girl who was a Communication Major with an interest in PR, but she explained to me that the Communication Department was broad because it’s designed for students to create and follow their own path. I scheduled a meeting with my college advisor, and by the end of the meeting, I changed my major to Communication. Thus putting the dream into motion.
I knew I had started on the path God wrote for me because there was a fire inside of me that I couldn’t deny. While I was a psych major, I skipped class. I didn’t ask questions. I wasn’t present. It all changed when my major changed. I sat front row; I asked questions. I made Dean’s List plenty of times. I had found my passion. It’s important to note that I had started posting YouTube, and occasionally creating content too. I graduated with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Communication from Kent State University.
After graduating and dozens of prayers to God, I landed my first job in my industry in Rockford, IL. There I served as the On-Air Talent/Lifestyle Producer for the areas only lifestyle show, Good Day Stateline. I worked there for 2 years and eleven months before moving to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania to co-host their lifestyle show, PA Live!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Absolutely not hahaha! Truthfully speaking, my biggest struggle as someone who loves to plan is reliquenshing control by trusting in God’s plan and learning how to trust in His timing!
When I graduated college, I had to face reality… it was time to look for a job in my field. Everyone knew my plan was to move to New York City, but they always say “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans”. I did what any college grad eager to get started in their field, I applied for dozens of positions hoping someone would take a chance on me. Although I knew I wanted to be on entertainment/lifestyle shows, I applied for positions in the news room hoping to get my foot in the door. Although I knew I didn’t want to do radio, I applied for a few radio positions because I knew Oprah Winfrey got her start in radio. Looking back, I now realize that I was downplaying the dream God placed in my heart while trying to “live” someone else’s life.
My ‘the straw that broke the camel’s back’ / rock bottom moment came from me begging a place that rejected my application to hire me. Basically, I applied for a job. They denied me. I applied again, and in their ‘Comment’ section, I begged and pleaded for them to hire me. I knew the minute I hit “Submit”, I had hit rock bottom. I immediately thought to myself “If God really wants me to have a job, I won’t have to beg” for it, which then prompted me to put the journey back in God’s hands.
During my drive to work, I prayed to God and said “Lord, tell me where you want me to go because obviously it’s not New York.” I kid you not, my friend texted me later that night telling me she knows I love New York, but she doesn’t see me there. She believes I should go to Chicago”. Two things of are importance 1) She was on vacation at the time, and she didn’t have a job in her field yet she was thinking about me and mine. 2) I wrote in my journal, that no one knew about, a few years before that I had a feeling I would get my career start in Chicago. I FREAKED OUT! In that moment, God reminded me of what I wrote in my journal, and I knew He was speaking through her. Thus my search for my first job began.
I stated searching for on-air positions in Chicago, but no luck. I landed an interview with a radio station, and right before I had prayed “Lord, if this isn’t the position for me, please show me”. It was the worst interview ever. I left feeling defeated, but then God reminded me of my prayer, and I got over it. One day I was on LinkedIn and as I searched for jobs, on my spirit I felt God say “Expand your search to all of Illinois, not just Chicago”. Once I did that, the position ‘On-Air Talent & Lifestyle Producer’ popped up, and I kid you not, it felt like it was glowing. I read the job description, and I immediately knew this was the position God had for me.
Long story short, I applied, and I got the job, There’s way more to the story, but my biggest struggle was learning to let go of my plan and trusting in His plan. My current position in Wilkes-Barre has an even crazier faith story, but that’s a story for another day hahaha!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a talker, hahaha! I co-host and produce Northeast Pennsylvania’s only lifestyle TV show, PA Live! When you think about traditional news, you’re often getting a look at events that have already happened. Lifestyle television is different—we’re giving you a preview of what’s happening next and introducing you to the people, businesses, events, trends, and experiences that make our community special. An old co-worker of mine used to say, “We’re like a magazine. You come to us to find out what’s going to happen in the area, not what already happened. My favorite thing about lifestyle is that we get to let loose and have fun. We can laugh, be ourselves, try new things, have real conversations, and bring our personalities into the story. Our audience feels like they’re in the room engaging in the conversation with us!
What am I most proud of? Hmmm, that’s a great question. I’d have to say my journey. Every time I share it the story with someone, I’m reminded that I’m living in an answered prayer. I know I’m only in the second part of my career, but there have been plenty of times when I had no idea how things were going to work out, and yet somehow, each doubt, each worry strengthen my faith and brought me a step closer to where God wants me. I always tell people I truly believe I’m doing what God wants me to do.
I think my special ability is my infectious personality and my natural ability to connect with just about anyone. I’ve been told on numerous occasions that there’s something about me that makes people feel comfortable enough to open up and share their stories with me in a way they may not be able to with others. I think that comes from the fact that I don’t consider myself a traditional host; I consider myself a talker. I genuinely love talking to people, but even more than that, I love listening. I love hearing people’s opinions, thoughts, perspectives, and analysis. I’m naturally curious about people, and I think that curiosity allows me to create conversations that feel authentic rather than simply asking a list of questions. I love when guests tell me they felt like they were catching up with a friend they haven’t seen in years because I never want it to feel like an interview, I want it to just be a conversation that just so happened to be filmed!
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
I can’t say that I have one specific memory that sticks out as my favorite, but there are a few that always put a smile on my face when I think of them.
The first one that comes to mind is Thanksgiving mornings! My dad would fry our turkey at his uncle’s house while my mom prepared all the side dishes as my sister and I decorated our Christmas tree.
I loved Saturdays in the summer because they were track meet days! My cousin and I ran track for an AAU team, so our families would pack up the cars early in the morning, drive to our meets, and spend the entire day cheering us on.
Oh, and cooking/baking with my grandma! I was always her little sous chef whenever she was preparing meals or baking for the holidays!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taminiqueb/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/taminiqueb/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TaminiqueTapree
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@taminiqueb
