We recently connected with Angel Marie and have shared our conversation below.
Angel, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
Growing up, I was always very shy and quiet (I still am in many ways an introvert). However, I always had a passion for the performing arts and was blessed to fully dive into that experience once I enrolled at Meredith Elementary from 4th – 8th grade. At Meredith, I was introduced to theatre and dance, having seasonal performances, spring musicals, etc. When I auditioned for ‘Beauty and the Beast’ in Spring 2006, our musical director, T.J. Sokso knew how shy I was and challenged me to take on the role of LeFou, Gaston’s silly sidekick. I give a lot of credit to T.J. for helping me break out of my shell and believing in me enough to portray a role that was well out of my comfort zone as a shy sixth grader. Being a dancer also became an outlet for me to build confidence and self-esteem. I was able to express myself in many ways and tap into various emotions and characters. I honestly want to credit a few members of the Meredith Elementary staff who played an important role in shaping the woman I am today in the entertainment industry; T.J. Sokso, Stuart Cooperstein, Shawn-Lamere Williams, Patty Easter, and the late Cheryl Roebuck. I would also like to add that although my elementary school years helped ignite an interest in the performing arts, my education at the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA) also played a crucial role in building my confidence and self-esteem. With that, I would like to thank the amazing Elsa Johnson Bass and Marlene Goebig for being the BEST theatre instructors and mentors.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am the host and content creator of Philadelphia-based podcast, ‘All of the Above.’ My podcast is centered around highlighting and promoting local creatives, entrepreneurs, independent music artists, visual artists, designers, authors, etc. in Philadelphia and the surrounding areas. We also created a series during the pandemic where we traveled to local Black-owned businesses to spread more awareness of their services in our “Local Business Spotlight” segments on YouTube. We often hear that Philly doesn’t support Philly and my podcast partner, Kevin, and I wanted to change that narrative. ‘All of the Above’ podcast will be entering its seventh year of production in February 2024 and I am beyond proud of how far we’ve come and how far we’ll continue to go.
I first began my journey as a reporter/journalist when I moved to Los Angeles in 2014 for a fall semester program while studying at Temple University during my senior year. While in L.A., I served as a Hollywood Intern for Awesomeness TV, an assistant for the Kardashian/Jenner family, and a red carpet reporter for Entertainment Scoop. As I was nearing graduation in the spring of 2015, I told my family that I planned to move back to Los Angeles to continue pursuing my dream as a journalist. Instead, my brother-in-law, Kevin, presented the idea to host my very own podcast in the hopes that I stay in Philly near my family. I owe a lot to Kevin for where my life stands now – thanks to ‘All of the Above,’ I found my husband (he was one of our first 10 guests!) and we now have a handsome son together. Aside from doing what I love and providing a platform for others, my podcast introduced me to my new family. I am also fortunate to interview Hollywood celebrities and attend red carpet events through my own platform.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Networking, thought-provoking interview skills, and charisma were the most impactful in my journey. All elements are intertwined in having a successful career in entertainment because they each serve an individual purpose in longevity. My advice for people on how they can best develop or improve on these is to step outside of their comfort zone, practice with friends or family, and just go for it because opportunity waits for no one.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
My business partner and I would like to expand ‘All of the Above’ podcast and provide more for our local community. With our podcast being 100% independently funded, we are sometimes faced with the obstacle of financing some of our outside goals for the podcast/community. In order to fulfill our goal of giving back and providing more for our community, we are hoping to find a sponsor or partner with an organization that provides grants in 2024 to help fund our mission and the bigger picture we have planned for ‘All of the Above.’ With that said, we also launched our ‘Philly Supports Philly’ collection to also fund our plans for the community in 2024. If you have not done so, please visit www.alloftheabove-podcast.com to shop our ‘Philly Supports Philly’ collection!
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.alloftheabove-podcast.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_alloftheabove1/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/_alloftheabove1
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/alloftheabovepodcast
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/alloftheabove1
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@_alloftheabove1
