Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tracey Baker-Simmons. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Tracey , thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
I get my work ethics from my mother – she was divorced for a period of time during my childhood and worked 3 jobs to keep us in our home and fed. She always would say “there is no such thing as a free lunch” Some would say we had become latch key kids and that was true but that woman rose at 3AM to prepare breakfast for us before her 6 AM bus shift. She came home around 5 PM and changed to go to her manager’s position at McDonalds and at night when she returned home she ironed her uniforms, threw in a load of laundry and made sure we were set for the following day. Her Sundays were spent preparing the meats and vegetables for our dinner for the week. She exemplified strength and perseverance and I will forever be grateful for her.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I have been in the Reality TV/Non-Scripted space for almost 20 years. When I started there were no courses or training for this sector of the industry because it was fairly new and there were very few Reality shows on the air especially those that included families. My series Being Bobby Brown was ground breaking because no one had ever seen that level of celebrity like a Whitney Houston in this rare and authentic form. Knowing this about my work and how I came into the industry, I decided to launch my platform Reality Tv Decoded. (www.realitytvdecoded.com) This is an educational platform fostering a learning environment for those interested in entering the business or those in the business who want to grow and expand in other areas. We hold monthly webinars with industry veterans sharing knowledge and insight and we also have our first masterclass which features myself teaching you about the business and how to develop, package and pitch your own show concept.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I believe the 3 most important skills that have been most impactful in my journey are: 1) My people skills _ I am very human and have a unique ability to connect with individuals from any race or socioeconomic background. I believe this comes from being from the south and never meeting a stranger and also learning early on in life that all humans have something in common.
2)Embracing Sales and Marketing background – people often forget that we are in the entertainment business and all business needs sales and marketing. We are constantly selling and marketing ourselves first and I embrace that. Besides my actual College degree is in Marketing and Finance.
3) Controlling your narrative – I learned very early on in life that I am what I say I am and being in control of the thing I am telling myself daily is the key to my survival. People will always attempt to reshape your narrative based on their own perspective but you have the ability to make their story true or false.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
Growing up my mother would say “you don’t have to learn all of life’s lessons on your own” She reiterated that she had a lived a while and could share some of her losses with me so i would not have to venture those paths. So in my late twenties I begin to share my challenges with her and allow her to share with me what she knew from her experience would not be the best thing to do. She also would say “pressure bursts pipes” and also encouraged me to share if I was going through a rough patch so she could help or offer words of advice and encouragement. I miss that woman!!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.traceybakersimmons.com
- Instagram: @tbakersimmons
- Facebook: tbakersimmons
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracey-bakersimmons/
- Twitter: @tbakersimmons
- Youtube: tbakersimmons
- Other: Pinterest – @tbakersimmons
Image Credits
Kjamaal Photography
