Today we’d like to introduce you to Briasia Russ.
Hi Briasia, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I am a recent college grad at the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU). I just recently moved to South Carolina. My girlfriend, Ciara, and I work at news stations here in the Midlands. She received a job opportunity right before graduation and asked did I want to move here with her. We packed our bags and here headed on our way to Columbia.
I didn’t have a job at the time and wasn’t sure what I was going to do. I used my resources (LinkedIn) and I networked to land a job in Digital Content Producing at WACH FOX 57 News. Outside of work, I am a content creator on social media. I have a YouTube channel with 6.5K subscribers. My channel consists of vlogs, sit-downs, college advice videos, and more!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road. Coming straight out of college and going right into adulthood was a challenge in itself. Aside from being in Tallahassee and away from my hometown, Saint Petersburg, FL, being this far away from home was hard for me. Some of the struggles were learning how to manage money and just be a full-on adult rather than a college student.
However, just because it was hard, doesn’t mean I wasn’t up for the challenge. What I love the most about the struggles along that way is finally having a place to call home. My first apartment in a new city is a goal that I gave myself during my final semester in college.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a Digital Content Producer for WACH FOX. I write news articles and I post them on social media to get the news out to the community. I guess you could say I’m known for my YouTube channel. In college, I filmed, edited, and uploaded college vlogs to YouTube for incoming freshmen or transfer students.
I also gave HBCU college advice just so that students could get a taste of what it was like to attend FAMU before coming to the university. I know before I came to college, I was always watching videos on college experiences and the HBCU college vlogs. I probably watched every video there was on FAMU. So I just wanted to be the person to upload consistently so that people would always have videos to watch.
About a month ago, I was in Walmart and an employee came up to me and she asked if was I Bri Aknyia from YouTube and I was just in shock! The day someone noticed me up here would be that day I knew I made an impact on future FAMU students. I didn’t expect anyone to recognize me on YouTube and the fact that someone did, really motivated me to keep going.
That is what sets me apart from others. Rather than wanting to be an “influencer” or popular, I just want to make a positive difference and I want people to remember me for it,
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
My advice for networking would be not to be afraid. Don’t be afraid to reach out to recruiters or the hiring team for a job. That is how I landed my first job in the newsroom. It just so happened that a recruiter for the station that I work at now knew two journalism professors at my university. He was able to contact the news director and she got in touch with me and here I am!
Use your resources, take advantage of websites like LinkedIn and make sure your resume is always up-to-date. Each of these has worked for me in terms of networking.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theebriaknyia/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOBaD5oXxLiQcsiucQvbSYw
Image Credits
@stretchlifevisuals
