Janice Faison’s secret to success lies in her ability to use her talent and intelligence to optimize opportunities. After landing the opportunity to work as an assistant to hip hop group OutKast, she was promoted to an assistant manager to Big Boi and eventually became partners in their Celebrity Trailers venture.
BLACK ENTERPRISE spoke to Faison about being a Black woman entrepreneur in a male-dominated industry, how she started her company, and how the coronavirus pandemic has affected her business.
BE: You co-own a company with Big Boi from OutKast. What is the company and what led you to the decision to start it?
Faison: The company is called Celebrity Trailers.
While working as an assistant to Outkast and then as an assistant manager to Big Boi, I saw the outdated and uncomfortable trailers booked for them and their peers. I wanted to change that. When I ventured into real estate, I purchased my own RV with the intention of having a mobile real estate office. However, when Ludacris’ manager, Chaka Zulu, requested the RV for a tour, my eyes opened to how lucrative renting RVs could be. Shortly after, I got insight into booking trailers for productions and I pitched my trailer for The Monique Show on BET. Then, BET requested seven trailers for The Game and that’s when I knew I needed more capital, so I partnered with Big. Eleven years later, the company has been able to provide trailers for music, film, corporate, festival, sports, and award show productions as well as host the world’s biggest stars. It’s been a blessing.
Being involved in the entertainment industry for so many years, how has being a Black woman allowed you to navigate through whatever difficulties you’ve encountered in a game dominated by men and what motivated you to succeed?
Being a Black businesswoman comes with its challenges but it’s a title that I’ll hold any day.
I consider myself a natural-born hustler. That energy has helped me overcome obstacles as a Black woman making moves within a male-dominated industry—and truthfully, the world.
While navigating my profession, I’ve seen and been through a lot. I can share many stories about being treated unfairly because of my race and my gender. The entertainment business is tough but I believe being a Black woman in it, is influential. Everything that I’ve done up to this point has been backed by my desire to uplift and inspire the Black community. Whether it’s giving back to hospice patients, hiring Black employees, supporting independent Black productions, or brainstorming ways I could help the homeless—I believe we should have the ability to experience a quality life.
The Black community is powerful. Whichever ways I can use my resources to uplift us, that’s always been, and will continue to be, my motivation.
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Source: Black Enterprise
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