Hosted by comedians Pretty Vee and B-Daht, the event featured live tapings of popular shows, thoughtful panel discussions with leading content creators and media executives, and fun fan activations

Special guests included Charlamagne Tha God, Jess Hilarious, T.I., Daymond John, Devi Brown, Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, Lex P and Drea, DJ Loui Vee, WeezyWTF and Mandii B, Wallo267 and Gillie Da King, Will Lucas, Ferrari Simmons, Byron Turner and Octavia March and more

NEW YORK AND ATLANTA – April 29, 2024 – On Saturday, April 27, iHeartRadio and Charlamagne Tha God celebrated The 2024 Black Effect Podcast Festival at Pullman Yards in Atlanta, GA held to highlight, uplift and amplify Black voices in the podcast industry. For the second year in a row, the festival brought together podcast fans and The Black Effect Podcast Network’s top talent for a day of live podcast recordings from network’s most popular shows including “Carefully Reckless with Jess Hilarious,” “WHOREible Decisions,” “Black Tech, Green Money” and “Deeply Well with Devi Brown” featuring special guests John Hope Bryant and Dr. Joy Harden-Bradford. 

The festival also featured special live recordings of hit shows “Pour Minds,” “The Baller Alert Show" and guests Wallo267 and Gillie Da King. Additionally, the event delivered two thought provoking and informative panel discussions: “Podcasting 102: Money and Marketing” and “Content Authenticity x Brand Partnerships.” 

2024 Black Effect Podcast Festival highlights include:

• Hosts B Daht and Pretty Vee opened the show with a warm welcome to podcast fans.
• Lex P and Drea took the stage for a special live recording of “Pour Minds” where they discussed dating in 2024 and financial requirements in a relationship. 
• Will Lucas, Daymond John, John Hope Bryant - philanthropist and host of Black Effect’s “Money & Wealth,” and Ashaunna Ayars - founder of The Ayars Agency, participated in the “Podcasting 102: Money and Marketing Panel” moderated by Denise Bennett, Vice President of Brand Strategy for iHeartMedia. The group discussed creative ways to grow and monetize podcasts. Daymond John shared gems on the importance of tapping into your skillset, bartering and trading.
• T.I. made a surprise appearance during a live recording of “The Baller Alert Show” hosted by Ferrari Simmons, Byron Turner and Octavia March. The hosts spoke to T.I. about several topics including his first major purchase after rising to stardom and the secret to a long, successful marriage.
• Devi Brown took the stage for a special live recording of “Deeply Well” with guests Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, host of “Therapy for Black Girls” and John Hope Bryant. Brown helped fans level their chakras with a live meditation and breathing exercise and John Hope Bryant talked about recognizing the differences between thriving, surviving and winning. 
• Nissan’s head of multicultural marketing Lanae Williamson and HBCU Scholars  Amber McKnight, Folusho Adeyemi and Nyla McPherson participated in the “Nissan Thrill of the Possibility Summit Panel” moderated by Charlamagne Tha God. The group discussed their experience at The 2023 Thrill of Possibility Summit sponsored by Nissan and the value of attending HBCUs including a sense of community, mentorship opportunities and one-of-a-kind, rich cultural experiences that can contribute to academic and career success.
• Will Lucas invited Cliff Worley, head of growth marketing for Kapor Capital, onstage for a live taping of “Black Tech, Green Money” to discuss artificial intelligence and how content creators can leverage new technology to develop businesses and grow their brands. 
• Mandii B, host of “WHOREible Decisions,” Norm Steele, host of “Gangster Chronicles,” Jelanii Reed, marketing executive, and Glasses Malone, host of “No Ceilings,” participated in the “Content Authenticity x Brand Partnerships Panel” moderated by Tamika Campbell, Manager of Diversity and Inclusion for iHeartPodcasts. The group discussed the importance of maintaining their authenticity when engaging with brands for partnership opportunities. Mandii B shared how being vulnerable helped her followers find her and Jelanii Reed offered advice regarding ways up-and-coming content creators and podcasters can engage with major brands without sacrificing their authentic voice.
• During a special live recording of “Carefully Reckless,” podcast host and comedian Jess Hilarious helped out some audience members with their “mess” in a jungle green jumpsuit that showed off her glowing baby bump.
• Philly duo Gillie Da King and Wallo267 hyped up the crowd by playing a comical game of "Do you know each other?" with couples and besties, which caused hysterical chaos.
• Mandii B and WeezyWTF closed the show with a special live recording of “WHOREible Decisions.” The hosts began their live show with a stunning aerialist who performed some eye-popping moves in an elevated hoop on stage. Afterward, Weezy and Mandii kept the party going by rallying up some fans for a twerk-off and teaching the audience the "kinky ABC's."   

Festival sponsors AT&T, Nissan and State Farm provided family fan activations including The Trap Nerds Grand Prix Showdown Gaming Tournament presented by AT&T Dream in Black, where contestants competed for the fastest Mario Kart time. Dre and Exavier from “The Trap Nerds” interacted and played video games with the guests during the tournament and presented the championship belt to the Grand Prix Showdown winner. And, for the second year in a row, aspiring creators had the opportunity to pitch their podcast ideas to Black Effect Network executives at the Pitch Your Podcast booth presented by Nissan. Additionally, State Farm was onsite handing out branded festival bucket hats and provided informational signage and a festival photo spot for attendees. 

For more information about The Black Effect Podcast Festival, click HERE.

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The Best Of The 2024 Black Effect Podcast Festival | PW: iHeartBEPF24!

Credit: Getty Images for iHeartMedia and The Black Effect Podcast Network

About The Black Effect Podcast Network

The Black Effect Podcast Network is a transformative network founded by renowned cultural architect, executive producer, bestselling author, and media mogul Charlamagne Tha God. In a historic joint venture with the world’s number one commercial podcast publisher, iHeartMedia, Charlamagne and iHeartMedia created the groundbreaking first-ever Black Effect Podcast Network, celebrating the most important Black culture-shapers on the planet—in education, politics, entertainment, sports and pop culture. The Black Effect Podcast Network gives rise to emerging and established content creators and storytellers whose perspective and creative vision have been marginalized and overlooked while serving an audience that has been underserved. The Black Effect Podcast Network helps its partners define their place in podcast culture through influence, ideas, and experiences that engage, inspire, inform and empower.