The fourth annual Black Effect Podcast Festival brought a mix of entertainment, live podcast tapings and industry insight to Pullman Yards, drawing content creators and fans from across the Southeast. The event took place on April 25.
Throughout the day, speakers shared similar themes: be yourself, stay consistent, create with purpose, and explore the growing ways artificial intelligence can support that work — all while learning how to turn passion into profit.
“You have to be truly authentic, not performative authentic,” said Charlamagne tha God. “We are all living a human experience…and when you get on whatever platform you are on and share that human experience, somebody should connect with it.”
Charlamagne tha God and iHeartMedia launched the festival in 2023, tapping into a growing wave of creators who see podcasting and storytelling as viable paths to entrepreneurship.
DJ Envy and Loren LoRosa of “The Breakfast Club”co-hosted the event.
The festival drew a multigenerational crowd and featured live podcast tapings including “Drink Champs,” “Reality With The King,” “Club 520 Podcast” and “Grits and Eggs Podcast.”
There was music. There was singing. There was dancing. When gaps opened in the schedule, Charlamagne and Envy kept the energy going with surprise appearances, including comedian Sheryl Underwood and boxer Claressa Shields, who walked on stage to chants of “The champ is here,” followed by comedian and musician Lil Duval.
Beyond entertainment, panels focused on the tools and strategies shaping the creator economy.
An AI-focused panel highlighted how creators can use tools to streamline production, expand reach and manage their businesses. The session featured digital strategist Alicia Lyttle, along with Bridget Todd, a fellow at Harvard University’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society, corporate strategist Doug Melville, and marketing expert Cliff Worley.
Worley said independent creators can access nearly two dozen AI tools, which often gives them an advantage over corporations that limit use to only one.
“If you really look at AI as a strategist, then we could go so much farther [as creators]…,” Lyttle added.
The conversation around entrepreneurship extended beyond strategy and into lived experience.
Beauty entrepreneur Stormi Steele, founder of Canvas Beauty, shared her journey during a live taping of “Reality With The King” with host Carlos King.
Steele, a Mississippi native, described herself as a college dropout who found direction after enrolling in cosmetology school.
“I began to put myself in flow, and I think that’s one of the most important things you can do as an entrepreneur,” she said.
Her business has since grown into a multimillion-dollar brand, generating more than $50 million in sales in 2025, she said.
Other speakers echoed the importance of authenticity, including comedian KevOnStage.
“I think it is okay for people to decide they don’t like you…it’s better to be disliked than for somebody to be unsure about you,” he said. “Also, you don’t have to have a lot of people on your side to be successful. You can make millions of dollars with 10,000 people who really rock with you.”
He encouraged creators to be “aggressively genuine” and to build their brand through a clear point of view.
“You don’t have to be first, but you have to have an opinion on something,” the comedian said, adding that a loyal audience will often wait for a creator’s perspective — even if it comes later.
