How Morgan DeBaun Built a $40M Media Empire & Acquired 3 Black-Owned Brands

Summary

Earn Your Leisure Podcast Summary

Episode Title: How Morgan DeBaun Built a $40M Media Empire & Acquired 3 Black-Owned Brands
Release Date: April 20, 2025
Hosts: Rashad Bilal and Troy Millings
Guest: Morgan DeBaun, Media Executive

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Introduction to Morgan DeBaun’s Journey

In this insightful episode of Earn Your Leisure, hosts Rashad Bilal and Troy Millings sit down with Morgan DeBaun, a visionary media executive who has successfully built a $40 million media empire. DeBaun shares her entrepreneurial journey, strategic acquisitions of three black-owned brands, and the financial strategies that have propelled her success.

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Navigating DEI Rollbacks and Corporate Engagement

Interviewer (01:35):
“Let’s talk about this. The rollback of DEI, the rollback of corporate involvement with black organizations. You are in the crossfires of that because you work with a lot of corporations and you have a black event, right?”

Morgan DeBaun (02:15):
“Yeah, you know our business has over 40 million in revenue. Half of it is Afro tech, half of it is media. So on the media side revenue is up. Like all these consumer advertisers are completely like capping when it comes to D and I like it's very much a political fodder. But when it comes to their bottom line and their top line, you have to invest in black audiences and consumers like we are where growth is. Multicultural is where growth is.”

DeBaun discusses the challenges posed by the rollback of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives and corporate disengagement with black organizations. Despite political headwinds, she emphasizes that investing in black audiences remains crucial for business growth, as multicultural markets represent significant revenue opportunities.

Interviewer (02:58):
“Really? How so?”

DeBaun (03:00):
“Yeah, so the DNI executive order was basically saying, like, you can't have preferential treatment. So all the programs and, you know, these big commitments of we're going to spend $100 million on blackout media, like, they weren't honoring those anyways. So nothing really changed on our end for the tariffs.”

Here, DeBaun explains that DEI executive orders did not materially alter corporate spending patterns, as companies were already committed to investing in black media and audiences. Instead, tariffs and economic uncertainties have had a more profound impact by making businesses more risk-averse.

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Media Landscape Amidst Political Chaos

Co-Host Rashad Bilal (04:09):
“That’s interesting. I mean, and, and the other side of it, and we've seen it as well, especially in media, when there's uncertainty, when people are unsure, then they go to trusted sources for news. Have you seen an uptick, obviously, in your space during this? I don't even know this. 100 days. Yeah, right, exactly.”

DeBaun (04:28):
“Traffic stuff. I mean, media companies do well under Trump because it's chaos. You kind of have to stay involved. And because people know they can't trust mainstream media anymore, they're looking for alternative platforms like y'all. I'm sure your traffic on your YouTube is probably skyrocketing. I saw Roland Martin.”

DeBaun highlights how political instability and mistrust in mainstream media drive audiences toward alternative media platforms. This environment has led to increased traffic and engagement for media companies that provide reliable and trusted content.

Interviewer (05:00):
“But I do think, I mean, even Roland Martin, I think, had like 300,000 subscribers in like 90 days. You know, these are crazy numbers, but it's because people are looking for reliable sources of people they trust that they know they're going to get the truth from.”

The guest underscores the importance of trust and reliability in media, noting significant subscriber growth for figures like Roland Martin as audiences seek dependable information sources.

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Investment Principles from Early Experiences

Interviewer (05:12):
“Yeah, I saw that you began investing into the stock market at the age of 13, which I think is amazing. What lessons from investing so early have you taken into your media empire?”

DeBaun (05:26):
“Cash is king. You know, the more cash you can sit on, the more you can take advantage when the moment strikes. You know, I've done three acquisitions in the last, you know, five years of black owned businesses. The only reason we'll be able to do that is because we had cash waiting for a moment that made sense for us.”

DeBaun attributes her success to fundamental investment principles learned early on: maintaining substantial cash reserves to seize strategic opportunities as they arise. This approach has enabled her to acquire multiple black-owned businesses, expanding her media empire effectively.

DeBaun (06:33):
“When you get those moments where you have unreasonable gains, you gotta take some chips off the table for sure. Do not get greedy, okay. And if we had listened to that, we all would be doing really well right now. If we had sold in November, December, being like, this is looking pretty darn good, and now that money would be worth basically 60, 70% more because the stocks are down. So you sold at the high, plus you're getting everything at a low. That's a double win.”

She emphasizes disciplined investing—taking profits during market highs and reinvesting during lows—as a strategy for sustained financial growth and stability.

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Strategic Acquisitions of Black-Owned Brands

Interviewer (06:38):
“So can you walk us through, like, some of your acquisitions that you made? Yeah, for sure. Companies.”

DeBaun (06:38):
“Yeah. The first one I bought was Travel Noir. So Travel Noir was an Instagram brand. They had group trips, which was amazing. They did trips in Bahia and Johannesburg and Almafi coast with little, you know, grandma's cooking pasta and stuff. And they had no media brand. Well, what we know is that black travelers have huge discretionary income and are, like, really growing because millennials and Gen Z, we spend on experiences way more than our parents did. So I was like, all right, how do I build out Blavity in a way where we're off of interest groups, not just being black, but, like, what black people are interested in, and travel is one of them. So we bought Travel Noir. That was like, 2017. I talk about it in my book rewriting your rules.”

Acquisition Highlights:

1. Travel Noir:

   • Purpose: Expand Blavity’s reach into the travel sector, catering to black travelers with significant discretionary income.
   • Impact: Enhanced Blavity’s portfolio by tapping into experiential spending trends among millennials and Gen Z.

2. Shadow and Act:

   • Focus: Entertainment in Hollywood.
   • Rationale: Recognizing that black individuals are a major demographic in TV viewership, providing a platform for entertainment content tailored to their preferences.

3. R and B House Party:

   • Objective: Establish Blavity Fest, a new festival in Atlanta featuring prominent artists and programming centered around black wealth and culture.
   • Significance: Launched an experiential business arm, crucial for Blavity’s diversified growth strategy.

DeBaun discusses how each acquisition was strategically chosen to align with the interests and spending habits of black consumers, thereby strengthening Blavity’s market position and fostering community engagement.

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Insights from "Rewrite Your Rules"

Co-Host Troy Millings (08:07):
“Yeah, you, you referenced the book. Rewrite your rules, let's talk about it. You said master yourself, master your method, master your growth, Break that down for us.”

DeBaun (08:17):
“Yeah, you know I, I'm from St. Louis originally and nobody really told me the game. What they told me was you work hard, you get a good job, you go to school, the best education you can get and like it should all work out. And that's just not true. Like there are so many people watching this where it's like you did all the things you like had the good job and you did all the things that did what was right. And we're watching a system more so today than ever before where the people who are making the rules, they're making them for all of us to follow, but they're not even following them. So what do you do? You have to decide for yourself how you want to interact in that kind of system.”

In “Rewrite Your Rules,” DeBaun provides a framework for redefining personal success beyond traditional societal norms. The book serves as both a workbook and a playbook, encouraging readers to:

• Master Yourself: Understand and define your own version of success.
• Master Your Method: Develop strategies and frameworks tailored to your unique goals.
• Master Your Growth: Leverage both opportunities and challenges to drive personal and professional growth.

DeBaun advocates for proactive self-definition and strategic planning, whether one is a career professional or an entrepreneur, to achieve meaningful and individualized success.

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Conclusion

Morgan DeBaun’s journey, as discussed in this episode of Earn Your Leisure, exemplifies the power of strategic investment, disciplined financial management, and targeted acquisitions in building a successful media empire. Her insights into navigating the complexities of DEI rollbacks, leveraging political instability for media growth, and defining personal success offer valuable lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs and business leaders. Through her book “Rewrite Your Rules,” DeBaun further empowers individuals to take control of their own success narratives, making this episode a must-listen for anyone interested in the intersection of business, finance, and cultural influence.

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Notable Quotes:

• Morgan DeBaun (02:15):
  “Multicultural is where growth is. They already have the white Consumers, so they can't put their foot off the gas and not advertise to us now how they advertise that shifts slightly.”

• DeBaun (05:26):
  “Cash is king. You know, the more cash you can sit on, the more you can take advantage when the moment strikes.”

• DeBaun (08:17):
  “This book is basically a framework to help you figure out, well, if success isn't like do all these things and then you get this golden egg at the end. What is my definition of success and how do I get there?”

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This comprehensive summary encapsulates Morgan DeBaun’s strategic approach to building a media empire, her responses to contemporary business challenges, and the foundational principles that guide her entrepreneurial success. Listeners gain a deep understanding of the intersection between financial acumen and cultural relevance in today’s media landscape.

Transcript

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[Interviewer]

Let's talk about this. The rollback of dei, the rollback of corporate involvement with black organizations. You are in the crossfires of that because you work with a lot of corporations and you have a black event, right?

[Media Executive]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

Has that impacted you? What's your thoughts on. On this? Because a lot of times people just hear this but it, it doesn't really matter if it doesn't impact you personally. So you as somebody that's operating at a high level and have a lot of corporate relationships. What's, what's your thoughts on everything that's been happening?

[Media Executive]

Yeah, you know our business has over 40 million in revenue. Half of it is Afro tech, half of it is media. So on the media side revenue is up. Like all these consumer advertisers are completely like capping when it comes to D and I like it's very much a political fodder. But when it comes to their bottom line and their top line, you have to invest in black audiences and consumers like we are where growth is. Multicultural is where growth is. They already have the white Consumers, so they can't put their foot off the gas and not advertise to us now how they advertise that shifts slightly. But actually, the tariffs are having a bigger impact on the media business than the DNI executive orders.

[Interviewer]

Really? How so?

[Media Executive]

Yeah, so the DNI executive order was basically saying, like, you can't have preferential treatment. So all the programs and, you know, these big commitments of we're going to spend $100 million on blackout media, like, they weren't honoring those anyways. So nothing really changed. Like you were already going to spend what you were going to spend with me regardless of what you said you were going to do. So nothing changed on our end for the tariffs. The tariffs require people to be more risk averse because they're not quite sure what's going to happen. And Trump is changing his mind constantly. I mean, literally Friday afternoon, like, dude, what are you doing? You know, so they're, when people become unstable, they become more risk averse. They become slower. You know, they slower with payment terms, they're slower with. Are we going to release this product line? Are we not going to release this product line? Advertising is tied to campaigns and launches. So if things get held up because things are stuck in the ports or whatever, that impacts how much they're willing to spend on advertising those products and services.

[Co-Host]

That's interesting. I mean, and, and the other side of it, and we've seen it as well, especially in media, when there's uncertainty, when people are unsure, then they go to trusted sources for news. Have you seen an uptick, obviously, in your space during this? I don't even know this. 100 days. Yeah, right, exactly.

[Media Executive]

Traffic stuff. I mean, media companies do well under Trump because it's chaos. You kind of have to, you have to stay involved. And because people know they can't trust mainstream media anymore, they're looking for alternative platforms like y'all. I'm sure your traffic on your YouTube is probably skyrocketing. I saw Roland Martin.

[Interviewer]

He's good.

[Plus500 Representative]

He's good.

[Interviewer]

He's good for business.

[Media Executive]

He's good for business. He's not good for society, but he is good.

[Co-Host]

Thank you. Thank you for drawing that line.

[Media Executive]

But I do think, I mean, even Roland Martin, I think, had like 300,000 subscribers in like 90 days. You know, these are crazy numbers, but it's because people are looking for reliable sources of people they trust that they know they're going to get the truth from.

[Interviewer]

Yeah, I saw that you began investing into the stock market at the age of 13, which I think is amazing. What lessons from investing so early have you taken into your media empire?

[Media Executive]

Cash is king. You know, the more cash you can sit on, the more you can take advantage when the moment strikes. You know, I've done three acquisitions in the last, you know, five years of black owned businesses. The only reason we'll be able to do that is because we had cash waiting for a moment that made sense for us. And then the other thing is, like, when it comes to investing, you know, I've also raised venture funding, which, you know, you guys have talked about quite a bit. So I raised over $12 million. You got to treat every dollar that you get as your last, and you got to figure out how you're going to flip it. That's the same thing with investing. When you get those moments where you have unreasonable gains, you gotta take some chips off the table for sure. Do not get greedy, okay? And if we had listened to that, we all would be doing really well right now. If we had sold in November, December, being like, this is looking pretty darn good, and now that money would be worth basically 60, 70% more because the stocks are down. So you sold at the high, plus you're getting everything at a low. That's a double win.

[Interviewer]

So can you walk us through, like, some of your acquisitions that you made? Yeah, for sure. Companies.

[Media Executive]

Yeah. The first one I bought was Travel Noir. So Travel Noir was an Instagram brand. They had group trips, which was amazing. They did trips in Bahia and Johannesburg and Almafi coast with little, you know, grandma's cooking pasta and stuff. And they had no media brand. Well, what we know is that black travelers have huge discretionary income and are, like, really growing because millennials and Gen Z, we spend on experiences way more than our parents did. So I was like, all right, how do I build out Blavity in a way where we're off of interest groups, not just being black, but, like, what black people are interested in, and travel is one of them. So we bought Travel Noir. That was like, 2017. I talk about it in my book rewriting your rules. And then the other brand that we bought was Shadow and Act Same, but for entertainment in Hollywood. You know, black people watch more TV than any other demographic in the country, and we just love tv. And we love watching TV as an activity with other people, which is different. So that was the second brand we bought. And then two years ago, I bought a brand called R and B House Party, which is a traveling party series, so that we could build out Blavity Fest, which is our new festival which will be in Atlanta at the end of May with two chains and Kirk Franklin and all types of programming around black wealth. So just starting out our experiential business on the blavity side, which is super important for our business.

[Co-Host]

Yeah, you, you referenced the book. Rewrite your rules, let's talk about it. You said master yourself, master your method, master your growth, Break that down for us.

[Media Executive]

Yeah, you know I, I'm from St. Louis originally and nobody really told me the game. What they told me was you work hard, you get a good job, you go to school, the best education you can get and like it should all work out. And that's just not true. Like there are so many people watching this where it's like you did all the things you like had the good job and you did all the things that did what was right. And we're watching a system more so today than ever before where the people who are making the rules, they're making them for all of us to follow, but they're not even following them. So what do you do? You have to decide for yourself how you want to interact in that kind of system. So this book is basically a framework to help you figure out, well, if success isn't like do all these things and then you get this golden egg at the end. What is my definition of success and how do I get there? What is the strategy and the frameworks that I need to have in order to do it? So it really is a workbook and a playbook for people to be able to do that. You know, leveraging all the ups and downs of blavity and the things that I've done, but more importantly like whether you're a career nine to fiver or an entrepreneur, like you can do what you want to do, but you have to define it for yourself.

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