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‘Growing Up Black’ Podcast creator Kyle Davy on turning his passion into a career

Working a job you hate? Going to school for something you aren’t passionate about?

Host and creator of the GrUB-cast, aka the Growing Up Black Podcast, Kyle Davy was in your exact position! Now he’s doing what he loves for a career and positioning his brand to take it to the next level.

Originally from Ossining, New York by way of Kingston, Jamaica, Kyle Davy started the GrUB-cast after constantly moving and traveling around the globe.

Inspired by the similarities of individuals’ stories in vastly different areas, he wanted to create a forum where Black people could learn from one another and realize that they weren’t alone and thus Growing Up Black was born.

 

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The newest episode of the GrUBcast: Soundbites is up! (Link in Bio) . . Happy Thursday GrUBfam! We’ve got another segment of Soundbites for season 3 and today I want to remind you all to show someone in your inner circle some love. . . We all have many people out there that inspire us. And not just celebrities. Maybe it’s an old neighbor, a friend from college, your parents, whoever. And for whatever reason, even though we live in the most communicative and accessible era of all time, we tend to appreciate in silence. More often than not we don’t reach out to those people just to say “yo, you’re dope” or “that piece really touched me” or “that thing you did inspired me to do xyz” etc, etc. And why not? What’s stopping us from showing appreciation to the people in our inner circle who deserve it? Today I’d like to encourage you to remove all hesitation and go ahead and show love. You never know who might need to hear it. . . Be sure to leave your comments, rate us on iTunes and continue to share the cast on all of your social media networks! That’s how the GrUB fam continues to grow and you never know who might benefit from hearing someone else’s story. Also be sure to check out @toptiervisionllc! . . With that said ya’, have a great week, much love, and as always, keep eating. . . #Soundbites #GrowingUpBlack #ShowLove #advice #SouthAfrica #Austin #business #BlackPanther #NewOrleans #Deebo #Friday #blavity #thegrubcast #WillSmith #Szn3 #PBS #blackexcellence #listen #nyc #podcasts #JordanPeele #Oscars #soundcloud #media #blackexcellence #TopTierVision #CrewLove #selfdiscovery #blessup #keepeating

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Now as full time as a Media Production Manager for a Fortune 500 company, Davy spoke to Kulture Hub about why he started up the Podcast in the first place. It wasn’t before his first corporate job out of college forced him to pursue his passions. He explained to me,

“Upon quitting my first job out of college that I hated, I decided to start GRUB! It started out as me just interviewing my friends about whatever they might’ve been going through at the time, then the more I began to travel the more traction the podcast began to gain.”

Davy is a Dartmouth College graduate who during his time there, studied finance. Being at an IVY league school with a small minority population, this was one of the things early on that inspired him to create a platform like GrUB.

Today, Davy wears many hats, serving as a consultant for other podcasters and entrepreneurs, while officiating weddings (from time to time), and speaking on panels that intersect between music, culture, and technology.

 

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I’ve been asked to do a lot of amazing things in my life, but I have never felt more honored than when two incredible people asked me to officiate their wedding. . . A year ago I was recognized as a wedding officiant throughout the United States, and three weeks ago I joined two phenomenal individuals in holy matrimony for the first time. The ceremony was amazing, the reception was a lituation, and the memories we made that day I will cherish forever. . . A major thank you @marissa.b__ and @ryes_father1st , for having the faith in me to do this, for blessing the world with Young Ry Ry, and for loving each other the way that you do (also special shoutout to Marissa for the Patriots shade in the vows, it was appreciated by many). Like I said at the wedding, your love is an example to us all. . . “Love is beyond the connecting of the hearts, it’s the intertwining of the souls” . . To say that I am blessed would be a severe understatement. . . #bars #JobNumber5227 #TheJamaicanWay #MinisterDavy #wedding #BerriosPartyof3 #MyFaithKnowsNoLimits #NewYork #marriage #Success #chosenphotoinc #MoreJobsPonYourHeadtops

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“Being able to see people that look like you pursue their degree does something for you, it’s comforting to relate to others… I think you can take more advantage of the world like that!”

In starting up GRUB Davy began to find his real passion which was in conversing.

Looking for an outlet to leave his then position and fully immerse into the Podcast world, Davy began job hunting and networking. The persistence and diligence of both helped him to become the pioneer of the media arm at his company.

“I found another role that I was going take, then that same day a different manager called me and basically said they’d heard my podcast and that they wanted me to fill a new position they were making where I’d manage the development of podcasts full time”

 

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The first episode of the GrUBcast Season 3 is up! (Link In Bio) . Today’s episode features Rah and @i_am_the_investment , better known as the Hip Hop group the @welldressedvillains . Throughout the episode we keep a focus on their musical journey, discussing the state of hip-hop today and the importance of investing time, effort, and authenticity towards your passion. . . As an artist in any form, the journey to truly mastering your craft is never linear. It’s difficult to shut down naysayers, find your own niche and most importantly building the right team to move the art to the next level. On today’s episode the Well Dressed Villains and I talk about everything from how they got started, the evolution of hip-hop, the difference between pulling vs. pushing as an artists, and why they’re continuing to follow their dreams despite the obstacles that are thrown their way. Whether you’re a musician, a painter, or aren’t artistically inclined at all, there’s a multitude of advice to learn from here. You can really hear the passion in their voices and I know you’ll appreciate their story and knowledge throughout the episode. . . Definitely check out their music on Spotify, Instagram, and Facebook by searching for “Well Dressed Villains”. And most importantly their new album “Hide Your Valuables” drops this month (January 2018!) so keep an eye out for that as well. . . Be sure to leave your comments, rate us on iTunes and continue to share the cast on all of your social media networks! That’s how the GrUB fam continues to grow and you never know who might benefit from hearing someone else’s story. . . With that said ya’, have an incredible week, much love, and as always, keep eating. . . #WellDressedVillains #Brooklyn #GrowingUpBlack #HipHop #NewYork #music #thrive #Passion #NewYork #betweenthelines #consistency #vulnerable #BeUncomfortable #humble #fear #interviews #dope #advice #art #HideYourValuables #blackpodcasts #podcasts #nyc #loudspeakersnetwork #JVargasTheInvestment #Rah #radio #success #grateful #keepeating

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Despite being a native New Yorker, Davy had spent a few of his adolescent years living in Jamaica. This undoubtedly gave him the awareness he needed to listen to other’s stories.

“Living in a different country helped me to put things into perspective. Now things have become so trivial to me. People may complain about Wifi being slow, somewhere abroad one may complain about not having somewhere to live.”

Upon his return to the states, Davy lived in Westchester County. Being a frequent traveler and having lived in another country, Davy has a pretty well-informed worldview.

 

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The newest episode of the GrUBcast: Soundbites is up! (Link in Bio) . . Welcome Welcome Welcome ya to the first segment of Soundbites for season 3! Today I want to encourage you all to stop worrying so much about things that are out of your control. . . When it comes to achieving our own dreams and goals we are often our own worst enemy. We question and worry about so many possible outcomes that we end up stagnant, not taking any action at all and in turn, delay possible success. So today I want to remind you of a phrase we all (hopefully) learned as children. Hakuna Matata = No worries. Let’s all try to use this childhood message to push ourselves further as adults. . . Be sure to leave your comments, rate us on iTunes and continue to share the cast on all of your social media networks! That’s how the GrUB fam continues to grow and you never know who might benefit from hearing someone else’s story. . . With that said ya’, HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH, have a great weekend, much love, and as always, keep eating. . . #Soundbites #GrowingUpBlack #HakunaMatata #advice #CombatJack #RIP #Preacher #BlackPanther #BlackHistoryMonth #CapeTown #LivingSingle #blavity #thegrubcast #blacklivesmatter #Szn3 #PBS #blackexcellence #listen #nyc #podcasts #DapperDan #Gucci #soundcloud #media #blackexcellence #AKing #GodsPlan #selfdiscovery #blessup #keepeating

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He also had the opportunity to study abroad while at Dartmouth, giving him even more perspective of the world, especially from the eyes of a Black man.

“In the broad sense of the world, the stories of people of color aren’t aren’t necessarily highlighted unless you are like a top athlete.”

Having been in the Podcast world for a little while now, Davy has had many interesting situations as a result. One of his guests once voiced that he will never date black women. He explained,

“This was actually one of the dopest things of done on GRUB! When he made that comment I knew there’d be an uproar.”

https://soundcloud.com/thegrubcast/unlearning

After this episode, a lot of people, black women, in particular, expressed their disappointment in said person. Davy then did a reaction episode in which he had three black women express why they feel one may have that type of mentality.

“When all was said and done we were able to trace his malice towards black women all the back to him not having an unhealthy relationship with his mother.”

For Davy, this was especially dope, because of what he aspires for GRUB to do for people!

“We often think that our adversity, shortfalls, and triumphs are unique to only ourselves. In reality, many people share similar, and many times, identical stories. From the way we’ve grown up, to the way we react to things on an everyday basis. The main goal of this podcast is to create a forum for the diversity of the minority experience.

 

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The newest episode of the GrUBcast is up! (Link in Bio) . . Today’s episode features World Startup Ecosystem expert, Christine Souffrant Ntim, and how she’s been able to run 4 successful startups and speak in over 20 different countries a year, all while raising a newborn daughter, building with a loving husband, and somehow also keeping up with 14 different TV shows. . . Often, we see successful people throughout our lives that seem almost godly in their continued pursuit of achievement and growth. And often, while we are engulfed by their wins, we often forget that they were all once where we ourselves might be now. Today’s episode features one of my idols and friends, Christine S. Ntim as we talk about how she’s gotten to where she is today. We discuss how she’s become a World Startup Ecosystem expert, how she’s dealt with loss, and most amazingly how she’s managing being an entrepreneur as well as a new mother and wife. It is an INCREDIBLE interview. The longer you listen, the better it gets. There are gems in here that are (literally and figuratively) priceless. . . Be sure to leave your comments, rate us on iTunes and continue to share the cast on all of your social media networks! That’s how the GrUB fam continues to grow and you never know who might benefit from hearing someone else’s story. . . With that said ya’, have an incredible week, much love, and as always, keep eating. . . #entrepreneurship #Haiti #GrowingUpBlack #StartUps #motherhood #Vendedy #Disrupt #1804List #Forbes30Under30 #noexcuses #decode #vulnerable #Ebony #Superwoman #interviews #dope #advice #Caribbean #Beyonce #Rihanna #blackpodcasts #podcasts #nyc #loudspeakersnetwork #Superwoman #radio #success #grateful #ChristineSouffrantNtim #keepeating

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Davy continued,

Hopefully, you hear something that relates to you, a story that shows you that you’re not alone, and better days are to come. You may laugh, or cry, you may even learn, but you will most certainly feel.”

In any career field, networking is imperative Davy explains how networking got him to where he is today!

“Being at work whenever I would talk to someone I would tell them how I have podcast, give them the run down of the theme, and concept… And the eventually the higher ups at my company got wind of GRUB and that was pivotal in getting to where I am today!”

Despite not having a straight path to where he currently sits, Davy made connections, worked hard, believed in his brand as well as himself! With this new endeavor for Davy, Kulture Hub will be excited to see what’s next for him!