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.
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.
“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”
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.
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.
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!
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