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BET's Malonda
rashawn Richard proves that ambition and drive
can get you to the top!
Malonda Goes For Hers!
By Feona Sharhran
Huff
November 2000
The CollegeBound Network NewsClick -- You have
two choices in life. A) You can choose to sit
back and wait for someone to create your destiny,
or B) You can choose to make things happen for
yourself. As the host of BET: Next, a new
music segment airing this fall on Black Entertainment
Television on Saturdays at 6 p.m., it's obvious
that Malonda rashawn Richard went for the latter.
How else do you explain this 20-something year
old's cool job perks interviewing celebs and soon-to-be
stars in the music genres of alternative, hip-hop,
gospel, and R&B? Or her showcasing videos on a
nationally syndicated program that reaches millions
of viewers! Malonda has always aligned herself
with the right people and pursued internships
and jobs that ultimately led where she wanted
and needed to be.
Malonda's always had an
interest in behind-the-scenes TV work and actually
got her first shot while she was a manicurist
in high school at learning the ropes from a client-turned-friend.
"After we became friends I asked her what
she did and if she could show me around,"
she explains. The experience was phenomenal. It
was on from there! Malonda's success also stemmed
from being in the right state at the right time.
BET's Teen Summit, a youth-oriented, hour-long
program, was produced in her hometown of Washington,
DC. She applied for an internship and assisted
the production staff both summers from 1993-1994.
Along with getting real-life
experience, Malonda also recognized the importance
of furthering her education. She studied at the
College of Santa Fe in Santa Fe, NM and earned
her bachelor of arts degree in Moving Image Arts
in 1995. From there, her resume seemed to get
longer and longer. She worked for the creative
services department at HBO and Cinemax in 1996,
then again at BET as a production assistant. She
was even part of a team that was recognized by
the NAACP Image Awards for Children's and Entertainment
Programming! From then on, her whole mission has
been to gain as much experience as she needed
to make herself more and more marketable.
Additional education is
a definite career boaster, too, says Malonda.
That's why she made the decision to pursue her
master's degree in addition to juggling her weekly
on-location shoots in New York. She is currently
a full-time student in New York University's Interactive
Telecommunications Program. "I came to NYU
to round-out my skills by integrating computers
into my experience so I can be a well-rounded
media producer," says Malonda. And, when
she graduates in May 2001, Malonda says she'll
pursue an Internet career.
Just as she has done,
Malonda advises others: "Participate in as
many internships as you can to find out where
you want your focus to be." And above all,
she adds, "be ambitious!"
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· Read more about Malonda
at BET's site.
· Into entertainment? See how the up-and-coming band, Youth
Asylum balances boy-bandhood and
books.
·
Read about another gutsy woman, the
director of Girlfight.
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