When the opportunities she wanted weren’t entering the door, Tasha McCaskiel wasn’t willing to sit around and wait her turn. Instead, she decided to go out there and create something uniquely her own — resulting in the creation of Black Girls In Media (BGIM).
Creating something without a blueprint to follow was one of the toughest challenges she’d faced in her career so far, but the experimentations and lessons learned paved the way for McCaskiel to follow her passion and build a platform for like-minded women in media. She established BGIM in 2018, shortly after graduating from her masters program at New York University. The Charlotte, North Carolina native was finding it difficult to get hired full-time, and was in desperate need of insight during her “post-grad blues” phase. Realizing she wasn’t alone in this, she set out to create a community and found her tribe with BGIM, which now has over a thousand members that can utilize the network to make connections, work on opportunities with a number of major companies and learn how to enter and excel in their media careers.
In the past five years since BGIM’s inception, McCaskiel and her team have held monthly events and in-person conferences with a growing audience of over 80,000 people — all the while working her full-time job at HBO as an editorial strategist. She sees BGIM disrupting how diversity recruitment works in the future, and as a strong community of qualified, vetted professionals, the company may just be the place to find the next media executive. “It’s really my purpose,” she proudly shares.
“Stay connected to classmates and maintain connections — these are going to catapult you to your next opportunity.”
In three words, how would you describe your overall career to someone who isn’t familiar with the music industry?
Unpredictable, passionate and rewarding.
Can you run us through a day in your work life?
I work my 9-to-5 over at HBO, and I try to work out in the morning before I log in. Thankfully, I have a branding team at BGIM that handles the socials throughout the day. In the evenings, I schedule any necessary meetings for my businesses and do some deep BGIM company work.
Did you always know you wanted to have the career you do now, and did school play any part in inspiring you to this path?
I actually didn’t. I didn’t start thinking about my career path seriously until my second year of undergrad at North Carolina A&T. I knew I liked to talk, so I chose communications and later focused on PR. College definitely helped me figure out what I was interested in. Education is really the star player in my ability to adapt and the great experiences I’ve obtained.
How did taking up a master’s degree help your career?
My master’s degree gave me time to think more about what I wanted to do professionally before actually jumping into the real world. I recommend it to all post-grads who need more time to figure it out. Also moving from North Carolina to NYC was a huge accomplishment in itself and forced me to dream bigger. If you can make it in NY you can make it anywhere!
“Social media is great, but it’s really the behind-the-scenes work no one else sees that produces the most value and impact.”
What are the necessary first steps someone should take to enter a career in the music industry?
Make sure you have a passion for it. Coming up when I did, a lot of experiences were unpaid but because I truly enjoyed it and I had drive. I pushed through and it paid off.
Secondly, they should network. Stay connected to classmates and maintain connections — these are going to catapult you to your next opportunity. Make great impressions and overdeliver.
What lessons and/or work ethics did you only pick up after working in the music industry?
I learned to work hard even when no one is watching. Social media is great, but it’s really the behind-the-scenes work no one else sees that produces the most value and impact.
What is one thing about your job that most people would find unexpected or surprising?
Because I work heavily in social media, I think a lot of people assume strategists love social media, but it’s usually the opposite! I use social media as a tool but for leisure not so much… Aside from TikTok. TikTok is hilarious.
Is there a secret to career longevity in this industry?
I’m five years in and still consider myself to be a climber in the industry. But from studying some greats in the field, my theory is that impact that keeps you relevant. Constantly making a difference in the industry, in other’s lives, the community, etc., that’s how you make the most of it. Serve others while climbing.
“Impact [keeps] you relevant. Constantly making a difference in the industry, in other’s lives, the community…that’s how you make the most of it.”
What are some habits you follow regularly to always maintain a good headspace for work?
I’m a Virgo so naturally I stick to routine. Routines help me stay focused on the end goal in mind. If it doesn’t help or fit the end goal, I’m not doing it. My routine is normally working out, staying spiritually in tune, resting and executing, executing, executing.
What does a day off look like for you?
Unplugging 100%. No social media, no phones. Being present with friends or family. Eating or cooking (I love to cook!), exploring and just enjoying life!
How do you see your job evolving with the music industry in the next five years?
I see me playing a big role in the recruitment process for the music industry and media industry as a whole. I love music, so bringing more Black women into leadership positions at major labels and supporting other minority artists would be perfect. Black music has always been the blueprint, so we should definitely be in the boardrooms making executive decisions.
What do you hope the future of Black Girls In Media — both literally and your company — will look like?
I see us partnering with corporations to help fill roles and ensuring that companies stay accountable to their promises of fielding diverse teams. So many recruiters and companies don’t know where to go to find thousands of top notch applicants in one place.
If not working in music, what would you be doing?
If I wasn’t in the media/music space, I probably would be teaching dance classes. I love teaching.I grew up doing tap/jazz and ballet and used to want to own a studio!
Stay tuned for more features with music industry professionals — from managers to sound engineers, stagehands and others; the people who make the music world go round without standing behind a microphone.
