From CNN to Emmy-Winning Travel Storytelling: Building Travel in Style with Tomeka with Tomeka Jones

She didn’t even get a passport until 28, then built a career that took her from CNN to reporting travel stories around the world. I’m joined by Tomeka Jones, an Emmy Award-winning travel journalist, television host, executive producer and the founder of Travel in Style with Tomeka. We talk about what it really looks like to break into a major newsroom, learn the craft and keep moving forward even when the industry hands you a layoff. 

Tomeka shares how producing and reporting gave her the power to “own the story,” and why that skill set matters more than ever for travel media, streaming platforms and social video. We dig into the moment she decided to start her own travel production company, the fear she had to push through, and how she landed early contracts once she committed. You’ll also hear about her distribution on Local Now (a Weather Channel sister network) and YouTube, plus a recent Egypt river cruise story that highlights Black history and heritage through more inclusive travel experiences. 

We also get practical about the business side of travel journalism: what makes a strong partnership with public relations professionals, how hosted trips and paid work can fit together and why “polished” isn’t always what audiences respond to anymore. If you care about luxury travel, diversity in travel marketing, authentic storytelling and how travel news gets made, you’ll leave with clear takeaways and a fresh perspective. 

Connect with Tomeka Jones

• Website: https://www.travelinstylewithtomeka.com
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZAPzqj_MqzlU04jxYbbjoInk2DurROtp
• Listen to the Travel-ish Podcast
• Instagram: @travelinstylewithtomeka
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomekajones/

Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves travel and leave a review so more listeners can find the show. 

Transcript

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Welcome To Media In Minutes

Angela 0:05

Welcome to Media in Minutes. This is your host, Angela Tuell. This podcast features in-depth interviews with those who report on the world around us. They share everything from their favorite stories to what happened behind the lens and give us a glimpse into their world. From our studio here at Communications Redefined, this is Media in Minutes.

Meet Tamika Jones And Her Work

Angela 0:29

Today we're talking with Tomeka Jones, an Emmy Award-winning travel journalist, television host, executive producer, and founder of the award-winning travel series Travel in Style with Tomeka. Before launching her own travel media brand, Tomeka spent eight years covering national and international travel stories for CNN, producing content for one of the world's most recognized news organizations. Since then, she's built a successful independent platform that has earned multiple Tully Awards and a Heartland Emmy, while covering luxury, adventure, wellness, cultural, and experiential travel around the globe. Her work has appeared on CNN, Scripts News, Travel and Leisure, Yahoo, The Point Sky, Virtuoso magazine, and Sofu Magazine, and many others. And she's become a trusted voice helping travelers discover meaningful experiences while highlighting diverse cultures, destinations, and communities. Hello, Tomeka. Welcome to Media and Minutes. Hello. Thank you for having me. Yes, I'm looking forward to talking with you.

The Travel Bug Starts Late

Angela 1:30

You've described yourself as a lifelong traveler. What first sparked your love of travel and storytelling?

Tomeka 1:38

You know, um that's such a good question. I think I've always been curious about exploring the world. I was really good in geography back in high school. And so I don't know if it started there, but when I had a chance to work at CNN, you know, we're talking about a global organization that I just felt like, gosh, I would love to be on location around the world and had a chance to work for um at CNN and work for um CNN Airport Network and traveling the world. And so from there, it's just been nonstop.

Angela 2:18

Wow. So you hadn't traveled much before that, or internationally, I guess.

Tomeka 2:23

Uh no, actually, I didn't even get my passport until I was 28. Wow. Yeah. Yeah. That is amazing.

Getting Into CNN The Hard Way

Angela 2:32

So, how did you make it to CNN? Walk us through your career.

Tomeka 2:36

Um, you know, I actually, when I graduated from Cal State University, Long Beach in um Southern California, I happened to have a cousin who lived here in Atlanta, Georgia, which is where I reside now. And he was like, come out here, I can, you know, connect you with a friend of mine who is like working at CNN. And I was like, well, of course. I mean, it's CNN. So I had a chance to, once I moved here, I was able to just literally work there doing data entry at the time.

Angela 3:09

Okay.

Tomeka 3:10

And so for me, once I'm in the door, I'm I the door can be cracked, but I will um open it up completely. So I just started volunteering my time working in the newsroom and finding people who were interested in mentoring me. And so I would do that. I would go in on my time off and weekends and just volunteer and write stories, sit next to writers, sit next to producers. And um, I didn't get a full-time position right away. Um, I landed a job out uh back in Denver, Colorado, which is where I'm from. Okay. That's where I got my first full-time job. And I spent about two and a half years there working on a morning show for a Fox affiliate, Good Day uh Colorado.

Angela 3:58

Yeah.

Tomeka 3:59

Spent two and a half years there and then actually came back here and worked for WSB for a short time and then ended up at CNN.

Angela 4:07

Wow. And

Owning Stories As Producer Reporter

Angela 4:08

what was your job at CNN then?

Speaker 4:10

I was freelancing, uh, maybe in the marketing department. I'm not quite sure exactly what I was doing, but I do remember freelancing in the marketing department.

Angela 4:19

Okay. And then how did your roles evolve at CNN?

Tomeka 4:23

It's all about climbing the ladder and just staying persistent. So I worked for I got a full-time permanent position with a division at that time. It was called CNN Student News. And so I was there as an associate producer and spent a couple of years with that team. And unfortunately, we were laid off. And so after we were laid off, I continued to do what I do best in freelance and within the company because they allowed it. And I freelance for several different divisions, and it took a couple of years before I actually was able to get a full-time permanent position. But fortunately, I landed at the time the division was called Turner Private Networks at C and M because we created content for a variety of different networks, obviously. Like it was a show called Accent Health, and we created um produced original content for uh health-related content. Okay. And then also travel-related content. We also were had gas station TV. So um I freelanced for that division for a while, and then I was hired on full-time as a reporter and producer.

Angela 5:37

Okay. So was that your first time in front of the camera?

Tomeka 5:41

No, I had okay. No, I had been working um uh in front of the camera, probably on my own, maybe my first full-time, but I had been doing a lot of work freelancing um for local stations as well as um I had did some free uh in front work in front of the camera, which seen in student news or a lot of voiceover work. But um as far as full-time permanent position, yes, but freelancing, it I was definitely doing that on the side.

Angela 6:14

Okay, got it. So was that your favorite um type of role?

Tomeka 6:20

It was because I was afforded the ability to travel the world. And I always wanted to be able to travel the world. As I said earlier, that it just uh the energy, it just came maybe back from high school. I wasn't sure. But having the ability to, as a reporter and producer, it kind of gave me the leverage of creating all being responsible for all my content, whether it was create uh coming up with the ideas based on the segments we have and then writing it and producing it. Yes, I had um management who would copy edit, but I basically was able to own the story, and so I love that.

Angela 7:01

Yes, that's amazing. Do you have any favorite stories? I'm sure there are a lot.

Tomeka 7:06

I can't even, yeah, that that we covered so many, I can't even begin to list any favorite stories that date back to because my time in that division, we were unfortunately also I was laid off again, and but I said that was after spending, gosh, I think about eight to 12 years, about eight years or so with that division. Wow, we were laid off about five years ago. But as far as oh, favorite stories, I mean, I usually take it to um destinations. So I was afforded the ability to travel to places like Thailand and Turks and Caicos and Napa Valley and um gosh, where I I I can't even think of anyone else. But it I went as what's working at CNN, I went as far as Thailand.

Angela 7:55

That's amazing. So then you really probably got if you hadn't already had the travel bug, you probably already got got it at that point, right?

Tomeka 8:04

Absolutely, yes, definitely.

Angela 8:06

So, what happened then after being in the last five years after being laid off there?

Starting Travel In Style With Tamika

Tomeka 8:11

I I was laid off from CNN and I just started my own production company. Um, I did not want to stop traveling the world and exploring and experiencing it. And as I was searching for opportunities out there, I didn't see anything that was in alignment with what I desired to do and also what I was doing working at CNN. So I decided to just create my own um work and production company and travel show. So basically, very similar to what I was doing with CNN Airport Network, I started traveling style with Tamika. Um, gosh, I want to say back in, I can't even remember, maybe 2021 or 2022. And traveling style with Tamika was birthed, and I just started um filming on my own, investing into my own business and production company. I knew I knew how to be a producer and a talent and work with different very talented um videographers who I had worked with at CNN and who were also freelancers. So I just started to do that, and that's how I'm traveling saw what Samika came about.

Angela 9:21

That's amazing. Many journ journalists dream of launching their own platform, but actually doing it is a different story. Very true. What was one of the biggest challenges, you know, in going from the CNN to this?

Tomeka 9:33

Uh I don't even know because it it was I was my own challenge because I initially did not want to do it. I had to get out of my own way. And once I realized I had the skills and experience to do it, I just did it. Some people may say maybe it was the money, and sometimes financially I actually had the money to do it. So I just didn't, there was just a fear. Fear is what was at the was the biggest challenge initially. Once I got past the fear, it really took me no time to secure my first contract once I got past the fear. That's amazing.

Angela 10:16

So tell us a little bit more about travel and style with Tamika.

Connecting Luxury Brands With Diverse Travelers

Tomeka 10:19

Yeah, travel and style, Tamika, I would say it's constantly evolving. But originally when it I launched it and created it, it was because I had a chance to I probably took about a year off traveling here and there. And what I did notice at the time was there was a lack of diversity in the luxury travel spaces, hotels, resorts, you name it. I found my found myself going to places and being the only person of color, if not very few of us. So I felt like it was a time where I wanted to create a brand to um become what I would call, and so actually it was uh someone who recommended it, said this, that I was um became a community connector. In that case, connecting luxury travel brands and resorts to uh more BIPOC Black, Indigenous people of color, while also allowing and helping Black, Indigenous and people of color become familiarized with these luxury experiences around the world.

Angela 11:26

Yes. Have you found a lot of brands and these experiences very open to it?

Tomeka 11:31

Um, I don't, I I think the word a lot is a little bit is not the I would I wouldn't say I would I wouldn't use the word a lot um because on times are constantly changing. Back then it was definitely more um the word was diverse and diversity were heavily used and welcomed. I don't feel like it's that way as much now, unfortunately. And I still think that now you have to use different uh verbiage in order to maybe secure opportunities and really trying to help brands and destinations understand the value I divide of diversifying their marketing. But I will say I lean into more uh when I see more diversity in a brand, a resort, um, our destination, I'm more inclined to want to consider partnerships with them because they understand that the world is uh not one-shaded, and it's like less represent uh your brand destination or resort. It's like walking into an airport, no one looks alike, everybody looks different. Yes. Uh many people, you know I love airports so much. So um, yeah, it's really uh it might be a little more challenging than what it was when I first started. Um however, you just you just continue to pound the pavement to help create change, but also you just prefer to work with people who want to work with you and who welcome you. Yes, who are welcome to all, because that's the key. You want to partner with people who are a brand, a destination, or a resort that's welcoming to all travelers, not just one. Absolutely. Right, absolutely.

Egypt River Cruising And Local Now

Angela 13:29

Do you so does your show is your show on YouTube or tell us more about that?

Tomeka 13:34

So my show is on um the Weather Channel Sister Network called Local Now. Okay. Um, we probably have about eight or nine episodes. Um, we're preparing to roll out more later on because again, as times change, you gotta uh make some adjustments. The latest episode we put out, um, which is also, I should say, they're also available on YouTube. Okay. In the latest episode, I had an experience with um a river cruise company, Ama Waterways, and we highlighted their soulful experiences, and one of those is in Egypt. And the soulful experience really caters to um and black travelers and highlights uh black history and heritage and select destinations around the world. And so they have several itineraries, and one of them included an experience in Egypt. It was about a 11 yeah, less than about 11 days, 11 nights.

Angela 14:33

Okay, that's amazing. Are there certain destinations that have really surprised you? Uh, as far as just you know, maybe not what you expected it to be.

Tomeka 14:44

No, because I don't go into any destinations with expectations. I'm from um uh United States, right? So going to a place I am another country I'm not familiar with. I don't go in with expectations. If anything, I go in with uh an attitude of excitement and looking forward to learning about it. But I can't say I go to a place with um expectation because yes, you can read about it, but sometimes you don't know that much until you touch the ground. Yeah. Um, so I don't, that's not my my way of thinking is um I don't know what to I never I don't know what to expect, but I will say I can go places and they blow my mind because of just the energy when I'm there, if anything. Are there some that you could mention that have uh one place I was just recently, I was in Gothenburg, Sweden, and it blew my mind mainly because the people were so absolutely friendly and strangers just willing to help. If I was trying to figure out how to navigate my navigate my way on the public transportation, people were willing to help. And they had really good food, and it was a very walkable destination. And as soon as I landed, put my feet on, planted my feet on the ground and walked around. I was like, oh, you know, you can sometimes I do a lot of solo traveling and you can sometimes be a little nervous about it, but yeah, um, this place, it was just easy to move around with no fear and just kind of move around like a

Travel News Hits With Scripps

Tomeka 16:29

local.

Angela 16:29

What's a travel story that you've covered that you're especially proud of?

Tomeka 16:34

I will say any story that I cover, I'm always proud of it. Um, and so every story I will always probably go back to my latest story. And so far, the latest story, at least when it comes to traveling style with Tamika, I would say Egypt is a story I'm extremely proud of. Um, the content, the energy, and just really helping people understand what these river cruising more. Um, and it's target sometimes. River cruising could be targeted towards maybe one demographic, one age group.

Angela 17:07

Yeah.

Tomeka 17:08

And being able to show it from a perspective of a woman who's 40 plus, kind of solo traveling, but knowing that it is an amazing energy and you get to experience so much. Um, but I'm also proud of a story I covered when I was in, was in Sweden recently for Scripps News, um, where I was live on location in Gothenburg and highlighting Europe's new entry-exit system while also sharing under um or under the radar destinations, including Gothenburg and some other places in Europe. That's really cool. Tell us more about your work with Scripps. So with Scripps, I am I am still work covering travel. I pitch stories and cover travel, whether it's going in studio and I am typically on the show called Morning Rush and the anchors Holly Furfer. And we talk travel, mostly travel news of the day, but also um I can be on location in different parts of the world, like in Gothenburg, or I also reported on wellness travel um back in April, where I was in St. Vincent and the Grenadines at uh a Sandals property, highlighting some of their unique wellness experiences while also sharing other wellness experiences in places like Costa Rica as well. So it's really kind of covering um, you know, real news. We're talking summer travel right now. So there's a lot involving summer travel. You have the FIFA World Cup that is just amazing right now, great energy. Then we also have like uh America preparing to celebrate 250 years. So um then we'll go on to what else is happening. Like right now, I'm digging through maybe there's a story around um the NBA summer league in Las Vegas and how that is bring, you know, becoming a staple in the Las Vegas area. And, you know, travel is related to that. Many people are traveling to Vegas for like the month of July and August to really enjoy, you know, the NBA summer league and what's to come for the the next season.

Working With PR Hosting And Pay

Angela 19:25

Yes. How do you most like to work with public relations professionals to help you with some of these stories or to host you on trips?

Tomeka 19:32

Um I like to work with people who are just typically super down the earth and excited for partnership. Um, I'll give an example. I have a call even coming up soon here, and the energy back and forth just through email gets me excited for partnership. And so um I prefer people who are very transparent and who have an understanding of what I can um bring to the table, maybe based on research before they even connect with me, but also who are open-minded to I believe that the work that I bring to the table, it's more than just uh a one-off, and I can contribute that. But if there's areas of growth, then I love to I love pursuing long-term partnerships because it absolutely makes a difference to help um create change and help with uh meeting goals that are more long-term goals. So I love to partner with PR reps who are just open-minded to just, you know, first of all, good energy and maybe not always going by the book, but it's like, you know what, let's pitch the envelope a little bit. Yeah. Um, and that to me is huge because I will have a wealth of ideas when someone is just open to doing something a little bit out of the box.

Angela 21:00

Right. You need that to get the coverage, right? And to do get do the great stories. Are your partnerships um always paid or is sometimes in exchange for hosting, or how does that normally work?

Tomeka 21:11

Um, it's not always paid, but it also depends on. I mean, as uh what people would say can freelancer and many freelancers, it it is pay is help. And also, you know, we have to survive as well. We have to survive. Times are different. We can write an article for a publication, but they're not paying a lot of money for those publications, right? Um, for those articles. So um, but again, I am open to uh essentially if there's earn media, because I feel like sometimes you just want to get a feel of each other and seeing what we can start off with and then what we can grow to.

Angela 21:56

Yeah, that's great.

Emmy Wins And Real Storytelling

Angela 21:57

You've also, I must talk about have won both Emmy and And Tele Awards for your work. Tell us a little bit more about those.

Tomeka 22:04

Yes, the Emmy I uh I won in 2023 for a story I did highlighting um summer travels in Breckenridge, Colorado. And I would I that was what I loved about that partnership is that that was uh um a PR rep and who for the tourism board and she was wanted to she was thinking outside the box and we happened to meet and we were in alignment and it was actually the very first episode of Traveling Style with Tamika. Um yeah, and we shot it. I worked with a very talented videographer who's been in the industry for years. His name is Jason Voss. Shout out to Jason, he's wonderful and very skilled. And we went to Breckenridge and we just we really dived in, and it's now that is one of my favorite stories, likely always will be, because it won an Emmy and it won an Heartland Emmy, and it won an Emmy for like the talent work, but there to me was so much more behind it. Um, but that was that was huge because working in the industry for so long and even working for a major company like um CNN, I did not win an Emmy, but it took me to venture out on my own to win one.

Angela 23:21

Wow, congratulations, that's amazing. Thank you. What makes a great television segment?

Tomeka 23:28

I have never, I just think it's it's the storytelling. Any seg any television segment, it's just the storytelling and someone just choosing to be authentically them and their way of telling the story, not someone else's way. But people are captivated, especially now by a character and their personality. Um so times have really changed when it comes to uh there's been an evolution of storytelling, uh, where even my style of storytelling could still be very newsy, so to speak, because I'm used to that, where I'm still learning to adapt just to be me. The more I post even simple content on social media, Instagram, or the more engagement. But when I feel like I need to be a little more polished, it is like it may not do as well. Um even Chad GPT will say, You a little too newsy.

Angela 24:28

I love that.

Why She Launched Travel-ish

Angela 24:31

You also, before we go, we must talk about you also recently launched the Travel-ish podcast. Tell us more about that.

Tomeka 24:37

The Travel-ish podcast just recently came about. We've we're like two episodes in now, and it's with a friend who I call a friend like a sister. We literally just met each other uh six months ago in January at a travel conference, and we have developed a friendship that's turned into like a sisterhood, and we decided since we can sit on a phone and just be chatty Kathy's for an hour or so, why don't we turn it into a podcast? And we have, and even if it was just ourselves, so the podcast just involves us sharing our travel experiences. We both have a passion for outdoor. Her handle, she goes by the outdoorsy diva, and she loves the outdoors. I love outdoor adventures as well, and I also have luxury and wellness, things she dabbles in as well. And so, because we have those things in common, what we do with travel-ish is really share our latest experiences, um, find some things that are happening in the news that make us chuckle a little bit. And sometimes it's not always gonna be a chuckle. There could be something travel related that's not so good or our own experiences, yeah. And then we try to just uh our latest one we covered Juneteenth, which was this past um Friday and a federal holiday. And we we were we just like to that episode highlighted you black experience around the world, even giveaways. And so, you know, we just continue to and even look, we just started. So for us, we don't care if we the only two listeners, and we don't care, it's it's fun for us. We just have a way of connecting, and then you know, we can make each other laugh and have a good time. So hopefully the podcast starts to really pick up, and we hopefully can get some sponsorships, and we're just gonna continue sharing our experiences.

Angela 26:40

Awesome. We will include a link to it in our show notes as well. And I have to ask, what's next for you?

Europe Series Plans And Goodbye

Angela 26:46

Any destinations, projects you're particularly excited about?

Tomeka 26:50

Yes, so one thing that I am working on and manifesting is I want to spend a month in um Europe in August. So that's one of the biggest things that's coming up, where the goal is to off the heels of the success success of the Sweden segment. Um, I am planning on working on another series that's more of a four-part series, and that will take us through um Europe, some parts of Europe, and highlight different experiences that I feel like the odd that may be something the audience is looking for. And so that is uh what I'm working on and kind of being still realistically, not even accepting press trips to really help that um come off the ground. Wow. Why not not accepting them?

Angela 27:43

Are you just on purpose?

Tomeka 27:45

Yeah, I'm intentionally not taking any any because I need to work on uh I mean spending a month uh away from home and then trying to organize it where when I am working on those particular segments, I'm typically live and a month away. You want to make sure everything is like, you know, in order. So right now, at least for the month of June, I might have a trip coming up in July. Um, but if not, it's also just really getting a lot of like my website and things in place to really make sure I'm well prepared to highlight the experiences in uh in and throughout Europe because in my to in my mind, it's we're manifesting it, but it's just gonna happen. I'm just gonna say it's gonna happen.

Angela 28:31

Wonderful. And you've been able to make it all happen so far, so I have no doubts. Thank you. Thank you. What is the best way for our listeners to connect with you online?

Tomeka 28:41

Yes, I would say go to travel in style with Tomeka, especially on Instagram, because we just hit 5,000 followers. I know you know we're we're baby steps over here. Baby steps, something is better than nothing. Um, but I would say Instagram as well as Facebook, which is Tomeka Jones and YouTube and TikTok are gonna be growing because so you could feel free to go there as well for with traveling style with Tomeka or look up Tomeka Jones, T-O-M-E-K-A.

Angela 29:10

Perfect. We'll include all those links as well. Thank you so much, Tomeka. Thank you for having me. That's all for this episode of Media and Minutes, a podcast by Communications Redefined. Please take a moment to rate, review, and subscribe to our show. We'd love to hear what you think. You can find more at Communications Redefined dot com Slash Podcast. I'm your host, Angela Tuell. Talk to you next time.