The Audacious Journey of Dedra Tate: Triumphs and Trials in the Music Industry

Are you ready to embark on a musical journey like no other? Brace yourselves as we illuminate the path of Dedra Tate, a music industry titan who has lent her prowess to leading labels and artists across the globe. From MCA to Motown, Biv 10 Records to Flavor Unit, Dedra's impressive repertoire is truly a testament to her resilience and creativity. We unpack her bold coming-out story, the patriarchal hurdles she surmounted, and delve into intriguing celebrity news.

The second act of our engrossing narrative delves into the intricacies of Dedra's rise to the top. Not one to shy away from challenges, Dedra's innovative strategies and relentless networking paved the way for her ascent in the music industry. But what happens when the very fabric of the industry starts to evolve? We tackle the streaming era's implications, exploring its double-edged sword - a boom for independent artists, yet a pitfall for larger labels.

In our final act, Dedra's multifaceted career further unfolds, revealing her accomplishments as an executive producer and director of special events. We touch upon her stellar work with Unlimited Contacts, her associations with esteemed organizations, and her commendable effort towards Black Health Matters. We also highlight her involvement with the Hip Hop Museum and Education Programs, and her audacious approach to success on Sanya On-Air. Prepare to be inspired. This is a journey through Dedra Tate's life - a testament to her audacity, her tenacity, and her unyielding commitment to her craft. Tune in!

Transcript

Sanya: 0:07

This is not a video. When I was coming out, we had to go outside the city. We had to go travel, go out of town, beat down doors. This was the first time Bill has ever gone on this set.

Dedra: 0:19

He said here comes the token, this is not a video. And out of my mouth I said F you, this is not a video. This is my real story.

Sanya: 0:36

This is who I am.

Dedra: 0:38

I built myself off a dream without a man's help, without a basketball player. Particularly, the patriarchal box says white, cisgender males have to find for us should be how we define ourselves. That's what they were saying on the street. I didn't say it. That's what they were saying on the street, the streets, the avenues and the bulletin. Welcome, welcome, welcome.

Dedra: 1:07

You're now tuned into another amazing edition of Sanya Onay. I'm your host, sanya Hudson-Payton, and how do I sort of feature in every single show? You guessed that I have another great show for you, but before I tell you about today's guest, I need you to do me a favor, just a little favor. It'll cost you $3.99. All I need you to do is subscribe to every Sanya Onay streaming platform. Sanya Onay streams on Spotify, iheartradio, itunes, amazon Podcast, google Podcast you name it. Sanya Onay is there. Also, if you're watching this on YouTube, not only hit the subscribe button, but also hit the notification bell. Just a little bell. It looks like this. It goes like that way every time I upload an all new Sanya Onay celebrity interview, unpacking their pivotal moments and milestones, you'll be the first ones to know. The notification bell lets you know every time there is an all new Sanya Onay celebrity interview. So today's guest Today's guest is an unsung icon by the name of Deidre Tate.

Dedra: 2:26

Now let me tell you something. This woman has been the power behind some of the world's leading music labels. Let me tell you about some of the record labels that she's worked with and lead. As a matter of fact, mca, motown Bif10 record you know Bif10, that's with Michael Bivens of New Edition and BBD Queen Latifah's Flavor Unit, and she's also been a producer for television and film. A lot of times you see these people in front of the cameras, you know, singing the songs, rapping the lyrics, acting out things and television and film. She's that person behind them. And those are the people that we don't really well, you don't. Those are the people who aren't really given a spotlight too often. And when the world doesn't spotlight people, I wonder how do they receive their flowers? Do they want to give it to themselves? You know, just buy some roses, go to 1-800-FLOWERS and say from Sanya to Sanya, is that how this happens? So I just wanted to make sure that Didre Tate understands that we see you, boo, I see you and I want you to see her too. So she's going to be joining us in just a few moments Before we bring in Ms Tate.

Dedra: 4:05

Why don't we get into the latest celebrity news? This is not even on here. Oops, she did it again. Britney Spears, that is, britney Spears is back in the news, but this time she isn't dancing scantily clad with knives on social media. Oh, no, no. She has a new book that is soon to be released and it's called the Woman and Me. Now, mind you, the cover of the book. She ain't got no shirt on her, maybe not. So a part of the book.

Dedra: 4:43

She is talking about her ex, justin Timberlake. She is spilling the beans, the secrets. She said that back in the dizzy, when they were dating and Justin Timberlake was still the lead singer of the group in Sink. There was a time when Justin Timberlake met Genuine, the R&B singer, riding my pony, my saddles waiting, okay, all right, so, anyway. So when Justin met Genuine, he put on his black scent and he started talking to Genuine using, let's say, urban vernacular, like foshies, foshies. So Britney was saying that he just wanted to act black. He wanted to be a part of the culture.

Dedra: 5:41

So bad, ms Britney Spears, ms Britney, claudine Spears Well, I don't know if Claudine is her real name, but don't you look like a Claudine from the South Fried pickles and pig feet. So Britney, claudine Spears, we knew this girl. The community knew this. When Justin first appeared, remember, when he had the corn rolls going back and the community was saying he's trying to be black, and everyone was saying no, he's not. But we knew, we knew. Why is it that it ain't a thing? Until they say it's a thing, I don't get it. How many times have you spoken to a person who isn't a part of the black community, who isn't black? Let's just say that person who isn't black? And when they talk to you, they try to talk to you as if they are part of the culture. Let me give you a quick story.

Dedra: 6:43

So over the summer I went to I wouldn't really call them friends, we're becoming friends Like we own some property together and they invited me to their penthouse For July 4th weekend to see the fireworks, amazing penthouse overlooking all of New York City. Loved it. They're rich, they're filthy, filthy rich. So anyway, so me and the rest of my black family go over to these white people's house at home and you know I brought some rosé from my favorite vineyard in the Hamptons and they were serving dinner and they had fried chicken and cornbread and collard greens. I don't eat any of that, I'm slightly pescetarian, more on the vegetarian side. And their daughter looked at the plate and said, mommy, what is this? And the mother said that's cornbread. Just try it, you'll like it. And then they started playing some rap music and I looked at my daughter and she looked at me like what, what? And the raisins and the potato salad is going on. And I looked at the rest of my family and they were like, oh, I'm going to be the best. And they felt as if the only way they could relate to us was to tap into one layer of the black experience, as if that defined us all. Back to Justin Timberlake. That's what he tried to do. He wanted to be relatable instead of being himself, and he wanted to be a person that was as good as they feel, as if they can go into different rooms and be that culture. But, darling, when we go into certain rooms, we can't take this off ever. We are not allowed, even if we wanted to.

Dedra: 9:02

So I'm excited to hear about everything else that Brittany Claudine Spears will be revealing, because if she is doing anything, like Jada Pinkett Smith, who just released a book, she's going to reveal all the secrets so her pockets can go ka-ching with the book sales. If you people don't know this by now, I don't get it. I don't get it. I wonder if I'm ever going to get to a place where I'm just going to share some dirty, dirty secrets just to sell a book. Well, they do. That's what happens in this celebrity space. Everything is so salacious and I don't get it.

Dedra: 9:50

And I was going to share another story that I had a conversation with some record label executives as to how certain music is just allowed to be published and why they sign particular artists that are trash. I'll save that story for another episode, but time to be going to purchase the book the Woman and Me from Brittany Claudine Spears. I'm not interested, so let's get back to sign your name so we can talk about Deidre Tate for the culture. Okay, stay tuned. But let me tell you, deidre, I'm really excited to have this conversation with you because I think the world needs to see more unsung legends and heroes such as yourself. You've navigated through this industry in such an amazing way as a woman of color and I think that it's about time that your story is heard.

Dedra: 10:55

Let's start from the beginning. Okay, your time at Howard University. Now we know that today, college is viewed a little bit differently, sort of like a big business. When you decided to apply and attend Howard University, was it a decision that you knew would lead directly into the music industry, or was it a decision based upon what your parents told you to do?

Sanya: 11:21

So actually my story in the entertainment industry started in high school. My sister and I both had a column in the Amsterdam news, which you know is the largest African American publication all four years of high school, called Tomorrow's Generation. So we interviewed everybody, from Michael Jackson we went to every single concert in limos. We had fan mail from prisoners. Believe me, we were. It was crazy and you have to remember, when I graduated from high school I was only 15, going on 16 years old. This is like between the ages of 12 and 16 years old.

Sanya: 11:55

So I knew that I wanted to major in journalism, but because I had already had a column in the Amsterdam news which people that graduate from Howard try to get a starting position there. That's when I decided to major in broadcast journalism. I only applied to two schools. One was UCLA and one was Howard University, and my parents are both bison. They met there, fell in love, had my sister and there was nowhere else. They were going to let me go. They were like you could go to UCLA if you want to, but you'll only be coming home during the summer.

Dedra: 12:28

But you know, I don't want to just glaze over that, because that is no small feat as a high school student to write for the Amsterdam news.

Sanya: 12:37

Yes, how did that happen? So my godmother, Audrey J Bernard, who is close friends with both of my parents, she knew that we love to write and we always went to all of the concerts and we always threw parties. I have been like my entire family has been throwing parties all of my life since I can remember. So we used to promote events and she was like you know what you girls should do, a column that you know with interesting things for teenagers. So that's why we called it tomorrow's generation. It had our pictures on there and actually, when I went to Howard, every single one of my articles is on microfiche in the founders library.

Dedra: 13:13

Wow, yes, Wow, that's huge. But you know what? Every conversation that I speak, that I have with successful people such as yourself, they always tap into their social capital and how they were able to enter rooms because of people who knew them. And I'm so glad that you mentioned that, because we don't understand the importance of a social capital Right and being surrounded by like minded individuals. So, okay, so high school writing for the Amsterdam news, now you're a student at Howard University and you graduated.

Sanya: 13:48

Yes, Go ahead. Yes, so I made you in broadcast journalism because I originally wanted to be the black Barbara Walters. But during the time that I was in college they launched MTV. It was a brand new network back then and my father at the time was the head of marketing and advertising for black enterprise. So I was like, dad, do you know anybody at MTV? And this is what I, whenever I speak to people, I tell them networking nepotism and follow up. Nepotism is a word that black people do not use enough and do not take advantage of enough. I immediately called my dad. I was like what context do you have? And he said actually one of my mentees is an account executive at MTV. So do you know?

Sanya: 14:33

My parents, for graduation, sent me on a vacation to Europe. I was in Europe and traveled around and when I came back I had an interview lined up at MTV with two to account executives. Because Barbara Britain, who is the person that was my first mentor and my dad's mentee, she made arrangements for me to get an interview to get into the ad sales department. So that's how I got my foot in the door and I knew I didn't want to stay in advertising because my goal was to be in the music news and in the creative area. So I just kept my eye on those postings and I made friends with human resources. And when a position became available in talent relations because I had worked in ad sales I knew that every time one of my bosses wanted to wine and dine, somebody take them to a concert or people wanted tickets, you had to submit ticket requests to do the talent relations department. I was like that's the department I want to be in and that's the department I made it into. Wow.

Dedra: 15:28

You mentioned, you know, having a mentor, yes, nepotism these are all keys to success. And what a lot of people don't know is that I've been in education for over 20 years and for the past I would say eight years, it has been a primary focus for me to create social capital for high school students, marginalized high school students, because white people do it all the time.

Sanya: 15:54

Right.

Dedra: 15:54

And it is about time that we understand that that is definitely a strategy that works in order to get into spaces that were never created for us.

Sanya: 16:03

Correct.

Dedra: 16:04

I mentioned that. So when did you like? Okay, so MTV, talk about your experience working at MTV. Did you like it? Did you hate it?

Sanya: 16:12

Yeah, so I absolutely loved it. I was one of a handful if it was even a handful of black people at the time. This was in 1984. This is when Martha Quinn, jj Jackson these are all of the the VJs that were on there I was working at MTV when, when downtown, julie Brown came to audition, when they were doing auditions for the host of Club MTV.

Sanya: 16:35

So that was during the time and I ended up in talent relations. And then my next mentor was Sam Kaiser, who was my boss. He came over from Atlantic Records and he was the head of marketing and talent relations. I ended up working for MTV a total of three years, but when he was leaving to start a label with Elton John called Uni Records, he actually challenged the executives at MTV to ask them what were their plans for me, because I told you I was like the only African American in that whole creative floor. And he said that if they let him out of his key man contract so that he was able to hire me, that he thinks that I would have a, you know, better opportunity of moving forward. So they did that and he was able to hire me because he shouldn't have been able to hire anyone for a one year period after he left the company when he decided to leave.

Dedra: 17:23

I'm sorry the Wi-Fi went out. Can you repeat what you just said?

Sanya: 17:27

Yeah, you hear me? Yes, you're frozen, though I'm frozen again Now. We're both frozen. Oh no, I'm still moving. You're frozen, though You're frozen you.

Dedra: 18:46

Okay, wait, give me one second.

Sanya: 18:50

Yeah, you have to kick yourself out. You know I produce shows on screen.

Dedra: 18:55

That's exactly what I had to do. I'm in this whole different space and we're kind of getting used to the, to the wi-fi which goes in and out. But you know what I did hear from when we were disconnected? You, you were able to transition to a whole new space, even though you were only one of the few African Americans in that space, working on MTV. What did you do? That made you stand out where someone said I'm leaving and I'm going to take you with me. What did you do?

Sanya: 19:28

So I did something very specific when I was still working in ad sales and I was applying for that position. So it was the hot that's the hottest department at MTV to work at. So everybody and their mother and these that includes like hundreds of privileged white young people that are straight out of college whose parents know everybody that's in the building already. So what I did with my journalism background, I created a book called Deidre Tate and why and I researched my boss and I knew that he commuted to Long Island. I found out everything about him and I wrote a little book and put that cover on there.

Sanya: 20:02

I had articles that I had written for the Hilltop at Howard, all of the one sheets that I wrote for the salespeople at MTV Like every single thing that I have produced on my own or for other people I put in there. And then I handed it to him at the end of my interview and I said I know you're living in Long Island and you're going to have a long train ride, so if there's anything, I have an answer for you. I've made something for you. And when he saw that Deidre Tate and why, he was like, oh, you're hired.

Dedra: 20:26

Wow, I love it. And this is what I encourage youth to do, because, once again, I prepare them for internship opportunities, enrichments, expanding their social capital. And I'm telling them whenever you are in the face of an employer and you are hired, don't just do what is written down on paper the roles and responsibilities and the expectations. Create something different and new and present it. Make yourself stand out. So I'm glad that you dropped that gem, because a lot of people just think that they have to stick to the script, and I'm so glad that you stepped out on fear and innovation and you just made a name for yourself. So MTV, uni. What was next after that?

Sanya: 21:09

Well, while everything in my career has been like a series of connecting the dots. So when I was working at UNI, uni was owned by MCA Records. We happened to be on the same floor because UNI was like a small boutique label within the MCA system. But on our same floor was the MCA Records Black Music Division.

Sanya: 21:29

So one day I'm riding up on the elevator and there's somebody saying hold it, hold it. So I hold the elevator and this man looking fly comes on. I can tell I don't know who he was, but he gets on the elevator and he said I said what floor you're going to? And he said eight. And I said oh, some of mine, it's my first eight. And he was like really, where you going? I said I'm working at UNI and he was like there's black people at UNI and I said that's how they got the name, I'm the only one there. And he busted out laughing and then when I got off the elevator we walked in and he was like I'm going to come find you later. I had no idea it was Gerald Busby, the CEO of MCA.

Sanya: 22:03

So he just looked for me on the floor, came to my office and he was like tell me about yourself. We just started talking and he was like I can't believe it. I am really so impressed I was showing him the work that I was doing because even at UNI I created a little newspaper on my own and this was back in the days of cutting, pasting, photocopying and then distributing to everybody. It was called UNI tombs. We had like Eric B and Rock Kim was the first rap group that I worked with, but other than that we had all pop groups.

Sanya: 22:31

But I would cut out the little pictures from Billboard, put the chart position that we were last week, this week, and it was like a little Bible for every artist that was on UNI and I would distribute it to every single person on the entire floor, which were all people from MCA. So he was like you're the one that's been doing those UNI tombs. And then, the first opportunity that came up, he sent me on a trip, told me that during that trip I went to Jamaica, took some of my friends. He was like you're going to get a call around three o'clock every single day. Somebody's going to be on the other end to interview you and when I came home, I was announced as the new Northeast Regional Director for MCA Records.

Dedra: 23:08

Wow. So you were ready. Whenever the opportunity is presented itself, you were ready. Where does that fearlessness? Where does that innovative spirit? Where does that creativity stem from?

Sanya: 23:19

It comes from both of my parents. So my dad he's like the unsung mayor. Everybody, I think, in New York knows Bob Tate. So my father not only graduated from Howard with a business degree, he was in the military. Then he worked for amazing corporations and he decided to start working for Black Enterprise and then from there he was at Ebony and Jet, actually during my junior and senior year high school, before he started publishing his own magazine, which one you probably know of, that's still around Black elegance.

Sanya: 23:49

I think they changed it to Black noir, but he had Black elegance magazine, bell magazine and Spice magazine, which was like a competitor of Right On. My mother, on the other hand, was the flyest brainiac you would ever want to meet and she is our hidden treasure, like the movie Hidden Treasures. She was an IT person. She was one of the first female vice presidents at a bank, a chemical bank, doing programming with all white men, exactly like the movie Hidden Figures.

Dedra: 24:20

So you know, I know that some kids, when they come from a household where both parents are very, very successful, sometimes they are fearful to step into their own greatness in fear that they won't measure up to their parents. Did you ever experience that fear of not being enough?

Sanya: 24:37

No, because they never put that pressure on us. A lot of people that have those high-powered corporate parents, they put so much pressure on their children that they're afraid that they're not going to measure up to them. We never had that. We traveled the world with Dance Theatre Harlem. We were creative. We were with Dance Theatre Harlem and then another company called the Harlem Children's Theatre Company traveling all over the world. So we were always well-rounded.

Sanya: 25:00

My mother took us everywhere we were in the Girl Scouts. She exposed us to the theater and then when we did the article, you know, when we had Al Column in the Amsterdam News, we were exposed and around so many people and we were always around celebrities because they had a lot of friends like no pointer and different people that would come like to out some house and play like just in the middle of the floor at their parties, just do jam sessions. So we were never jaded. It's kind of like we grew up in that fun environment and we were always just encouraged to do what made us happy, and music was what made me happy.

Dedra: 25:34

I love it. You mentioned a keyword exposure. Exposure is so important for anyone growing up. I always encourage the youth tap into the options, because once you tap into the options you now have choices to make your decisions on. So I'm glad that you had options as a part of your early beginnings, because then you were able to navigate into different rooms because you had already been in different rooms.

Sanya: 26:02

Correct. You have to do that and I always, when I speak to young people, I always tell them I don't care how old you are, have a business card. That business card can just have if you're a student. It should have when you're going to graduate. But if you're not a student, just have your email address or something with your social media so that you have something to show that you're professional when you're speaking to people and greeting them, because networking is like 80% of the battle and then you have to have the 20% has to be backup 80% is the battle and 20% is the backup.

Sanya: 26:36

Yeah, but you know this generation.

Dedra: 26:39

Do you think that business cards are still essential?

Sanya: 26:44

Absolutely. Now it's a QR code. I have one myself the dot card. So when people are just like the last card you'll ever need and that's a great plug for them because they sponsored an event that I produced but when I pull out that dot card, the young kids are the ones that's like yo, where'd you get that? And I'm like, if I don't have one on me to give to them, I tell them the order. If they're only $20, you can put all of your information, including your they're always cash appings, zelling, doing all kinds of financial transactions all of that information stored on there with your picture. You could design the page however you want and it loads just like a regular contact, but in like 10 times the power.

Dedra: 27:21

I'm going to do that with a few students that I work with. I think that that is very innovative, especially for this new digital space, because when I talk to kids they're like, oh, nobody's carrying business cards. But now to introduce this new era of a business card, I think that they would be more likely to tap in. Yeah.

Sanya: 27:39

And it's called the last card you'll ever need, cause you just need one and you just let people scan that QR code. There's also another free one that I've scanned of some other people that forgot the name of it, but it's a QR code that you can actually pull up on your phone. That's similar and it has the same information, but I just still like the effect of pulling out a card.

Dedra: 27:58

Right, right, right, I love it, I love it. And then you know I may be missing the timeline or, you know, reorganizing it, but you also worked with Bif 10, entertainment with Michael Bivens. How does that happen?

Sanya: 28:13

So remember I'm going back to connecting the dots Jerry Busby, who became my mentor and hired me over at MCA records. In a year he took over Motown from Barry Gordy so he bought me over to Motown with him so I was handling video like MTV already had a great relationship there and also promotions, record promotions. So after a couple of years I was at Motown a total of eight years. But after five years because of the success cause you know, we had boys to men, another bear creation, michael just in general, had a production company where I worked with all of those groups and helped break them in the number one markets. So when they had his, when they decided to give him his label, gerald and Michael Bivens decided that they would name me the general manager. So I kind of skipped over a lot of positions and create to general manager of his boutique label and we were still within the Motown family. So I did that for another three years.

Dedra: 29:12

Amazing, but I want to ask you a question just related to the current space of the music industry today. So I know, like success, success today when it comes to record sales is measured upon streams. We didn't have that back in the day. Do you like how that has evolved, how artists are now measured based upon the streams, or do you think we should go back to the old recipe?

Sanya: 29:34

So I think it's a double-edged sword, because there are people that are never going to get the opportunity to get that record deal at a major label, so all they have is the streams and their own marketability and then putting themselves out there and getting the likes and the shares and everything that's needed to make other people see what they're not seeing. Then, on the other hand, if you're at a label and you are not keeping up to speed, you're going to drop down on the totem pole, so it like can work against you, depending on if you have a label deal or if you are independent artists. So I personally think that right now the climate is best for independent artists because they're able to make more money. There's a lot of ways that they can start monetizing even from one record without even having to go in debt with the record label deal where they're going to be paying all of these other producers and studio time promotions.

Sanya: 30:24

People like myself. I used to tell Bobby Brown and all of my artists whenever they were like I want another limo, I want this, okay, but you know that's recoupable, that's the word. You need to look up Every single dime I put on this credit card because you think that this is all free. It's all getting deducted from every dime that you make. Yeah.

Dedra: 30:44

Yeah.

Sanya: 30:44

I always try to teach that to my artists too, and let them know that they are actions like. You may think that you're getting over. You're not getting over because that's going to be coming out of your check and when you get your payment you're going to be looking like what happened to my money.

Dedra: 30:57

Yeah, so did you find you know your experience working in the music industry with all of those artists? Did you find that that was a heart lesson for those artists to learn about managing their money?

Sanya: 31:07

So you know what it seems like, especially in a group situation. There's always that one member that is all about the business. And I can tell you Michael Bivens was that person in New Edition. I worked with New Edition since their Andy Hartbreak album. When I first got hired at MTV they actually I mean at MCA. They actually announced my new position during the holiday party, which was also the Andy Hartbreak album release party. So I've been working with them since then, still friends with all of them to this day, and ended up working closely with Michael.

Sanya: 31:40

But Michael was always the one that stayed behind that wanted to know how do you read? What are these charts? What does this mean? What does that mean? And then Gerald poured so much into him, which you see in the documentary that he has at now the hustle of at 617. Mike Bibb got to put in a plug for that. He really was a sponge. And that's the same thing with like Nate, from Boys to Men. There's like in a group environment if you don't have that one person, it's not going to work out well for you and it's not going to work out well for your group, because they are the ones that are when people see someone's paying attention and reading the contracts and like they are kind of getting it. You can't get over on those feet. Right, right, right, right entertainment business. But it is a business of entertainment and the business is first.

Dedra: 32:25

That's a good statement that you made. So you know you mentioned working with Michael Bivens, bif 10 entertainment. Were you surprised to receive a call that they wanted you to be a part of his documentary at 617? What is it, Mike Bibb? What's the name of the documentary?

Sanya: 32:40

It's called the Hustle of at 617, mike Bibb. So at 617, mike Bibb is his Instagram handle. You know it's just his hustle Right, but I was Michael and I were fricking frack for years. For years he was the CEO and I was his number. I was his right hand. So you know, for all of those years that I was there, we had, you know, all of our artists that we put together on our All For One, one For All album, which was the kickoff where we had about 50,000 groups about that in the documentary. And then we had our first release was Subway, which was a quartet out of Chicago. We had 702. Of course, we recently lost Irish and previously had lost Irish, but when I was there and we signed them, there were four members, so both of the twins were actually in the group when I was still at Bibb 10.

Dedra: 33:31

Wow, yeah, you mentioned the group 702. I just had Mila on my show a few weeks ago, and Rest in Peace, irish. What is your fondest memory working with the group 702?

Sanya: 33:46

My fondest memory is flying to Las Vegas to tell them that they were signed to Bibb 10 Records. And I went with Todd Roussa, who did A&R, and we were at their family's house and there's like a bunch of kids, you know all of the kids are there. Their parents were there, their sister and her boyfriend or they might have been married by then. That were their managers at the time and I think that was the greatest thing actually going out and letting them know that they had a record deal.

Dedra: 34:14

Wow, I love it. I love it when people get joy, giving joy to other people.

Sanya: 34:20

Absolutely. I think that's why people don't do it enough. I do it all the time. If I see something on social media that I'm like, oh my God, that's fly. I'll share it immediately. Or I'll make my own entire post about it and then big them up and tag them and tell people to share it, because it's not always great to tut your own horn and people. They don't want to do that, so it's great when other people share it and help you celebrate yourself. Wow.

Dedra: 34:47

You know now, it explains why you're so successful. I mean, you have all the ingredients that don't even. It's not even led by selfishness. It's all in service of something or someone else.

Sanya: 35:00

Yeah, service is key, yeah.

Dedra: 35:02

When you enter life in service, I find that those are the most successful people that I want to be around. But let's talk about you are also the general manager of Queen Latifah's flavor unit. Talk about that.

Sanya: 35:17

Yeah, so I would. While I was running Biv10, as general manager Gerald signed Queen Latifah to Motown, so I told you we were all in the same building so I would always see Latifah and Shaquem, her partner, and then we would. I was always at all of the NBA All-Star games. So I think I had a monopoly for a good 10 years straight with my artist singing the national anthem, no matter what label I was. And it was because of my relationships, because I have really strong relationships.

Sanya: 35:45

The name of my independent company is actually called Unlimited Contacts Inc. Which I hijacked from my dad, but that's what I have unlimited contacts and their contacts that are strong and that have stood the test of time. So one of my BFFs, leah Wilcox. She's the head of play and talent relations at the NBA for years. So I always had different people that were performing there.

Sanya: 36:08

So one time I had another Bear Creation out there, michael Boyce-Tamen.

Sanya: 36:12

Boyce-tamen was going to be singing the national anthem and I ran into Shaquem in front of the hotel and I was giving out like CD singles of another Bear Creation's new single or something and he was like I really like your style, you out here hustling, and I wasn't even out there with another Bear Creation.

Sanya: 36:28

I was there with Boyce-Tamen but I was still promoting all of my groups. So he just always remembered that. And then he called me like maybe a year or two later and it just so happened that I was getting ready to have to relocate to California almost full time for Biv10. I was basically living out at a hotel there because I had just bought an apartment and I was engaged so I really didn't want to move to the West Coast. So that opportunity, when they asked me to be the president and general manager of Flavor Unit and that I would have the opportunity to work not only with record labels but with management and helping them transition from management into records, that was an opportunity that I could not pass up and I was able to stay on the East Coast.

Dedra: 37:13

Was there ever any opportunity that you had to give a hard no to?

Sanya: 37:19

Yes, yes, yes, that's been more recent. That comes back to all money's not good money, exactly. But you know that people try to offer me money and no, I'm going to pass, or their reputation if it's not a person that has a really good reputation, because I also do my research. So you know, fool me once but you're not going to fool me twice. And you may have fooled other people, but my degree is in broadcast journalism, investigative reporting, so I'm a find out and do my research before I even go there.

Dedra: 37:53

Okay, you're not a journalist. Like a Porsche from the housewise.

Sanya: 38:02

When I want to find something out, I'm going to find it out.

Dedra: 38:06

I love it. But you know, when you build up such a repertoire, a resume that you have, you have the privilege now of saying no and you know people have to work to get to that point and I love that. We tapped into, you know, like a condensed version of your timeline, but it really just showed the evolution, like I said, of you, the unsung hero. You also dabbled in film as well, correct?

Sanya: 38:36

Yes, and that started back to connect the dots. While I was at Flavor Unit the company shifted when Latifah got a call to be in the movie Chicago, so that kind of first. She was in a film called Living Out Loud with Catherine. Sada Jones actually sent a huge thing with like 100 roses to the office begging her to take a role. And so she did that movie. And then she started singing jazz. She was a jazz singer in that movie. So we ended up shifting and doing an entire album of cover songs. So we went.

Sanya: 39:07

We had to put our whole the unit project, which all of these new groups that we had just signed. They were all rap artists but we were piggybacking all of them off of Latifah to get them into radio, you know, to get airplayed, to take them into the record pools, because people are not just going to take a whole bunch of new artists. So we had to shift the focus actually of the whole company because of Latifah's success in film. And then it just shifted and we started Flavor Unit Television in film and the first thing that we did was produce the Vibe Awards. That was one of the first things. We partnered with Vibe Magazine and CBS with Jack Sussman at the time and I was the supervising producer for that. So that's how I started doing TV.

Sanya: 39:50

And then, because of the success of that, I really started meeting a lot of directors and I fell in love with this one director, jerry Lamoff, who had a project that was a passion project called Blackout. At the same time, shaquem was getting ready to start producing a comedy called the Cookout. So I met with him and I told him that I wanted to produce Blackout underneath Flavor Unit Television and Film, and I also wanted to sign Jerry to Flavor Unit Management. So he said that he wasn't interested in doing dramas. So I restructured my deal and I was able to give Flavor Unit a first ride of refusal so I could still work there. And then I also was able to manage Jerry. That's when I started Unlimited Contacts and I was also able to go raise $1.2 million to produce Blackout, which starred Jeffrey Wright, zoe Saldana, melvin Van Peeples. It was an amazing all-star ensemble and it was just a great first entree into the world of independent producing.

Dedra: 40:48

The audacity of you to be so bold, to be so no, seriously to be so bold and to be so fearless in a space that wasn't really created for Black women. Was it hard being in spaces that were initially built for White men? Was it ever a time where there was an uncomfortable situation where you had to really show your presence as a Black woman?

Sanya: 41:14

So I think it's not even just White men, because you know the most segregated corporations are music companies. There's a completely separate Black music division than there is the regular pop division. The pop division gets all of the money. So that's a whole other battle that you don't even get to until you reach a certain level. So in my instance it was more of the Black men and men in general that were the ones getting the promotions and, you know, moving far ahead than most of the women in the industry.

Sanya: 41:46

But I think I was really fortunate because I had some great mentors that were very powerful and whenever I sought a position I was able to get that position.

Sanya: 41:56

So I think I moved up and I was able to be in those rooms because I was really like one of the fellas. Any of the guys in the industry you talked to they know I was hanging in the outspots. I could drink them under the table, all of that stuff, and still get up and get my records played in the morning, wow. So we had to go as a promotion person. You had to be up for the morning show and you had to be up till Vaughn Harper, the quiet storm, then take him up to Harlem after I was spotted. Hang out up there, right, so it's not time to get in the shower, throw your clothes on and start it all over again. So you know, as long as you were able to do your job and you had great relationships, I think that that, coupled with having great mentors that had positions of power, is what kept me out of feeling that I was ever being passed over, because it actually worked in my favor.

Dedra: 42:47

Got it. Got to stay connected to the right people.

Sanya: 42:50

You have to have allies. You have to have allies, you have to have mentees and you have to have somebody that you look up to. That you can still learn from.

Dedra: 42:58

So true, so true. So you know what I'm thinking of is your name was in rooms even when you weren't in those rooms. Once again, it speaks magnitude to your audacity. So print music, tv and film. What's the first love?

Sanya: 43:22

My first love. If I had millions of dollars of disposable income, I would make movies all day. Really I would. What type of movies would you make? Independent films, all independent films. I would find those directors that have those passionate stories that are untold. They are unsung heroes and that's why I go to all of the film festivals and that's really something that I enjoy, because you can tell your own story without a filter. Yeah, anytime you go to a movie company. So I wouldn't even want to be the president of a major studio. Too much pressure. You have to chop up people's stories. We've been there, done that.

Sanya: 43:58

When I was managing Jerry, we had a project that was called Kidnap that we started out with Lionsgate. Luckily, we were able to get multiple checks because they loved the script. We thought they were going to shoot it, but then they did a deal, I think, with LL, and they started producing all of those projects. Then, after LL, was Tyler Perry, so then it was a wrap, because now they had all of their content that they needed. But in the meantime we had gone through four rewrites with different writers.

Sanya: 44:24

Jerry was no longer the writer, but that's why I also mentor and speak to a lot of young filmmakers and tell them that they need to keep their name attached to their project in every area possible. You need to be the writer, you need to be trying to be the producer. Tell them you want to direct, you make as many connections and as many tentacles as possible, because if you do go into a major company they're going to start cutting away at those tentacles and you want to be attached to something. So even if they bring in another writer, it's going to have to say original story by blah blah, blah and your name is going to be on there and you are going to be associated forever with your project, as long as you make sure that you stay into time and you come up with the creative ideas.

Dedra: 45:05

That's another gem. So if you had that disposable income where you could create films let's assume right tomorrow you are about to create some content for the big screen because you want to fill a void, what void in the film industry would you fill?

Sanya: 45:26

So I am a huge, huge horror fan. I also like tear jerkers, but not love stories, but tear jerkers that are really emotional. I love comedies. I actually love every type of film, so I think I would produce across the gamut. As long as it had a connection with the audience and if it connects with me, I would want to make it Got it.

Dedra: 45:49

So it was a no brainer that it's not even the culmination of who you are, but where you are currently in this space. You know your own company, unlimited Contacts, the years of building your social capital, allotting yourself with like-minded individuals. Now you have the contacts. Talk about Unlimited Contacts and what it does.

Sanya: 46:13

So Unlimited Contacts is actually I've had my company, so it was originally. It is my dad's company name, right? So I started publishing. He was under Unlimited Contacts. But then, when I was going to start managing Jerry and producing films on my own, I was trying to think of a company name and all I kept thinking about is Unlimited Contacts, because that's really who I am and what I have and it's an extension of being Bob Tate's baby girl. So I was like dad. I called my lawyer up and he told me that I can register Unlimited Contacts in New Jersey. He didn't have it worldwide. So I was like, would you mind if I use the company name too, if I could get my own federal ID number? And he was like no problem. So that's what we did. So we actually still partner on a lot of events. So we both are Unlimited Contacts but we have different federal ID numbers.

Sanya: 47:03

So underneath that banner I produce TV, film and events. So I started doing events and this goes back to another type of networking. I'm a member of Jack and Jill of America and I'm also a member of the Lynx Incorporated. So one of my Jack and Jill sisters and one of my Lynx sisters became my number one clients when I was doing consulting and that was producing their events, and from that I now actually am the executive producer and director of special events for Black Health Matters, producing some of the largest health summits across the country and virtually. So all of that came from connections and it's all still underneath my wheelhouse and we involve celebrities, we have many concerts, I mean, and I'm able to utilize all of my contacts, so I love it.

Dedra: 47:51

Wow, wow. I am in awe of everything, because I love to see us in positions of influence, of change, of creativity, of audacity, and you've managed to tap into all of those important pillars and people. Looking at you, I'm hoping that they walk away with some huge takeaways, because everything that you said was so inspirational and so aspiring for anyone, even myself. Black Health Matters and you mentioned that briefly is one of the events that you produce, and Black Health Matters is very, very important and dear for me. Talk about that specific event and the purpose of it.

Sanya: 48:38

So Black Health Matters is actually the largest communications company for Black Health and Information. They started out with the website. Their website has, I think, 200,000 pages of content on every type of disease state. And when I came on board Rosalind, who is one of my link sisters, rosalind Young-Dandel she founded Black Health Matters in 2012, which is one year before Black Lives Matters. So people that think that Black Health Matters was modeled after that that is not the case. She had already. Her company was in existence for a year.

Sanya: 49:11

She started it as a result of the Affordable Care Act and was so excited that Black people were going to be able to have an opportunity to get medical insurance and coverage. But they didn't really know how to navigate the system. So that's when she started BlackHealthMatterscom and from that grew the events. So she brought me into producing an event right before quarantine. It was going to be a huge health summit and expo at the Riverside Church in Harlem and that's when COVID hit. So we quickly did a quick pivot and we learned about a company called VFairs. I studied and trained with VFairs for three months to learn how to produce these huge virtual events. I'm actually going to be a guest speaker for an event as a success story of Black Health Matters relationship with their virtual platform. But the team's based in Dubai and so the time difference didn't even matter. I would wake up at 4 o'clock in the morning and I would learn.

Sanya: 50:04

I learned how to build the whole back end of the system, how to do the front, and then we started bringing in community partners. I started out doing everything by myself. I now have a team of six people that work on my events team, and BlackHealth Matters has now grown from four people to over 30 people in five different states, and we produced events all over the country. We even did a global summit that was in London, which was virtual, and now we're just branching out and we're now doing.

Sanya: 50:34

I'm leaving on Wednesday to go to the National Panhellenic Conference to produce two events for them. Those are called Super Weekends. That's when we partner with one pharma company and we focus on one disease state. This one's going to be heart health. So we have a dinner that we curate with all of the health leaders and the heads of the fraternities and sororities. We bring in all of the top doctors from that area and hospital systems and then we do dinner with a conversation about heart health in our communities, and then we follow it up with a huge summit the next day.

Dedra: 51:05

I love it. You know, as you were talking, I'm just like you are always in service of others, helping them soar. Who helps you soar?

Sanya: 51:15

My family, my family, and then I have a lot of very, very, very, very, very spiritual. So I wake up, I have my prayer, both they go with me everywhere. I wake up praying that my eyes are open and I give thanks and I think that because I'm thankful and grateful and humble, I really just want to be able to love my family, make sure we all are good, pray for everybody's health, and then they support me with everything that I need From day one being in this business. I was not married until I was like 35 years old because I was an absolute worker holler. But when I did have my son, I was like 37. And I was at the peak of my career and traveling. So my mom came and moved in so she could take care of my son while I traveled.

Sanya: 52:01

I have always had the best support system and they always just lift me up and make sure that I stay grounded and that I'm the same Diedra from the Bronx when I grew up, when I was little, before we moved to Manhattan. Oh, you're from the Bronx, I absolutely am from the Bronx of 875 Morrison Avenue in Soundview. That's where we grew up until I was going into the seventh grade and then it was like somebody put the hood over our head and knocked us out and moved us to 79th Street, between Columbus and Amsterdam, in a doorman building. Oh, you thought what has happened. We couldn't believe it. There was no more black people.

Dedra: 52:41

Yeah, you went from black to black.

Sanya: 52:43

Oh my gosh, we had doorman. We were like what in the world happened, and my parents did it while we were away at summer camp. When we came home, we no longer lived in the Bronx Wow. But I have always maintained and connected with my people in the Bronx. I still have my best friends from kindergarten, first grade, second grade, fifth grade. We are all still thick as these, and I'm also on the advisory board for the Universal Hip Hop Museum that's coming up in the Bronx in 2024.

Dedra: 53:12

Yes, I did want to mention that and I'm so glad that you reminded me, because we are definitely celebrating and just overwhelmed in a good way with the 50th anniversary of hip hop. So the museum in the South Bronx you said is scheduled to open in 2024?.

Sanya: 53:27

Yes, it was slowed down a little bit because of COVID, so originally we were supposed to be opening in 2022. Then, when we saw that everything was shut down and it was hard to get parts and build it out, that's when we came up with the idea for the pop-up. So that was just closed recently. So the original concept for the pop-up was going to be a two-year plan and every six months we were changed to the next decade of hip hop with what was featured inside the museum. So it's now called the Hip Hop Museum. It's been rebranded from the Universal Hip Hop Museum and so that is thhmorg. You can go there and see amazing things. We actually have an activation going on right now that's traveling around the country where people can see what they're going to be in store for when they come to the museum.

Dedra: 54:13

So when the museum opens, where will it be located in the Bronx?

Sanya: 54:16

It's right at Bronx Point, across from the Bronx Point market, yeah, yeah, yeah, which is further down from Yankee Stadium and it's the anchor of a new housing development that is a combination of luxury and low-income housing.

Dedra: 54:32

That area is changing honey.

Sanya: 54:34

Yeah, and they just did the ribbon cutting last week. Nice For the departments, and that's Rocky Buchano. He's our executive director and chief leader. He has led this vision for many, many years and it's just an honor to be on the team that's helping bring it to fruition.

Dedra: 54:53

Nice, nice, nice. Well, just so you know my work with schools, I'm primarily based out of the Bronx, even though I don't live in the Bronx. But just looking at reading scores, math scores and where they land, I said they need additional support and additional help and resources. So I'm here in service as well in the Bronx, yeah, so which school are you at? On the campus of John F Kennedy.

Sanya: 55:17

Oh, ok, that's one of a couple of my friends went to John F Kennedy. Really, I'm actually part of a book called Women Behind the Mic. We have an entire program that is tailored for schools. We've been to several other high schools in the Manhattan area and we actually come in with a program to teach them about different opportunities in the music industry. They can set up internships, mentorship, everything. So you should definitely contact me about that.

Dedra: 55:43

Yes, I definitely will Like.

Sanya: 55:45

I'm having an information session tomorrow when we bring some of the featured artists, so the book features 22 unsung sheroes of the music industry that help develop and make a lot of the household names. People know stars but you wouldn't know their names. So that's why LeJoyce Bookshire and Michelle Joyce came up with this concept for this book. They featured 22 women. They're getting ready to have another installment of it, but we do traveling tours and we bring everything right to you.

Dedra: 56:15

I'm definitely going to reach out to you after this to see how we can introduce you to our school, because what I'm now challenging one particular school is to really address the deficit and boys of color applying for enrichment opportunities. That is a conversation that hasn't been addressed. I'm going to address it because I'm the known disruptor.

Sanya: 56:38

Yeah, I think you have to be, or everybody needs that little bit of disruptor. Stuff's just not going to get done.

Dedra: 56:45

It just won't get done. This has been an amazing night. Prior to having a conversation with you right now, I ended a conversation with the legendary Melba Moore.

Sanya: 56:57

Oh yeah, Didn't she just get a star?

Dedra: 57:00

Yes, she did For the one on the same yeah. She did and she attributed to Kat Williams. So I love to speak to legends such as Melba Moore, such as yourself, unsung heroes that the world just needs to really, really know about, people behind the mic, behind the stage, such as yourself, who really pushed artists to the forefront, but you're the reason for their success.

Sanya: 57:24

But with Melba Moore. She actually was in front of the mic, but she still was. She still was the person that found and discovered all of those artists that were on her. I'm really good friends with Melissa Morgan and several other artists and producers that worked for their label and I know what a force she was in bringing all of that to fruition.

Dedra: 57:41

Yes, and just hearing her story about how she lost everything and came back, so I'm full. I'm full. Her conversation, your conversation. I can't wait until I launch both of your conversations because everyone needs to hear from the both of you what's up next for you, deidre?

Sanya: 58:00

So right now I am getting ready for Usher. I'm going to finally take a little vacation and go to Vegas and catch one of his last shows. Right now I'm talking about the Piki Palmer. Oh, no, no, no, no. I am just so looking forward to having some downtime because I just realized that I still have like six vacation days with Black Health Matters that I need to take by the end of the year. So I was like, oh, and I was like I'm going to go see Usher, so I just took that whole trip. I'm looking forward to the downtime so that I could re-energize, because the National Panelinic Conference is the last big event that I'm producing this year for Black Health Matters and at the top of the year we'll be starting back up again.

Dedra: 58:41

Love it, love it. So all of the work that you've done. What legacy do you want to leave the world with?

Sanya: 58:50

So I think I want to leave a legacy that the way you show up and the way that you treat people is the way that you'll end up being or having the legacy that you want, which is to have been a view with respect, known for helping people, known for giving people opportunities, known for not just giving them the opportunity but nurturing them through the process and always being there for them, having long-lasting relationships and connections, because that's really important, because a lot of people can make a connection and then burn a bridge in the same day.

Sanya: 59:26

So I think that the fact that I have my best friends since I was a little girl but I also am still friends with every single artist that I have ever worked with I can get them on the phone, I go see them Still even another band creation who were little boys I go see them and hang out with them. We're drinking shots now when I go out and play. They grow them and I still see them as little boys, but they grow them with kids and families. But that's the type of person that I pride myself in being, and I also have helped a lot of people, hired a lot of people and meant a lot of people. So that's really what's most important, all while maintaining a strong family bond.

Dedra: 1:00:03

I love it Absolutely. Love, love, love, love, love. I'm full Show over damn it, love it. Ha ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha ha. Deidra, I'm telling you I'm going to be in touch so we can talk about your program.

Sanya: 1:00:17

Definitely definitely do that, because we have a whole curriculum.

Dedra: 1:00:21

Good.

Sanya: 1:00:22

Yeah, good, good, good. I'll continue with LeJoyce and Michelle and you will be in capable hands and they will hook it up. We could be in the Bronx in no time.

Dedra: 1:00:30

You got it. It's already a done deal, deidra. You keep being the person that you are the audacity, the boldness, the courageousness, the fearlessness and the beauty. Thank you so much for blessing this space and continue blessings to you, my sister, because you are absolutely amazing.

Sanya: 1:00:53

Thank you, sonia. It's been wonderful and I want to shout out my girl, cordelia, for hooking the door. Yeah, Cordelia always makes big happen, oh okay, I'm like where are we making big happen today? She's actually about to get a big award. I'll be there to support her for that as well. I'm not surprised. And she has a movie that just got accepted into a film festival, into the Manhattan Film Festival her first documentary. So I'm so proud of her.

Dedra: 1:01:16

About the LGBTQ community is it?

Sanya: 1:01:18

It's actually about her family dealing with COVID. Oh yes, she has the trailer up now. It's really something I didn't see that.

Dedra: 1:01:28

I'm going to take a look at it, and I also wanted to talk to you offline too, just about the Black Health Matters, because I'm headed to Supreme Court before 2024, suing two major hospitals here in New York City for the negligent treatment of my mom, and that's how she and that's how she died, so I'm on my way to Supreme Court. The case was Wow.

Sanya: 1:01:53

So I wish you luck and sorry to hear that.

Dedra: 1:01:55

Thank you so much. I'm a disruptor and I loved when you spoke about Black Health Matters, because we matter.

Sanya: 1:02:02

Yep, we have to do.

Dedra: 1:02:04

And we step into these hospitals, when we step into these doctor's offices, they need to understand that we are human too.

Sanya: 1:02:12

Yeah, so Black Health Equity is something that is super important, and also being knowledgeable about all of the things that can affect African Americans that we don't even know about. So go to blackhealthmatterscom, click on there and look up rare diseases, lupus, everything that affects us, some stuff I had never even heard of. Yeah, like multiple myeloma. I had never heard of multiple myeloma. Now I'm completely familiar with it. Hattr, amyloid doses these are things that affect African Americans at an alarming rate and there are ways to treat them and people that are not looking like us. When you go in their offices, they don't even know to look for that. So if you have a doctor that's telling you they can't tell you what's the matter, you need to be able to look up some of those symptoms. Go to Black Health Matters, make yourself knowledgeable and attend our summits. Watch the videos. Everything is out there online for free.

Dedra: 1:03:02

There we go More information, additional resources, tap into it, people. This has been a conversation worth sharing with everyone. Deidra, once again, thank you so much and continue blessings. Thank you, have a good one. Okay, bye-bye. Omg, when I told you all that this was going to be a powerful conversation, did I lie? But did I lie to you? Did I lie Once again? The evolution of an unsung hero, deidra Tate. We mentioned, or we ran through a condensed timeline of her history.

Dedra: 1:03:39

Who, in the Bejezies, is a high school student writing for the Amsterdam News? If you don't know about the Amsterdam News, it was based out of Harlem in New York City, right off of 125th Street in Amsterdam. You better research it because that was hard. I remember when I wrote my first book and I would go to the Amsterdam News just looking for write-up, some sort of coverage. It was very, very, very, very difficult so to know that she was still in high school, and it was all because of her social capital, her social network and nepotism.

Dedra: 1:04:20

Her father was in the industry, knew certain individuals, put her in the right rooms, she got into the rooms and she didn't rely upon her father. She was innovative. She had the audacity to be bold, to not stick to the paper that said here are your roles and responsibilities. She said I am a black girl, one of few, how can I stand out? And she did things the unconventional way. I think that, when it comes to the black experience, we always have to be unconventional. We cannot subscribe to the strategies, the steps, the blueprint that is outlined and given to us because it ain't for us. So have the audacity to be fearless, to be bold.

Dedra: 1:05:13

Every single conversation, every single celebrity guest that I bring to you on Saanje on Air has a high level of audacity, a high level of boldness, an elimination of fear. So please tap into that, because you are worthy. And that's what I have to say. I'm full, I'm done, I'm going home. Okay, this has been another amazing edition of Saanje on Air. Make sure that you subscribe, make sure that you hit the notification button if you are watching this on YouTube, and I'll see you again for more Saanje on Air celebrity interviews unpacking their pivotal moments and milestones. Take care Smoochies, dolls, background music, playing, 흐흐.