[INTERVIEW] Creator of The Grapevine Show, Ashley Akunna Shares Her Vision

Ashley Akunna Provides A Voice For Millenials with The Grapevine Show

If there’s one place to go to hear the opinions, ideas and debates of young fresh black millennials, The Grapevine (exclusively on YouTube) has you covered. It is a place where young black minds converge on topics that range from racism to relationships. Even celebrities (mostly notably Danielle Brooks and Luke James) have commented on The Grapevine’s dopeness. We got a chance to chat with the creator, host and producer of the hot series, Ms. Ashley Akunna, to discuss its influence and impact on the social conversation taking place.

Not only is Ashley dedicated to reflecting the human experience on screen by way of her film making, and through conversation as a producer, we also found out why she’s down to take a road trip with Mariah Carey anytime. Check out the full interview below…

Parlé Mag: You’ve managed to create a groundbreaking platform for young Black millennials to have open and honest dialogue concerning the issues we face today and have faced over the years. What was your goal with creating The Grapevine, and how has it evolved from its original conception?
Ashley Akunna: My goal was to bring the conversations my friends and I were having online to a visual platform. Everything I was seeing on major networks was from the perspective of middle aged people. I didn’t see the millenial voice represented, so I decided to create a show. The original concept was to have a diverse panel of millenials. However, I couldn’t find non black people to keep it real on screen.

Parlé Mag: The panelist are some of the most woke (and also most educated) brothers and sisters out there in media today. What is the process in selecting the panelist, and was there ever a time you thought a panelist was just a little too real, or not real enough?
Ashley Akunna: I go through a thorough Google Hangout interview with each candidate. I get suggestions on potential guests from people I know and trust. I read their work, watch their videos and try to get to know how they think as best as I can. Then I pray to God the chemistry is right.

Parlé Mag: Where did the show title “The Grapevine” come from? And are you worried about a lawsuit from Gladys Knight or the remaining Pips?
Ashley Akunna: Haha. It was definitely inspired by the classic Marvin Gaye song, “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.” It took us SO long to come up with a title for the show.

Parlé Mag: Now that your reach has expanded and you are able to reach more and more people everyday, what are you hoping viewers get from an episode of The Grapevine? Is there a focused objective you hope to achieve with each show?
Ashley Akunna: I want people to listen to each other and spark dialogue. I have grown and learned so much about myself and my own biases. I’ve watched old episodes and had to check myself. It’s a show that forces you to grow, even if you don’t want to.

Parlé Mag: True or False: Women are smarter than men.
Ashley Akunna: Absolutely, positively true.

Parlé Mag: With the new movie “Girls Trip” breaking records at the box office, we are getting a chance to really see how it goes down among girlfriends when no one is watching. If you could choose three other women throughout history to go on a hypothetical girls trip with for a weekend, (and let me remind you this is a fun “what happens on a girls trip, stays on a girls trip” kind of vibe) who would you choose and why?
Ashley Akunna: Great question! Aaliyah, because she seemed super sweet and responsible, but also looked like she knew how to have a good time and didn’t care what people thought of her. She was comfortable in her own skin and was ready to turn up. Mariah Carey because she’s a lush and extravagant, and a fellow Aries like myself. And Amelia Earhart because she would be down to fly anywhere. LIT.

Stay connected with Ashley Akunna and The Grapevine:
www.grapevineshow.com
YouTube
Grapevine on Facebook

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