Amani Channel: Imagine Your Future
By Ben Gross
Whether you spend your days proposing bills on the floor of
the senate or mowing the grass outside of the Capitol, if you give your job
your all and do your best, you will find personal and career satisfaction. So said media producer
Amani Channel at
his recent talk with a group of students at Grady High. It really doesn’t matter what you do,
Amani said, so long as you invest yourself in your work and take pride in your
profession. A journalist, avid
blogger (see his blog,
myurbanreport.com), and producer, Amani set a goal of
breaking into the television industry as a college student, after taking – and
loving – a broadcasting course.
Amani’s goal brought him from California to the east coast, where he
began his career as a TV reporter in Washington, DC. After some time in Florida, where he continued working and
also earned a Master’s degree, Amani came to Atlanta, where he now works as a
producer for
KEF Media and also runs several small businesses of his own.
Amani talked to the students about three keys to his
success, which allowed him to realize his own goal of a media career.
The first key: Have a Mentor. Amani found a mentor at his first job
in DC, who guided him and counseled him, and who has continued to provide him
with insight and advice.
Second:
Do Whatever it Takes. Amani told
the students that he would not be where he is today had he not always focused
on putting himself entirely behind his work, and showing coworkers and
employers that he is ready, willing, and able to accomplish any task put before
him. No job is too small or too
big, no time commitments too demanding, and no project too difficult if you’re
passionate about it and desire success, Amani said.
And third: Be the Best. Amani shared the following advice his father once gave him:
“If you’re not learning something new everyday, you’re doing something
wrong!” By doing his best work and
always focusing on ways to improve and learn, Amani told the students, he has
been able to always be the best person he can be. With this attitude, he has been able to set his own goals
and reach them with confidence, knowing that good work and a positive attitude
are rewarded with personal fulfillment and positive career results.
Amani concluded by telling the students
that if they are confident in themselves and remain passionate about all that
they do, they will find that they, too, can “go against the grain,” stand out
from the ordinary, and accomplish anything that they put their minds to.
