Amani Channel: Imagine Your Future

 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.