Finding work in the media industry can be tough for some, as it is a “prove-it” based career path that doesn’t allow mistakes. For most, chances are slim. Depending on the market, you’re going against big-time voices and creatives and have to find your niche and listeners fast or risk never being heard from. Vanessa James traversed this space and made a name for herself during a time when radio and media were skeptical of women on-air talent.
Vanessa James’s or “VJ” story starts in Trinidad, with her and her family moving to the U.S. Virgin Islands, where she started school, then to St. Croix, before finally landing in South Florida, living with her aunt and sharing a house with seven people.
“I got exposed to American culture like full force, and that’s where my love for football kind of started with my cousins, because they were like, ‘We don’t care that you’re the only girl in this house. You’re watching Monday Night Football, you’re watching football with us.’ James said, about her first introduction to American culture.” “I got to learn all about football, PlayStation, Nintendo, what a double cheeseburger was, and more. I learned how to navigate and assimilate into this new world of America.”
Influenced by masculine energy growing up, it led James to take on the challenge of entering corporate radio, a male-dominated industry at that time. “I actually went to school for sideline sports broadcasting, but was told I was too short for it and pivoted to radio and fell in love with it,” James said about the early parts of her career.
She was one of five women working for Clear Channel (now known as iHeartRadio) in the late 2000s and learned the benefits of looking at work from a male perspective. “Men look at work with a black and white view, and once I understood that, not only did it help me build business relationships, but it made breaking things down easier, understanding how to accomplish my goal faster and dampen my overthinking that makes me doubt myself sometimes.”
James has gone on to have an excellent career in media, working on the 2024 Billboard Music Awards, “The Tamron Hall Show,” ESPN, and most recently the CW Network as the promo voice of their WNBA showcase — breaking glass ceilings as a female voice over actor in male-dominated lanes. Her work spans brands like Netflix, Fox, LMN, Pluto TV, and nationally recognized radio stations, including New York’s 103.5 KTU, Atlanta’s Kiss 104.1, and Miami’s Hot 105.1. She is also an event planner, creating and hosting her annual Food, Wine & Fete (FWF): A festival celebrating Caribbean culture through food, music, and art, to showcase the Caribbean diaspora’s rich heritage in Miami.
“I have had some highs and lows in my career, and I want to advise everybody, especially women, to embrace your season of change and allow it to expand your horizons and thought process because my career has fluctuated, and if I weren’t flexible, I wouldn’t have the experiences I have now,” James said. “We women have to stick together and support one another during these times, so always look out for one another and love each other.”
To learn more and work with Vanessa, visit her site at Vanessajamesmedia.com.
