As part of the Morning Lazziness series highlighting empowering women who are making a remarkable impact with their ideas, I had the pleasure of interviewing Tabnie Dozier.
Tabnie Dozier is a dedicated Emmy-Award-winning journalist and supporter of women’s and minority equality. Storytelling is Tabnie’s passion, and being a proponent for marginalized and silenced voices is what led her to pursue a successful and dynamic career as a Local News Anchor. The eloquent chronicler, who is a Lexington, KY native, has pivoted away from heavy headlines and has propelled her producing, hosting, copywriting, exquisite writing, and leadership skills into a more positive realm of education and advocacy. She has launched her own media company, Tabnie Dozier Enterprises LLC, offering Media & Public Speaking Training, Visual and Written Storytelling Production, Crisis Communication, Marketing Consulting, and more. She’s a graduate of Western Kentucky University, a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, and served as a Founding Board Member for Dress for Success Reno-Northern Nevada.
In this interview, she delves into the challenges, successes, and wisdom she has gained from over a decade of transforming online businesses.
What inspired you to start your own PR agency, and how did you get your first client?
I’m an accidental entrepreneur; this was never my dream. My background is a Local News Anchor. I’m an Emmy Award-winning Journalist. After a devastating loss of a loved one, Stavon Williams, in 2021, I received no bereavement or mental health support from the news agency I worked for. Even after enduring racial unrest, a global public health crisis and creating unique and historical content as the market’s only Black Main Anchor.
It was clear I was just a number and not a human, so I pivoted and knew that no one would ever tell me how to grieve or who I could grieve, ever again. I now utilize my journalistic expertise in a multitude of positive realms, it is the freest and most impactful I have ever felt. Visual and Written Storytelling, Press Release Distribution, Red Carpet Hosting, Media Consulting and Public Speaking Training are a few avenues of my media company. What I recognized was viewers tuned in daily, not for the heavy headlines but for me, they felt a connection. My angel, Stavon who passed away, he always used to encourage me to own something of my own. I wasn’t listening to him on Earth, but I heard him loud and clear once he transitioned to the Divine. He’s my guiding force and it’s clear God was molding me during my TV career to be bolder, bigger and storytell on my own terms.
What unique challenges have you faced as a woman entrepreneur in the PR world, and how did you overcome them?
As a Black-woman owned company, traditionally agencies like ours receive less than 3 percent of federal and private funding initiatives. The biggest challenge we’ve faced since launching is securing capital. I can’t say that we’ve overcome this hurdle just yet. This country has a habit of trying to silence and reduce the excellence of Black women. My faith is my foundation. Being fearless in the pursuit of a life that gives me autonomy of my time, storytelling with no limits or commercials and bringing joy to client’s faces when they view the finished product are why we’re entering our third year and have remained afloat the entire time. Tenacity, consistency, faith and being a company rooted in integrity are why our clients return and refer us!
How do you stay ahead of trends in an industry that’s constantly evolving with media and technology?
By doing what works for us and our clients. We can’t spend every moment jumping on the bandwagon of the latest app or trend. It’s incredibly overwhelming. That’s not to say we aren’t modern and don’t explore new outlets. But what works for one agency may not be the right fit for another. We assess and focus on our client’s needs first and pursue the best technology, work flow and results that match our style.
What’s your go-to strategy for building strong, lasting relationships with clients and the press?
I have the immense blessing of being a former News Anchor, and I’ve built connections all over the nation. The trust I’ve maintained amongst colleagues and also viewers around the U.S. means that people value and believe in me. That’s a privilege I know many PR professionals may not have. The pitch is key. Knowing the outlet, the community benefit, timeliness and respecting the craft of journalism are critical. Journalists are not commercial tellers, if you’re looking to promote your client and there’s no community benefit, then go to a sales department. If you’re a PR specialist that values meaningful storytelling, you’ll have much better success curating relationships in the earned media spaces with print, radio and news journalists.
Can you share a campaign or media moment you’re especially proud of—and why it stands out?
TDE has the immense honor of being the leading media agency for the inaugural Northern Nevada Black Business Month celebration in August 2023. This stands out to me because my agency was barely a year old, we curated press conferences, news releases, meaningful storytelling, and elevated awareness for Black owned businesses in our area. Northern Nevada holds less than a 5% Black population, the response from the community was spectacular. To lead a press conference where the news agency I used to work for, showed up and covered the event, was surreal. It gave me the boost to know that I wasn’t solely successful due to giant corporation call letters behind my name. My validity, expertise and media excellence can shine brighter under my own brand with less restrictions and more storytelling freedoms!
Which platforms or tactics have been most effective for growing your own brand visibility?
Instagram and Facebook are our strongest platforms of followers and engagements. Consistency is the tactic that works best. We always post 2-4 reels or pictures a week, while simultaneously reporting and engaging with our clients, sharing inspirational content in our stories. The reels could be company promos, client spotlights, or meaningful storytelling that we produce. The best posts for us are the ones that feature our team in action, working events, hosting, consulting and leading public speaking training sessions.
What role has mentorship played in your journey, and how do you pay it forward to others in the industry?
Mentorship means so much to me. It’s my mission to give love to my teenage and young adult selves. I wish I had a Tabnie when I was entering high school and navigating academics, sports and part-time work and volunteer opportunities. I wish I had a Tabnie in college to help me with money management, mental health, and exploring my career fields. It is my absolute pleasure to uplift the generations after me. During the spring semesters of 2024 and 2025, Tabnie Dozier Enterprises signed up as an employer partner for the University of Nevada Reno’s Pack Internship Grant Program. Both of our paid interns graduated in May 2025 from the university with degrees in Journalism.
We led them through 120 hours each of real world video editing, television and digital script writing, on camera mechanics and other foundational journalism skills that will serve them in their careers. These are meaningful methods to pay it forward to others who have desires to enter the industries of public relations, communications, journalism, and video production.
How do you handle high-pressure situations or crises, whether for a client or your own business?
Crisis communication is one of our avenues of service. We are calm, factual, and strategic when it comes to producing an official statement, emergency press release or consulting for behind-the-scenes issues. High-pressure situations are eaten for breakfast by my team because the majority of us are professional journalists, we’ve garnered decades of experience in breaking news, severe weather, high-profile court cases and deaths, political corruption and more. Our clients trust our professionalism and know that we will never steer them into the dark.
When it comes to my agency, I release the same calmness I’ve leaned on during my years as a TV News Anchor. I breathe, assess and consult my team instead of making rash decisions based on my emotions. I’m grateful for my media training that taught me to ‘never let ‘em see you sweat,’ it’s been a tremendous force in keeping my agency afloat.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to women entering the PR or communications industry today?
A dedicated piece of advice I’d share with women desiring to enter the PR or comms industry would be to not come into these spaces for glitz and glamour. Companies are trusting you with their image, reputation and inner workings. If this is a self -serving desire of yours to be on camera, receive tons of social media likes and follows, then the entertainment industry might be the way to go. This is a path for storytellers, changemakers and truth-tellers. Women who want to elevate voices that aren’t often heard, who want to amplify the excellence of a brand, product or mission. You may have to respond to a crisis outside of business hours, or work events on weekends, these are variables to consider before entering this field.
What are the 5 things you believe are essential to overcome self-doubt and build confidence in this field?
In order to overcome self-doubt and build confidence in this field, you must; have a strong knack for research and fact-checking. Public relations specialists don’t follow rumors, they focus on facts. If you don’t have the space to ask where a source came from or search it on your own, this will be a hard field to find success. Prepare and practice. Whether you’re a spokeswoman going on camera for a brand or prepping your client with talking points, practice, practice, practice! Practice your pitch, your answers, your client’s responses, and make sure the responses are concise and on point. Love yourself. If you’re a woman who deals with insecurities and is harshly critical, this field may eat you up. You must have thick skin. In the PR space, your writing is critiqued, video editing, strategizing, on camera appearance, knowledge, are all brought into the light for your clients and the public to criticize. Make sure you’re extra kind to yourself and arm yourself with affirmations and the security that you are capable and chosen for this moment!
A strong support system is also key. That could be former or current colleagues, mentors, following the accounts of people you look up to and those in your field, childhood and adulthood friendships, healthy eating, exercise, trust me! You need other non-judgemental and caring women in your corner, life is more enjoyable that way. Finally, find a positive outlet. Is it walking? Pilates? Painting? Volunteering? Journaling? Vlogging? Singing? Find something that makes you smile, those spaces help keep you lifted and can greatly contribute to an improved mental wellness state.
Ok, we are nearly done. You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I’d love to inspire a movement that creates a general fund for creatives, entrepreneurs and the like. Being brave enough to pursue your passions instead of working a bland 9-5 in the name of capitalism is so admirable. I left my childhood dream of being a TV anchor because it no longer served my mental health and was leading to a reduced quality of life. I wish I had a supportive service that offered to help pay for my agency’s business license, or cover a month’s worth of rent or groceries when I was struggling to secure deals. I know there are hundreds of grants out there, but very few are geared toward Black entrepreneurs and sometimes those application processes come with fees. I’d love to see an emergency fund for women creatives to let them know their ideas matter, they are important and that life is so much more than paying bills and clocking in.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
You can follow my media company on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.
