Chipedia On Wgn Plus

She’s Single, Black and a Female. Veteran comedian,  Marina Franklin is returning home with her first live taping of a one-hour comedy special.  “This is huge” Franklins states because she’s breaking barriers for black women.  Not only for having the opportunity to do a one-hour show but also being able to explore the life of a single black female that’s not always represented by a single black female. Marina has made appearances on Conan O’Brien and The Dave Chappelle Show.  She’s performed at numerous comedy venues […]

Having grown up on the Westside of Chicago,  Kareem Wells will attest that life for a young black male, raised in a single-parent household isn’t that easy.  In fact, growing up he considered the way he was living to be the norm.  He was a high school dropout,  he sold drugs and also became a teen dad.  These seemed like key ingredients for his life to spiral downhill but he was able to change his pursuit. Kareem sat down with Marsha Lyles to share […]

The passing of Labor Day brings The Richton Park Fall Festival , September 8, 2018. While we’re not quite ready to say goodbye to summer, the 2nd annual festival has a lot in store for the family.  Arts and crafts by Home Depot, magic shows, zumba, plenty of food vendors and live entertainment. This year, Richton Park native and singer T.L. Williams will be one of the festivals headliners.  Williams is thrilled to be able to entertain his hometown with his hit songs such as […]

Chicago native,  Comedian Corey Holcomb hits the stage this weekend at the Chicago Improv.  The comedic veteran quickly sold out 2 shows leaving fans in a frenzy to cop a seat. Corey proves that his stand-up is an experience you don’t want to miss as he sits down with Marsha Lyles and educates us on the harsh reality of “sidepieces”. If you’re ever looking for more conversations about relationships you can check out his show The Corey Holcomb Show 5150.   http://serve.castfire.com/audio/3539757/3539757_2018-08-25-120157.128.mp3 […]

During his visit to Chicago, Actor Leon (Five Heartbeats) stopped by WGN Plus Studios to drop some jewels with Marsha Lyles. As he was preparing to speak at an entertainment workshop panel he gave advice to local aspiring actors and producers seeking their way into the industry. With acting being one of many of his gifts, he’s also a talented singer.   Leon introduces us to his new single off of his 2nd album,  “Sometimes I wish I was Single”.  He gives insight on the meaning of […]

Kristyn Ivey of For the Love of Tidy is Chicago’s first certified KonMari Tidying Consultant.  KonMari is a name derived from Marie Kondo, an organizing expert and best selling author of “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up”. Ivey will be touring Chicago to share home organization tips that teaches you about decluttering and letting go of things while also focusing on keeping things that simply “spark joy”.  She will be conducting a workshop with live demos and giveaways that will prepare you to get tidy. […]

October 19, 2004, Andre Johnson became a victim of a carjacking which left him paralyzed.   It was this life changing experience that has brought him to becoming the CEO of LiveEquiped and current ADA25 Advancing Leadership Institute Fellow. ADA 25’s mission is to build a pipeline and network of leaders with disabilities who are deeply engaged in the civic life of the Chicago region and advancing in their careers — consistent with the spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Johnson sat down with Marsha […]

The Centers for New Horizons (Centers) is a nonprofit organization that assists children, youth, and families with becoming self-reliant.  Centers provides programs in seven locations throughout the Bronzeville and Riverdale communities of Chicago’s Southside. This summer Marquita Baltimore (Centers) oversaw that 500 youths were placed with jobs.  300 employers partnered to help with getting these kids work. Christa Hamilton the Executive Director and CEO of Centers for New horizons states, “these are the type of opportunities that keeps the children involved and […]

Bantu Festival founder Silvain Songo moved from Cameroon and had only been living in America for 2 years until he decided to become an entrepreneur. He feels there is a disconnect between different cultures and his goal is to unite.  One way of doing so is having an Annual Bantu Fest.  Bantu means ‘the people’ and it’s one of the biggest tribes in Africa.  This is the 4th year for the festival which grows every year.  20,000 people attended in 2017 an 50,000 is expected in […]

Imagine being a business owner or entertainer seeking help with promoting your brand.  Someone may suggest hiring a PR person but you may not necessarily understand the process.  You may not necessarily need to start off with public relations service and you may not have the budget to do so. With 13 years of professional PR experience under her belt, Vanessa Abron developed a cost-effective program for small-business owners and creatives.  Her goal is to help them meet their PR […]

30 Chicagoland ladies are preparing to put their refrigerator race cars to the test for Icebox Derby 2018. For the past 4 years ComEd has taken the initiative of educating and exposing girls between the ages of 13-18 to STEM careers. ComEd Communications Manager, John Schoen explains, “women are highly under-represented in STEM jobs”.  ComEd’s goal is to not only create something fun with a hands on STEM experience but to also help guide them down a possible STEM path. Applications are submitted every May. This year […]

The Silver Room Block Party draws over 30,000 people each year. This year the one day community festival takes place July 21st and will feature food vendors, community driven events, and music. Twoguard  Media Group is now in its third year of partnership with the Silver Room featuring a stage of talent under the “Twoguard Presents:” banner.  CEO and Founder, Kevin Ross will present the “Chi Girls Rock” platform for the second year. The platform will highlight and showcase outstanding female talent. The four artists chosen for this […]

In Episode 24 of the ChiPedia Podcast, Marsha Marsha and Keena Renee talks to Designer Brandon Breaux about his community efforts with his organization FieldTrip, how he got into hip hop and art and how break dancing led to him designing album covers for Chance the Rapper. Music Producer, Cam Julkes stops by to drop off new tracks for the show and get caught up in the girls cross talk about Chance the Rapper’s proposal and more. Support Brandon Breaux’s FieldTrip here: […]

In Episode 23, Marsha Lyles and Keena Renee discuss things-to-do in Chicago around the 4th of July. Riele Downs of Nickelodeons TV show “Henry Danger” gives us tips on natural hair care. Lastly, Comedian, Mo’nique clears some things up about her Netflix deal.Follow the Chipedia podcast on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram and get connected! @chipediapodcast http://serve.castfire.com/audio/3523254/3523254_2018-07-06-112354.64kmono.mp3  

In episode 22 of the Chipedia Podcast, Marsha and her new co-host Keena Renee discuss the tragic shooting in Annapolis, MD, the reboot craze in television, film and music, and the death of Jackson family patriarch, Joe Jackson. During their recent visits to Chicago, R&B Singer Case and Chicago native and Actor Kel Mitchell chat with Marsha about their thoughts on their work being remade for a new generation and also give us a little insight to their upcoming projects. […]

Marsha Lyles traveled to Miami Beach to cover the ABFF 2018.  For 5 days she experienced red carpet premieres, master classes, celebrity conversations, networking and exclusive parties. In this episode you will hear interviews from some rising stars and stars we grew up watching. Simone Missick who plays ‘Misty Knight’ in “Luke Cage” on Netflix talks about Marvel surprising her with her super hero role. Britney Young and Sydelle Noel are strong leads that star in the Netflix show, “GLOW.” […]

Since 2016 The Chicago Fund for Safe and Peaceful Communities has worked continuously in effort to help reduce gun violence in Chicago.  It consists of over 30 Chicago funders that has come together to support and fund promising and proven practices used against gun violence. This year 132 out of 300 applicants was awarded totaling $850,000.  Each community will have funded activities all summer through fall for all age groups. Two of the funders program officers, Tawa Mitchell (John D. […]

As we close out Foster Care Awareness Month.  Visual artist and filmmaker Ginnie McKnight discusses her childhood being in the foster care system.   After being snatched away from her mother on her 7th birthday, Ginnie was forced to conquer life obstacles with little to no support.  Her resilience has brought her to being a well educated, accomplished artist and now you can add filmmaker to her dossier.   Ginnie talks about her invite from Canne Film Festival to submit her short […]

The month of May brings plenty of things to do in the Windy City. PR, Vanessa Abron of Agency Abron  is putting on a panel discussion to talk about The State of the Music Business in Chicago.  The panel will feature Chicago-area  music business influencers that can help give insight on the music industry today. Guest host Keith ‘Smacks’ Dean and comedian Aries Spears talks about staying relevant in comedy and Aries upcoming show at Improv Chicago. Steve Pemberton and Mark Vadik […]

Former refugee, Ephraim Bugumba, who now goes by the name ‘Storyteller’  is obviously no stranger to trial and triumph.  He was just a toddler when his family had to flee his home in Zaire due to the Makobola Massacre that claimed the lives of a recorded 600 people. Traveling from camp to camp during most of his childhood, Storyteller never really knew comfort or stability.  With his family being in America for 6 years now, he is ready to show […]