This week, we’re venturing west from Ghana along the coast to Sierra Leone by way of the US to settle here in Accra. My guest, Joannes “Joe” Hotagua is a Sierra Leonian-American, Strategic Advisor with 16 years of professional experience helping startups monetize their digital assets and Fortune 500 brands reach their target customers through digital media advertising. He’s a modern-day iteration of the Ad Man. Early in his career, Joe was responsible for using email marketing and affiliate advertising to drive product purchases and lead generation for direct-to-consumer companies. In 2012, he began his investment career by personally investing in PeepsOut, a minority-run Livestream mobile app, allowing users to see the crowd size at bars and restaurants in real time. At its peak, there were 90 restaurants and bars (in two cities) on the service, and $350K was raised in funding. His current business, based in Freetown, focuses on improving the lives of underrepresented and underserved populations and operates in four sectors: African Startup Advisory, African Film Production, E-commerce, and Real Estate. Joe’s e-commerce platform, Authentic African, is both an e-commerce store and social media broadcast. The e-commerce mission is to connect the diaspora with their African roots through African handmade products while helping local African entrepreneurs build their businesses internationally. The @Authentic_African social media broadcast delivers history, news, and culture to the African diaspora. This conversation was another great opportunity to reflect on the shared mission many of us African content creators have around manifesting a new Africa, a new world.

Where to find Joannes?
On LinkedIn
On Instagram
On Facebook
On Twitter
On YouTube
On TikTok

What’s Joannes reading?
Clash of Civilizations by Samuel P. Huntington
Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
The Silk Roads: New History of the World by Peter Frankopan
Silk Road by Eileen Ormsby
American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Nick Bilton

Other topics of interest:
Lungi, Sierra Leone
About Sierra Leone’s Mende and Mandingo people
Sierra Leonean Creole or Krio
On Ebonics
On Pidgin languages
About Roc-A-Fella Records
Kazaa, LimeWire and the evolution of MP3 streaming platforms
On Programmatic Advertising
Boomerang, the film
On Frederick W. Smith of Fed Ex

Special Guest: Joannes Hotagua.

My guest this week is a media professional and content creator that rounds out our first 100 episodes quite nicely. Ivy Prosper is Ghanaian born and while spending the majority of her life in Canada she is a passionate Pan-Africa and has developed a desire to help tell stories that can change the negative narrative of Africa often portrayed in the media. is very passionate about advocating for women and doesn’t hesitate to speak her mind when it comes to gender issues and educating people who don’t understand the disparity that still exists when it comes to gender equality. For over a decade she has been a public speaker addressing concerns related to the empowerment women.

Born in Ghana, she immigrated to Canada at an early age with her parents. A graduate of Ryerson University, her career in the public eye began as a teen when she was pursuing a career as a fashion model before venturing into the fashion industry first as a designer then in retail footwear until she became an assistant buyer for a women's retailer. She later made a career change after studying Radio & Television Broadcasting at Specs Howard School of Media Art in Detroit, Michigan. Since then she has worked as a Television Reporter, Host, Producer and script-writer on various projects.

Most notably she worked as a Consultant/Fixer on one episode of the Christiane Amanpour series, Sex & Love Around the World, which aired on CNN in 2018. She was nominated for Host of the Year in a Development Series by the RTP Awards in Ghana for her work on The Maternal Health Channel TV Series in 2013. Over the last year she has been a freelance Producer on documentary film projects with Refined Creative, a production company based in Ghana.

As a reporter she’s interviewed noteworthy people including Oscar-Winning Director, Barry Jenkins (Moonlight), Actor/Producer Idris Elba, Oscar-Nominated actor Jake Gyllenhall, Recording artist Akon, Comedian Leslie Jones, Actor David Oyelowo, Grammy-winning recording artist Melanie Fiona and many more.

There is so much more to Ivy, listen in and fully Prosper!

Where to find Ivy?
On LinkedIn
On Twitter
On Instagram
On YouTube
On Facebook
On Pintrest

What's Ivy reading?
Failing Forward: Turning Mistakes Into Stepping Stones for Success by John C. Maxwell

Other topics of interest:
Mel Robbins' The 5Second Rule
NAACP Niagara Movement
Year of Return and Beyond
Maternal Health Channel

Grand Health Bazaar
...and join me on November 23rd @ 2PM WAT as moderate the COVID-19 status and solution-scaping afternoon sessions.

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Special Guest: Ivy Prosper.