Tina Fears - Founder Stage Ready LLC
Tina Fears is the founder of Stage Ready LLC, an entertainment firm she started about 13 years ago. She started off with $100 and a dream to use her gifts and talents to impact the entertainment industry after leaving college due to a lack of funds and an unstable family life.
Tina’s company has gone on to produce live performances and events for BET, GMA DOVE AWARDS, MTV, and numerous beauty and lifestyle brands. Long before entrepreneurship became the trend it is today, Tina decided to bet on herself with her own company and the faith that she had something to offer.
For those of us who were a part of the Myspace and Craigslist era, this meant networking and marketing by giving away her services in order to build a name for herself.
Tina looked towards the people she admired in business and entertainment, and use those traits to guide her own goals and credibility. She wanted to have a list of clients that validated her ask when it came time to negotiate her rate. Tina made sure to not settle, and work with those that matched her own brand ethos.
Tina aspires to have the type of legacy Debbie Allen has. Her offerings as a business owner are unique because she is also a working performing artist. Tina believes this gives her a unique edge when it came to closing the deal. She harkens it to a strong desire to never lose, and to continue to practice until it is perfect. Looking back she sees now how her refusal to lose was a driving force in every decision she made as a business owner.
Tina recalls having 2 laptops on her desk at work; one for the company I worked for and one for her business because while she was working for someone else to survive, she never lost track of the big picture which was to realize her dream career. It’s an approach many self-made people can relate to.
Tina’s success now speaks for itself. And she truly is living up to her role model, Debbie Allen. Tina’s is currently returning to her role as Clara Ward on, Genius: Aretha, which is being produced by Fox and National Geographic. Production has been halted due to the pandemic, but the hope is that it will start up again in the coming months.
Tina has also had national commercials with Ford (Born to Roll) and Walmart (Holiday). She has also has theatre credits in the productions Simply Simone, In The Heights, Dreamgirls and MEMPHIS - The Musical, among others. Her interdisciplinary success personally translates into a company that is ideally suited to help others succeed.
Tina also wants her journey to be a training ground for other budding contract creatives. So within her company structure, she creates opportunities for others to gain experience and training while building their resume and client list. Tina takes pride in being able to pay them as well.
This is the intersection where being fearless and empowering others connect. Tina had to be fearless enough to step out on her own in order to build a space where she could empower others. Her journey has also included creating the Fearless Movement Global LLC which is the community service extension of the Tina Fears brand.
She has worked on several projects that specifically impact Black women and teens. This is everything from food delivery to hygiene items and clothing. Tina remembers needing a "fearless movement" type entity to offer her support while she was in college and barely able to keep up with classes and fees. The idea of empowerment for her is simply offering others the resources and advocacy she needed when she started out.
We are in an interesting time amidst both a pandemic and social unrest. Stories of empowerment and of overcoming obstacles are what people listen to at night before they go to bed or what they turn on when they get up in the morning. This is the soundtrack to life because everyone is in need of empowerment in order to overcome or push forward in some aspect of life. We are all in a major pivot which is forcing us to reevaluate business as usual and take a deeper look at why we do what we do and how we can do it better.
Tina has taken her inspiring story and turned it into a successful career. She is doing what she loves, on her terms, and is making it her mission to help others along the way. Everyone has their own path, but the blueprint for success is exactly what Tina is doing.
Thank you for sharing your story with us. And we highly encourage our readers to check out her social channels and website and to reach out to Tina if you have any questions about her services!
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