Star Power
Started by two sisters, NYOTA Magazine is an online publication featuring emerging stars in the areas of music, fashion, & culture.
Editor-in-Chief (+ creator) Carol Wright explains that NYOTA's mission is to give young people opportunities. "Whether we're featuring a young musician or actress, or having someone on our team create the graphics or run social media, we always want to be opening doors for people & inspiring them to pursue their passions," she shares.
Wright says the inspiration for NYOTA was a two-parter: at the time, Instagram was growing & there were a lot of young photographers shooting with big brands & getting work.
Photography is Wright's main creative outlet & she truly loves it. Adding, "when I was 16, I was thinking about how I could break into the photography industry. At that time I didn’t have any professional work under my belt & I was frustrated because I didn’t think anyone would take me seriously if I didn’t have any professional experience."
That frustration got Wright thinking.
One day, while reading an issue of Teen Vogue & looking at an editorial, Wright had an idea. "At that moment I decided that I would create a magazine & have photoshoots that would be published. And from there be able to reach out & work with brands," she explains.
Once the decision was made to create the magazine, Wright asked her sister Niara to help create it. Niara is the Creative Director, & the two worked to come up with ideas for a magazine that would set them apart in some form.
Wright realized that magazines tend to feature the same people on the covers. "It made me wonder about the people who're starting their careers in the industry & don’t get the chance to be featured in magazines because they aren’t 'big' enough," she says. And so, the decision to have NYOTA feature emerging artists come to be.
Wright talks about how, in starting NYOTA, she learned that sometimes you have to create opportunities when they’re not right in front of you & you can’t do anything alone. "NYOTA is truly a team effort & it wouldn’t all work if each member of our team didn't put in the necessary work," she explains.
Wright says, along the same lines of not being able to do anything alone, you also have to be able to take constructive criticism & help from others. She explains how she's been lucky enough to have an amazing mentor: Jeff Vespa. "He's been there to guide me through this process & I always make sure to take his advice & keep an open mind if he thinks something can be changed."
Wright's magazine is here to feature emerging stars in music, fashion, & culture. "We decided to name the magazine NYOTA," she explains, "because it means star in Swahili."
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Learn more + read NYOTA Magazine by clicking here. Follow along on Instagram & Twitter: @NYOTAMagazine, plus Facebook.
Cover of Marsai Martin shot by Jeff Vespa.
*Nnyo-tah
