You might not be familiar with the name Shelia Eldridge, but you should be.
With more than 25 years of experience in broadcasting, integrated marketing, event activation, corporate communications and public relations, as well as clientele that has included the likes of Janet Jackson, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, En Vogue, the O’Jays and others, I think it’s safe to say that Eldridge has been pretty damn successful throughout her award-winning career. And looking to build off of that success and expand her growing multimedia empire, Eldridge is entering the podcast space with the launch of her own network: the Mocha Podcasts Network (MPN).
As one of the first Black women to create a podcast network that specifically prioritizes the needs and interests of Black and Brown women, the Mocha Podcast Network will include nearly two dozen (!!!!) podcasts hosted by familiar names such as Sherri Shepherd and Kym Whitley’s Two Funny Mamas, legendary R&B group En Vogue’s Funky Divas, and other shows hosted by veteran broadcast journalists Rolanda Watts and Jacque Reid.
“We’re very excited about working with Sheila. She’s an astute media executive with an outstanding reputation for building and maintaining relationships and empowering women,” Shepherd said in a statement to The Root. “I completely respect the new podcast networks that are coming out, but I love working with Black women. There’s strength when we unite.”
“Today, everyone has a podcast, but the Mocha Podcasts Network provides listeners and advertisers with quality over quantity,” Eldridge said in a statement to The Root. “As a Black-owned network that proudly celebrates the Black experience, we’re committed to creating content from an authentic perspective.”
Other shows on the network include Café Mocha Radio, hosted by The Real’s Emmy Award-winning co-host Loni Love, hip-hop legend YoYo, and broadcast veteran Angelique Perrin and B Lifted Up!, a faith-based lifestyle program hosted by Alfred Edmond, Jr. and Dee C. Marshall that will “inspire listeners to tap into their spiritual gifts and build generational wealth,” according to a press release provided to The Root.
To learn more about what the Mocha Podcasts Network is cooking up, hit up their website and follow @mochapodcastsnetwork on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.