2 Publishers Receive VOTY Spotlight Award for Work in Media
Voices of the Year (VOTY) is a long-standing BlogHer initiative where we celebrate incredible publishers and creators who inspire us with their exceptional and outstanding work in publishing. Last year, we launched our first ever VOTY Digitial Issue and honored three female publishers in BlogHer Biz.
This year two publishers from the SHE Media Collective Levi Chambers, founder of Rainbow Media and Danica Janae, founder of By Nica Lina, were the VOTY honourees.
They both received their awards at BlogHer Health LA on May 20th where they gave inspiring and passionate speeches on how they’ve grown their businesses and how SHE Media has helped them succeed!
Meet the BlogHer Health 2022 VOTY Spotlight Honorees
Levi Chambers, Founder of Rainbow Media Co
Levi Chambers is the founder of Rainbow Media Co. which is home to gayety.co and notable social accounts @pride, @lgbt, and @lgbtq. He has a decade of experience in LGBTQ+ media which expands across digital, print, and streaming. He is also the founding editor of Pride.com and the host of the Pride Podcast, which regularly welcomes 20,000 listeners per month.
“Being the recipient of the VOTY award reaffirms the work Rainbow Media Co does by amplifying the stories of queer people. From the softest voices in the most marginalized corners of our community to the loudest and proudest LGBTQ people and our allies fighting for equality.The VOTY award affects our work by validating our continuous strive for the inclusion of all queer people. As a publisher, we have challenged a stringent set of queer archetypes within mainstream media and made room for a more nuanced, complex, and evolved understanding of sexuality and gender. Because of this award, now we know we can take up space and be embraced. “
– Levi Chambers, Founder of Rainbow Media Co
“Our time at BlogHer was ideal. We got the opportunity to talk to people we greatly admire and were thoroughly impressed by the kindness, thoroughness, and calm demeanor of the staff. Our biggest takeaway was that events don’t have to be chaotic. The vibe at BlogHer health was calm — relaxing even. It felt almost like a retreat, which is certainly a first for us. – Ray Monaghan, Creative Director, Rainbow Media Co.
Ray Monaghan the Creative Director, Rainbow Media Co accepting the VOTY Award on behalf of Levi Chambers at BlogHer Health LA | 2022
“If I had to pick three words to describe the BlogHer Health conference, I’d pick “smart, fun, and chill”. It was great to connect with colleagues at She Media that we initially met over video conferencing. And meeting other publishers and contacts in the She Media Collective that we plan to partner with on programs.”
I always find the biggest takeaways from conferences are the new contacts and keeping up with current contacts. But this time is different. Dr. Cindy Duke on the Black Maternal Health panel really got my attention. The information and statistics she shared regarding how the medical profession is taught to treat black and brown women differently than they treat white women are based on erroneous information. And how this leads to higher mortality rates, less pain management, and many other disparities in care. It moved me. At a minimum, I’m sharing my experience hearing that with my family and peers.”- Bernard Rook, Digital Strategy & Operations Rainbow Media Co.
Danica Janae, Founder of By Nica Lina & She’s Out of Town
Danica Janae is the founder of two premium brands By Nica Lina and She’s Out of Town. Through her publishing website By Nica Lina, she educates her audience on self-care and lifestyle topics and equips them with the right inspiration to live their best lives. She is also passionate about mentoring and established She’s Out of Town – a marketing agency focused on helping female content creators grow their brands.
“The award means a lot to me. It’s motivating and makes me feel seen for everything that I did to get me to where I’m today. It pushes me to do more and achieve more! It makes me excited for what more is there to come. It’s a milestone! I had such a happy experience at BlogHer Health. Being a part of the event was such an honor, and for that, I will forever be grateful for the opportunity. From being an attendee a few years back, dreaming of one day being the woman that I used to see on stage, to now actually being it, it was truly an unforgettable experience!”
Danica Janae giving her VOTY Award acceptance speech at BlogHer Health LA | 2022
Danica shared how adversities she faced helped shape who she is today and how traveling has been instrumental in finding herself, learning about her heritage in the Philippines, and making brave and bold decisions. She also focused on helping women live their dream lives and get to where they need to be faster than it took her. From being a BlogHer attendee year ago with her mom, she has come full circle to being on stage as a well-deserving award recipient!
Watch Danica’s award speech from the 46 min on the event live stream.
These honorees are part of the SHE Media Collective, as well as a part of our Meaningful Marketplace Program.