Young Black Sister Takes Gospel Promotion into the Internet Age!

By Searchpreneur and Internet Evangelist Rev. Kamau Austin

Today I get a chance to tell you about a young woman who is a visionary black entrepreneur. Actually I would call her a netpreneur in that she has produced the most successful email newsletter and website for Gospel Promotion in my opinion.

Her name is Veda Brown and she has built the Black Gospel Promo email promotion and website www.BlackGospelPromo.com into a promotion powerhouse. Veda is one of the new breed of Christian movers and shakers taking the Internet by storm.

I keep telling Christians and especially those in Gospel music and entertainment that we really have to get a handle on this medium and use it to further God's kingdom here on earth. I am glad that sister Veda is taking advantage of the Internet to help Christians in business become more visible and successful.

Some of you Christians may feel that you have no talent or skill that God can use to build a business and economic freedom. But if you read the following story on Ms. Brown you will see how she built a business from a hobby that she enjoyed.

When it became apparent to Veda that God had an Internet business in her future she was open minded enough to answer the call. Read her inspiring story below, and stretch out on faith on God's vision for your life -- whether in business or some other sought of ministry.

PHILLY NATIVE TURNS HOBBY INTO CAREER

Philly Native Veda Brown Turns Hobby Into Quarter Million Enterprise Celebrates 5th Anniversary in May

Philadelphia, PA - Over 150,000 people receive Veda Brown's daily Black Gospel e-mail blasts. The colorful, slickly designed emails promote everything from inspirational greeting cards and Kirk Franklin's latest gold cd to books by televangelists and movies that are suitable for Christian audiences.

Music producer Steven Ford says, "Black Gospel Promo has become the CNN of gospel marketing and communications...and with God's direction [Veda Brown] has developed her company into the mainframe of the Gospel Media Industry." In less than five years, Black Gospel Promo has revolutionized the way that the black church community spreads the word about its new products.

A native of Philadelphia, Brown holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Moore College of Art and Design. She has worked in the media industry for well over a decade with firms such as CGI Records and Gospel Today Magazine. Brown worked with AOL's Net Noir Black Gospel Chapel site for six years and began compiling a list of email addresses while working there in the 1990s.

After AOL sold Net Noir, Brown went to work for a prominent minister for a few months before they had a falling out and she was left unemployed. Prior to her exit, she had sent out several email blasts on one of the pastor's projects. To her surprise, she then got a phone call from gospel star Fred Hammond's brother who asked her to send out an email blast on the Commissioned Reunion concert in 2001. "I had no other job at the time," Brown says. "So, I said, well, let's try this for a little while."

Brown didn't see this as a long-term enterprise and wasn't even operating under a business name when she launched this company in 2001. "After a while, I had too many names to send the blasts through AOL," she explains. "Because at a certain point, they consider it spam mail." So, she then secured space on a server and they asked her what her company name was. She hadn't thought of a name, so she just told them to use her AOL email address which was blackgospelpromo and the rest is history. Today, the firm has a large office space and employs four people in-house, three consultants and a host of subcontractors.

Now that the foundation of her business is firm, Brown has branched off into other areas of media by launching a publicity division that has represented gold-selling artists such as Kurt Carr. Amid all of her other duties, Brown is a caregiver for her 19-month old niece and the 80 year old aunt who raised her as her own daughter. "That's my personal amusement," Brown says. "Especially when I'm in the mall with the baby in the coach and my aunt with her cane and they are both pulling on me at the same time.."

Well, some of Brown's famous friends such as gospel star Vickie Winans, E TV celebrity journalist Jawn Murray and BET personality Dr. Bobby Jones will be pulling on her as they gather to salute Brown's fifth anniversary in a spirited celebration at Jones' International Gospel Industry Retreat on May 9th in Hollywood, FL at the Seminole Hard Rock Cafe. For more information, visit www.blackgospelpromo.com/bgp5years/

Support the 5 year anniversary of www.BlackGospelPromo.com and let's share in the blessings.