We’re a group of African-American media friends, with a combined 150 years of experience in print and broadcast journalism, marketing and public relations. Most of us have known each other since our college days. We’ve helped one another cross many career-related hurdles along the way, cheered for major successes and provided a support system that has lasted through the decades.
Not only are we connected by our love of journalism, but we (and/or our parents) are all Louisiana natives (with most of us born in the Baton Rouge area). Now, we are pooling our talents and resources to give back to the state we love.
Our team of storytellers is working diligently to craft this publication which is so close to our hearts! We have two current veteran TV journalists on staff; a former newsroom manager; a former Saturday columnist and copy editor; a former long-time newspaper reporter and columnist who’s now teaching Journalism; and a retired videographer who spent almost 50 years behind the camera.
Meet Our Shades of Success Team
Valentina Wilson
Emmy-nominated TV news anchor Valentina Wilson loves story-telling, but she is most passionate about giving back to the community.
Valentina is an award-winning journalist who has worked as a TV news reporter and anchor in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Las Vegas, Nevada; Lafayette, Louisiana; and Greenville/New Bern, NC. Many of those roles also involved management, supervision and mentoring of reporters and producers.
Virnado Woods
- Producer/Videographer Louisiana Public Broadcasting 1995 to present
- Southern University Jag Vision Scoreboard Photographer 2005 till 2020
- Photographer for Various sports networks (ESPN, FOX SPORTS, ABC)
Chante’ Pryer
Chante’ Pryer is a freelance writer and an Iberville Parish school employee. Her 20-year newspaper career as a Baton Rouge reporter and columnist placed her in various venues where she covered schools, city government, crime, and social and human interest stories.
Cecily Holland
Cecily has a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication from Southern University Baton Rouge and a Master of Arts in Communication and Media Studies from Texas Southern University. She has worked as a freelance communications specialist and a workforce development coordinator.
Donald Lee
Donald Lee is a published author, freelance writer and editor, and entrepreneur. A former Fort Worth Herd Drover, the Beaumont, Texas, native, has been a cowboy all of his life. He was a team member of The Herd for more than five years and enjoys riding and writing.
He’s an alumnus of Grambling State University in Grambling, La., with a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication.