Marquis Lupton On Overcoming Stuttering, Growing A Digital Media Business, And Launching TCP TV (#19)

Marquis Lupton, co-founder and CEO of the TCP Network, struggled with stuttering while growing up.  

To overcome his speech impediment, he worked with speech coaches and practiced speaking in front of the mirror: making eye contact, squaring his shoulders, and wearing a microphone. 

Determined to be a radio personality or news reporter, he started two radio shows in college under the DJ name Quiet Storm. After college he worked for WLAN FM97 as a club DJ and board operator. He later landed a job in production for CNN in Washington, D.C., where he worked on the Pentagon unit and The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.  

Marquis then spent several years in the field as a news reporter for TV stations around the Northeast. But he noticed that people of color, especially men, were disproportionately reported on in crime stories. There’s a phrase used in the industry: “if it bleeds, it leads,” meaning that fear-based stories, especially about minority groups, tend to get top billing.

After several failed attempts, Marquis partnered with Billy Way, Brandon Way, and Whitney Lupton to start the TCP Network, which stands for The Cultured Professional.

They’ve grown the radio station to over a dozen original shows on topics such as the morning news, hip hop, politics, pop culture, and sports.

Marquis and his team share the stories and voices of marginalized people and serve the community through initiatives such as the Spread Love Campaign. 

In this interview, we discuss:

TCP’s business model, pricing, and clients (e.g., Pennie).Launching TCP TV on Roku.Starting a Puerto Rican outpost of TCP in San Juan.Balancing following your passion with making money and raising a family.Effectively managing a team with different personalities and powerful people.Marquis’s take on Joe Rogan and other influential podcasters. 

Marquis's entrepreneurial lessons include:

Trust your dopeness. Trust that inner voice that says, “you can” even when others may say something else.See a need, fill a need. If your neighborhood doesn’t have red apples and if everybody loves red apples, then find a way to sell red apples.You want everyone on your team to feel like you wouldn’t succeed without their help. Build a strong, competent team where the responsibilities are shared and everyone is needed. 

Connect:

 Check out thetcpnetwork.comLike TCP on Facebook: facebook.com/theculturedprofessionalFollow TCP on Instagram: @tcp_network