FAMU grad hosts local talk show

Nicole Everette is a 1994 graduate of FAMU.
Photo courtesy Nicole Everette.

Florida A&M graduate Nicole Everette hosts the local talk show  “Conversations with Nicole.” CWN airs on FOX 49. Everette says the primary focus of CWN is to connect community influencers with the viewing audience through frank and spirited conversations. The show blends the expertise of the guests together to stimulate awareness among the show’s viewers.

Everette, 48 and a 1994 business school graduate, contacted her friend, Gerald Tookes, founder and CEO of G.T. Aerial Productions. She pitched the concept and asked him to show her how to make a video on her phone for her video blog. Tookes replied: "No, if we're gonna do it, we're gonna do it right.”

The following week Everette and Tookes shot the first episode of CWN, which featured the founders and owners of Nefetari's, Dana and Sharon Dennard. “Nefetari's was our production studio and the first season we shot 25 episodes which ran from March to August of 2016,” said Everette.

Everette and Tookes continued to work together to make CWN something special. Everette would have guests who are ordinary, but did phenomenal things; people like Angela Suggs, Darryl Jones and Lee Wagner, to name a few. All of her guests were FAMU alums and have done great things for the Tallahassee community. The late Roosevelt Wilson was also featured on season five of her show.

People who have worked alongside Everette speak highly of her. “Nicole loves people and wants to see them succeed,” said Tookes. “She’s always making connections to help people.”

Everette is not only connecting the community through conversations; she is also creating internship opportunities for students who are both broadcast journalism, and public relations majors.

“I liked working with Nicole,” said Simone Williams, sophomore journalism major at FAMU. “It was cool to see the finished product on television knowing that it was put together by just a handful of people.”

Williams said that her favorite part about working with Everette this past summer was seeing how Everette interacted with people. “She knows so many people all over the city. Everyone loves and respects her. I want to be like that.”

Ten years from now, Everette said she sees herself approaching media mogul status. She has hopes of producing digital and print content for herself and others on a variety of platforms.

 “I want to have a team of creative and innovative workers. I plan to be a major philanthropist, giving to causes meaningful to me such as FAMU, the National Museum of African American History and Culture and Big Bend Habitat for Humanity,” Everette said.

If you ever want to watch her show, CWN comes on FOX 49, while old episodes can be found at www.conversationswithnicole.com or on YouTube.