Today we’d like to introduce you to C.J. Waters.
C.J., we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Well, this blogging journey has been going on for quite some time now and lately, I had some wonderful moments that I’m thankful for stepping into my purpose. I really didn’t discover blogging until either during my sophomore or junior year in college. At the time, I majored in Journalism (Newsprint/Magazine) at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock, which is where I got my Bachelor’s and Associate’s degrees from. While studying journalism, I worked for the Forum as a student editor, photographer, and Sports Editor for a length of two years. At the time, I had plans of moving to Dallas and hopefully, worked for the Dallas Morning News as a sports and entertainment writer.
However, one particular professor that I grew close to at the time (Tim Edwards) introduced me to the society of Journalism. I took his class every semester because he played mostly LGBTQ web series, films, and more that really caught my attention, which drawn me deeper into Journalism. Even though the outsiders didn’t understood why he would play them in class, however, quite a few people who were openly LGBTQ (including myself) or LGBTQ allies that developed a close relationship outside of class gotten really into watching web series. His classes really struck a nerve (or in other words, influenced) to look into this other form of Journalism, which wasn’t really a popular thing at the time until now. When I started doing some research about what blogging was, ALL OF SUDDEN, BOOM, that’s when I begin my blogging journey. Over time, there’s been lots of changes in my style, the type of audience I want to attract, and lots of other growing experiences. Dr. Edwards would often introduce films and web series in his class, which has gave me a better outlook and understanding on the blogging thing as well and it all tied together to help come up with my very first blogging brand. I’ve also had serious conversations with him about my future as an LGBTQ blogger, the web series he introduced to the class, and what I needed to know in the Journalism world. Until this day, I truly thank him for being not only my professor but my mentor because my blog would not be where it needs to be today. My first blog was originally called Gay Vibez – an LGBTQ Entertainment/Gossip I started from 2014-2017.
After I took a year away from blogging to transition out of a horrible time in my life, I started back in 2018 and renamed my blog to which is now called T! News. The rebrand came about because I wanted something different that would catch lots of attention and catered to the LGBTQ community specifically since the media and other news outlets aren’t cover much on our lifestyle/community unless it’s sadly but truly when it’s something pertaining to homophobia, trans murders, and other issues. Therefore, I came up with the platform to give our community the recognition and light it deserves and to change the false narratives and negative stereotypes from outsiders. The name “T! News” actually came from E! News but instead, since in the LGBTQ community, we have the slang “tea,” I took the “ea” and left the letter T capitalized with the (!) exclamation mark. After I finally left Little Rock, Arkansas in 2019 to move to Dallas, my life actually took a turn in a good way. My first year in Texas was rough but afterwards, it gotten better and I’ve watched the growth in my blog. T! News covers stories on LGBTQ YouTube/Web Series (Ex.: Chasing Dallas, Chasing Atlanta, Chasing L.A., Lovers + Friends, The Come Up: Miami, The Come Up: Atlanta, TSWDFL, Real Hotboys of Houston, etc.), Ballroom/Vogue, LGBTQ Social Media Personalities/Public Figures, Lifestyle, and more LGBTQ related topics. Along with this blog, it requires me to be more active on every social media platform to the point where I am working towards monetizing my blog to where I can work for myself and establish a fully-blown, long-term blogging career.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’m not going to say smooth but maybe some potholes here and there. I say that metaphor to describe the potholes as the dust-yourself-off-and-try-again struggles. I tend to fall in this slump and then get back into it full force with drive of continuing to push out content. I would say that is the biggest thing I’m working on because I want to get to a point where I want to allow myself to miss no more than two days of not blogging/working through social media. One of them is stopping or putting myself on a “break.” I noticed when I take “breaks,” I will usually go over more than two days and then -within a blink of an eye – turns into a week. I’m okay with missing maybe one or two days of not blogging to get a breather and to get my mental right. But if I miss more than two days, I feel like something is wrong with me, begin to feel like I’m slacking, and I am missing out on the juicy topics and festivities (and a little shenanigans and humor). I usually find something(s) that would motivate me to keep going or even brainstorm some ideas to help grow my blog: go to one of the Starbucks locations in the DFW area, make a TikTok video, and surf through the internet and every social media platform for some tea **sips cup with pinky finger up**.
The first step of initiation to start my motivation is to get out of the house (I have to move around and be active). Another thing I struggle with as a blogger is time. I feel that timing is very important to me. When it comes to me posting stories (especially new ones and stories that some people don’t know about), they would need to be posted within the 24-48 timeframe. However, it could be old news to about maybe 75% of the people. So, the faster I get the story out, the better my relief will be. Keep in mind, it’s only one of me running this entire blog along with the social media pages – it is a lot to do before you write and before you post. Writing can take up to at least 1-3 hours (in my opinion) depending on what you writing about, how/where you put your words to make a good story that would be an attention grabber, and (most importantly) EDITING – this is the last and most important thing because you don’t want any spelling errors. Everyday, I learn something new, beginning with the smallest problems that could turn into a bad habit. I look for those things to see what I need to do to change that and to help me grow as a blogger.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Despite working a regular 9-5 for the time being like almost every entrepreneur, public figures, and other influencers has been through before rising to the top of their careers, I consider myself as an LGBTQ Gossip/Entertainment Blogger and content creator. That’s what I inspire to be and want to turn into a long-time career. Even though a lot of this ties into being active on all social media platforms, you will mostly see me posting about T! News, posting TikTok videos, YouTubes videos, and sometimes, dancing and taking selfies whenever I’m in the right setting/surrounding area in the DFW area on Instagram.
As I stated in the beginning where I talked about my brand T! News Blog, my blog post will be about LGBTQ Reality Web Series/Shows (YouTube). Web series and shows such as Chasing Dallas, Chasing Atlanta, Chasing L.A., TSWDFL, Real Hot Boys: Houston, G-Status ATL Hustle, Living 4 The Weekend, Web Lyfe Atlanta, Boy Drama Web Series, Frenergy, and other YouTube web series that everyone should look into. The shows that I blog about has the potential to be on a television network. Also, I talk about the Ballroom/Vogue Scene, Trans Awareness, LGBTQ Public Figures/Internet personalities, and more. So anything LGBTQ related is what my blog mostly is about. Most people who know about my blog tell me that it’s pretty much the LGBTQ version of the big media journalism platforms such as The Shaderoom, The Neighborhood Talk, and B. Scott. Celebrities such as Love & Hip Hop’s Joseline Hernandez, Pose’s Angelica Ross, P-Valley’s Nicco Annan, TS Madison, Amiyah Scott, and other personalities have seen my blog on Instagram. My blog has also gone viral in numerous occasions. I’m not sure rather to refer myself as the Wendy Williams or Jason Lee of the LGBTQ Community but what I do know is that I’m getting very much closer to my dream.
I am also in the works of starting my very own YouTube Web Talk Show for T! News Blog, where I will be discussing hot topics in the LGBTQ Community from Celebrities/Socialites, Web Series, Ballroom/Vogue, Breaking News, and more. As of now, I’m currently active on TikTok and YouTube making content to set myself up for the real big thing I want to complete before the end of this year going into next year. My goals are to continue growing my audience, followers/fan base; my blog to become as big as The Shaderoom and one of the growing LGBTQ Media Platforms; land my web talk show and blog on a partnership with Logo TV and other LGBTQ/HIV sponsored organizations. Lastly, I want to be an HIV Advocate and LGBTQ Public Figure alongside with being a blogger.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I can name some of the smallest things that some may not know. The first thing is that I am NOT 19. Yes! I am 30 years old. Since I’ve been here in Texas for two years now, people thinks that I’m 19 or 22. I’m like, “CHILE! I’M 30 and almost touching 31” with a little sassy grin on my face. Another fact that some people may not know is that I’ve been living with HIV since March 2020. That’s another thing I am very big on and can be open/transparent about because I rather live in my truth and not within the stereotype that’s been placed on black, gay men for years. Since I’ve found out about my status, it really had taught me a lot about myself and my surroundings. The one thing it taught me was acceptance. I never knew that that particular time would actually pull me together into a better person each day. Billy Porter is one of the celebrities that has really confirmed that as long as you’re being yourself, you can do anything and become anything in life. This last thing that people may not know about me is that I used to play basketball in high school. Before turning over to blogging, I wanted to play in NBA. I played basketball throughout high school. I wanted to continue playing when I got to college but things didn’t work out in my favor. But every now and then, I still pick up a ball just to shoot, clear my head, and to see if I still “got it” as they say. Well really, this last thing that people don’t know about me is that I am a longtime Ciara fan. I loved her since “Goodies” and what I love about her the most is her growth. I want to have the same growth as her because she is most definitely a role model I look up to.
Contact Info:
- Email: tnews_2018@yahoo.com
- Website: www.tnews.blog
- Instagram: Personal: @c.waters1991 | Blog: @t.news_blog
- Facebook: Cj Waters
- Twitter: T_NewsBlog
- Youtube: Personal: Cj Waters | Blog: T! News Blog
- Other: linktr.ee/cwaters1991
