In this edition of Celebrity Travel Addicts, we speak with Tamika Bickham, the award-winning journalist, entrepreneur, and world traveler behind TB Media Group. We chat with Tamika about why travel is important to her, her favorite destinations around the world, the work TB Media Group does, and much more. Check out her favorite things to do in Greece and her best advice to fellow travelers!
I love to tell the stories of people, places, and organizations that often go untold. Journalism and storytelling will always be at the heart of who I am, and giving a voice to those who need it is something that is very special to me. When I was a reporter in Alabama, I told the story of a family of four who lived on less than $12,000 per year. The single mother’s story was one of resilience, optimism, but also struggle and unimaginable challenges. She lived about an hour away from where I lived in Montgomery, in an area where 1 in 3 children live in poverty. That story always stayed with me because often times, those that need us to hear them are right there in our own backyard and they deserve to be heard.
Once I left the TV news business, I knew I wanted to keep telling stories. The beautiful thing about the world we live in today, is we all have the ability to touch our audiences directly and share our stories with them, whether on social media, Youtube, via our website, etc. Video is a HUGE part of that storytelling and reaching our audiences. So now, I work with small businesses, non-profits, and government agencies who want to do a better job of telling their story and NOT talking about products and services. Whether you are fundraising for an important cause or want to sell baked goods, you have to tell your story and build a connection with your audience. I help my clients identify their story, appeal to the emotions of their audience, and share their story in a unique and engaging way using video content.
That is a great question! I must say it probably started as a kid. I grew up in a home where my mom made it a priority for us to take annual trips together. Even once I moved out, went away to college, we still had our mother/daughter trips, which included Hawaii, Costa Rica, Turks and Caicos (can you tell, we are beach people?). I also studied abroad in college in London and wow! That was an incredible way to see Europe. I traveled almost every weekend. Ever since then, it’s been a way to see a new place, get together with friends, or bond with someone over a new experience.
Travel adds more chapters to our story. Travel naturally makes us all storytellers, and that is who I am, so it’s a perfect fit. It’s an opportunity to learn about a new place, their culture, and their people. It opens your mind, it creates space for learning and building new relationships. I think I’ve gained new perspective from travel. It’s made me more appreciative of what I have, and it’s also made me more ambitious, opening my eyes to new experiences I want to gain. We all need the mental reset and reframing that I think travel provides.
I probably spend about 4 weeks per year traveling. I like to travel anywhere I haven’t been. There are definitely places I would love to go back and have been several times, but I try to make it a point to go to new places that I haven’t seen. I like to travel to beachy locations. Even though I live in Miami, I can never get enough of the water and a nice beach.
I want people to remember that we are all storytellers. Travel ignites that in us. Our work should too. So whatever it is that you do, you should always be storytelling. If you need help with that, of course that’s where I come in!
Wow. That’s a tough one. This summer I went to Croatia, which was incredible. I went to Greece two summers ago, so that would definitely top the list. Third would probably be Hawaii. Ugh, but that’s hard. There’s so many more that deserve the Top 3 spot!
Wow. Ok, Top 5 things to do in Greece:
Between 15-20.
Mediterranean, Croatian food was great (seafood), and Vietnamese!
Erganos in Crete. Honestly, everything was incredible. I can’t pick one because we ordered enough to feed a football team. All I remember is all of it was incredible.
I don’t have one.
London Heathrow
Turks and Caicos and St. Lucia had very friendly people. It’s an island thing!
I like to travel with my mom!
Listening to music and reading.
From Los Angeles to Alabama to the sidelines of ESPN Monday Night Football in South Florida. Not sure if it’s exotic, but definitely exciting!
Live in the moment. Disconnect a little bit. Leave some time for spontaneity.
My phone, headphones, swimsuit, and business cards (you never know who you’ll meet)
Thailand and Egypt
“Traveling — it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta
To be determined…
Tamika Bickham, Owner and Creative Director of TB Media Group, is an award-winning broadcast journalist with over a decade of storytelling and communications experience.
Tamika’s career has taken her from the sidelines of Monday Night Football for ESPN, to Los Angeles where she covered the death of worldwide superstar Michael Jackson for CNN Los Angeles, to the CBS affiliate in Montgomery, Alabama where she reported on state politics, the 2012 presidential election, collegiate sports, and her most notable, award-winning feature “Living In Poverty”, a look inside the personal stories of children living below the poverty line in the state. She landed in South Florida, where she became a reporter and fill-in anchor for the local ABC affiliate, WPLG-TV.
Over the next several years Tamika developed deep-rooted connections with the South Florida community, moving on to work with the New World Symphony, developing all of their video and digital content, and the City of Miramar where she was responsible for marketing, communications, and public relations.
In 2015, Tamika founded TB Media Group, a full-service content creation company, where her specialty is cultivating her clients’ stories, creating engaging video content, and connecting with their audiences in an authentic way. Her clients range from non-profits to government agencies, cultural organizations, and small businesses.
Learn more about Tamika Bickham and TB Media Media Group by checking out her website and by following her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook!
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