POPLAW Podcast Offers Entertainment and Empowerment to Black Creatives
By Chris Coffey and Naeesa Aziz
From Ye losing ownership of his designs to Little Richard, the architect of Rock & Roll, earning pennies for his iconic hits, we’ve all heard the stories of Black artists getting trapped in unfair contracts or having their work stolen for profit. Now there’s POPLAW, a new REVOLT podcast that aims to help the next generation of Black talent protect their excellence.
Hosted by REVOLT’s VP of Legal Affairs, Desireé Talley, the POPLAW podcast is a deep dive into the intersection of business, law, and pop culture, with a heavy focus on empowering Black creatives to advocate for themselves. Bringing style, humor, and positivity to what are often very serious legal topics, Talley makes understanding entertainment law easy and entertaining.
“My mission is the protection, advancement, and education of creators of color, so they can maintain ownership and be able to negotiate on their own,” Talley said. “So, all of the topics that I’m talking about, whether it’s copyright protection, whether it is a contract dispute or signing bad deals, these are things that happen every single day but are easily avoidable if you have the tools and resources.”
Before joining REVOLT, Talley held legal roles at entertainment juggernauts like Viacom Media Networks, ASCAP, Pandora Media, and Turner Entertainment Networks. Although her profession is the law, her passion is activism. The idea for POPLAW came to her while she was in law school. She wanted to find a meaningful and fun way to reach creatives who may not even think they need legal advice.
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“I recognized that a bunch of my peers who looked like me were in this creative space, but they did not have legal representation, they didn’t know where to get a lawyer, and they had no idea how to protect their art and work,” Talley said. “So I thought, how can I help them in a meaningful way that will be free or affordable and entertaining?”
Talley’s commitment to empowerment even extends to her choice of guests on the show. For her, it’s important that each guest be someone who uses their success, experience, and platforms to give back and teach others in the community. From recent guests like Grammy Award-winning producer Larrance “Rance” Dopson who runs the innovative 1500 Sound Academy, to songwriter and artist Brittany Bee-B whose empowering anthems inspire women, Talley makes sure the POPLAW podcast is a place where you can find perspectives from contemporary innovators in entertainment.
Whether or not you call yourself an artist, POPLAW is worth a listen for a Black, legal perspective on the latest stories in entertainment. And for those who are creators, tuning in is a must to protect yourself and your art.
Stream POPLAW today on REVOLT’s YouTube channel, Apple, Spotify, and other major streaming services. Then, after the show, follow Desiree Talley on Instagram and Twitter.