Mondays on VH1 at 9 pm e.s.t., you’ll find PoPrah and several other candidates competing to be Diddy’s next personal assistant on I Want to Work for Diddy. If you’ve been following the show, you know PoPrah is holding her own in the competition. She took a few minutes to answer some of my questions.
A lot of people don’t realize that you had a life in entertainment prior to being on the I Want to Work for Diddy show. Can you give them a brief overview of what you did prior to the show?
Wow, it’s really hard to sum it up and be brief but I’ll try my best.
I’ve always known that I wanted to own my own business since childhood. I used to play “company” in my dad’s home office as a child. I would have meetings with my own imaginary clients, signing contracts, creating receipts etc. Needless to say, I went to college a year early because I had skipped a grade and during my freshman year, both of my parents passed. So I was own a mission from there on out. And though it was very devastating, in my mind, that mean that I was in the world alone and had to take care of me and my younger siblings.
Since then, my goal has been to build a multi-media conglomerate, encompassing tv, music, film and fashion, just like Diddy actually. That’s why I felt I was a perfect match for the show, I’m his fraternal twin when it comes to business. I’ve had hit records in 13 countries and toured them all. They were songs which I wrote, and co-produced and were released by BMG & Warner Bros. My biggest song was #15 in the charts in Italy, Mariah was #15, it was #8 in the charts in Germany while TLC was #7. I’ve been in at least 6 movies, and executive produced, produced, directed and hosted two of my own tv shows which aired on network tv. I’ve also produced 3 tv show pilots for other people, including the cast from BET’s college Hill and a show I did with 7 of the girls from Flavor of Love, all aimed at growing my production company, Hollywood South. And here I am.
I’ve been watching the show since the beginning but for those who missed the first few episodes, why did you decide to use the name PoPrah?
Actually, I’ve called myself Poprah for over 5 years. I’ve always said my goal is to be a cross between Puffy & Oprah, that’s how you get Poprah. I really do feel I possess many of the same creative talents at Puffy now Diddy, as well as the humanitarian, visionary side of Oprah. The name keeps me focused and helps brand me, because I know people subconsciously connect it with my mentor Poprah and that helps brand me and where I’m headed.
Did you guys ever get a chance to sleep? From watching the show, you were constantly “on the go.”
There was really not time to sleep or really eat on the show, we were constantly on the go, or so wired anticipating the next surprise, that you couldn’t rest when you were supposed to be resting. But I’m really used to working 16 hour days, anybody who knows me says I’m the hardest working person they know, I’m the consummate workaholic. I’ve been all over the world and never had a vacation. It’s that serious. I just love to work. That’s why I was so annoyed with my cast members who weren’t on the same page with me, I felt they were really in my way from showing Diddy what I could do to get the job and I really didn’t expect it to be like that. So I was constantly reevaluating how to deal with the hate, jealousy, intimidation, and the inexperience all around me, and still get the job done.
As you watch the show each week, along with the rest of us, were you aware of some of the things being said by the other contestants about you?
I heard some of it, not all of course. Most of it was one way in the house and something totally different at elimination. But the truth is I really didn’t care if they liked me, I wasn’t there to make friends, I was there to win and work for Diddy. And that was the hardest part, being on a team with people who have totally different priorities. One is focused on profit, (me) and the others are focused on popularity,(them). The funny thing though, is that each time I got someone eliminated, they wrote me a letter and left it on my bed or nightstand apologizing and telling me they really thought I was the most qualified, and worked against me just because of the competition aspect even though they knew my game was the tightest, and they regretted it. Now that’s what Diddy means when he says, “BITCHASSNESS”.
Thanks to everyone for the love, support and advice.
Always keeping it real, your girl.
Poprah
Interview by Shelia M. Goss - entertainment writer and national best-selling author of Double Platinum, My Invisible Husband, Roses are thorns, Violets are true and Paige’s Web. For additional info, visit www.sheliagoss.com.
Intimate Conversation with author Shelia M. Goss
