i’m jarrett hill, an award-winning journalist and author, an artist and professor. i’ve contributed to the new york times, npr, variety, nbc news, and cnn. i’m the co-author of the naacp image award-winning book historically black phrases: from “i ain’t one of your lil’ friends” to “who all gon’ be there?” (penguin random house/ten speed press) written with tre’vell anderson, the book explores and defines one of the most impactful elements of culture: black language; using humor, thoughtful analysis, and style. we embarked on a live game-show tour based on our book in 2024, having just wrapped four successful seasons and 200 episodes of our hit series, fanti, one of apple podcasts’ first favorite shows of the year.
currently, i’m pursuing my master’s of religion and public life at harvard divinity school, focusing in the intersections of the black church tradition and its queer & trans people, as a visual artist and journalist, graduating in the spring of 2025.
i’m a renowned (and pretty damn good) host and broadcaster, commanding large stages in front of thousands and masterfully moderating intimate conversations. i’ve hosted, live daily nationally syndicated radio, cable and local news, and streaming digital programming for 20+ years.
i served as president of the national association of black journalists of los angeles (nabjla), a non-profit organization, across six years in leadership, three years as vice president and three as president. i, with our all-volunteer team, redesigned the organization’s leadership structure to distribute power and leadership more throughout the organization and committees to be less president-centric, we established a vision for the future, developed strategic partnerships with major media and national brands. as a team, we produced frequent live events, conferences, and workshops strongly focusing on developing a culture of inclusive community, centering black journalists and media professionals. as president, i served as part of the founding of a coalition of leaders of journalist-serving organizations that formed to fight for press freedom legislation, alongside other local advocates and statewide groups. that bill was signed into california law in 2021, then-called senate bill 98. additionally, i’ve worked on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives advocating for black journalists and media professionals, helping to bring freelance and full-time work for black journalists at some of the largest journalism outlets in the indsutry, and with black and independent media. our los angeles chapter was professional chapter of the year, having doubled in our membership and delivering compelling and valuable space and content for our members and leaders. and when covid-19 hit us all, we sustained with our community throughout the pandemic and rebounded well returning to larger-scale, in-person community events and continuing to grow the organization.
i’ve been an adjunct professor of journalism at the university of southern california (usc) since joining the faculty in december 2021, teaching graduate-level students at the annenberg school of communication and journalism. i’ve been a guest speaker and lecturer at university of california berkeley, columbia university, and medill, among many other universities, corporations and organizations.
i’m the founder and chief trblmkr of trblmkng., encompassing my varied work as a multidisciplinary creative artist, entertainer, writer, designer, speaker & host, along with client-based media consulting. named in tribute to ideas about angelic troublemakers and good trouble of bayard rustin and john lewis, respectively. i work with clients in media training and speech preparation, helping executives, actors, and industry professionals to be and feel more prepared to speak in front of the audiences large and small. my clients have included, but are not limited to: cbs, starz, showtime, the cw, paramount+, warner bros., own: the oprah winfrey network, and various private and corporate clients.
and before we go, one more thing, a little fun history: in 2016, i made global headlines and initiated an unexpected turn in the news cycle when i broke the scandal of michelle obama’s 2008 convention speech being plagiarized by melania trump at the 2016 republican national convention. “a media darling” is what the hollywood reporter said. their words, not mine. later that year i was named to the 2016 ebony power 100. and my parents bought all the issues of the magazine they could get.
that’s enough, right?