.gif)
In this op-ed, writer and Bet on Black creator and host Monique Wilson traces her journey as a young, Black, female entrepreneur who made the risky decision to launch her first podcast, a community-focused platform, despite an onslaught of socioeconomic barriers — and explains why she would bet on herself and do it all over again with zero hesitation.
Bet on Black started as a passion project, born out of my desire to connect people across different industries in an intentional and vulnerable space. During each episode, I deep dive into the how and why of the careers of rising creatives — ones you may know, and ones you might be discovering for the very first time.
The conversations that happened on Bet on Black season 1 were nothing short of incredible. I was able to offer a platform for guests like Elianel Clinton, a rising photographer, who shared how important it is to incorporate his family and Puerto Rican culture into his work; or Gabriel Guisado, who took a big risk and bet on himself by quitting his full-time job to pursue his creative ventures 5Aside Media and Vino Vriday, two brands that intersect across community, music, and sports.
Bet on Black is a platform serving Black and brown communities with genuine, longform conversations with people who are making an impact regardless of the avenue, from photography to nightlife to run clubs.
For the season 2 premiere, Owen Herrera of Peak and Pace, a social club that runs, skis, and parties together, dropped so many gems about finding community and the importance of having catered spaces for us. As he put it, “When you are truthful to yourself and to your community and you portray your message very strongly, that gets conveyed everywhere.”
Talking to guests like Owen is my favorite part of this journey. Their drive and courage inspires me, and I get to learn from them in real time. But passion alone doesn’t cover the financial costs. Since launching the podcast, time and money have been constant barriers to continuing this project (which I do outside of my day job).
At the start of 2025, I had no idea that I would launch Bet on Black just three months into the year; but in March I successfully dropped the first episode of season 1, and would go on to throw a large-scale launch party for season 2 six months after that.
I didn’t have the time or money to do either. I did it anyway — and I’m so glad I did.
I live in New York City, one of the most expensive cities in the world, and I graduated from college three years ago, so I’m, transparently, not making much. The job market is shrinking, groceries are expensive, and rent keeps increasing. Over the last six months, I have spent more than $3,000 on studio booking, launch party logistics, and countless other off-camera, behind-the-scenes costs that are smaller yet quickly add up.
This lack of resources made organizing the Bet on Black season 2 launch party incredibly difficult. That looked like purchasing everything on credit cards (which, I know, is the worst thing I can do) and withdrawing money from my savings account to make sure that I can cover my rent. It’s been hard and scary, to say the least. But I knew I could lean on my community, who would show up for me as I consistently have for them.
As I started planning for the launch party, I knew that I wanted to host it at Damballa, a Haitian-owned cocktail bar in Brooklyn. A year ago, I worked as a server at their sister restaurant, Cafe Erzulie, so returning to throw my first Bet on Black in-person event felt like a full-circle moment.
I wanted unique activations that would help me introduce the ethos of Bet on Black to a new audience while bringing what existed online into an offline space. One of my proudest moments was seeing The Listening Lounge come to life, a space I dreamed up where guests were able to listen to previews of season 2 through old-school CD players and were asked to answer one question while in discussion with other attendees: “How are you betting on yourself this year?”
I wanted to make sure people would actually show up. This meant personally inviting every single person in my contact list — a contact list I’ve kept since middle school, which meant it took days.
After going through my personal Rolodex, I focused heavily on social media, constantly resharing my flyer for the event (and probably being a bit annoying about it). I even printed out posters and placed them all around Bushwick. My original goal was for 50 people to show up, maybe 100. In the three weeks leading up to the event, over 300 people RSVP'd. The day-of turnout was astounding; guests loved everything from the Polaroid station to the custom menus and collectible poker chip favors, which had QR codes that led directly to the podcast on digital streaming platforms.
The Bet on Black season 2 launch party went off without a hitch, with special thanks to my community, who came through exactly as I knew they would. Emerging R&B star Nali even blessed the crowd with an intimate performance of her biggest records, including “Hold Me Close," “4U," “Crossfaded," and “Say Yes (Cover)” from her recently released debut EP I Love Nali.
Miss Lilly, my friend and a prominent NYC DJ, kept the vibes going for the entire day, while my talented friend Migi, an innovative photographer, served as the documentarian for the evening. And of course, my best friend Camila was a sounding board for all of my ideas and acted as my right-hand throughout event day.
I couldn’t have pulled it off without any of their support.
Including Nali, Miss Lilly, and Migi on the creative side of Bet on Black's first event was important to me, as it's proof that the platform is not about me, it’s about something much bigger: spotlighting rising talent and creating space for communities of color to shine.
After launching Bet on Black this year, I’ve had long moments of pause, many feelings of doubt. Is this the right way to spend my money when I could be paying off my student loans? Should I be saving and investing this money instead? Am I doing the right thing?
Ultimately, the answer is yes, and will always be yes. I am investing my money and my time into myself, into my project, and my ideas, but most importantly, Bet on Black as a community presence and a podcast have taught me to trust my vision. And I've learned that when you show up for your community, they’ll show up for you a thousand times over.
You can now stream the latest episode of Bet on Black season 2 with Monique Wilson below:
