Meet Nichole J. Henderson | Founder @shestunedin | Global Audiobook & Podcast Marketing at Spotify

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nichole J. Henderson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nichole J., we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Hello – my name is Nichole J. Henderson (@_nicholej), founder, visionary, artist and author of @shestunedin, a TV art page dedicated to inspiring tune ins to the latest, new TV series. It’s simple. I saw a need for telling TV stories through art, and so birthed, @shestunedin.

My passion for TV developed in 6th grade when I joined my middle school television news station as a weather girl. From there, my fondness for TV continued to grow, as I sought to become a broadcast journalist, obtaining dual undergraduate degrees in Broadcast Journalism and Public Relations with a minor in Marketing, as well as a Master’s degree in Public Relations with a minor in Financial and Investor Communications immediately following.

However, when it became time to choose a career, I knew I loved telling TV stories in front of the camera, but I fell more in love with promoting new TV shows, documentaries and films via experiential marketing events and digitally, particularly those with Black leads & dynamic, gut-wrenching storytelling.

I’ve seen pages dedicated to TV, and amazing illustrations of black culture, but never both at the same time.

I started doodling on my iPad for the first time in July 2020, because I wanted to learn a new skill during the pandemic. Then, I officially launched my TV art brand, @shestunedin, in January 2021. I never imagined that my art would take me to such heights as having my art displayed at San Diego Comic-Con for the first time, winning Destination Crenshaw’s 5th mini mural cohort contest & having my art displayed on Crenshaw Blvd, and being featured on the @insecurehbo Instagram handle as one of the “best fan arts of all time.” I hope that my art page inspires others to tune in to way more TV series than they could ever imagine!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Nichole J. Henderson, a 30-year-old West Virginia-native, is an entertainment brand marketer, an event curator, and a digital illustrator, with over 7 years of experience. She is passionate about creating brand campaigns at the intersection of multicultural and experiential marketing.

She is currently based in Los Angeles, CA, and works at Spotify in Global Audiobook & Podcast Marketing, leading Always On marketing support for Audiobooks. In addition, she supports the Creator Equity Fund, where she is responsible for uplifting artists and creators from historically underrepresented communities in the audio industry.

Since joining Spotify in October 2022, Nichole’s tenure has been marked by co-launching a new global program vertical at Spotify, the Creator Equity Fund (CEF). CEF is Spotify’s $100M multi-year investment focused on amplifying primarily Black and LGBTQIA+ artists and creators in the US, UK and Brazil. Nichole has played a huge part in the Spotify NextGen HBCU program, AMPLIFIKA Brazil Music Tour, UK Songwriters Camp, Cannes Sound of Culture Panel with Issa Rae, ADCOLOR, the CultureCon Uncut Podcast, Talk That Talk Podcast Pitch Competition, & Audio Booth Activation, GLAAD’s inaugural Black Queer Creative Summit and more – reaching over 5,000 student and Gen-Z artists and creators on and off platform.

Nichole also holds a position as a Spotify BLK LA employee resource group lead and is a founding committee member of the Black Hollywood Collective – a joint collaboration of programming produced by So. Cal Black employee resource groups. She, along with her co-leads, are responsible for creating a safe space for Black Spotifiers to build community in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

Outside of her trailblazing work at Spotify, Nichole is the founder of She’s Tuned In, a TV art page dedicated to inspiring tune-ins to the latest, new TV series. She is also the recipient of two Webby People’s Voice Awards and one Webby Award for her work on season 5 of HBO Insecure.

She graduated from the top communications school in the country, the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, with a M.S. in Public Relations and an emphasis in Financial and Investor Communications in May 2017, and has baccalaureate degrees in public relations and broadcast journalism, as well as a minor in marketing. She is the youngest of three siblings, in a very Caribbean (Jamaican) household, and is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Nichole is also a former athlete, who played division II college basketball at Wilberforce University in Xenia, OH.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
As I near my 3-year anniversary of moving to the city of Los Angeles, CA, I must say that almost all of my weekly activities with friends are planned around LA’s Black community/sports culture.

Both the weather and the health-focused mindset in LA naturally lends to a positive Sports Society. There is just, something about waking up to 70+ degrees daily, for more than 3 months out of the year, that makes you want to go outside and move your body.

A few ways I’ve been able to tap back into “play” culture, build community, support local Black and Brown businesses, and improve my overall wellness and happiness (I lost 18 lbs recently!) are all through LA’s sports culture, including:

SheHoopsLA: As a former college-athlete, and someone who grew up playing basketball for 15+ years, SheHoopsLA’s all-women’s basketball community founded by Serena Green was the first sports community I sought out and joined in 2022, and has helped me tap into my first love, basketball.

WalkGoodLA: WalkGoodLA, a family-led community wellness organization founded by Etienne Maurice provides healing spaces for underrepresented communities, and has helped me learn SO much about the rich history behind some of LA’s most historic neighborhoods, through running. I participate in RunGood, running 5k on Wednesdays, and learn something new about LA on every run. I also love their emphasis on highlighting Caribbean culture and heritage in LA, as I am Jamaican.

Recess Kickball League: An adult kickball league that originated in Brooklyn, NY, and encourages play, is founded by Ermias Tessema. When my co-worker, Juwan Wedderburn, asked me to join his kickball team, “Big Smoke,” last November I had no expectations, except to have fun. But, through this community I was able to gain valuable friendships, give back to the local LA community through service, practice (sn: after a brutal first loss, we locked in, practiced 2x week, and were the most improved team by the end of the season). Then, WE WON THE INAUGURAL LA LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP!

Sunday Morning Tennis: Finally, the most recent sport I’ve tapped in to in LA is tennis. Sunday Morning Tennis is an inclusive tennis community, founded by Jasani Jacobs and is focused on sport and play equity for diverse communities in Los Angeles. This community organizes free tennis meetups, providing: tennis lessons by a skilled professional, equipment for those who don’t own their own rackets, healthy snacks, and most importantly, the best vibes! Through this community I get to learn a new sport, try out various tennis courts all over the city, and just play (in the cutest tennis outfits might I add) with my friends! I’m so happy this community exists to encourage Black athletes to indulge in upper tax bracket activities!

If you’re struggling to find community in a new city, give sports a try! Oh, and check out Lee’s Caribbean Restaurant in Inglewood, CA, for some amazing Jamaican food (thank me later!).

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d love to dedicate my shoutout to my friend Ril of “Reel Connections Podcast,” a show with friends talking movies and TV.

Last year, I was in a creative funk, finding it hard to continue to find inspiration to stay consistent with my art. Then, Ril reached out proposing that we collaborate on a new, monthly “What We’re Watching” series on his podcast. We collaborated on 12+ episodes, creating both a podcast episode each month via @reelconnects and an art illustration via @shestunedin.

Follow @reelconnects on Instagram to stay up to date on new and upcoming TV series and movies. You can listen to each episode by clicking the link in his bio or searching “Reel Connections” wherever you listen to podcasts.

Website: https://www.instagram.com/shestunedin/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_nicholej/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholejhenderson/