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Co-Producer
Kavontae Smalls’ passion for storytelling has fueled his media career for more than a decade. Kavontae is an award-winning journalist with experience in traditional and new media for commercial and public media outlets as well as media and public relations experience in the government and non-profit sectors.
Kavontae currently serves as a television and podcast producer for programs that shares underreported stories within communities of color and other marginalized groups. In his previous roles, he has served in external communication and digital capacities for a sitting U.S. congressman, sheriff’s office and the Salvation Army. Kavontae’s news career began a more than a decade ago in traditional journalism working for commercial television stations throughout Northwest Florida and Ohio sharing fact-based stories which spanned from Presidential campaigns, to heartbreaking stories of loss of loved ones, to uplifting stories of triumph, and investigative pieces.
Throughout Kavontae’s career, he has become effective at fact-based information gathering, mastering the art of the interview, brand building by leveraging effective marketing in traditional and new media, and capturing memorable moments through compelling visuals.
Kavontae’s work has received several awards and recognitions including the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Boston/New England Governor’s Award, multiple Emmy nominations, National Association of Black Journalists Salute to Excellence, Massachusetts Psychological Association Media Award, Clarion Award, and news story appearances on CNN and MSNBC national cable outlets. One of Kavontae’s stories exposing elderly abuse and neglect led to a nursing facility being shut down and its owners sentenced to prison. As a public relations professional, he helped raise more than $188,000 as part of a marketing campaign for families in need. Kavontae also oversaw media coverage from local, state, and national media outlets including CNN, CBS, Washington Post among many others for Congressman Matt Gaetz.
Kavontae holds a bachelor’s degree in telecommunications with emphasis in television and film journalism and a minor in political science from the University of West Florida.