Beauty of The Week 12.12.22 – Marcus Greaves

How old are you?
27 years old

What’s your zodiac sign?
Big LEO energy!

Hometown?
My hometown is Prineville, Oregon, a small town of 10 thousand people in central Oregon

What’s currently on your reading list or podcast? 
Currently, I am reading “ As a man thinketh” by James Allen… The Book focuses on the key to mastering your life is harnessing the power of your thoughts and helps you cultivate the philosophy and attitude of a positive, successful person.

What got you into Sports Broadcasting?
Once I was done play College football at Oregon State University, I was quite lost to be honest with what I wanted to do with my life. After numerous discussions and mentoring by former NFL running back Yvenson Bernard, who grew to be a fantastic mentor for a young black individual wide-eyed about the real world. He invited me to come join his show at NBC Sports Northwest where he was an analyst. As he continued to invite me to participate in his show talking all things Oregon State, I found a love and passion for broadcasting. From there, I have continued to perfect my craft and move up within the industry where I have landed a dream Job as an Anchor at CBS8 in San Diego.

How do you stay in peak shape? What’s your workout and diet regime?
I have always been into fitness with my Sports background, but I would say now more than ever, I have a heavy focus on being in better shape than I was in as a college athlete. I make it a priority to at least workout six times a week, and while most people will talk you that is over training, it has become a enjoyable hobby for me, so I can’t get enough of it! I also love the discipline and work it takes to stay in top shape, because I believe it helps me grow not only physically, but mentally. In regard to diet, I am easily the most boring eater you will ever find, I have a very Strick diet of lean proteins (Chicken, Turkey, Lean ground beef) and some sort of complex carbohydrate, and vegetables. I know it is boring for most folks, but to me, the feeling of being healthy is more important than eating whatever I want! (Boring I know)

What does self care look like for Marcus? (We love to encourage our readers to take part in self care) 
I actually take mental health and self-care very seriously, every morning I make sure to wake up and write now 5 things I am grateful for within my life. It does not matter if I am having a bad day, or wake up on the wrong side of the bed, I will always get those 5 things written down to remind myself no matter what is going on, I have things to be grateful for. I also be sure to stay on top of my daily affirmations to myself. In a world where so many things can break us down mentally, I be sure to tell myself good things will continue to come my way, and I am grateful to be a young healthy black man. Lastly, self-care for me looks like throwing on Brown Sugar by D’Angelo, my slippers and robe, and embracing my R&B soul!

What is something you wish you knew before getting into Sports Broadcasting? Are There any dos and don’ts you would advise others pursuing it?
There are so many things to know about Sports Broadcasting, but the most important is BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. Everyone has a different story how they got into the industry, yours might be different from someone else. But, it is a very competitive field to be in, and when folks move up within the industry, you have to understand that your time is coming, even if you cant see it you have to believe it.  I found myself frustrated plenty of times at the beginning of my career trying to understand why I couldn’t land a dream job that I wanted. I applied to over 75 stations when I first started in broadcasting and didn’t hear back from any. So, I had to push through the frustration and believe in myself that my time would come and it did. Then, I landed a dream job as a sports anchor in San Diego.

We are all about black beauty, what does black beauty mean to you? 
It’s simple, black beauty to me, is the culture of what we are and what we have. In my opinion, black beauty is all about seeing the way black culture has formed all of us, whether that be lighter or darker individuals, the texture of our hair, the way we talk, the way we dress, the list can go on. I think Black culture and Black beauty go hand in hand because we are all different and bring something different to the culture. Its about how we all can be individuals and branch out but at the same time all have the same beautiful qualities. Black culture is absolute beaty in my mind.

With a growing fan base and platform, what is something you want your followers to take away from following you on your journey?
The main thing I strive to give my followers is no matter what you do, what walk of life you come from, you can accomplish whatever it is that you want by being who YOU were meant to be.  I want to inspire other young Black individuals to be themselves and make the world feel their presence by being themselves. In today’s world, there seems to be a lack of authenticity and self-love. Not only do I take pride with my work and my journey to get to the point in my life that I am in. But I believe I have done MY way, there were plenty of people who have helped me along the way and continue to help me, but at the end of the day this is MY story and MY journey, and I want others to feel inspired from the fact that I have created this life for myself, and they can do the same by being themselves.

Lastly, what’s next for Marcus?
Now this is a loaded question, in the simplest terms, I want to continue to inspire other young black creators to follow their ambitions and dreams. At the same time, I want to continue to elevate within broadcasting and become the best broadcaster I can be. But I want to do it my way, being authentic, building up communities and an audience that are usually left in the dark. I want to be a face and an example of a young successful Black creator.