A Director At ‘Teen Vogue’ On Finding Her Niche

Around 2016 I started paying attention to Teen Vogue. All of a sudden it was publishing substantive articles not typically reserved for women’s magazines and definitely not teen mags. It is clear to me that I need to keep reading this teen magazine… even at the ripe age of 39.

Incidentally, a neighbor of mine, Danielle Kwateng-Clark (aka Dani) was recently brought on as the Culture and Entertainment Director at Teen Vogue. Her passion is in telling the stories of women of color in the arts, fashion, and pop-culture. While she was still at Vice, I asked her if she was interested in speaking to me about her career in journalism. I thought she could provide sage guidance for readers with similar career goals. She said yes and then literally like two weeks later she announced her move to Teen Vogue.

I had been following her work before this move because her writing is succinct fire laced with smarts. For example, I follow the Association for Critical Race Art History page on Facebook and one day this article popped up. I read it, loved it, then scrolled up to see that it was written by Dani! I also didn’t realize that this gem was written by her until after the fact. 

After a few months of bumping into each other in and around our building, we finally caught up to discuss her writing and career path . . . 

What do you do in your current position? 

I’m the Culture and Entertainment Director at Teen Vogue. I essentially curate the culture content we put up on the site. That means, editing features, signing off on daily short stories, producing large editorial packages, and staying on top of what music, films, and television shows our audience is watching. My vision is to continue the work we’ve always done, by being conscious, critical, and fun with our celebrity content. I always intend to highlight the voices of marginalized communities in anything I do, so that’s an overarching vision as well.

Did you always want to be a magazine writer? 

I always wanted to be in a creative field. In school, I excelled in English and writing courses, but I wouldn’t say I distinctly looked at writing as my dream profession. I actually loved music, television, fashion, and magazines, but I didn’t realize the three could meet to become my career.

Where did you grow up and how did that experience shape what you do today?

I grew up in a South Florida city called Delray Beach. My entire family is Ghanaian, so being first-generation completely informed my upbringing and who I am today. I always say I had a strong sense of triple consciousness — in being an American, an African-American, and a Ghanaian. Within the family dynamic, we traveled a lot and when home, spent a lot of time at the beach and outdoor festivals. I get my love of exploration and culture — music, art, food — from my parents. 

Can you discuss your career trajectory including any mentors? 

College was a huge factor in the foundation of my career. I came into Howard University as a business major, then pre-law, and eventually journalism — sparked by my participation in the school newspaper. My strong suit has always been culture and lifestyle writing, so it felt natural to fall into that direction — and more importantly, people identified with my writing. What was great about college is that the many available majors gave me the bandwidth to explore my interests and jump from one discipline to the next. My mentor was actually a former federal prosecutor named Georgia Goslee who I met when I was a pre-law major. She’s basically turned into a godmother and I’ve always admired her honesty and dynamic interests that have lead her to be a nutritionist, political analyst, and an attorney. 

I had read some of your articles before realizing you wrote them. They were concise, brilliant, honest and raw. Did you have to hone this skill?

Thank you! I would say it’s innate, in the sense that I’m very good at articulating my thoughts and feelings via words. But I would also say it’s something that absolutely had to be honed and refined. The foundation of my writing is newspapers, which helped in my ability to be concise and know the fundamentals of journalism. I think everything else came from having tough editors, reading a ton, and just listening to people from all types of communities. 

If a young person reads your work, views themselves reflected in you, and wants to do the same thing, what would you suggest?

Learn the fundamentals of journalism; take a class or two. And also, read like crazy. Figure out what sort of writing speaks to you and understand the mechanics of what makes the copy work. The genius of storytelling is the ability to clearly articulate an idea in little words. Lastly, find a niche! Having a distinct beat is vital to create your own lane.

Your clear voice is often not represented in mainstream media . . . and until recently teen magazines . . . Why do you think it’s still like this in 2019?

If you mean women of color, when you say “your clear voice”, I would say that we have been present in media for decades with publications like Essence, LATINA, Remezcla, Ebony and the out-of-print Honey, Suede, Clutch, and Vibe Vixen. I think our perception of what “mainstream media” means, can often come from a narrow lens. Now, when we talk about elevating the voices of women of color in publications that have a predominantly white base, I think that’s ever-evolving and getting better with people in positions of power prioritizing the need for more diverse storytelling. The industry is getting more inclusive, but I do think that’s the reason why writers entering the industry should find a distinct niche that sets their focus apart from others. 

What change do you hope to bring to the magazine industry?

Having writers lean into who they are is so important to what I edit. I try to encourage writers to show up as themselves — don’t write about experiences they aren’t familiar with, don’t use big words for the sake of sounding smart, don’t pontificate. Just be authentic. I would hope that encouragement from me to be real and vulnerable with words will give writers a lifetime filled with honest storytelling.

What is your self-care regimen? How do you find joy?

I’m actually huge about being conscious of what I consume, entertainment-wise. I think that’s number one for me because there are so many movies, shows, music, and other aspects of culture that could negatively feed into my conscious if I let them. I find joy in staying active by working out and only spending my non-work time with people who truly bring me joy. That can be simply walking around Brooklyn on a sunny day or going on an extravagant vacation, but I’m very big about keeping my circle filled with positive people.

Thanks for sharing Dani!