Episode 59: Getting To Know Black Women In Toys and Entertainment with Chantel Calloway
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In celebration of Black History Month, The Toy Coach presents a mini-series: Getting To Know Black Women In Toys and Entertainment. In this mini-series, The Toy Coach asks four interviewees the same 10 questions, in an effort to celebrate their career achievements in toys and entertainment, connect on a personal level, reminisce about toys from their childhood, and share their valuable life lessons. The women highlighted in this series include a SAG award winner, a Golden Globe nominee, a well-known industry veteran, and a history-making inventor. Throughout this mini-series, you’ll notice similar themes of persistence, resilience, and patience as these incredible black women share their achievements and what it took to get there.
For today’s bonus episode, our guest is Chantel Calloway, the creator of Rhyme Antics, the hilarious rhyming vocabulary game inspired by hip hop! Chantel joins The Toy Coach on the podcast today to answer 10 questions and shares valuable advice on what it takes to get your product on shelves at mass retailers like Target and Walmart.
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Shop Rhyme Antics by clicking here.
Follow Rhyme Antics on Instagram.
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Azhelle
You are listening to Making It in The Toy Industry, Episode Number 59.
Intro/Outro + Jingle
Welcome to Making It in The Toy Industry, a podcast for inventors and entrepreneurs like you. And now your host Azhelle Wade
Azhelle
Hey there toy people Azhelle Wade here and welcome to a bonus episode of Making It in The Toy Industry. This podcast is brought to you by thetoycoach.com. Right now you might be wondering why there's an extra episode waiting for you when you know week hasn't passed yet since the last MITTI episode. Well, here's why. In celebration of Black History Month, I decided to put together a bonus miniseries featuring four incredible black women in toys and entertainment. In this miniseries, I asked each interviewee the same 10 questions and received answers that made me laugh, brought tears to my eyes and at times even gave me goosebumps. Throughout this last week of Black History Month, I'll be releasing four new bonus episodes highlighting these incredible black women in our industry. Now I was really selective with my 10 interview questions, because the goal for me is twofold to share the career achievements of these incredible women and also to share a bit of their personal life and perspectives with you the listeners of this podcast. All right toy people it's time to meet some SAG Award winning Golden Globe nominated history making powerhouses in the toy and entertainment industries. Right now. Let's dive in. Our guest today is Chantel Callaway. Chantel is an advocate for literacy entrepreneur and the creator behind the hit board game rhyme antics. She is a Boston Massachusetts native who moved to NYC in 2014. With big dreams of making her rhyme antics game idea a success. Calloway his 10 year entrepreneurial journey led her to discover a growing literacy crisis that continues to worsen due to the effects of COVID-19. Calloway is driven by her passion to promote book culture within her community and use rhyme antics as a catalyst to make reading cool again. Now, rhyme mantics success comes from its unique ability to function as a party game, family game, and a classroom game for educators. It's critically acclaimed sold in multiple retailers, and has actually made black history by becoming the first black owned game to be sold in both Target and Walmart stores. Let's meet Chantel to a people shantelle thank you so much for coming to the show. Welcome to the podcast.
Chantel
Hey, thank you so much for having me.
Azhelle
So today, we're gonna start out you are one of our amazing black women in toys that we're highlighting this month. So I'm gonna run through the questions. Are you ready?
Chantel
I am so ready.
Azhelle
Okay, To start off, how long have you been in the toy and entertainment industry?
Chantel
Toy industry? This is my 10th year. Ah, yes, yes. 10th year entertainment five. So I would say 15 years all together. I know. I look young. But you know, I just turned 40.
Azhelle
What? No way.
Chantel
Yeah. I did.
Azhelle
Wow. So so you worked in entertainment before toy tell me a little bit about that.
Chantel
I did. I was an event planner. I got my certification from FIT in New York. Actually. I'm a Boston native. But my dad was in the entertainment industry for you know, all his life. I grew up in the entertainment industry, music and club nightlife. And, you know, so I was just kind of born into it. And you know, fell in love with music and hip hop at a very, very young age, and, you know, producing events. And so, you know, I caught that entertainment bug wanting to be like my dad who you know, owned a nightclub and was known for being doing big kind of concert productions. And I went to New York, and I was I loved fashion. So I wanted to, you know, do fashion shows and things like that. So I got my certification and event planning from FIT.
Azhelle
And that ties perfectly into my next question. Where do you work right now? And what do you do right now.
Chantel
So I am a full time entrepreneur, and I've been an entrepreneur for 12 years. And I did have my own event planning company first. And then when I started developing the game back in January of 2011, I've just been working full time to make this game a success. So I'm a founder and CEO and an inventor of Rhyme Antics
Azhelle
Oh nice. Tell us about Rhyme Antics. What's that all about?
Chantel
So romantics is a vocabulary game inspired by hip hop, you have to rap in proper English. So people always laugh when I say that, like, hip hop proper English. Right? I don't know if I could do that. But, you know, I'm an 80s baby, I grew up in the golden era of hip hop where, you know, lyricists were real geniuses and would, you know, tell these amazing stories, rapping and actually a very vast real vocabulary. So it's like an intellectual art for those who are can really do it. You know, the NAS is the Kendricks, the Jay Cole's of the world. And then especially kind of like, like, you know, Biggie, he was a lyrical genius. He listened to his bars, everything kind of wrapped on online. So anyway, I wanted to really add value back to the culture that I love so much hip hop's really a passion of mine. And then I'm also an advocate for literacy. So Rhyme Antics actually promotes literacy first, while paying homage to the roots of hip hop artistry.
Azhelle
I love it. I watched the video and I haven't showed it to my partner Christian yet, because I'm going to surprise him with it. He loves like, we will be driving, and he'll say, let's look play a beat. And let's just let's rap and I'm like, my boyfriend is Colombian. And he's better than me at it. And I just, it's so I can't wait to play this game with him. I think he's gonna love it. I'm not gonna tell him about it, it's gonna be a surprise. Yeah,
Chantel
he would definitely love it. Definitely great for you know, I created it for the inner rapper and all of us. So I definitely cannot freestyle at all. But, you know, I just wish I could, because it's so dope to be able to do that. And, you know, so it's for the inner rapper, and all of us,
Azhelle
what do you love most about your job, as an entrepreneur?
Chantel
the ability to create, and work for myself, of course, you know, run my own show. And to be able to inspire, and educate, you know, people, you know, adults and children really, just to get when I, you know, watch people play or host game nights, or if I'm running, you know, my, my literacy program, I run at Boys and Girls Clubs, I just really love to see people think and use their creative thinking while they have fun.
Azhelle
And who in your family is most surprised or entertained by what you do for a living?
Chantel
I would say all of them really are Yeah, well, I mean, my dad, he, you know, I come from a very creative family. So my dad who's like a brilliant, creative genius, I think it's actually the the mind behind the original idea for the game. So I can't take full credit, it's really a family idea that I kind of just really put into, you know, into action and brought to fruition the game came out of like, you know, US gathering during Thanksgiving, as we always do, and kind of, you know, traditional league game nights is kind of an American tradition during the holidays. And we were just really tired of playing the same old games for like, 30/40 years, you know, he came up with this color response rap game. And we loved it and loved playing it. And, you know, every time we got together as a family, we like to play it. And, you know, he would just kind of like improv, you just point at us. And he would say something, and then point at us, just like how you do how you probably play with our, you know, it's like, kind of unofficial way to play. Yeah, but I just added methodology and structure to it. And so now it's like this, this dope game that everybody loves that people always like, why didn't I think of that? So I would say my dad, he's always just an odd that I actually took that idea and, you know, put it on paper and then created a prototype and now it's in Target and Walmart is just like,
Azhelle
You're stealing my next question. What do you view as your biggest achievement in the toy industry today?
Chantel
Yeah, well, that's it. You know, we are four days away from Black History Month, and I've officially made black history.
Azhelle
Yes. Much applause to me clapping alone. So much applause that's so fantastic.
Chantel
Yeah, it's been a 10 year journey. And I started with the goal of being in big box. I started with that goal when I started developing the product, you know, because like, you just got to think if you're gonna commit to something you got to commit and Do it big and you know, shoot for the stars, you know. So just to see it actually happen and be a real thing is pretty incredible or a 10 year journey.
Azhelle
Tell me a little bit about what it took to get there to get into big box.
Chantel
Do you want to hear me cry? No, it has been a very tumultuous.
Azhelle
That's not an easy road.
Chantel
No, it's definitely not easy. I'm
Azhelle
what helped you get there? What do you think helped you get there,
Chantel
Honestly, my love for hip hop and the culture and wanting to add value to it. And then my love for education and, you know, working with kids working with kids, um, because like I mentioned, I, you know, developed a creative curriculum, literacy curriculum around the game that I launched a pilot program with the Boys and Girls Club. Maybe like five years ago now, so I work kind of exclusively with the Harlem Boys and Girls Club, and I was running a program every summer. And then of course, COVID came along and kind of ruined that this past summer. But you know, just working with kids and igniting a love for education and creative thinking is really what has kept me going.
Azhelle
Now that you're talking about working with kids it it kind of points to my next question about your childhood. Did you feel represented by the toys that you played with growing up?
Chantel
I am, I was a Barbie lover. Um, because of the fashion and the dolls and I always remember having black Barbies. So I think I, I felt pretty represented, but I was also kind of a tomboy so I used to play with GI Joes and, and things like that. But I would say that when it came to Barbies, I don't ever remember feeling like they can't i can't relate to these dolls. They don't look like me because I definitely had black Barbies.
Azhelle
I wonder, did your parents insist that you had black Barbies?
Chantel
Yeah, my mom definitely would just buy black Barbies. Okay. Do you remember that?
Azhelle
So you were represented in your world? You were like Barbie didn't always have black Barbies. Like, I don't know about that.
Chantel
But yeah, no, she she she had a lot of white friends. Yeah. Which was funny because our real life you know, I went to suburban school in Boston. And that was my real life. So Barbie was kind of me.
Azhelle
Oh, that's so funny. Oh, that's so great.
Chantel
I know. And I remember having the little cabrio. And I've always wanted to cabrio. The Barbie cabrio did I wanted a cabrio.
Azhelle
What's the Barbie cabrio?
Chantel
It's like a car. It's like the Volkswagen. Oh, like it looked like a beetle but convertible a little bit bigger. It's called a cabrio. they discontinued it, but I wanted that car to be my first car so bad. I really loved Barbie, I've wanted to be Barbie.
Azhelle
Oh, that's so awesome. Do you? Why do you think it's important for black culture and faces to be represented in toys and games products like the one that you created?
Chantel
Children are the future future leaders of the world very important to see yourself represented so that you know what you can do and be you know, a variety of things. We're more than just entertainers and athletes were inventors and lawyers and doctors and astronauts and astrophysicists and you know, representation is so so important to see see our faces and you know, various fields.
Azhelle
Yeah, I agree. Now, there are so many toys today I learned in our conversation before we started recording that you also know Dr. Lisa, who created the fresh dolls, which is a beautiful, multicultural doll line. And so there's so many toys today that are designed to represent and celebrate not just black features, but all other ethnicities as well. Like fresh dolls. Tell me which toys that you see today. What do you think you would have loved to have when you were growing up?
Chantel
I love the fresh dolls. I like the size of them. I like the fact that they're a little bit bigger than Barbie. Yeah, that's what I love. I love the big dolls. I like the Bratz dolls. Yeah, Bratz are really cool. Oh, doll fashion girl so the Bratz and the fresh dolls any doll I could like dress and I love that. I really truly love that.
Azhelle
Now for one more, you know, back in time question if you could travel back in time to when you first began your toy and entertainment career. What piece of advice would you give yourself?
Chantel
Don't take anything personally. Yeah, this business world is you know, only the strong survive. And I recently read a book "Ego is the Enemy". I don't know if you know that book, no holidays, a really wonderful book on this about, you know, our ego and how our ego really prevents us from from doing things or becoming the leader or master or you know, just living in our power. So, you know, a huge part of my journey has been sales, cold selling, having to learn what that was and how to master it and how to just walk into stores cold and talk to owners and get my game on their shelves. And, you know, the biggest part of sales is also follow up and know a lot of times you can get, you can get really discouraged because someone's not responding to you and you take it personally you think someone's ignoring you, you think, you know that all the stories we make up in our head and we tell ourselves, you know, I mean, nope. Um, and, and none of that is really even true. It's like these people are busy. There's probably 20 of you trying to get in there at the same time. And you know, your ability to be aggressive with your follow up and humble is so, so, so important. And a lot of people, especially with the sales part, just can't get beyond, you know, their ego. And so, you cannot take things personally at all. You just got to let it go and keep trying. I mean, I've had some owners that I've had to like, follow up with 1015 times. You know, keep going in the store until you close the sales like, that's how hard you have to work. So, yeah, never take anything personal and just keep working.
Azhelle
Thank you so much, Chantel. This was a great interview. I'm so excited to share this with everybody on black history month, the month where you are making black history. Congratulations with rhyme antiques. Is there anything else you want to share about what you're working on? Or talk about rhyme antics just to close out the interview?
Chantel
Yeah, I want to play a quick round with you.
Azhelle
Oh, what? Oh, no. You on the spot. I am not my boyfriend. Okay, this is gonna be bored.
Chantel
Okay. I have to do it with everybody. Calm yourself. naamyaa home ranking cow, okay. That's like a mantra. It's like a Hindu mantra. And you just calm yourself and like, but anyway, so you know, the commies out. And so rhyme antics is played in two teams, two teams battling each other. And there's three levels of difficulty easy, intermediate, intellectual, and there's an app, a music app that's free on the app store that plays the music, while the two teams bass, battle rap battle. And so the team chooses a difficulty level and then a card is read to them at random, right? And then the car, the team has 60 seconds for each person to quickly freestyle. A verse. That's one creative sentence. And the last word of your verse has to rhyme with the underlying water word on the card. So if the card word and this is just an example. I don't want to fight, right? I'd be like, tomorrow, I have to take a flight. Okay, then I pass you the mic. And what would you say?
Azhelle
I hope I'm gonna get this right.
Chantel
Can you pass the mic to me again tonight? Neela. And I'd be like, you tried, but not quite.
Azhelle
Oh, wait, wait, does the game come with a mic?
Chantel
Yes, it does.
Azhelle
Okay, okay.
Chantel
It's like a stress foam material mic because people they get stressed and they're squeezing the mic, and then they pass it. So you're passing the mic passing the mic. You know, the team is spitting bars, and they have 60 seconds to get as many words as they can on the back of the card in the 60 seconds. And that's how they get points. Love it. Yeah. So that's romantic. So it's a freestyle rap game, but you just have to use real words.
Azhelle
Thank you so much for coming on the show. Chantel This was so awesome. I really love this interview.
Chantel
Oh, you're welcome. And thank you for the work you do to educate us in the toy industry.
Azhelle
Of course, well toy people. There you have it. I hope you enjoyed today's bonus episode and that you learn something from our guests. You can head over to thetoycoach.com forward slash podcasts for more on today's episode. There you can read the show notes grab all of the links mentioned in the episode today, as well as learn more about today's guest. I know there are a ton of podcasts out there so it means the world to me that you tune into this one. Until next time, I'll see you later toy people.
Intro/Outro + Jingle
Thanks for listening to Making It in The Toy Industry podcast with Azhelle Wade, head over to thetoycoach.com for more information, tips and advice
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