ANNA DESHAWN
Anna DeShawn is a Chicago-born social entrepreneur who’s turned her passion for media into a full-time dream career. As the founder and CEO of E3 Radio and co-founder and CEO of The Qube, DeShawn builds streaming platforms that center and celebrate BIPOC and QTPOC creatives. DeShawn founded E3 Radio in 2009 and has been playing queer music on the online radio station ever since. She also reports on queer news through an intersectional lens on the Ambie award-winning Queer News podcast. “Being responsible for everything from writing, producing, and marketing to hosting the show can be overwhelming at times,” DeShawn says, “but the satisfaction of seeing my vision come to life makes it all worthwhile.” Knowing that she’s positively impacting the LGBTQ+ community motivates DeShawn to continue providing quality content. She especially loves hearing from listeners who feel represented, informed, and empowered. “It’s incredibly gratifying to know that I am contributing to a larger conversation and movement that aims to elevate queer voices,” she says. Her dedication to her craft and the community she serves is widely lauded in the media industry: she’s a multi-award-winning podcaster and an Ambie award-winning podcast producer and host. Through her work with E3 Radio and The Qube, DeShawn is determined to ride media into its next era by utilizing digital media streams to tell the stories and play the music that deserves to be heard. Outside of work, DeShawn is a daughter, wife, sister, and friend who loves cooking, running, and Robin Roberts (whom she’d love to meet and interview).
