We present our lost interview with Raynbow Affair Magazine Editor-in-Chief DiamondKesawn.
The Boston raised, and Baltimore made larger than life personality was born Kesawn Cooper. He became known as a girl’s best friend, aka Diamond.
His entertainment career began on Baltimore’s #1 Radio Station, WERQ 92.3 FM. He started with the Street Team, then eventually interned under the Baddest Female Producer in Radio, Sonjay DeCaires. Today the self-described media socialite and the content executor is the Editor-In-Chief of Raynbow Affair Magazine.
PrideIndex (PI): Today, I am happy to be interviewing Raynbow Affair Magazine Editor-in-Chief Diamond Kesawn. Hello, I hope all is well.
Diamond Kesawn (DK): [Laughs] Absolutely. As you’ve stated, I’m Diamond Kesawn, Media Socialite, Content Executer, and Editor-In-Chief of Raynbow Affair Magazine. It’s a pleasure to be here.
PI: Let’s start off by telling everyone about yourself. Give me some background information on how you became the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Raynbow Affair Magazine?
DK: In 2005, I walked into the industry in Baltimore, Maryland. I was an intern for Starry Jay, the producer of Marc Clarke and the Big Phat Morning Show on 92 Q back in the day. It was from that internship that my profound love of the entertainment industry cultivated into a hunger, so to speak. I later started my own podcast. This is back when blog talk radio was like it thing. Then from doing blog talk radio, I worked on this show called “Keeping It Real.” It had a segment called “Hotspot,” where I would talk about the hottest events throughout the city, be it a club, party, festival, etc. That kind of thing, and just through the natural progression of what I was doing. I started to do pieces for The Hype Magazine. I linked with Just Jay, the owner, and Jerry Doby, the Editor-in-chief of The Hype. I would periodically have a piece that fit their demographics, so they would post it, and we interlink. And as time went on, years later, I was out of Baltimore.
I moved to Atlanta, moving and shaking, and Jerry called me one night. He was like, hey, Hype Magazine has an LGBT imprint called Raynbow Affair Magazine. I was like, “OH. DOPE. AWESOME!” I was doing a lot of things in the LGBT community at that time. I had a lot of LGBT artists I was working with, so it’s totally dope. I can showcase and put spotlights on my talent. And he was like, “Yeah, I’m calling you to see if you want to be the Editor-in-Chief. I was like, “WHAT?” It was new to me because print was not my primary media. I dabbled in it by accident because I was doing media itself. A couple of conversations later, I walked into the role, and within a couple of years, a lot of magazine issues, interviews, and spotlights later. I’m the Editor-in-Chief of Raynbow Affair Magazine, owned by The Hype Magazine. Just Jay is still the brain behind it all; a dope individual to work under and to also be able to learn from. Jerry Doby still heads up The Hype Magazine side, and then Raynbow Affair is like the Hip hop to Hollywood LGBT imprint.
PI: How do you decide who to cover in your magazine?
DK: I leave it up to the readers and viewers on our social media base. We live in a time where everyone is very vocal about who they love and who doesn’t. You must pay attention when you have an imprint that caters to the consumer base. My ear is always to what everyone’s talking about. Who’s trending. Who’s not trending. Sometimes, it’s great to have who’s trending. But sometimes, it’s also great to have who’s not trending because one of the main questions is, “Hey, why aren’t you trending anymore?” So definitely still have that ear-to-the-street kind of vibe.
PI: I’ve had the chance to review your Kiki interviews. There’s one with the pastor from Iyanla Vanzant’s show. I am trying to remember his name right now.
DK: Mitchell Jones?
PI: Yes. The Mitchell Jones interview was hilarious. Are you still doing the podcast?
DK: Absolutely. The podcast is still there. Mitchell’s spotlight was more in the video-heavy days when like YouTube, was a factor. The Diamond Kesawn presents podcast, powered in part by Raynbow Affair, still exists. It’s on all streaming platforms. Yeah, it’s not like an every-week kind of show. It coincides with whatever issue or spotlight is coming out. We just dropped an episode back in December. We did Raven “Hulk” Saunders, Olympic shot-put star. We did a full feature on her. I had a great conversation with her post-Olympics and talked about her arm and her journey to and from the Olympics.
PI: Is Raynbow Affair Magazine monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly? How many times a year do you publish?
DK: Issues are done quarterly.
PI: Can I find old issues online or subscribe to the magazine online?
DK: We’ve moved away from the subscription base. You can view them online via the website anytime they are released.
PI: Talk about your web series.
DK: G-Status ATL Hustle is your LGBT combination of like a Love & Hip Hop/ Real Housewives/Your Marriage Boot Camp kind of thing. So, you have this hand-picked group of cast members who are all LGBT, who live in the Atlanta area, and they all dabble in the entertainment industry to a degree. They’re all on their so-called ATL hustle. They’re either new to the industry or trying to get into it, but they all have that hustle in common. They’re on their grind to make their goals happen. G-Status ATL Hustle follows their journey. The good, bad, indifferent, and the drama that takes place. My business partner, Kayo Allen, created it with the mindset of not doing just another LGBT reality show that was just drama filled with chaos but really trying to put the positive in the spotlight if that makes sense. Of course, like with any other reality show, you can’t always control what comes to the forefront. With season three coming up, the goal is to take it back to the basics of the gays going after their status and on their ATL hustle. I am one of the executive producers and not in front of the camera at all. If you see me on camera ever, it’s absolutely by accident. I get it. It happens at certain times. I would walk through a scene because I have to, but it’s never on purpose.
PI: What is the Status TV Network? Are you producing any other web series or other projects?
DK: Right now, we have three going. You’ve got G-Status ATL Hustle on Status TV, [What is he saying here… there’s Glen or Grim Divos [which network?], and you have Fashionaires of Atlanta on OMS TV. All three are currently in production, or we’ve just wrapped up production. At this point, we should have about five or six reality-based shows occurring throughout 2022.
PI: Where do I find more information about Raynbow Affair Magazine, your web series, and anything else there is to know about your wonderfulness?
DK: Absolutely. Follow the brand on our website at www.raynbowaffair.com, @RaynbowAffair on Twitter, and @raynbowaffairmagazine on Instagram. Of course, I am Diamond Kesawn on all platforms. www.DiamondKesawn.com, and if you link with me and follow me, I promise I will keep you updated on everything. G-Status ATL Hustle, Fashionaires of Atlanta, and [Grim Divos?] are on or coming to YouTube. The Status TV Network page is up there. An app will be launching soon. So, get ready, stay tuned, and tap in. Diamond Kesawn. Search my name. We’re all podcast platforms. It will come up.
PI: What does the future hold for you?
DK: I’m at a point where I’m comfortable with saying I don’t know. I have come away from trying to over-predict or plan for the future. I understand that the future is going to be great. It’s going to be bright. It’s going to be entertainment inclined. But as far as what journey I will take, I am still determining. I plan to write a book soon and start creating more music for my clients and artists. I took a step back from the artists’ and artists’ publishing side. So going back to that. I’m just really going to have fun. I promise you this, though. I promise you that my future will include me starting to live more on purpose.
