Biography
TANISHA LAVERNE GRANT a 2018 distinguished BLACK WOMEN IN MEDIA honoree single-handedly gets the exclusive! A widely respected entertainment journalist known as a "Hollywood Insider" Tanisha is one of the industry's leading go to personalities for all things pop culture! The multi award winning journalist covers everything from exclusive red carpet award shows, award show press rooms, film festivals, private screenings, press junkets, and film premieres, all which have set the stage for her to interview some of the most prolific icons, game changers, disruptors, and thought leaders in film, fashion, music and politics, with a roster of luminaries including but not limited to Oprah Winfrey, Cathy Hughes, Debra Lee, Debra Martin Chase, Sherry Lansing, Van Jones, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Raoul Peck, Yann Arthus Bertrand, Melvin Van Peebles, Whoopi Goldberg, Forest Whitaker, KD Lang, Cicely Tyson, Patti LaBelle, Lupita Nyongo, Kevin Hart, Misty Copeland, Issa Rae, Kathleen Cleaver, Gabrielle Union, Kerry Washington, Tamron Hall, Gayle King, Kofi Siriboe,Spike Lee, Mary J.Blige, Mara Brock Akil, Yara Shahidi, Laurence Fishburne, Aja Naomi, Swizz Beatz,Teyona Taylor, Luke James, John Singleton, Malcolm D. Lee, Tiffany Haddish, John David Washington, Jimmy Fallon, Robert DeNiro, Omari Hardwick, Issa Rae and many more.
Tanisha's intellect, drive, vision, ambition, stamina; and ability to ask well crafted questions while connecting with her guests on a personal level has made her a stand out in the competitive space of entertainment journalism. She reports from glamorous red carpets having covered large scale awards like the Naacp Image Awards, The Tony Awards, The NY Emmy Awards, The AAFCA Awards and the prestigious Academy Awards (The Oscars). Her in depth coverage of the 90th Oscars resulted in her being a guest at the Associated Press to give her post Oscar recap on the entertainment news television and online platform Arise 360. A self made broadcast entrepreneur who distributes content across various traditional and new media platforms Tanisha is well on her way to becoming one the most intriguing women of our time. Dividing her time between New York City and Los Angeles the determined multi-talented fashionista serves up her own red carpet style with her iconoclastic bald head and is blazing the trail to have bald women represented in mainstream media particularly in the capacity of on air talent. She has been the subject of profile pieces, features, and interviews and has been spotted on the pages and websites of Getty Images, Celebrity Chef Marcus Samuelsson's "The Cookbook", Rolling Out, The Giant, Glamour Magazine, Ebony Magazine, Urban Wall Street, Essence online, Huffington Post, Yahoo, Exposure Magazine and publications in Paris, Italy and Sweden as well as gracing the cover of the Winter 2017 issue of the national publication "Size Overrated" magazine.
A former pageant winner who has won titles as Miss Black Pennsylvania USA and Miss Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, Tanisha believes in customs and traditions and like her father is a graduate from the nation's oldest HBCU, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania founded in 1837 where she focused on radio, television and film studies and was inducted into the national theatrical honor society Alpha Psi Omega. It was during her time as a student at Cheyney that Tanisha turned her internship at WCAU NBC 10 in Philadelphia into a full time job as an assignment editor. This experience catapulted Tanisha into having a viable career in television and film, giving her the opportunity to have visibility in both traditional and new media platforms. Armed with a B.A. degree in Communication Arts, Tanisha set her sights on Hollywood, CA where she worked as an extra for major film companies like Warner Brothers, Sunset Gower Studios, and CBS Ratford Studios in an effort to build an acting career. With her experience in television news, a love of entertainment, a sharp eye for great stories, a background in acting, and her SAG/AFTRA card, Tanisha developed the skills necessary for television news reporting making her a sought after entertainment correspondent .
Tanisha serves as a contributing on camera correspondent and content provider for the syndicated site blackinamerica.com which is a part of one of the largest digital media companies serving African-Americans with more than 15 million members and reaches millions of African-Americans each month. With approximately 3 billion views on its suite site the company has become the definitive lifestyle and information resource for African-Americans.
A journalist dedicated to maintaining a standard of excellence to deliver content that is carefully researched and curated, Tanisha has been a guest sharing Hollywood intel and has appeared on nationally syndicated television shows and online platforms including but not limited to FRP TV, TMZ, TMZ Live , Bravo's Blood, Sweat and Heels, and Oxygens Live Out Loud Series. She has been a brand ambassador for major cosmetic giants like NARS and has been called upon to speak about "unconventional beauty".
Tanisha has participated in the "Expressions in Beauty" exhibition at the Museum of Natural History in New York City, delivered the 144th Commencement Address to the graduating class of Chester High School, has been honored with the "Lifetime Achievement Award" by People Building People for setting a positive image of African American Women in Media, and in 2016 she was awarded with the honor of "Entertainment Correspondent of the Year " by Brown Women in Media! Tanisha also serves as a guest lecturer sharing her experience as an entertainment journalist. She has been a guest speaker at Columbia University and in 2018 partnered with Widener University, The Pew Arts Center, The Pennsylvania Humanities Council, and Chester Made to deliver a workshop and lecture for the first "Chester Made Correspondents Workshop." Tanisha continues to work as an independent and freelance entertainment correspondent while raising awareness of the HBCU initiative to save Historical Black Colleges and Universities. Her interviews can be found both on television and online.
