Pam Chatman, motivational speaker, CEO of PChatman Communications and PChatman Mentoring, Consultant and Training Organization, is a prime example of how well things can flourish when they are planted in the Mississippi Delta.
The former television news director has launched her own television network, PChatman Network that signed on in late September.
The multifaceted on-demand network is available across a wide array of platforms including Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV, Xbox, Apple TV and a few more in addition to streaming on the most popular social media sites.
Although it is still in its early stages, Chatman said the network is already getting attention across the nation and internationally. “That’s really impressive to me. We’re doing very well to not have even started promoting the network yet,” she said.
Chatman said people are actually sending her videos of themselves watching her network.
The former television news director said that other than her development team, she is 100 percent hands-on with her new interest. “They’re all technical. I’m building my own sales packages, I’m building my own marketing packages, I’m answering all of my own telephone calls, I’m doing everything,” she said.
Chatman asserted that she wanted to involve herself in as much of the developmental procedures as possible so that when she gets ready to delegate responsibilities she will know personally what it takes to get the job done.
Having done television for more than 20 years, the Bolívar County native said she felt this new venture would be more entertaining.
In 2015, Chatman and her television news staff starred in a TruTV reality show called “Breaking Greenville.” Because of that and her efforts to empower women through her PChatman entities, she has garnered appearances on local and regional talk shows in addition to NBC’s “The Today Show,” and CBS’s “The Talk” where one of the producers said she needed her own network.
Chatman has long contemplated developing her own nationally syndicated talk show format but was first introduced to the idea of her own network while in Hollywood, CA.
Soon after her appearance, a group of investors, one who was extremely proficient in building TV stations, contacted her and proposed establishing her own network, an offer she said was too good to pass up, especially because it would give her an opportunity to encourage people to go after their dreams.
Chatman said she can be an inspiration to others because she has accomplished a great deal with more yet to come and she knows about the struggles and difficulties associated with being recognized for your hard work. Along the way she has had her life and career threatened and many have asked why she chose to stay in the Delta.
She credits her struggles as being what prepared her for this stage of her life and she is also grateful for those who came before her to pave the way for her to do what she loves. The Choctaw native said that despite the challenges and criticism she has always tried to do the right thing so that she could be comfortable with her decisions when she went home at night.
She maintained that her stint as a television news director was not only an opportunity to engage talented young people from around the nation, but also to impact their lives. Now, with the launch of PChatman Network she sees the opportunity to make a global impact by allowing people to put their content on her network.
Chatman said she wanted to establish something that would benefit everybody and offer an opportunity for those who may not have gotten noticed by Hollywood to have a voice and a presence.
For the viewers, she purposely gave her network an “on-demand” format to accommodate her audience. “We don't want to exclude or leave anyone out,” she said. People can watch the shows when they want to watch them. The content will span a wide spectrum of formats and genres including news, entertainment, sports and talk shows with local, regional, and national programming that have a sizeable portion centered on empowering women.
“I want it (content) from all over, so people can have a choice to watch what they want to watch,” she said. Her only requirement is that it is a good quality show. “I look at every show, sometimes at night I am cock-eyed, because I review every show.” In addition, Chatman said she also consults with the submitters to give pointers if necessary.
Chatman said she disregarded recommendations to have a “subscription-based” network where viewers would have to pay a fee to access the programming because she sees what she provides as a gift to the people. “That’s my way of giving back to the community by supplying them a platform,” she said.
She asserted that it is an opportunity for those who may not otherwise have access to sources to market themselves and their creativity. “We want to be able to reach the masses,” she said. “I want to give them the chance to take it to the next level. Who knows, Hollywood may be watching and say we need to get in contact with him (or her),” Chatman added.
The communications CEO said she is still seeking out additional content and wants more ministry and children’s programming. She is also planning a wedding channel to highlight southern weddings and a travel channel since many do not get to travel outside of the Delta.
Chatman is not currently producing any programming herself, but in 2019 she plans to do her own peripatetic talk show.
Growing up, it was her dream to be on television, she said mainly because she didn’t see any one who was a black woman doing what she wanted to do. “I was just so mesmerized with television, and I still am,” she said.
The former reality TV personality said because of her physical appearance people have always tried to steer her towards a career in radio, however she maintained that it never swayed her interest in being on screen. Her grandmother, who raised her, saw her love for television and told her that one day everybody would know her name. Chatman said at the time she doubted her grandmother’s prophesy because of her small-town surroundings, but is now striving to make it a reality.
Still not quite 50-years-old, Chapman has made several national television show appearances, had numerous articles written on her and has been mentioned in multiple publications. She is currently engaged as an ambassador for the Coca Cola Company’s 5by20 Initiative, which endeavors to empower five million women by the year 2020, and participates in workshops and seminars across several states focusing on entrepreneurship and economic and personal development.
She was honored by “Our Mississippi” magazine at an October 25 gala as one the Top 25 Most Influential African-Americans in Mississippi. And she is actively promoting her B.O.S.S. Lady professional development workshops, where the acronym stands for Bold, Optimistic, Successful, Sisters. As for the future, she will soon announce her new cosmetic line.
The Rust College alumna began her career in the Delta soon after graduating. She completed an internship at WXVT-TV in Greenville, which was also the location of her first job in television, before later becoming the first black female news director in the state of Mississippi at neighboring WABG-TV.
“My whole life has been here. I choose to stay here. This is where it all began. This is where I was planted and this is where I want to bloom from.”
