Hosted by MandiiB and WeezyWTF of “Decisions, Decisions,” the event featured live tapings of popular shows, thoughtful panel discussions with leading content creators and media executives, and fun fan activations

Special guests included Charlamagne Tha God, Clayton English, Dr. Jay Barnett, Devi Brown, Amber Grimes, Tank, J. Valentine, Jacquees, Tyler Watts, Cam Newton, Porsha Williams, Cari Champion, Iman Shumpert, Donald Albright, Sarah Jakes Roberts, Toya Johnson

NEW YORK AND ATLANTA – April 29, 2025 – Last Saturday, iHeartMedia and Charlamagne Tha God celebrated The Third Annual Black Effect Podcast Festival at Pullman Yards in Atlanta, GA held to highlight, uplift and amplify Black voices in the podcast industry. For the third year in a row, the festival brought together podcast fans and The Black Effect Podcast Network’s top talent for a day of live podcast recordings from network’s most popular shows including “Trap Nerds Podcast,” “Good Moms, Bad Choices,” “R&B Money Podcast with Tank and J. Valentine,” “Naked Sports with Cari Champion” and “Woman Evolve with Sarah Jakes Roberts.”

The festival also featured a special live recording of the hit podcast “Funky Friday with Cam Newton.” Additionally, the event delivered two thought provoking and informative panel discussions: “Prioritizing Mental Health and Wellness” and “Adapting to Trends: The Future of Podcasting.”  

Festival highlights include:

• The day began with WeezyWTF and Mandii B of “Decisions,” Decisions” introducing the “Trap Nerds Podcast” hosts Exavier, Dre, Eli and Tony for a live recording featuring comedian Clayton English. The hosts took their signature blend of humor, culture and fandom to the stage and led an epic, sports-style bracket showdown to determine the ultimate champion across superheroes and supervillains.  
• Charlamagne Tha God, Dr. Jay Barnett, Devi Brown and Dr. Shawn Bethea, MD participated in the “Prioritizing Mental Wellness and Physical Health” panel moderated by Amber Grimes, Executive Vice President and General Manager at LVRN Records – a progressive record label that launched an entire division focused on mental health and wellness for their roster of artists. The group discussed ways to keep a balanced and healthy lifestyle, health and preventative care for people of color, holistic self-care, community wellness and more.
• “R&B Money with Tank and J. Valentine” turned the festival into a concert when they brought out their special guest Jacquees. The Atlanta-born singer joined the stage while singing his hit song "B.E.D." He also invited his new artist Tyler Watts to join him for his conversation with the hosts about the evolution of his career and the R&B genre.  
• “Good Moms, Bad Choices” hosts Erica and Milah had the entire audience amped up after they busted out a few dance moves on the stage after their conversation about motherhood with special guest Dreka Gates.
• Cam Newton invited Real Housewives of Atlanta star Porsha Williams onstage for a rare edition of his show “Funky Friday.” The two shared moments of inspiration and lessons on resilience, reinvention and staying authentic in the public eye. He also recorded another impromptu episode with rapper and songwriter Trinidad James offstage.
• Cari Champion invited former NBA star Iman Shumpert onstage for a live taping of “Naked Sports” for an honest, funny and deeply human conversation about life and sports. They tackled heated topics including Lebron vs. Michael Jordan, the greatest player in the league and top picks for the 2025 NBA championship.
• Dollie S. Bishop, President of Black Effect Podcast Network moderated the “Adapting to Trends: The Future of Podcasting” panel; a forward-looking discussion about where podcasting is headed, including trends such as video podcasting, brand partnerships, live-streamed shows and interactive formats. Panelists included Charlamagne Tha God, Oby Eniya, Head of Media, The Coca-Cola Company, Carrie Lieberman, COO, iHeartPodcasts, Donald Albright, Founder of TenderfootTV and Mick Hunt, host of “Mick Unplugged.”
• Pastor Sarah Jakes Roberts closed the show with a heartfelt special edition of “Woman Evolve” featuring special guest Toya Johnson. Through candid reflections on their personal and professional journeys, Sarah and Toya offered valuable insights on navigating transitions, empowering others and evolving as women. They reminded festivalgoers that growth is a continuous, transformative process.  

Festival sponsors included AT&T, Nissan and Coca-Cola™. Sponsor activations included the Pitch Your Podcast booth presented by Nissan, offering aspiring creators the opportunity to pitch their podcast ideas to Black Effect Network executives.

For more information about The Black Effect Podcast Festival, click HERE.

Download Event Photos: 

The Best of The Third Annual Black Effect Podcast Festival | PW: iHeartBlackEffect25!

Credit: Derek White/Getty Images for iHeartMedia and The Black Effect Podcast Network – @d_whyte @gettyentertainment on Instagram

About The Black Effect Podcast Network

The Black Effect Podcast Network is a transformative network founded by renowned cultural architect, executive producer, bestselling author, and media mogul Charlamagne Tha God in a historic joint venture with the world’s number-one commercial podcast publisher, iHeartMedia. Charlamagne and iHeartMedia created the groundbreaking first-ever Black Effect Podcast Network, celebrating the essential Black culture-shapers on the planet—in education, entertainment, politics, pop culture, and sports. The Black Effect Podcast Network gives rise to emerging and established content creators and storytellers whose perspectives and creative visions have been marginalized and overlooked while serving an audience that has been underserved. The Black Effect Podcast Network helps its partners define their place in podcast culture through influence, ideas, and experiences that engage, inspire, inform, and empower.