CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Editor's Note: This story discusses domestic violence. No descriptions of violent acts are included.
Who is Cherisse Jamison?
She's best known as Aye Yo Kells, and she owns The Jamison Agency, a Charlotte-based public relations firm. In her own right, Jamison has managed to book clients like Dutchess Lattimore from VH1's "Black Ink Crew", rising rapper Armani Caesar, and the Day & Night Cereal Bar right in the heart of the Queen City.
But the path to her current success wasn't easy. In fact, Jamison's early years had plenty of strife, and she founded her agency while homeless and fleeing domestic abuse.
Forbes recently profiled Jamison, tracing her PR roots back to college. She blogged during her time studying, which led to media tours and opportunities to cover major award ceremonies, including the Grammys and MTV Video Music Awards. She was able to use her networking skills to land a position with the Hip Hop Weekly magazine.
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“It didn’t hit me until I started being recognized in the entertainment and media world,” she said to Forbes. “I ended up being nominated for publicist of the year. First of all, it was already a shock to be nominated. The fact that I was amongst some of the great publicists that were nominated, which were like A-listers, Hollywood folks, that woke me up; people were actually paying attention.”
Well before she was covering awards ceremonies and hip-hop artists, Jamison shared with Forbes that she was estranged from her birth mother as a child. After she finished her college studies, Jamison moved to North Carolina to try and build a relationship with her. But it didn't work out. She eventually met a man and moved in with him, yet that relationship quickly turned abusive.
Jamison was able to escape, and she told Forbes she couch-surfed with friends and lived out of motels. She had to place her publicity career on hold, working a full-time job to save up money. She found herself in a valley, feeling she had lost her purpose.
In 2019, however, Jamison's fortunes turned back the other way. Forbes reports Charlotte was hosting the NBA All-Star Game that year, and a gentleman reached out to her. He said his client needed help with the press while attending the game, and Jamison jumped at the chance. From there, her career took off, building up her client list by night while still working her full-time job by day. Eventually, she left her full-time job and went all-in on PR.
The pandemic pumped the brakes on many aspects of the PR world, but Jamison switched up her game. She began offering her services beyond individual clients, reaching out to corporations and entrepreneurs to offer a more complete approach to marketing and branding.
Today, Jamison is still sailing strong. She's now hoping her story shows women they can stand tall, continue networking, find healthy ways to practice self-care, and pray often.
As for her idea of what Women Crush Wednesday is, she told WCNC Charlotte anchor Ruby Durham it's all about uplifting others.
"Women Crush Wednesday means, to me, excelling in your everyday girl black magic," she said enthusiastically.
And that magic for Jamison still has plenty of spark; she wants to work with top artists like Rihanna and Summer Walker, along with opening up her own adoption agency.
If you or a loved one is facing domestic violence, help is readily available. You can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 or text START to 88788. Resources for help are available in both North Carolina and South Carolina.
Contact Ruby Durham at rdurham@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.