Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
David Jamal Abraham, better known as Davy J, is the creator of The Lunch Table Blog Show LLC, a media platform that he describes as “giving voice to the community through media, films and events.”
The platform is a talk-show blog; and, students from Towson and five other Maryland universities make up the community that decides the issues, venues and events to feature on the upbeat, fast paced, hip-hop laced Internet program. Davy J and his crew teach students strategies for planning shows, ways to use cameras, write scripts and edit video content, as well as the process for uploading episodes onto the TLT website (Tltblogshow.com) and its social media.
“I love to give back to the community and to the students,” said Davy J, a native of Bowie and a Towson University graduate. “I want to show students how to grow your brand while teaching them basics of video production and hosting.”
Davy J is not only the founder of TLT but works also as a media personality and marketing specialist.
Growing up in Prince George’s County with seven brothers and sisters, Davy J he realized while attending Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt, that he loved public speaking and being before people.
“I played basketball outside of school as a hobby, but I also loved modeling and making skit videos outside of school for fun,” he said.
Davy J said his interest in becoming a television host didn’t materialize until he began majoring in mass communications at Towson. Hosting TV shows was something that he said he dreamed of, but he wanted to create his own show from scratch. Towards the end of his junior year, he came up with the idea of a talk show.
“Nothing at Towson really fit me,” said Davy J. “So, I got a camera guy, an editor, and a cohost, and began working towards starting my own talk show.”
The Lunch Table talk show was created because Davy J said he recognized the need for millennials to feel a part of a community and to have a platform to discuss, in an informative way, things that are happening in society. Featured topics have included school, social life, relationships and current events that interest youth. In each showcase, the college students’ model, dance, rap and provide other entertainment that displays their talents before their peers.
“The mission for TLT is to give a voice to the community through media and entertainment,” said Lisa Irambona, a TLT host.
TLT has sponsored several successful events at Morgan State, Coppin State, the University of Maryland at Baltimore County, Bowie State, Howard and the University of Maryland at College Park. More than 3,000 people have attended a TLT event within the past three years. On Nov. 3, TLT sponsored a showcase during Towson’s homecoming.
“This was our fourth annual TLT College Town Showcase,” said Timothy Dashiell, the TLT hosting coach. “We had acts from Morgan, Coppin, UMBC, with headliners Peso De Mafia and XIB.”
Peso De Mafia is a rap trio from Northeast Baltimore who tries to steer away from lyrics that discuss drugs and gun violence. The group members go by the names of Shordie 2x, 21; Purp, 22; and Lor Dee, 21.
XIB, which stands for Extreme Intentions Band, is a 13 member go-go band from Washington D.C. The band’s lead vocalist goes by the name of Spaceman, who directs the band’s singers, key board players, and conga drummers.
While Davy J chalks up success now, he is the first to admit that nothing happened overnight. He said his journey involved hard work and dedication. Consistency and persistence were needed to grow his organization, he said.
The Lunch Table began in February 2015 and was off to a slow and difficult start with little feedback and few members. By the summer of 2015, The Lunch Table was officially introduced at Towson as an organization that consisted of about three to four members. Davy J said he knew that he would have to remain consistent to see his work expand. In the fall of 2015, Davy J held his first showcase for The Lunch Table.
“The beginning was mainly trial and error,” said Davy J. “Trying new things. We started producing content and seeing what works.”
By the spring of 2016, Davy J was in his last semester at Towson and had added a TLT student president from Towson and received a few more members. The Lunch Table continued to shoot content as the word spread throughout campus. Davy J slowly began to branch out, reaching UMBC, Bowie State, and Howard.
“I was consistent and was not taking ‘no’ for an answer,” said Davy J as he reflected upon trials and opposition that came his way.
By this time Davy J quit his full-time job at Comcast as a sales associate, and became a full-time entrepreneur, dedicated to growing The Lunch Table as a brand. He took what he learned from his previous job and experience working as an intern at Radio in 2015 to promote his own business. Davy J had connections with friends who created music and began throwing parties for earn income. Flyers spread across campuses to promote the up and coming events, parties and showcases that TLT was hosting.
“There were times early on where I was even donating plasma to come up with more money,” said Davy J.
Eventually after raising enough money from showcases and events, Davy J was able to create a line of TLT shirts, sweatshirts, and hats for purchase on the TLT website. The Lunch Table then added its own TLT Angels modeling team to promote the clothing line. Along the way, Davy J managed to receive other opportunities, such as interviewing on the red carpet at the BET awards.
TLT has grown to more than 200 members and has sold more than 700 clothing items. So Davy J said he has reached his goal of having his personal brand with The Lunch Table. In addition, he said he delights in opportunities to experience an expansion of his own talk show while teaching millennials the basics of running a talk show blog, developing photos and videos, and capturing a good story. Davy J said he pushes others to work hard through the slow and difficult times and encourages them not to give up on their dreams.
“I am proud of following my dreams and relentlessly pursuing my passions,” said Davy J. “Proud of not giving up on myself when things seemed hopeless. And remembering that all blessings are not self- blessings, they come from God.”