The saying goes “You can’t be it if you can’t see it,” and it’s something business partners Bimma Williams and BJ Frogozo have taken up as a mission.
The duo are behind the podcast production company Claima Stories. The mission of the podcast is representation, specifically to highlight the stories and careers of Black, Indigenous and people of color who are working in creative industries or running their own businesses.
The podcast has more than 50 episodes so far and each season a new episode drops every Tuesday. Right now they are between seasons. Podcasts can be found on the Claima website and on Apple Podcasts.
Williams has spent his career in footwear and apparel. He was most recently in global entertainment marketing at Nike. Frogozo’s career spans media, music, marketing and his own streetwear brand.
The two hatched Claima Stories in 2019 while Frogozo was freelancing and Williams was waiting out a noncompete after leaving Adidas.
“We were seeing racial injustice at multiple intersections in BIPOC communities. In the workplace, entrepreneurship, wealth gaps, pay gaps all of that,” said Williams.
At the same time, Sneaker Week 2019 was gearing up. Williams asked organizers if he and Frogozo could set up in a corner to interview BIPOC folks participating in the event for a podcast about representation in the industry. They ended up with time on the main stage, and the experiment was a hit.
Both Williams and Frogozo have had leadership positions and worked at major companies. They said the lessons they've learned, and those of other entrepreneurs, need to be shared.
Posting these stories online could help the duo reach as large an audience as possible.
“It’s open 24/7,” said Frogozo, so it’s available when people have time. “I wouldn’t be where I am if it wasn’t for the Internet. I didn’t know I could start my own business or start a streetwear business.”
Past guests include:
- Alejandro Rodriguez, founder and creative director of BTFL
- Stylist June Ambrose
- Andy Nguyen, co-founder of Afters Ice and Matte Black Coffee.
Guests are found through Williams and Frogozo’s own network as well as referrals.
The two just returned from a 30-day road trip down the West Coast collecting founder interviews. The trip and the distinctive purple Claima van/mobile podcast studio was funded in part by Vistaprint. The two companies announced a partnership earlier this year.
Williams and Frogozo are working on Claima full time. The venture generates revenue from ads and sponsorship. As the business grows, the two are also planning other creative offshoots.
