Today we’d like to introduce you to La’Jaunea Esaw.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
From an early age, storytelling and the arts were central to my life. Born and raised in Nashville, I grew up immersed in creativity, eventually attending Nashville School of the Arts, where I studied theater and performed in plays throughout high school. Around that same time, I also discovered a love for digital storytelling through YouTube, teaching myself how to film, edit, and create content long before social media became the career path it is today.
That combination of performance, communication, and creativity naturally followed me into college at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where I earned a degree in communications with a minor in creative writing. During that time, I explored several sides of media and storytelling, including briefly working in journalism with Mocs News, while continuing to build my own content online. Like many young professionals, I didn’t have every detail of my future mapped out yet, but I was learning valuable skills in every season of life.
After college, I spent time working in the service industry, an experience that shaped me more than people might expect. Serving taught me how to connect with people from all walks of life, think quickly under pressure, communicate effectively, and build genuine relationships. It strengthened the people skills that now play such a major role in my career and reinforced something I already loved: creating experiences that make people feel seen, engaged, and connected.
When I moved back to Nashville and began pursuing my professional career full-time, everything started to come together. I stepped into a role as a marketing and events coordinator, where I gained hands-on experience in branding, social media strategy, event marketing, and digital communications. Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to work with incredible companies and nationally recognized brands, including The Home Edit, Walmart, and Nissan, helping create digital content and campaigns that connect with audiences in authentic and impactful ways.
Today, I serve as the Digital Media Manager for Tennessee Performing Arts Center, and in many ways, it feels like a full-circle moment. As someone who grew up as a theater kid, it’s incredibly meaningful to now work in a space that gives others the same inspiration and sense of belonging the arts once gave me. My role allows me to combine creativity, strategy, and storytelling while helping connect the community to live performance and arts education.
What makes the work especially rewarding is knowing the impact it has beyond marketing. Whether it’s watching families experience a show together, seeing students discover the performing arts for the first time, or helping create digital campaigns that make theater feel accessible and exciting, I’m reminded daily why this work matters. The arts shaped my confidence, creativity, and voice growing up, so being able to contribute to that experience for others is something I never take for granted.
In addition to my work at Tennessee Performing Arts Center, I’m also proud to serve on the 2026 Young Professionals Host Committee for the Legacy Ball. Being involved in initiatives that celebrate community, leadership, and culture is incredibly important to me, especially as a young professional building my career in my hometown. It’s meaningful to be surrounded by other driven individuals who are passionate about creating impact and uplifting the next generation of leaders in Nashville.
At the heart of everything I do is storytelling. Whether that started with theater stages, YouTube videos filmed in my room, or now leading digital media strategy for one of Nashville’s most influential arts organizations. Every step of my journey has taught me that creativity and communication have the power to connect people, create opportunity, and leave a lasting impact.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, it definitely has not been a completely smooth road. Like many young professionals, there was a season where I really did not know what direction my career would take. After college, especially graduating around the time the world was still adjusting after COVID, there was a lot of uncertainty. I was continuing to create content and pursue social media while also working in restaurants, applying for jobs, and trying to break into the professional world.
One of the biggest challenges was hearing “no” repeatedly while knowing I had the passion and work ethic to succeed. As someone fresh out of college, it was difficult at times to get employers to see my potential beyond my level of experience. There were moments where I questioned whether things were going to work out or if I would ever fully step into the career I wanted.
Looking back now, I actually think those challenges became one of the most important parts of my story. They taught me resilience, persistence, and confidence in myself. The opportunities I have today mean so much more because I know how hard I worked for them, and I would not change that part of the journey at all.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Professionally, I specialize in digital marketing, social media strategy, and email marketing, with a strong focus on storytelling and audience engagement. Currently, I serve as the Digital Media Manager for Tennessee Performing Arts Center, where I market institutional programming and live performances through both social and email campaigns.
A large part of my role involves creating marketing strategies that not only drive ticket sales, but also connect people to the arts in a meaningful way. I develop email campaigns, produce social content, film and edit videos, and collaborate directly with shows, cast members, artists, and departments across the organization to help bring each story to life digitally.
I would say I’m most known for creating content that feels both creative and informative. I love producing videos and campaigns that are visually engaging while still educating audiences and making the arts feel exciting and accessible. One of the most rewarding parts of my work is capturing real moments, especially within TPAC’s education programs and youth initiatives. Whether it’s documenting camps, student programs, or first theater experiences, I love being able to showcase the impact the arts have on people in a genuine way.
Beyond my professional work, I also continue creating lifestyle and creative content through my YouTube platform, “La’Jaunea’s Life,” where I share travel, wellness, beauty, and day to day lifestyle content. That creative outlet has helped shape my voice as a storyteller and continues to influence the way I approach digital media professionally.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I define success as building a life where the work you do feels meaningful and aligned with who you are. For me, success is waking up every day and being genuinely passionate about what I get to do. Of course, financial stability is important, and I think being comfortable financially is absolutely a part of success, but I do not think money alone creates fulfillment.
I think one of the most overlooked luxuries in life is truly enjoying your work and feeling connected to it. You can achieve external success and still feel unfulfilled, but there is something incredibly rewarding about doing work that inspires you, challenges you creatively, and allows you to make an impact. To me, success is finding that balance between purpose, passion, and stability, and creating a career and life that feel fulfilling from the inside out.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_lajaunea?igsh=eTZ6NHZ5NzA1M3Fw&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1LN1cWSf12/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@lajaunea?si=dRjzJOHFh8eRBiaO
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@_lajaunea?_r=1&_t=ZT-96DWLQkBXvp
