This week on Mompreneurs, Lori Hall and Jessica Lane look back on five years of building Pop’N Creative into a powerhouse creative production agency and studio—both as business partners and new mothers. In this episode, they join host Nancy Redd to share how they launched their company at the height of the pandemic, built a women-led team, and embraced the journey of new motherhood.
‘I Really Feel Like We Can Build This Ourselves’
The duo first connected while working at Turner Broadcasting, the parent company of CNN, TNT, and TBS before it became part of Warner Bros. Discovery. “I knew back then—that was 20-plus years ago—that she was a brilliant mind,” Lori said of Jessica, who “literally built the social media department at Turner Broadcasting for us.”
After their time working together at Turner, their careers diverged—but their paths would cross again. When Lori became SVP of TV One, she tapped Jessica for a critical role. “I was like, I need a brilliant mind over here. I know who I need—Jessica Lane,” she said. Up for the job, Jessica moved cross-country from Seattle to D.C. to serve as TV One’s head of social and digital content.
Once reunited, Jessica revived an idea she had floated to Lori years earlier during their Turner days. “We’re getting all these pitches from agencies—if they can do it, we can do it,” Jessica said. When she arrived at TV One, “I revisited it.” Jessica told Lori, “I really feel like we can build this ourselves.”
Source: Lori Hall & Jessica Lane
They made the leap, drawing on the network they’d cultivated over their careers, including production companies, writers, producers, photographers, and more. “All these really dope, amazing, primarily creatives of color that have been in the industry that we’ve intersected with, they became our true creative partners and they were invaluable to the strength of the business,” Jessica said. For a brand-new company, these connections proved invaluable in getting Pop’N Creative off the ground.
‘When The Pandemic Hit, We Were Shocked Like Everybody Else’
Their first major challenge arrived just one month after launching, as the 2020 pandemic triggered a global shutdown. “When the pandemic hit, we were shocked like everybody else,” Lori said.
But staying true to their mission as a multicultural marketing agency, they found a moment that put Pop’N Creative on the map. When George Floyd’s murder sparked global outrage, the founders saw a chance to educate and set the standard for messaging for companies looking to engage with the Black Lives Matter movement.
They released a white paper “to help companies understand how their messaging needs to be streamlined and strung through their entire business model, and we gave it away for free,” Lori explained. “We didn’t know that white paper would catch on like wildfire. That created a lot of awareness about Pop’N Creative.”
Since their launch in 2020, Pop’N Creative has partnered with major brands like Disney Jr., Hulu, and BET+, delivering dynamic content and real-world experiences with equal precision and creativity. Their portfolio includes immersive activations like My Black is Beautiful x CultureCon and award-winning campaigns like Nat Geo Presents: Fit for a Queen at New York Fashion Week—showcasing the agency’s signature blend of storytelling, design, and premium production.
‘Becoming A Mother Is A Special Kind Of Identity Crisis’
The mompreneur duo opened up about becoming mothers in their 30s and 40s—and why, for them, it was worth the wait. In this new chapter, Lori and Jessica are navigating the joys and challenges of motherhood together as they steer the growth of their thriving business.
“Becoming a mother is a special kind of identity crisis,” said Lori. “It’s a special kind of trying to figure yourself out, who you are as this new mama … Motherhood is another chapter, it’s an evolution. When you start your business, it’s an evolution. So never lose sight of the fact that you’re evolving.”
Leading their own company has given Lori and Jessica the flexibility to be present with their little ones while continuing to grow their flourishing business. “You can create the quality of life you want,” said Lori. “Having control over your life is a beautiful thing when you’re creating a family. We give that same freedom to our employees. That’s really important to us.”
Running a women-led business has been deeply meaningful to the mompreneurs. Always leading with intention, they offer flexible parental policies “so we don’t have to sacrifice great talent because you want to build a family,” Lori explained.
“We’ve been proud to hire women,” she added. “We’ve had five babies, I want to say, in the past eight months being born at Pop’N. A lot of people will be scared of that, but we lean into it, because what we know for sure is that moms are multitaskers, moms are leading their households, moms are having to think of everything—doing the invisible jobs—so we know that moms know how to situate their schedules. So that’s actually been a benefit for us.”
Catch New Episodes Of Mompreneurs Every Week
Welcome to Season 4 of Mompreneurs—where we spotlight brilliant Black women who are building their businesses and raising their families with strength and style. Join host and New York Times bestselling author Nancy Redd as these inspiring mompreneurs share their stories and the lessons they’ve learned along the way. Catch new episodes of Mompreneurs every Monday on MadameNoire’s YouTube channel or listen to the podcast online on the Urban One Podcast Network.
