How Isha Sesay Leads Areya Media’s Expansion and Amplifies Diaspora Voices Through OkayPlayer and OkayAfrica

Isha Sesay’s journalistic insights revolutionize the way she discovers and sheds light on untold stories in the African and Black diaspora.

A fitting daughter of the African continent, born in Sierra Leone and raised in the UK, Isha Sesay has made waves globally as a journalist. Well-versed in ethical journalism, Sesay was once a news anchor on CNNwhere she rose to prominence after revealing the story of the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok, Nigeria, by Boko Haram in 2014. Sesay’s influential work CNN The team received a Peabody Award for their reporting on the events.

That was exactly ten years ago. Today, Sesay is a media executive, having risen to the position of CEO of Areya Media, a dominant company in the mass media industry Okay, player, OkayAfricaand OkayShop. Under her leadership, the company is taking its strong brand to new heights.

“I’m very aware of navigating the world first and foremost as an African woman,” Sesay told us in our exclusive interview last month. “I don’t regret it. Honestly, as someone who was born in the UK and moved to Sierra Leone when I was seven, and lived there from the age of seven to 16 before returning to the UK for university, it was in later years that I really came to understand and appreciate the gift of spending those formative years on the continent. Those years, from the age of seven to 16, really shaped me and gave me a real insight into inequality, injustice, deprivation – all those things, including gender dynamics in a particular African context.”

In 2021, Sesay was named the new CEO of OkayMedia and was also elected to serve on its board. About 19 months ago, under Sesay’s leadership, OkayMedia was renamed Areya Media.

“We changed the name to OkayMedia, we changed the parent company, and I changed it to Areya Media,” Sesay said. “Someone pointed out that in Yoruba, (Areya) actually means sun, it means light, which is pretty accurate because I was talking about invisibility and light at the very beginning of this conversation. That’s what I’m trying to do — bring out black culture, bring these stories to light, shine a light.”

Areya Media’s mission is very specific. OKPlayera storyteller specializing in the Black and African diaspora, alongside OkayAfricaare a media conglomerate dedicated to cultivating audiences that value black empowerment, especially from unfamiliar voices. Since then, the platforms have evolved from publishing exclusively articles to becoming multimedia companies. Their niche extends beyond celebrity culture to focus on the cultural concerns of their readers, whether they are local or global. A profound aspect of this initiative is the prioritization of multimedia, as consumers have seen an increase in visual content on social media, including the inclusion of podcasts.

Earlier this year, OkayPlayer launched a new podcast sector, Rap Almanac podcast as its flagship offering. Hosted by Donwill, a seasoned emcee and member of the rap duo Tanya Morgan, the Webby Award-winning podcast delves into the insights and perspectives of hip-hop enthusiasts. Donwill leads thought-provoking discussions on key moments in hip-hop history, as well as complex issues in the culture, such as misogyny and the role of religion.

“Our podcast division is built on unique voices and unique points of view,” Sesay said.Rap Almanac Hosted by Donwill, it’s an incredible show hosted by an incredible talent. He delves into hip-hop and rap, looking at exactly where it is today and what its influences are. Donwill asks incredibly smart questions, and I feel a lot smarter after watching the show. I’m really impressed with his encyclopedic knowledge.”

In an era when online platforms limit face-to-face interactions, OKPlayer developed a strategic plan to revive human connection beyond borders. This summer, they launched a series of one-day events, hosting two events at The Wicked Lady in Brooklyn, while African Chop House provided culinary offerings. One event celebrated the launch of Rap Almanac podcast, while the second titled “The Dey Party” appears to be a reference to the polysemous Nigerian pidgin term “dey”.

In December, Areya Media will be present at Art Basel in Miami, organizing a huge party.

Okay, player consumers may have noticed the launch of the platform’s newsletters in August, which have since gained more than 100,000 subscribers. In addition, Okay, player expanded into the gaming sector, partnering with AURN to launch OkayplayerGO and hosting two tournaments in this promising niche.

“One of the things I’ve focused on is diversifying our offerings,” Sesay said. “Previously, we were focused primarily on print, editorial, and writing in the digital space. Now, since I’ve been in this role, we’ve created OkayPlayer Studios, our internal production unit, to scale our video content and produce podcasts. Now we’ve gotten into the podcast space. We’ve launched a newsletter with over 100,000 subscribers, a little over a year old. We’ve also launched a gaming vertical because we believe that black people are gamers, too, and we want to create spaces for them to play.”

Despite the media conglomerate’s multimedia makeover, Areya Media maintains an unwavering commitment to journalistic integrity. Sesay’s notorious reporting on school girls in Chibok, Nigeria, exemplifies the power of pure investigative journalism, where her vigilance held members of the Nigerian government accountable and gave voice to voiceless girls and their families. This ethical standard, demonstrated throughout Sesay’s career, is deeply embedded in Areya Media’s platforms. The conglomerate boldly amplifies the diverse voices of the Black African diaspora while carefully avoiding tokenism.

“We’re very, very conscious about making sure that we’re sourcing information,” Sesay said. “We’re making sure that we’re reporting on things ourselves, that we’re not just curating, that we’re not just pulling from other places, that we’re not using clickbait, that we’re not just trying to abuse SEO algorithms just because we want people on our platform.”

“We want to do meaningful work,” Sesay continued. “We want to do meaningful, thoughtful, thoughtful, insightful journalism because our mission is ultimately to empower, entertain, inspire and uplift. With all that in mind, we avoid symbolic or flashy, sensational takes on culture or politics. We just don’t want to be controversial; that’s not part of our value system in our editorial house.”

In the year 2025 OkayAfrica will launch its first podcast, Afrobeats Intelligenceproduced by Sesay and hosted by Nigerian journalist Joey Akan. Reflecting Donwill’s deep dive into hip-hop, Akan will undertake an in-depth analysis of the Afrobeats music scene, making it the first Nigerian podcast of its kind and caliber thanks to Akan’s well-researched expertise.

“Next year we will launch a podcast equivalent or sister to The Almanac of Rap called Afrobeats Intelligencepresented by OkayAfrica,” Sesay revealed. “We’re launching a podcast with Nigerian journalist Joey Akan. We just signed him and are excited to produce his podcast, which will feature live shows with audiences in Nigeria and here in the United States.”

Sesay is well aware of the importance of a journalist who gets the beat. That’s what he seeks when stepping into the role of a media executive whose goal is to elevate the narrative of the Black and African diaspora while ethically dispelling misconceptions. Most importantly, he strives to create a daily portal of important, fact-based stories tailored to inform cultural epistemophiles.

“Discovery is part of our DNA at OkayAfrica AND OKPlayer page, and we’re very aware of that — I never let people forget that. But I don’t want you to think I have to beat the drum. Everyone inside understands that discoveries, new voices, rarely heard stories, overlooked stories, marginalized issues, places — belong here. This is where you come to discover.”