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Now, the South Carolina-born shock jock says he wants to turn his unapologetic persona into media enterprises to help other Black creatives amplify their voices.

The Black Effect Podcast Network, the audio storytelling company he created five years ago, now hosts a festival and produces podcasts such as “R&B Money,� “Naked Sports with Cari Champion� and “Funky Friday with Cam Newton.�

Charlamagne has also ventured into book publishing with his own imprint under Simon & Schuster, Black Privilege Publishing. He started Southland Studios to develop film and television projects, and SBH Productions, an audio production company co-founded with comedic actor Kevin Hart.

Along with Dollie Bishop, Black Effect Podcast Network’s president of production and creative development, Charlamagne recently sat down for an interview. During the conversation they spoke about “The Breakfast Club’s� success, his Black Effect Podcast Festival and Charlamagne’s evolution from radio to entrepreneurship.

What made you want to start a podcast festival?Charlamagne: I thought about building out the Black Effect Network and where the space of podcasting was going. Comic books, movies and TV shows have festivals, so why wouldn’t podcasts (have one)? The podcast medium is very young, so it’s a natural evolution of what happens when you have something in entertainment that’s gaining some legs.

For the last several years, there have been so many podcasts that go on the road and sell a lot of tickets, so I’ve always felt like it was a natural thing to put together an entire festival with some of your favorite podcasts.

What does Black Effect Podcast Network consider when carrying new podcasts?Bishop: We’re looking for an array of voices, uniqueness and authenticity. We believe and know that none of us are monoliths or have the same interests, so we’re looking for people who really believe in what they’re speaking about and what they want to share, teach or show the world.

It’s not always about numbers or a specific box we put talent in. We look for talent that’s beginning, starting out or never been in podcasts before, and some of our partnerships are with talent who are 300 episodes in. If it’s much different than what we already have on the network, we absolutely love that.

Charlamagne: I agree.

Why did you launch the production company Southland Stories?Charlamagne: We’ve always wanted to be in the film and television world. Kevin Hart and I launched our company, SBH Productions, with Audible putting out audio-scripted stories, because we want to turn them into documentaries and TV shows in the future.

One of the projects we put out, “Brokedown Prophets,� was written by S.A. Cosby, and “John Wick� film producer Basil Iwanyk listened to it and wanted to option it for a film. We had a conversation at the end of 2023, and I told him that all of the original stories that Hollywood has never seen are going to come from the South and Black folklore that exists.

A few months later, he wanted to explore those things I talked about, so we put together a film-production company with stories that are rooted in Georgia, the Carolinas, Mississippi and all of these places that folks don’t know about. The box office success of “Sinners� just paved the way for that and shows that we’re on the right path.

What’s the inspiration behind Black Privilege Publishing?Charlamagne: When it came time for me to negotiate my deal to put out my third book, “Get Honest or Die Lying: Why Small Talk Sucks,� five years ago, I could’ve taken a huge check, but I’d rather have my own imprint to help other people get their stories out, put money in their pocket and create jobs.

Simon and Schuster agreed and understood the vision, because I’m able to help sell lots of books just by promoting them and talking about things that I’m reading. Now, we’re 16 titles in.

What’s next?Bishop: Charlamagne and I both have a vision for this company to expand into a production house, where it’s a one-stop shop for TV, film and audio. We’re only 5 years old, so there’s more to come.

Charlamagne: “ILLuminati� may or may not be a true story, but that will be out in June via AWA Comics. I grew up reading comic books and got a tattoo of Wolverine (of “X-Men�) on my arm, so I get to be in my own space to create my own world in the comic realm and potentially leak some secrets. It’s available for preorder now.

You can’t be afraid to grow or evolve, because if you don’t, you’re only shortening your own longevity. I want Black Effect Network to be a multimedia, billion-dollar conglomerate, and podcasting is just the beginning stages of storytelling.

Great podcast talent should do movies, TV and reality shows. I just want to help the culture move forward.