Welcome to FinTech TV.
I'm Remy Blair, Powerful Voices and Global Movements.
Makita, key adviser to the 100 billion meals.org alongside Tony Robbins, is helping to celebrate the 40th anniversary of We Are the World with her close friend DMC leading the charge and serving as executive producer of a new podcast.
This team is harnessing the energy of the recent Global Citizen event in New York to drive social impact.
Well joining me with more on how these efforts. are uniting the fight to hunger and also inspiring change around the world is Makita Mays Green from Good People TV and SVP of digital and Cultural Consumer Insight at Nickelodeon.
Nikita, great to have you here.
Welcome to the New York Stock Exchange.
Thank you so much for having me.
It's such a pleasure to be here this morning.
Well, first, let's start out with you.
I want to hear about your involvement in children's media and how you actually got there.
Oh my goodness, it's such a great story.
You know, I was that little girl who always I loved watching children's media and so I'd watch shows like Sesame Street and Mr.
Rogers and so many others, but the thing is, I didn't often see people in the majority of the shows who looked like me.
However, on Sesame Street there were characters and monsters and people with many personalities who I felt like I could just connect to.
And so I didn't want to go to Sesame Street just one day.
I wanted to live there.
If someone said you can go to Sesame Street right now, I literally would have changed addresses.
Long story short, when I arrived in graduate school.
I took the opportunity to write down 3 things I was passionate about Remy, and those 3 things were children, television, and education.
And every day I would come home from class and watch the credits of TV shows looking for the names of people who were doing things that I aspired to do.
From there I went to the phone book and I made cold calls, and while not many people answered my call, all it takes is one guess, and that one yes came from David Cohen at.
I had an informational interview that led to an internship, freelance, and then a full-time role as a researcher with that organization.
Well, Nikita, you have realized your vision and you're living your dream, and now you want to pass the torch on, I understand.
So tell us about your advisory for Worth right now.
Yes, so I'm working very closely with 100 billion meals, which is an An organization designed to combat global hunger founded by Tony Robbins, an incredible team, it is really designed to be a cross collaborative effort in which we bring together business leaders, investors, and individual donors to make sure that we are acutely doing our part to solve the problem.
You know, in 2024, 8.2% of the global population was hungry.
That's roughly 1 in 11, 1 in 11 in a world where we have excess food.
That's pretty unacceptable and as my good friend Darryl DMC McDaniel says, you know, it's not impossible to solve.
It might be tricky, but it's not impossible.
And so together we're doing our best to make sure that we are galvanizing efforts to solve this problem with global hunger.
Yeah, and Makita, it's hard to believe, but 2025 marked the 40th anniversary of We Are the World.
So tell me about the work that you're doing right now and the impact you hope to achieve.
I know it's hard to believe.
40 years.
We are the world, 40 year anniversary of Live Aid, and what we realize is that music has the power to transcend so many barriers.
It has the power to bring people together to advance important messages and build community.
And so along with Darryl DMC McDaniels and an incredible producer Jim.
Jam of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.
We are pulling together a beautiful song that will involve some of the biggest, hottest artists of today, but also give people an opportunity, people who don't necessarily sing like me, right, to take part in have agency.
The intent is to showcase the ways in which music can bridge everyone around the world, but at the same time raise funds to combat global hunger.
I could not be more excited about this project.
It is incredibly timely and I know that it will have tremendous impact.
Yeah, that's really exciting, and I think unity is key during this time.
So I understand you're going to be working on a podcast about those.
Yeah, the podcast is called The Dream Doctor with Nikita May Queen, and it's really about transforming lives and unlocking dreams one dose at a time.
You know, the reality is I am someone who was able to achieve my dream job, but the The responsibility that I have right now is to be able to give back and create other pathways.
A recent report suggested that only 8 to 9% of Americans currently Do their dream job and to me that's fascinating.
Like 1 in 10, I know that there are possible ways to help bring those numbers up.
Part of the reason that people don't necessarily achieve their dream job or live in their dream career is because there are financial constraints.
There are family obligations.
Sometimes it's fear or just lack of having access to pathways.
Dream doctor provides an opportunity for them to hear.
From influencers and celebrities who have created space to live their dreams, but also understanding that there are there are trials before the triumph and so it's a story of persistence at the same time we allow other people to come in the dreamers to share their story and so people who might think their dream has been. diminished or delayed in some manner, we are providing mentors, sponsors, and hiring managers who provide them an opportunity to actually live out their dream because all dreams can become a reality.
And by me, Makita, before I let you go, children are the future, correct?
So for the next generation of professionals out there, they're living in an age where technology as well as content abounds.
So we know content is everywhere, but you need to get the right information in order to make your dreams come true.
So what is your message for children out there?
My message for children is to read.
Read all you can.
Knowledge is power, and once you have that knowledge inside of you, nothing can stop you.
At the same time, I think it's important to think about ways in which you are building yourself up emotionally and surrounding yourself with positive people.
So if I had to leave with three things, I would say one, although things may seem difficult.
Replace fear with faith.
Replace procrastination with persistence and in the midst of any sense of confusion surround yourself with people who can bring clarity because for kids as well as for adults, dreams might be delayed, but they never have to be denied.
And finally, one thing that I did want to ask you about is your favorite character on Sesame Street.
So sometimes we might not have the best role models growing up.
So what was your favorite thing about Sesame Street and who was your favorite character?
I'm so glad you've asked.
My favorite character hands down would have to be Elmo.
The laughter Elmo embodies the joy for life, the curiosity. speaks to my heart in such a beautiful way and so I'm someone who I love people.
I love to laugh and I love to learn.
And so Elmo's really the embodiment of that and you look so beautiful in your red and it just reminds me of Elmo, so I couldn't be more happy to be speaking with you today.
Well, Makita, such an important conversation at an important time.
So thank you so much for joining me here at the New York Stock Exchange, and I'm glad that I chose the Elmo Calote.
Hey, thank you so much.
Such a pleasure.
