Born and reared in Newark, New Jersey, Lisa Durden is the third of five children. And yes, she has all the attributes of the “middle child” syndrome!” Although she grew up with both her parents, John and Margaret Durden, they were very poor!  Her parents were uneducated southerners, who during segregation, fled the south for the north, in hopes of a better life. Just to realize that they left one impoverished place, for the destitute, concrete jungle, they then called “the ghetto!” But her parents worked hard!! Taking menial, unskilled jobs to make ends meet. There were times where her father had to pawn valuables to put food on the table. There were moments when their utilities were turned off for non-payment. They didn’t always have the most stylish clothes and up to date toys, but what her parents always instilled in her and her siblings was the importance of getting an education!!

ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT!!

As a little girl, Lisa learned quickly that the only way to achieve and succeed is to work hard! She hated when the ice cream man came around and her parents told her that they had no money. So even at the tender age of 8, she realized that that had to end!! Begging people to give her something, even her own parents, was crippling to her!! So rather than ask for fish, she learned how to fish!! So to speak!! A light bulb went off in Lisa’s head, realizing that learning how to cornrow hair on her dolls was a marketable skill. So Lisa began promoting her hair braiding business by word of mouth and quickly became the favorite go to person for parents, little girls, grown men and women, for the best braid jobs in the neighborhood!! Lisa charged $2 a head for the service, but you had to bring your own comb, brush and hair grease. And once her business got off the ground, when the ice cream man came around, she always had her own money for a banana split!!

Little did she know, those entrepreneurial skills would follow her throughout her life and into her own self-titled business, Lisa Durden Unlimited, a Multi-Media Production Company, headquartered in the State of New Jersey, that specializes in creating award winning content, across various platforms, for television, the web and live audiences. Executive Producing her popular self-titled talk show, The Lisa Durden Show, which airs in over 1 million homes on Newark Cablevision, channel 19, @ 6pm, Tuesdays; Manhattan Neighborhood Networks, channel 56, @ 5:30pm Wednesdays; online @ www.TheLisaDurdenShow.com, www.YouTube.com/user/lisadurden, and 5:30pm, every Wednesday, by logging onto www.mnn.org, and selecting channel 2, Lifestyle Channel; Directing her Award winning documentary, PROJECT WOW: Men On The Down Low, broadcast on the BET J Series: Black Stories; and Associate Producing the award winning docu-serie Brick City 1 (Director: Mark Levin & Executive Producer: Forest Whitaker), which broadcast on The Sundance Channel and Soul Food Junkies (Director: Byron Hurt), which broadcast nationally on the PBS’ Series: Independent Lens, are just a few of the television projects that Lisa Durden Unlimited helped to create.  

AWARD WINNING SPEAKER!!

Winning came early for Lisa Durden. She set her sights on trying out for the girls track team at Vailsburg High School in Newark. During the indoor season tryout, the track coach, John Tonero, pulled her and another girl to the side and yelled, “you are the two slowest girls in the bunch! If you don’t shape up in two weeks, you will be dropped from the team!!” Initially Lisa had decided to quit. But a little voice in her head said, “screw this man!! Prove him wrong!!” And she did!! During her four year tenor as a member of the Vailsburg High School girls track team, she became a championship hurdler, 400 meter dasher and 4x4 meter relay runner.  Setting records, racking up hundreds of medals and scoring hundreds of points; helping to win team titles.

Running to win on the track, taught her the life lessons she needed to win off the track!! After graduating college, she worked in sales for Kellogg Sales Company, Phizer Pharmaceuticals, and Bristol Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals consecutively. Eight years into her career, she became very dissolution, realizing that she hadn’t hit the glass ceiling. Glass can be broken!! She hit the concrete ceiling!! By the mid 1990’s, Lisa was struggling to decide what to do with her life. When her friend Tammy invited her to see the famed motivational speaker, Les Brown at Riverside Church in Harlem, a light bulb went on!! As he was doing his keynote, “Live Your Dreams,” she gained clarity!! She realized that she had played herself!! She had dropped the proverbial baton!! The baton of life! She was off her game!! Her goals were to become a television personality and public speaker, NOT a worker. And right then; she decided to stop hiding behind that “good job,” which her family, friends and community celebrated her for, and got back on the grind!! Lisa put the wheels in motion to quit her job and start her business. In less than a year, she was hosting her talk show and was booking speaking engagements. Her energetic, interactive style of speaking continues to touch major corporations, non-profit/for-profit organizations, colleges/universities, primary/secondary and educational institutions around the country.

Ms. Durden is also an Adjunct Professor at Essex County College in Newark NJ 

Lisa’s Expertise:

* Keynote Speaking   * Emceeing   * Moderating    * Pop Culture Commentating

* Panel Discussions   * Hosting       * Lecturing        * Workshop Facilitating                 

Awards/Accolades:

* In 2015, We Care Partners Inc. presented her with The Communications Matriarch   Award

*  Fall of 2014, Progressive Achievers honored her with The Leader In        

Communications  Award

* Spring of 2009, she was honored by Essex County College Women’s    

  Empowerment  Forum, for Outstanding Contributions & Service to the   

Community.

FEATURED EXPERT!!

Lisa was a featured expert in:

* The book, Career Tool Kit:Skills For Success, By Carol Carter. 

* For Real Magazine as the, You Go Girl! 

* The hip political magazine, The Ave as the fresh talent to watch out for.

POP CULTURE COMMENTATOR!!

Lisa is a sought after Pop-Culture/Political Commentator booked to share her “keep it real,” “straight no chaser” view, on all things hot topics!! Appearing on Fox 5 News Live at 6pm with Ernie Enastos and as a Regular Expert Guest on nationally syndicated network radio and shows like FOX 5’s “The Morning Show w/ Mike & Juliet,” FoxNews.com’s “The Strategy Room,” Comcast’s “It’s Your Call: With Lynn Doyle,” My9 News and 98.7 Kiss FM’s the “Michael Baisden Show,” to name a few.

CELEBRITY BLOGGER/CONTRIBUTOR!!
For nearly 10 years, Lisa’s opinionated, sarcastic, humorous style of commentary, has made her one of the go to bloggers and newspaper/magazine contributors, for all things Celebrity News, Entertainment, Pop Culture, Politics, TV/film, Fashion, Relationships, Social Issues, Women’s Issues, Sex, Education, Social Media, Parenting and Health.

* In 2014, Lisa launched her self-titled blog: www.LisaDurdenMyWorldMyWay.com.   When you enter her world, she tells it her way!!

Contributor to:

* Ufront Media Insights, https://ufrontmediainsights.wordpress.com

* Local Talk Newspaper,

 http://www.localtalknews.com/newark/community/1867-oprahs-qthe-%20%0Dlife-you-want-weekendq-day-1.html">http://www.localtalknews.com/newark/community/1867-oprahs-qthe-

 life-you-want-weekendq-day-1.html.

* Newark Star Ledger’s NJ.com, http://connect.nj.com/user/ldurden/posts.html and   their former monthly publication, Newark Live from 2008 – 2014.

EDUCATION:
As a little girl, Lisa Durden always had the gift of gab!! Not knowing that one day she would grown up to be a force in the world of communications, her mother tried to stifle Lisa’s precocious personality by scolded her with the phrase, “kids should be seen, not heard!!” But like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Lisa couldn’t be stopped!! Deep down, she always knew that one day her voice would be heard!! So in pursuing her career goals, she focused on a major course of study in broadcast journalism at Seton Hall University. While at Seton Hall, her skills in communications and public speaking were sharpened by her position as Newscaster and Engineer for the college’s radio station, WSOU Radio 89.5FM; graduating with a BA Degree in Communications.

FELLOWSHIPS/PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS:

* American Federation Of Radio & Television

* CPB/PBS Producers Academy Workshopper, class of 2013

* NATPE Diversity Fellow class of 2009

* Leadership Newark Fellow class of 2003

* Maysles Institute Filmmakers Collective class of 2011

* Member of New York Women In Film and Television.

Lisa Durden is happily single and childfree!!  She Walks the Talk!