Daily Inspiration: Meet Ellen Chamberlain

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ellen Chamberlain

Hi Ellen, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve been a storyteller my entire life. Like many writers, I penned my first short story in elementary school and was immediately hooked, but it wasn’t my writing skills that would break me into the media industry. It was my inability to stop talking.

In high school, I hosted a radio show and eventually worked as general manager at WSHJ, Southfield Public Schools’ educational radio station. That led to a production internship at Radio One Detroit where I stayed until high school graduation from Southfield-Lathrup. After graduation, I attended Florida A&M University (an HBCU) in Tallahassee, Florida, and worked at Cumulus Media. There, I worked as a news and traffic announcer for The Steve Harvey Morning Show and other syndicated programming. I also hosted my own talk show before moving to Memphis.

In Memphis, I briefly worked in jazz radio before I transitioned to writing full-time. I ghostwritten everything from scientific content to romance novels. I currently work as the Food & Dining reporter for the Memphis USA Today outlet, The Commercial Appeal. Each week, I’m home in Michigan working on EsaidSHEsaid Communications, my content production company.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Absolutely not! I grew up in the 2000s, when neurodivergence wasn’t well understood or tolerated. It made focusing on one skillset difficult. My ADHD superpowers also made it hard to make industry friends while I was young; older professionals seemed to feel threatened by my dedication and ability to succeed. That led me to doubt myself.

Time and enough wins helped me gain confidence in my writing and myself.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a ghostwriter and content producer most known for memoirs. I’m inquisitive and attentive, making me really good at learning people’s stories. I’m a chameleon and able to write in their voices — something that I completely love — to tell those stories to the world. When I’m not writing, I love recording voiceovers.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
AI is the latest technology to change media. Fortunately, its production of written, audio, and visual materials isn’t quite up to par with human experts, but their existence has definitely made it harder for less experienced writers to break into the industry and gain valuable knowledge. Creators who can work with AI without relying on it for their end products will be able to sustain through the changes.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ellenchamberlain.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/esaidshesaid