Scottie Beam and Sylvia Obell on Debuting New Podcast Series With Issa Rae's Raedio (Exclusive)

You can never keep good women down! 

It's been almost a year since Sylvia Obell and Deanii Scott -- known as Scottie Beam -- bid farewell to the listeners of their Netflix podcast series, Okay, Now Listen. When the co-hosts announced the news via their social media pages and released a final episode of the bi-weekly podcast, they promised their audience, "This is not goodbye... We're gonna find it, we're gonna get it together. We're going to figure it out. And we are going to be OK."

Then, on May 19, Beam shared a photo of the duo to her Instagram page, where she and Obell are seen cheering. "Guys. We did it," she mysteriously captioned the post. 

What have Obell and Beam done? Exactly what they said they would! 

The pair is officially launching a brand new show, The Scottie and Sylvia Show, with Raedio, the audio everywhere company under HOORAE Media, co-founded by Issa Rae. The first two episodes of season one will debut on July 6, and listeners can watch weekly episodes on YouTube and listen on all streaming platforms.

The new series continues along a familiar vein for the pair's listeners -- each week, Beam and Obell will discuss a range of important topics from colorism to imposter syndrome and romance and vulnerability, with celebrity guests and gamified segments inviting listeners into their admirable friendship.

"It definitely happened in a way that feels divine, and I think that's what I love most about it," Obell tells ET about finding a new home for a series with Rae. Obell explains that the idea of her and Beam partnering with Raedio was broached during an interview with Rae on the Today Show.  

Recalling how she'd revealed to Rae that the podcast had been recently canceled, Obell says Rae wasted no time to enter her brand in the race to house the duo's next venture.

"She'd been on [the other] podcast, so we have a history with her. I told her they ended the podcast but was like, 'We have lots of people who are interested, don't worry about us girl. We are gonna pull ourselves up by our bootstraps,'" Obell remembers as she laughs at the memory. "And she was very much like, 'Well, how can I get on that list of meetings?' I was so surprised that her publicist had to be like, '[Really], we're gonna schedule a meeting later on.'"

While Obell and Beam did their due diligence by reviewing all the companies interested in housing their next show "just to make sure we understood what was on the table," Raedio undeniably established itself as the "best fit."

The series is Raedio's first always-on talk show format, demonstrating its highly curated content and pulse on the culture.

"The Scottie & Sylvia Show is an unparalleled first-of-its-kind podcast experience for Raedio," Dzifa Yador, Senior Director at Raedio, tells ET. "As Raedio continues to expand its 'audio everywhere' reach, we want to continue to amplify the key voices that move and shape culture. We're looking forward to listeners tuning in weekly to hear Scottie and Sylvia's unique takes on important topics and trending news."

Raven B. Varona

While the business end went smoothly, Beam and Obell admit that the personal transition as they looked for a new home was much more stressful. But fans will have to wait for the first episode of the series to learn about their "trials and tribulations."

Their natural chemistry, charm and ability to resonate with their listeners made them an instant hit and secured a unique space for them within Black Hollywood -- which is still taking them some time to get used to. "We both came in, though from different ways, more so covering Black Hollywood [and] not being part of it. So, even in situations like this where I'm not you on the Zoom call is weird," Obell shares. 

The former BuzzFeed staff reporter and on-air host likened the experience to stars who venture in front of the camera after years of working behind the scenes. "[It's] definitely an adjustment. It was something I was trying to avoid for a long time," she admits.

As an esteemed journalist whose work has appeared in Essence, New York Magazine, ELLE, and Cosmopolitan, Obell says she worried about being taken seriously after picking up the mic for Okay, Now Listen. "I'm a writer. People may know your name, your work, but they won't stop you on the street because they recognize you. So all of that type of stuff is a huge adjustment," she adds. 

Beam is well-versed in the world of on-air attention, previously serving as a producer of Hot97 and co-host of REVOLT’s State of the Culture talk show. But she balks at the idea of being part of Black Hollywood -- although she will happily acknowledge that Beyoncé and JAY-Z know her name.  

"I'm not there yet. But I do recognize that we have had an impact in many spaces, and as long as we have an impact in the spaces that matter, and especially with any space that Black women are in, where they can come up to us and say, 'B**ch. I'm an engineer, but I listen to you and Sylvia, and we have the same journeys,' then it's worth it," Beam tells ET. 

She adds, "We go about things differently, but some of the things that we pass look the same. The road that we take may look the same, and it's helpful to have somebody else speaking about it because then I don't feel as alone. And this life, life period, is just very lonely sometimes. So I'm happy that we can contribute to you feeling like you're accompanied by other Black women who are also going through things."

If anyone was confused about the target audiences for their content, Beam and Obell are quick to let you know that it is all intended for, about, and with respect to, Black women and Black culture. 

"I've worked in mainstream newsrooms. We know what it's like to have to be the translators, but after a certain point --  especially after the Black Squares era, which is when we launched -- we're not explaining. There are books you can read. The material is there, it's been there," Obell lays out. "They're trying to take critical race theory outta schools. It's not gonna be on us to do for you, which y'all refuse to do for yourselves. Half the time, I'm a strong believer that racism is a white people's problem because they created it, and they gotta be the ones to fix it. So for us, if you are here to listen, then hey, if you have questions, the internet is right there on your phone."

The journalist reiterates that she and Beam do not make their show to labor for others to learn about Black culture, nor do they feel the need to interpret the conversations for a non-Black audience.

"If anything, we're gonna do the extreme opposite just to normalize [that] content. White podcast hosts are never asked or have to think about translating things for Black listeners, and I expect the same in return," she adds. "That's why we the game about Scottie not knowing white people because that's the same level of ignorance [they have.] They know Friends, but they don't know Living Single, you know what I mean? They know Seinfeld, but they don't know Martin. I, too, don't have to watch all of your stuff if you're not even gonna acknowledge ours. We're always about Black women first and foremost."

Raven B. Varona

"Everybody else can get a dictionary and Google or talk to their sister," Beam suggests. "Maybe there is somebody else nice enough to explain, but it ain't us."

Since meeting at Essence Fest in 2017, Beam and Obell have been an inseparable duo. Part of what makes them work so effectively is their ability to play off one another, knowing each others' strengths and weaknesses in conversation and just the joy that comes from watching their banter back and forth. 

"It's the greatest blessing to be able to work with your best friend. I know a lot of people go with this whole, 'You don't work with your friends, don't work with family,' mentality, but I don't subscribe to that at all," Beam gushes, smiling at her co-host over Zoom. "Because I picture the things that I do [as] a labor of love, and why not do it with the people that you love?"

The media mogul says she can't imagine making The Scottie and Sylvia Show with anyone else, declaring, "There's nobody I'd rather do this with, like, there's no one. I'd rather do this with Sylvia's super understanding, and I think we just feed each other. We're able to hold each other's hands and I think that's perfect when doing something like this."

She adds, "I don't understand, when you want to put out a podcast that is based and rooted in transparency and being authentic and being able to have those heart-to-hearts, doing it with somebody you don't know. There's a certain type of comfort that comes with sitting with your best friend, ignoring the mic and being able to say, 'Hey, this is what's going on. This is how I find my joy, and this is how you've helped me find joy through whatever I'm going through.'"

Obell echoes the sentiment, sharing that Beam is "probably the only close friend I would do this with, to be honest."

"I think we balance each other out in the best way. My shortcomings are her strengths, her shortcomings are my strengths and in a way, that just really feels like it fits," she says. "From the beginning, I think it's why we became friends so fast. It's just natural chemistry and we have it. And I think that's so much of the work when you're doing a project with somebody. Some people have to practice it or get used to it or get a vibe for it. And for us, it's just natural in a way that makes it feel like we were meant to do stuff like this together. And I'm just so glad that we were in the right place at the right time for God's plan to unfold that way with us because I really do feel like that's what it was."

The first two episodes of The Scottie and Sylvia Show premieres on July 6. Listeners can watch weekly episodes on YouTube and listen on all streaming platforms.

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