COPYWRITER + MUSIC JOURNALIST + DJ

Natelegé Whaley is a copywriter, culture/music journalist, and DJ, centering community in everything she creates. 

Currently, she is a writer-for-hire looking to bring 13 years of expertise to a brand that’s creating impactful storytelling. From 2021 to 2023, she was a copywriter and editorial strategist for Meta’s Instagram for Business within the B2B content marketing team. Here, she focused on social, blog, and short video content that helped businesses learn how to grow on Meta. 

Whaley’s past copywriting clients include The New York Times Store, Grow With Google, Sony Music, and The National Urban League. For these historic brands, she’s provided a range of messaging deliverables for print campaigns, blog and social media content, and short documentary scripts. 

Whaley’s writing career began as a journalist. She is a former Bandcamp columnist, staff writer for Mic.com and BET.com, and writer for Supermajority News. Whaley has contributed to NBCNews, Teen Vogue, Pitchfork, Billboard, Eater, Vice, Vibe, and more. Her journalistic writing covers Black women's identity, hip-hop's impact on popular culture, reproductive justice, and human interest stories related to excessive policing and racism. 

Some of her impactful feature stories include: “We Aren’t Alone: On TikTok, Black Girls Find Visibility—And Racist Hate” for Bitch Media (2020); “Rico Nasty and the Importance of Black Women's Anger in Rap” for Pitchfork (2019); and “These female rappers don't want to be defined by industry sexism. They're setting their own rules” for Mic (2018). Check out her portfolio for more reads. 

In the wake of social uprisings in 2020, Whaley spoke openly about the mental health challenges Black journalists face reporting about racial injustices for the New York Times.

In 2023, on Substack, she re-launched her blog Scene Serene, which is her former Tumblr pen name and now DJ name. There, she writes thought-provoking essays about music culture that ties the past to the present. For an example of this work, check out her essay series, "The Blues Lives Through: (2024), which connects the early Blues legends to modern artists through their lyricism. On Substack, she also promotes her latest DJ mixes.

Whaley is also a community-centered creative. In 2018, along with her friend Naima Moore-Turner, she co-founded Brooklyn Recess, a double-dutch collective preserving double-dutch culture in Brooklyn, New York, through fitness events and content. In 2010, she launched Hearts Converse, a platform providing a safe space for young adults to discuss relationships, life, and culture with discussions circles, and storytelling. 

In 2023, Whaley fulfilled a childhood dream of learning to DJ after attending the Scratch Academy DJ course. Besides providing open-format DJ services to businesses in New York City, she sees DJing as another tool to tell stories about Black music history. Follow her DJ journey on Soundcloud IG and TikTok accounts.

Whaley is a proud graduate of the Howard University School of Communications, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. She also has a certificate in front-end web development from General Assembly. She was born and raised in Brooklyn, where she resides.

FREELANCE WORK*

Please reach out with information about rates, deadlines, etc.

I am accepting inquiries about:

1) Assignments for reported stories;

2) Assignments for copywriting;

3) Opportunities for speaking engagements related to topic expertise;

4) Collaborations and creative partnerships regarding my community-focused work;

5) Cultural consultations as it relates to Black culture and modern Black feminism conversations.

6) DJ gigs!

LET’s CONNECT:

E: NW@NATELEGE.COM

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