The Neighborhood Talk

Life has a funny way of guiding us down the pathway to our purpose. Something like the yellow brick road — in The Wiz, not The Wizard of Oz — it starts off like an easy feat; just a little walk down this bright, shiny street. Then things happen. Menacing and miserable crows try to distract you from the path, strangers in the subway try to scare you from pressing on, and the ones rooting against you might send a motorcycle gang after you to try to completely take you out. But along the way, you meet people that push you forward. Friends remind you that you’re smart enough to do it; that you’re brave enough to make it happen; that you know in your heart that this is what you need to do. Then you make it to the end and find the place you can call home. A home that your blood, sweat, and tears built. From all this, greatness is born.

In the world of celebrity and entertainment news, Kyle Simpson is a name that few people don’t know. Honing his craft while working for other well-known social media outlets, Kyle made the enterprising decision to create his own platform. “I literally just told myself to go for it,” says Kyle, recalling his life-changing decision. “I told myself, ‘You love pop culture, you love reporting news, so why don’t you just go for it and do your own thing?’” Two days after leaving his job, Kyle created The Neighborhood Talk. With his following from his previous position trailing him, Kyle saw The Neighborhood Talk slowly but surely flourish. “It’s grown into exactly what I wanted it to be,” he says. “We talk about pop culture, hard news. We go into funny tweets and TikTok videos. It’s pretty much everything you’d talk about in the neighborhood if you were outside talking to your friends when you get home from school. That’s what I wanted The Neighborhood Talk to encompass. It’s a place where you can come and get a little bit of everything.”

As with any new project, the growth didn’t come without obstacles along the way. Expectations were set, alterations were made, and lessons were learned to craft the platform exactly the way it needed to be successful. “I really wanted us to be at one million followers within the first year,” says Kyle. “Now we’re in year four, and we’re at 1.9 [million]. It’s all been a learning experience, especially as I learn how things change over the years, you know? Instagram isn’t what it was when I first started out in the blogging industry. It was so easy to get followers quickly back then. Now there are so many limitations: there are shadow bans, they took away the following tab that let you see what people were liking.” This, he says, provided a huge understanding of how to operate as the social media scene constantly evolves, which he incorporates in The Neighborhood Talk’s growth to ensure the changing landscape of social media never hinders but only helps the platform’s overall engagement. “One of the main things I’ve learned in growing this platform,” he says, “is giving the company a culture of collaboration. It’s all about ‘we’ and ‘us’ at The Neighborhood Talk, not ‘I’ and ‘me.’ I know what it’s like to be left out or feel underappreciated and I don’t want any member of my team to feel that here. I don’t pull off anything on my own here. The team brings it all to life.”

Setting The Neighborhood Talk apart from other platforms, Kyle continues his collaborative efforts with celebrities that TNT reports on. “One thing that makes us different is we actually try to work with the celebrities with the stories we post,” he says. “If we posted something about you, for example, and you just weren’t feeling it — if you DMed us and expressed yourself, we’ll take it down. If it’s some hot late breaking news, though, I’m gonna have to keep it up! >laughs< I believe in karma, though, and we’re just not here to ruin anybody’s day. We just like to give the tea and make it a little funny. We really are nice people >laughs<.”

While The Neighborhood Talk has built a brand around sharing the latest news and hot gossip [insert witty Lady Whistledown Bridgerton reference here], it’s also committed to shedding light on important issues. “We cover a lot of murders and domestic violence stories, and the neighbors weren’t really feeling it, but it’s important to shed light on everything going on,” he says. “Especially given all the crimes against transgendered people. We don’t want to force anything down anyone’s throats, but ignoring the problem doesn’t make it go away.”

As long as The Neighborhood Talk is around, stories will be told and fun will be had. From hosting women’s empowerment events like EmpowerHER NYC to possible podcasts in the future, The Neighborhood Talk will continue to make sure it’s the talk of the town.

Keep up with The Neighborhood Talk on social media @theneighborhoodtalk!