How 'The Shop: UNINTERRUPTED' is Giving Free Game: A Conversation With Paul Rivera

From the moment The Shop debuted in August 2018, its objective was clear—to bring real people into a real setting (a barbershop), where very real conversations and debates often happen. Created by Paul Rivera and executive produced by LeBron James, Maverick Carter, Peter Nelson, and Rick Bernstein, The Shop has been the source for fruitful engaging conversations that often make its way to social media platforms like X for over five years and counting. Having featured many notable names through its five year-plus run including: Jay-Z, Will Smith, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Quinta Brunson, Whoopi Goldberg and many more, tough conversations aren’t shied away from, healthy discourse is encouraged, sometimes different viewpoints are challenged, and most important, free game is given throughout each episode.

Even if you are just a mere spectator watching from the comfort of your couch, the warmth, openness, and lively nature of the show's respective hosts and guests for the evening easily makes you feel as though you too are an active participant in the discussion. The Shop’s latest initiatives are an expansion of that familial environment as this fall the series took its act on the road. This past month the platform launched "The Shop UNINTERRUPTED HBCU Tour, ” which was supported by AT&T Dream In Black (DIB), Taco Bell, Toyota and Twix to cultivate conversations amongst the next generation of Black innovators. 

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Three stops were included on this tour: Tennessee State University, Hampton University and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University for an unforgettable experience centered around the power of community and collaboration. We caught up with Rivera in North Carolina to talk about all things The Shop.

"I would say the decision to partner with HBCUs is one of the easiest and quickest decisions we've ever made," Rivera tells ONE37pm after the show presented at North Carolina A&T. "Our entire platform is one of empowerment, and we believe empowerment starts within our own community. It's was just a natural fit for us to do a partnership with HBCUs." Empowerment was indeed the correct word to describe the evening at the campus, which consisted of a sold out crowd primarily filled with college students between the ages of 18 to 25 as they soaked in words of wisdom, encouragement, and advice from those in the places they hope to be one day in the future.

While each stop was loaded with motivation that will indeed have you walking with a little extra pep in your step as you leave, the stops were also filled with opportunity—one of those being The AT&T DIB Rising Future Makers (RFM) Showcase activation, which presented a kiosk for HBCU students to submit their application to become a part of the 2023 Rising Future Makers Class. If selected, students will receive $5,000, technology, and access to industry experts in support of their dreams.

"One of the key things for us has been success not being a linear path," Rivera says in response to my question about the life lessons he has for those who were unable to attend any of the tour stops. He continues: "Success doesn't always look the same, and there are different avenues and opportunities that can happen for an individual. For some of us, that can come in the form of a mentor, for others that can come by way of experience, and for some it's trying a lot of things to find what their actual passion is. The one consistent theme we had an each stop was the motto 'Start Now!'—do what you can with what you have.

You can start a podcast with a phone, you can sell a t-shirt or clothing line on your Instagram—don't feel like you've got to have it all figured out, but there are things that you can start doing now in terms of creating a strategy and having your business plan all dialed. Start now, do what you can with what you have, and grow with it over time."

Each stop on The Shop's tour also encouraged the attendees to have some fun. At the end of the day, you also have to make sure you're taking the time for fun so that—in the words of Prince—"you can get through this thing called life." Toyota was present during the stops, showing off the Toyota Grand Highlander and bringing along a photo booth and DJ with them. So was TWIX who also had a photo booth, and a few candy stations to grab snacks at. The entire event from start to finish was nothing but positivity and understanding, which is the goal for everything The Shop produces whether it's a tour stop, or one of their regular barbershop sessions.

"We alway joke that as long as people want us to come back we will," says Rivera adding: "When you think of The Shop, this is a setting that feels more at home for us in terms of being in front of our community and having two-way conversation and dialogue. The 'Hero Show,' as we call it, is great because as a brand The Shop and executives at Springhill Company, we want to get in front of our communities more, talk to people that look like us and come from where we come from, and are at the exact stages in their careers and journeys where some of this information can be helpful."

You can keep up with the latest episodes of The Shop via their YouTube page.

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