Television Host Erica Cobb of Daily Blast Live
Our series Talk Shop is a career and style profile featuring personalities from various industries. They are shot on location in Cherry Creek sometimes wearing clothing from stores in the area. Esther Lee Leach interviews Erica Cobb at The Jacquard Hotel & Rooftop in Cherry Creek. Erica wears gowns from Mariel Boutique and jewelry from Balefire Goods.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DANIELLE WEBSTER// STYLING BY KIRI MORKEN
CLOTHING BY MARIEL BOUTIQUE// JEWELRY BY BALEFIRE GOODS
MAKEUP BY JARAY DANIEL// HAIR BY CORRINE FENSTER// NAILS BY MAINSTREAM NAILS
Esther Lee Leach: Let’s start all the way from the beginning. Where did you grow up and what brought you to Denver?
Erica Cobb: I’m from Chicago, IL I lived on the West Side until I was 9 years old and my parents moved the family to a Western Suburb of Chicago. I returned to the city to attend DePaul University. So much of my life was influenced by the duality of my home/family/church life being a city girl in the burbs. I learned so many life lessons from the juxtaposition of who I knew myself to be versus how others saw me. Too city for the suburbanites, too suburban for the city folk. Learning to create my own lane was the key to survival, it was also the key to my early success in Chicago radio. A radio career that would lead me to Denver in 2009 to become the “Girl Power in the mornings” at ALICE 105.9.
ELL: Before you became a television host, you were in radio. Tell us more about that experience?
EC: Radio was my first love, I used to listen to radio all the time and knew all of my favorite jocks. When I was 12 I got grounded for the entire summer, I spent the whole time in my bedroom listening to the radio on my karaoke machine. I would record the jocks and then record myself copying them. I then began to sneak and call my favorite station WGCI, a jock by the name of Crazy Howard McGee used to let me introduce the “Junior Crazy Hall of Fame” bit. At the end of the summer I told him that I was going to be a Radio Girl. Less than 10 years later I was working in the same building he was, doing just that.
ELL: You are a television host on the Daily Blast Live Show. Take us behind the scenes and describe life on set. What is your daily schedule like?
EC: My schedule at Daily Blast Live is much different than being on morning radio. I no longer have to be at work at 4:30-5am, but all of those years of doing that taught me the importance of getting an early start to my day. I now use those early hours to workout, meditate, voiceover the show teases of the day from my home studio, get myself ready for my day to try to set myself up for success. Sometimes I’m successful at all of this, other days I have to remind myself I’m only human! I have a much longer day at DBL, but not all of it is what I would traditionally call “work.” I mean, I get an hour of daily glam with hair, make-up and wardrobe to start the day. Sometimes it feels like work, but mostly it feels like a sweet gig! After glam I go to set and I’m off to the races of 3.5 hours of being on-air. I try to have an attitude of gratitude, even when the newscycle isn’t so upbeat and positive.
ELL: On set, what is your fashion style, what do you wear?
EC: On set my style is very sassy business. I like to keep personality in my wardrobe even for “daytime TV attire.” This has been a challenge to figure out what looks best on my body for camera while keeping my personality in it as well. I have hits and misses and I’ve gotten comfortable with the process of figuring it out.
ELL: How would you describe your ‘off-duty’ style?
EC: My off-duty style is COMFORT… I love to have “a look” but that look is a bit more effortless chic, LOL. I think it’s a mix of athleisure wear and boho mixed with some high-end accessories like handbags and shoes.
ELL: Who are your favorite designers?
EC: My favorite designers are all over the place given the season and reason. I’m loving Byron Lars lately, he definitely designs for curves and the vision is so dope. I also like brands like Free People, Black Halo, Milly, Hale Bob, YSL, Adidas. Lets just say I’m not crazy picky!
ELL: What are your three favorite places to shop for clothing in Denver?
EC: Garbarini, Eve and Hailee Grace.
ELL: You recently had a hair reveal live on air and you showed off your naturally curly hair after years of wearing extensions and wigs. Why was it important to you to show your natural hair on television?
EC: It was very important to wear my natural hair on television. My hair texture is so underrepresented and I think representation is incredibly important. I would have loved to see more women in media who looked like me. I’m excited that young black girls have more examples of themselves represented in the media, and so beautifully. I used to be so excited to get older and perm my hair or be able to afford hair extensions so I could match the representation of the black beauty standard. Now I can be a part of representing that standard with pride and unwavering confidence!
ELL: Do you have any advice for young women who want to follow your path in the media industry?
EC: My advice is, it’s nice to be inspired by others but don’t follow anyone ever, figure out your own path. A part of my natural hair journey followed a philosophy I had to painfully figure out on my own. I was never going to be successful trying to emulate someone else. You have to be the best version of yourself in every capacity, not a cheap version of someone else.
ELL: Can you share one secret to your success?
EC: I don’t have secrets to success, I just have hard learned lessons. Most of those lessons were learned so publicly they aren’t secrets at all. Just remember, “everyone is deserving of the comeback they’re willing to earn!
Location: @thejacquard
Model: @ericacobb
Photography: @electriclady_shoots
Styling: @kiri_morken
Makeup: @jarayfortheslay
Hair: @officialhairbycoco
Nails: @mainstream_nails
Creative Director: @estherleeleach
Clothing: @marielboutique
Jewelry: @balefire_goods