Zakiya Larry
CEO
Quest Media Training
This highly sought after media coach, on-air talent and award-winning public relations executive is also the CEO of Quest Media Training, a strategic communications firm that provides interview preparedness, strategic messaging, crisis communications and public relations for faith leaders, entrepreneurs, executives, non-profits and rising political stars. Zakiya also served as the long-time director of media relations for T.D. Jakes Ministries.
Zakiya is currently a contributing writer for Black Enterprise.com and the host of the transformative talk radio show, Zakiya Larry LIVE, on KYND 1520AM in Houston.
As an internationally booked keynote speaker and media contributor, she has moved hundreds of audiences both domestically and internationally, from The East Room at The White House to Johannesburg, South Africa. She has trained rooms of a dozen C-suite executives, spoken in arenas nearing twenty thousand and hosted media programs that reached millions.
TRACK RECORD AND RESULTS
She has secured coverage from some of the top media professionals in the world, including Oprah Winfrey, Dr. Oz, Dr. Phil, Soledad O’Brien, Roland Martin and Tom Joyner.
Zakiya has led a media event in Nairobi, Kenya, coordinated publicity for the blockbuster hits: Jumping the Broom, Heaven Is For Real, Miracles From Heaven and managed grassroots marketing for Angelina Jolie’s film, Unbroken. She has also launched many best-seller book campaigns and managed national crises.
Ms. Larry began her broadcast career early as a radio personality in Memphis, TN and later, as a producer for a noted new-centric talk show in Los Angeles, radio-news reporter in Houston and TV news producer in Austin.
AWARDS
Ms. Larry won the 2009 IABC Southern Region’s Silver Quill Award for Print Ad Series and the Texas Public Relations Association – 2009 Best of Texas Winner, Silver Level for Best Media Kit. She also was awarded two International Hermes Creative Awards: a Platinum Award in the Public Relations Campaign category and a Gold Award for “Oprah’s Next Chapter” placement featuring T.D. Jakes.
Zakiya is also the recipient of two 2013 National Association of Black Journalist Salute to Excellence Awards for Public Relations excellence for campaigns in the Christian market. Most recently, she was recognized in 2015 40 Under 40 (i10 Media) and 2016 Who’s Who in Black Dallas.
Throughout her noted career, she found a love for pageants and garnered 13 titles in 10 years, including Miss Central Texas USA and Miss Black Texas USA.
Zakiya Larry delivers national training workshops and event keynotes on topics including (but not limited to): The Z Method: How to Find Your Core and How to Master the Media. A former multi-media journalist, she holds an honors Bachelors of Arts degree in Broadcast Journalism from Texas Southern University. She is an active member of the Public Relations Society of America, National Association of Black Journalists and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.