Entertainment Exec Whitney-Gayle Benta Found Her Formula For Looking and Feeling Her Best
March 12, 2019 • By Aeshia
In episode 19 of The PRETTY GIRLS SWEAT Show, Whitney-Gayle Benta shares how she overcame her battle with weight and lost 50 pounds when she found successful solutions on social media.
As the Head of Talent Relations for Spotify, Whitney-Gayle Benta is responsible for amplifying creator experiences through customized content assets, on and off the platform, for initiatives such as Secret Genius. Prior to Spotify, Benta was the East Coast Strategic Partnerships Manager for Music at Facebook and Instagram where she managed relationships with musicians, artists, and publicists across all music genres for their 2 Billion Facebook, 800 Million Instagram monthly active users.
As a true music and television enthusiast, Whitney-Gayle bridged the gap of her loves when she joined MTV News in 2003 as a talent coordinator and after 10 years ascended the ranks departing in 2013 as the Vice-President of her department. She transitioned for a new adventure as Senior Vice President of talent relations for Revolt TV where she was handpicked by Sean “Diddy” Combs to join the executive team to launch the network.
In the daily hustle of managing her career and personal life, she has found a way to integrate healthy living and positively influence her peers in the office. Take a listen to hear about the journey that got her here.
In the past, Benta has also held marketing positions at Island Def Jam Records and Noontime Records. Benta’s efforts in music and media have been recognized through a series of awards and nominations, not limited to Billboard magazine’s Women in Music 2011, MTV Networks’ (MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, CMT, Comedy Central) “Share The Vision” Award and the United Nations honoring her work as a part of “Jay-Z: Water For Life.” This proud Harlem, native attended Spelman College and graduated with a B.A. where she created her own major, Entertainment Industries studies.
Next up, Whitney is creating a workout event series that makes fitness fun for her peers in the entertainment industry! Follow Whitney-Gayle Benta on Instagram at @iamwhitneygayle for updates.
Keep reading for a highlight from the interview with the entertainment executive.
I’ve been quite vocal [about my health journey] with my coworkers, but another way they’ve been able to see it is through social media. It’s funny, my Instagram… a lot of times, there [are] videos of me working out. People think that it’s me posting videos of myself, but my trainer has the code to my phone because he’s trying to see where my heart rate is. So he takes videos and posts funny little captions that I don’t actually see until I’m on my way home. People think that it’s me, but it actually isn’t. As a result of doing that, I’ve had so many friends and colleagues of mine in the music and entertainment industry text me saying “thank you so much for posting these videos because it inspires me. I might still be on the couch or in the bed, but it motivates me like, If Whitney can do this on a Saturday morning at 7 am, let me at least get up and do this at least once or twice a week.”
On what PRETTY GIRLS SWEAT means to her:
“That you can still be cute and be fit and workout. Behind working out, there’s a stigma that you have to sacrifice aesthetics. To me, it represents that you can take care of mind, body, and soul.”
Whitney-Gayle Benta
The weight-loss gurus that helped Whitney crush her fitness goals:
@zeusofqlf
@blackketogirl