From a little town to the City of Angels, Zuri Hall's journey from Emmy to E!

*Thanks to Multichoice for choosing Pulse to partner with on this exclusive interview

The beautiful TV presenter may be living the life of riley in LA but despite how easy she makes it look, life wasn't always like this for the mid-western native. Growing up in a small town in Ohio, Zuri knew she was destined for greater things. Though she loved where she was from, it simply couldn't contain her and she set off in pursuit of her dreams.

I was curious to know if the entertainment world was always something that Zuri wanted to be a part of. She said, "Yes, growing up I did always want to work in entertainment. Acting was my first love. I grew up in theatre and on the stage and I think I fell into presenting. That came along in university when I won a competition to become a presenter and I thought it would be a fun first job out of college.

I did it and it was amazing so I just kind of followed it and here I am, almost ten years later. It’s been a lot of fun and it feels good to be in the industry I always wanted to be in so I’m very grateful."

Zuri began her career on local stations and though she made quite the impression, she had set goals for herself and in order to fulfil them, she needed to step out of her comfort zone. I was curious to know what the catalyst was for deciding to move away from all that she held dear. She replied, "I always had an end goal which was to be on national television. My first goal was to be on national television by the time I was 25 so I knew I had to leave home because it wasn’t a particularly big or ‘cool’ city by traditional standards. I love it but I always knew I had to leave if I wanted to have a career in entertainment.

I probably would have gone wherever my career took me and it’s taken me to amazing places. It’s taken me to South Africa so I’m always happy to go where it leads because I love to travel, meet new people, explore new places. It was easy for me because I embrace change and now I’m in Los Angeles and that’s home."

The role of social media

Zuri Hall has amassed quite a following across her social media platforms. Her Instagram alone has keen 105k fans following her every move. Many people credit social media for their rise in prominence because they are able to give unrestricted access into their lives and follow their adventures. Zuri also has a Youtube channel which she claims has become more of a family and where she shares intimate details about her life and career. "Honestly, for me I don’t think social media has raised my profile as much as it’s been a homebase for people who like and support me, my shows and watch E! News. I would say my profile has been raised more so by the shows that I’m on and Youtube.

On Youtube, fans have really gotten a chance to get personal with me and know me in a way that other people haven’t. Instagram is just a real-time extension of what I’m doing so if I’m doing a red carpet, you can watch me live or watch behind-the-scenes which is really cool. So yeah, I would social media has played a big role in who I am as a personality."

'You can't pour from any empty cup'

It seems Zuri's destiny had alreayd been written. Straight out of college, she recieved her first big award which she took as a sign that she was on the right path. Daytime EMMY's have been won by the likes of Steve Harvey and Kelly Ripa so for Zuri to win one, quite unexpectedly too, it was a pretty big deal. "It felt really good to be recognised so early in my career. The EMMY win was really unexpected and I wasn’t even going to show up to the awards show because I didn’t think I had a shot at winning. When I won, it was really shocking but really it was a blessing because it felt like a reminder from God that this is what I was supposed to be doing and that I was on the right track.

I was very young, I won at the age of 22 and so I was new to whole thing so I was a little bit self-conscious and insecure about it all so to have that validation from my peers was really special for me. It was a nod from God that I was heading in the right direction."

It's clear that Zuri has made a lot of sacrifices to get to where she is now. Moving away from home, travelling from city to city alone, it's not been an easy journey. I wonder if, given the chance, Zuri would do it at all differently and if she would advise other young, ambitious women to do the same. She pauses, reflecting on her experience, then says, "When it comes to sacrificing, the younger me would definitely say it’s important if you want to make it, you have to be willing to sacrifice a lot. I sacrificed time with my friends and family, travelling and summer vacations.

However, being where I am now, I would encourage people to sacrifice in doses but always remember that you cannot pour from an empty cup. You have to take care of yourself and there’s better time than now so no matter how old you are, I don’t think you should wait until a certain time to look after yourself or do the things you enjoy, or take the trip you always dreamt of taking.

I would encourage them to take the time for themselves now because when they come back from that time, you feel much better for it. I worked a lot and I still work a lot but when you’re exhausted and worn out, it’s not good. I just encourage people to find a healthy work/life balance early on and understand that there’s no one set path to success.

I moved from city to city to city slowly climbing up the ladder and eventually I got to LA and ended up where everyone else ended up. There’s more than one route to the same destination and don’t be discouraged if your route doesn’t go how you expected it to be.''

Life at E!

E! is arguably one of the most popular entertainment channels in the world. The presenters are known all over the world for their hilarious interviews, on-screen chemistry and always being the first to break news on anything entertainment. I'm curious to know what a typical day is like for Zuri and whether it's all glitz and glamour like we imagine it to be. Laughing, she reveals, "We work way more than people imagine us to. I have a 40 hour work week and I work at least 5 days a week. I come in around 9am and leave around 5pm.

On a normal Monday morning, I would come in at 9am and have my hair and makeup done for about an hour. I have a show called ‘What the Fashion’ on the Snapchat discover channel which I co-host. We talk about all the latest fashion trends, red carpet and what celebrities are wearing.

We have a lot of fun with that. After that, I host E! News and get to hang out with who’s the best. That lasts till about 4pm.

I also have a show called ‘What’s Good with Zuri Hall’ which is all about diversity. We recruit stories from different artists of colour and various backgrounds and I actually write and produce that. As a producer, you’re more hand-on behind the scenes so as a producer, I’m really thinking about what I want to talk about that week and why it’s important to me.''

Africa to the world

During the interview, Zuri excitedly reveals that she found out, through an ancestry test that she has Nigerian heritage. She goes on to say that she would love to visit one day but I want to know what her impression of the Nigerian music scene is and if there's anyone that has caught her eye. She replies, ''I gotta give a shoutout to , he’s very sweet. He shows me a lot of love. I met him at the BET awards about 2 years ago and he’s great. So, I would give that to him.''

Considering Zuri is a red carpet pro, I wondered if she would consider hosting a red carpet event in Lagos, the AMVCAs perhaps? "Absolutely! If I’m invited and get away from Los Angeles long enough, I would love to come."

Zuri's Style

Finally, I couldn't let Zuri go without discussing her flawless style. Just one peek at her Instagram and you can tell Zuri is a woman who knows what she likes and certainly knows, what looks good.

"I like things that are effortless and easy. I’m from Ohio which is a mid-western state so I’m all about things that are comfortable and casual. Obviously, living in Los Angeles now, it’s a little more glamorous now but even though it’s elevated, it’s easy. I would describe it as effortless elegance with a little bit of edge.

I go for things that aren’t too fussy that I can move in and breathe in. When I’m on camera, I’m expressive. I talk with my hands so I don’t like to feel restricted and when I’m not on the red carpet, I’m very easy. I like a nice pair of designer denim jeans, a nice white button down shirt, very easy and breezy. I love loafers and flats, I actually don’t wear a lot of heels unless I’m on the red carpet. Comfort is key for me."

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She continues on to name some of her favourite African designers, she says, ''There are a couple of South African designers that I’ve had the pleasure of working with. designed my dress last year for the Veuve Cliquot Polo Classic in Cape Town and I’ve had the pleasure of working with who designed my dress for

His designs definitely feel like something I would wear on the red carpet back home.''

Our time is nearly up and Zuri has to run but it's certainly been a pleasure. The E! star is open, honest and gracious and it's easy to see how she's managed to build such a name for herself in such a time. People like Zuri, charming, charismatic and funny are hard to come by and when you do, you make sure you hold onto them.

We expect even bigger things in Zuri's future and we of course expect to see her with some of Nollywood's faves on the AMVCA red carpet. Well, one can dream!