The Editor & Team | Urban Kapital News

I am Marceline Powell, founder and Director at Urban Kapital Media, (part of the Powell and Barns Groups LTD), and Editor of Urban Kapital print & digital Magazine. I am also the founder and former director of KEMET radio which I launched in Nottingham, East Midlands in 2007, and I have a long history of working in enterprise development, business support and local / regional media.

About the platform:

The main aim of this media platform is to represent Black and Multi-ethnic diversity. And the aim of the magazine is to take that representation beyond hair, food and music which is what we currently have in the Black Magazine space, we do have music and entertainment content, but cover a range of other things too, such as lifestyle, news responses, politics, economic development and social activism. Our aim is to provide a platform for intelligent, culturally diverse conversations that serve the underrepresented voices of black Britain and the global diaspora.

Creating new opportunities

I am passionate about continuing to create opportunities for young people to succeed in media and business and this platform and the magazine are built on a model that allows young people to develop news, Journalism and Digital Marketing skills and gain work experience with us through our student internship program. Past and present interns represent Africa, the Caribbean, Asia, Europe and the Mediterranean.

My background

I am a British born woman of Jamaican Descent.

My educational background and continued passion is in sociology, politics and Literature, combined with a love for being creative and helping people to connect, this inspired me to launch my own company in targeted media and communications, and eventually relaunch Urban Kapital newspaper into a digital and print Magazine. My academic background is in the Humanities, I am a Sociology major specialising in culture, identity & media, Psychoanalysis, adolescence & family relationships, Post-Colonial Literature and British Politics.

I started out as a project worker for the National Care & Resettlement of Offenders before embarking on my journey in media, communications and PR.

Meet the editor & team

Meet some of our interns

I left my home town of Nottingham and moved to London in 2016 but my early communications roles include The Nottingham Playhouse theatre working to improve diversity in theatre and stage. Working alongside then 'Eclipse' theatre Producer Stephan Luckie and arts marketing expert Sally Tye. I assisted the launch of Eclipse theatre, incorporating The Nottingham Playhouse, Bristol Old Vic, and The Old Wolesley Theatre to name a few. I had the pleasure of working on a theatre directorship scheme for Black and minority ethnic trainees alongside renowned producer Paulette Randall.

I was seconded to The Arts Council England East Midlands where I worked as Press & PR Officer for two years working alongside local / regional government, DCMS (Department for Culture Media & Sport) ministers as well as delivering projects in partnership with Sport England. I assisted the launch of Spaces for Schools & Arts and later, DDA for the arts (disability access and inclusion) before returning to the theatre for a short while.

I was later appointed as Social Enterprise Development Officer for The African & Caribbean Development Agency, where I was responsible for launching a social enterprise development service to support Black businesses and organisations to develop business and marketing strategies, governance & structure, and access resources for capacity building. I worked closely with the East Midlands Development Agency, European Regional Development Fund, local authorities and business support agencies. I was also an advisor and decision maker for several funding organisations including the Social Enterprise Development Fund.

In 2020 I was very honoured to be featured in the Documentary and Online Exhibition - 'Black Pioneers within British Radio Broadcasting' by Nottingham University. It celebrates and documents the Black pioneers that have claimed necessary spaces within British Radio Broadcasting over the past 50 years and more. It tells the story of the often neglected voices of Black Britain who served their communities whose culture, tastes and interests were not being catered for by the mainstream, from Calling The West Indies in the 40s, to the thriving pirate radio stations in the 80s, to Choice FM in the 90s.

To be considered an inspiration on this level is a massive compliment, and I endeavour to continue to contribute to creating a diverse and inclusive media and championing positive social change.