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Carla Zuill: UK award revitalises ‘my belief in me’

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Carla Zuill (Photograph supplied)

A Bermudian living in Britain said that her passion for her work and belief in herself was reignited after she was honoured on the weekend.

Carla Zuill, the editor of SheHubTV, said that she initially planned to network at the Black Honour Awards in London on Saturday and did not expect to win an award.

But when she was selected for their Outstanding Personal Achievement Award, Ms Zuill said that she rediscovered her motivation to continue working on her magazine.

“I’ve been frustrated and thinking ‘am I doing the right thing by doing the magazine?’ because support seems hard to get.

“I just kept thinking ‘where am I headed? Do I just give up, find a corporate job and spend the rest of my life miserable?’”

“This award and this recognition has revitalised my belief in me.”

Ms Zuill received the award for her perseverance in the face of uncertainty or hardship, which she later explained was a period of “severe depression” that she faced in 2017.

She explained that she moved to Manchester in 2016 and started SheHubTV as a website in January 2018, before launching an accompanying magazine in spring last year.

She Hub TV features stories and columns about female empowerment and includes articles on feminine health, human rights and advice.

It has correspondents in Britain, Bermuda and Ghana.

Ms Zuill, who lives in Manchester, said that a friend nominated her for the Black Honour Awards, which celebrated Afro-Caribbeans living in Britain, and encouraged her to meet other media moguls.

She admitted: “My thinking was ‘there is no way they would even consider me’ because a, it was in London and it was halfway across the country, and b, I was just an unknown Bermudian.”

Ms Zuill said that she even missed the initial application deadline – but added that, when she discovered it had been extended, she figured “this must be a sign”.

She was one of three people shortlisted for the Outstanding Personal Achievement Award.

The award itself was one of seven categories at Saturday’s ceremony.

Ms Zuill admitted that, although she did not expect to win, she felt honoured to have been included among so many Black creatives.

She said: “To walk into that room with hundreds of Black Caribbeans – I cannot describe what that felt like.

“It was the most beautiful feeling and I had never been in a space like that since moving out here.

Carla Zuill on the night of the Black Honour Awards in London (Photograph supplied)

“I didn’t care if I won or not, I was just honoured to be there.”

Ms Zuill added that, when she did win, she was “really shocked”.

“It’s surreal; I actually feel like I’m still on a cloud because of it.”

“These people didn’t know me. It’s not like it was a small community – it wasn’t even in Manchester – so what felt so good for me was that these people saw me for me, not because I was someone’s neighbour, daughter, cousin or whatever.

“I even beat out other people who were from London, so that gave me a really good feeling.”

Ms Zuill said that Bermudians working abroad in the creative industry should not underestimate themselves.

She added: “If you have a great idea and feel like you’re doing great things, no matter what they are, don’t think that they’re too small to not be noticed.

“Just be the best you can be, because you never know who’s watching.”

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Published June 07, 2022 at 7:59 am (Updated June 07, 2022 at 7:25 am)

Carla Zuill: UK award revitalises ‘my belief in me’

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