Corona, CA — For years, people interested in an entertainment career would have to move to Los Angeles. But that might be changing. Now the Inland Empire, which is home to about 4 million people, has a bigger population base than L.A. County.
And Nikko “Najih” Bey has several projects that cater to people in the Inland Empire who are interested in careers in entertainment and sports entertainment.
Najih currently overseas three projects, Inland Media Group, a multimedia company, Inland Records and the Inland Project, a nonprofit.
“Inland Records is located in Corona, California. Corona is located in Riverside County, California about 48 miles southeast of Los Angeles. Corona is part of the Inland Empire, which is a large metropolitan area and region with a population of 4.6 million people. Due to the booming economy and progressive local communities, the Inland Empire has emerged as a national leader in housing development,” according to the company’s promotional material.
Najih has a background in entertainment. He was an artist who was signed with Sony Management company. And he learned a lot from his time in the entertainment industry.
“I learned the ropes,” he said. “Then, I decided to do it in my company.”
Inland Records was started in 2020 during the pandemic. According to promotional material, “Inland Records was created due to the lack of exposure and opportunities that exist in the Inland Empire within the music and entertainment industry.”
Najih has a wealth knowledge about the worlds of entertainment and sports entertainment. Weaving them together in such a seamless way is no easy feat. Najih credits his love for empowering the youth as his driving force.
He said personal branding is an important part of the sports world. And now with the new NIL (name, image and license) deals for college athletes, that’s becoming a more important part of the field at a younger age. NIL deals allow college athletes to make money through endorsement deals before they turn professional.
He advises high school and college athletes to start thinking about branding now.
“Invest in yourself, invest in your marketing and exposure,” he said.
And that’s where his company comes in. Inland Media Group has already worked with John W. North High School in Riverside to revamp the promotional materials. The company designed new logos, streamed some of their games and helped them boost the school’s social media. This is an essential part of the sports entertainment business, said Najih.
“You need media to get exposure to a wide audience,” he said.
Najih and partners Devin Shallowhorn and William Hunter, also established the Inland Project, a non-profit to support underserved groups through art and culture. One of their upcoming projects is a food drive called “Feed the Streets.” The event is scheduled for December.
Also, Jamestown Jerms, a tattoo artist and music artist signed with Inland Records, currently has a new single out called, “Same City Same Friends.” His mixtape, “Tattoos & Free Game,” a collaboration with Najih, was released on Oct. 10.
