Crystal Mahey-Morgan: The Back Bone Of Today's Game Changing Publishing Industry
Publisher and Literary, Film and TV agent Crystal Mahey-Morgan is reestablishing the narrative of British heritage by celebrating the stories of people from every corner of society. As the founder of OWN IT!, a publishing house and literacy, film and TV agency based in East London, Crystal is dedicated to shining a light on stories that are often pushed into the shadows by a predominantly white, middle-class-led industry. By working with revolutionary storytellers such as Courttia Newland (author of The Scholar) and Ify Adenuga (aka Skepta’s Mum), OWN IT! reinforces a new breed of literary canon; fostering cultural game-changers that reflect the past and present landscape of the UK. By prioritising artistic integrity and excellence, OWN IT! nurtures the brightest future of talent, void of racism, classism, ageism, and sexism. Such integral qualities reflect the conscientious, trustworthy, and down-to-earth approach Crystal naturally embodies.
With over 10 years working in publishing, Crystal’s motivation to found OWN IT! grew from a frustration of seeing little to no representation of the culture that existed on her own doorstep. Having grown up in East London, as part of a British-Indian working-class household, Crystal’s roots became the foundation of her business model. She explains how the hierarchical, whitewashed industry reinforces a cycle of singular narratives from a middle-class perspective. “To get into publishing, you have to work for a long time for free. When you're working class, without the safety net of a trust fund, it becomes inaccessible”. The result is an industry saturated by one class and race with predominantly heteronormative ideals. Determined to break that cycle of exclusion, Crystal took a leap of faith by leaving her job and starting OWN IT! from the confines of her own home. With a dedication to growing the business and represent people whose stories matter, rather than ticking boxes or only working with known names, OWN IT! has built a glowing reputation of authentic care and artistic excellence.
Running OWN IT! alongside her husband, co-owner and Creative Director, Jason Morgan and newest member Shae, Crystal explains “Because of the nature of who we are, (I’m British Indian, Jason is British Jamaican, Shay is half Philipino, we’re all working class) it’s inherent in our DNA that our experiences have been different from the monochrome culture that exists out there in mainstream media. That makes a difference to our vision, organically rather than explicitly.” This genuinity has led OWN IT! to dedicate themselves to being artist centred, allowing their vision to be expansive in the multimedia approach they now take. “What works for us, our artists and our audiences is what we’re bothered with. Archaic traditions go out the window”
““What drives us is the story; that it’s putting something good out into the world to create change or empathy. And that manifests in so many different ways””
Seeing how music, moving image, and literature brings OWN IT!’s agency alive, Crystal’s own relationship with storytelling have been equally diverse. “The first “political” book I read was ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’. I was 11 and that was really interesting to me because it was more than just entertainment, it was learning about something I wasn't aware of.” Books became a mirror for Crystal to understand her own feelings and then articulate them by relating to a character. Transitioning into her teenage years, her passion for hip hop music became a key influence in Crystal’s life of self-expression. She explains how “Hip hop was often the guiding force - Nas, Wu-tang Clan, A Tribe Called Quest - these are people who were teaching me and empowering me. It might seem weird that, as a British-Indian girl, these people were speaking to me. But when you come from an immigrant experience, there's always that thing of not fitting in.” By the early 2000s, Crystal recognised the void of acknowledgement for the UK Hip hop scene. “It was an identity that we had in this country but it wasn’t being celebrated.” So, at the age of 16, Crystal took it upon herself to change that. She created a 6 page spread focusing on independent hip hop artists from the UK scene and, after a year of perseverance, secured its publication in The Face magazine. 20 years later, and this same drive has become the fuel behind OWN IT!’s existence.
““I’ve always had a desire to see what isn’t being represented and to change that somehow. And often, what isn’t being represented is me, whether that’s being a woman, working class, being British-Asian””
Developing herself as a business woman is something that Crystal explains has been a challenge in itself. “Professionally, I’ve been on my own. Working in mainstream publishing or running a business as a woman, I’ve always found it to be quite a lonely place. And because I’ve been the only working class or Brown person in the group, it’s felt alienating, that I’m not accepted. It’s driven me to do what I’ve done.” Thanking her Mother’s encouraging words “to be myself”, with all her natural characteristic of stubborness, is what has helped Crystal pursue the path she is on. “Injustice upsets me. It has an effect on me that's almost uncontrollable and it’s always led me to wanting to be better and do better for the world. When I’m told something’s not possible, and I feel the reasons why don’t make sense, it gets to me. Often we’re told we can’t make any change” but what Crystal provides us with is living proof that this doesn’t have to be the case.
Storytelling is one of the most powerful tools for influencing today's society, and future generations to come. Crystal explains how OWN IT’s responsibility is to the preservation of artistic heritage that speaks to, for and from communities that have traditionally been marginalised. “It’s about creating new heritage and not just being siloed in what we understand as diversity and representation. People think it's just about race, or class but it's ageism too. We want to be game changing in all of those ways, to flip the script, reinvent it all and have a skies the limit approach to what's possible.” Focusing on the publication of Ify Adenuga’s book ‘Endless Fortune’, Crystal explains how “To me this is the story of all of our parents. And when I say our parents, I mean any person who has an immigrant parent and was born of the diaspora. It’s not only important for us but also for this country because immigrants built this country and everyone needs to understand that experience and those stories. It is empowering and relevant for me because it shows you what's possible when you have a strong woman who believes in herself and is willing to go against what they’re told they should do and break free from that to be themselves.”
““If we’re good, reason is that we try to speak to lots of different types of people, including people who aren’t from our background””
When looking at the ever growing tapestry of OWN IT!’s rich portfolio of talent, the truth of their own identity and moral compass shines through. “We don’t look at what other people are doing and try to recreate it. Our vision comes from the amazing collective of artists we work with and that’s so eclectic from footballers and comedians to Mums and unknown poets. And when you surround yourself with such a mix of creatives using such a diversity of mediums, it’s natural that you are going to be very creative and able to think in ways that aren’t out there”. This mindset is part and parcel of OWN IT! success as they continue to provide artists with a supportive back bone for their careers to grow.
It is clear that OWN IT!’s powerful combination of empathy and unbigoted awareness is what continues to help it thrive. This, combined with the unique business model Crystal created of having a 50/50 split with the artists and authors they publish, reflects the ethos of their company. “Being artist/talent centered and being fair is very important to us. For so long, every single industry has been exploitative to artists, whether it's musicians, authors, screenwriters. And with our 50/50 model, it's so important for us to show that you can be commercially viable and profitable. And in doing that, you can be fair, you don’t have to exploit the talent to make a profit.” This refreshing and much-needed approach sums up the transparent, genuine nature of OWN IT!’s own story, one that will have a monumental impact for years to come.
Follow Crystal & 'OWN IT' on Twitter: @CrystalMMorgan @OWNITLDN & Instagram: @OWN_IT_LDN
Credits: Photography: Andrew Rankin / Interview & words: Bethany Burgoyne Produced by Mariam Mugambwa
