Ese Ofurhie is the owner/editor/publisher of ENSPIRE Magazine (Enlightening Newsworthy Subjects Providing Inspiration & Real Entertainment), a publication created to show the world that borders and limited opportunities in developing a better world no longer exist. She is a Bronx, NY native of Nigerian descent who has made a name for herself in this competitive world of media. She is self-taught in media but has her B.S. in Management Information Systems from Alabama A&M University and her Master in Business Administration (Business Technology Management) from the University of Phoenix.
In 2012 ENSPIRE was started with partners but later in 2018 rebranded as a sole owner. Over the past 10 years, Ese has grown as a media mogul working diligently to keep her brand on everyone’s radar. Interviewing celebrities at red carpet premieres, album listenings, concerts, fashion shows and more is a weekly occurrence for the self-made woman who has made a name for herself in such a short time in this competitive field, but what sets her apart is that she continues to push the narrative about inspiring our community.
If you ever read or watched an interview of Ese's is clear that no matter whom she speaks to her focus is always to find a way for them to inspire others which is clearly her life’s mission.
Interviewing public figures and celebrities like Morris Chestnut, Common, Monifah, Slick Rick, and being in rooms with the likes of Alicia Keys, Maxwell, Ashanti, Debbie Allen, Swizz Beatz, Naturi Naughton; covering red carpets at The Urbanworld Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Soul Train Awards, and more is the norm for ENSPIRE but what means more to her is being a mentor to kids and young adults. Ese has made it clear that she will always give back to the youth in any shape, way, or form she can as she has spoken on panels at schools and talks one on one with kids in the classroom.
If that wasn’t enough, she also gives college students a chance to work in the field as interns for the publication but not just only there. Prior to the pandemic at any given moment, her interns were seen on the red carpet with her helping her put together an event for her.
From the beginning, Ese envisioned ENSPIRE’s impact growing beyond just a magazine, and made it happen. In 2016, she partnered with her local small business association programs. This led her to a program first in Queens and then in the Bronx, mentoring 18-21 year-olds who weren’t in school and looking for job skills. The young adults that Ese mentored even encouraged her to become a substitute teacher in New York, which she did from 2019-2021.
Through her work with New York City mentorship programs in 2018. Ese has been able to expand her “Experienceship,” as she calls it, to college students across the country, helping them bolster their resumes by developing digital skills like social media management, editorial, marketing, and website development. This program took off during the pandemic as she conducted this program virtually and continues to do so. There has been mention of the impact of the mentorship program she created in a Google Adsense case study.
Ese continues to share her positivity and encouragement one interview at a time!
