Welcome to our new website!
April 16, 2024

From Script to Success: John Wayne S. is a Black Entrepreneur Revolutionizing Film and Business"

From Script to Success: John Wayne S. is a Black Entrepreneur Revolutionizing Film and Business
RSS Feed podcast player badge
Apple Podcasts podcast player badge
Spotify podcast player badge
YouTube Channel podcast player badge
RSS Feed podcast player icon Apple Podcasts podcast player icon Spotify podcast player icon YouTube Channel podcast player icon
Season 2


This episode of 'In The Black,' hosted by Dx, features an insightful discussion with John Wayne S. the third, focusing on the evolution of film and media within Black culture. Exploring John Wayne's transition from a potential medical career to a paramount figure in the film industry, the conversation underscores the essence of authenticity, vision, and perseverance for creatives. Delving into the shift from traditional to digital platforms, it examines the financing challenges filmmakers face, the integration of AI in content creation, and the profound influence of African American culture in storytelling. Moreover, it discusses the historical and modern impact of African American narratives through film, touching upon the Blaxploitation genre, Hollywood's generational shifts in perceiving black narratives, and the significance of mentorship. Highlighting projects like 'Ebony Hustle 2: Ballistic Protection' and 'False Profits,' the episode accentuates the importance of conveying diverse and genuine stories, leveraging digital platforms for distribution, and the pivotal role of mentorship and community support in enriching African American storytelling in film and media.

00:00 Welcome to In The Black: Celebrating Black Culture and Entrepreneurship
00:34 The Influence of Blaxploitation Movies on Black Culture
01:28 Spotlight on John Wayne S III: A Master Storyteller's Journey
03:17 From Chicago to the Big Screen: John Wayne's Path to Filmmaking
05:01 The Evolution of a Filmmaker: Transitioning from Music Videos to Movies
15:46 Navigating the World of Music Videos and the Impact of Digital
28:25 The Art of Commercial Production: From Music Videos to Memorable Ads
37:03 The Creative Process: Balancing Directing and Producing
40:10 The Essence of Collaboration in Filmmaking
41:17 Navigating the Journey from Script to Screen
44:49 Unlocking Financing for Your Film Project
46:08 Creative Financing and Product Placement Strategies
50:51 Persistence and Networking: The Key to Success
51:52 Defining Your Goals and Staying Focused
58:23 The Impact of Platforms and AI on Filmmaking
01:04:54 Celebrating Black Cinema and Storytelling
01:12:30 Upcoming Projects and Final Thoughts

youtube : LondynTown

Instagram:  LondynTown

TikTok:  LondynTown
:

Support the show

Transcript
WEBVTT

00:00:05.540 --> 00:00:16.649
Hey, welcome to another episode of In The Black, I am Dex and you're listening to the podcast that is hopefully going to influence your future.

00:00:17.169 --> 00:00:26.460
As always, we are always trying to bring up our culture and, you know, spread some love and some information from black entrepreneurs.

00:00:27.000 --> 00:00:34.738
Black business people figure out some different trends, let them know how they got started and figure out who our true heroes are.

00:00:34.979 --> 00:00:46.579
So to start this out, I don't know how many of you guys know this, but, my parents were from an era where the phrase your black is beautiful was a big deal.

00:00:46.649 --> 00:00:47.429
It was.

00:00:48.145 --> 00:00:52.204
Another way that we promoted ourselves, it was how we felt about ourselves.

00:00:52.734 --> 00:00:57.655
And with that came the, what's commonly known as the Blaxploitation movies.

00:00:58.219 --> 00:01:05.010
These were movies that were made by, mostly made by black people, and they were to promote our culture.

00:01:05.019 --> 00:01:08.439
They were to promote us, to show us, tell our stories.

00:01:09.170 --> 00:01:15.340
Some of them were ridiculous in nature, but a lot of them were truly inspiring, good films, great entertainment.

00:01:15.379 --> 00:01:17.030
It was always a good time.

00:01:18.030 --> 00:01:33.260
Now, if you were like me, missing that era, missing our voices, missing, I've brought to you a master storyteller, producer, and director.

00:01:33.620 --> 00:01:35.739
He's known as John Wayne S the third.

00:01:36.510 --> 00:01:41.219
And you got to give yourself, you got to open up your big ears for him because he's got a lot to tell.

00:01:41.519 --> 00:01:43.650
So John Wayne, thank you so much for being on the show.

00:01:43.650 --> 00:01:44.250
How's your day?

00:01:45.569 --> 00:01:46.400
Oh, pretty good.

00:01:46.409 --> 00:01:47.849
Thank you so much for having me.

00:01:47.849 --> 00:01:50.469
I'm always humbled when people invite me on their platform.

00:01:50.950 --> 00:01:54.310
Man, I, the humility is all mine, sir.

00:01:54.329 --> 00:01:55.099
It's all mine.

00:01:55.180 --> 00:02:13.115
I, uh, I, I did like a quote, um, it was, uh, without dreams, there is no reality and I think that's really, it's, it reaches a lot of people and with so few words, it does, it says so much.

00:02:13.905 --> 00:02:20.944
I, I originally was going to start this off a little bit different, but having that, having said that quote, I wanted to get your feelings on it.

00:02:22.835 --> 00:02:23.944
Well, I'm a storyteller.

00:02:24.134 --> 00:02:24.835
I'm a dreamer.

00:02:24.974 --> 00:02:34.895
I mean, as far as being that I'm a businessman too, but my core who I am, I'm a creator who's creative and my mind is constantly creating things all the time.

00:02:34.944 --> 00:02:36.775
So they come from my dreams.

00:02:36.805 --> 00:02:42.764
They come from my insights, you know, my doodles, my dabbles in looking at certain things.

00:02:43.145 --> 00:02:51.085
And through those things, I come up with ideas, concepts, and characters based off of what my thoughts in the world that I created in my head.

00:02:52.164 --> 00:02:52.895
That's awesome.

00:02:52.985 --> 00:02:53.735
That's awesome.

00:02:53.865 --> 00:02:56.425
Um, you know, it's, it's kind of funny.

00:02:56.425 --> 00:02:59.414
That's, that's where all good ideas come from, is art.

00:03:00.574 --> 00:03:03.465
Be it poetry, writing, drawings.

00:03:03.694 --> 00:03:06.335
Every good idea ever has come from art in one way or another.

00:03:06.365 --> 00:03:08.215
And so being able to tap into that.

00:03:08.590 --> 00:03:11.770
And express yourself, you're handing off a new idea to someone else.

00:03:12.139 --> 00:03:13.909
Maybe a different way of looking at things.

00:03:14.699 --> 00:03:17.310
, but I wanted to, get more into you.

00:03:17.360 --> 00:03:22.810
And one question I really wanted to get this one out of the way is you're originally from Chicago, right?

00:03:23.685 --> 00:03:24.425
That is correct.

00:03:24.485 --> 00:03:25.145
South side.

00:03:25.389 --> 00:03:25.919
awesome.

00:03:26.069 --> 00:03:33.580
So that's probably going to answer my question, which is kind of, kind of important, Cubs or White Sox?

00:03:34.905 --> 00:03:35.284
Okay.

00:03:35.284 --> 00:03:42.814
So, although I grew up on the South side, I am a fan and I think a lot of that has to do with was when I was a little kid.

00:03:43.254 --> 00:03:48.344
Although we live down the street from park, which, you know, it's called something else.

00:03:48.414 --> 00:03:51.735
I think it's called guarantee rate or whatever, but it was part of these kids.

00:03:52.514 --> 00:03:55.824
We went to this was doing a time when they were trying to.

00:03:56.284 --> 00:04:00.574
Bus black kids over into to other schools, just, you know.

00:04:00.949 --> 00:04:03.939
They kind of break up the, um, monotony of just all black schools.

00:04:03.939 --> 00:04:10.520
And so they sent me my brother to the school on the north side and, um, a lot of our doing grammar school.

00:04:10.520 --> 00:04:11.780
A lot of years was spent there.

00:04:11.780 --> 00:04:12.280
And so.

00:04:12.650 --> 00:04:14.780
I think I got an affinity for the cubs.

00:04:14.919 --> 00:04:15.930
I am a fan.

00:04:16.019 --> 00:04:17.389
My brother's a cuff fan as well.

00:04:18.149 --> 00:04:20.170
I don't necessarily have anything against White Sox.

00:04:20.189 --> 00:04:30.839
My problem with the White Sox is to be 100 percent honest with you is the fact that when they were trying to, they were discussing about leaving the city and they want to go to the suburbs when the city made a deal with them.

00:04:31.060 --> 00:04:33.990
The agreement was that the city would pay for the electricity.

00:04:35.074 --> 00:04:42.875
And I always had a problem with that because they had, at the time, they wasn't really winning and they wanted to get this big brand new stadium and they wanted us to pay for electricity.

00:04:42.875 --> 00:04:47.105
So I've never been a fan of them, and I don't necessarily like the stadium either.

00:04:47.165 --> 00:04:49.714
But that being said, I, I am a Cup fan,

00:04:50.254 --> 00:04:57.685
All right, normally I don't have Cub fans on my show, but I'm gonna give you a pass because you had a great explanation so I'm kidding, man.

00:04:59.595 --> 00:05:01.285
I Just had to break a little ice with you.

00:05:01.394 --> 00:05:16.115
So, I've read a lot about you Nothing short of fascinating really interesting Journey, you've been through so for those that don't know I want you to tell me about your business your current business

00:05:17.939 --> 00:05:25.120
so I am a utmost, I'm a, um.

00:05:25.980 --> 00:05:36.519
Doing my part in the universe, I create media for a streaming platforms, uh, media entities, uh, and visuals for, uh, television and film.

00:05:37.399 --> 00:05:41.339
I've been producing and orientation for almost 3 decades.

00:05:41.910 --> 00:05:42.709
I started off.

00:05:43.189 --> 00:05:46.490
That was never my intention to actually be a filmmaker.

00:05:46.910 --> 00:05:50.569
Um, I was a pre med major with a minor in political science.

00:05:50.569 --> 00:05:53.199
I wanted to be a, I want to be a doctor.

00:05:53.199 --> 00:05:54.930
I wanted to study a geriatric medicine.

00:05:55.704 --> 00:06:03.894
And my plan was, um, that I figured by time that I, uh, graduate from from medical school.

00:06:04.925 --> 00:06:11.074
That most of the baby boomers would be, um, they'll be retiring and baby boomers like to spend money.

00:06:11.375 --> 00:06:17.704
So what I was going to do is going to open up all these communities, put my name on it and I was going to flip that into a political crib.

00:06:17.725 --> 00:06:20.665
That was my, I had no agenda, but that was like, my plan.

00:06:21.160 --> 00:06:33.129
But the summer I had to kind of determine which, uh, medical school I was going to go to, this production manager called me and said that I had left a message on the answering machine about working on an indie film.

00:06:34.420 --> 00:06:36.680
And I was like, I have no idea, but I don't know what you're talking about.

00:06:36.790 --> 00:06:37.310
So yes, she did.

00:06:37.350 --> 00:06:38.139
We went back and forth.

00:06:38.139 --> 00:06:42.790
And at the time, I was a manager at this parking garage, but I just got fired.

00:06:43.529 --> 00:06:46.060
So I figured, well, this thing's interesting.

00:06:46.060 --> 00:06:47.779
It was for a second assistant director position.

00:06:48.139 --> 00:06:57.004
So I went in, I was dressed all up with a tie and a suit, and I went in and talked to the 1st system director and he realized that the 5 minutes I couldn't help him do nothing because I knew nothing about film.

00:06:58.214 --> 00:07:04.954
so about a week later, she calls me back and say, well, I can't give you that job, but would you be interested in working in a production assistant in the art department?

00:07:05.904 --> 00:07:06.175
What's that?

00:07:06.175 --> 00:07:06.605
Okay.

00:07:06.814 --> 00:07:09.805
She was shooting us 6 days a week, 16 hours a day.

00:07:10.209 --> 00:07:13.300
And the pay was like 50 a week.

00:07:13.920 --> 00:07:16.829
And as normally who I am, I said, yes, I'll do it.

00:07:16.850 --> 00:07:18.670
I have no idea what I'm getting myself into.

00:07:19.230 --> 00:07:24.550
Ironically enough, the film was, uh, director George Tillman's first film out of film school.

00:07:24.939 --> 00:07:26.360
It was called Scenes for the Soul.

00:07:27.084 --> 00:07:33.504
George is going on to do, you know, notorious movies, Man in My Arms, all the Barbershop movies, but I didn't know him from anybody else.

00:07:33.644 --> 00:07:37.745
And he asked if I got a student, a Grammy award for one of his student films.

00:07:38.045 --> 00:07:39.154
I knew nothing about that.

00:07:39.154 --> 00:07:42.754
I just thought it was interesting to do it, to work on his film.

00:07:43.379 --> 00:07:54.730
After that movie is over, um, I went to go work, do some other things with them and eventually partnered with this other guy who didn't go to film school either and started doing music videos in Chicago during that time.

00:07:54.959 --> 00:07:57.689
Traditionally, when people want to do music videos, they went to New York to L.

00:07:57.689 --> 00:07:57.750
A.

00:07:57.750 --> 00:08:00.069
There was really no kind of in the middle part.

00:08:00.720 --> 00:08:02.600
Nobody in middle America doing these videos.

00:08:02.660 --> 00:08:08.610
And so we started doing these videos in Chicago and, um, people I'm a film film guy.

00:08:08.620 --> 00:08:09.490
I come from film.

00:08:09.509 --> 00:08:10.000
You actually do.

00:08:10.019 --> 00:08:11.009
She don't film.

00:08:11.435 --> 00:08:16.694
We used to shoot on 35 millimeter, go get your short ends and shoot music videos on 35 millimeter film.

00:08:17.074 --> 00:08:23.654
We rent this, uh, this, uh, 35 BL camera for like, I think it's like 250, 300 for the weekend.

00:08:24.074 --> 00:08:27.685
And then get short ends and then rent a set of lenses from this guy from New York.

00:08:28.285 --> 00:08:35.975
So I start off as doing that, you know, and so my career has really been a lot of things about, being in the right places at the right time.

00:08:36.595 --> 00:08:37.855
But I do remember.

00:08:38.504 --> 00:08:43.245
When it comes to being a filmmaker, I do remember the moment when I realized that this is what I wanted to do.

00:08:43.985 --> 00:08:48.975
I was back when, uh, in third grade, they had this assembly program.

00:08:49.475 --> 00:08:55.325
Um, the song was The Stylistics, People make the world go around, more of her around.

00:08:55.325 --> 00:08:59.274
So people would, the kids, wake up the kids, what are you going to be for, uh, growing up?

00:08:59.794 --> 00:09:03.034
And so when it came to me, my mother had bought me this Indiana Jones head and the slate.

00:09:03.085 --> 00:09:07.575
And I said, I wanted to be a film producer, which I, after I said that, I didn't think about it anymore.

00:09:07.940 --> 00:09:13.149
It wasn't until years later, I was sitting in his van, he was doing music videos and I was doing some paperwork and I remembered it.

00:09:13.779 --> 00:09:17.539
I remembered that what I wanted to do in 3rd grade, I was actually doing.

00:09:17.539 --> 00:09:21.960
So I feel like a lot of things in my life and my career has really been pushing me toward that.

00:09:22.360 --> 00:09:27.179
Honestly, me being a doctor didn't really make any sense because I don't do well with blood and people being in pain.

00:09:27.179 --> 00:09:30.000
So I don't even know why I thought that that was a good idea.

00:09:30.730 --> 00:09:33.029
But obviously it was pushing me towards something.

00:09:33.250 --> 00:09:37.700
And when those opportunities arise, I just happened to be able to be there to take hold of them.

00:09:38.169 --> 00:09:40.429
that's, that's magical right there, man.

00:09:40.740 --> 00:09:41.580
That's crazy.

00:09:41.620 --> 00:09:48.809
Um, for the uninitiated, um, I know like a lot of my listeners are a lot younger than that, but.

00:09:49.705 --> 00:09:52.485
Film was made, uh, chemical film.

00:09:52.514 --> 00:09:58.105
It was made on actual film film, which is why it's called film and not digital.

00:09:58.735 --> 00:10:05.325
And so you'd have to film it like an old school camera and get it processed and the whole nine.

00:10:05.764 --> 00:10:10.414
Make sure you had what were called mad boxes that kept light leaks out and

00:10:10.700 --> 00:10:11.049
Mm hmm.

00:10:11.409 --> 00:10:31.259
And what he, what, uh, our, our guest John Wayne means by short ends is instead of a whole roll of 400 feet or 500 feet, you'd have the short ends of maybe 100 feet, uh, 50 feet, and you would use a combination of all those short ends to make your film.

00:10:31.850 --> 00:10:35.320
And so that's, that's how it was made.

00:10:35.320 --> 00:10:38.450
That was truly a hustle.

00:10:39.070 --> 00:10:50.480
And the fact of having to organize that and not just turn on your camera, you had to make sure you had your shot before you, you, you actually rolled film.

00:10:50.779 --> 00:10:52.750
You had to make sure the lighting and everything was right.

00:10:52.809 --> 00:11:01.419
Make sure it was rehearsed because if you were just using short ends, you probably only had one or two chances to get it right.

00:11:02.730 --> 00:11:03.169
Yes.

00:11:03.289 --> 00:11:05.919
so you had, you have to be methodical.

00:11:06.360 --> 00:11:08.309
Um, I actually have a film background.

00:11:08.309 --> 00:11:09.950
I went to the University of Colorado.

00:11:10.500 --> 00:11:18.159
Um, I, I wanted to direct music videos ever since that AHA music video, that Take On Me, do you remember that video?

00:11:18.649 --> 00:11:19.370
Yeah, I do.

00:11:19.659 --> 00:11:23.039
I was a kid when I saw that and that just rocked my world.

00:11:23.210 --> 00:11:31.519
And, uh, but I never thought it was something I could ever do until I saw an interview with, um, music video director, Hype Williams.

00:11:32.250 --> 00:11:32.580
Mm hmm.

00:11:32.870 --> 00:11:35.799
And I, that was the moment that I saw myself doing it.

00:11:35.809 --> 00:11:38.149
And so I had made a couple of music videos and stuff.

00:11:38.149 --> 00:11:39.559
I've never made a career out of it.

00:11:39.559 --> 00:11:45.519
But yes, I, I completely understand everything that you're talking about.

00:11:45.519 --> 00:11:49.929
But I wanted to enlighten the audience in case they were missing some of those details.

00:11:49.929 --> 00:11:51.049
Yeah.

00:11:51.429 --> 00:11:51.830
Yes.

00:11:52.059 --> 00:11:52.970
Yeah, short answers.

00:11:53.039 --> 00:12:02.399
It really, truly is the art because you, like now, you know, when I shoot, you know, we can actually shoot the rehearsals, you know, and, uh, we can shoot a lot of stuff.

00:12:02.460 --> 00:12:06.419
When you shoot on film, you really have to think, you rehearse a lot.

00:12:06.440 --> 00:12:08.470
And so you'd be like, look, we're going, this is a take.

00:12:08.470 --> 00:12:09.840
You We're gonna do this for real.

00:12:09.840 --> 00:12:14.309
So you need to make sure all the things you point, we can maybe do it two times.

00:12:14.490 --> 00:12:20.490
Music view is a little bit easier because, you know, they don't necessarily have to make us a hundred percent sense per se.

00:12:20.700 --> 00:12:22.799
They can be abstract in, in so many ways.

00:12:23.370 --> 00:12:28.620
As long as whatever storyline or the plot that you're trying to, you know, focus on works, then it's okay.

00:12:28.950 --> 00:12:33.480
But if you shooting on film, you have to really make sure that the, uh, actors or the artists.

00:12:33.879 --> 00:12:37.120
Are doing exactly what you need them to do before you turn that camera on.

00:12:37.120 --> 00:12:39.568
So,

00:12:40.990 --> 00:12:42.370
correct in the whole nine.

00:12:42.370 --> 00:12:44.629
It's gotta be right on.

00:12:45.424 --> 00:13:02.475
You started off working in the music industry though, also, how much of an adjustment was it for you to go from working on, being a manager, working in film and music and then jumping into film, film, like full on film.

00:13:03.779 --> 00:13:05.360
They're all part of the entertainment industry.

00:13:05.360 --> 00:13:06.789
And so they all different facets.

00:13:06.789 --> 00:13:09.299
When you have film, you have music, we have music, we have film.

00:13:09.299 --> 00:13:11.480
So they're all intertwined with each other.

00:13:11.529 --> 00:13:32.294
And I honestly, I think working in, uh, in, in, in music has helped me be a better producer, uh, be a better, uh, Creator, because I understand how to balance each other out the way it got into music was, um, I, this is the time I was doing music videos and this producer.

00:13:33.264 --> 00:13:38.215
Uh, by the name of Steve, so currently Steve Steve's going on, he's a big producer now.

00:13:38.715 --> 00:13:44.625
He's a Grammy nominated producer, but at the time he, his big, his big claim of fame was that he was 1 of the 1st.

00:13:45.120 --> 00:13:50.360
House producers in Europe to actually take a song from the house talk to cross over to the mainstream.

00:13:50.370 --> 00:13:51.590
Nobody had done that before.

00:13:51.879 --> 00:13:56.440
House was in house and, you know, mainstream was the mainstream and nobody was able to do that.

00:13:56.440 --> 00:14:04.990
And so he was like, you know, I remember when, when I was working for him, we went to go to Europe because he hadn't been, although he had a lot of big hits in Europe, he had never been there.

00:14:05.529 --> 00:14:11.789
We went on tour and people will come up to the, um, To why he was DJing and they were like, they weren't even dancing.

00:14:11.809 --> 00:14:12.769
They just stand and look at him.

00:14:13.039 --> 00:14:14.789
And after he got finished, they would kiss his hands.

00:14:14.789 --> 00:14:21.740
It always blew my mind when they would do stuff like that, but he was such an impact on how music was presented.

00:14:22.769 --> 00:14:30.100
Particularly house music in Europe, uh, that he was, he was a really big impact of that, but I see that come to me when he was going to start his management company.

00:14:30.100 --> 00:14:31.720
He was going to get his office and do everything.

00:14:31.730 --> 00:14:37.019
He's like, hey, John, I want you to come on as a publicist and I said to him, I don't really know a thing about being a publicist.

00:14:37.919 --> 00:14:39.350
And he said, well, I think you could do it.

00:14:39.690 --> 00:14:45.919
I end up staying there and eventually become a director, international and or runs his agents in the UK and Japan.

00:14:46.490 --> 00:14:49.629
You know, so a lot of things are kind of like.

00:14:50.504 --> 00:14:53.995
I learned a lot from Steve in that experience.

00:14:53.995 --> 00:14:57.865
I learned a lot about how the business of entertainment intertwines with each other.

00:14:58.105 --> 00:15:04.355
And so when I went back to doing music videos, eventually features, I do a lot of things to incorporate music.

00:15:04.355 --> 00:15:07.684
Like, we do a full soundtrack for every movie that I release.

00:15:07.715 --> 00:15:09.894
We do full soundtrack, even composer soundtrack.

00:15:10.004 --> 00:15:11.095
I do all original music.

00:15:11.134 --> 00:15:12.835
I do not license any music.

00:15:13.279 --> 00:15:21.220
Uh, everything is original because I understand the power of music and also understand the power of monetization when it comes to music.

00:15:21.220 --> 00:15:26.840
So they, those 2 fit very nicely together and.

00:15:27.120 --> 00:15:30.169
And as a filmmaker, I always encourage them to understand all aspects.

00:15:30.169 --> 00:15:34.100
You don't have to know everything, but you need to have an understanding of what it is you're doing.

00:15:34.100 --> 00:15:39.490
So you can effectively market your movie or, you know, your television show, whatever, you know, creative entity you have.

00:15:40.070 --> 00:15:44.720
And effectively market it and also be able to monetize it properly too.

00:15:46.355 --> 00:16:04.754
Okay I want to digress back to music videos because now I want to get your thoughts on something because MTV isn't MTV that we grew up with where you turn on, you might see MTV raps or TRL or whatever.

00:16:05.115 --> 00:16:12.865
Music video shows going on our music videos still relevant because I haven't seen something that's Said, okay.

00:16:12.865 --> 00:16:15.174
This is art and I want to look at it again.

00:16:15.254 --> 00:16:16.085
I haven't seen that.

00:16:16.434 --> 00:16:17.894
I don't know five ten years

00:16:19.440 --> 00:16:19.590
Yeah.

00:16:19.590 --> 00:16:21.980
Oh, I definitely feel like music videos are relevant.

00:16:22.019 --> 00:16:40.600
We live in a very visual age, even with social media, you know, Instagram is just pictures and videos, you know, and so people interact with pictures and videos when songs come out, if they don't have a way to interact with them, which is where people are on Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat, but there's not a visual component to it.

00:16:40.865 --> 00:16:45.215
A lot of times it will suffer and people don't really see it unless they actually actually go out and look for it.

00:16:45.235 --> 00:16:50.434
So I think music videos are very, very relevant, especially when it comes to music and marketing and promoting.

00:16:50.845 --> 00:16:54.384
Either the artist or song and things of this sort, you know, I think they're very important.

00:16:55.629 --> 00:17:10.920
Okay, so with that, what are your thoughts on the ease of access of the current content creators have versus what say you and I had to deal with actually dealing with film and trying to get our stuff on air and what have you?

00:17:12.414 --> 00:17:17.994
So, obviously there, you know, the, the, the process of distributions has been taken out of somewhat.

00:17:18.454 --> 00:17:22.755
To a big brother per se, so people have more access to.

00:17:25.355 --> 00:17:29.974
Their ability to put their art out into the universe without having to go through a whole bunch of gatekeepers.

00:17:30.634 --> 00:17:35.644
And the thing about it is that I feel like, uh, young creators to really try to take advantage of that.

00:17:36.045 --> 00:17:39.644
There's so many things that have been created, especially on social media.

00:17:39.944 --> 00:17:42.954
There are some people who are just famous and successful.

00:17:43.555 --> 00:17:46.755
Uh, just off of social media from little skits and things that they do from that.

00:17:47.085 --> 00:17:51.394
So the ability for someone to say, Hey, I really want to kind of create something, put it out there.

00:17:51.525 --> 00:17:54.585
And then he also did the, the, uh, the invention of the cell phone.

00:17:54.964 --> 00:17:56.805
Cell phones have come a great, a long way.

00:17:56.805 --> 00:18:00.815
People just do stuff on their cell phone and really get a lot of, make a career out of it.

00:18:00.835 --> 00:18:06.174
They can make a lot of money off of it and increase a lot of opportunity for self just from the cell phone, you know?

00:18:06.305 --> 00:18:11.714
So I think that the, uh, access to distribution, the access to put your stuff out there.

00:18:12.134 --> 00:18:19.694
It is much better than it was when I, when we start, when I started doing music videos, uh, that was in a whole bunch of places.

00:18:19.704 --> 00:18:21.224
There's the local shows.

00:18:21.664 --> 00:18:28.835
You know, in your neighborhood that, you know, where we from would have music videos and then they had this and I can't think of the name of the company, but you were.

00:18:29.619 --> 00:18:33.630
Call in this 899 number or something like that.

00:18:33.630 --> 00:18:37.140
You'll call this number to get the music video to come on TV.

00:18:37.349 --> 00:18:41.009
And so after a minute or 2, it costs you like 6, 7 dollars or something like that.

00:18:41.329 --> 00:18:45.799
And after about 2 or 3 minutes, the video will come up and so that was, you know, that's how.

00:18:46.200 --> 00:18:50.869
We access that type of information if it wasn't on the local show, you will call it and try to get it played.

00:18:50.980 --> 00:18:52.390
I remember what you're talking about.

00:18:52.640 --> 00:19:01.809
up in Canada, but it was a lot different, you know, because it was Canada, but for the most part, that's how we access it until MTV and VH1s and things like that came into play.

00:19:02.039 --> 00:19:03.390
I remember what you're talking about.

00:19:03.390 --> 00:19:04.400
You're talking about the box.

00:19:04.400 --> 00:19:04.630
Yes.

00:19:05.519 --> 00:19:06.359
Yes, the box.

00:19:06.509 --> 00:19:09.470
The box, um, and I thought it was 99 cents.

00:19:09.470 --> 00:19:12.039
I don't think it was like six bucks, but I thought it was

00:19:12.099 --> 00:19:14.380
can't remember how much it seemed like.

00:19:14.380 --> 00:19:25.549
I guess it seemed like that because if you call somebody and tell them your parents are gonna be like, who has been calling this place 15, 20 times to get a music video seen on TV?

00:19:26.069 --> 00:19:26.990
Who do you do that?

00:19:27.119 --> 00:19:53.470
oh I've gotten grounded before because of you know, Oaktown 357 or Whatever music video I thought was cool at the time Yeah Yeah, it's definitely happened before yeah, Canada had much music Which is also known as Fuse You Um, there was a lot of actually great Canadian, um, you know, creators that we just didn't know about.

00:19:53.480 --> 00:19:57.690
I mean, Canada brought us, um, the director Little X, for instance.

00:19:57.940 --> 00:20:02.349
Yeah, he was like 18 years old when he started directing music videos.

00:20:02.359 --> 00:20:05.269
He was just on like public access or something like that.

00:20:05.269 --> 00:20:09.680
And eventually he was a DP for Hype Williams.

00:20:09.720 --> 00:20:09.960
And.

00:20:10.410 --> 00:20:20.460
Now, I guess he goes by Director X and everything, but, you had guys like Kardinal Official and Choclair, uh, just all these other rappers and stuff.

00:20:20.539 --> 00:20:25.920
Um, but yeah, they made like a lot of really cool art.

00:20:26.355 --> 00:20:29.934
Literally, I mean you can see it all the time and it had a message.

00:20:29.934 --> 00:20:37.015
It was beautiful Sorry, I'm just I'm thinking about back to a good time for me.

00:20:37.025 --> 00:20:38.384
It was great nostalgia.

00:20:38.505 --> 00:20:40.484
So Yeah,

00:20:40.630 --> 00:20:41.140
what life is.

00:20:41.150 --> 00:20:43.710
It's important in life that you have those memories to fall back on.

00:20:43.974 --> 00:21:02.849
Yeah, man, it's it's It's it was such an underrated time to it really I mean cuz to me the best hip hop was between Like 93 to say 2001 and then every once in a while you have something that's good, but I feel like that was the era to where it was just, it was unstoppable.

00:21:04.299 --> 00:21:06.650
I think it was a moment where especially.

00:21:07.259 --> 00:21:11.490
Um, uh, African Americans could control their.

00:21:11.900 --> 00:21:15.990
Destiny and so they were, they were, um, afforded the opportunity.

00:21:16.539 --> 00:21:19.609
To speak their truth, it's positive negative.

00:21:19.809 --> 00:21:20.859
They wanted to speak it

00:21:21.039 --> 00:21:21.509
Yeah.

00:21:21.799 --> 00:21:22.559
and doing that time.

00:21:22.559 --> 00:21:33.809
There were a lot of positive conscious type things, things that are very insightful, they gap people's attention and, I think we were building towards something, but something happened with somebody.

00:21:33.809 --> 00:21:35.950
I think that wasn't part of what they were trying to do.

00:21:36.480 --> 00:21:39.299
So, we don't really get a whole bunch of conscious rap.

00:21:39.299 --> 00:21:40.960
Now, we don't get a whole bunch of things that.

00:21:41.369 --> 00:21:43.950
Kind of push things for, I think about.

00:21:44.539 --> 00:21:52.589
When KRS-One of the self destruction, and I think initially he had some kind of pushback about it, but that's such an iconic song and iconic video.

00:21:52.980 --> 00:21:58.039
That is very empowering, you know, it's not talking about anybody doing anything crazy.

00:21:58.039 --> 00:21:58.930
It's talking about.

00:21:59.230 --> 00:22:04.299
Empowering people around you and yourself and seeing us the best in yourself and.

00:22:04.875 --> 00:22:07.575
Um, it's, you know, but that's also doing a time.

00:22:07.634 --> 00:22:14.134
I remember growing up, even television shows, or even cartoons are always more have more basis to it.

00:22:14.184 --> 00:22:17.194
So, you look at a cartoon and somebody would do something.

00:22:17.194 --> 00:22:20.474
And then at the end of the cartoon, it was kind of like, what did you learn from this?

00:22:20.484 --> 00:22:20.855
You know.

00:22:20.930 --> 00:22:21.859
Yeah.

00:22:22.234 --> 00:22:28.855
That stuff doesn't exist anymore, you know, it's just stuff and it's kind of like flooding our kids heads with a whole bunch of nonsense.

00:22:29.244 --> 00:22:34.845
In a lot of cases, entertainment is entertainment and I want to be entertained too, but also want to be able to impart.

00:22:35.275 --> 00:22:38.355
Something for kids to think about instead of something that's, you know.

00:22:39.244 --> 00:22:43.134
That can be detrimental to themselves at that present or in the future.

00:22:43.839 --> 00:22:53.130
Sidebar, I've had a conversation with somebody recently and they were talking about how There aren't any good female rappers.

00:22:53.210 --> 00:22:55.970
And I'm like, no, it's not that there aren't any good ones.

00:22:55.990 --> 00:23:00.289
It's just the bad ones are promoted to no end.

00:23:00.289 --> 00:23:02.630
So that's what, that's all you end up hearing.

00:23:03.019 --> 00:23:08.009
It's the same thing with, conscious rap really just never got promoted all the times you'd hear it.

00:23:08.029 --> 00:23:09.619
It was on the underground, underground.

00:23:10.259 --> 00:23:17.009
And, but, um, someone else I spoke to, they said that you're, when you're happy, you just listen to the music.

00:23:17.414 --> 00:23:34.934
When you're sad, you listen to the lyrics, and I think that's sort of, we're in that in between to where we're not to the point to where we're listening to the lyrics, but also we don't have lyrics that can really identify with us, if that makes sense.

00:23:35.255 --> 00:23:35.755
Yeah.

00:23:35.934 --> 00:23:36.444
I agree.

00:23:36.734 --> 00:23:37.244
I agree.

00:23:37.365 --> 00:23:37.805
I agree.

00:23:38.285 --> 00:23:39.974
People don't traditionally listen.

00:23:40.214 --> 00:23:41.315
People ride the beat.

00:23:42.075 --> 00:23:42.625
Yes.

00:23:43.144 --> 00:23:50.484
they don't necessarily, I, I like, I'm a very big into, when it comes to music, I'm very big into, uh, uh, songwriters.

00:23:50.724 --> 00:23:51.194
Yes.

00:23:51.204 --> 00:23:52.494
Uh, great songwriters.

00:23:52.525 --> 00:23:53.714
Uh, Prince was a good songwriter.

00:23:53.845 --> 00:23:56.875
Uh, uh, James Taylor was a good songwriter.

00:23:56.875 --> 00:24:04.295
Just really good songwriters of people when they would say stuff that was like so insightful, you know, cause during that time, there wasn't a lot of visual stuff.

00:24:04.714 --> 00:24:06.424
Especially when doing time James Taylor.

00:24:06.464 --> 00:24:09.865
So there's mostly I need to connect with you through words.

00:24:09.865 --> 00:24:12.154
I need for you to feel what I am saying.

00:24:12.515 --> 00:24:15.025
And we don't really get that too much now half the time.

00:24:15.944 --> 00:24:19.535
When I used to, um, I've been a label president at least twice and.

00:24:20.625 --> 00:24:25.204
When I would get artists sit in the things that they need to, so we can, like, register the song and get our lyrics.

00:24:25.204 --> 00:24:30.794
I will look at some of the lyrics that they would do, and I have to go back and say, what are you trying to say?

00:24:31.375 --> 00:24:32.234
What is it that you're doing?

00:24:32.914 --> 00:24:33.924
Maybe we could do better.

00:24:33.964 --> 00:24:45.015
Let's do something better and a lot of times when I would ask them to do it, they would come up with something that's way better instead of just taking the lazy role out and just kind of like, you know, cussing and, you know, doing things like that.

00:24:45.015 --> 00:24:45.674
That's easy.

00:24:46.154 --> 00:24:46.924
That's very easy.

00:24:47.095 --> 00:24:48.315
But when you try to find a wordplay.

00:24:49.130 --> 00:24:54.920
To to come up with something that's shows a level of creativity that everybody's not doing.

00:24:55.069 --> 00:24:59.450
If you don't want everything you're doing what everybody else is doing, you're going to get what everybody else is going to get.

00:24:59.750 --> 00:25:00.250
Yeah.

00:25:00.410 --> 00:25:00.869
I,

00:25:01.390 --> 00:25:05.159
Okay,

00:25:05.200 --> 00:25:06.519
trying to shoot a video for.

00:25:07.109 --> 00:25:10.890
And, finally I sat him down and I'm like, listen, what are your five favorite videos?

00:25:10.990 --> 00:25:15.710
And he would, you know, list off five videos and all five of those videos looked exactly alike.

00:25:16.069 --> 00:25:21.329
And I said, listen, we, we can make this, we can make it look like this, but art is something that lives forever.

00:25:21.825 --> 00:25:27.894
If you want it to live forever, it can't look like everybody else because you're going to get mixed up.

00:25:28.144 --> 00:25:30.164
Like, what's the point of looking like everybody else?

00:25:30.525 --> 00:25:30.994
Because he

00:25:31.240 --> 00:25:34.549
so let me tell you, let me tell you a story about that.

00:25:36.309 --> 00:25:40.069
When people come to back when I was doing a lot of video, when people come to about doing music videos.

00:25:41.869 --> 00:25:45.460
If they had never done a music video before, they always want to pretty much do the same thing.

00:25:45.815 --> 00:25:49.565
They want to do in strip club ride around the cars.

00:25:49.595 --> 00:25:50.944
And yeah, that's what they want to do.

00:25:51.575 --> 00:25:54.684
And at 1st, it's being a creator.

00:25:55.055 --> 00:25:58.845
I'm like, man, let's do something that was different when I realized a couple of things.

00:25:58.845 --> 00:26:00.785
1 until they get that out.

00:26:00.785 --> 00:26:01.315
They system.

00:26:01.315 --> 00:26:02.005
There's really nothing.

00:26:02.005 --> 00:26:04.684
I can say a dude is going to convince them to do anything else.

00:26:04.865 --> 00:26:05.394
Yeah.

00:26:05.644 --> 00:26:06.134
1st thing.

00:26:06.634 --> 00:26:08.714
This, the 2nd thing is that.

00:26:09.984 --> 00:26:15.285
I like to get, I like to have a good customer service and I like to have a good reputation to come on that.

00:26:15.585 --> 00:26:18.855
So, when people pay want something, they pay for it, give people what they want.

00:26:19.234 --> 00:26:25.335
Because at the end of the day, if I go and try to convince them to do something else, and they're not feeling it, I'm going to see it on the screen.

00:26:25.785 --> 00:26:31.214
If they're not really happy about what they're doing, and if it's not as success, they think it should be, they're going to blame me.

00:26:31.214 --> 00:26:33.025
Did I push them to do something they want to do?

00:26:33.265 --> 00:26:34.634
So, I try to get that out there.

00:26:34.694 --> 00:26:35.494
I will try to get that.

00:26:35.894 --> 00:26:40.684
Person there at the house, because they've listened to some way more than I have way, way more than it has.

00:26:40.684 --> 00:26:44.434
And they've got these ideas and dreams that I had and I said, well, what is it that you want to do?

00:26:44.724 --> 00:26:46.194
What is it that the label want to do?

00:26:46.194 --> 00:26:47.734
And how can we find them a happy medium?

00:26:48.184 --> 00:26:54.674
Once we've gotten past that, then they are more open to doing whatever other creative things you want to do.

00:26:54.704 --> 00:26:55.904
But if they've never done a video.

00:26:56.464 --> 00:27:00.505
Trying to get that idea out of a man, or, you know, it was almost impossible.

00:27:01.150 --> 00:27:10.789
So, I just learned to just, um, give into it, you know, give them something that label in what the artist wanted to do and then after that, kind of convince them to do something else.

00:27:10.789 --> 00:27:11.548
Yeah.

00:27:12.025 --> 00:27:13.035
definitely, man.

00:27:13.085 --> 00:27:13.625
Definitely.

00:27:13.625 --> 00:27:14.065
Definitely.

00:27:14.065 --> 00:27:14.615
Definitely.

00:27:15.055 --> 00:27:27.900
I guess that's why I just found it easier to do commercials because then I would never have a I would never have an emotional connection to it.

00:27:28.250 --> 00:27:28.880
You know what I mean?

00:27:29.170 --> 00:27:34.529
Where with the music video it's like, yeah, it's gonna be on the screen for three minutes and 30 seconds.

00:27:34.950 --> 00:27:39.009
And if I'm gonna put my name on it, I want, I want my name to live forever.

00:27:39.009 --> 00:27:41.990
I want something that people can watch over and over again.

00:27:42.539 --> 00:27:51.789
It's not like a, a Coca Cola commercial to where, okay, it's cool for right now for these 30 seconds or one minute, but after that, I mean, is it going to be memorable?

00:27:52.275 --> 00:27:58.924
Are we going to be talking about it like it's a, you know, Coca Cola's polar bear commercials that you see every year or whatever.

00:27:58.944 --> 00:28:00.944
Is it going to be memorable?

00:28:00.944 --> 00:28:01.295
Like that?

00:28:01.295 --> 00:28:05.744
Where's the beef commercial from Wendy's back in the eighties or whatever?

00:28:06.934 --> 00:28:09.505
Are people going to still talk about it when it's not on?

00:28:09.855 --> 00:28:13.654
That's how you know something's living and I don't know.

00:28:13.654 --> 00:28:18.255
I just I haven't seen any music videos lately to where where I'm thinking.

00:28:18.255 --> 00:28:19.805
Okay, this is going to live forever.

00:28:21.190 --> 00:28:25.089
haven't seen that in forever, but you know, I digress.

00:28:25.140 --> 00:28:26.740
You also produce commercials.

00:28:26.849 --> 00:28:31.150
Um, walk me through your very first commercial production.

00:28:33.410 --> 00:28:42.759
So, when I wanted to, I've done a whole bunch of music videos and I wanted to do commercials, so I thought, you know, just, I went to, in Chicago, there's a lot of ad agencies and so.

00:28:43.250 --> 00:28:46.819
I went to agencies and say, hey, look, I've done this music videos on the commercials.

00:28:46.819 --> 00:28:47.390
And so.

00:28:48.059 --> 00:28:55.269
Most of them told me that music video directors can't do commercials because you can't think in that 30 to 67, 60, 2nd, uh.

00:28:55.734 --> 00:28:59.684
Lane, you've used it 3, 4 minutes and you can't really think that way.

00:28:59.684 --> 00:29:02.154
And so, okay, so they, they gave me an obstacle.

00:29:02.164 --> 00:29:06.285
So what I did was I went out and look for companies who.

00:29:06.795 --> 00:29:14.194
I felt like we needed who had good, strong products in the community and they needed commercials, not just any commercial, but just something that was going to be impactful.

00:29:14.204 --> 00:29:16.244
So at the time.

00:29:17.025 --> 00:29:19.884
Um, this is during a time when after.

00:29:20.394 --> 00:29:24.454
The utilities, uh, when they made telephone service a utility.

00:29:25.134 --> 00:29:31.005
And they deregulate it, so there was no longer just the amount of, you know, like telephone, uh, AT& T or Ma Bell.

00:29:31.365 --> 00:29:37.474
It was like, you know, every state had their own Ma Bell and then other people can get into Verizon for other people.

00:29:37.890 --> 00:29:49.289
There was this one company called, uh, MTI, New West Telecommunications, and MTI provided telephone service to people on a, almost a subscription basis, like every 30 days.

00:29:49.299 --> 00:29:53.539
So, if you couldn't pay yourself, you know, the telephone bill, your home line.

00:29:53.980 --> 00:30:01.240
Uh, for the, uh, whoever your mobile was, they will provide a 30 days worth of service and you pay like, I think it's 29, 30 and like that.

00:30:01.279 --> 00:30:04.950
And every month you need to pay because there's going to turn your tone, turn your phone off.

00:30:05.319 --> 00:30:08.970
So, this was a big, massive thing in the black community, especially in Chicago.

00:30:09.259 --> 00:30:11.630
A lot of people had that service tons of people.

00:30:11.890 --> 00:30:14.589
We're going to pay for it, so I went to them and say, hey.

00:30:16.069 --> 00:30:18.539
I, you know, I would like you guys don't have any commercials.

00:30:18.660 --> 00:30:20.009
I would like to try to be commercially.

00:30:20.009 --> 00:30:20.720
So the guy comes in.

00:30:22.005 --> 00:30:26.535
His name is Eek and I went in and talked with him and I, this is off during time.

00:30:26.535 --> 00:30:32.234
Everything's on VHS, so I would like bring this, uh, VHS combo TV player combo with me.

00:30:32.234 --> 00:30:35.414
I would wheel it into the office with me and I would play, put it on the table.

00:30:35.420 --> 00:30:38.505
Because look, music videos is about how fast you wanna do this.

00:30:38.505 --> 00:30:41.535
And so I didn't have, a lot of times I'm a send you a VHS tape.

00:30:41.894 --> 00:30:43.125
When I sent you the tape, look at it.

00:30:43.125 --> 00:30:43.815
Did you look at it?

00:30:43.815 --> 00:30:44.265
Did you look at it?

00:30:44.265 --> 00:30:44.535
No.

00:30:44.595 --> 00:30:47.265
I'm gonna bring it to the meeting so we can look at all my stuff.

00:30:47.265 --> 00:30:48.045
So we don't have no problem.

00:30:48.045 --> 00:30:48.299
So I went.

00:30:49.115 --> 00:31:01.184
Put the tape in I'm playing on my music videos and I'm not happy because I'm thinking like oh, yeah, he just gonna say yes So after the presentation about three four minutes work for music videos He looks at me, he said, look, if you want this business, you don't have to sell it to me.

00:31:01.914 --> 00:31:03.575
I was like, oh, my God, I got it.

00:31:03.815 --> 00:31:06.825
So I had to convince him that I can give him a product.

00:31:06.865 --> 00:31:09.154
It's something that's going to really get at people's attention.

00:31:09.654 --> 00:31:10.704
So we did this initiative.

00:31:10.785 --> 00:31:13.634
He agreed to eventually after my, you know, really pushed it.

00:31:13.674 --> 00:31:13.884
Why?

00:31:13.884 --> 00:31:16.664
I feel like I can do it because I didn't have any commercials.

00:31:16.704 --> 00:31:17.634
I only have music videos.

00:31:17.634 --> 00:31:18.785
So I didn't have anything to say.

00:31:18.785 --> 00:31:19.785
Hey, look at this commercial.

00:31:19.785 --> 00:31:22.134
I had to convince him that it was, you know, that I can do it.

00:31:22.795 --> 00:31:24.924
And so I did the commercial.

00:31:24.934 --> 00:31:26.174
It was very successful.

00:31:26.845 --> 00:31:30.474
After that, he expanded to mostly all of the Midwestern states.

00:31:30.474 --> 00:31:33.505
And from Michigan to Iowa, he was MTI.

00:31:33.505 --> 00:31:34.974
It was like he did really well.

00:31:35.214 --> 00:31:38.005
And so he came back to me and I did like seven more commercials for him.

00:31:38.009 --> 00:31:40.559
So even one in Spanish I did for him.

00:31:40.884 --> 00:31:42.355
It was very, very successful.

00:31:42.595 --> 00:31:47.214
But the, the first time I did it, I'm, I'm, as I stated before, I'm a creator as creative.

00:31:47.214 --> 00:31:54.105
So if I have to live in 30 seconds or 60 seconds or a minute, or whatever the case may be, I can figure out a way to try to make it work.

00:31:54.105 --> 00:31:55.634
And so in his aspects.

00:31:55.980 --> 00:32:01.190
I came up with a concept, we liked it, we shot it, edited it, and it, you know, worked out really well.

00:32:01.339 --> 00:32:30.250
I learned a lot about, you know, production, because doing music videos are a longer format, but doing that, that, uh, that 30 to 60 second commercials, what I did with them, I had to really kind of hone in my, what I What I needed to do creatively to get to the point across to the audience, which is a lot different from music videos, you know, so I had to create a call to action in the commercial to convince people to do something and have to be effective enough to push them to do it in which it actually turned out to be.

00:32:30.259 --> 00:32:30.279
Yeah.

00:32:30.640 --> 00:32:36.200
Yeah, for the uninitiated, when you have a music video, there's literally no rules.

00:32:37.109 --> 00:32:42.930
In fact, I've seen videos to where there was no sync or to where they've turned off the music at different points.

00:32:43.440 --> 00:32:52.569
That's, that was the best learning ground for filmmakers, um, was music but then when it comes down to commercials.

00:32:53.095 --> 00:33:00.924
You have, I shouldn't say rules, but you have these guidelines and you have to get your point across within 30 seconds or one minute.

00:33:01.224 --> 00:33:04.505
So it means every shot has to be top notch.

00:33:04.904 --> 00:33:07.444
Every edit has to be right on point.

00:33:07.464 --> 00:33:10.055
You can't hold a shot longer than you need it.

00:33:10.515 --> 00:33:16.174
And so every second is valuable and you have to make every second count.

00:33:16.994 --> 00:33:21.765
And so when it comes to doing commercials, that challenge is there.

00:33:22.960 --> 00:33:24.210
And I think it's a good thing.

00:33:24.210 --> 00:33:32.900
I think it's a, it's a good, um, I think it's good to have those rules and then trying to work within those confines.

00:33:33.240 --> 00:33:41.769
Instead of making a huge mural, you're working on a smaller canvas, so you have to make every drop of paint count.

00:33:43.184 --> 00:34:09.735
So yeah, yeah, I, I, I like, uh, I like commercials personally, um, if they're good, um, with that said, um, with commercials, do you find it challenging dealing with companies, um, that, you know, you want them to put up a big budget, but at the same time, they're like, well, my kid in high school couldn't take their phone and make a commercial for us.

00:34:10.855 --> 00:34:16.704
Do you find a challenge with those conversations with dealing with new clients and them saying that?

00:34:16.704 --> 00:34:27.704
Because right now anybody that has a phone, an iPhone 14 or better, can probably go out and maybe produce something on their phone.

00:34:29.539 --> 00:34:39.760
So, when I was doing the bulk bulk of commercials, I was working with agencies and if it was and also in this companies who had budgets to actually produce stuff, we're also producing those commercials.

00:34:39.869 --> 00:34:41.710
Majority of my commercials were on film.

00:34:41.710 --> 00:34:46.119
So, you couldn't, you know, that that whole exists and those have encountered didn't actually exist.

00:34:46.940 --> 00:34:51.179
Nowadays, I do more things catered to our product placement.

00:34:51.574 --> 00:34:55.614
And so, uh, there are things that incorporated into the films are produced.

00:34:55.614 --> 00:35:00.585
And so, um, the companies that we do stuff with, they usually have budget to do stuff.

00:35:00.605 --> 00:35:02.204
I don't do a whole bunch of.

00:35:02.525 --> 00:35:09.224
Localized type commercials when people do come to me with stuff like that, what usually happens is that we come to meeting want me to work with them.

00:35:09.275 --> 00:35:12.445
I usually find a young guy to actually do it.

00:35:12.445 --> 00:35:17.505
To, uh, I'll work with the company to make sure that ideas and concepts are okay.

00:35:17.505 --> 00:35:17.585
Okay.

00:35:17.885 --> 00:35:28.954
And, you know, what they want to do, and then I'll get a young filmmaker actually do the physical production of it, uh, you know, because they're trying to, you know, either get opportunity or they're trying to expand their portfolio.

00:35:29.324 --> 00:35:32.925
So, yeah, anybody can shoot anything with a, with a phone.

00:35:32.925 --> 00:35:33.739
I mean, that, that, that's.

00:35:34.010 --> 00:35:39.980
Quite there's tons of tutorials and things that sort, but what I always say, they're never going to do it the way I'm going to do.

00:35:40.030 --> 00:35:45.110
And then they're going to put the vision in the way I see it and the way that I can kind of push it to another level.

00:35:45.429 --> 00:35:50.940
You know, so anybody can do almost anything, but the quality you want quality over quantity.

00:35:51.849 --> 00:35:53.949
You know, so can anybody do it?

00:35:53.949 --> 00:35:58.469
Yes, but you're not going to get the same thing and you and honestly, you get what you pay for.

00:35:58.954 --> 00:36:00.554
this is incredibly true.

00:36:00.554 --> 00:36:11.505
What a lot of people don't understand is that when it comes to, creatives, there's a business aspect, you know, and when it comes to producing films that that business aspect is the producer.

00:36:11.784 --> 00:36:20.324
Um, and I had a, a teacher in school, Tony Phau, uh, I don't know if he's listening to the show or not, but shout out to him, his class.

00:36:21.030 --> 00:36:34.130
Was the most valuable class I ever learned and it was, um, production management and he said, keep it stupid simple to where anybody can go in there and do it.

00:36:34.170 --> 00:36:49.159
And one of the examples he, he gave us was how do you set up a A garden party with coffee and you know, you got to have your tables, you got to have your coffee, you know, somebody is going to want decaf, you know, how many cups do you need?

00:36:49.349 --> 00:36:53.659
Stirs, creamer, you know, there's going to be that one person that wants tea.

00:36:53.659 --> 00:36:56.510
So you know you're going to need hot water and so on and so on.

00:36:57.150 --> 00:37:02.690
Um, and it's those fine details that you really have to have a very certain mindset for.

00:37:03.090 --> 00:37:19.349
And, Those are your producers at, as a filmmaker that does both producing and directing, how do you find your, your, yourself switching from the producer brain to the director brain and not switching back?

00:37:21.440 --> 00:37:26.769
So, I think that, um, all, all creative, especially in film, you need to have an understanding of both.

00:37:26.769 --> 00:37:28.190
You don't know how to be, you know.

00:37:28.969 --> 00:37:33.289
The best producer or the best director, but you need to understand what each person needs.

00:37:33.929 --> 00:37:38.079
Let's just kind of go back over the process and what that actually, you know, when someone come up with something.

00:37:38.769 --> 00:37:43.909
So, a writer writes something that he has a dream or a vision or whatever case may be, and he writes something.

00:37:44.539 --> 00:37:49.320
And he thinks is good, so he goes to a director and say, Hey, I came up with this idea and concept.

00:37:49.480 --> 00:37:52.780
Let me know if you can see the vision.

00:37:52.820 --> 00:37:54.969
So the director looks, I say, yes, I see the vision.

00:37:55.559 --> 00:37:59.460
They go to the producer and the producer say, I see the vision, but this is what you can't do.

00:38:01.019 --> 00:38:02.719
So, he's kind of like that stopping point.

00:38:03.070 --> 00:38:05.929
So, I learned to try to find a balance in that.

00:38:07.125 --> 00:38:11.594
It helps me as a creator, especially directing, because I know how far I can push it.

00:38:11.635 --> 00:38:17.144
I know how far either the budget would allow or the other things that, you know, that's behind it.

00:38:17.315 --> 00:38:27.054
A lot of times when people are not producers, and they're just directing or just writers, they have this idea that this is what you, you know, we could just have the world, but that's just not possible.

00:38:27.364 --> 00:38:31.025
It's probable, and you can have the world, but it's not possible to actually do it.

00:38:31.025 --> 00:38:31.324
So.

00:38:31.864 --> 00:38:37.655
It gives me the ability to be creative within a range of what my budget is and what the possibility.

00:38:37.704 --> 00:38:43.264
So I'm, I'm, I'm having all these meetings in my head about this project myself of knowing that.

00:38:43.295 --> 00:38:43.704
Okay.

00:38:44.275 --> 00:38:47.715
I feel as a creative that we need a gun shot.

00:38:47.724 --> 00:38:49.255
He's driving down the street and everybody's shooting.

00:38:50.025 --> 00:38:54.385
As a producer, it's like, you really don't have a budget for that, or that's going to take a long time.

00:38:54.875 --> 00:38:57.425
What can I do to get the same thing?

00:38:57.534 --> 00:38:58.434
The same effect.

00:38:59.105 --> 00:39:01.195
What I'll have to spend the money.

00:39:01.639 --> 00:39:12.860
You know, how do I get my creative vision out about it without, you know, sacrificing anything, but at the same time delivering something that I can sell or make sense, you know, to do it.

00:39:12.860 --> 00:39:15.079
And so it's a balancing act of how you do that.

00:39:15.079 --> 00:39:21.170
But I think for me, it makes me a better creative because I know what the boundaries are instead of asking somebody for the boundaries.

00:39:21.170 --> 00:39:21.880
I know what they are.

00:39:22.659 --> 00:39:23.949
That's, that's awesome.

00:39:23.949 --> 00:39:30.210
I just, I find the dichotomy of it, of having to fight yourself on a shot.

00:39:30.500 --> 00:39:31.059
Just, yeah.

00:39:32.429 --> 00:39:36.280
It's just overwhelming for me to think about it because it's like, yeah, we can't afford this shot.

00:39:36.280 --> 00:39:44.420
But at the same time, you're thinking about exactly how sweet it looks and how it might tie in with something else later and really bring

00:39:44.489 --> 00:39:49.880
looking at it from this aspect, because I get, I have that conversation with young filmmakers all the time.

00:39:50.800 --> 00:39:54.889
If you sometimes when you write stuff, it doesn't necessarily translate into reality.

00:39:54.889 --> 00:39:55.860
You don't shoot it.

00:39:55.869 --> 00:39:57.360
Just don't for some reason.

00:39:57.360 --> 00:40:00.849
It just doesn't translate the honest conversation to that.

00:40:00.849 --> 00:40:05.369
Is that the only person knows is you and I, the writer producer in it, the audience would never know.

00:40:05.550 --> 00:40:08.260
So, if you have to change something to make an adjustment, they're not going to come back to you.

00:40:08.260 --> 00:40:09.190
Why didn't you do it this way?

00:40:09.389 --> 00:40:10.045
They don't know.

00:40:10.045 --> 00:40:13.070
They have no idea they only know what's presented in front of them.

00:40:13.445 --> 00:40:18.045
And so if you go into projects where I got to have it this way, I can have a have it that way.

00:40:19.184 --> 00:40:21.065
A filmmaking is a collaborative process.

00:40:21.125 --> 00:40:22.224
We all have to collaborate.

00:40:22.235 --> 00:40:23.635
I can't make films by myself.

00:40:24.204 --> 00:40:25.045
You know, I don't know.

00:40:25.135 --> 00:40:25.894
I can't do makeup.

00:40:25.894 --> 00:40:29.295
I can't do clothes like, you know, I, I, I'm not a shooter.

00:40:29.324 --> 00:40:31.125
So I have to find a balance of that.

00:40:31.655 --> 00:40:35.505
And so you have to go into it that ultimately look at the project is bigger than me.

00:40:36.045 --> 00:40:40.724
And ultimately you want the project to come out, but it's so focused on, I got to have it this way.

00:40:40.724 --> 00:40:41.594
I got to have this way.

00:40:41.824 --> 00:40:43.764
And it keeps it from that actually happening.

00:40:43.775 --> 00:40:43.795
Yeah.

00:40:44.605 --> 00:40:48.795
What's the point of have some creativity that's just on your computer and nobody ever sees.

00:40:49.574 --> 00:40:52.144
There's no point in it, so you have to compromise.

00:40:52.204 --> 00:40:54.974
You have to live in reality about what needs to be done.

00:40:54.974 --> 00:41:02.775
If you have to change, you have this great 1 shot and walking in and for some reason, the 1 shot, then working at the cut up in 2 pieces.

00:41:03.264 --> 00:41:10.195
Yeah, the 1 shot would have been really great, but the audience is not going to beat you up because you've been having, because they don't know that that's what you were trying to do.

00:41:11.324 --> 00:41:13.614
All I know is what great story that you put in front of them.

00:41:14.125 --> 00:41:14.704
That's all I know.

00:41:15.909 --> 00:41:16.360
All right.

00:41:16.420 --> 00:41:16.960
All right.

00:41:17.090 --> 00:41:33.199
When, after you finalize the script, you know, how long does it take from finalizing a script to premiere night of your films and break it down the, the macro processes of it.

00:41:33.414 --> 00:41:37.045
no necessary direct line on how to do that.

00:41:37.094 --> 00:41:42.525
Um, I really try not to write and produce stuff that I don't already have.

00:41:43.355 --> 00:41:46.815
Where I'm going to distribute it at, because that's important in the process of.

00:41:47.545 --> 00:41:52.054
You know, when you're writing, you want to know when you write to budget and then you also write to your audience and so.

00:41:52.764 --> 00:41:54.804
You need to kind of know what is this?

00:41:54.815 --> 00:41:55.844
Is this theatrical?

00:41:55.855 --> 00:41:56.574
Is this streaming?

00:41:56.614 --> 00:41:58.885
What type of project is this?

00:41:59.434 --> 00:42:02.465
So, when you start to write, you kind of write in that particular round, because.

00:42:02.849 --> 00:42:05.079
Shooting for streaming a platform is beautiful.

00:42:05.079 --> 00:42:05.860
Theatrical this.

00:42:06.139 --> 00:42:09.420
They're different and you should stylistically, they're different.

00:42:10.239 --> 00:42:13.889
You know, so once you come up with an idea concept.

00:42:13.889 --> 00:42:19.449
About what you want to do, and you write it, uh, doing that process, there are multiple things happening.

00:42:19.460 --> 00:42:20.110
I know for me.

00:42:20.690 --> 00:42:26.150
Um, I'm either letting distributors look at it or distributors already approved the concept.

00:42:26.739 --> 00:42:31.389
I already know what my budget is and so I'm all these things are kind of working along with each other.

00:42:31.739 --> 00:42:36.139
Once it's done, it's just a matter of going into production because you've already done the business part of it.

00:42:36.690 --> 00:42:40.579
And it's just a matter of, okay, now that this is, um.

00:42:40.929 --> 00:42:44.739
We're going to do this, uh, how long is it going to take us to do prep?

00:42:44.829 --> 00:42:46.179
I had to do casting.

00:42:46.659 --> 00:42:51.429
What location I'm use all those little things come into play or as a producer.

00:42:51.750 --> 00:42:52.929
Oh, how are you going to make it work?

00:42:53.329 --> 00:42:56.469
That might take about 3, 4 months, depending on exactly what it is you're trying to do.

00:42:56.489 --> 00:43:03.280
It could be faster, depending on the subject matter of how many locations, or if you already know, it's going to be like, we want to shoot in a small cabin in the woods.

00:43:03.670 --> 00:43:06.250
Pretty no brainer, just find the cabin and get in the cast.

00:43:06.320 --> 00:43:12.150
But if it's some other things and logistical things are a little bit more complicated, it takes a little bit more time.

00:43:12.929 --> 00:43:16.929
Once you, depending on your production schedule, once you shoot it.

00:43:17.699 --> 00:43:21.300
Uh, post production, I've had post production that.

00:43:21.909 --> 00:43:23.389
That took like 2 months.

00:43:23.909 --> 00:43:35.949
I've had post production has taken 6 months, so it's really depends on what type of, uh, issues you are having as far as production and concern because anything can happen.

00:43:36.070 --> 00:43:44.630
I mean, I, I've had movies just a movie that I finished on not too long ago that just delivered last week that I shot last year and we had to shoot it.

00:43:45.525 --> 00:43:51.204
Over a year and a half because we didn't want, it was a, the film was kind of broken to the past and the present.

00:43:51.215 --> 00:43:57.135
So, 1 of the actors that we needed was on tour and we were, they were not available until a certain time.

00:43:57.135 --> 00:43:58.735
And it was just a lot of things.

00:43:58.744 --> 00:44:00.905
So we have to shoot part of it 1st and wait.

00:44:01.974 --> 00:44:04.974
To get their availability, like, about 5 or 6 months later.

00:44:05.925 --> 00:44:11.105
And then after we did that, the post took longer just because a whole bunch of other difficulties just life.

00:44:11.690 --> 00:44:12.239
Yeah.

00:44:12.315 --> 00:44:12.684
happened.

00:44:13.255 --> 00:44:18.824
You know, and so the film really just got delivered technically last week.

00:44:19.449 --> 00:44:21.820
Oh, Wow, wow,

00:44:21.965 --> 00:44:32.005
know, and so I wish it was sooner, but and I'm sure to share it with him sooner, but it was just so many things that it was really out of my power and I had to just kind of surrender to some of them and just kind of like, okay.

00:44:32.394 --> 00:44:35.014
And just accept it, I didn't like it, but I just have to accept it

00:44:35.269 --> 00:44:35.780
Yeah.

00:44:36.119 --> 00:44:37.440
I mean, what else are you going to do?

00:44:38.210 --> 00:44:40.699
Like, literally, you have nothing else to do.

00:44:40.710 --> 00:44:41.340
So, yeah.

00:44:41.425 --> 00:44:41.724
now.

00:44:41.864 --> 00:44:42.574
No, she don't.

00:44:43.780 --> 00:44:49.139
Well, um, you mentioned, you kind of glossed on this, that brought this up for me.

00:44:49.690 --> 00:44:54.409
Productions, even lower budget productions, they need financing.

00:44:54.409 --> 00:45:13.574
And this is something that a lot of content creators, um, You know, when they want to transition from shooting YouTube videos to shooting something closer to theatrical or direct to video, where, what are the ways that they could get financing?

00:45:14.405 --> 00:45:19.525
Are there groups of individuals that finance and, or do they go through a studio?

00:45:20.255 --> 00:45:22.454
How do they find financing for their movies?

00:45:24.215 --> 00:45:27.605
No matter how big a filmmaker is, they all have issues with financing.

00:45:27.644 --> 00:45:31.005
I mean, getting people to separate themselves and their money is not always.

00:45:31.434 --> 00:45:38.045
The easiest thing, but the thing about it is, is that when people invest in your project, maybe studios or whoever it may be.

00:45:38.570 --> 00:45:50.599
They're not necessarily investing in a project they're investing in you, but they feel like you can, you know, whatever pitch you show them, whatever concept they believe you can take it to where it needs to be for them ultimately to get their money back and something on the back end.

00:45:50.989 --> 00:45:56.250
So, really, it's a process of really understanding your network and understand.

00:45:56.469 --> 00:46:00.989
Sometimes people have really good relationships with people and they don't know how to monetize their relationships with people.

00:46:01.510 --> 00:46:07.909
You know, there are people out there who want to, want to, there's somebody right now said, Hey, I would love to invest in a movie.

00:46:08.335 --> 00:46:38.019
For whatever particular reason, but they just don't know who has a movie that they feel like they can, uh, get behind, you know, and so a lot of times, it's really about looking into your network and really understanding people and finding ways to monetize your relationship with people to get them, you know, to do things and convince them to do, but there's a lot of ways of creatively financing pictures outside of the studio and things of that sort, you know, You can do some product placement as much as people say that and people like, I'm gonna do that.

00:46:38.400 --> 00:46:45.809
You actually can do it, but you also have to have a track record of showing that you've effectively use product placement to actually get the views of things.

00:46:45.809 --> 00:46:46.280
They're short.

00:46:46.500 --> 00:46:47.769
I work with a lot of companies.

00:46:48.434 --> 00:46:57.835
To do product placement initially, when I 1st started doing, uh, uh, entertainment, especially field television, you will go and take the script to an agency.

00:46:57.835 --> 00:47:00.594
You'll pay them agency fee and then go out and find people pretty much.

00:47:00.594 --> 00:47:01.485
You can afford to see.

00:47:02.275 --> 00:47:02.844
Yeah.

00:47:02.965 --> 00:47:07.545
a pandemic, I, what I determined that I wanted to do something more intentional.

00:47:08.235 --> 00:47:10.695
And so what I did was I look for.

00:47:11.195 --> 00:47:13.945
Uh, uh, companies, uh, people of color.

00:47:14.614 --> 00:47:17.844
Who have really great products and rebrand great social media reach.

00:47:18.264 --> 00:47:24.784
But they just could not afford, you know, the thousands and thousands of dollars, the plate of placement fee.

00:47:25.494 --> 00:47:28.664
So, I reach out to them is that, Hey, I can, you know.

00:47:28.985 --> 00:47:34.525
Put your product in film or television and get a wide range and reach.

00:47:34.864 --> 00:47:38.695
Of, uh, of viewers who wouldn't even be paying attention to in the 1st place.

00:47:38.695 --> 00:47:43.054
And so I, I did that and when I 1st start reaching out to people.

00:47:43.659 --> 00:47:47.849
A lot of times people will kind of ignore you because they feel like, oh, so I think they're trying to scan me.

00:47:49.179 --> 00:47:51.130
Somebody tell me, you know, put my product in the movie.

00:47:51.150 --> 00:47:51.760
They scammed me.

00:47:52.159 --> 00:47:52.699
They can't do that.

00:47:52.780 --> 00:47:53.539
They're not doing it.

00:47:53.630 --> 00:47:55.110
So you have to constantly keep kind of yes.

00:47:55.110 --> 00:47:55.860
I'm a real person.

00:47:55.860 --> 00:47:56.840
Like, there's 1 guy.

00:47:57.710 --> 00:48:02.144
Um, he has a light bulb company, black guy owns a library.

00:48:02.835 --> 00:48:09.525
And I had sent this guy so many messages over, you know, and I've constantly pushing out the other stuff I was doing.

00:48:09.525 --> 00:48:15.985
So you can see, you know, how effectively working and when I finally got a chance to talk on the phone, I said, well, you know, I've been trying to get with you for the last couple of years.

00:48:15.985 --> 00:48:16.574
He said, I know.

00:48:17.034 --> 00:48:19.105
He said, what it is that I saw your messages.

00:48:19.175 --> 00:48:20.514
I just was like, okay, whatever.

00:48:20.514 --> 00:48:23.164
I just, he just ignored it, but I was so persistent.

00:48:23.875 --> 00:48:27.114
And keep coming back to him, he said, you know what, let me see what he got to say.

00:48:28.065 --> 00:48:30.494
You know, so I get a lot of that.

00:48:30.525 --> 00:48:32.894
I get people who I'm constantly sending messages to.

00:48:32.900 --> 00:48:37.755
I'm constantly pushing out, especially on social media, showing the stuff that, you know, doing and how I'm working with other companies.

00:48:38.195 --> 00:48:39.934
And eventually they come around and they see it.

00:48:39.934 --> 00:48:42.545
It's like, okay, I'm, I'm gonna hear what you got to say.

00:48:42.545 --> 00:48:45.244
And usually after they hear what they got to say, they, they, they buy in.

00:48:45.695 --> 00:48:46.625
They're like, okay, fine.

00:48:46.655 --> 00:48:50.644
You know, I can show 'em how to get their, their product in front of, you know, eight to 10 million people.

00:48:51.635 --> 00:48:56.284
You know, it, instead of, you know, you should do this, you know, social media, uh.

00:48:56.934 --> 00:49:04.974
Ads and things of that sort, but I can show you how to get a cop to captivate the audience to look at your product and directly look at it and identify it.

00:49:05.364 --> 00:49:07.934
The relevance, because it's relevant to the story.

00:49:08.775 --> 00:49:16.235
And I'm not going to, and because you're a company of color, I'm going to work with you to try to make it because the idea is this.

00:49:17.905 --> 00:49:23.335
I want to make money just like everybody else, but I'm also the same things that I'm not trying to get the whole nickel, which is part of nickel.

00:49:23.514 --> 00:49:27.335
So, if I can show you a way to build your brand up to where you can create sales.

00:49:27.585 --> 00:49:33.755
Eventually, sometimes your sales only get large enough that we can do traditional, you know, fees for certain things.

00:49:34.014 --> 00:49:37.184
But right now, I'm what's more important to me is the partnership.

00:49:37.664 --> 00:49:42.215
How we can work together to create something, how we can help each other go to the next level.

00:49:42.295 --> 00:49:45.514
If I help you, then eventually you help me and we kind of all expand.

00:49:46.065 --> 00:49:50.844
If people understand that we are more connected than we are disconnected, and we can all kind of help each other.

00:49:51.025 --> 00:49:55.704
I think that we can get a lot of stuff done, but there are a lot of people out here who are scamming.

00:49:55.704 --> 00:49:58.195
There are a lot of people out here doing a whole bunch of crazy stuff and not doing what they say.

00:49:58.425 --> 00:50:00.655
It makes it really hard for people to want to take a chance.

00:50:00.655 --> 00:50:02.485
Yeah,

00:50:03.005 --> 00:50:03.755
of the pod.

00:50:03.755 --> 00:50:06.844
That was beautiful, man.

00:50:07.355 --> 00:50:08.684
That was truly beautiful.

00:50:09.735 --> 00:50:11.135
Oh my God, I'm blown away.

00:50:11.724 --> 00:50:20.284
Um, yeah, I mean, again, and I said that at the beginning, each one reach one, I say it on every episode.

00:50:20.514 --> 00:50:23.695
Um, We just got to reach out to each other.

00:50:24.065 --> 00:50:28.485
Um, I'm a big proponent of giving more value than you receive.

00:50:29.994 --> 00:50:38.304
You end up getting more in the long run, but just you, if you give that value to other people, man, it's, it's gonna, it's gonna come back.

00:50:39.105 --> 00:50:40.715
It is definitely going to come back.

00:50:42.215 --> 00:50:50.534
Um, now you mentioned that, uh, persistence of, uh, of reaching out to them and, and I guess that fortitude.

00:50:51.519 --> 00:50:53.940
Where, where does that come from for, for you?

00:50:55.985 --> 00:50:59.425
I think it's just who I am as a person, you know, um.

00:50:59.909 --> 00:51:05.730
I am I have this, you know, Facebook has this thing where every day they tell you who's everybody's birthday.

00:51:07.079 --> 00:51:09.519
And I try to make a conscious effort to go in.

00:51:10.059 --> 00:51:12.889
If it's somebody birthday, say, happy B day, stay focused and determined.

00:51:14.159 --> 00:51:15.980
And I'll get messages back from people.

00:51:15.980 --> 00:51:20.090
So, I think I really need that because I was going through something because you really don't know what people are going through.

00:51:20.420 --> 00:51:25.289
But honestly, I tell you all the time, although I'm trying to encourage you, I'm also trying to encourage myself to stay focused.

00:51:25.889 --> 00:51:29.119
You know, I, I, I can get off track just like everybody else.

00:51:29.119 --> 00:51:35.199
I get sucked into, you know, you get on social media to post something and get sucked into that rabbit hole of looking at all this other stuff.

00:51:35.199 --> 00:51:37.500
You know, I, I need to stay focused too.

00:51:37.880 --> 00:51:41.000
And so, as a person, I'm pretty optimistic, but I'm also.

00:51:41.380 --> 00:51:45.739
A person who is determined if I set my sights and goal or something.

00:51:46.119 --> 00:51:47.929
I, you know, and I really work for it.

00:51:47.929 --> 00:51:49.130
I usually get what I asked for.

00:51:49.130 --> 00:51:50.889
I try to be really careful what I asked for.

00:51:52.175 --> 00:51:55.135
I really need to, I remember back in the day, Oprah used to, um.

00:51:55.775 --> 00:52:00.885
She's always shows by relationships and so women would come on there and there's 1 who came on at 1 time and said.

00:52:02.864 --> 00:52:06.644
I want a good man, and Oprah said, well, what does that mean?

00:52:06.644 --> 00:52:15.304
So I wanted to make, she said, because a good man could be somebody who comes on, bring his check every day, but he beat you up a good man to be somebody who, who, uh.

00:52:15.664 --> 00:52:18.554
Fix your dinner on special occasions, but he also cheats on you.

00:52:19.440 --> 00:52:19.969
Yeah.

00:52:20.135 --> 00:52:22.264
very clear about what your intentions and what you are.

00:52:22.264 --> 00:52:25.184
And so when you ask for something, you say, Hey.

00:52:26.394 --> 00:52:29.784
The universe, God, whatever you believe in, and you want these things.

00:52:30.644 --> 00:52:33.284
And you say, hey, I want to be a great filmmaker.

00:52:33.855 --> 00:52:39.434
You can be a great filmmaker, uh, doing local commercials, but you didn't want, you weren't clear about what did you, what you wanted.

00:52:40.034 --> 00:52:42.804
You can be a great filmmaker, honestly, being doing porn.

00:52:43.735 --> 00:52:47.074
You have to be very clear about what it is that you want.

00:52:48.255 --> 00:52:54.295
I think a lot of times people don't, especially if you're young, they don't know, they're not really clear about what they want.

00:52:54.335 --> 00:52:55.324
They know what they don't want.

00:52:56.184 --> 00:53:00.474
They don't, they don't want to do, but not really clear about what exactly is, is that they want.

00:53:00.494 --> 00:53:07.664
And I think once you figure out what it is that you want and how you plan to get there, I think the path becomes much clearer.

00:53:08.284 --> 00:53:16.735
You know, if you still in the realm of trying to feel like, I don't know if I want to do this, I want to do that, then the energy you put out to the universe, they don't know what to do.

00:53:17.135 --> 00:53:21.244
Because I'm a firm believer in words, words speak things into existence.

00:53:22.099 --> 00:53:25.610
And if you put out, I'm not really sure the universe is not really.

00:53:25.739 --> 00:53:26.769
What does that go to?

00:53:27.719 --> 00:53:30.000
It's like sending somebody email with no email address.

00:53:32.550 --> 00:53:37.840
It goes nowhere, but if it's very clear, and I want to send this person an email, I want to tell them this, they're going to get it.

00:53:37.880 --> 00:53:40.579
And then say, okay, John wants this particular things.

00:53:40.840 --> 00:53:44.099
So you have to be clear within your own self of what exactly that you want to do.

00:53:44.469 --> 00:53:47.500
And also to be realistic in your goals.

00:53:49.159 --> 00:53:51.400
I can't stress that enough.

00:53:51.889 --> 00:53:56.860
Everything has to build if you've been doing, uh, let's just say you've been doing commercial music videos.

00:53:56.889 --> 00:54:04.900
You've been doing the commercials and you want to do a feature, but the commercials you've been doing, and maybe people spending 10 for commercial, whatever it may be.

00:54:05.989 --> 00:54:10.260
The likely thing that you're going to go up to, like, several million dollar movie is kind of almost impossible.

00:54:11.099 --> 00:54:13.340
Hollywood is the very thing about stepping stones.

00:54:14.170 --> 00:54:17.539
If you can do a 15, 100, 000 dollar feature.

00:54:18.389 --> 00:54:21.469
Uh, successfully, then you'll get 100 and 200.

00:54:21.699 --> 00:54:22.119
You do that.

00:54:23.190 --> 00:54:24.639
It's a building stone.

00:54:24.719 --> 00:54:32.360
You know, the likelihood of somebody coming just out of nowhere and just giving you a million, several million dollars to do movies is possible, but not probable.

00:54:32.869 --> 00:54:36.099
You know, we're always looking for something or someone to save us.

00:54:36.360 --> 00:54:37.394
They're not coming.

00:54:37.394 --> 00:54:38.530
You need to save yourself.

00:54:40.349 --> 00:54:41.030
Yes.

00:54:41.250 --> 00:54:42.150
Oh my God.

00:54:42.150 --> 00:54:42.489
Yes.

00:54:42.510 --> 00:54:44.840
Somebody in the back of the class wasn't listening, man.

00:54:45.190 --> 00:54:46.579
You got to say that one again.

00:54:48.489 --> 00:54:49.469
You got to save yourself.

00:54:49.570 --> 00:54:56.730
You know, I realized that my own self, it would be really great if I can find a producer, some big name producer come say, oh, john, you did really good work.

00:54:56.730 --> 00:54:58.519
I'm gonna take all this burden off for you.

00:54:58.829 --> 00:55:01.940
And you just gonna have to focus on directing and writing.

00:55:01.949 --> 00:55:02.530
You'd be okay.

00:55:03.030 --> 00:55:03.860
That would be really great.

00:55:03.880 --> 00:55:05.099
But will that happen?

00:55:05.119 --> 00:55:07.500
I don't know, but I'm not gonna sit here and wait for it.

00:55:08.429 --> 00:55:16.849
I'm not gonna sit here and, you know, and in the fantasy like, okay, well, It's like most of the makers do want to have ideas when I get everything perfectly in line.

00:55:16.860 --> 00:55:18.130
And that's when I'll do my feature.

00:55:19.570 --> 00:55:20.679
It's never going to be perfect.

00:55:21.380 --> 00:55:22.130
It's like having kids.

00:55:22.130 --> 00:55:23.519
It's never a perfect time to have kids.

00:55:23.519 --> 00:55:26.000
I don't care what your situation is never a perfect time.

00:55:26.429 --> 00:55:30.219
So, if you want to do it, just go ahead and do it and just deal with what life comes to you.

00:55:30.934 --> 00:55:31.644
Yes.

00:55:32.184 --> 00:55:32.724
Yeah.

00:55:32.764 --> 00:55:34.735
Where was this advice when I was in film school?

00:55:34.735 --> 00:55:34.985
Huh?

00:55:35.744 --> 00:55:49.764
You spoke about choosing to be optimistic and I, I gotta ask this man, when are the moments that no matter how optimistic you are, the , reality of the situation just drains your, your enthusiasm?

00:55:52.480 --> 00:55:57.340
The thing about that, I know for me, I can speak for me is that life happens to everybody.

00:55:58.510 --> 00:56:00.809
So, most people want to have good all the time.

00:56:00.849 --> 00:56:01.949
It's just not possible.

00:56:02.400 --> 00:56:03.989
Bad things are going to happen to you.

00:56:04.170 --> 00:56:04.969
It's just life.

00:56:05.349 --> 00:56:07.730
And if you can't take the bed, you don't deserve the good.

00:56:08.340 --> 00:56:13.130
So, at those moments where you just trying to be optimistic, just working, sometimes you just need to take a moment and stop.

00:56:13.380 --> 00:56:14.630
You need to see what you're doing.

00:56:15.059 --> 00:56:16.110
What are you doing?

00:56:16.110 --> 00:56:19.119
Something that's going to that's causing this situation to.

00:56:19.429 --> 00:56:21.110
Not go in the direction that you wanted to go.

00:56:21.139 --> 00:56:26.630
Are you doing something that's creating this frustration or lack of energy in the situation?

00:56:27.260 --> 00:56:28.539
And sometimes you just need a break.

00:56:28.559 --> 00:56:40.300
I think about myself when, uh, I had done a whole bunch of, I, you know, I come from doing features on, uh, you, you do these features and you put it on VHS and you go out and sell it to a mom and pop.

00:56:40.340 --> 00:56:41.099
That's where I come from.

00:56:41.489 --> 00:56:47.409
So, I did a couple of those, uh, years ago, but my first wide release picture was called Red All Over.

00:56:47.840 --> 00:56:50.239
It was about both sides of the gun violence issue.

00:56:50.900 --> 00:56:55.519
And after I did that movie, um, I got a divorce.

00:56:55.519 --> 00:56:55.579
So,

00:56:56.994 --> 00:56:57.704
Oh, wow.

00:56:57.965 --> 00:56:57.985
Yeah.

00:56:58.610 --> 00:57:00.250
Divorce is very debilitating.

00:57:00.320 --> 00:57:04.449
I couldn't, um, I couldn't function , creatively.

00:57:04.449 --> 00:57:07.789
I just, it just, it just wasn't, I couldn't do it.

00:57:08.579 --> 00:57:25.539
And so that movie sat on my hard drive for a couple of years, you know, and people were telling me, hey, you need to put this out and everything, but I just couldn't, I couldn't bring myself to, to doing it because creatively I was just by divorce, custody, and all the stuff that goes with it.

00:57:25.619 --> 00:57:34.889
You know, and once I was able to get past that and, you know, you know, go ahead and release the movie and everything, I was able to kind of push my career.

00:57:34.980 --> 00:57:37.190
But during that time, I really wasn't doing anything creatively.

00:57:37.409 --> 00:57:38.389
I was just surviving.

00:57:39.239 --> 00:57:47.800
I'm just surviving because I couldn't mentally, I couldn't get myself to get past that, you know, and because ultimately, honestly, I'm just human.

00:57:48.260 --> 00:57:53.610
I'm not a machine, you know, and people sometimes put too much pressure on themselves.

00:57:54.184 --> 00:57:55.844
To do stuff and make things happen.

00:57:56.155 --> 00:57:57.594
Yes, you want to really stay focused.

00:57:57.594 --> 00:58:03.065
You really want to, you know, kind of hone in on your, your goals and everything, but you also human.

00:58:03.065 --> 00:58:05.385
And that's not something that you really can put on pause.

00:58:05.585 --> 00:58:14.664
It's just the reality, you know, so take a moment, get your house in check, you know, get the things you need to get done and push forward and don't let anybody kind of stop you from that.

00:58:14.835 --> 00:58:16.085
But you need to take those breaks.

00:58:16.085 --> 00:58:18.655
You need to take those recharges to try to get your mind right.

00:58:19.389 --> 00:58:21.920
Yeah, yeah, yeah, you do, you do.

00:58:23.019 --> 00:58:29.760
So you were literally going to mom and pop shops selling your videos.

00:58:31.429 --> 00:58:36.559
Now that, , we have platforms to where you don't have to go to mom and pop shops and stuff like that.

00:58:37.119 --> 00:58:39.869
What are your thoughts on the various platforms?

00:58:39.869 --> 00:58:41.550
What are some of the pros and cons?

00:58:41.869 --> 00:58:46.750
Is there one that you like better than others or how does that work exactly for you?

00:58:48.614 --> 00:58:56.824
You know, the other day I was, uh, going to, I was looking at a, uh, movie and this ad came, this thing came out on Amazon and it says for 2.

00:58:56.824 --> 00:58:56.965
99.

00:58:58.175 --> 00:59:02.485
You can, uh, now you can watch stuff without having to answer right now.

00:59:02.485 --> 00:59:05.664
You have limited ads for your registration, but for 299 more money.

00:59:06.144 --> 00:59:12.744
You can watch ads I remember when the streaming platforms came out and their, their sale pitch to people was that you don't have to look at commercials.

00:59:12.755 --> 00:59:13.474
You're paying.

00:59:15.324 --> 00:59:19.065
Commercial and some of the biggest platforms right now.

00:59:19.385 --> 00:59:24.675
Are all a bot ad base a video demand services and people seem to be okay with that.

00:59:25.175 --> 00:59:25.715
Yeah.

00:59:26.065 --> 00:59:26.885
I'm okay with it.

00:59:26.925 --> 00:59:31.085
I mean, honestly, it keeps people, especially the AVOD systems.

00:59:31.675 --> 00:59:39.894
It keeps people from, if I have to get people to take an exit step, either pay or something like that, that keeps them from not doing it as a barrier.

00:59:40.434 --> 00:59:42.784
As a filmmaker, I'm getting paid off the streams.

00:59:42.824 --> 00:59:47.065
And so if I can push out content, like for example, uh, Snapchat.

00:59:47.835 --> 00:59:51.514
In my opinion has some probably the best advertising platform.

00:59:51.514 --> 00:59:53.945
It is because they give you a lot of information.

00:59:54.795 --> 00:59:59.784
I can tell you if the person I'm pushing to that, they like to buy a certain type of shoes and things of that sort.

00:59:59.795 --> 01:00:06.255
It's it's a really good, but there's also catered to young kids who do have some income, but, you know, they also, you know, young too.

01:00:06.795 --> 01:00:13.054
So, if I go into an ad on a Snapchat, and I push them toward a movie, I'm straight and I'm just sending this particular link.

01:00:13.295 --> 01:00:16.085
They can look at it without any problem because they don't have to pay for anything.

01:00:17.025 --> 01:00:33.324
All I'm doing is just looking at it and talking about it and sharing it and things of that sort, you know, and so I think that the a box system have helped a lot of filmmakers get opportunities and actually make money outside of the gatekeepers or the big studios.

01:00:33.614 --> 01:00:37.465
Because before then, if you didn't go to the big studio distributors, there's no way for you to actually.

01:00:37.980 --> 01:00:44.400
Make the money, because, you know, even though you can get on the platform, you don't have access to all the advertising things that they have.

01:00:44.679 --> 01:00:46.659
You don't have access to, um.

01:00:47.090 --> 01:00:50.659
You know, the special programs that they have to try to keep.

01:00:51.079 --> 01:00:54.300
Your video in their particular in everybody's face, you know, so.

01:00:54.679 --> 01:01:00.530
Now, you can get those same things that they get, you know, and as long as people are seeing it.

01:01:00.789 --> 01:01:02.190
You know, and see.

01:01:03.585 --> 01:01:08.945
everything, you know, that kind of pushes people to go and look at it that there's no blockage there.

01:01:09.184 --> 01:01:10.125
There's no gatekeepers there.

01:01:10.135 --> 01:01:11.644
You can make a lot of opportunity money.

01:01:12.215 --> 01:01:14.945
But probably the biggest way at this moment is to be.

01:01:15.534 --> 01:01:16.275
Tubi.

01:01:16.284 --> 01:01:18.905
owned by Fox, which a lot of people don't know it is owned by Fox.

01:01:19.614 --> 01:01:19.985
Uh.

01:01:20.195 --> 01:01:26.184
are creating this platform to where everybody's watching this a bot platform to where everybody's looking.

01:01:27.085 --> 01:01:30.199
They've used some of those crazy to be movies.

01:01:30.199 --> 01:01:32.144
To create viewership.

01:01:32.994 --> 01:01:35.775
And once they get to a certain point, which they're starting to do now.

01:01:36.664 --> 01:01:42.775
They are now trying to be, you know, do better stuff to have a better platform, you know, and it's actually working.

01:01:42.815 --> 01:01:44.224
So you see more original stuff.

01:01:44.264 --> 01:01:48.795
They're pushing stuff more towards series instead of doing a whole bunch of movies, you know, so.

01:01:49.114 --> 01:01:51.244
I think to be the good platform, um.

01:01:51.885 --> 01:01:54.914
3d, which is pretty much, uh, it's Amazon.

01:01:55.514 --> 01:02:02.635
Uh, you saying, so these a bot systems, I think, allows creators, if you come up with some really good content and you're marketing.

01:02:02.635 --> 01:02:07.034
Well, you can, you know, somewhat even playing field with some of the biggest studios.

01:02:07.675 --> 01:02:17.644
So, let's say you get like a million views on Tubi versus, you know, Amazon, what would you expect as far as a return?

01:02:18.215 --> 01:02:18.985
Because I mean, these

01:02:19.135 --> 01:02:19.324
So,

01:02:19.605 --> 01:02:23.934
you know, you might, you might have a million dollar budget in order to make the movie.

01:02:23.954 --> 01:02:24.824
If you come in.

01:02:25.385 --> 01:02:30.045
You know, under budget or ad budget, when can you expect that return?

01:02:31.514 --> 01:02:38.244
so you don't necessarily need a, you know, a 1Million dollar movie to make a lot of money off of to be.

01:02:38.715 --> 01:02:40.434
You know, so it's, it's all add days.

01:02:40.574 --> 01:02:43.364
And so as long, so the, uh.

01:02:43.804 --> 01:02:47.494
The way that that works, as long as people are looking at the movie.

01:02:48.025 --> 01:02:54.114
Uh, and everybody's streaming it doesn't you don't need to have like, this big, but you can do a 50, 000 dollar movie and make 6 figures.

01:02:54.724 --> 01:02:56.344
Off of to be easy,

01:02:56.594 --> 01:02:58.704
Uh, okay.

01:02:58.735 --> 01:03:05.065
Well, I guess that kind of gets me to my next question is with the incorporation of AI and content creation.

01:03:05.675 --> 01:03:10.364
Uh, what are your thoughts on the relationships of the studios to creators?

01:03:10.465 --> 01:03:15.175
I mean, is he going to water things down or is he going to expand?

01:03:17.175 --> 01:03:22.235
so I don't have a problem with a, I'm a proponent for a, I don't think it's a bad thing.

01:03:22.255 --> 01:03:25.545
I think most things isn't an aid to help you be creative.

01:03:26.605 --> 01:03:31.125
The AI can really kind of push stuff a little bit faster to get stuff done.

01:03:31.585 --> 01:03:42.195
But the AI, you also have to remember is that this a, this is a look at this as a partner, but this partners lives in another dimension.

01:03:42.724 --> 01:03:46.085
So his understanding about what humans do is going to be a lot different.

01:03:46.085 --> 01:03:50.315
So even if you push in and I put this synopsis in and say, Hey, I want to write this script.

01:03:50.905 --> 01:03:56.264
You still have to go back in as a human, go back and create some nuances because they don't understand.

01:03:56.545 --> 01:03:56.824
You got to.

01:03:57.750 --> 01:04:05.329
You got a six dimension, uh, uh, creature trying to make a two dimension, uh, movie.

01:04:05.800 --> 01:04:08.900
He doesn't really understand that, you know, it's like, it's a reverse.

01:04:08.909 --> 01:04:11.719
You trying to create what a spirit looks like.

01:04:11.730 --> 01:04:12.820
You don't really know.

01:04:13.585 --> 01:04:14.315
Yeah.

01:04:14.335 --> 01:04:19.315
your idea of it is kind of really frankenstein ish because you just have no idea.

01:04:19.315 --> 01:04:29.644
It's like in the Bible when they, in revelations, when they talk about all those different things, uh, of things happening, this is an interpretation for whoever's mind is, was when they were interpreting what they were writing down.

01:04:30.025 --> 01:04:36.175
So their idea of what these things look like is only from their perception as a human, they can't really describe it.

01:04:36.175 --> 01:04:42.054
And so you have to, AI I think is a big tool that helps people, but at the same time.

01:04:42.480 --> 01:04:46.159
You as a human, you have to be there to foster it and say, okay, this doesn't make sense.

01:04:46.210 --> 01:04:47.510
Let me make an adjustment here.

01:04:49.304 --> 01:04:54.074
I alluded to, Blaxploitation movies very early in the pod.

01:04:54.715 --> 01:04:59.864
How much influence was that genre of film on the masses?

01:04:59.974 --> 01:05:02.164
And what can today's creators learn from it?

01:05:04.019 --> 01:05:08.059
So, I think a lot of it, if it was truly something that black people were.

01:05:08.530 --> 01:05:11.659
Had the opportunity to create their own stuff for writing everything.

01:05:11.940 --> 01:05:13.300
I think it turns out good.

01:05:13.469 --> 01:05:14.809
I just saw yesterday.

01:05:14.809 --> 01:05:16.079
I saw American fiction.

01:05:17.030 --> 01:05:17.500
The movie,

01:05:17.655 --> 01:05:19.304
Oh, I, was it good?

01:05:20.440 --> 01:05:26.349
yeah, it was very good and, they kind of talk about the whole black exploitation thing to a degree, but from the form of writing books.

01:05:27.119 --> 01:05:36.940
And I'm, I think that if black people, we're in an age where black people are, particularly people of color, are controlling their narratives.

01:05:37.820 --> 01:05:43.119
And they're able to put out stuff in green light stuff that's, that makes sense for their own story.

01:05:43.690 --> 01:05:47.530
It is not always a good thing when other people kind of tell our stories, not to say they cannot.

01:05:47.739 --> 01:05:49.329
It's like Black Panther the movie.

01:05:49.329 --> 01:05:55.260
Ryan Coogler, from our aspect, did a really good job for that, from my point of view.

01:05:55.949 --> 01:06:05.429
And It was the first time I ever saw a movie that people of color, all generations could agree on, that it was good.

01:06:06.135 --> 01:06:06.925
Yeah.

01:06:07.010 --> 01:06:13.519
really see, we don't really have things where, you know, we all, old or young, agree.

01:06:14.329 --> 01:06:19.679
Now, could who wasn't a person of color direct Black Panther?

01:06:20.019 --> 01:06:20.389
Yes.

01:06:21.840 --> 01:06:22.809
Would it have been the same?

01:06:23.429 --> 01:06:24.159
Probably so.

01:06:24.775 --> 01:06:25.105
Yeah.

01:06:25.119 --> 01:06:31.010
There's a scene in the movie where he says, makes a statement about, uh, calling someone a colonizer.

01:06:32.110 --> 01:06:36.409
And when you go into the movie, all the people who are in the movie.

01:06:37.579 --> 01:06:38.219
Felt that

01:06:39.144 --> 01:06:39.664
yeah,

01:06:41.260 --> 01:06:44.969
when he wrote that, he put some energy into that and they all felt that.

01:06:46.619 --> 01:06:49.429
Now, people probably figure out why they responded that way.

01:06:50.594 --> 01:06:56.364
But it's not something that you can, you can't, you can teach somebody how to sing, but you can't teach somebody how to sang

01:06:57.614 --> 01:06:58.894
yeah, that's,

01:06:59.155 --> 01:07:00.675
two totally different things.

01:07:01.005 --> 01:07:11.394
And so Ryan is writing this and he's writing this and he putting this energy into the words in a way that we would, that other people just like him could understand.

01:07:13.735 --> 01:07:14.344
yeah,

01:07:14.454 --> 01:07:17.005
that's not something that, you know, I think anybody else can write.

01:07:17.005 --> 01:07:23.715
So they could have did Black Panther and somebody else could have did it and it would have been all great and everybody liked it and everything, but I don't think it would have been the same thing.

01:07:23.905 --> 01:07:31.355
What we bring to the table, what we bring insight is, is unique to us and our experience.

01:07:31.594 --> 01:07:36.065
The black experience is unique in any other part of the world, but America

01:07:37.005 --> 01:07:38.894
yeah, yeah,

01:07:39.074 --> 01:07:41.074
It is not, there's no other place like that.

01:07:41.074 --> 01:07:43.914
People in Europe, they came from the islands.

01:07:45.014 --> 01:07:47.824
And have a different migration, uh, a pattern.

01:07:48.394 --> 01:07:53.605
People in America, you know, it's different, you know, our whole story is different.

01:07:53.605 --> 01:07:59.914
And so when we create things, we write things, everything is, it comes from a place that, that it's hard to describe to other people.

01:07:59.914 --> 01:08:04.114
Yeah,

01:08:04.155 --> 01:08:04.204
is.

01:08:04.264 --> 01:08:07.025
I mean it's, it is putting some stank on it.

01:08:07.045 --> 01:08:09.434
It is putting some funk on it.

01:08:09.465 --> 01:08:11.144
It's throwing in that extra seasoning.

01:08:11.155 --> 01:08:13.945
It's seasoning until your ancestors tell you to stop.

01:08:14.485 --> 01:08:15.005
It is.

01:08:15.630 --> 01:08:29.779
It really is different and you, you can't necessarily put it to words, you know, I'm, I'm using all these different phrases and the people that are listening, understand them and the people who wouldn't always listen, won't always understand them.

01:08:30.420 --> 01:08:37.079
It's a lived experience and having that a true African American.

01:08:38.354 --> 01:08:55.225
Experience is something else, you know, that's, that's why, you know, that whole argument of African American versus black American and why the term Afro American was created, because really we have a different experience than our brothers and sisters actually in Africa.

01:08:55.515 --> 01:08:59.765
Um, not that different, but it is different enough to where you can call it different.

01:09:00.664 --> 01:09:06.685
Um, yeah, I just, uh, you really kind of summed it up with that one and I can't thank you enough for that.

01:09:07.494 --> 01:09:09.274
Um, yeah.

01:09:09.274 --> 01:09:11.175
Do you have a favorite Blaxploitation movie?

01:09:15.854 --> 01:09:19.534
really, I don't think I have 1 and I feel like, okay, this is like my go to.

01:09:20.175 --> 01:09:25.055
Um, I think I like the genre in general, because I think it allows.

01:09:25.689 --> 01:09:37.000
Uh, like Gordon Parks movies allowed, it was allowed him to tell stories, uh, from his perspective without anybody else kind of influencing him, you know, the good, the bad, the ugly of it.

01:09:37.029 --> 01:09:42.960
And, you know, there was no, um, there was no one kind of saying you should do this.

01:09:42.960 --> 01:09:46.119
You should do that based off of trying to appease somebody else.

01:09:46.119 --> 01:10:09.595
And so I do enjoy them, but I think the genre in general and us telling our own stories and being, uh, you know, The creators and managers of our own story, even today, there's tons of, uh, stories that are waiting to wait to be told that from the black experience for a long time, uh, Hollywood and just the, you know, the world in general in America.

01:10:10.265 --> 01:10:12.795
They always felt that black people pretty much the same.

01:10:12.824 --> 01:10:19.194
I think that when it changed when, when, uh, Clarence Thomas had that trial with Anita Hill.

01:10:20.555 --> 01:10:29.770
I think, I think, uh, uh, American and while they was, they was surprised that Black folks didn't all think the same.

01:10:30.609 --> 01:10:33.300
They just assumed that we all thought the same

01:10:33.425 --> 01:10:34.515
Like, we're a monolith.

01:10:34.805 --> 01:10:35.345
Yeah.

01:10:35.479 --> 01:10:37.560
Yes, you know, we, we don't.

01:10:37.569 --> 01:10:38.720
We have different ideas.

01:10:38.720 --> 01:10:40.020
We have different experiences.

01:10:40.060 --> 01:10:52.149
And so it created this thing in their eye like, Oh, y'all got an opinion and it's all different, you know, and it's, it's the idea of being seen.

01:10:52.359 --> 01:10:53.600
Sometimes people can see you.

01:10:54.369 --> 01:10:57.539
But being seen as a totally different things.

01:10:57.800 --> 01:10:58.789
Do you see me?

01:10:59.250 --> 01:11:00.750
Do you understand where I'm coming from?

01:11:01.439 --> 01:11:09.800
And I think it was like an awakening to them to like, I opened it up like, Oh, they got an opinion, you know?

01:11:10.470 --> 01:11:17.279
So I think, I think Even nowadays, when I remember years ago, when I first started filmmaker, and I was like, really.

01:11:17.779 --> 01:11:26.489
I knew that there are some people who like, exactly the work that students and everything, but I was waiting for the time where they would eventually move up to be in a position where they can just green light.

01:11:26.489 --> 01:11:28.399
And it was just them saying it was okay.

01:11:30.029 --> 01:11:34.500
And we are in that age of people doing that they are in the age of people being able to say.

01:11:35.329 --> 01:11:40.810
This is the story that we want to tell the good, the bad and ugly, you know, and so I'm, I'm, I'm.

01:11:41.520 --> 01:11:47.569
I'm thankful for this period because, uh, without the struggles of other filmmakers in the past, we wouldn't be here.

01:11:48.984 --> 01:11:50.904
know, uh, Robison.

01:11:50.954 --> 01:11:55.664
You know, um, Spike Lee, which incidentally my mom went to high school with him.

01:11:56.095 --> 01:12:13.395
Uh, yeah, um, the uh, even though I don't like any of his movies, I, I have mad respect for Tyler Perry because he literally did it on his own, he told his stories, um, he garnered his audience and you know, he spoke their truths and

01:12:13.970 --> 01:12:13.989
hmm.

01:12:14.000 --> 01:12:14.350
Mm

01:12:14.645 --> 01:12:16.295
you see what it's brought him now.

01:12:16.295 --> 01:12:22.750
So I, you know, I don't, I don't, Um, I'm not a fan of any of his movies, but I celebrate him for what he's done.

01:12:22.930 --> 01:12:29.020
Um, and you know, I'm bringing up other people, but you spoke about being seen.

01:12:30.579 --> 01:12:33.890
Ebony hustle 2 Ballistic Protection.

01:12:34.470 --> 01:12:37.739
What is it like being seen with the lovely Michelle Lamb?

01:12:37.739 --> 01:12:41.649
Because lovely is just such a small word to compare her.

01:12:43.250 --> 01:12:44.720
Michelle is a hard worker.

01:12:45.435 --> 01:12:54.994
She's very focused and she has, like, an, a focus and agenda that is, uh, a little bit transcending because a lot of people don't have that kind of push.

01:12:55.585 --> 01:13:01.045
She was that she's in a place in her life where she, she knows exactly what she wants and she's kind of pushing toward that.

01:13:01.395 --> 01:13:09.314
So that helps a lot with the character, especially when we did the 1st, uh, Ebony Hustle, trying to create, you're creating this character.

01:13:09.814 --> 01:13:16.284
Out of nowhere, and you're hoping that the audience will buy into it and they will, you know, accept it.

01:13:17.604 --> 01:13:27.824
And then when it was, it's a successful movie, you know, success means that film festivals, critics acclaim, you know, people have their opinions about it 1 way or the other.

01:13:28.125 --> 01:13:33.335
I accept that, but it's a successful movie as far as financially is a successful movie.

01:13:34.324 --> 01:13:42.994
So, I'm hoping that when Ebony Hustle 2: Ballistic Protection comes out on March 12th, that it will garner the same attention.

01:13:43.005 --> 01:13:43.835
It's not better.

01:13:44.255 --> 01:13:46.255
I'm a better filmmaker since that movie.

01:13:46.635 --> 01:13:50.164
I am a lot more things since that movie.

01:13:50.635 --> 01:13:54.725
And so I'm hoping that, and I actually directed this 1, the 1st 1.

01:13:55.414 --> 01:13:57.175
I was directed by Jamezz Hampton.

01:13:57.265 --> 01:13:57.774
Um.

01:13:58.414 --> 01:14:01.164
Is a young filmmaker that I've been working with this.

01:14:01.185 --> 01:14:02.164
That was his 1st feature.

01:14:02.164 --> 01:14:04.225
So I was given the opportunity to direct his 1st feature.

01:14:04.845 --> 01:14:07.454
He's going to do another picture of me called False Profits.

01:14:07.555 --> 01:14:09.345
Uh, it's going to come out later this year.

01:14:09.364 --> 01:14:10.994
False profits is about a 1 who.

01:14:11.335 --> 01:14:13.515
Starts a Ponzi scheme in her father's church

01:14:14.340 --> 01:14:15.930
Oh, wow.

01:14:16.515 --> 01:14:19.564
Yeah, Adina Howard is actually in that picture too.

01:14:19.649 --> 01:14:19.970
Oh,

01:14:20.175 --> 01:14:21.335
You know, so it.

01:14:21.904 --> 01:14:24.895
That'll come out later this, uh, later this year.

01:14:25.215 --> 01:14:33.734
But, um, so Ebony Hustle is, is really, um, I'm, I'm, I'm interested in seeing how the masses take it.

01:14:33.994 --> 01:14:38.095
Uh, it's done really well in festivals, like 8 film festivals around the world.

01:14:38.444 --> 01:14:41.465
So, I know that, you know, there's an audience for it.

01:14:41.814 --> 01:14:45.585
I'm just interested in how it will receive the good, the bad and the ugly of it.

01:14:46.460 --> 01:14:47.350
Wow.

01:14:47.380 --> 01:14:49.159
Man, you got a lot of things going on.

01:14:49.159 --> 01:14:52.689
You have a lot on your plate and you seem like you help a lot of people.

01:14:53.310 --> 01:14:54.020
Um,

01:14:54.274 --> 01:14:54.805
I've tried.

01:14:55.625 --> 01:14:58.654
It was freely given to me, so I try to freely give to other people.

01:14:58.810 --> 01:15:01.770
No, I'm going to go ahead and correct that record, sir.

01:15:01.840 --> 01:15:03.439
You don't try, you succeed.

01:15:03.449 --> 01:15:05.390
And I celebrate you for that, man.

01:15:05.409 --> 01:15:06.159
I really do.

01:15:06.869 --> 01:15:07.409
Um,

01:15:07.420 --> 01:15:07.899
I appreciate it.

01:15:08.239 --> 01:15:08.529
yeah.

01:15:08.529 --> 01:15:12.029
Well, if someone wanted to get a hold of you, what's the best way?

01:15:12.170 --> 01:15:15.829
Yeah,

01:15:16.029 --> 01:15:17.319
across all platforms.

01:15:17.619 --> 01:15:28.119
It's John Wayne, SII, I, so John Wayne s the third, every pretty single platform from YouTube to Instagram to, uh, just pretty much everywhere.

01:15:28.510 --> 01:15:31.244
Uh, TikTok, Snapchat is all pretty much the same.

01:15:32.789 --> 01:15:44.920
well, you know, um, I, I got to say to everybody out there, check out, um, read all over, uh, Ebony Hustle and coming March 12th, Ebony Hustle 2 Ballistic Protection.

01:15:45.489 --> 01:15:48.439
Again, starring the lovely, uh, Michelle Lam.

01:15:49.079 --> 01:15:50.750
I bet it's, I know it's going to be a treat.

01:15:51.119 --> 01:15:53.369
This False Profits sounds interesting.

01:15:53.420 --> 01:15:57.800
I was an Adina Howard fan back in the day, so I'm looking forward to that.

01:15:58.250 --> 01:15:59.550
I can't thank you enough, man.

01:15:59.550 --> 01:16:03.739
You really dropped some sage on us today, and I learned a lot.

01:16:03.739 --> 01:16:08.930
I love talking to another filmmaker, especially for, you know, one that's roughly around the same age as, as me.

01:16:09.000 --> 01:16:15.180
Um, we grew up very similar conditions in, you know, what we watched and what we experienced.

01:16:15.680 --> 01:16:16.689
And I love it.

01:16:16.779 --> 01:16:17.180
I love it.

01:16:17.220 --> 01:16:17.939
I really do.

01:16:18.020 --> 01:16:27.619
Um, so, you know, for anybody that's listening, I hope you got like a lot of value out of this, um, Yeah, especially for the content creators out there.

01:16:28.159 --> 01:16:44.189
Um, there's no such thing as thinking too small or thinking too big, but keep things in reach, uh, use my man's advice and, you're not going to get that a billion dollar budget, anytime soon, but man, you don't have to do a whole lot in order to, to make some coin.

01:16:44.500 --> 01:16:45.930
So just keep going with that.

01:16:46.744 --> 01:16:51.555
, So yeah, check out, Ebony Hustle 2: Ballistic protection.

01:16:52.185 --> 01:16:54.914
Check out my man, John Wayne s the third.

01:16:55.395 --> 01:16:56.715
I am Dex.

01:16:56.774 --> 01:16:58.095
This is in the Black.

01:16:58.145 --> 01:17:04.805
Check us out on all your podcast, platforms, apple, Spotify, wherever you listen.

01:17:05.460 --> 01:17:06.880
This has been enlightening, man.

01:17:06.979 --> 01:17:09.300
I hope everybody gets something out of this.

01:17:09.449 --> 01:17:14.119
And more importantly, I, or I shouldn't say more importantly, but I hope they share it.

01:17:14.520 --> 01:17:23.229
The episode, uh, like the episode, follow us on, uh, oh, well, I'll have all the information in the show notes.

01:17:23.390 --> 01:17:25.949
I'm just kind of blown away right now and I'm low blood sugar.

01:17:25.949 --> 01:17:26.989
So there's that.

01:17:27.460 --> 01:17:35.340
But, but for, for my guests, John Wayne S the third, I am Dex, and this is in the black.

01:17:35.739 --> 01:17:37.039
We will see you next time.

01:17:37.920 --> 01:17:38.159
Thank you.

01:17:38.255 --> 01:17:38.814
Stay focused.

01:17:39.439 --> 01:17:40.250
Stay focused.

New to the podcast?

Be The Boss with Daniella Genas
Dec. 11, 2022

Be The Boss with Daniella Genas

After building and having to sell her first business, which she likens to giving up a child, Daniella Genas goes to create the support and mentorship she needed during her first round of entrepreneurship. I spoke to her abou...

Episode page
Francois Baptiste of 3Deep tells you how to party like a rockstar
Aug. 26, 2022

Francois Baptiste of 3Deep tells you how to party like a rockstar

If you have been to a Hip Hop show in Colorado in the last 25 years, chances are you have partied with our guest. Francois Baptiste tells us how he got started with promoting concerts and bringing hip hop to …

Episode page
The business of play with Tamara Fowler of Wiggle Playtoriums
April 30, 2023

The business of play with Tamara Fowler of Wiggle Playtoriums

Tamara Fowler has dedicated her career to babies, children, and their families. As Founder and CEO of Wiggle Giggle Playtorium, this indoor playground and event venue is just the latest of her pursuits to help children develo...

Episode page