Hey guys, welcome to another episode of Eating While Broke. I'm your host, Colleen Witt, and today we have very special guests Enterprises forty under forty, TV producer, festival, co founder in the Me Show Film Festival, which is the fastest growing, most prestigious multicultural festival in the country.
So it's pretty impressive. Cording, Thank you, Thank you, It's.
An honor to have you. I love having people have different backgrounds come on the show. So this is gonna be a very eye opening experience. To go from TV producer to creating your own festival is a lot. Yes, it is a lot. But before we get into the tea on your life, please tell me what you're gonna what you were eating while you were broke.
Yes, So, my favorite favorite favorite dish to make is a fried red pepper cabbage ate it while broke, eat it now made it for Thanksgiving for the family. It's like a go to staple in my life at this point. Really, I'm excited about it.
I thought it was like cabbage soup, but I didn't know what was going on. But there was no broth. So this is going to be a learning lesson. I'm hoping I can add it to my home dishes because it's very affordable. I think this is like what like a three dollar dish dish stretch.
It's so long, yes, and it's no meat, me, no me.
And I think I added an extra color of peppers, so you can ignore the extra.
One that wasn't supposed to be get there. But go ahead again the kitchen, Okay, let's do it. So essentially, what we have here is we have our head of cabbage, and so I'm just gonna chop up a little bit more. Finally we have our peppers, and we have our onion, and then you know we're black. So I like to season everything up.
Yeah, yeah, what seasonings are you going with?
Starting with my Tony Shatterers or however you say it, because no one ton Yeah, we just say Tony's exactly, started with my Tony's. That's like the must have garlic powder, onion powder, a little pep pepka, and then some red pepper flakes to top it all off. So very simple meal, pretty easy.
And then you're using olive oil, Yes, using olive oils.
I'm actually gonna get that poured in here now before I start chopping.
And then I'm wondering with the olive oil. I would assume when you say fry, it's gonna be like a vegetable oil.
Why is it olive oil? It's more so fried just because it's in an oil. I just cook with olive oil because it's a little bit healthier. No real other Okay, yeah, significance, Okay, let me turn this.
It makes you feel better. I barely use vegetable oil until eating while broke.
Really, now I'm like, vegetable oil, that's the one you use to fry. Yes, Like, if I'm frying hardcore, then we'll definitely do the vegetable oil. But I try and keep it minimal with just a little olive oil and call it a day.
Now, is this gonna be like a stir fried type of fee?
Maybe a little kind of, but no, really, like once it cooks down, it really is just kind of like a regular cabbage. And it's so funny because my parents growing up, my dad always used to make like boiled cabbage. And it wasn't until I was working out here in LA and I went to a creole restaurant in mid city that served this red pepper cabbage, and I was like, this is not boiled cabbage like this cabbage and taught myself how to make it and it was so good.
Well, we're about to see ac if you could tap them, turn me, turn me, tell that frog cabbage eating pepper eating person please, yes, food, yes, So while that's getting nice and hot, can you tell me what was going on in this air or the air of I don't know if you're gonna take me all the way back to boiled cabbage or just cab, but take me back.
Well, we'll start at We'll start at the fried cabbage era. Yeah, what was going on at this point in time? I was working for a pretty well known talk show at the time, and you know, I was getting paid all right, you know, I wasn't making that much money, but I was really looking forward to getting promoted at that show. At the time, I was an associate producer. I had been working there for three years. Which show? Is it for the Doctor Phil Show?
I thought you were gonna say that, Yeah, And this is based in New York or it was here.
We actually shot at a Paramount Studios, So I was working on the studio lot, which was amazing, you know, dream come true type stuff. The first year because you know, moved to La New Here. So that was the dream, right, Yeah, I have been working there for three years, up for a promotion, and it was myself and two other white girls who were up for a promotion. I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh. Just I could just foresee the when go ahead, Sure can, and essentially they got promoted.
I didn't wow, and realized in that moment that Okay, just because you guys don't see my value doesn't mean that I don't have value. And at that point that was when I was like, hey, I have to walk away. Yes, so walked away from a very stable, solid, comfy job.
Because you said it started out lower.
The pay was decent. I mean, it was okay for where I was at, but after three years, it's you gotta elevate, like it's time to go up. You walked without no back of plan.
I walked without any kind of backup plan.
But like, the only thing I knew was that that wasn't gonna work for me. So was it like an emotional walk off or was.
It like like, oh that's the move, I'm out and you through stuff in a box. Or was it like I went home, talked to my girlfriends. It still ended at that conclusion.
No, it was I knew when I started having the conversations with them about a promotion that if I wasn't promoted that year, I would have to leave because for me, not only was I there for three years, which I don't believe in staying in any position longer than three years without a title bomb I liked that, but I also was doing the work of the role that I wanted to be promoted to, and they knew that. So for me, it's like you're having me do the work. They even went as far as asking me to train
the other person they promoted. I said, absolutely not. I'm not gonna do that. Y'all are crazy, you know, as crazy as that I feel, I had to.
I actually experienced that once. And you're training someone that's gonna be above you. Does just the irony of it, like.
How in the world does that make any sense? And to who?
So did you train these two girls that were working with you?
I did not, Okay, and that's when I walked away. Did they ask you to Yeah, they asked me to train. So it was kind of like a thing where essentially what am I saying essentially like we were going on a hiatus, so like every season, like we'll take the summer off and then we'll come back in August and the show starts back up again. So they were kind of putting together all of who was going to be
in what position coming into the next season. And so at that point before we went on hiatus, that was when the conversations were happening about who was going to be promoted, training all of that fun stuff, because we knew at one point that one of the girls was automatically going to be promoted, and that's the one that they asked me to train. The other one kind of came as a surprise. Why did they Why did we know that the one was going to get promoted? She
had a little bit more time in the industry. Yeah, which I get that. I totally understand that, But you still had the trainer. I mean, I didn't train her, But that's what I'm saying.
That was the request, That was the requests, And yeah, they were saying when they say trainer, you mean trainer on the workings of the Phil Show, or trainer.
On on that position that I was that we were both looking to move into. Got it. Yeah, because again, I was already doing the role. Yeah, without the pay, without the title, you know, all that fun stuff.
But you still were saying that it was you understood why they promoted her.
Though I understood why they promoted her. I didn't understand why they promoted the other girl. Got it? Who was who started after me in a lower position than me, and somehow she got promoted before me. Yeah, so you know you can you can do the math. You can figure all that out on your own. So you walked away. I walked away. I booked a trip to Europe and said, I'll wait and see what the email comes back with. If you guys send me an offer, amazing, If you don't, amazing.
Wait a minute, you sent them an email like or what basically an ultimatum type of email.
No, no, no, not an ultimatum. But essentially I was waiting to hear back if either of my contract was going to be renewed at the same rate, or if it was going to be renewed with a promotion. Yeah, and so essentially, when I did get the email that you know they were not going to promote me, but they still wanted me to come back in the same position, I said absolutely not. Good job, thank you, but no thanks. Now, how broke? Were just where the dishones in? Listen? Listen? Absolutely?
So I told you I found that creole restaurant, loved it. Did you get you're in Europe? I shared it that shir did. Yep. I was like, but you know what, It's fine. I'd rather be sad in Europe than said at home.
Okay, how long were you in Europe for? It wasn't enough to ruin the vacation, was it?
No? I wasn't letting that ruin anything. Job. I like you at all. All right, I want to turn this down a little bit because we're okay. So then you come home. So I come home, Like I said, I found that amazing creole restaurant. And at this point I'm jobless. So I was like, I need to figure out how to make this myself. You had you had savings, right, Oh yeah, yeah, I have some savings. I'm good hit that money management.
Guys.
She didn't just walk with two dollars exactly. And I knew, like again, just because they didn't see the value, I knew that I was destined for greatness. I was going to be able to get something else. Okay, So took some time off started making my own red pepper cabbage because I wasn't about to be paying a restaurant at the time. So like the last couple of times you ate to use like, I think I gotta do this. Listen.
It was one point I was like, you know what, I think I can figure this out on my own. I love this for you, thank you.
So then you you're eating red cabbage cabbage at home. Now what's the next play while you eating this fry cabbage watching your savings dwindor.
Yes. So at that point I had kind of made up in my mind and said I have to be promoted to this producer position by the end of the year. So I told myself I'd be willing to take one more position as an associate producer if I knew that it was going to get me to where I wanted to be. And so I actually kind of pivoted a little bit out of TV production and I went into casting.
So I did one job as an associate producer for a casting company that I was working with, and had started just having the conversations with the boss like, hey, like, I love working for you, but if you want to bring me back next year. I have to come back as a producer. Okay, and literally I showed out. I did my work like head down was fantastic. The next season,
she promoted me to casting producer. Yeah, and that show that I was a casting producer for was actually Love Island, the first season of the US version here Okay, Yeah.
Now, do you think that the transparency up front of like saying that helped you in that particular case versus like just working and not saying anything.
Absolutely, And that was one of the things that I feel like I had kind of failed in on my part with Doctor Phil was that I started having those conversations too late, and I felt like I always thought that if I just keep my head down and do the work, the work will speak for me. Yeah, but sometimes you gotta speak for yourself too.
I one hundred percent agree with that, because sometimes people have so much going on they don't know even though it does seem like there was a little bit of unfair play going on. Yeah, but that's just a good thing to know for everybody at home.
Yeah, but you got to speak up for yourself because no one's gonna They're not just gonna give you a promotion, they'll say, hey, great job, You're doing great work the end.
So then what happens after Love is Blind, Love Island Live, Love Island Sorry?
After that, Love Isolence, I know, so so many shows. After that, I got my producer title and then I just kept it pushing from there. I did a little bit more casting and with casting. So with TV production, you're working minimum twelve hour days. Yeah, minimum casting, it is a solid nine to five. You have so much free time, and I'm like, well, what do I do
with the rest of this time? And that's when my co founder, Noel he is actually a filmmaker, and he wanted to do this like short film screening where he showed some of his films, and I was like, you know what, I'll help you with that. I wanted to get into more of like event planning anyway, so I said I'll help with that, Like that's something I'd be interested in. And fast forward. It now is an entire huge film festival. How many years we are now at
year seven? Yes, geez, how was that first year? Oh? Man? I mean it was great. The turnout was amazing. We out sold it twice, and I say that it's essentially it sold out. When people left, more people came in. So it just like was amazing. And it got to the point where that next the year after people kept asking us, well, when's the next one? When's the next one?
I was like, all right, well, I guess then needs to be a next one, Like clearly there's a demand here, and that turned into the Me Show Film Festival as we know it. It was crazy the first year. We obviously we had to self finance it, but it was a one day, like small, small event. But how many people? How many was it about two hundred and fifty people? That's that's it. Yeah, it's small, but that's that's still a big fee. Yeah.
I have a background and event planning, so I two point fifty is especially if you can sell out and you said you rotated, Now, yeah, that's a big fee, especially because you have to market it and promote it and the venue and the costs and all that exactly. And that was a crash course. Now, did you end up losing money on the first one or at least breaking even?
No, Yeah, we didn't lose any money. We actually because this was not planning to be like a whole business, a whole festival. Whole company. We actually donated the proceeds
to a nonprofit. I love that, Yes, because we partner with the nonprofit that focused on helping homeless youth, and so we just donated the proceeds and then once it kind of came back around the next year and people were like, all right, let's let's get the snacks on pop and we're like, all right, well, let's sell some tickets. Let's like, if we're going to do it, let's do it right. Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, So when you engaged in the nonprofit, how did that whole structure end up coming about?
Sorry, honest in the business. Honestly, we had a friend who worked at the nonprofit and it just was a very simple easy thing to do. We wanted some of their youth that they served to come out and just be able to you know, mix and mingle with the filmmakers, watch the film, just kind of have a fun day out,
fun experience. But that's something that we have done quite a few years of the festival with different nonprofits, different organizations, just getting their youth activated, because it's important to know that, you know, even though your circumstances might not be great right now, like you can still achieve something, and it's important to be able to see that.
Yeah.
Yeah, So are you still doing television production on the side or over Listen, I do a little bit of everything at this point. So essentially, let me see here we did six Last year was our sixth year doing the festival, and at this point I've kind of transitioned away from running the day to day operations of the festival and have transitioned back into more of like the TV film side of things. You're on the creative side the business, yes, okay, yeah, yeah, so, and I mean that's funny.
Started as the creative right, yes, and then you were the business and now you guys swamped.
Yes okay, well no, not not that we swabbed. More so, I'm more focusing on TV and film development at this point. Yeah.
Oh, you're focused on TV and development in general or in general in regards to me, show in general in general. Yeah, what are you doing on S side?
Well, I'm glad you asked. So essentially, I've been in a transition period. I realized quite a few years ago actually that I really wanted to start presuming pursuing the executive track, which is developing shows and films and giving notes to the creatives and packaging the projects. So that's something that really really spoke to me, okay for and it's so crazy because I've penciled on that's muscle.
But love how I wasn't even surprised hearing you say, like you're already targeting executive You're very much this is comfortable for one day, but I need to focus on moving forward.
Yeah, I am not at.
All surprised that you were saying the executive track. That's very impressive, by thank you. I appreciate your personality is.
Like growth growth, Okay, stable growth. It said three years right yep, so okay, yep exactly. But yeah, that was something that like it just kept like pushing on me. You know, at some point it's like, all right, I gotta do this, Like I can't stay right, Like it's time to move forward. So that's kind of what I've been focusing on now. And obviously worst time in the industry to even try to get a job to try and pivot to the thing, but you know, God is good.
So right now I'm actually working at the Latino Film Institute as their manager of Industry, and essentially I'm overseeing their entire slate of productions through their fellowship programs, and it is amazing. It's everything I could have asked for. I'm watching cuts every day, I'm reading scripts every day, I'm giving notes. It's so much work, but I enjoy it so much. Is it like a twelve hour day? No, it's not a twelve hour yeah? Yeah? No, thankfully?
Do you still now get to still plan trips to like? I like how you were, Like I traveled to Europe, and I sure do.
I love I love traveling. I love going out of town. My mom, my, sister and I we went to Barcelona last year. It was great. Wow, it was amazing. Guys are family goals. I appreciate that. I just want to see what it looks like. Okay, it's about ready, really, Yeah, it's a nice, easy quick meal. Did you put the peppers in already? Is that paying assention? I only put a couple of them in there, though I did. It smells good? Good.
What I want to backcheck because I kind of have an idea of where you are at today. Can you tell me a little bit of your your upbringing and how TV ended up crossing past as like a priority for you.
Oh, absolutely so. Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. My dad is a pastor. My mom is a court reporter. She also preaches at times as well, but she's a court reporter. I mean we had I had a great upbringing, like I yeah, upper middle class. Yeah, he was also a professor. My dad is a hustler. He's from Harlem, like he listen, my work ethic comes from that man. But my mom is where I get my love of TV and film from. I just remember it was always
a thing growing up. We will always just watch TV together, Like you know, back then it was appointment television. If you missed it, you missed it. There wasn't anything else you can right. My mom watched a soap opera. Yeah it was serious, right, so you didn't miss that that show, Like you planned your schedule arounds like, oh, this new season's coming on, like we're gonna be in front of the TV. Damn, I got about the right. It's so nice.
But I think it just helps like create a little element of community, like you know, we're all watching the same thing on our own schedules apart, right, exactly. My mom's always loved just great movies. She's always loved the classics, so she started watching those with me from a very early age. And then as I got older, then we started watching the R rated stuff, and like she took pride and introducing me to like the great films. Yeah, so I'm still together. They are yep, shout outs to
marry folk made it. Yes, they sure did.
But now you said your mom and your your sister travel with you. Your dad wasn't a part of the.
No, my dad's not getting on a flight that long. Oh yeah, he likes to travel, but he likes to be on the beach and that's it. Okay, So what he has like a five hour minimum pretty much? Oh not even ten hours? You get him about five. Him and my mom went to Paris one time for the anniversary. He was like, cool, did it done? He's probably like if it ain't first class on a five or more flight, I'm not Melissa, And he's like, I'm not doing it. So I'm not mad at him. I'm not mad at him.
So okay, So you start falling in love with film because of this bonding situation with your mom, and then you decide you're going to go off to college. Well, so, actually, my story really kind of starts in high school. So my senior year of high school, I was talking to well before my senior ye of high school, like the summer leading into it, talking to a friend, and she was telling me about how she was taking a broadcasting class at her school and I was like, man, that
sounds great. I wish my school offered that. And I don't remember all of the pieces of how it happened, but long story short, I ended up switching high school specifically to take a broadcasting class. You did the elevator, Mom and Dad, that's been one he Honestly, I was like, hey, guys, like it was going into my senior year. So my last year of high school, I did. I did. I was like, I feel like this is the class that I have to take, Like I want this. That was Yeah,
it wasn't hard. It wasn't too hard. Yeah, yeah at all. And it was like another school that was within our district, like it just it made sense. And it also was a bigger school. So I was like, I feel like it's going to be a good kind of like prep into college. So I mean, they they went with it. We went to the orientation. Next thing, I know, I'm in I'm in school and I am taking this broadcasting class.
I do my best, you know, forget my friends. So I took that class, started learning, like just someone like the basics of I wouldn't even call it filmmaking because at that point it was I would call it content creating, I guess, but started learning those basics, fell in love
with it even more. And then yeah, I went to college at Georgia State University and majored in broadcasts journalism, And I mean, it's it's been up ever since, like it's been something that I if I didn't work in the industry, I genuinely don't know what I would do.
So what was your first job in because I know you went to New York for a bit.
I did. I went to New York for a little bit. So my first first job was actually working at the CW. It was also my first internship and I was a part of their promotions team. But we also got to got to go to a lot of different events like sports games. We got to do a lot of like editing and reels and things like that for the company. So that was my first like real kind of taste
of things. But from there I really kind of started getting my footing in the industry when I moved to New York and I moved there for a talk show initially, but that was a very short contract, and then I started working with CBS this morning. I also had done a fellowship with them back in my like interning days. Very quickly realized news was not my jam and I needed a little bit more commotion. Yeah, now what's news? Was it like a fast turnover that made it not
your thing? No, it was just a little monotonous for me, Like it's just kind of like the same formula every day. And it didn't help that I was working overnights, Like I came in at midnight. It's not a fun shift. And my and then like what time did you go home? Like about ten ten in the morning.
Yes, yeah, I'm just like I don't know about this, And can you talk to more of the internship because I feel like we're in a culture where everybody's fast paced and then they hear like, you know, I think in the entertainment industry, you definitely go through a nice period of paying your dues. I have a feeling your dudes was only three years, but can you talk more about that?
Yeah. I mean, I think, especially within the entertainment industry, internships are so important because this is one of the few industries where experience is more important than education. Like, of course you should be educated. Of course, get your degree, especially for US black people, like that's important, but you also have to get that hands on experience so that when you do get a job, you're not starting from scratch,
you're not starting from zero. You at least have a little bit of an idea of what's going on and how to do things. And for me, kind of same mentality. I did my two unpaid internships and after that I was like, all right, now I need to pay an internship. I'm not working for free no more. I knew. I knew that was coming with you. Yep, He's like, let's move up the ladder. I tried. I tried it fun long enough. It is FEUs. Oh yes, do it. I actually need to taste tests because I've put my little
seasons in here. But it smells good, so I'm gonna believe it's all right. Okay, let me get that.
You can't mess this up. It's gonna be the new go to. Yes, I should have paid attention more, but.
I'll sing you the recipe. It's real easy. You just seasoned a bunch of vegetables. Yeah, exactly.
Honestly, you didn't use that many onions either.
I did that. I didn't want to overwhelm too much. Smells good, good, smells really good. I can't wait to try you.
Now.
You eat this without anything else, usually out parrot with some type of protein.
Like when you order at the restaurant, what do they serve it with?
Oh? Girl, they served it with fry track. So good. So that's how you do it. Okay, that's what they do. Oh my god. Yeah, mm hmmm.
Mm hmm.
That is amazingly delicious. Oh thank you. Yeah, this is this is one of my favorites. You only did the reddin I did only do the red. I forgot to put in the orange ones. I usually do red and green. This is outstandingly delicious, and you're right. With some strip it would have been great. Huh. You had to follow all the rules of eating want broken. Listen when you broke it a you know you can't afford the shrimp sometimes. Have you made this for your dad? I have? And
what did he say? I made it for my family for Christmas? This past year. They all raved about it. They loved it. I had to send my mind yep, like girls in it. Mm hmm.
The seasoning on this, guys, remember garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper, paprika.
And Tony's Tony's always. I did the shout out for you guys, so you can make this at home. She was just, you know, spinning it in the pot. Did you You didn't even put the butter. I didn't even put butter in there. Would the butter have made it that much death better? Yeah? The butter just adds a little extra. Yeah, this is delicious. Thank you. I'm so glad you like it a whole. I'm mad.
Out of all the guests, you're the only one that follows the serving rule.
Yep. And the one time, the whole the whole batch. We had the rest of this cabbage. So we can work something out. We're gonna we're gonna do it right when we walk.
I can see why you would get get out from Europe and be like, I can't be eating at this restaurant every day that at some point did you ask one of them like, what seasoning is it?
No? I just figured out figured it out myself. That's hilarious. Can do that. Sometimes I feel to the restaurant and be like, do this do that with short rip. I'm gonna have a good short rip. I promise you. It's a challenge for me. I'm like, I, no, no, I can do it better. I made some bomb. Oh my gosh, Yeah, that's what I need. If I make a guy short rip, that's how you know. I'm I'm trying to.
Really show you what I could do right right, And I played it real well, oh it's a rep.
Yeah.
So you're doing these internships and where does it end up coming in from New York to Los Angeles.
Yeah, so I was doing just like little gigs in New York. Once I hit the news path, I was like, yeah, this isn't for me. I got to figure something else out. That's when I kind of bounced back into more of like the talk show will not bounced back well, yeah, my first show was in talk and then bounced back to like the talk show genre, did some Court TV and the job that I was working at the Court show. It actually landed me back in Atlanta, which was cool for a summer to be home with my family. And
these are all contracts? Mm hmm. Is that a little bit freelance once you kind of well, back in the day when I started, things are very different now. But when I started, once you kind of started getting your feet wet, the jobs kind of started coming.
Yeah.
So I never was unemployed longer than I wanted to be, really at any time until I left doctor Phil. So for the most part, I was Okay. I would take like a two week break off and then the phone would ring and I'd have another job.
How are you managing money on contract? So, knowing that that's how it is, did you make you have like a rule on like how much you save and spend?
Yeah, I'm a good saver, so I was always kind of doing that. But I also know how to live within my means, so I was very intentional about that. Okay. Yeah, So no splurgeon on a shop and spreaing on a random one. No, not too much, not too much. I could only splurge when I was able to slurge. Do you think doing what you love helps in that area? Absolutely? This is one of those industries you have to you have to love what you're doing. Is when you start off,
it doesn't pay that well. The hours are insane. Sometimes the people you're working with are crazy, not just like the people in your office, but also like the talent sometimes. So you have to absolutely love what you're doing out of TV production, festival producing, and casting.
Which what are some of the things that you liked about each particular position?
Ooh, that's a great question. TV producing. My favorite part was the writing. There's a lot of writing involved. I was definitely one of the best writers when it came to being on the Doctor Phil Show. What do you
do when you say you wrote? So for example, like if we book someone on the show, we have sometimes up to an hour two hour long conversations with them to get their story, and so you're writing almost verbade them exactly what they're telling you about their story, and then you have to kind of go in organize it, clean it all up, make sure it makes sense, make sure it's an actual story that's un fun that can then be sent to the host, which Doctor Phil, and
kind of go from there. So you're writing a ton of information. Then we also have what we call our book, which basically just puts together all of the different elements that he needs to do the show, which is obviously like the story, the pre interview that we do in addition to like, let's say they have some type of like receipts or like proof of something. You want to put all of that together, you want to transcribe it. So it's a lot of writing involved.
So before he goes on, he kind of knows the beginning, in the middle, and the end before during.
The whole he knows everything, and it's just a matter of us producing how the story's going to unfold. And then do you guys also like prepare his questions or less like. So we'll prepare the questions and then he'll of course kind of do his own thing and ask additional things like that and do his doctor phil thing. Okay, so you like the writing on that m hm. Okay. What about casting casting? Honestly, it's gonna sound terrible, but I liked how easy casting was. Casting was just a
piece of cake after coming out of television production. It was only that first part of talking to people, getting their story and then submitting it to the network.
Oh, I wasn't too sure if you get to pick the person m hm. So for reality TV, I have this theory that they always try to pick the crazies.
Right that we can't make them too crazy because they have to go through a psyche valve. They have to be cleared by you guys, do do it? So you picked the borderline the ones that would happen, like, I mean, you got to make people who have the personalities. You gotta have the people who are gonna have a little spice, you know, Mike start the pot a little bit, you know, you gotta have all of those people. How far they
border is? You know, so you are kind of looking for the crazies though right, I wouldn't say the craziest. I think it also depends on the show. It depends on the network. For Love Island, it was very straight laced. It was very it wass you have to be hot or something definitely definitely and young, like if you said you were thirty, there's no automatic. No what if it was like a really hot you know, any race but white. Obviously it would have to be in order for.
They couldn't even lie about it, huh, because you exactly exactly.
I mean you could probably get a really really really hot thirty year old doctor. That's probably it. Like it has to hit all of these exactly, so it's not happening.
Basically, if you're over the age of thirty, it's stock plummets.
Unfortunately for reality TV. Yeah, unfortunately, which is why I love shows that now kind of like cater to like an older audience, to like the one on own Ready to Love. Everyone on that show is thirty forties, fifties. Oh oh you know what I watched that show? Yeah, where the older people.
But you started to realize, Man, when you get older, you stuck in your way. Yes for real, Yes that they are that they are just be single and according right exactly.
I would do that. I would totally do that. So okay, so casting that I could see what that's fun and it's the shorter hours, right much shorter? Okay? Yeah.
So now the hardest feet, which I think is very impressive, is the Me Show Festival. Okay, so what is the pros and cons of that?
Man? I mean the best part for me was that it allowed me to watch so much content and just new, original stuff and just seeing how innovative and creative people are. That was my favorite part. I also loved just being able to curate how the screenings were going to go and making them kind of flow and being able to kind of like almost like play with people's emotions based on what project was airing at the time. So that
part I really enjoyed. I enjoyed the curation process of that cons I think with being entrepreneurs like you have to do everything, so that was definitely one of the harder parts of running the festival. Yeah, I was gonna say, that's your first real entrepreneurship, which, by the way, for your first time, that's impressive, thank you. I think event
management is definitely like a loose cannon. I have a rule by the time the day of the event happens, we should have no jobs due and still arrive at the crack of dog yeah early, because we already know that a fire needs to be put out on site. And no matter how hard you prepare, always, no matter how hard you prepare, and one little thing can just
trickle down to everything. I remember this past year we had something where like the printer messed up, and because the printer messed up, we didn't have what we needed for the opening day, So then one of our leads had to go run to the printer of the opening day, so we're down a person. I'm just and it just it affects everything. It's such a domino effect. So it's like, yeah, that that event production, you never know what's gonna happen.
The only thing you know is that nothing's gonna go all the way right.
Ye ever, yeah, nothing's gonna go all the way right. And then that pre execution has to be above beyond, Like you can never be like everything's done, everything's done, We're gonna show up two hours in the morning. We're gonna have our hair and make up done.
If everything's done, something's wrong. It's not gonna.
Happen right, You're gonna get the poster boards or something is gonna have something wrong or whatever.
But that's all interesting. Now, where do you see yourself going from here? From here? Now, I feel like I am kind of in the space of like passion meeting purpose and I felt that a lot while working with the festival as well, but now I feel like it's
it's a deeper space of that. So from here, like I said, right now, I'm managing a slate of productions with Latino Film Institute, and I think in a few years my goal would be to be working at a traditional studio or streamer and really being able to have the power to green light projects, green light original projects, green light projects from people of color, and make sure that we're all represented in this industry. I love that.
And when you say it, I believe it's going to say thank you.
I'm not joking at all. Believe it. Yeah, you believe it too. Absolutely, You've proven to yourself time and time again. You hit the mark. Yeah right, yeah, and I mean listen, daughter of pastors. So with God, all things are possible. Like, yes, I work very hard, but the Lord we like this, like he yeah, yeah, he works overtime for me. Do you believe when you pray you have to pray a certain way?
No?
Okay, so random. I was just curious. I did a lot of I feel like I've manifested or spoken it into existence, as we like to say in church, a lot of my life right now. Like I said, when I was trying to transition into what I'm doing now, one of the worst times in the industry, people weren't hiring and I would reach out to people and say, hey, like, I'm really trying to work in development, and they would just say, oh, there's no jobs in that while I'm
working in it. Yeah, and I mean it took. It took some time, but there was never a single point where I thought it wasn't going to happen. I just I knew that this is what I'm supposed to be doing. Something will come out, something will happen, and it did.
Yeah, what advice would you give to someone out there trying to get into the TV production side, or even the film festival side, or trying to get their film in the Me Show Festival. And by the way, we got to spell it out for you guys, because I don't want you googling it the way I'm saying it mad at me because it's spelled a little fun Yeah, respectfully, Yes, yes, go ahead, we could spell.
It out, so I'll spell it. And it's based off of Oscar Michell, who was the first black filmmaker in the US. So he produced over forty four feature length projects from the nineteen twenty to the nineteen forties, which is incredible today's standard, but like way back then, I have no idea how he did it. But it's the ME Show Films Festival and it's spelled m I C H E A U X so a little French in there.
Yeah, well, now we know the history so we can also google.
Yes. Great, great planning on that one. So was Mike. I'm just saying, oh, advice, advice, Yan. Yeah, I'm not gonna lie. I'm not the person's going to sugarcoat. It's hard right now, it's very hard to break into the industry. There are less show shooting, there are less jobs available, but that doesn't mean it's not possible. I was at a screening where Uzzo a Duba I want to say it's her last name. She said something that really stuck with me, and she said, just because it's hard doesn't
mean it's impossible. And I feel like that is the advice that I have for people trying to break into the industry. Yeah, it's gonna be tough. It's always been a hard industry and now it's even harder. But if this is something that you feel your call to, then get out there and make it happen. Because you can open doors, it can happen. And then also, you gotta love it. You gotta love it. It's too difficult not to love it. And if you don't love it, you won't succeed.
Yeah, and then how important are relationships? Would you say to this because I feel like relationships are everything.
They are everything, one hundred percent. It's so funny. When I was actually applying for jobs, I just felt like I was applying into the void, and I was like, I've never gotten a single job that I just clicked apply for. It's always been someone calling my phone or me calling someone's phone and saying, Hey, I'm looking for work.
So I think having those relationships are so important. Hollywood runs on relationships, Like if you don't know people, if people don't know you, if they don't know the quality of your work, it just makes it that much harder. And I think also just capitalizing on those relationships, like you have to tell people what you're looking for. You have to be specific and direct. There's so many times people are like, hey, do you know of any jobs hiring for what? Like, what are you looking for? What
do you want to do? So I always just try to tell people just be specific about your ask, be direct about your ass so that people know how to help you, because if you don't own your mouth, they won't know. Yeah.
And then one other thing I noticed even speaking to you, and I'm sure you could shed a lot of light on this is Courtney L.
Branch.
Even in this conversation you're speaking of your personal brand. You're talking about I have to grow. I have to grow. I have to grow. I'm pursuing what I'm into. But I think that when you're developing relationships in the industry, people forget that personal brand touch. So if people go if they get Courtney L. Branch is looking for this, or Courtney L. Branch is looking for that, or Courtney L. Branch wants to move in this direction, Courtney has a personal brand.
Can you speak to some of that. Absolutely. I mean, I think what my personal brand is is just how I like to show up when it comes to working. I think people know that I have a strong work ethic. I think they also know that I'm kind, and I think that goes a long way, especially when preserving relationships. And I think they know that I do quality work and that I like to be excellent. So they know that if COURTNEYL. Branch is hiring, then you know it's
it's a top tier it's a quality project. Or if Courtney's working on something she's looking for writers, then you already know there's a certain standard just because of how I show up myself and I would never expect. I would never expect people to show up any less than how I would show up. Yeah, I agree. Well, you're a beautiful person. It makes beautiful food.
And I'm gonna I'm gonna save your number my phone because I know, probably less than a year two or three, m Max, you don't have the opportunity to green light things.
Yes, ma'am.
You guys heard it here first, right, okay? And then where can everybody keep up with Courtney L.
Branch? Yes, you can find me on Instagram and threads at court produced it very simple and you can also follow the Me Show Film Festival on all platforms at me Show Film Fest and that's m I c h E A u X Film Fest and submissions are open. Passes are on sale. The festival is in October the twenty third through the twenty sixth, So you know.
When does the when does the film submissions close?
Yes? So they are open through June for short form and July for long form and was considered long form. Long form is anything over fifty five minutes. Short form is under twenty six minutes.
Okay, you guys heard it here first. Okay, heard it here first, Jared, you heard it here first.
Okay, Jared does a lot of film productionsips. All right, thank you guys for tuning in. Peace out, Peace
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