DANIELLE SOLOMON - Pork, Beans & Big Dreams

Hey, guys, welcome to another episode of Eating While Broke. I'm your host, Colleen Witt, and today we have very special guests. Creative producer screenwriter Danielle Solomon's in the building. Hey hey, and most of you guys know her from Hey Boo that you now. You can watch that on teacock and toob Yeah, and a very well known show on Bound called Mind.

Joe Business, Mind Your Business.

Yeah, Mind your Business, which is a hit show on Bounce.

Yep.

So before we get into tea on everything screenwriting and creative production wise, let's get into what you were eating long before the accolades.

So this is pork and beans and cheese. I considered this a Daniel's delicacy. That's my grandmother's family. I don't really know people that like couldbine pork and beans with scheddar cheese. Like I would go out to places because we usually eat this for breakfast, and I would go out to places and I look at the menu, I'm like, where's the pork and beans and cheese. I think it's just my family that does this.

Definitely, I didn't even know that. I didn't even know that was a breakfast thing.

But yeah, we used to eat this for breakfast. Sometimes we would have like other things like eggs, grets, but sometimes it'll be just that bacon in a.

Biscuit, bacon and a biscuit. Porkan beans. Now I was talking best before the carat started rolling, So go ahead and tell everybody the difference between pork and beans and baked beans.

So porking beans, it's not it doesn't have that like sweet taste like the baked beans, the butsh or whatever I can, so, yeah, it doesn't have that sweet taste. But it's a tomato sauce. So yeah, I feel like that's the big.

Yeah, let's go to Brokeville. And so when we got the dish with ingredients, I said pork and beans. And then I was like, okay, do baked beans come with hot dogs? And then I said, where is she talking about pork and beans? And then lo and behold, there is a can in the world that says pork and beans. And so now we are the proud owners and recipients of a dish that I can honestly say, I don't think.

I've ever heard. Yeah, I think it's just my family that does this because every time I go out I'm from Virginia, but my family is from North Carolina, and I feel like we're the only ones that does this for breakfast.

None of your friends did it.

No, That's why I'm like, I don't think it's like a known thing.

And then she's dropping the cheese, so her your dish is essentially like three dollars. Yep, it could feed at least three to four people. And she's the most expensive dish.

Yep.

The expensive ingredient in it.

I see. And it's protein, so you got to be.

And it's protein. Oh are you trying to say that this dish is considered healthy?

I love that optimisticness. The protein counts for something, So yeah, we're gonna turn this up.

So either this is a family tradition or you guys were really struggling at some point and you guys did not.

My grandmother got it from her mom, and her mom had ten kids, so maybe, yeah.

Oh this is your grandma. You said your grandma's mom was struggling. She passed the tradition on, which is a beautiful tradition. I'm just in a joking move, but I love this dish because I love to say the broke with the dish, the better the story. Yeah, but in your case, this is a household Now.

We thought this was like something like it was up there with grits.

Wow. What was the last time you had this?

Probably when I was back home in Virginia. I think my grandma made some or my mom made it. Yeah, I usually have it when I'm back home.

So you'd be like, like, yo, you guys got the pork and bees ready. No, I'm genuinely carrious you like, yo, Yeah.

You need this with some eggs. If I want like a big breath fix, I get this with some eggs.

Eggs on the side, are in it?

Eggs on the side, Yeah, Bacon, biscuits or toes or sausage and then maybe some grits. It just depends.

Okay, take me back to before the last home visit, way back, and I don't want to talk smack about this, because guys, I totally respect these dishes. I'm just in a very playful mood right now. We was all eating this cheese bless our stomachs because we were sweet. Jared and I we was chomping right.

Yeah. After this, you might yeah get a good cleaner.

Yeah, So go ahead, tell me what was going on way back, way back, not recent home visits.

Way back in Virginia. I was a product of a single my disk, so we just spent a lot of time at my house. We used to live there practically for most of my life. So it used to be six of us at a time in a two bedroom, one bedroom house.

Wait, how many kids?

Just me and my brother? And so its me and my brother, my mom, my uncle, and my grandparents. Okay, all in one house. Oh yeah, you all lived together for the most of my adolacing years. We all stayed in the same house in new Port News.

Okay, yeah, your mom was working a lot of jobs or.

I think got the most. She probably worked like three jobs, which is probably where I get it from.

Okay, yeah, yeah, okay, two parent household? Where was pops to two parent household?

I don't know where he was at, but I ain't gonna say he wasn't, Like at one point we were living together, but I really we really didn't have a relationship with him. So he was around, he was in the area, but we ain't see him.

Guys didn't see him at all, really, but y'all knew who he was.

Yeah, we knew who he was, Yeah, you knew who we were and that was that.

Did your mom ever speak on it?

She's trying not to like really talk bad like down on him. Even my grandma, like they never try to talk down on him. Like we knew what it was like. They ain't have to say nothing because it was actions speak out than words.

Yeah, did you ever have a longing for him or anything?

You know what?

I grew up in a house where even though we ain't have much, it was felt like I didn't really miss as much. And then I grew up in like an area where a lot of people like had some come from some wilar situation. So it was like, that's it is what it is. It wasn't until I got older then I'm like, oh, okay, when I seen other people,

Okay, Yeah, that's good to know.

So you growing up with a family full of love in pork and beans, and somewhere along the journey you aspired to be on the other side of the television but what sparked that inspiration.

So my uncle he used to have this huge collection of DVDs in the living room, mostly like black Cinema, like the Spike Lee Best Man, all that different type of stuff, and that was like my I would consider my intro to like cinema. And I didn't know at the time that I wanted to get into film and TV. I knew I wanted to do something like in the arts and in that world because I used to draw a lot and different things of that nature. But that was like my early film school because I watched all

Would you say that it wasn't just like what you're watching, but the good vives of what it was doing to your family, like a family pass hour.

Yeah, it brought us together, like all get in the living room like on weeknights and watch like The Parkers or One on one and different things of that nature.

So, yeah, at what point do you start to say I like this enough to pursue it or even think it's a viable option.

So in middle school I went to this It had this art slash communications program, and then we had like our own studio where we used to do like the morning announcement and we used to do like different shows. And it was an actual class too. So I feel like that class, out of all of my classes, I really like, and like we used to do a lot of different things in there, and I'm like, this is what I want to do. I ain't really care about going to math or other things. I wanted to do this.

Did you start sharing these feelings with your family.

Yes, And they were pretty much just go for whatever you want to do. It wasn't like discouraging, oh no, you need to do this, like Yeah, they were pretty much get you a job. Yeah.

But did they make you lean towards college.

Yes. It was either college or the military because it was a big like military in Virginia, and I chose college because I was not going to the military.

Was any of your family members in the military.

A lot of people.

Not your mom though, No, not my mom. Okay, So, by the way, this is looking very gooey and good. Is that what it's supposed to look like? It looks pretty good.

Yeah, I think we got It's not as quite as my grandma's, but we got a good consistency going. And I think crackers.

I feel like this would go go with some saltine.

Oh, we used to just eat us for breakfast.

It looks good.

Yeah.

I can see the cheese and the tomato sauce going well together.

Yeah. I think it's about dying.

Look at you, I think grandma.

Hold on, let me check, because I don't want you to get no big chunk of cheese.

I don't mind it. I was eating chunks before. I had fifteen chunks in my cup and you need a bowl. Yeah, go ahead. So you decide, Hey, I'm going to pursue this. I'm going to go to college because military seems probably possible.

Dance absolutely not. I was not going to the military.

That's good. And so you go into college and then what are you majoring in college?

In high school I did a lot of reporting sideline reporting and different things of that nature. So oh, let me go to journalism route. So I'm major. My concentration was journalism, but my major on my degree it says degree in Media Journalism and Film because we took all different types of classes.

Okay, at what point during this are you like, Okay, where did you go to school? You said, Howard? Howard, So I will come on, fill up a chair. We're going to do a taste test on this. Chairs, let's try this together.

I don't want to burn my mouth.

You're right, and it's not really baked being ish, but there is a little sweetness to it.

Yeah, it's a little bit, not a lot.

I'm trying to see if I could taste the cheese, but I feel like I can't, but I could feel the texture of cheese. Am I tripping?

Nope?

For all y'all at home, I highly do not recommend this.

This. This is a three and a half and not a three and a half.

We'll say, if you are starving and you need a filling meal.

Oh, it's gonna fill you up.

Yeah, it's like a cheese after taste and you need this all the time growing up.

It's not terrible but on all the eating while broke.

This is.

This is broke broke eating while I broke broke.

What I like about this is the first time we've had it. And I almost hooked you up with baked beans. I promise you if you go in the back kitchen, there's a can of baked beans.

Thank god. Some part of me was like, no, where is the port going for baked beans? I need an oven.

This is a one and donners. But I love that you came with this dish because it's unique and it's broke. We've had guests that come on and they have somehow they've tallied up one hundred dollars grocery bill, and I'm like, yeah, I think you missed the mission.

Oh no, yeah, no, Like I said, it was six of us in the house.

We have to make it work.

So you decide to major in.

Media film broadcast journalism yep, and from there you graduate. What's your next play?

Senior year? No, I would let me get it back, Okay, I would go back to maybe like junior or senior year, maybe sophomore year. Oh, it's all a blur. But I decided I didn't want to do journalism anymore. But it was too late in my matriculation to change my major. So I started taking playwriting classes and the Fine Art School and screenwriting. I took that later my senior year, and I was like, you know what, I just want to get into the entertainment side and that the news.

I was like, what kind of email did you send them?

I was just basically saying, hey, I just came across network, just saying all the things that I'd done and what I was interested in, and it was like, Okay, you want to come down to Atlanta for an interview? Because they had an internship program, so they had like different college students a part of their internship program. I was like sure, and I was like, oh shoot, I'm gonna get to Atlanta. So I just used my work study money and brought a flight and flew down there for a day.

Did you tell your family about this? Yeah? Okay.

I flew down there for a day and did the interview, and then when I came back, they said I got it.

And then were you like, oh my god, how am I gonna live over there?

Yep?

So what'd you do?

I took all the money that my family and family friends gave me from graduation. I think my granddaddy and my uncle James gave me some extra money on the.

Side shut out to them.

Yeah, they got me a train ticket because I couldn't afford a flight, so they got me Amtrak train ticket from DC to Atlanta.

But how are you gonna survive in Atlanta?

So I was able to find a place that kind of fell through. So I wasn't homeless. I was of a home, and so I knew somebody down there and it was like, Hey, just come stay with me and we're gonna figure it out. So I want to stay with them. They had a friend that was staying in like this off off campus student housing and she was like, yeah, just pretend like you're meet for the summer and you'll be fine. So that's how I pretend like I was her for the summer, and I stayed at her off campus housing.

Oh there was a term you used in that you said you weren't homeless, but you wasn't.

I was of a home, so yeah, so I just slept on a couch And that's hilarious. I love that. I love that.

I just wanted to Yeah.

I wasn't on the street, but I was in somebody else's home.

There wasn't OK and they looked out that he didn't have to break her off anything. She just looked out, No, she just said, look, I ain't trying to stay here.

You can pay me. I think it was like seven hundred a month and I was only there for two months. So I just gave her like the money so I could stay in her and her a little sweet that she had. They had like kitchen and the living room and everything, and I think she only had one other roommate on the other side. I think the other two were like gone for the summer.

Oh so it was a sweet look. Yeah, so for two months, what happens once the two months are.

Up though, So the two months was up, the internship was up. But I did have a conversation with Sorry, I did have a conversation with my direct report, like the boss I was working for, about wanting to come back if they had any opportunity, So I would say maybe. Around September, I came back to Atlanta as a temp for the department. It was the original programming department, and that temporary position was only posed to last until February.

Oh no, So then you're officially in Atlanta, yep, and your family's singing praises and everything. You are excited yep. So then what happens from there?

Just grinding, trying to learn everything. And one thing that my boss at the time stress was I get to know every department head, everybody that work in the department. So I spent most of my internship trying to learn the different departments and how they work with our department, not just staying isolated. So it was a lot of that and just working on different shows. At the time, they didn't have a big post production department, so I

So at what point does mine your business come into play?

So maya business come in twenty twenty two? Yeah, twenty twenty two. It happened before Hayboo, or it happened after Hayboo after.

That's what I'm saying. But mind your businesses would bounce right, Okay, So I don't want to skip over, Okay, then go hey Boo first.

Okay, I go hay booth while I'm in Atlanta. I really didn't know a lot of people there, so I mainly just like in my free time, right try working on my craft in different things. And then I was applying to all of these fellowships Disney, NBC like they all had these fellowships, and then the smaller fellowships, and then I came across.

What's a fellowship.

So a fellowship is basically they take a group of writers, they bring them in. You do it from workshops. Sometimes it's paid, and you just get immersed into the whole right inside of that level. And then after the fellowship you should have something like already finished or you're developing something, or you can use whatever you worked on as a

And then they accepted it and you did you want? How did it work?

So basic? They narrowed it down to people that they wanted to interview. So I did an interview with one of the co founders of the program, Candice, and also the program manager, which was Jennifer at the time, and so we did an interview and then after that kind of was just waiting to see and then I remember it was like before my birthday or either on my birthday, Jennifer had called me. She was like, hey, so what is your schedule looking like for this? Then? And the

Nice, yep, how long was the fellowship?

The fellowship was for a year, but the writers strike cut that year little short.

So yeah, okay, so then what happens from there, Britt, is this when you start to think about Habu?

So Habu was with the Fellowship.

Oh, Habu was what you submitted?

Yeah, Habu was what I submitted, and it just after that, it probably went like through a couple of rounds of notes with them and then the director logan and yeah, after that they went to shooting it. So I came out here for that shoot. I was flying back and forth a lot from Atlanta to la from my job and then for Haybow different things that they wanted to do with the Fellowship. And once Habu was shot, I was working on the show at Bounce called Accurate Age.

And this wasn't something This wasn't a part of your job, right this is so I was on the.

Development team and we Accurate Age was developed in house, So do develop ideas in house and just outsource to a production company bring it to life. So it was a part of my job, but like really taking this INITIATI was but my pay grade. Like but we was like, hey, we need something to do because like, yeah we need

And when they greenlighted, what does that mean, Like you sold your first show? Yeah, it basically mean you were going to series, Like, yeah, what was that ex experience like for you? So when they did greenlight it, I was no longer at Bounce. I left Bounce to go to Fuse because I was now out here living in LA and at the time, I was just a senior coordinator at Bounce, but the money that I was making was more so affordable for Atlanta in that LA and

Yeah, the Heartbeat Fellowship Sundance that all happened.

Yeah, So you got a lot of overlap, a lot of overlaps. When you leave, they still have the rights to buy mind your business.

Yes, So when you work for a network and you pitch ideas internally.

They own the idea. Yeah, Womb Womb like, I can't there. They own it because you pitched it while you were an employee. Yeah, so if you would have left and then pitched it, then I would own it. So they own it.

But that's the whole point. I feel like that's the reason why they really wanted to do the show, because they're like, Okay, we got this internal idea that we can hold on to and we can take out and license, like don't but it ended up being a top show for them. Yep.

So you knowing that, is there a part of you that thinks also that maybe you walking in some of the talks or the rhetoric that was going on, could have because if you would have stayed as an employee, what would you have gotten after pitching that show? Nothing?

Nothing but working long hours on the show and still making my salary. That's crazy.

Yeah, I don't know if that should be allowed for real.

Yeah, it's like two far. I know certain networks they may break you off a little something extra if you it's just.

Gave them like more than what they invested in you, basically, Yeah, and you're cool with that. Earth how do you feel? So?

I was a little salty because it was like I was supposed to. When I left the company. We had conversations before, Hey, you can come back as a consultant. This is your show that you created and that didn't happen because of budget cuts and the strike.

But it's also one of their top performing shows. Yeah, yes, be super salty. Yeah, so I just look at it like this way. If I can create that show, I can do another one. So I'm past it now. Yeah, But like at the time, I was very Yeah, I'm still trying to get past it, but it.

Was very salty. But I just that's messed up, man.

Yeah. I would be complaining for at least six months.

And then it was this whole thing about my created by credit. I'm like, in my employee agreement it said like any idea y'all own. It didn't say nothing about me not getting my proper credit.

Did they give it to you?

Yes, they had to give it to me because one of the executives that was there when I was there at the time, he made sure when we signed the writer onto write the pilot, he said, hey, all three of these ladies are getting created by credit. Put that in an agreement.

The other two ladies there still.

One is there the other one was like a contract work for hire, so she wasn't a full time employee with the y'all just giving up your gold. Okay, got it, she wasn't, So she was just hired on to be the writer and work on the show and be executive producer and all of that.

So we'll shout out to him for fighting for y'all.

Yeah, so I appreciate JJ for doing that because if that wasn't there, they probably would have found some way to not give us our credit.

Yeah, so then you're over at Fused having that Fuseland.

So Fuse was unscripted, which was I did unscripted that Bounce, but Fuse was like a different type of unscripted. So I'm glad I did get that experience and work on different shows, and one of them was Big Freedom Means Business, sex sales. We had a sports yeah, we had a lovely Yeah. We had a sports show called Like a Girl. That was cool to see come because we like revamped the show while I was there, So that was cool

But you say branded content, what does that mean?

So let's say Times best company, I want to say it out loud decided they want to sponsor on this segment of me cooking. Yeah, the porky means and cheese. That would be branded branded content.

Damn, go fuse.

I wanted to get.

I wanted to get eating while brokenfused at one point, I don't think they wanted us, but yeah, they have some good content. That said, they got sex Cells, which is pretty good and that's a top show for them, right.

And I used to watch like the uncut versions before they had the edit it for so yeah, it's very but it was very interesting too, Like I think it's a good concept.

Yeah, great, shout out to the Weeezy. I love her, super cool chick. So your affuse, what's the next play?

I was still trying to pursue my write in, but it was it's hard being like post strikes and a lot of shows not renewing and like different opportunities and then the whole like representation having issues with them. Hey can you give me some rooms? Cause like I was like using my network to get meetings and trying to get my stuff read, and so I was like, Okay, maybe I could just write the full length film of

So how do you get it? At Peacock and two B.

Peacock and Twoby was all through Heartbeat. That's what their whole arrangement as far as like distributing the films and that stuff. So we wasn't really involving that part. It just said, oh, it's gonna be on Peacock. And then one day I was at home and I was on Toby and I saw it on to I was like, oh it's on Toby.

Too, Oh wow, yes, And then what do those checks look like from that standpoint.

I only got paid once by a heartbeat, and that was for the script.

Then it was a fellowship.

Yeah, it was like a stipend.

But they don't own it, right, they own Heybi, this sucks, but this is the I love that you're sharing this because I think that we all think, Okay, we created something, we land this big deal and there's this huge payout or whatever. But this definitely has to be like the most roller coaster of emotions ever. Yes, but it's also confidence boosting because you're obviously a creator that's able to sell amazing content that's getting picked up. The question is

No? I got hay boo and did my business all by myself. I didn't get representation.

So after the fact, well, hey boo, you did after the fact too. That's interesting.

Yeah, So I say this representation is good to have, but it's more so knowing people Like if I wasn't working within the network, I probably wouldn't have been able to get a pitched the show in twenty twenty two, and by I want to say, twenty twenty four is Aaron on television. And that's because we were working at the network and trying to push it through and I was on my boss like, hey, do we got disapproved legal?

But do you think that was a plus or negative? Because on one end, it's a plus because it got your stuff pushed further and you know what they're looking for on both sides of the camera now, right, so you can consider yourself like a double threat, triple threat, right. But on the downside, there's a little bit of for lack of better word, it just seems like a little bit of a dog eat dog because yeah, because of the affiliation of the network.

Yeah, so it's, uh, you gotta you win some and you lose some. So you just got to take into accounts like, hey, you need to get a credit, but how are you gonna go about getting that credit? You get that credit, that'll take you up a notch. So when you do go out on your own, at least you have something versus than having nothing.

Yeah, so I wasn't trying to cut you off.

Oh no, go ahead.

What would you say, is your next play after everything you've.

Learned, after everything I learned? My next play? I'm sorry, y'all. I'm not used to doing interviews. It's been a minute. My next play is, I'm looking at how these content creators are getting on TikTok and YouTube shorts and stuff and just posting not random stuff, but it's not a big budget production, and they're getting the brand deals and

Or but now during the Ray era, I don't know if the algorithms were as algorithm as now, because like sometimes we could post and we'll have a good six months and then we'll have a six months of what is wrong? Yeah, And I don't think it's the content. I think it's more so the algorithm. Yeah, if you changing them around.

Yeah, you could say that. You also say it's oversaturated. But I also feel like if you do have something that you want to put out there now, it's the time to just put it out there versus waiting and then if somebody do come along and they're like, oh, we want this, and you sign your rights away from it because you don't really have much leverage in the game, versus building your own audience and going to indie route. That's what it's looking more like now, given with the state of the industry.

Yeah, so you're still doing screenwriting though.

Yeah, I'm still right. I'm still trying to push hey Boo out there.

But I don't understand if they own it, why would you still want to push it.

Because we do have a shopping agreement between each other, so I can't take it out. I have permission to take it out to pitch to different streamers and studios. Yeah, so that's what my main thing is, trying to get it made it to a full length film. That way, it's another credit under my belt, money, all that type.

Of stuff, And so you can take it out right from the Yeah.

I could take it out now that I'm under the agreement, but like, once the agreement is up, then we have to go back to the table, like, hey, we need a little bit more time so we can get it somewhere.

Wow. Wow, that's a lot of pressure. Do you have friends that pitch you on you looking over their pictures a lot?

Yeah?

How does that feel?

It feels good that they trust me to look over the stuff. I don't try to be too hard on them because I know like how it feels to be on the other side and be a creative and you sensitive about your art. So I try to be as nice about it, but also tell them like, hey, this's not gonna work, or you may want to go back and look at this. But they do come to me a lot with different pictures or ideas they think I should do.

You're open to all of that. What advice do you give to people now, knowing everything that you learned about the industry.

And get close with this mic friend?

Pick up your phone and shoot something. Wow, Just pick up your phone and shoot something, and you never know what it can become. You might not even post it, but just getting it out there, putting it out there, getting it out your head and something that you can see visually. I feel like it helped. Like I just go back to the moment where I was at sun Dance in the theater and my name pop up written by Danielle Solomon. I'm like, oh, wow, it's out there.

Yeah.

So like even if nobody else see it, or you show it to your family or like, just pick up your phone and shoot something and don't have to be too much. It could just be like a short or it could be like a little skit that you call or you don't post. It's just getting that practice in and just building something if you get in the habit of doing that, Because it's good to just write and watch TV and study it, but it's also good to actually like film something.

Yes, And in regards to like joining the bigger companies like Heartbeat, Bounce, FEUs and all of that, what do you feel knowing what you know now?

Like joining it as a Yeah, it wouldn't be my first stop. My first thought would be trying to build my own audience. That way I can leverage myself more when I go.

To You think getting out bigger audience is more important than getting the credits. This is a random at this point in the game for me. Yes, wow, Yeah, that's a big statement. Yeah, I agree. I feel like everything's going to social media route. But there are theories that they're saying like that social media may and which I'll be honest, like the day social media dies would probably be one of the happiest days of my life because everything is around it. It's like we're but it's also

Yeah. I was reading something about Tyler Perry and his early days and how he had like an email list. I feel like social media is a good start, but it's not like a stop. Like you try to figure out how you can stay connected with your audience beyond that, maybe you do a live show or something, or if you in the comedy, do a little improv type of thing. But I feel like social media is a good start, but it shouldn't be the stop. Yeah.

I tell a lot of people when I do a lot of event marketing, and I tell people all the time social is cute, but at the end of the day, you want cell phone numbers and email addresses because however that person uses that social you cannot control the ogurith can't control the output. Which you do need to know is that anytime you sell a ticket or promote something, that person needs to see that impression six to eight times or to making a purchase, or prior to adjusting

Yeah, and a good example of that with Maya Business. It didn't really have a big marketing push compared it to the other shows and mounts, and I noticed that. So I was like, So, me and Danielle Dominique, the other co creator of the show, we was like, Okay, we need to drop this in our group chets. We need to tell our family members and different people to watch it because they're not really pushing it out there, and like you said, people need to see it at

Yeah, yeah, agreed. Why I've learned so much from you. Thank you so much for cooking for us. I respectfully know it was like making mad jokes about your dish, but I feel like it was like a wealth of knowledge and full transparency on a super rocky road that I can only imagine has been like really emotional. Yeah, I think because I feel like I would have twitched a couple of times.

A lot of people would have crashed out by now, gave up. But it's what else Mama gonna do if I don't do this.

So are you getting emotional?

Yeah, I little bit why.

I'm just curious.

Yeah, it's just been I'm sorry, it's just been a long it's been a heart. It doesn't seem like it's been a long journey, but it's been a long journey, and it's been really hard just trying to, you know, stay and stay on the right track. Because it's easily it's easy to get discourage, it's easy to get feel like you're never gonna achieve anything. And I feel like because I was able to at least get something done,

So what are the things that make you doubt yourself? Because I completely completely empathize with at least you have these markers saying I took an idea and I'd proven that I was able to land it and other people were able to profit. What was the thing that makes you feel like you constantly have to tell yourself to try again or not give up or not pivot.

I honestly feel like it's just it's not me. But then like I know I can do it. I can see it in my head, like I know, Okay, this could be real. It's just things that's out of my control that I can't control that kind of makes me doubt myself. I'm like, dang, because they're not high in this show got canceled, this is show I wanted to write on, and things like that discouraged me and make

And what's the answer. Nothing?

Nothing. So it's like I had no choice but to do what I'm doing, try to keep going in pursuing.

It, and then how do you manage your finances through that whole process.

I gotta work sometimes, I gotta work jobs that's not as oh I'm on set. No, I'm actually doing customer service work.

Yeah.

Yeah, And you know it's jobs that you ideally don't want to do and you never know what This industry is very unpredictable. I got laid off at FUSE in January, so I've been just trying to hustle to try to keep up so I can stay here because I don't want to leave here and not accomplish what I set out to do here before I go back home. So I was like, I have to find ways to make money.

Yeah, and I think that's the reality of it all. I personally hold on like three jobs, right, Yeah. I tell people like only in La you meet people that work a forty hours job, get off uber and then they side side house so it's babysitting, and that is the normal here.

Yeah. That was being when I was confused. I was working full time and then I was working part time because it was like, let me pay this stuff off, like to do the loans that way I can take out another loan so I could do the short film or do anohing, a little animated something, some type of product of my own. So that was like my whole thing. I was like working to get stuff paid off so I can take out not the loan and dude.

Sorry, Yeah, I think that God left these accolades at the right time for you to know like you're heading power. It has to be that God. Hey, I know this road looks rocky as hell, but don't forget you had this and you brought it to life. I think the creators the greatest thing someone could ever do is be like the imitation of God. Have a vision for something and create it and give it life like something that

Yeah, I'm never.

Eats and cheese for breakfast, please Lord, Please, No, I take that back, because you you say something like that, you're gonna end up eating it.

So no, I'll take it back. Take it back. It's not my favorite dish.

But like I say on this show, the broke of the dish the better. The story in this story was truly amazing and inspiring, and I love that you're vulnerabile about it. Where can everybody keep up with Danielle Solomon? And I want to say support, hey boo. I don't know if we should be support to mind our business?

Should we? Y'all can watch it if I want to watch the first season, I recommend.

The first season.

I'm only hating because I feel some type of way. Yeah, everybody do, but yeah, definitely support the first season. I'm not gonna tell people not to watch it because it's black people behind the camera, black people in front of the cameras. Don't want to take away from what they're doing. Just black. No Bounces was never owned by black people, but so we just capitalizing all them. Yeah, but I would say support them a chance because we don't have that many shows, and the shows we do have are

And every time, like Kevin Harr would be like, yo, hey boo.

Hit up Kevin. Yeah, so he can get on his people be like, yeah, let's get this somewhere.

Let's get it somewhere. Thank you so much for your time and feeding me baked beans, baked beans, and she and pease and like I said, y'all, this is a great feeling dish.

It's not good when it's cold.

It's not it's fairly good. It's fairly good when it's warm. Thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate you, and you guys better go out there and follow at Danielle Solomon.

Is that?

How is that?

Instagram? Is Danielle Michelle TV TikTok Danielle Michelle writes, I know it's all over the place, but yeah, TikTok and Instagram for.

Sure, daniel Michelle TV.

Instagram, and then Danielle Michelle writes, TikTok.

Okay you heard it here first.

Peace out, y'all. Peace