Speaker 1: This entire month of February. We've done our best every
Speaker 1: Friday that we've been live to bring to you a
Speaker 1: different voice, to potentially introduce to you someone you may
Speaker 1: not know, or to just shine a light on someone
Speaker 1: that is black and doing amazing things in our community
Speaker 1: and beyond. As we continue to celebrate Black History Month,
Speaker 1: We've introduced you to Keith Butler, founder of Detroit Boys
Speaker 1: Mentoring Group. We had Glinda and Diane Lewis on who
Speaker 1: are the first African American or just first mother daughter
Speaker 1: duo period in America, to co anchor a news show,
Speaker 1: and today we got a friend of the show, director, producer,
Speaker 1: a writer. He's done commercial work for Nike, Beats by Dre,
Speaker 1: and the NBA. He won an Emmy Award for his
Speaker 1: work with the Detroit Pistons. He's directed videos for Big
Speaker 1: Sean Jay Cole, just to name a few television shows
Speaker 1: for HBO.
Speaker 2: He directed a.
Speaker 1: Film, One of Them Days, starring Keiki Palmer, Incissit and
Speaker 1: debut at number one at the box office, got over
Speaker 1: twenty nominations, including an NAACP Image Award, and he most
Speaker 1: recently won the Breakthrough Direct Reward from the African American
Speaker 1: Film Critics Association say, what up? Del Mojo in the
Speaker 1: morning makes some noise for mos?
Speaker 3: Good money?
Speaker 1: How you're feeling no, thank you for joining the show man?
Speaker 4: Yeah, man, I'm feeling great.
Speaker 5: You know, it's six six forty am over here on
Speaker 5: the West Coast, but I have to make it early.
Speaker 2: Make it early, right.
Speaker 6: Sure you're on the West coast now, But you grew
Speaker 6: up in Detroit correct.
Speaker 5: Oh, yeah, definitely, yep. I went to Bates Academy.
Speaker 7: Southfield Highs where I graduated. I've been at LA for
Speaker 7: like thirteen years, which is crazy to say.
Speaker 3: I feel like a pop all.
Speaker 4: You know.
Speaker 1: So how is it, man, when you say it's crazy
Speaker 1: to say you're a kid from Detroit, Michigan went to
Speaker 1: Bates Academy. I went to Bates Academy to I ended
Speaker 1: up getting kicked out for other reasons though I didn't graduate.
Speaker 1: And now you're you're living in Los Angeles and not
Speaker 1: only are you living there, but you're living your dream
Speaker 1: and kind of talk about you know, we're in award
Speaker 1: season right now. And I'm sure you grew up, you know,
Speaker 1: with a speech in mind of who you would think
Speaker 1: when you received an award and now you're not only
Speaker 1: being nominated, but you're winning. I kind of talk about
Speaker 1: having this this dream realized.
Speaker 5: Man, It's it's you know, it's it's mind blowing in
Speaker 5: a way.
Speaker 3: You know, like I.
Speaker 5: Literally remember, you know, being in my grandma's basement, you know,
Speaker 5: as a teenager writing scripts, you know, or my aunts
Speaker 5: watching films, looking up to filmmakers, you.
Speaker 7: Know, not really necessarily knowing I wanted to be.
Speaker 5: A filmmaker in that sense, but I know that, like
Speaker 5: fourteen year old me was was ready for these moments.
Speaker 4: So it's been really special.
Speaker 5: And you know, winning that after the award last weekend.
Speaker 4: Was was big. You know. It was kind of like that.
Speaker 5: Speech was for little boy me and just hopefully to
Speaker 5: inspire so many. So it's lit a few under me,
Speaker 5: and I feel like not even I feel like I
Speaker 5: know that I'm just getting started. So I'm excited about
Speaker 5: the progress so far and excited about more things in comedy, ay.
Speaker 1: Man, and being from Detroit, Man, we definitely have a
Speaker 1: way of thinking and a way of being. And with
Speaker 1: your particular role being the person that is showcasing the
Speaker 1: vision right for whatever, be movies, television, How is Detroit
Speaker 1: kind of I would say, shape the way that you work,
Speaker 1: or the way that you see movies or whatever it
Speaker 1: is that you're creating.
Speaker 2: How is Detroit shaped the way that you direct?
Speaker 5: I have a great question because it's just like Detroit
Speaker 5: is so in me, through and through. I think Detroit's
Speaker 5: authenticity helps me, you know, be the visionary that I am,
Speaker 5: you know, always like not second guessing.
Speaker 4: You know, we we love uh you know, it's flat.
Speaker 5: Detroit is flatboyant, detraded, vote, detroited, vibrant, and I carry
Speaker 5: that with me with everything I'll direct, you know, not settling.
Speaker 5: You know, I think that just even with the history
Speaker 5: of detroyed from Motown to you know, even a new
Speaker 5: age techno and Jay Dilla, like being original and authentic.
Speaker 5: It makes me, you know, not second guess the decisions
Speaker 5: I'm making and each other comes down to my intuition.
Speaker 4: So I just follow my heart.
Speaker 5: And I think he traded the big part of that,
Speaker 5: just because he traded so authentical.
Speaker 4: You know, the very Detroit is a real It is
Speaker 4: a real thing for real. Yeah.
Speaker 2: It goes beyond a statue.
Speaker 4: Yeah, for real, Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 5: I mean even some of the gangs you be winning
Speaker 5: I'm like without.
Speaker 1: So what do you say to I guess children or
Speaker 1: other creators? Right because social media is huge right now
Speaker 1: is way you know more, you have more ability to
Speaker 1: create than you did when you were at Base and
Speaker 1: get those creations seen by the entire world. What do
Speaker 1: you have as far as advice for people who are
Speaker 1: kids or people who are adults who are creatives that
Speaker 1: are you know, kind of molding themselves maybe so after
Speaker 1: your career or inspire by the things you do just
Speaker 1: to keep going.
Speaker 5: Yeah, well, the first thing I would say is comparison
Speaker 5: is definitely the thief from Jewel, you know, so, like,
Speaker 5: you know, you can get caught up and like man,
Speaker 5: I want to be like fight Lee, or I want
Speaker 5: to be like you know and that or I want
Speaker 5: to be like Lauren's mine, which is crazy to say,
Speaker 5: but that that will set you back or you know,
Speaker 5: further before you even start, you know, because we are
Speaker 5: all walking our own paths and everybody's individual.
Speaker 4: But with that said, you know.
Speaker 5: I think it's about making things that you want to
Speaker 5: see or that you want to feel, or things that
Speaker 5: you know that your friend group or people you love
Speaker 5: will enjoy, you know, and you know, I still when
Speaker 5: I started directing video other teenagers for Sean and other
Speaker 5: early Mac and other my Detroit homies music videos, it
Speaker 5: was a change and like from film cameras and digital cameras,
Speaker 5: you know, so they were photography cameras that had video
Speaker 5: qualities that were just super advanced, and we were able
Speaker 5: to use that to do the videos. And now looks
Speaker 5: like social media with iPhones.
Speaker 7: You know, we see so many.
Speaker 5: Commercials that are like shot on iPhone or you know,
Speaker 5: it's like you can people got their tripods and they're
Speaker 5: mountain their cameras. You can literally make a short film,
Speaker 5: you know, with tools that you have in your home already,
Speaker 5: you know. And another thing for like filmmakers is people
Speaker 5: think I had got to raise all this money to
Speaker 5: make my project, which sure us true, But I thought
Speaker 5: about doing music videos, and I think I always encourage
Speaker 5: young filmmakers to find a friend that makes music, come
Speaker 5: with a crazy idea, even if your budget is pizza,
Speaker 5: you know, and just and just try it, you know,
Speaker 5: and just do it. Because I got my chops in
Speaker 5: music videos because I was able to tell stories and
Speaker 5: care have you seen my you also you off, you know,
Speaker 5: you've seen some of the videos of Dell, which I
Speaker 5: and stuff to be amazed, we won't. But they were
Speaker 5: always narrative driven. They were always stories, you know. They
Speaker 5: were never just wrapping in the camera, you know. And
Speaker 5: I think that allowed me to be creative.
Speaker 4: As I can, but within.
Speaker 7: Like three four or five minutes and that and that.
Speaker 5: Also showcase for me to want I went to show
Speaker 5: kay Hollywood that I can.
Speaker 4: I'm more than just the meuse video director. I can
Speaker 4: tell stories.
Speaker 5: So you know, anybody listening, it's like, just don't make something.
Speaker 7: You know you can.
Speaker 5: You can come up with excuses all day long, but
Speaker 5: we have the tools now to just make something end
Speaker 5: of something and put those ten thousand plus hours in
Speaker 5: because the more you are working on it, the better
Speaker 5: you're gonna get at your craft.
Speaker 4: You know.
Speaker 2: Absolutely.
Speaker 1: For those just tuning in, we got Lawrence Leamont, director, producer,
Speaker 1: raised in the city of Detroit.
Speaker 2: Lawrence that you not new to this man.
Speaker 1: You've been doing still and do things in particular in
Speaker 1: the city of Detroit for.
Speaker 2: Many, many years. And when you had the I.
Speaker 1: Don't want to say promo run, but when you were
Speaker 1: going around the country and hosting these viewing parties, I
Speaker 1: like to call it felt like it felt like a
Speaker 1: party in there. It felt like an experience the screen.
Speaker 1: When I think about the City of the Trade, I'm
Speaker 1: interested to hear your thoughts on this as well, because
Speaker 1: I feel like, not only is it in the screen,
Speaker 1: it's in every film or video you do, but the
Speaker 1: word community comes to mind, and there was a huge
Speaker 1: community support. Anna was there, Yeah, that pull it up
Speaker 1: to the Royal Lolk Music Theater to see in one
Speaker 1: of them days. What do you think about the support
Speaker 1: of the city of Detroit that they have for you
Speaker 1: and how we need to support each other so that
Speaker 1: we can continue to see people rise from the City
Speaker 1: of the Trade and continue to do amazing things.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 7: Man, I feel like that's just so important.
Speaker 4: You know.
Speaker 7: It's like it's like unconditional love versus temporary.
Speaker 3: Love, you know, in a sense. And I feel like.
Speaker 5: When Detroit loves you and love love hard, you know,
Speaker 5: and it's underwaivering, you know. And a lot of people
Speaker 5: that were at that premiere and Detroit were people that
Speaker 5: have watched me since I was in place, you know,
Speaker 5: as a teenager and I was acting and stuff. So
Speaker 5: you know, your your first fans are your friends and family,
Speaker 5: and I think that's enough to take you out of
Speaker 5: this atmosphere, you know, so I think, you know, we
Speaker 5: need to continue to supporting each other. Community is valuable
Speaker 5: and like.
Speaker 7: You said, it is a theme and a lot of
Speaker 7: the work that I do because.
Speaker 4: We all we got you know, like you got you.
Speaker 5: If we not supporting each other, and it's so easy
Speaker 5: to hate, you know, it's like easier.
Speaker 7: So it's like, why would you want to put.
Speaker 5: That vigration out into universe and you could show love
Speaker 5: even if there's things we disliked.
Speaker 7: It's like what can you finding you like within that?
Speaker 7: You know, I think the more.
Speaker 4: Support we give each other, uh, the more we'll.
Speaker 7: Like vibrate higher.
Speaker 4: You know.
Speaker 7: It's like I love to treat people kindness all the time.
Speaker 7: That's like my biggest thing.
Speaker 4: Even when I'm.
Speaker 7: Hiring my crew is like, yeah, I'm.
Speaker 5: Interviewing you basing your skill set, but how are are
Speaker 5: you a good person? You know, like do you support
Speaker 5: your people? Are you a team player? Because it's really
Speaker 5: important that you shine back on you shine on each
Speaker 5: other because that will inspire you to go leave and
Speaker 5: do that to somebody else, you know, like you'd be
Speaker 5: nice to a waiter, you know, or somebody that's down
Speaker 5: bad or feeling in a certain way, and they may
Speaker 5: leave that encounter to go be that way with someone else,
Speaker 5: and that just it becomes like a ripple effect. And
Speaker 5: I think it's the same thing with support and with community.
Speaker 5: So hopefully I answered the question.
Speaker 6: No, no, no, that was beautiful, And I'm gonna jump
Speaker 6: in maybe to wrap this up, but can you talk
Speaker 6: about what's on the horizon or what do you have
Speaker 6: going on that we can look forward to? Is there anything?
Speaker 5: Yeah, I can't say, do.
Speaker 4: You know working with big.
Speaker 7: Studios now.
Speaker 5: Check, But but honestly, I do have a few projects
Speaker 5: that I'm developing a lot of projects I'm developing.
Speaker 4: Actually that in the work. Some are set up at
Speaker 4: some cool studios.
Speaker 5: I'm still trying to find homes passion projects that I've
Speaker 5: been ideas I've had since I was a teenager, even
Speaker 5: the early twenties, and I'm finally starting to realize.
Speaker 4: So you know, you're gonna look out.
Speaker 7: You know, I'm definitely looking at expand my myself.
Speaker 5: In film, you know, like one of them days, the comedy,
Speaker 5: but if you watch it, there is you know a
Speaker 5: lot of high jinks and it's physical comedy and it's
Speaker 5: some action. So I'm looking to do more action comedy.
Speaker 5: I'm looking to do more genre stuff, you know, in
Speaker 5: the fantasy space, which.
Speaker 4: You know you're looking about these videos.
Speaker 5: I kind of explore a lot of themes already, but
Speaker 5: you're going to grow and expand, uh more than just
Speaker 5: like a typical comedy, you know.
Speaker 3: And I have a few.
Speaker 5: Projects that are that and you know, bigger, better, larger
Speaker 5: slope and I'm excited to you know, share the world
Speaker 5: on this time.
Speaker 6: I just hope you bring them back to Detroit for
Speaker 6: another viewing party because that was dope.
Speaker 4: Yeah, that's my.
Speaker 5: Goal, like every movie that I that I do and
Speaker 5: shows like, but for sure every film I'm like, I
Speaker 5: want to put in my contract.
Speaker 7: You gotta do at.
Speaker 4: And hopefully, like you know.
Speaker 5: I'm I'm praying the film incentives coming back to the
Speaker 5: state of Michigan too, because I got a lot of
Speaker 5: Detroit stories I want to tell and then it's not fun.
Speaker 7: And when you have to tell these.
Speaker 5: Three Detroit stories and different states, you know, you got
Speaker 5: to go got filming in Ohio, filming.
Speaker 4: In New Jersey, Like that's no fun.
Speaker 5: So that's another thing that I've been like fighting and
Speaker 5: pushing forward for the past few years, and hopefully it
Speaker 5: comes soon because then y'all can just come visit me
Speaker 5: on set.
Speaker 7: You know, you know so uh so, yeah, be on
Speaker 7: the lookout.
Speaker 4: Things are ruined, all right.
Speaker 1: Well, listen once once the NBA are lifted and you
Speaker 1: finally have the opportunity, man, to really get in depth
Speaker 1: with everything that you got going on. You always got
Speaker 1: a home up here at the Mojo in the Morning show,
Speaker 1: please pull up live in person so we can get
Speaker 1: a chance to see you in the studio man, and
Speaker 1: everything you got going on, and absolutely save me a
Speaker 1: role for one of them.
Speaker 2: You know I'm in there.
Speaker 1: I go all right, man, Lawrence Lema, have a blessed day, man, Thank.
Speaker 3: You you too.
Speaker 7: Appreciate you all.
Speaker 2: Take care Bye,