1
00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:03,320
Speaker 1: Welcome to Money Making Conversations Masterclass. I am your host,

2
00:00:03,400 --> 00:00:06,920
Speaker 1: Rushaan McDonald. I recognize that we all have different definitions

3
00:00:06,920 --> 00:00:09,280
Speaker 1: of success. For you, it may be the size of

4
00:00:09,280 --> 00:00:12,160
Speaker 1: your paycheck. Mine is helping people wake up and inspiring

5
00:00:12,200 --> 00:00:15,360
Speaker 1: them to accomplish their goals and live their very best life.

6
00:00:15,640 --> 00:00:18,040
Speaker 1: I always tell people's time to stop reading other people's

7
00:00:18,040 --> 00:00:21,040
Speaker 1: success stories and start writing your own. People always talk

8
00:00:21,040 --> 00:00:23,440
Speaker 1: about their purpose or gift. If you have a gift,

9
00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:26,320
Speaker 1: lead with your gift and don't let your friends, family,

10
00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:29,160
Speaker 1: or coworkers stop you from planning or living your dreams.

11
00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:32,080
Speaker 1: My next gift. On the show, there is Kelly Jenrette.

12
00:00:32,440 --> 00:00:35,920
Speaker 1: She plays as she calls herself a Blood Professor, but

13
00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:38,960
Speaker 1: some call her whistle Blower, the crippled the baseball team

14
00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:42,240
Speaker 1: at Bringston, a fictional HBC. On the new c W

15
00:00:42,479 --> 00:00:46,239
Speaker 1: series All American Homecoming. I've watched the first four episode

16
00:00:46,440 --> 00:00:49,839
Speaker 1: is fantastic. She has Anto Simone, the lead character in

17
00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:53,120
Speaker 1: the series All American Homecoming that is premiering Monday's on

18
00:00:53,159 --> 00:00:55,720
Speaker 1: the c W. Kelly herself, let's talk about her for

19
00:00:55,760 --> 00:00:58,800
Speaker 1: a little bit. Recently started in the Spectrum original series

20
00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:02,280
Speaker 1: man Hunt, Deaily Game names on CBS. On the film front,

21
00:01:02,480 --> 00:01:07,040
Speaker 1: she currently has two not two dopes Netflix original films

22
00:01:07,319 --> 00:01:10,959
Speaker 1: that one of my favorites is uncourt Or They start

23
00:01:10,959 --> 00:01:13,120
Speaker 1: along with Courting to Be Vans and Niece Nash, which

24
00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:15,520
Speaker 1: is my girl as well, All Day and all Night

25
00:01:15,560 --> 00:01:20,279
Speaker 1: at opposite alongside Jeffrey Wright and Aston Sanders. But please,

26
00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:22,559
Speaker 1: let's stop all these critics, let's stop all this talk.

27
00:01:22,920 --> 00:01:25,640
Speaker 1: Let's bring her on. She's sitting there, she looks fantastic.

28
00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:29,600
Speaker 1: Please work with the money making conversations masterclass, Kelly Jenrette,

29
00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:32,479
Speaker 1: How are you doing? Kelly? Hi, I am doing well.

30
00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:35,440
Speaker 1: How are you? First of all, you look fantastic. You know,

31
00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:37,280
Speaker 1: you look you know. We know we've been going through

32
00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:42,479
Speaker 1: this COVID since and uh and now you you still

33
00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:45,000
Speaker 1: have to actim still still hanging in the game. And

34
00:01:45,160 --> 00:01:47,120
Speaker 1: let's talk about how are you doing right now? This

35
00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:49,440
Speaker 1: is about a journey, That's what the master class is about.

36
00:01:49,640 --> 00:01:53,280
Speaker 1: How did you get in the business of acting? Well,

37
00:01:53,320 --> 00:01:59,160
Speaker 1: according to my mama, I was born um, but I

38
00:01:59,240 --> 00:02:01,400
Speaker 1: want to say it was when I was in the

39
00:02:01,440 --> 00:02:05,960
Speaker 1: fifth grade and my fifth grade teacher, Mr. Hornsby asked

40
00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:09,079
Speaker 1: the class if we wanted to put on a play. Uh,

41
00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:12,880
Speaker 1: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and we all wanted

42
00:02:12,919 --> 00:02:16,320
Speaker 1: to do it. And I got to play Charlie Um,

43
00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:20,560
Speaker 1: the lead, and he asked if I wanted to change

44
00:02:20,600 --> 00:02:23,000
Speaker 1: the character's name to Charlene, and I was like, no,

45
00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:27,840
Speaker 1: I can play a boy. And play did that. And

46
00:02:27,880 --> 00:02:31,079
Speaker 1: then my daddy took me and my sister Uh to

47
00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:35,880
Speaker 1: the movies to see The Five Heartbeats and I fell

48
00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:40,440
Speaker 1: in love with that movie so much so that when

49
00:02:40,440 --> 00:02:44,600
Speaker 1: I watched it at home, I had a notepad and

50
00:02:44,639 --> 00:02:48,440
Speaker 1: I took and I started writing um the lyrics to

51
00:02:48,639 --> 00:02:51,200
Speaker 1: the song no matter how hard it gets, Like, I

52
00:02:51,280 --> 00:02:53,720
Speaker 1: was just like, and so I would perform that around

53
00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:56,440
Speaker 1: the house and I was like, yes, I love this,

54
00:02:56,720 --> 00:03:00,440
Speaker 1: And so that, for me is my first memory of

55
00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:04,000
Speaker 1: this whole acting thing. Well, you know, it's interesting because,

56
00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:06,160
Speaker 1: like I said, well now I remember when high school

57
00:03:06,600 --> 00:03:08,840
Speaker 1: I eventually became a stand up comedian. I became a

58
00:03:08,840 --> 00:03:11,320
Speaker 1: stand up comedian. I feel in love when college just

59
00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:14,680
Speaker 1: opened my mind though it allowed me to see things differently.

60
00:03:14,720 --> 00:03:16,080
Speaker 1: In high school, I just want to get out of

61
00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:19,360
Speaker 1: high school. But how I always remember this young guy

62
00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:21,720
Speaker 1: in high school. He wanted to be an actor, you know,

63
00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:24,639
Speaker 1: he was, he'd being allowed speaker doing all the announcements.

64
00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:26,600
Speaker 1: He had all these characters and all these voices. And

65
00:03:26,639 --> 00:03:29,360
Speaker 1: I was like, man, that sounds pretty corny. And I

66
00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:32,040
Speaker 1: say that because you know, when you don't when you're acting,

67
00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:35,080
Speaker 1: there's not something normal for a black person to consider.

68
00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:38,200
Speaker 1: And so people when you say that, people started looking

69
00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:40,400
Speaker 1: at Well, you don't see it on TV. You see

70
00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:42,200
Speaker 1: you know, you see people working at the bank, You

71
00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:44,920
Speaker 1: see people doing normal jobs. When we look at television

72
00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:48,040
Speaker 1: back then, television now we see a lot more of

73
00:03:48,160 --> 00:03:50,960
Speaker 1: us on. But you was pursuing an opportunity. A lot

74
00:03:50,960 --> 00:03:53,160
Speaker 1: of people doubt it. How did you break through that?

75
00:03:54,680 --> 00:03:58,280
Speaker 1: You know, to be completely honest. By the time I

76
00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:01,640
Speaker 1: got in high school, I was that person that was like, man,

77
00:04:01,720 --> 00:04:04,640
Speaker 1: this isn't a real job. So what I was going

78
00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:07,000
Speaker 1: to do was be a lawyer who did hair on

79
00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:13,760
Speaker 1: the side. Now, clearly that person belongs in the creative world.

80
00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:15,880
Speaker 1: I think you're gonna be a lawyer and do hair

81
00:04:15,920 --> 00:04:19,880
Speaker 1: on the side. Um. And so when I graduated from

82
00:04:19,960 --> 00:04:22,400
Speaker 1: high school, and I would do plays with my local

83
00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:26,440
Speaker 1: church um throughout high school, but it was still like

84
00:04:26,600 --> 00:04:30,840
Speaker 1: acting isn't a real job. So when I graduated high school.

85
00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:34,080
Speaker 1: I went to Xavier University in New Orleans because I

86
00:04:34,120 --> 00:04:38,599
Speaker 1: was going to be a forensic psychologist and stayed there

87
00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:44,560
Speaker 1: for two years ace my first chemistry test, and that

88
00:04:44,760 --> 00:04:48,560
Speaker 1: second year I was like, man, I had much rather

89
00:04:48,640 --> 00:04:51,359
Speaker 1: play a forensic psychologist on TV than being one in

90
00:04:51,400 --> 00:04:56,400
Speaker 1: real life. And I made the decision to transfer back

91
00:04:56,400 --> 00:04:59,919
Speaker 1: home to Georgia State and get my degree in feared.

92
00:05:00,320 --> 00:05:04,240
Speaker 1: You know, I think it was just for me. I

93
00:05:04,360 --> 00:05:07,960
Speaker 1: just felt like, this isn't what I feel like I'm

94
00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:11,680
Speaker 1: being called to do, you know, And so I had

95
00:05:11,760 --> 00:05:17,160
Speaker 1: to honor that. And fortunately I had a family and

96
00:05:17,200 --> 00:05:20,680
Speaker 1: still have a family who was so supportive of me.

97
00:05:20,839 --> 00:05:26,479
Speaker 1: My mom, man, please that woman right there, it was

98
00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:28,799
Speaker 1: like all right, if I if I was like, you know, Mom,

99
00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:33,360
Speaker 1: I think I want to try to fly to the moon,

100
00:05:33,440 --> 00:05:35,520
Speaker 1: she'd be like, all right, well should we go to

101
00:05:35,560 --> 00:05:39,480
Speaker 1: home depot? And you know, like that's just the kind

102
00:05:39,480 --> 00:05:42,080
Speaker 1: of woman. My daddy, It's took him a moment to

103
00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:44,160
Speaker 1: kind of come around, And I think that was part

104
00:05:44,160 --> 00:05:48,719
Speaker 1: of my hesitation of like, yeah, I mean he it

105
00:05:48,800 --> 00:05:51,880
Speaker 1: took him a moment, Like I want to say, when

106
00:05:51,880 --> 00:05:55,960
Speaker 1: I went home for Christmas, my daddy for the first

107
00:05:56,040 --> 00:06:00,680
Speaker 1: time to my face was like, you know, you hung

108
00:06:00,680 --> 00:06:03,320
Speaker 1: in there and I'm so proud of you. Like I

109
00:06:03,400 --> 00:06:06,360
Speaker 1: had my doubts I couldn't do it, but you hung

110
00:06:06,360 --> 00:06:10,000
Speaker 1: in there and you did it. And look at you now, like, Yeah,

111
00:06:10,400 --> 00:06:11,840
Speaker 1: the reason I bring that because that's one of the

112
00:06:11,920 --> 00:06:14,560
Speaker 1: lines I talked about. You know, when your gifts, you know,

113
00:06:14,760 --> 00:06:17,520
Speaker 1: don't let your friends, family, a coworkers stop you from

114
00:06:17,560 --> 00:06:20,640
Speaker 1: planning to living your dreams. Because your dreams always tell

115
00:06:20,680 --> 00:06:23,000
Speaker 1: people when you go through life, if you live somebody

116
00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:27,039
Speaker 1: else's life one day, that's gonna become uncomfortable. So you

117
00:06:27,080 --> 00:06:29,719
Speaker 1: have to wake up and have that passion and the desire.

118
00:06:30,040 --> 00:06:32,280
Speaker 1: And that's a really cool story you just conveyed to us.

119
00:06:32,320 --> 00:06:34,960
Speaker 1: But another story that you conveyed in that storytelling was

120
00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:37,880
Speaker 1: that you was at an HBCU and then you went

121
00:06:37,920 --> 00:06:41,840
Speaker 1: to Georgia State University. Now, those are two different environments.

122
00:06:41,880 --> 00:06:44,560
Speaker 1: To talk to us about the HBCU experience that you

123
00:06:44,600 --> 00:06:48,120
Speaker 1: were enjoying because you were doing good academics there, but

124
00:06:48,240 --> 00:06:50,479
Speaker 1: that wasn't the direction you wanted to take your life.

125
00:06:50,720 --> 00:06:53,240
Speaker 1: And then you went to Georgia State University. What was

126
00:06:53,320 --> 00:06:56,080
Speaker 1: the experiences that you shared in both cultures, because there

127
00:06:56,080 --> 00:07:01,679
Speaker 1: are two different cultures academic cultures, yes, you know, one

128
00:07:01,880 --> 00:07:11,160
Speaker 1: being Xavier University and it'sself extremely protigious, prestigious university. Yeah,

129
00:07:11,200 --> 00:07:14,680
Speaker 1: in New Orleans. And so even just going to New

130
00:07:14,840 --> 00:07:19,160
Speaker 1: Orleans was an experience in itself, you know, the culture,

131
00:07:19,400 --> 00:07:23,760
Speaker 1: the food. Um, I was like, yeah, this freshman fiftyes

132
00:07:23,800 --> 00:07:28,960
Speaker 1: sophomore sixty is a real thing because this food is incredible.

133
00:07:29,080 --> 00:07:33,480
Speaker 1: But just the energy on that hbc U campus and

134
00:07:33,680 --> 00:07:38,560
Speaker 1: seeing people that looked like me, um and and didn't

135
00:07:38,680 --> 00:07:41,640
Speaker 1: look like me, but we're still a part of me

136
00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:47,160
Speaker 1: was very Um, it was very heartwarming, was very welcoming.

137
00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:51,960
Speaker 1: Immediately formed a group of friends that I'm still with today.

138
00:07:52,040 --> 00:07:55,280
Speaker 1: We still have a text chain. Um. Although all of

139
00:07:55,280 --> 00:07:58,800
Speaker 1: my friends there graduated from Xavier when I left, we

140
00:07:58,920 --> 00:08:02,000
Speaker 1: still stayed in contact, and so there was just this

141
00:08:02,120 --> 00:08:06,280
Speaker 1: camaraderie that we had UM that was like, yeah, we're

142
00:08:06,320 --> 00:08:09,800
Speaker 1: we're family and we're here in it together. And then

143
00:08:09,960 --> 00:08:14,840
Speaker 1: leaving going to Georgia State, which clearly was not an HBCU,

144
00:08:15,080 --> 00:08:18,400
Speaker 1: although I hear word on the street is that Georgia

145
00:08:18,440 --> 00:08:20,680
Speaker 1: State is about to become an HBCU with all of

146
00:08:20,760 --> 00:08:25,600
Speaker 1: us there now, which is exciting, um, but it was

147
00:08:25,760 --> 00:08:29,360
Speaker 1: a different it was a different atmosphere. It felt very

148
00:08:29,440 --> 00:08:32,600
Speaker 1: much like we're here to do work, and not that

149
00:08:32,600 --> 00:08:34,880
Speaker 1: that wasn't it. It just felt like more of a

150
00:08:34,960 --> 00:08:40,240
Speaker 1: family there. Um At the HBCU in uh New Orleans

151
00:08:40,480 --> 00:08:43,440
Speaker 1: and at Georgia State it was like, all right, we're

152
00:08:43,440 --> 00:08:45,920
Speaker 1: about business and that's what we that's what we need

153
00:08:45,960 --> 00:08:47,880
Speaker 1: to do. If you want a family, then you can

154
00:08:47,960 --> 00:08:52,160
Speaker 1: join a sorority or a fraternity or other organizations. But

155
00:08:53,040 --> 00:08:56,640
Speaker 1: we're here to work. Nice to me. Plus, Georgia States

156
00:08:56,640 --> 00:09:00,360
Speaker 1: is more like a commuter school, and the size of

157
00:09:00,400 --> 00:09:03,320
Speaker 1: the school was way bigger than it was. But the

158
00:09:03,320 --> 00:09:06,880
Speaker 1: fun part about it. Now you on a fictional school

159
00:09:06,960 --> 00:09:10,119
Speaker 1: that's based I want to say, in Atlanta, Georgia called Bringston,

160
00:09:10,559 --> 00:09:15,160
Speaker 1: and you're professor who um basically uh, the word whistle blower,

161
00:09:15,640 --> 00:09:19,000
Speaker 1: the word a lot of other negative words about your character,

162
00:09:19,080 --> 00:09:22,200
Speaker 1: but this is all character development. You You play a great,

163
00:09:22,280 --> 00:09:25,880
Speaker 1: great loving aunt who is very supportive of the students

164
00:09:25,960 --> 00:09:29,640
Speaker 1: who are attending uh this uh, this fantastic university. I

165
00:09:29,640 --> 00:09:31,760
Speaker 1: want to tell everybody when you watch a series I

166
00:09:31,800 --> 00:09:33,720
Speaker 1: told her offair, I got to tell her own air.

167
00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:37,680
Speaker 1: It felt like different world on steroids where you saw

168
00:09:38,120 --> 00:09:41,560
Speaker 1: different world in a very sickcomming environment. This is a

169
00:09:41,840 --> 00:09:45,520
Speaker 1: this is a slice of life coming of age individuals.

170
00:09:45,559 --> 00:09:47,400
Speaker 1: But I don't want to jump to a head telling

171
00:09:47,440 --> 00:09:50,280
Speaker 1: the story. Tell us your your your your view of

172
00:09:50,280 --> 00:09:55,319
Speaker 1: the series All American Homecoming, which is a spinoff, yes,

173
00:09:55,679 --> 00:10:00,559
Speaker 1: spinoff of uh an amazing show All Americ HI, which

174
00:10:00,800 --> 00:10:03,920
Speaker 1: is the number one TV show for the CW. So

175
00:10:03,960 --> 00:10:06,200
Speaker 1: I want to give out all the shout outs and

176
00:10:06,280 --> 00:10:10,880
Speaker 1: props to All American, our flagship show, um and and

177
00:10:10,920 --> 00:10:15,240
Speaker 1: the foundation for what All American Homecoming is built upon.

178
00:10:16,080 --> 00:10:19,640
Speaker 1: And you know, the two words that come to mind

179
00:10:20,160 --> 00:10:24,640
Speaker 1: about Homecoming is Black excellence in all its forms. You know,

180
00:10:24,920 --> 00:10:29,040
Speaker 1: when we succeed and whatever that definition is as you

181
00:10:29,080 --> 00:10:32,839
Speaker 1: said earlier, or when we have our failures and how

182
00:10:32,960 --> 00:10:37,319
Speaker 1: we respond to those failures, that is still Black excellence.

183
00:10:37,880 --> 00:10:40,960
Speaker 1: And so you know, it's just an amazing gift to

184
00:10:41,000 --> 00:10:45,160
Speaker 1: be a part of a show that is compared or

185
00:10:45,240 --> 00:10:48,480
Speaker 1: even in the realm of a different world. You know,

186
00:10:48,520 --> 00:10:51,240
Speaker 1: we had our t c A s yesterday and I

187
00:10:51,320 --> 00:10:55,640
Speaker 1: said when people were people walk around with human on

188
00:10:56,400 --> 00:11:00,160
Speaker 1: their sweatshirts and talk about how they envisioned go going

189
00:11:00,280 --> 00:11:03,719
Speaker 1: to Hillman and I'm like, Brixton is going to be

190
00:11:03,840 --> 00:11:08,520
Speaker 1: our next Hillman um on steroids. As you said, well,

191
00:11:08,520 --> 00:11:11,640
Speaker 1: you know, the interesting part about it was that there

192
00:11:11,880 --> 00:11:15,000
Speaker 1: is an unabashed or it shouldn't were unbashed. It was

193
00:11:15,040 --> 00:11:19,120
Speaker 1: just it's a it's a very comfortable statement when you

194
00:11:19,160 --> 00:11:21,240
Speaker 1: say black excellence on this show. I was, you know,

195
00:11:21,920 --> 00:11:23,720
Speaker 1: it was just a different world. Was just the first

196
00:11:23,760 --> 00:11:26,920
Speaker 1: time out. It was it was a Bill Cosby show

197
00:11:27,040 --> 00:11:29,480
Speaker 1: was an incredible hit. So he had the ability to

198
00:11:29,480 --> 00:11:31,360
Speaker 1: say we're gonna do this show, had ability to say

199
00:11:31,360 --> 00:11:33,760
Speaker 1: we're gonna do a black grade generation on this show.

200
00:11:33,960 --> 00:11:37,480
Speaker 1: An episode around there, when I watched All American Homecoming,

201
00:11:37,679 --> 00:11:39,280
Speaker 1: it's a coming of age, you know. I remember I

202
00:11:39,320 --> 00:11:41,240
Speaker 1: was fortunate just to share a little story I was.

203
00:11:41,559 --> 00:11:45,520
Speaker 1: I was writing. I was supervising producer for the sister

204
00:11:45,559 --> 00:11:49,040
Speaker 1: sister t and Tamara Maori, and we had to get

205
00:11:49,080 --> 00:11:52,719
Speaker 1: them from high school to college. And so because it

206
00:11:52,800 --> 00:11:54,640
Speaker 1: was like, okay, they got to get out of high school,

207
00:11:54,679 --> 00:11:58,240
Speaker 1: but the experiences are different now. Your role, uh is

208
00:11:58,280 --> 00:12:02,480
Speaker 1: a mentor, your role is teacher. But your role plays

209
00:12:02,480 --> 00:12:05,600
Speaker 1: a very important role because it centers around the students,

210
00:12:06,040 --> 00:12:08,760
Speaker 1: giving them structure in a social environment. Talk about your

211
00:12:08,840 --> 00:12:12,440
Speaker 1: character that you play, and also, Um, why it's so

212
00:12:12,520 --> 00:12:16,120
Speaker 1: important for the show to have your character. That's a

213
00:12:16,280 --> 00:12:21,760
Speaker 1: great question, you know. Um, you talked about earlier some

214
00:12:21,880 --> 00:12:24,559
Speaker 1: of the negative words that can be used to describe

215
00:12:24,720 --> 00:12:30,120
Speaker 1: Amara because of what she did. But I believe Amara

216
00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:36,440
Speaker 1: her main goal is to help our young black people

217
00:12:36,600 --> 00:12:40,680
Speaker 1: understand the importance of education. Like, yes, we can be

218
00:12:40,880 --> 00:12:43,600
Speaker 1: great athletes. We can throw a football, we can bounce

219
00:12:43,640 --> 00:12:46,080
Speaker 1: a basketball, we can hit a tennis ball, all of

220
00:12:46,080 --> 00:12:51,120
Speaker 1: those things, and yet education is so important. Never to

221
00:12:51,160 --> 00:12:56,440
Speaker 1: neglect the importance of education. And if that means that

222
00:12:57,040 --> 00:13:02,959
Speaker 1: my character has to say, yo, something is off happening here,

223
00:13:03,880 --> 00:13:06,640
Speaker 1: I'm going to blow that with so at the expense

224
00:13:06,920 --> 00:13:10,080
Speaker 1: of our young people being able to go out into

225
00:13:10,120 --> 00:13:14,720
Speaker 1: this world that is already stacked against them in so

226
00:13:14,760 --> 00:13:18,400
Speaker 1: many different areas. And so I think the importance of

227
00:13:18,480 --> 00:13:22,000
Speaker 1: my character, as n K has said to me numerous

228
00:13:22,080 --> 00:13:27,120
Speaker 1: times before, she is the heart um of this show,

229
00:13:27,280 --> 00:13:32,920
Speaker 1: because there is no judgment in her against the mistakes

230
00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:35,960
Speaker 1: that may be made or even in that situation, it's

231
00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:39,560
Speaker 1: like I'm presented with a problem and there is a solution.

232
00:13:40,040 --> 00:13:42,280
Speaker 1: Let's get to the solution. I don't want to stay

233
00:13:42,320 --> 00:13:45,679
Speaker 1: focused on this scandal. What I want to focus on

234
00:13:45,800 --> 00:13:48,720
Speaker 1: is how we make this better because we need to

235
00:13:48,800 --> 00:13:52,640
Speaker 1: operate in a standard, which is Black excellence. We'll be

236
00:13:52,760 --> 00:13:57,239
Speaker 1: right back with more Money Making Conversations Masterclass with Rushan McDonald.

237
00:13:59,400 --> 00:14:04,600
Speaker 1: Now let's turned to Money Making Conversations Masterclass with Rashan McDonald.

238
00:14:04,760 --> 00:14:06,880
Speaker 1: I'm talking to Kelly jen Rep. She's one of the

239
00:14:06,920 --> 00:14:10,240
Speaker 1: co stars of the will be popular series of All

240
00:14:10,280 --> 00:14:13,920
Speaker 1: American Homecoming that will be premiering and Aaron On on CW.

241
00:14:14,679 --> 00:14:17,880
Speaker 1: She plays a blood professor on this This fictional school

242
00:14:17,920 --> 00:14:20,720
Speaker 1: is an HBCU school is based in Atlanta, Georgia. Now,

243
00:14:20,760 --> 00:14:22,880
Speaker 1: this is why I really really like to show y'all,

244
00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:25,120
Speaker 1: because you know, when you go, when you think of HBC,

245
00:14:25,280 --> 00:14:28,280
Speaker 1: you think football, you think basketball. When you think of HBC,

246
00:14:28,360 --> 00:14:30,240
Speaker 1: you think of the marching band, you think of the

247
00:14:31,080 --> 00:14:35,800
Speaker 1: girls dancing and everything. This series focuses on a couple

248
00:14:35,840 --> 00:14:40,320
Speaker 1: of sports that you don't tie to an HBCU tennis

249
00:14:40,320 --> 00:14:44,680
Speaker 1: and baseball. And and I really loved it, Kelly because

250
00:14:44,680 --> 00:14:47,360
Speaker 1: of the fact my daughter she was a tennis prodigy,

251
00:14:47,760 --> 00:14:50,240
Speaker 1: and so you know, I'm really looking at these tennis scenes,

252
00:14:50,280 --> 00:14:52,920
Speaker 1: you know, real different, you know, because my daughter she

253
00:14:52,920 --> 00:14:55,760
Speaker 1: picked up a rackings you six and and she retired

254
00:14:55,760 --> 00:14:57,840
Speaker 1: in nineteen because she blew out a need and she's

255
00:14:57,880 --> 00:15:00,480
Speaker 1: on the tour. So I I look at tennis and

256
00:15:00,480 --> 00:15:03,160
Speaker 1: I enjoyed and I went, wow, this is so cool,

257
00:15:03,640 --> 00:15:06,440
Speaker 1: and they do a good job of really making it,

258
00:15:06,960 --> 00:15:09,920
Speaker 1: making it a sense of reality. This is a real

259
00:15:10,040 --> 00:15:12,920
Speaker 1: tennis team. And of course the baseball thing. So when

260
00:15:12,960 --> 00:15:14,880
Speaker 1: I looked at that, I really it really put a

261
00:15:14,920 --> 00:15:17,120
Speaker 1: spile on my face because it wasn't a football player,

262
00:15:17,600 --> 00:15:21,080
Speaker 1: it wasn't a basketball team, it wasn't a band. This

263
00:15:21,160 --> 00:15:24,760
Speaker 1: was about tennis and baseball. Did you enjoy that shift

264
00:15:24,880 --> 00:15:27,640
Speaker 1: in the narrative of how they were showing a different

265
00:15:27,640 --> 00:15:33,240
Speaker 1: slice of life than HBCU. Yes. Absolutely. My mom is

266
00:15:33,400 --> 00:15:37,880
Speaker 1: an avid tennis player and has been for thirty years.

267
00:15:37,880 --> 00:15:41,520
Speaker 1: She still plays tennis to this day, and so my

268
00:15:41,680 --> 00:15:44,920
Speaker 1: love of tennis comes from her. In fact, my sister

269
00:15:45,040 --> 00:15:48,680
Speaker 1: and I Kimberly is my sister. My mom tried to

270
00:15:48,720 --> 00:15:53,720
Speaker 1: get us so that we could be the first venus

271
00:15:53,760 --> 00:15:59,680
Speaker 1: and Syria's right, but according to her, we were a

272
00:15:59,720 --> 00:16:02,360
Speaker 1: little to prissy. We were talking about how hot it

273
00:16:02,560 --> 00:16:04,720
Speaker 1: was and we didn't want to be out there. You know,

274
00:16:04,840 --> 00:16:07,800
Speaker 1: we were in we were in Atlanta. You know, that

275
00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:12,400
Speaker 1: humidity was real. So, you know, we we stopped playing

276
00:16:12,440 --> 00:16:15,600
Speaker 1: tennis at a very early age, but she continued on.

277
00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:20,320
Speaker 1: And so I think it is so refreshing to see

278
00:16:20,760 --> 00:16:24,320
Speaker 1: a sport like tennis and baseball, which what you said,

279
00:16:24,720 --> 00:16:27,960
Speaker 1: we don't think of that when we think of an HBCU.

280
00:16:28,160 --> 00:16:32,160
Speaker 1: So I think it is very refreshing to see like, hey,

281
00:16:32,280 --> 00:16:34,600
Speaker 1: yes we play tennis and we're very good at it.

282
00:16:34,720 --> 00:16:37,920
Speaker 1: We also played baseball and we're very good at that

283
00:16:37,960 --> 00:16:44,880
Speaker 1: as well. We can do it all excellent, black, excellent.

284
00:16:45,320 --> 00:16:48,040
Speaker 1: You know when we do these series, that's always fun

285
00:16:48,040 --> 00:16:50,360
Speaker 1: and part about the series. So you know, likes I

286
00:16:50,400 --> 00:16:52,000
Speaker 1: go all the way back to when Steve Harvey I

287
00:16:52,040 --> 00:16:54,680
Speaker 1: did ABC is first sitcom Me and the Boys, and

288
00:16:54,920 --> 00:16:57,800
Speaker 1: they always want to insert, you know, white characters or

289
00:16:57,880 --> 00:17:00,520
Speaker 1: characters that are non black, so they can make pets

290
00:17:00,560 --> 00:17:03,200
Speaker 1: of the viewers can be comfortable. But I love the

291
00:17:03,240 --> 00:17:05,159
Speaker 1: fest of I really love the whole thing with the

292
00:17:05,200 --> 00:17:07,320
Speaker 1: baseball players because you have a you have a slice

293
00:17:07,320 --> 00:17:10,240
Speaker 1: of life over there. You know, players from Columbia white players,

294
00:17:10,440 --> 00:17:13,600
Speaker 1: and it feels organic. It feels natural. And that's what

295
00:17:13,760 --> 00:17:16,720
Speaker 1: I really enjoy about All American Homecoming is that the

296
00:17:16,760 --> 00:17:19,520
Speaker 1: show feels natural. I'm very comfortable. I don't feel as

297
00:17:19,520 --> 00:17:22,600
Speaker 1: a view I'm being forced to participate. I feel like

298
00:17:22,640 --> 00:17:25,320
Speaker 1: this is natural and it all makes sense. Now, let's

299
00:17:25,320 --> 00:17:27,359
Speaker 1: go to the characters on the show, because we've been

300
00:17:27,359 --> 00:17:29,600
Speaker 1: talking about you, but there's some characters on the show

301
00:17:29,640 --> 00:17:32,840
Speaker 1: that play a very important role, like your like some

302
00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:36,120
Speaker 1: own you, her knees, you know, your niece who comes in.

303
00:17:36,440 --> 00:17:39,359
Speaker 1: If you know the backstory, she's on All Americans. She

304
00:17:39,440 --> 00:17:43,119
Speaker 1: had a baby, now she's she's she's kind of telling

305
00:17:43,200 --> 00:17:46,320
Speaker 1: everybody about it in this next series. But she's trying

306
00:17:46,359 --> 00:17:49,200
Speaker 1: to extend her life and start over in a sense,

307
00:17:49,240 --> 00:17:51,639
Speaker 1: and you're there to support her. Of course, as you

308
00:17:51,640 --> 00:17:54,879
Speaker 1: know the backstory. You know her parents want didn't want

309
00:17:54,920 --> 00:17:58,439
Speaker 1: her to go to an HBC U and you and

310
00:17:58,440 --> 00:18:04,679
Speaker 1: that's your sister. My sister's your sister. There's Kimberly okay

311
00:18:04,920 --> 00:18:07,880
Speaker 1: and who. So that's what I like about when I'm

312
00:18:07,920 --> 00:18:10,120
Speaker 1: talking to you. You know, you have the HBC experience,

313
00:18:10,119 --> 00:18:12,040
Speaker 1: you have the sister experience. So a lot of this

314
00:18:12,080 --> 00:18:16,920
Speaker 1: weren't really acting for you, Kelly M hmm. Yeah, And

315
00:18:17,080 --> 00:18:20,320
Speaker 1: that's what I love. And I tell Jeffrey, who plays

316
00:18:20,400 --> 00:18:26,919
Speaker 1: Simone UM, that relationship between Amara and Simone reminds me

317
00:18:27,119 --> 00:18:33,240
Speaker 1: so much of my relationship with my nephew Jonathan, Like Jonathan,

318
00:18:33,480 --> 00:18:36,959
Speaker 1: that is my baby. My sister has two kids, Jonathan

319
00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:41,399
Speaker 1: and Evelyn. My I call Jonathan my nephew son and

320
00:18:41,440 --> 00:18:45,240
Speaker 1: Evelyn my niece daughter, like they are like my children,

321
00:18:45,680 --> 00:18:49,800
Speaker 1: and I'm very protective over them. So this relationship between

322
00:18:49,880 --> 00:18:55,520
Speaker 1: Amara and Simone feels like, oh yeah, this is this

323
00:18:55,560 --> 00:18:58,520
Speaker 1: is what I do in my real life. Wanting to

324
00:18:58,760 --> 00:19:02,920
Speaker 1: support her, wanting to correct her um and challenge her,

325
00:19:02,960 --> 00:19:07,000
Speaker 1: and just wanting the best for her. And the relationship

326
00:19:07,040 --> 00:19:11,840
Speaker 1: between myself, Kelly and Jeffrey is such a beautiful one.

327
00:19:11,960 --> 00:19:15,560
Speaker 1: You know, we we talk, we text all the time.

328
00:19:16,040 --> 00:19:20,320
Speaker 1: She's such an amazing uh woman and and you know

329
00:19:20,400 --> 00:19:24,200
Speaker 1: you talk about tennis. She puts in so much work,

330
00:19:24,480 --> 00:19:28,160
Speaker 1: you know. I remember once we got the official pickup

331
00:19:28,160 --> 00:19:30,200
Speaker 1: and I would be texting her and she's like, hey,

332
00:19:30,240 --> 00:19:32,040
Speaker 1: so sorry, I couldn't get back to you. I was

333
00:19:32,080 --> 00:19:34,800
Speaker 1: at tennis practice or she was like, hey, I'm getting

334
00:19:34,800 --> 00:19:37,280
Speaker 1: ready to go to tennis practice and you know, she's like, oh,

335
00:19:37,280 --> 00:19:40,000
Speaker 1: I'm so tired because I just got home from tennis practice.

336
00:19:40,040 --> 00:19:43,400
Speaker 1: Like really putting in the work. And the same with

337
00:19:43,600 --> 00:19:47,600
Speaker 1: Peyton and the baseball, like really putting in the work.

338
00:19:47,720 --> 00:19:52,879
Speaker 1: So to see these these characters being brought to life

339
00:19:53,000 --> 00:19:57,560
Speaker 1: by these individuals who are so passionate about making it

340
00:19:58,040 --> 00:20:01,840
Speaker 1: look authentic and real, Kelly as well as a Mara,

341
00:20:02,200 --> 00:20:06,040
Speaker 1: can't help but want to be there to support these

342
00:20:06,080 --> 00:20:08,719
Speaker 1: young people. You know, well, you know, the beauty of

343
00:20:08,760 --> 00:20:14,320
Speaker 1: my show is broadcasts on about one HBCU campuses from Texas,

344
00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:20,720
Speaker 1: Southern Howard Clark, Atlanta University, Famue, but Dune Cookman just

345
00:20:20,800 --> 00:20:23,679
Speaker 1: the name a few of these incredible campus that that

346
00:20:23,760 --> 00:20:26,720
Speaker 1: allowed me to air my show on their radio networks.

347
00:20:26,960 --> 00:20:29,920
Speaker 1: And but the wordy black excellence just keep screaming out

348
00:20:29,920 --> 00:20:33,080
Speaker 1: in a positive you know, and it just seems organic

349
00:20:33,119 --> 00:20:35,840
Speaker 1: to the show. That's I think that puts the biggest

350
00:20:35,840 --> 00:20:38,000
Speaker 1: smile on your face. To be able to tell a story,

351
00:20:38,600 --> 00:20:41,840
Speaker 1: you know, in an environment that feels very real. I'm

352
00:20:41,840 --> 00:20:44,679
Speaker 1: telling you know, television is a real so how you

353
00:20:44,760 --> 00:20:48,320
Speaker 1: portray it makes it makes it real. And I feel

354
00:20:48,359 --> 00:20:51,440
Speaker 1: like I'm watching real television play out. It just have

355
00:20:51,680 --> 00:20:54,520
Speaker 1: to be actors. And I guess I may want to

356
00:20:54,520 --> 00:20:57,399
Speaker 1: go to Brixton tell us about that whole field that

357
00:20:57,520 --> 00:20:59,919
Speaker 1: you that's being created by the director, being created by

358
00:20:59,920 --> 00:21:02,159
Speaker 1: the actors that you guys get to meet once a

359
00:21:02,160 --> 00:21:07,240
Speaker 1: week at your house and have some family dinner. Yeah.

360
00:21:07,320 --> 00:21:11,640
Speaker 1: I think it was so important for n K our

361
00:21:11,760 --> 00:21:17,080
Speaker 1: showrunner and creator, to make something that was authentic, you know,

362
00:21:17,200 --> 00:21:20,639
Speaker 1: being from Atlanta and then having this base in Atlanta.

363
00:21:21,480 --> 00:21:26,080
Speaker 1: Jeffrey went to Clark Atlanta University, graduated from c a

364
00:21:26,240 --> 00:21:29,600
Speaker 1: u UM. Yeah, so there were there were things that

365
00:21:29,640 --> 00:21:33,560
Speaker 1: we were like, this has got to be on point.

366
00:21:33,880 --> 00:21:37,879
Speaker 1: You know. There are things that that are so specific

367
00:21:38,160 --> 00:21:42,560
Speaker 1: to Atlanta and black culture there that we want to

368
00:21:42,600 --> 00:21:48,399
Speaker 1: make sure we hit on. And our production crew, construction crew.

369
00:21:49,760 --> 00:21:53,760
Speaker 1: It's just they have created a world that feels like

370
00:21:54,160 --> 00:21:59,240
Speaker 1: Brixton University is a real university and people are going

371
00:21:59,280 --> 00:22:02,680
Speaker 1: to be Google like, how do I send it my application?

372
00:22:02,920 --> 00:22:08,200
Speaker 1: And the university just because they've done such an amazing

373
00:22:08,280 --> 00:22:13,720
Speaker 1: job from our background performers to what the outside of

374
00:22:13,720 --> 00:22:17,120
Speaker 1: the university looks like and and even my home when

375
00:22:17,119 --> 00:22:20,360
Speaker 1: they get a look at Amara's place, I was like,

376
00:22:20,400 --> 00:22:22,399
Speaker 1: you know what, I'm gonna move out of where I

377
00:22:22,480 --> 00:22:26,200
Speaker 1: live right now and I'm going to stay in Amara's

378
00:22:26,600 --> 00:22:32,399
Speaker 1: uh loft on set because just the detail that goes

379
00:22:32,600 --> 00:22:36,960
Speaker 1: into creating this world and the specificity that is needed

380
00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:40,840
Speaker 1: to make it feel like, oh this is real, Like

381
00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:46,919
Speaker 1: wait is this real? Is just it's unbelievable, and I

382
00:22:46,960 --> 00:22:50,920
Speaker 1: think it just lends itself to making it feel like

383
00:22:51,080 --> 00:22:53,120
Speaker 1: this is something. This is a world that I want

384
00:22:53,160 --> 00:22:55,840
Speaker 1: to be a part of. And Kelly is not lying

385
00:22:56,480 --> 00:22:59,920
Speaker 1: the entry door because when you closed that, do I win?

386
00:23:00,240 --> 00:23:03,000
Speaker 1: What's that wall? What is that? Well? I can't It's

387
00:23:03,040 --> 00:23:05,359
Speaker 1: just so beautiful and I couldn't figure it out. I

388
00:23:05,400 --> 00:23:07,560
Speaker 1: went like, I need to find out what that wall is.

389
00:23:07,600 --> 00:23:11,040
Speaker 1: It's just really you know, because that's called great set design.

390
00:23:11,080 --> 00:23:13,080
Speaker 1: That's the person they hired. They design the set, they

391
00:23:13,119 --> 00:23:15,679
Speaker 1: lay it out, they go around, they take photos, and

392
00:23:15,720 --> 00:23:18,359
Speaker 1: they wanted to be comfortable as room me. It feels

393
00:23:18,400 --> 00:23:21,520
Speaker 1: like it's a location where she stands. She can't stay

394
00:23:21,520 --> 00:23:25,320
Speaker 1: there on the college professor's salary as in Atlanta, And

395
00:23:25,359 --> 00:23:28,040
Speaker 1: it's true black excellence. I just want to tell you,

396
00:23:28,040 --> 00:23:29,640
Speaker 1: I want to thank you for coming on money making

397
00:23:29,640 --> 00:23:33,439
Speaker 1: Conversations Masterclass. I want to thank you for allowing sharing

398
00:23:33,480 --> 00:23:37,399
Speaker 1: your story Xavier to Georgia State University. You you speak

399
00:23:37,440 --> 00:23:40,119
Speaker 1: black excellent, you still promote black excellence in a in

400
00:23:40,160 --> 00:23:43,080
Speaker 1: a TV series that people are gonna love. I remember

401
00:23:43,080 --> 00:23:45,280
Speaker 1: I came to my staff, I said, hey, man, because

402
00:23:45,280 --> 00:23:47,280
Speaker 1: they know I always watched the shows, I will not

403
00:23:47,320 --> 00:23:50,080
Speaker 1: bring a guest on my show, Money Making Conversations Masterclass

404
00:23:50,200 --> 00:23:53,040
Speaker 1: unless they read the book, watch the film, or watch

405
00:23:53,080 --> 00:23:56,359
Speaker 1: the series. And I came in I told him, I said, hey,

406
00:23:56,440 --> 00:24:00,600
Speaker 1: this is a great series. And my company, thirty FT Media,

407
00:24:00,720 --> 00:24:04,000
Speaker 1: we're all about black excellence. We're all about promoting HBCU

408
00:24:04,200 --> 00:24:09,040
Speaker 1: SO and my show is live every Tuesday from Clark

409
00:24:09,080 --> 00:24:12,360
Speaker 1: Atlanta University. And so you were just right in line.

410
00:24:12,400 --> 00:24:13,640
Speaker 1: Let you want to thank you for taking the time,

411
00:24:13,720 --> 00:24:15,760
Speaker 1: taking taking the time to come on our show and

412
00:24:15,880 --> 00:24:18,520
Speaker 1: spread that level of black excellence. Also talk about your

413
00:24:18,560 --> 00:24:21,280
Speaker 1: great talent, because you are super talent. And if you

414
00:24:21,280 --> 00:24:25,560
Speaker 1: guys want to check out beyond All American Homecoming, Cook

415
00:24:25,760 --> 00:24:28,480
Speaker 1: is amazing, you gotta check it out all day and

416
00:24:28,520 --> 00:24:30,879
Speaker 1: all night and all day and the night is also

417
00:24:31,400 --> 00:24:35,560
Speaker 1: fantastic and streaming on Netflix right now. But in coming soon.

418
00:24:35,920 --> 00:24:38,840
Speaker 1: If not already, you can check out All American Homecoming

419
00:24:38,920 --> 00:24:41,480
Speaker 1: on Mondays on the c W. As you know, All

420
00:24:41,520 --> 00:24:44,919
Speaker 1: American is number one, It's gonna be number one plus. Okay,

421
00:24:45,240 --> 00:24:50,080
Speaker 1: thank you for coming. If you want to see any

422
00:24:50,080 --> 00:24:53,080
Speaker 1: of my interviews on money Making Conversations, much to class

423
00:24:53,080 --> 00:24:56,000
Speaker 1: through the Money Making Conversation dot com, I'm Rashan McDonald.

424
00:24:56,080 --> 00:24:57,119
Speaker 1: I am your host.