WEBVTT - The Space for Entrepreneurship in Content with Detavio Samuels 0:00:00.080 --> 0:00:02.400 Season two of the Black Tech Green Money Podcast is 0:00:02.440 --> 0:00:05.200 brought to you by Lexus, who goes all in the craft, 0:00:05.200 --> 0:00:07.720 a perfect package of style and performance with the new 0:00:07.800 --> 0:00:11.039 Lexus I S, A well appointed cabin and available track 0:00:11.119 --> 0:00:13.640 tune V six helped make the new I S V 0:00:13.840 --> 0:00:17.920 Luxury Sports to then experience Amazing at your Alexis Dealer, 0:00:20.000 --> 0:00:28.120 Afro Tech, Oakland, California. Tracy Oliver's executive producer, show runner 0:00:28.200 --> 0:00:30.960 and director for b E t S First Wives Club, 0:00:31.760 --> 0:00:34.520 writer of the movie Girls Trip, which exceeded a hundred 0:00:34.520 --> 0:00:37.240 million dollars at the box office, propelling the film career 0:00:37.320 --> 0:00:41.080 Tiffany Hattis, and she collade with Thesta Ray on Awkward 0:00:41.120 --> 0:00:45.600 Black Girl to hit YouTube show. She's on stage discussing 0:00:45.600 --> 0:00:49.720 turning Hollywood knows into box office and small screen wins, 0:00:50.440 --> 0:00:53.400 and Hollywood doesn't think audiences want to see quality content 0:00:53.440 --> 0:00:57.160 featuring black women. She's proven to them that we do 0:00:57.400 --> 0:00:59.760 all right. When I came out of film school, black 0:01:00.000 --> 0:01:03.640 women just were not on TV and lead roles, and 0:01:03.680 --> 0:01:06.360 so people were constantly telling me, if you want to work, 0:01:06.720 --> 0:01:10.600 stop writing about black women. And then that was literal 0:01:10.640 --> 0:01:14.160 advice I got from a producer was if you you're 0:01:14.160 --> 0:01:16.240 a good writer, but if you want to get hired, 0:01:16.680 --> 0:01:18.840 like you have to show that you can write non 0:01:18.920 --> 0:01:23.600 black characters because no one's making that. And I was 0:01:23.680 --> 0:01:27.680 just like, nah, I'm not doing that. So I gone 0:01:27.680 --> 0:01:32.760 to undergrad with Issa Ray and we talked about doing 0:01:32.880 --> 0:01:35.840 a web series. We talked about doing something, you know, 0:01:36.000 --> 0:01:40.720 like an awkward Black Girl, and we talked to a 0:01:40.760 --> 0:01:43.160 couple of people in the industry and they were like, 0:01:43.240 --> 0:01:47.080 there's no audience for that, it can't work, and also 0:01:48.400 --> 0:01:53.320 telling Issa she doesn't look like a star, and I 0:01:53.400 --> 0:01:56.120 knew that wasn't true. She knew that wasn't true. So 0:01:56.200 --> 0:02:00.320 we decided to just go do it. And the first 0:02:00.400 --> 0:02:02.600 couple episodes, I don't know if you guys have seen it, 0:02:02.840 --> 0:02:06.640 I mean, they look pretty boo leg they're they're cheap, 0:02:07.360 --> 0:02:11.760 and they're really you know, thrown together and kind of 0:02:11.840 --> 0:02:14.720 unprofessional looking. But it was because we had no money 0:02:14.720 --> 0:02:18.360 and no resources. But people still laugh and people still 0:02:18.360 --> 0:02:21.720 thought Issa was funny and the show had something to offer, 0:02:22.440 --> 0:02:25.080 so we just kept doing it, and then eventually we 0:02:25.200 --> 0:02:30.240 did like a It was a Kickstarter campaign and East 0:02:30.280 --> 0:02:32.000 and I thought we were going to raise ten thousand 0:02:32.080 --> 0:02:36.080 dollars and then people all over just started putting in 0:02:36.200 --> 0:02:39.560 money and then we raised over fifty with then like 0:02:39.600 --> 0:02:42.520 a week, and I just couldn't believe that so many 0:02:42.560 --> 0:02:45.519 people were clamoring for it. And that was the first 0:02:45.520 --> 0:02:49.320 time that I realized that the Hollywood gatekeepers had it 0:02:49.360 --> 0:02:53.000 all wrong. The audiences did want to see black women 0:02:53.160 --> 0:02:56.960 and women of color on TV and in movies and 0:02:57.000 --> 0:02:59.840 just in pop culture. They just they were wrong because 0:02:59.840 --> 0:03:05.320 we were seeing directly, you know, from the excitement enthusiasm 0:03:05.400 --> 0:03:09.079 peole were giving us that they wanted it. And that 0:03:09.160 --> 0:03:12.280 was kind of the big turning point for us because 0:03:12.800 --> 0:03:17.600 right after that, HBO and other places started saying, Okay, well, 0:03:17.639 --> 0:03:19.920 maybe we'll take a meeting with you. But that was 0:03:19.960 --> 0:03:21.960 the beginning of it. And how do we just said, 0:03:22.400 --> 0:03:25.200 you know what, you're right, we'll give it up. I 0:03:25.200 --> 0:03:27.880 don't know if that would have happened. So sometimes you 0:03:27.919 --> 0:03:30.000 have to tell people know, I'm gonna go do it 0:03:30.400 --> 0:03:33.320 and then show them there's audience. And that literally changed 0:03:33.360 --> 0:03:38.760 everything for us. I'm will Lucas, this is black Tech, 0:03:39.080 --> 0:03:41.720 Green money. I'm going to introduce you to some of 0:03:41.760 --> 0:03:45.080 the biggest names, some of the brightest minds and brilliant ideas. 0:03:45.640 --> 0:03:47.840 If you're black in building for simply using tech to 0:03:47.880 --> 0:03:55.480 secure your back, this podcast is for you. As one 0:03:55.520 --> 0:03:59.160 of Corporate America's youngest executives the Tabio, Samuels has helped 0:03:59.200 --> 0:04:02.160 some of the world's big his companies, including Walmart, Chrysler, 0:04:02.320 --> 0:04:05.560 the NBA, and Johnson and Johnson, build their brands and 0:04:05.560 --> 0:04:09.200 help them connect with consumers. Previously at Urban one, where 0:04:09.200 --> 0:04:12.200 he ran Global Grind, Hello Beautiful dot com, News one 0:04:12.240 --> 0:04:15.119 dot Com dot Com, Adam Noir dot Com and more, 0:04:15.880 --> 0:04:18.839 He's now co head of Revote Media and TV. Did 0:04:18.880 --> 0:04:22.839 his multimedia network, I asked to TiVo. With all the 0:04:22.880 --> 0:04:25.560 culture we move on social media, TV and in movies, 0:04:25.880 --> 0:04:30.400 how do we finally capitalize on us? For too long, 0:04:30.720 --> 0:04:34.080 talent in our community hasn't been paid. How do we 0:04:34.200 --> 0:04:36.760 change that? Yeah? Man, That's been something that I've been 0:04:36.800 --> 0:04:38.719 looking at for a long time. Even when I was 0:04:38.760 --> 0:04:41.640 at Urban one and Interactive One. Was actually trying to 0:04:41.680 --> 0:04:45.400 see if we could leverage Black Planet, which still exists, 0:04:45.640 --> 0:04:49.280 to be a platform for black creator creators to launch ideas, 0:04:49.839 --> 0:04:52.479 help them own them legally and do all of the 0:04:52.560 --> 0:04:54.760 things they needed to do around them legally. Before they 0:04:54.760 --> 0:04:57.039 gave him out to the world. Wasn't able to pull 0:04:57.080 --> 0:04:58.599 that off, but I think I learned a couple of 0:04:58.600 --> 0:05:01.880 things in the process. Um, it is incredibly difficult to 0:05:01.920 --> 0:05:06.800 try to trademark or capitalize off of catch phrases or hashtags. 0:05:07.120 --> 0:05:09.120 Those are things that we are doing every day in 0:05:09.120 --> 0:05:12.279 our sleep, and it's just much more difficult to monetize them. 0:05:12.279 --> 0:05:14.520 You have to really be thinking about what is the 0:05:14.600 --> 0:05:17.680 product or the end product of whatever it is that 0:05:17.760 --> 0:05:20.800 your idea that you're creating. Um, And I think you've 0:05:20.800 --> 0:05:22.720 got to really do your best to think about how 0:05:22.760 --> 0:05:25.120 you monetize it before you give it to the world. 0:05:25.400 --> 0:05:27.800 I think so often people just throw it out into 0:05:27.839 --> 0:05:30.240 the world and hope that they go viral and then 0:05:30.320 --> 0:05:33.080 try to follow up on that success. But um, it's 0:05:33.120 --> 0:05:36.520 hard to go viral once, let alone to three times. 0:05:36.839 --> 0:05:41.080 And so having a clear plan for monetization, being clear 0:05:41.120 --> 0:05:42.760 about the thing that you're about to put into the 0:05:42.760 --> 0:05:45.520 world to try to go viral. Is that just marketing 0:05:45.560 --> 0:05:48.359 for a bigger product and a bigger idea? Is it 0:05:48.480 --> 0:05:50.680 just phase one into a bigger thing that you would 0:05:50.680 --> 0:05:52.760 then follow up with. But I think people got to 0:05:52.800 --> 0:05:55.599 be pretty clear about their strategy before they launch and 0:05:55.640 --> 0:05:58.520 give things into the world. And so my recommendation would 0:05:58.520 --> 0:06:02.240 be again, it's out about the hashmart hash tag or 0:06:03.200 --> 0:06:07.760 a catch phrase. It's about real products, real ideas, UM, 0:06:07.800 --> 0:06:10.760 real thoughts UM. Thinking about those things, how do we 0:06:10.800 --> 0:06:14.080 monetize them before having a plan for monetization, before we 0:06:14.120 --> 0:06:16.920 give them to the world. Yeah, when when you look 0:06:16.960 --> 0:06:19.680 at the work you've done UM in your career, and 0:06:19.960 --> 0:06:21.760 I like to look at like what Steve Style is 0:06:21.800 --> 0:06:24.880 doing today, like you know, creating avenues where we can 0:06:24.920 --> 0:06:28.560 capitalize on our culture. UM. I get that big companies 0:06:28.960 --> 0:06:32.479 have maybe not historically, but in the last few decades 0:06:32.520 --> 0:06:35.080 seeing the value in taking advantage of us and maybe 0:06:35.240 --> 0:06:38.919 maybe it is historical, right, And but what do you 0:06:38.960 --> 0:06:41.599 think it is that we might have missed in that value? 0:06:41.760 --> 0:06:45.839 Is it simply that we haven't owned the channels and 0:06:45.839 --> 0:06:49.480 therefore couldn't take advantage of it. Yeah. I think there's 0:06:49.520 --> 0:06:52.760 two things. One, I don't think we understand the value 0:06:52.839 --> 0:06:56.440 chain and how to capture and extract value out of 0:06:56.480 --> 0:06:58.840 that value chain. And the two I think we are 0:06:58.920 --> 0:07:02.479 often too short excited because we come from a position 0:07:02.520 --> 0:07:06.000 of lack. We will trade in UM. The bigger, long 0:07:06.120 --> 0:07:09.080 term ways to generate wealth for immediate cash. So I'll 0:07:09.080 --> 0:07:11.160 give you an example on the second one. So right 0:07:11.200 --> 0:07:14.080 now I'm in a deal negotiating with this very very young, 0:07:14.120 --> 0:07:17.200 intelligent brother, and UM put a deal on the table 0:07:17.600 --> 0:07:19.920 that says, Okay, look, we're gonna pay you this amount 0:07:19.920 --> 0:07:23.480 of money for every episode. But there's upside. I gave 0:07:23.560 --> 0:07:26.960 him upside for advertisers, gave him ownership on the back 0:07:27.080 --> 0:07:29.640 end um things that I thought could help them build 0:07:29.680 --> 0:07:32.760 wealth over the long run. Well, you know, all the 0:07:32.800 --> 0:07:34.800 big guys have now seen him, They have their eyes 0:07:34.840 --> 0:07:37.440 on him, and so they tossing him a bag. That 0:07:37.480 --> 0:07:39.680 bag is bigger than the fee I was paying him, 0:07:39.680 --> 0:07:42.160 but it does not have the upside for advertising, and 0:07:42.200 --> 0:07:44.520 it does not have ownership on the back end. Well, 0:07:44.520 --> 0:07:46.520 guess what we're gonna land. I'm gonna end up paying 0:07:46.640 --> 0:07:48.840 him cash and he's gonna miss out on all those 0:07:48.840 --> 0:07:51.840 other things because that's where his priority was. Right So, 0:07:52.040 --> 0:07:54.200 I didn't want to play that game. But in order 0:07:54.240 --> 0:07:56.000 to compete with the big guys who were just throwing 0:07:56.080 --> 0:07:58.680 him pennies to them, it's real money to me, UM, 0:07:58.720 --> 0:08:01.560 I then have to match that offer, which means taking 0:08:01.600 --> 0:08:03.800 off all of the things that would have had allowed 0:08:03.800 --> 0:08:06.120 them to have real upside and build real wealth in 0:08:06.120 --> 0:08:09.080 the in the long run. And so just the inability 0:08:09.120 --> 0:08:12.120 to kind of have that long term visioning, the inability 0:08:12.160 --> 0:08:15.720 to have that long term thinking, um, and to make 0:08:15.760 --> 0:08:17.720 a real bet on yourself. I think we missed that 0:08:17.800 --> 0:08:19.880 quite often again because we're coming from a position of 0:08:19.880 --> 0:08:22.080 black we need the money or the cash now, whatever 0:08:22.120 --> 0:08:24.200 that is. I think the other thing is again just 0:08:24.240 --> 0:08:27.200 not understanding the total value chain. So I think it's 0:08:27.240 --> 0:08:29.160 like a big Sean song right now where he talks 0:08:29.160 --> 0:08:31.880 about like, look these players who are making thirty five 0:08:31.960 --> 0:08:35.640 million dollars a year. That means that the owners somebody's 0:08:35.679 --> 0:08:38.200 making a billion in order to pay thirty five, right, 0:08:38.480 --> 0:08:40.240 And so I think that's the other key piece of 0:08:40.280 --> 0:08:42.959 it force, which is, um, we don't see the entire 0:08:43.040 --> 0:08:45.360 value chain. We just see the money we're getting. We 0:08:45.400 --> 0:08:47.640 don't see that the total value that's being created as 0:08:47.640 --> 0:08:50.240 a billion dollars, and then they're not working on ways 0:08:50.280 --> 0:08:55.520 to create, uh, ways to capture more of that billion dollars. 0:08:55.760 --> 0:08:58.319 You see people in the past did it like masterp 0:08:59.240 --> 0:09:02.240 uh so I was thinking about, right, So we have 0:09:02.360 --> 0:09:04.400 people who have who have broken out and said, you 0:09:04.400 --> 0:09:05.920 know what, I don't just want this check. I'm gonna 0:09:05.960 --> 0:09:08.880 capture more value. Um, it's those models that we need 0:09:08.920 --> 0:09:11.760 to be learning from going forward. But we're still pretty 0:09:11.760 --> 0:09:14.160 new to that game. But so to his point, and 0:09:14.720 --> 0:09:17.600 I don't know his situation, but you said this clearly 0:09:17.600 --> 0:09:20.760 clear we come from by and large, when you getting 0:09:20.760 --> 0:09:24.160 opportunities like this, perhaps you may come from a background 0:09:24.160 --> 0:09:27.000 of lack and you you can't make those long term 0:09:27.000 --> 0:09:30.040 decisions because mama got to eat right now. And so 0:09:30.320 --> 0:09:33.400 what is if I'm asking you to save the world 0:09:33.400 --> 0:09:35.319 and with this question, but like, what do we do 0:09:35.559 --> 0:09:38.040 in this community so that we can afford to think 0:09:38.080 --> 0:09:41.200 long term? Yeah? So I think there's two things. I 0:09:41.200 --> 0:09:43.199 think one of the first piece of just education, So 0:09:43.440 --> 0:09:46.120 educating ourselves on the total value chain, trying to make 0:09:46.120 --> 0:09:47.880 sure that we extract all the value that we can, 0:09:48.240 --> 0:09:51.400 understanding the difference between cash now and real wealth later, 0:09:51.760 --> 0:09:55.120 ownership like ownership and equity versus cash. I think there's 0:09:55.120 --> 0:09:58.120 an education thing, um that we absolutely should be doing 0:09:58.120 --> 0:10:00.800 for ourselves. But then also I just believe in emazing right. 0:10:00.840 --> 0:10:02.720 So people will talk about like it's it's hard to 0:10:02.760 --> 0:10:05.760 make the first million, the next million after that becomes easy. 0:10:06.040 --> 0:10:07.760 So even if you have to trade off in the 0:10:07.880 --> 0:10:10.360 short term, Okay, I'm gonna trade off that equity to 0:10:10.400 --> 0:10:12.400 get this larger cash bag because this is what my 0:10:12.440 --> 0:10:15.440 family needs in this moment right now. Having a plan 0:10:15.520 --> 0:10:18.000 for how you then take that cash and don't again 0:10:18.040 --> 0:10:21.080 go just splurge on it and buy new cars and 0:10:21.160 --> 0:10:22.880 new gear and all of that stuff. But how do 0:10:22.880 --> 0:10:25.280 you then take some of that cash and invest it 0:10:25.320 --> 0:10:28.000 in something so that you again have ownership and equity, 0:10:28.040 --> 0:10:30.160 maybe not in the thing that you created, but you 0:10:30.200 --> 0:10:33.360 have ownership and equity somewhere else real estate, stocks, etcetera. 0:10:33.520 --> 0:10:35.480 So that you can start to build wealth, which will 0:10:35.480 --> 0:10:37.720 then allow you to make real decisions in the future. 0:10:38.040 --> 0:10:40.559 I'm a huge believer like in this notion of like freedom. 0:10:40.800 --> 0:10:43.200 I want to spend my entire life being the freest 0:10:43.280 --> 0:10:47.160 version of myself, and wealth gives you freedom like no other. 0:10:47.640 --> 0:10:50.800 And so take the cash, find a way to build 0:10:50.840 --> 0:10:53.320 wealth so that you can be free and make decisions 0:10:53.320 --> 0:10:56.480 that are no longer driven by necessity and lack, but 0:10:56.520 --> 0:10:58.400 they're driven by I just don't want to do it 0:10:58.400 --> 0:11:00.160 because I don't have to, because I don't want to, 0:11:00.520 --> 0:11:02.240 you know, what I mean, like, we have to invest 0:11:02.280 --> 0:11:05.680 in ourselves and invest in our future. UM. I was 0:11:05.720 --> 0:11:07.800 listening to an interview and you talked about your experience 0:11:07.800 --> 0:11:10.120 at Global You and Detroit and I and I think 0:11:10.120 --> 0:11:13.080 a lot about We've been having these conversations in the 0:11:13.080 --> 0:11:16.480 Afro tech world. There's a world outside of Silicon Valley. 0:11:16.520 --> 0:11:19.800 But there's you know, tech and media and business happening 0:11:19.800 --> 0:11:22.280 all over the world in communities that we are in. 0:11:22.960 --> 0:11:28.880 And what what about Detroit? It's maybe more broadly the 0:11:28.920 --> 0:11:34.480 Midwest has been overlooked with regards to their contribution to 0:11:34.520 --> 0:11:37.120 the culture because I'm from Ohio. So I'm I'm from 0:11:37.160 --> 0:11:39.360 forty five minutes out of Detroit and Toledo, Ohio. And 0:11:39.400 --> 0:11:42.640 I think a lot about you know, the perspectives I 0:11:42.640 --> 0:11:46.160 saw growing up being in the Rust Belt manufacturing, automotive 0:11:46.160 --> 0:11:50.040 and etcetera. That's that's a perspective on the world right. 0:11:50.040 --> 0:11:53.000 And I wonder what your experience was like running Global 0:11:53.040 --> 0:11:56.960 You that Detroit office and what unique value you saw 0:11:57.000 --> 0:12:00.520 the Midwest brought to the conversation. Yeah, I thought living 0:12:00.520 --> 0:12:03.679 in Detroit was amazing. Man, Like how the Detroit you get? Um, 0:12:03.800 --> 0:12:05.760 you know, they always talk about real diamonds come from 0:12:05.840 --> 0:12:08.000 cold's going through the fire. You know what I mean? 0:12:08.120 --> 0:12:11.840 Like that is what Detroit is. Detroit's contribution to this world, 0:12:11.920 --> 0:12:15.040 whether it be music, how the motive you name it 0:12:15.080 --> 0:12:18.000 has been huge. I think, Um, we don't get to 0:12:18.040 --> 0:12:20.840 hear a lot about that story for a couple of reasons. Um. One, 0:12:20.960 --> 0:12:23.480 just the way that we function. Culture moves from the 0:12:23.480 --> 0:12:26.120 outside in, so culture we tend to we get used 0:12:26.160 --> 0:12:28.760 to culture starting in l A or New York and 0:12:28.840 --> 0:12:32.200 moving inside. Um. And so that's just the places that 0:12:32.240 --> 0:12:35.960 we look to for creativity and and and creation. Um. 0:12:36.080 --> 0:12:38.760 But I do think there's a dope creative community in 0:12:38.800 --> 0:12:41.720 Detroit that folks aren't necessarily looking at that they should be. 0:12:42.080 --> 0:12:44.520 The other thing is just where the media platforms live 0:12:44.559 --> 0:12:47.520 and exist. So again, so often those media platforms are 0:12:47.520 --> 0:12:50.840 in California and New York. People, you know, what's the 0:12:50.880 --> 0:12:53.560 black owned media company in Detroit where you can really 0:12:53.600 --> 0:12:56.480 tell the Detroit story that exists. I think that stuff 0:12:56.559 --> 0:12:58.640 is true for other places like Atlanta right now or 0:12:58.679 --> 0:13:01.120 the Bay Area right now. You know what's happened is 0:13:01.120 --> 0:13:02.679 when you and I were growing up, and I'm sure 0:13:02.679 --> 0:13:05.720 I'm older than you. Um, we when we before the Internet, 0:13:06.000 --> 0:13:10.559 each geography had such distinctness to themselves. They had distinctness 0:13:10.559 --> 0:13:12.240 in the way that they moved, they had you know, 0:13:12.280 --> 0:13:14.240 in the Bay Area they were doing Hi fi right, 0:13:14.440 --> 0:13:17.280 which nobody else was doing right. Um. In Atlanta, we 0:13:17.360 --> 0:13:19.800 had trapped and so people had different language, they had 0:13:19.840 --> 0:13:22.679 different movement, they had all of that stuff was different. Well, 0:13:22.679 --> 0:13:24.560 now with the invention of the Internet, and now that 0:13:24.559 --> 0:13:27.559 we're all here, everybody is coming to the mushy middle, 0:13:27.800 --> 0:13:30.720 and so you start to miss some of that like locality, 0:13:31.160 --> 0:13:34.720 um specific um culture that was creating at a local level. 0:13:35.040 --> 0:13:39.680 And so with nobody there telling their stories, amplifying their stories, 0:13:39.960 --> 0:13:42.800 it stays kind of hidden and missed while we all 0:13:42.880 --> 0:13:45.360 kind of gravitate to the kind of top, mushy middle. 0:13:45.720 --> 0:13:47.480 And so I think that's the biggest thing that needs 0:13:47.480 --> 0:13:50.160 to happen. Like we're seriously looking at setting up shop 0:13:50.240 --> 0:13:53.079 in Atlanta because we see it as the black Hollywood. 0:13:53.160 --> 0:13:55.920 Nobody's telling their stories, and we think there's a huge 0:13:55.920 --> 0:13:58.760 opportunity to kind of go to Atlanta um and build 0:13:58.760 --> 0:14:01.360 a dope relationship there. I see the same type of 0:14:01.400 --> 0:14:04.320 opportunity for people who could be interested in Detroit lots 0:14:04.320 --> 0:14:07.160 of dope creatives, lots of dope work, lots of dope 0:14:07.200 --> 0:14:09.800 history just waiting for someone to come in and mind 0:14:09.840 --> 0:14:12.319 it and not minded in a way that's culture voltashy, 0:14:12.440 --> 0:14:14.720 but minded in a way that then gives it back 0:14:14.760 --> 0:14:18.640 to the culture while finding ways to pour back into Detroit. So, 0:14:18.760 --> 0:14:21.760 since you um started that revolt, one of your roles 0:14:21.840 --> 0:14:25.200 was to acquire content, right, and so, UM, is it 0:14:25.280 --> 0:14:29.080 that you've found a star on YouTube, a rising talent, 0:14:29.120 --> 0:14:31.280 and you want to put money behind their vision or 0:14:31.360 --> 0:14:34.080 is it that you know, somebody went and you know, 0:14:34.200 --> 0:14:37.000 bought a bunch of cameras and you know, built a 0:14:37.000 --> 0:14:41.520 production company and they're sending you demo tapes, Like, how 0:14:41.520 --> 0:14:45.080 does that work? Yeah, we're we're we're well, we're basically 0:14:45.120 --> 0:14:47.640 open to looking at both. I will tell you that 0:14:47.760 --> 0:14:51.120 right now, I am very focused on talent centered production. 0:14:51.560 --> 0:14:54.000 That I think that you know, who's breaking through right 0:14:54.040 --> 0:14:57.880 now is not ABC, CBS, Fox, Those aren't the breakthroughs. 0:14:57.880 --> 0:15:02.360 Who's breaking through is will Smith, Hardy b uh Diddy. Right, 0:15:02.480 --> 0:15:06.360 those people have larger followings than any other cable network. 0:15:06.600 --> 0:15:09.680 They have better engagement than any other cable network. And 0:15:09.720 --> 0:15:14.320 so finding talent who can pool focus on a camera, 0:15:14.560 --> 0:15:18.760 entertain a camera, but then also bring a large engaged audience. 0:15:18.840 --> 0:15:21.440 That's really where we're looking. And so sometimes we'll find 0:15:21.480 --> 0:15:24.120 that talent and build a show around them. Sometimes that 0:15:24.160 --> 0:15:26.720 talent will already come with the show and we will collaborate. 0:15:26.840 --> 0:15:30.360 We're actually getting ready to launch this weekend. UM Jim Jones, 0:15:30.640 --> 0:15:33.280 a new weather show with Jim Jones. Jim Jones has 0:15:33.280 --> 0:15:36.200 been doing this weather show for two years right. What 0:15:36.360 --> 0:15:38.240 he doesn't have, which is what we bring, which is 0:15:38.280 --> 0:15:42.160 production capability, storytelling capability. We bring that, but Jim has 0:15:42.200 --> 0:15:44.600 an audience and he's hello good in front of a camera, 0:15:44.920 --> 0:15:47.480 and so we're gonna collaborate to make magic and so 0:15:47.640 --> 0:15:49.480 we're willing to do it that way. We're willing to 0:15:49.520 --> 0:15:51.840 start with people from scratch. The deal I'm talking about 0:15:52.120 --> 0:15:54.520 is a deal where we're literally starting from a development 0:15:54.560 --> 0:15:58.360 standpoint from scratch. So we're open to either situation. The 0:15:58.440 --> 0:16:02.280 hard part is finding super dope talent who can entertain 0:16:02.320 --> 0:16:05.320 a camera by themselves if need be, who have really 0:16:05.440 --> 0:16:08.840 large engaged audiences that will follow them where they go. UM, 0:16:08.880 --> 0:16:10.960 that's the hard part, and that's what we're focused on. 0:16:11.280 --> 0:16:15.320 How much of um. Your acquisition of content is like 0:16:15.400 --> 0:16:17.640 you know is let's say if you're if you're a 0:16:17.720 --> 0:16:20.560 music executive, It's like this person may not have sold, 0:16:20.760 --> 0:16:22.880 you know, ten thousand records out of their trunk, they 0:16:22.920 --> 0:16:26.280 may not have a bunch of hits on their Spotify, 0:16:26.320 --> 0:16:29.280 but this there's a star quality about them that I 0:16:29.400 --> 0:16:32.800 and you believe. Right, So how much of your acquisition 0:16:32.840 --> 0:16:36.200 of talent um might come without having that huge and 0:16:36.280 --> 0:16:39.520 gage audience, but there's something about this person you gotta 0:16:39.840 --> 0:16:43.000 you gotta bring them over to the Revolt family. Yeah, 0:16:43.080 --> 0:16:45.640 for me, there always has to be that proofpoint of talent, 0:16:45.760 --> 0:16:49.200 of talent being able to attract an audience somehow um 0:16:49.320 --> 0:16:52.400 right now, just because it is so hard to break through. 0:16:53.120 --> 0:16:54.880 But what I'm saying is you don't have to be 0:16:55.040 --> 0:16:56.680 the New York Times. You just got to be the 0:16:56.720 --> 0:16:59.320 New York Times of your scene. Right. So we're going 0:16:59.320 --> 0:17:01.640 into Atlanta. Uh, I'm not looking for people who the 0:17:01.640 --> 0:17:04.359 whole world knows. But if Atlanta knows you, and if 0:17:04.400 --> 0:17:07.560 Atlanta show up, like if Atlanta gives you respect, then 0:17:07.600 --> 0:17:09.439 it's like, okay, we can build with this. So there 0:17:09.560 --> 0:17:11.880 still has to be a proof point that you can 0:17:12.560 --> 0:17:16.840 UM bring audiences in and engage audiences, but it just 0:17:16.920 --> 0:17:19.919 doesn't have to be on the same scale as a 0:17:20.000 --> 0:17:22.840 Google or Facebook or Netflix might be looking at. I'm 0:17:22.840 --> 0:17:25.480 looking at people who are authentic with the culture. I'm 0:17:25.520 --> 0:17:27.840 looking for people who have real relationships with the culture. 0:17:28.160 --> 0:17:30.400 And if you can prove that the culture will move 0:17:30.480 --> 0:17:32.280 when you show up, then those are the type of 0:17:32.280 --> 0:17:53.400 people I want to be in business with. Season two 0:17:53.400 --> 0:17:55.520 of the Black Tech Green Money Podcast is brought to 0:17:55.560 --> 0:17:58.479 you by Lexus in the new Lexus I S with 0:17:58.520 --> 0:18:01.919 an available track tune, visa sending, and responsive handling. The 0:18:01.960 --> 0:18:04.119 new I S went all in to deliver you style 0:18:04.160 --> 0:18:07.560 and performance. See how when you experience amazing at you, 0:18:07.600 --> 0:18:11.960 Alexis Dealer. You've seen the news. We're cutting the court 0:18:12.000 --> 0:18:16.320 all across America. You can get Netflix, Hulu, Amazon all 0:18:16.359 --> 0:18:20.080 without a cable provider. But Revolt TV is on cable. 0:18:21.160 --> 0:18:22.800 Puff that in the top of You'll have to see 0:18:22.840 --> 0:18:25.280 something We're missing. There's got to be a strategy there, 0:18:25.280 --> 0:18:28.679 and I'm curious the Tavo speaks on it. So the 0:18:28.680 --> 0:18:32.239 way that I would say it is UM broadcast is 0:18:32.400 --> 0:18:36.120 the past time now and streaming is the future. And 0:18:36.200 --> 0:18:38.080 so you know. You see, we just did a deal 0:18:38.119 --> 0:18:41.760 with Comcast to broaden our distribution. So UM, the linear 0:18:41.840 --> 0:18:43.800 space for us is a very real space. We will 0:18:43.880 --> 0:18:47.000 continue to program in that space and deliver for people 0:18:47.040 --> 0:18:49.760 on the big screen in their homes. But without question, 0:18:49.880 --> 0:18:52.960 we know that the future is streaming. The future is 0:18:53.000 --> 0:18:56.360 programming to mobile phones and tablets. Every time we talk 0:18:56.440 --> 0:18:59.280 to our audience, Jen Y gen Z and we tell 0:18:59.320 --> 0:19:01.440 them that we're working on things longer than ten minutes, 0:19:01.440 --> 0:19:04.280 their nose turn up and they get frush, right, So 0:19:04.359 --> 0:19:06.400 it's it's it's, it's, it's it's for us. It will 0:19:06.400 --> 0:19:08.639 actually end up being quite a different product that we 0:19:08.760 --> 0:19:12.640 end up UM producing for streaming. UM for linear, I'm 0:19:12.640 --> 0:19:16.960 looking at thirty minute, sixty minute, ninety minute shows. For digital, 0:19:17.000 --> 0:19:19.360 I'm looking at being best in the world at premium 0:19:19.400 --> 0:19:21.560 short form video because that's what you know, why gen 0:19:21.640 --> 0:19:24.720 Z wants, and so we have to do both, UM, 0:19:24.760 --> 0:19:26.720 and that's why it's important for us to do deals 0:19:26.720 --> 0:19:29.119 like the Comcast deal, because it gives us the revenue 0:19:29.359 --> 0:19:31.800 to them begin to program in these different ways, in 0:19:31.840 --> 0:19:34.879 these different formats, because the audience is looking for something 0:19:34.880 --> 0:19:40.160 different in each space. So I guess more fundamental questions 0:19:40.440 --> 0:19:44.240 is how big can a black network get? Right? This 0:19:44.359 --> 0:19:48.359 is so this you are unapologetically hip hop, right, so, um, 0:19:48.400 --> 0:19:51.080 what does the role map look like for a Revolt 0:19:51.280 --> 0:19:54.560 to be the next CBS? Right, and not to say 0:19:54.600 --> 0:19:58.159 that like what is to be that big? I mean like, yeah, 0:19:58.560 --> 0:20:02.040 what is it? How big can this? Yeah? Yeah? Yeah? 0:20:02.080 --> 0:20:04.320 So I think it's really difficult. My real answers, I 0:20:04.359 --> 0:20:07.640 think it's really difficult for a black network to scale. Um, 0:20:07.680 --> 0:20:11.280 I've said this before, but ultimately it's the game is 0:20:11.280 --> 0:20:14.440 not built for us to succeed. So if you are 0:20:14.760 --> 0:20:18.760 a black network focused on black audiences, it means that 0:20:18.840 --> 0:20:21.480 the content that you create is for fifteen percent of 0:20:21.520 --> 0:20:25.200 the world, right cent of the US, which is tough 0:20:25.240 --> 0:20:28.159 because you're up against CBS, ABC who are creating content 0:20:28.240 --> 0:20:31.280 for a hundred percent of the US. And the business 0:20:31.320 --> 0:20:34.080 problem is that even though we are both focused on 0:20:34.480 --> 0:20:38.399 reaching different sized audiences, the cost of creating content for 0:20:38.440 --> 0:20:42.440 those audiences doesn't change. So a good movie on TV 0:20:42.960 --> 0:20:45.840 for CBS is gonna cost the same amount of money 0:20:45.840 --> 0:20:48.040 that a good for CBS who's going out there a 0:20:48.080 --> 0:20:50.280 hundred percent of the US is gonna cost me the 0:20:50.320 --> 0:20:52.720 exact same amount of money who might only be going 0:20:52.760 --> 0:20:55.560 after fifteen percent of the US, right, and so just 0:20:55.720 --> 0:20:59.479