WEBVTT - EYL #93 Welcome To Hollywood feat. Ernest Dukes 0:00:00.400 --> 0:00:03.120 Coach, the energy out there felt different. What changed for 0:00:03.160 --> 0:00:03.800 the team today? 0:00:03.880 --> 0:00:06.000 It was the new game day scratches from the California 0:00:06.080 --> 0:00:07.080 Lottery players. 0:00:07.120 --> 0:00:07.520 Everything. 0:00:07.840 --> 0:00:09.799 Those games sent the team's energy through the roof. 0:00:09.880 --> 0:00:11.880 Are you saying it was the off field play that 0:00:11.920 --> 0:00:13.000 made the difference on the field. 0:00:13.119 --> 0:00:15.840 Hey, little play makes your day, and today it made 0:00:15.880 --> 0:00:18.800 the game. That's all for now, Coach, One more question. 0:00:19.000 --> 0:00:21.800 Play the new Los Angeles Chargers, San Francisco forty nine 0:00:21.880 --> 0:00:24.960 Ers and Los Angeles Rams scratchers from the California Lottery. 0:00:25.040 --> 0:00:28.160 A little play can make your day. Peace made responsibly. 0:00:28.240 --> 0:00:30.480 Must be eighteen years or older to purchase late or claim. 0:00:31.040 --> 0:00:36.160 All Right, guys, welcome back eyl LA Hometown Heroes Edition. 0:00:36.240 --> 0:00:36.840 That's a fact. 0:00:37.000 --> 0:00:38.920 Yeah, shout out to Los Angeles. 0:00:39.040 --> 0:00:42.720 We are sheltering in place in the great city of 0:00:42.960 --> 0:00:46.680 LA one of my favorite places in the whole entire world. Respectfully, 0:00:47.360 --> 0:00:50.000 absolutely so, while we're out on the West Coast for 0:00:50.040 --> 0:00:53.400 the summer, we definitely, you know, planned on getting a 0:00:53.440 --> 0:00:55.280 lot of content done. So this is the first of 0:00:55.280 --> 0:00:58.400 hopefully many episodes that we will be recording while we 0:00:58.440 --> 0:01:03.440 are in Los Angeles, West Coast Natives, and this is 0:01:03.520 --> 0:01:06.640 very rare to actually meet somebody from LA or the 0:01:06.680 --> 0:01:09.920 Greater LA area, because everybody that's in LA is like 0:01:10.000 --> 0:01:12.880 from somewhere else, like you meet him like from Toronto, Chicago, 0:01:13.040 --> 0:01:16.399 or Houston. Everybody comes to LA from different places. But 0:01:17.040 --> 0:01:21.320 Ernest Dukes is actually from the OC, which is close enough, 0:01:21.440 --> 0:01:26.280 close enough LA southern California to LA the Greater LA area, 0:01:26.720 --> 0:01:30.000 and he's a really superstar in the game of being 0:01:30.000 --> 0:01:33.360 a publicist and a TV producer. Is actually crazy because 0:01:33.360 --> 0:01:34.880 I just found out. So I was talking to MG 0:01:34.920 --> 0:01:37.520 the Mortgage Guy. If you're a loyal listener of Ernia Legia, 0:01:37.600 --> 0:01:40.280 you know who Mad is. He's a close, close friend 0:01:40.280 --> 0:01:43.960 of OZ and one of our most prestigious alumni. So 0:01:44.120 --> 0:01:46.679 MG the Mortgage Guy, I'm talking to him like a 0:01:46.680 --> 0:01:50.440 few weeks ago and he's like, yeah, DJ Envy hooked 0:01:50.480 --> 0:01:53.080 me up with this publicist. So I'm thinking about, you 0:01:53.080 --> 0:01:55.040 know what I'm saying, working with a publicist. So I'm like, yeah, 0:01:55.040 --> 0:01:57.760 he's like, you know, publicist told me. He was like, well, 0:01:57.880 --> 0:01:59.880 you know, have you heard of this podcast called Earn 0:01:59.880 --> 0:02:02.200 You Lisia? Like you should try to get on that podcast, 0:02:02.240 --> 0:02:05.840 And he was like, I'm the best episode by the way. 0:02:06.720 --> 0:02:08.400 You're like, oh, if you ever earned a Lisia, you 0:02:08.440 --> 0:02:10.760 already He's like, yeah, I made them go into top ten. 0:02:15.200 --> 0:02:16.880 That is true. 0:02:17.040 --> 0:02:20.000 So as as fate would have it, shout out to 0:02:20.040 --> 0:02:24.400 our Gta Dune another ey L alumni, my God versus 0:02:24.400 --> 0:02:27.640 my enemies. He hooked it up with our partner Mike 0:02:28.080 --> 0:02:30.800 to get us our first interview in LA with like 0:02:30.880 --> 0:02:33.880 I said, Ernest Dukes, who is a publicist. And it's 0:02:33.919 --> 0:02:36.440 actually interesting because we haven't talked to a publicist yet. 0:02:36.680 --> 0:02:38.720 We haven't talked to a TV producer yet, so I 0:02:38.840 --> 0:02:41.040 run down. He has a long list of accomplishments, but 0:02:41.280 --> 0:02:45.000 he's the owner of a marketing and PR company called 0:02:45.040 --> 0:02:48.840 the Nottingham Group. He represents a lot of celebrity clients. 0:02:48.840 --> 0:02:52.760 Some of them are Jeezy Remy Ma, Fashion Nova, Keisha Cole, 0:02:53.200 --> 0:02:56.920 La La Milan. Some of his past clients were Nick Cannon, Ky, 0:02:56.960 --> 0:03:01.919 Michelle Scott Storts, Tammy Rome In one twelve and Uh. 0:03:01.960 --> 0:03:03.680 He has a bunch of stuff going. He has annual 0:03:04.040 --> 0:03:06.320 business and branding workshops that he does once a year 0:03:06.360 --> 0:03:10.160 I believe once a year yeah, called Ernest Living Tour, 0:03:10.480 --> 0:03:14.720 where he's had guests like Mona Stock Monas Scott Tyson Beckford. 0:03:14.960 --> 0:03:17.840 He also has a book that he is the author 0:03:17.880 --> 0:03:20.919 of called Caption God, which talks about five hundred captions 0:03:20.960 --> 0:03:24.520 on social media to increase engagement, and he has a 0:03:24.520 --> 0:03:27.880 web series called Black Publicist Working. So this is going 0:03:27.960 --> 0:03:31.840 to be a very informative, going on, educational episode. And 0:03:31.880 --> 0:03:34.160 it's perfect that we you know, we're in Hollywood in 0:03:34.160 --> 0:03:36.200 a perfect place to do it. So first and foremost, 0:03:36.440 --> 0:03:37.200 thank you for joining us. 0:03:37.200 --> 0:03:39.560 Appreciate it, Thank you, appreciate you. 0:03:39.600 --> 0:03:41.360 But now we candn't have Shotty do this for you, 0:03:41.400 --> 0:03:42.520 like for the rest of your career. 0:03:42.920 --> 0:03:46.120 I'm here for When he was talking, I'm like, who's 0:03:46.120 --> 0:03:46.520 he talking? 0:03:47.760 --> 0:03:49.600 We're open to that, YO. 0:03:49.760 --> 0:03:51.840 Side note, I'm so jealous of y'all because I did 0:03:51.920 --> 0:03:54.640 my tour, the Ernest Living Tour. I really wanted to 0:03:54.680 --> 0:03:56.520 call my people know how to have like the old 0:03:56.520 --> 0:03:58.240 fans or whatever, like the community. 0:03:58.560 --> 0:03:59.360 I want to call him the. 0:03:59.280 --> 0:04:05.240 Earners shout out to ans. 0:04:06.840 --> 0:04:08.280 That sounds good. We go use as a drop. 0:04:09.040 --> 0:04:10.680 So all right, so let's start at the beginning because 0:04:10.680 --> 0:04:12.480 I'm interested in this because, like I said, we actually 0:04:12.560 --> 0:04:14.600 thought about hiring and publishers. 0:04:15.040 --> 0:04:17.440 I just told him when we were in Chicago. I 0:04:17.480 --> 0:04:19.359 saw Mandy shout out to many another alumni and I 0:04:19.400 --> 0:04:20.880 was like, Yo, Mandy. We were watching her go to 0:04:20.880 --> 0:04:22.440 all these events and we would look like, Yo, we 0:04:22.480 --> 0:04:24.200 need a publicist. We need to be in these events. 0:04:24.600 --> 0:04:26.680 And she was kind of like why you need it, 0:04:26.720 --> 0:04:29.640 and I gave a bunch of reasons, and she was like, nah, 0:04:29.760 --> 0:04:31.599 you guys are great where you are. You know, just 0:04:31.600 --> 0:04:33.200 see how far you can go without it first, and 0:04:33.240 --> 0:04:36.760 then if you really mean I was number one, was like, look, 0:04:36.920 --> 0:04:39.479 we need to be in events that other people in. 0:04:39.560 --> 0:04:41.800 We need a little bit more notoriety. We hadn't had 0:04:41.800 --> 0:04:43.520 any press really, and she was like, I'm not sure 0:04:43.560 --> 0:04:45.200 that's what a publicist does. I think you need to 0:04:45.200 --> 0:04:48.040 figure out the roles first. And then we had another conversation. 0:04:48.160 --> 0:04:50.160 She was like, keep going the way you're going. I 0:04:50.160 --> 0:04:52.479 like the way you guys are doing this, and we'll 0:04:52.480 --> 0:04:54.359 talk later. And we haven't talked about it since. But 0:04:54.760 --> 0:04:56.760 like when you said that one of the episodes that 0:04:56.800 --> 0:04:59.280 you listened to was Mandy, I'm like, that's ironic because 0:04:59.279 --> 0:05:01.799 she had this conversation with me about the publisher position. 0:05:02.000 --> 0:05:02.400 Yeah. 0:05:02.400 --> 0:05:05.640 So all right, so before we even start, how do you, 0:05:05.800 --> 0:05:08.120 how do you get started in being a publicist. I mean, 0:05:08.200 --> 0:05:10.599 you're in the best city, LA for that. But you 0:05:10.680 --> 0:05:12.760 never worked with an agency. You was always independent, you 0:05:12.760 --> 0:05:15.880 told me, so you just like run down on people, like, hey, 0:05:16.480 --> 0:05:17.640 let me get you in the magazine. 0:05:17.839 --> 0:05:20.760 I've never been that person, so all right, so let 0:05:20.760 --> 0:05:23.680 me start from the beginning. Growing up, it's gonna sound 0:05:23.720 --> 0:05:26.200 super funny and corny. I wanted to do acting when 0:05:26.240 --> 0:05:28.159 I was a kid, like a teenager, and so I 0:05:28.160 --> 0:05:30.040 would come from Orange County to LA and I would 0:05:30.040 --> 0:05:33.120 always do these acting classes. And at the time, like 0:05:33.240 --> 0:05:34.800 a lot of the people that I was hanging out 0:05:34.800 --> 0:05:38.040 with have become successful to this day. Like coming up, 0:05:38.040 --> 0:05:40.080 like I would run around like Kiki Palmers and like 0:05:40.240 --> 0:05:44.080 Quincy and Kofie from Queen's Sugar and Own. And so 0:05:44.240 --> 0:05:46.320 by hanging out with them, I would always get invited 0:05:46.400 --> 0:05:49.120 to events. And so one day I got invited to 0:05:49.200 --> 0:05:52.400 some event. I saw Jackie Christie who's on Basketball Wives, 0:05:52.839 --> 0:05:55.040 and so she was super nice. She was on the 0:05:55.080 --> 0:05:57.280 red carpet and she was sweating. So I was fanning her. 0:05:58.920 --> 0:06:00.640 You know, I'm like, hey, I'm trying look out for you, 0:06:00.640 --> 0:06:01.120 because it's. 0:06:01.000 --> 0:06:02.240 Like it was like sweating, right. 0:06:02.480 --> 0:06:04.440 And so when I was finished and she was done 0:06:04.480 --> 0:06:06.560 during her interview, she gave me one hundred dollars and 0:06:06.600 --> 0:06:07.600 she's like, here's some change. 0:06:07.640 --> 0:06:09.200 And I'm like some change. 0:06:09.760 --> 0:06:11.400 After time, I was broken as hell, So I'm like, 0:06:11.400 --> 0:06:12.799 what can I do for some more change? 0:06:12.880 --> 0:06:13.120 Right? 0:06:13.320 --> 0:06:14.839 So every time I would go out and I wouldee her, 0:06:14.839 --> 0:06:16.600 I always try to be nice and cordial because I 0:06:16.600 --> 0:06:17.520 wanted to get some more change. 0:06:18.640 --> 0:06:18.839 Nah. 0:06:18.880 --> 0:06:20.520 I was like, what you need? Like I would have though, 0:06:20.560 --> 0:06:22.920 you know. And so she asked me, like, who's your publicist? 0:06:22.960 --> 0:06:24.719 Because you are you are always at the same events 0:06:24.720 --> 0:06:26.640 that I'm at, and I didn't know what a publicist was. 0:06:26.680 --> 0:06:28.120 And so I'm like, well, shit, I guess it's me 0:06:28.200 --> 0:06:30.640 because no one else is here. And so she's like 0:06:30.680 --> 0:06:33.039 if I pay you, can you get me into events? 0:06:33.320 --> 0:06:35.360 And I'm like, yeah, perfect because it was some pay 0:06:35.400 --> 0:06:38.720 involved and I again wasn't making money. And so from there, 0:06:39.400 --> 0:06:41.800 her and her husband written a book called No Ordinary Love. 0:06:41.880 --> 0:06:45.360 It was they co authored it together, and then Basketball 0:06:45.360 --> 0:06:46.560 why it was happening on that show? 0:06:46.600 --> 0:06:49.440 There was nobody. None of those women had publicists. 0:06:49.720 --> 0:06:51.719 They didn't even know what a publicist was, like, you know, 0:06:51.800 --> 0:06:53.799 think about it, like you're just a wife or a girlfriend, 0:06:53.800 --> 0:06:55.120 and all of a sudden, you're on television. 0:06:55.120 --> 0:06:56.000 You don't know what to do. 0:06:56.320 --> 0:06:58.279 And so they saw Jackie at a publicist and so 0:06:58.360 --> 0:07:01.120 they all start hiring me. So like season one, like 0:07:01.160 --> 0:07:04.400 I worked with Malaysia and Laura Govin and like all 0:07:04.400 --> 0:07:06.320 these different women, and then it just kept going from 0:07:06.360 --> 0:07:08.400 there and I became like the reality show publicist. 0:07:08.680 --> 0:07:11.160 Yeah so she had she had a sister, right, Laura, Yeah, Gloria, 0:07:11.240 --> 0:07:11.960 So yeah, both of them. 0:07:12.000 --> 0:07:13.520 No, I just had they weren't getting along. 0:07:13.600 --> 0:07:16.240 So and that's another thing I realized too quickly that 0:07:16.280 --> 0:07:18.840 those women are so competitive that it didn't really help 0:07:18.920 --> 0:07:21.960 me to represent everybody because everyone Like for example, when 0:07:21.960 --> 0:07:23.240 I had Laura and Malaysia, they got. 0:07:23.160 --> 0:07:25.040 Into a fist fight, so it's like, what do you do? 0:07:25.120 --> 0:07:25.840 Like, what do you know? 0:07:25.880 --> 0:07:33.200 How well legend I think it's on real start, You're 0:07:33.240 --> 0:07:33.920 gonna check it out. 0:07:34.400 --> 0:07:36.440 They both have hands though I could tell you what 0:07:36.560 --> 0:07:38.280 I saw, but yeah, and then from there I started 0:07:38.320 --> 0:07:39.800 doing all the reality shows. I got people on Love 0:07:39.840 --> 0:07:42.320 and Hip Hop, I got Hollywood X's on VH one, 0:07:42.720 --> 0:07:46.440 Mob Wives, and like again becoming the reality star guy. 0:07:46.800 --> 0:07:49.400 It was looked down upon, Oh, you just do reality 0:07:49.400 --> 0:07:51.960 because at that time, no one cared about reality stars. 0:07:52.000 --> 0:07:54.800 It's like who cares? And then but it's funny that 0:07:55.000 --> 0:07:58.760 it's funny that people look down at me having reality 0:07:58.760 --> 0:08:01.800 stars because that's what actually got me my job at Fashionova. 0:08:02.320 --> 0:08:05.400 They saw value in reality talent as influencers, Like before 0:08:05.440 --> 0:08:07.520 influencers were really a thing. It was like the reality 0:08:07.560 --> 0:08:09.520 people they would pay and so I had so many 0:08:09.600 --> 0:08:11.320 of them. They hired me to do the PR for 0:08:11.480 --> 0:08:14.520 Fashion Nova, and that's really what people started treating me 0:08:14.560 --> 0:08:16.600 different after that. It's like, you work at Fashion Nova, 0:08:17.520 --> 0:08:23.080 you know stress because of reality TV? 0:08:23.240 --> 0:08:24.119 Really that's crazy. 0:08:24.120 --> 0:08:26.480 So you got all these clients in season one, I'm 0:08:26.520 --> 0:08:29.720 still thinking to myself, what actually does publicist do? 0:08:30.360 --> 0:08:30.560 Right? 0:08:30.920 --> 0:08:31.280 Yeah? 0:08:31.520 --> 0:08:33.160 I was thinking that too at the time because I 0:08:33.400 --> 0:08:36.839 never went to college for PR, like really intern for 0:08:36.840 --> 0:08:38.400 a bunch of people, and I don't really feel like 0:08:38.400 --> 0:08:40.920 I learned what to do. I learned what not to 0:08:40.960 --> 0:08:44.000 do because like there were those people I interned for, 0:08:44.240 --> 0:08:46.400 with the exception of one woman her name of Chanelle Green, 0:08:46.679 --> 0:08:49.120 were all kind of just using me to like do 0:08:49.320 --> 0:08:49.920 things for them. 0:08:49.960 --> 0:08:51.000 Like I wasn't learning nothing. 0:08:51.040 --> 0:08:53.200 It's like and that's why I tell peop about internships, 0:08:53.240 --> 0:08:54.480 like you got to really figure out like if the 0:08:54.480 --> 0:08:57.040 internship is in alignment with your vision, because like me, 0:08:57.120 --> 0:08:59.320 running to get you coffee every day is not going 0:08:59.400 --> 0:09:01.440 to ever propel me to where I want to go. 0:09:01.720 --> 0:09:03.040 I know how to get coffee, I know how to 0:09:03.280 --> 0:09:05.120 look at me. I can eat, you know, I know 0:09:05.160 --> 0:09:07.240 how to order and uber eat and all that. So 0:09:08.160 --> 0:09:09.920 like literally it didn't help me at all. And so 0:09:10.160 --> 0:09:14.959 I started taking like classes, like you know, online classes 0:09:15.040 --> 0:09:16.040 or watching YouTube videos. 0:09:16.080 --> 0:09:17.480 I think I have a PhD in Google. 0:09:18.559 --> 0:09:21.840 Oh, I guess class, ye. 0:09:22.800 --> 0:09:26.079 And I used to steal, but like not like steal steal, 0:09:26.200 --> 0:09:28.400 like you know, like stick nobody up. But I would 0:09:28.400 --> 0:09:30.719 go to this bookstore called Borders Bookstores. I don't know 0:09:30.720 --> 0:09:32.360 if they still have them, but they used to have 0:09:32.360 --> 0:09:33.760 the price tag on the back of the book. It 0:09:33.800 --> 0:09:35.680 was a sticker, and so I would go like in 0:09:35.679 --> 0:09:37.800 the children's book section and get like Clifford the Big 0:09:37.800 --> 0:09:40.040 Red Dog and it was four dollars. And I would 0:09:40.040 --> 0:09:41.640 take that sticker off and put on the back of 0:09:41.720 --> 0:09:44.679 like the Art of Publicity that was sixty dollars. I 0:09:44.720 --> 0:09:46.400 had like a CD rom in the back before there 0:09:46.440 --> 0:09:48.200 was apps and stuff, and I would go and like 0:09:48.240 --> 0:09:50.280 pay for that. So I was stealing, but like still 0:09:50.280 --> 0:09:50.760 trying to you. 0:09:50.760 --> 0:09:53.880 Know, have a good art with it to the scramblers. 0:09:53.400 --> 0:09:54.079 You know what I'm saying. 0:09:54.840 --> 0:09:57.920 And that's kind of like how uh that's how I learned. 0:09:57.960 --> 0:10:01.400 But yeah, I remember what the original question was. I 0:10:01.400 --> 0:10:02.920 started thinking about stealing and going to jail. 0:10:04.400 --> 0:10:07.200 I think he was saying, like, what's the actual role 0:10:06.920 --> 0:10:08.280 the roles? 0:10:08.480 --> 0:10:10.520 In the beginning, I didn't know, like I said, so 0:10:10.640 --> 0:10:13.520 I kind of operated as a best friend for hire. 0:10:14.000 --> 0:10:15.960 Like these women would call and be like, oh, my 0:10:16.080 --> 0:10:17.720 husband's cheating on me, and I'll be on the phone 0:10:17.760 --> 0:10:18.360 like what happened? 0:10:19.280 --> 0:10:19.480 You know? 0:10:19.720 --> 0:10:22.480 John three sixteen said like, you know, giving them script jobs. 0:10:22.800 --> 0:10:23.960 Six You know, I'm serious. 0:10:24.160 --> 0:10:27.720 I'm thinking, like this is what you coos to do. 0:10:25.720 --> 0:10:29.320 What I'm doing everything else, you know, I'm fixing ship 0:10:29.360 --> 0:10:32.320 and getting them pressed. So I really didn't know in 0:10:32.360 --> 0:10:34.840 the beginning, but now I have like really learned and 0:10:34.880 --> 0:10:36.680 mastered the art of it. So what I would say 0:10:37.000 --> 0:10:39.160 a publicist like I am in charge of how the 0:10:39.200 --> 0:10:42.000 public consumes your image, of your brand or your project. 0:10:42.200 --> 0:10:44.439 So for different people I do different things. Some people 0:10:44.480 --> 0:10:47.240 come to me for branding, which is like I'm involved 0:10:47.240 --> 0:10:51.120 with your overall like look of your brand, everything that 0:10:51.160 --> 0:10:54.920 you I guess accumulate under your brand. So, for example, 0:10:54.920 --> 0:10:56.680 like Tammy Rowman, when I started working with her shoes 0:10:56.720 --> 0:10:59.360 on Basketball Wives, she just hit somebody in the face. 0:10:59.440 --> 0:11:02.240 I forget which season it was. She hit somebody and 0:11:02.280 --> 0:11:03.800 she's like, I don't need to clean my image like 0:11:03.800 --> 0:11:06.080 they were saying, I'm a bully, and I'm like, all right, cool, 0:11:06.120 --> 0:11:08.280 let's figure this out. So we went and did press 0:11:09.160 --> 0:11:12.280 and all different markets were in Atlanta, New York, LA. 0:11:12.360 --> 0:11:14.640 Of course, like really trying to show like a different 0:11:14.679 --> 0:11:17.120 side of her that people don't see on the TV show. 0:11:17.440 --> 0:11:19.080 And then from there and getting to know her, I 0:11:19.120 --> 0:11:22.000 realized she was funny, and she was doing her bonic chronicles. 0:11:22.000 --> 0:11:25.440 She was on Instagram talking and really blowing up on 0:11:25.440 --> 0:11:27.560 Instagram for that, and so I'm like, well, what more 0:11:27.600 --> 0:11:29.800 can we do? So together her and I created an 0:11:29.800 --> 0:11:32.520 app called tam Motions, was like the first talking emoji. 0:11:32.840 --> 0:11:35.200 We're number one of the app store. We beat Kim Kardashian. 0:11:35.520 --> 0:11:37.800 We ain't really making no money from it. That's another story. 0:11:38.800 --> 0:11:40.959 But we beat her and then from there we kept growing. 0:11:40.960 --> 0:11:44.000 So we did the scripted series on title Bonnic Chronicles. 0:11:45.120 --> 0:11:47.720 We did scripted, not scripted. We did stand up comedy 0:11:47.720 --> 0:11:50.800 where I co write the jokes with her, and that 0:11:50.840 --> 0:11:53.080 would be more more of an example of branding. But 0:11:53.080 --> 0:11:55.319 then there are some people just come strictly for publicity, 0:11:55.600 --> 0:11:58.840 like Scott Storage. She was producing the single for Chris 0:11:58.880 --> 0:12:01.160 Brown and Rick Ross. All he wanted was to do 0:12:01.240 --> 0:12:03.360 interviews and talk about it. So I set up his 0:12:03.440 --> 0:12:04.880 press tour. We did all that stuff and when it 0:12:04.920 --> 0:12:06.559 was over, I got my check. He went along his 0:12:06.640 --> 0:12:09.160 way and I ain't seen him since, you know, So, uh, 0:12:10.120 --> 0:12:12.640 A shorter answer, just like I guess put a button on. 0:12:12.679 --> 0:12:15.400 It is like anything from anytime you've see an artist do, 0:12:15.440 --> 0:12:19.360 like magazine interviews or red carpets or anything that has 0:12:19.400 --> 0:12:21.640 to do with press, Like the publicist is there to 0:12:21.720 --> 0:12:22.480 facilitate that. 0:12:22.880 --> 0:12:24.599 So is it based off of a relationships? 0:12:24.640 --> 0:12:25.719 So it's like, all right, I want to go on 0:12:25.760 --> 0:12:28.679 a press tour, right and I just put a new 0:12:28.679 --> 0:12:30.800 book out. I want to go to breakfast club. I 0:12:30.840 --> 0:12:33.800 want to go to you know, big boy in the morning. 0:12:33.920 --> 0:12:36.599 I want to go to earn your leisure. That's a 0:12:36.640 --> 0:12:40.520 big check, big, big, big where else you want to go? 0:12:40.720 --> 0:12:43.640 So I'm like adding numbers in my head. 0:12:44.160 --> 0:12:44.600 So how do. 0:12:44.600 --> 0:12:46.680 You all right, how do you make that happen? Is 0:12:46.720 --> 0:12:49.120 it like relationships that you've built with these people or 0:12:49.120 --> 0:12:50.400 do you just kind of cold call? 0:12:50.600 --> 0:12:51.640 Like how it can. 0:12:51.559 --> 0:12:52.600 Happened one of two ways. 0:12:52.640 --> 0:12:55.320 So I think a lot of When I first started MPR, 0:12:55.400 --> 0:12:57.280 there weren't a lot of publicists like and not a 0:12:57.320 --> 0:12:59.520 lot of black ones or males at that point for 0:12:59.559 --> 0:13:01.600 that matter. And then over the years, I think it's 0:13:01.600 --> 0:13:04.000 become cool and trendy. So now so many people do it, 0:13:04.320 --> 0:13:06.040 and so those people are just getting in it. They 0:13:06.080 --> 0:13:08.280 would do like a cold call or like an email 0:13:08.440 --> 0:13:10.880 or send a pitch letter and hope for the best. 0:13:11.200 --> 0:13:14.360 If you have a client that is of interest, they're 0:13:14.360 --> 0:13:16.240 going to call you back, you know, Like let's say 0:13:16.280 --> 0:13:19.440 I work with Gabrielle Union. Of course they're gonna call 0:13:19.440 --> 0:13:22.160 me back. Is Gabrielle Union. I don't think that really 0:13:22.880 --> 0:13:25.080 shows like how great of a publicist you are because. 0:13:24.840 --> 0:13:25.840 The talent's name is big. 0:13:26.280 --> 0:13:28.720 I'm always more impressed, like when somebody can get like, 0:13:30.080 --> 0:13:34.800 you know, Joe Jones, no exactly. So when you can 0:13:34.800 --> 0:13:37.360 get Joe Jones on those platforms, that's what I'm impressed. 0:13:37.360 --> 0:13:38.839 I'm like, how do you get this? How you get 0:13:38.880 --> 0:13:40.840 them over there? You know, no one knows him, so 0:13:40.840 --> 0:13:43.600 that's impressive. But for me, I did start that way, 0:13:43.679 --> 0:13:46.120 like not having any big names and really having to 0:13:46.400 --> 0:13:50.840 like really trying to persuade people, and really it's all 0:13:50.880 --> 0:13:53.960 about relationships. So now I can like text someone at 0:13:54.000 --> 0:13:56.560 the breakfast club, like, hey, can you have my person 0:13:56.559 --> 0:13:58.480 come on? Or like because I work with Nick Cannon, 0:13:58.480 --> 0:13:59.960 I can text him and say, hey, can someone come on 0:14:00.160 --> 0:14:03.040 your morning show or whatever. But I was able to 0:14:03.040 --> 0:14:06.400 build relationships by investing in myself. So here's what people 0:14:06.440 --> 0:14:08.440 don't realize. When I said work with reality clients, they 0:14:08.440 --> 0:14:10.200 don't make a lot of money. So it's not like 0:14:10.240 --> 0:14:12.640 I was making tons of bread working with them. I 0:14:12.679 --> 0:14:14.600 was making literally, I'll tell you what I was making. 0:14:14.640 --> 0:14:16.600 When I first started with Jackie Christie, she would pay 0:14:16.640 --> 0:14:19.320 me fifty dollars for every interview I can get her, 0:14:20.200 --> 0:14:22.800 which is crazy, like no one's fucking working for fifty dollars. 0:14:23.000 --> 0:14:24.720 But at the time, like, you don't understand how dead 0:14:24.720 --> 0:14:27.160 broke I was so I'm like, fifty dollars. I had 0:14:27.160 --> 0:14:30.040 her interview with every WordPress blog or blog spot blog 0:14:30.120 --> 0:14:31.800 or internet radio. I'm like, you got to interview here, 0:14:31.880 --> 0:14:34.400 interview there, and she would do it. That's bad though, 0:14:34.440 --> 0:14:36.920 for anybody listening, like you like less. It's more to me, 0:14:37.000 --> 0:14:39.320 like you want quality instead of quantity. But at the time, 0:14:39.360 --> 0:14:42.280 it was like I wanted the fifty per placement. And 0:14:42.320 --> 0:14:44.240 then from there, I'm like, I'm gonna charge everybody a 0:14:44.280 --> 0:14:45.000 thousand a month. 0:14:45.440 --> 0:14:46.200 I'm gonna be rich. 0:14:46.640 --> 0:14:48.800 Realized I would never be rich making a thousand dollars 0:14:48.840 --> 0:14:51.480 a month, especially because going back to your point and 0:14:51.480 --> 0:14:55.760 building relationships, I would used that money to invest in myself. 0:14:55.800 --> 0:14:57.760 So like, if I got someone an interview on the 0:14:57.760 --> 0:15:00.000 Breakfast Club and I'm in LA, they bare could afford 0:15:00.040 --> 0:15:00.960 the thousand dollars a month. 0:15:00.960 --> 0:15:02.800 They're not going to afford to fly me in. So 0:15:02.840 --> 0:15:04.320 I would take the thousand they gave. 0:15:04.160 --> 0:15:06.160 Me and fly myself in and put myself up just 0:15:06.200 --> 0:15:08.119 so I can put a face. 0:15:07.880 --> 0:15:09.880 To the name when I meet these people, you know 0:15:09.880 --> 0:15:10.320 what I mean. 0:15:10.440 --> 0:15:13.320 And so I really wasn't making nothing, but I think 0:15:13.320 --> 0:15:14.720 in a long term it paid off because I have 0:15:14.720 --> 0:15:18.120 so many relationships, Like I can navigate through pretty much 0:15:18.120 --> 0:15:20.080 any city now because I've been there so many times 0:15:20.160 --> 0:15:21.560 or so many clients, And now I'm to the point 0:15:21.600 --> 0:15:24.640 where people fly me in and it's not even like 0:15:24.720 --> 0:15:26.200 I'm in coach or in the middle seat, like I 0:15:26.240 --> 0:15:29.200 get first class, like I have a I hit like 0:15:29.240 --> 0:15:33.400 a rider, humbly speaking. But it's all because of like 0:15:33.440 --> 0:15:35.200 the investment I made in myself. 0:15:36.040 --> 0:15:39.440 So your pay is based on the the placement, So 0:15:39.600 --> 0:15:40.600 the higher the placement. 0:15:40.720 --> 0:15:43.840 No, my pay now is based on my name. 0:15:44.600 --> 0:15:47.200 Honestly, I think I always tell people like a lot 0:15:47.200 --> 0:15:49.600 of people reach out to me and I had to 0:15:49.640 --> 0:15:53.520 like really like tap into my discernment and discerning like 0:15:53.960 --> 0:15:55.680 is this somebody should work with or is this somebody 0:15:55.720 --> 0:15:57.440 who's just trying to chase the cloud? Like I've had 0:15:57.480 --> 0:16:00.560 people who've hired me and don't even have any spectations 0:16:00.560 --> 0:16:02.440 for me other than for me to put them on 0:16:02.440 --> 0:16:04.120 my page and say I represent them, and for them 0:16:04.160 --> 0:16:06.720 to say like, oh, yeah, my publishers does Fashionova and 0:16:06.760 --> 0:16:08.640 they do this person that person because I think it 0:16:08.680 --> 0:16:11.840 makes them lit by association. And in the beginning, just 0:16:11.880 --> 0:16:13.920 like the fifty dollars, I'm like, come on, I got 0:16:13.960 --> 0:16:16.280 you I'm a publicists because I want the money, yeah, 0:16:16.320 --> 0:16:20.480 you know, and now not now, but like later in life, 0:16:20.480 --> 0:16:22.800 I realized that like all money wasn't good money, and 0:16:23.000 --> 0:16:25.680 I cared more about my reputation than like trying to 0:16:25.720 --> 0:16:30.640 mix them bread and so again, like most publicists, they'll 0:16:30.720 --> 0:16:34.160 charge you not necessarily based on the placements. I think 0:16:34.200 --> 0:16:36.360 back in the day, there was a way that people 0:16:36.400 --> 0:16:38.000 would factor that in, Like they would say, like how 0:16:38.080 --> 0:16:40.960 much each outlet, like what the value was, and like 0:16:41.000 --> 0:16:43.040 this was valued at this, And the way they would 0:16:43.040 --> 0:16:45.360 create the value is by seeing how much they charged 0:16:45.360 --> 0:16:47.720 for an ad. So like let's say you guys charge 0:16:47.720 --> 0:16:50.040 one hundred dollars for a fifteen second ad, and I 0:16:50.080 --> 0:16:52.960 got somebody a ten minute interview on your thing, I 0:16:52.960 --> 0:16:55.960 would charge, you know, four hundred dollars for every minute. 0:16:56.320 --> 0:17:00.960 So all right, so what's the going rate for publicists? 0:17:01.000 --> 0:17:01.160 Now? 0:17:01.160 --> 0:17:04.320 I believe you said like five and twenty five hundred 0:17:04.320 --> 0:17:04.880 dollars a month. 0:17:05.240 --> 0:17:09.000 Yeah, so I think most people on average charge twenty 0:17:09.040 --> 0:17:11.400 fives to five thousand, But again that some people would 0:17:11.440 --> 0:17:13.959 charge less, some people who charge more. It just really depends. 0:17:15.160 --> 0:17:17.000 And honestly, it's like a business where you make your 0:17:17.000 --> 0:17:18.920 own rate. It's like, what do you charge for ads 0:17:19.000 --> 0:17:21.960 on your podcast? Whatever you want? You know, some people 0:17:22.040 --> 0:17:24.120 charge they rant or they overhead and that's what all 0:17:24.119 --> 0:17:27.720 they want to make. Are some people they think less 0:17:27.800 --> 0:17:30.359 is more. They operate with less is more mentality, Like 0:17:30.400 --> 0:17:32.879 I'd rather get ten clients for one thousand dollars and 0:17:32.920 --> 0:17:35.600 make ten thousand then trying to hustle up two clients 0:17:35.600 --> 0:17:38.800 that will pay five. So I think it all depends 0:17:38.960 --> 0:17:45.960 for me. Yeah, what do you charge? It depends. I 0:17:46.400 --> 0:17:47.840 I was thinking, like should I say what I charge? 0:17:47.840 --> 0:17:52.240 It really does just depend on like the level of client. 0:17:52.280 --> 0:17:54.439 Like I have strategy behind like what I charge, and 0:17:54.480 --> 0:17:57.639 I always try to factor like how much time is 0:17:57.680 --> 0:17:59.760 this gonna take for me? Like if it's fashion OVA 0:18:00.240 --> 0:18:01.800 and I know I'm going to be on the phone 0:18:01.800 --> 0:18:03.760 with you guys on a million zoom calls now because 0:18:03.760 --> 0:18:05.960 we're in COVID, but all these zoom calls every day 0:18:05.960 --> 0:18:08.600 and it's taken away from working other projects, and obviously 0:18:08.600 --> 0:18:10.879 I'm going to charge more for that if it's something 0:18:11.000 --> 0:18:13.560 like a Nick Cannon. At the time, we're just doing 0:18:13.640 --> 0:18:16.560 these music stuff. So it wasn't a lot that was 0:18:16.600 --> 0:18:21.040 going on I still charged, you know, more than I 0:18:21.240 --> 0:18:24.680 that I said in that range, but it was less 0:18:24.680 --> 0:18:27.080 than significantly less than like what I would have charged. 0:18:27.280 --> 0:18:28.640 Somebody was taking more of my time. 0:18:28.880 --> 0:18:31.480 So is it is it something that you need on going? 0:18:31.520 --> 0:18:34.119 Like let's say we want to just a run for 0:18:34.160 --> 0:18:36.359 the book, right, is like I get to published it 0:18:36.400 --> 0:18:37.960 for three months and then I'm good? Or it is 0:18:38.040 --> 0:18:40.640 like something that you just need to have like every month. 0:18:41.160 --> 0:18:44.680 Definitely, that's depending upon what your vision is. Right, So 0:18:45.119 --> 0:18:47.240 if your goal is only to promote this book, then 0:18:47.359 --> 0:18:48.960 I would say do a camp, like a three month 0:18:49.000 --> 0:18:51.439 campaign for the book. But if your thing is like 0:18:51.480 --> 0:18:53.880 I want something a long term where I want this 0:18:53.880 --> 0:18:56.320 person to be invested in my brand and I want 0:18:56.320 --> 0:18:57.960 them to bring me opportunities and I want them to 0:18:58.000 --> 0:19:00.919 find opportunities when there's nothing going on on, then I 0:19:00.920 --> 0:19:03.639 would say do something ongoing like for you guys and 0:19:03.680 --> 0:19:04.840 having your show. I don't know if you have a 0:19:04.880 --> 0:19:08.040 talent book or if you book it yourself, but I 0:19:08.080 --> 0:19:09.639 would say, oh, yeah, you can have a publicist for 0:19:09.640 --> 0:19:11.879 the earn your Leisure podcast because you guys have so 0:19:11.920 --> 0:19:15.199 many dope guests on. But how many times are people 0:19:15.960 --> 0:19:18.719 syndicating it on other platforms. And what I mean by 0:19:18.720 --> 0:19:20.600 syndicating it is like, for example, like you can have 0:19:20.640 --> 0:19:23.240 your interview with Ryan Leslie, you can send it out like, hey, 0:19:23.240 --> 0:19:24.639 we did an interview with Ryan Leslie. I don't know 0:19:24.640 --> 0:19:26.440 how much pickup that's going to get, but if you're 0:19:26.480 --> 0:19:28.520 a publicist, they can say here, they didn't interview with 0:19:28.560 --> 0:19:32.159 lyon Ryan Leslie. You did the excerpts from the interview, 0:19:32.160 --> 0:19:34.560 like Ryan Leslie on starting a business, Ryan Leslie on 0:19:34.600 --> 0:19:36.440 the first time he lost a million dollars. 0:19:36.480 --> 0:19:38.160 So you're really almost doing. 0:19:37.960 --> 0:19:40.199 The work for these outlets to write their stories for 0:19:40.240 --> 0:19:42.760 you guys, and then we're including photos with it. So 0:19:43.280 --> 0:19:46.000 that way when people search earn your leisure, like you're 0:19:46.040 --> 0:19:48.760 turning more people onto the podcast. You're helping your seo. 0:19:48.920 --> 0:19:50.840 So when they google y'all, y'all, of course you're gonna 0:19:50.880 --> 0:19:53.160 be the first thing on Google because you're a unique name. 0:19:53.640 --> 0:19:55.439 But it just helps with all of that. And so 0:19:55.680 --> 0:19:57.240 that would be something that would be more long term. 0:19:57.240 --> 0:19:59.320 You don't tell somebody do that for three months and 0:19:59.320 --> 0:20:00.280 then stop, you know. 0:20:00.640 --> 0:20:03.560 So that's a lot, right, So what is it like 0:20:03.920 --> 0:20:06.359 juggling all different types of clients Because I'm sure you 0:20:06.400 --> 0:20:08.920 have to deal with multiple different type of personalities. 0:20:08.920 --> 0:20:12.480 What's that Like, I've never done crack, but. 0:20:14.760 --> 0:20:16.040 When I be seeing them in the movies they be 0:20:16.119 --> 0:20:17.840 doing all that, I'm like, I can relate to that 0:20:17.960 --> 0:20:21.920 shit I've ever done it. Though it was like that. Now, 0:20:22.040 --> 0:20:24.360 like I mentioned, I have a handful of clients. Now 0:20:24.680 --> 0:20:27.280 I'm in a position where I'm very selective. 0:20:27.320 --> 0:20:29.000 Now I'm like, do I like that? 0:20:29.240 --> 0:20:31.200 Like, is it gonna like when I see them call, 0:20:31.200 --> 0:20:33.640 I'm not gonna be like not this person again, or 0:20:33.760 --> 0:20:35.879 is it gonna be somebody I'm excited to talk to you, 0:20:35.920 --> 0:20:37.760 I'm gonna be calling them. And so if I don't 0:20:37.800 --> 0:20:40.320 have that level of excitement, I don't want to do it. 0:20:40.440 --> 0:20:42.800 Because at the one time I would have everybody, I 0:20:43.200 --> 0:20:46.400 have twenty clients making five hours an hour, like when 0:20:46.440 --> 0:20:48.359 you break it all down, like I wasn't really making 0:20:48.359 --> 0:20:51.439 no money. And I was also very big on like 0:20:51.480 --> 0:20:54.159 that was when PUFF was like I don't sleep, I sleep. 0:20:53.880 --> 0:20:56.040 And I'm dead. I'm like, I'm asleep and I'm dead. 0:20:56.040 --> 0:20:56.960 And then it almost died. 0:20:56.960 --> 0:21:02.760 I'm like, you're going to SEP So now I'm like 0:21:02.840 --> 0:21:05.560 quality of life. So I'm going to sleep. I ain't 0:21:05.560 --> 0:21:07.840 staying up all night. Y'all can have that, and I'm 0:21:08.960 --> 0:21:10.120 easy for me to balance them. 0:21:10.240 --> 0:21:12.480 Yeah, you know so, so that's part of it, right, 0:21:12.480 --> 0:21:14.520 dealing with the clients. But they also have teams too, 0:21:14.560 --> 0:21:17.359 So what's it like dealing with their manager or their agent? 0:21:17.480 --> 0:21:19.879 And now everything is different. 0:21:19.920 --> 0:21:22.320 I think the time I only have issues with dealing 0:21:22.320 --> 0:21:25.240 with a team member is when I'm brought on to 0:21:25.359 --> 0:21:29.040 work as someone's independent publishers for a label. So for example, 0:21:29.080 --> 0:21:33.720 with Gezi, now I'm as publicists because he's not with 0:21:33.800 --> 0:21:36.520 a label, but like for his last two albums, he 0:21:36.600 --> 0:21:38.800 was on Deaf Jam, and so it would be myself 0:21:38.800 --> 0:21:40.640 as an independent publicist, and then we have a Deaf 0:21:40.680 --> 0:21:43.560 Jam publicist, and that would be hard. And it's always 0:21:43.600 --> 0:21:45.800 hard when you're working with a label publicist because we're 0:21:45.840 --> 0:21:49.359 all trying to we're all trying to show that you know, 0:21:49.400 --> 0:21:51.680 we're worth what you're paying us, that we're needed, and 0:21:51.720 --> 0:21:54.440 they're only but so many outlets, So it's like if 0:21:54.480 --> 0:21:56.320 I'm pitching for a breakfast club and they're pitching for 0:21:56.320 --> 0:21:57.879 a breakfast well, that's a whole other story because then 0:21:57.880 --> 0:21:59.240 he also has a radio person too. 0:21:59.520 --> 0:22:00.280 I learned that quick. 0:22:00.440 --> 0:22:03.879 Radio publicists, well they just handle all radio radio in 0:22:04.000 --> 0:22:08.360 terms of radio ads or radio interviews or whatever. So 0:22:09.160 --> 0:22:11.400 no one touches radio but the radio person. I didn't 0:22:11.440 --> 0:22:13.399 know that because I come from like where I had 0:22:13.440 --> 0:22:15.000 a reality client. It was just me and them. So 0:22:15.040 --> 0:22:18.640 I'm managing damn near doing PR, marketing everything. So that's 0:22:18.680 --> 0:22:20.159 kind of like where my mind is at, like I 0:22:20.160 --> 0:22:22.440 can just get it done. And I remember I pitched 0:22:22.440 --> 0:22:23.760 inn for the Breakfast Club and I was like, you 0:22:23.760 --> 0:22:25.160 don't ever pitched the Breakfast. 0:22:24.840 --> 0:22:29.440 Club for him? Like that's my job. I hate my bad, 0:22:30.040 --> 0:22:30.280 you know. 0:22:31.000 --> 0:22:33.120 And so that's when it becomes difficult when everyone's trying 0:22:33.119 --> 0:22:35.400 to figure out like their role. 0:22:35.680 --> 0:22:36.560 Even with the publicist. 0:22:36.600 --> 0:22:39.280 It's like if I'm pitching for let's say Source magazine, 0:22:39.359 --> 0:22:42.040 and he pitched for Source magazine, it's like, and I 0:22:42.080 --> 0:22:43.719 got it. It's like why I talk to them first. 0:22:44.000 --> 0:22:45.440 It's like, yeah, but did you get it though? 0:22:45.840 --> 0:22:45.919 No? 0:22:46.560 --> 0:22:47.720 And it happened for me too. 0:22:47.720 --> 0:22:49.000 It's like while I was talking to them for two weeks, 0:22:49.000 --> 0:22:50.600 but they went around me and talked to somebody bigger 0:22:50.600 --> 0:22:52.480 and they got it. And so like now that's something 0:22:52.480 --> 0:22:54.240 that he got to put on his press recap for 0:22:54.280 --> 0:22:56.240 the month, and I'm like, I ain't get that. You know, 0:22:56.440 --> 0:23:00.439 I get a lot of work. So that's hard, and 0:23:00.480 --> 0:23:03.240 it's hard. That's hard in terms of like logistically, but 0:23:03.320 --> 0:23:06.359 I think mentally for me it's hard too, because I 0:23:06.480 --> 0:23:10.120 was always in those scenarios considered like the urban publicis. 0:23:10.880 --> 0:23:14.520 Even with GZI at one point, I'm like the urban publicist, 0:23:14.760 --> 0:23:18.520 he's leaving the label, he's with a big firm, Sunshine Facts, 0:23:18.960 --> 0:23:21.680 and so it's like, well, this is my for lack 0:23:21.720 --> 0:23:23.280 of better terms, you know, to be frank, like, this 0:23:23.320 --> 0:23:25.480 is my white publicist, and this is my black publicist. 0:23:25.760 --> 0:23:27.800 So when it came to me, it was like, although 0:23:27.840 --> 0:23:29.960 I can go and get you like US Weekly and 0:23:30.000 --> 0:23:32.000 get you in People Magazine just as well as I 0:23:32.000 --> 0:23:34.600 can get you on Breakfast Club and Source and hell 0:23:34.840 --> 0:23:36.960 even like on Bossip if we want to go just 0:23:37.040 --> 0:23:41.240 all layers of it, they would only send requests to 0:23:41.320 --> 0:23:43.879 the white publicists for white stuff. And then for me 0:23:43.960 --> 0:23:45.919 it was like get me on Double XL, get me 0:23:46.000 --> 0:23:49.560 on Fader, get me on Complex. And I was also 0:23:49.560 --> 0:23:51.280 I'm not gonna lie. That's the same scenario I had 0:23:51.320 --> 0:23:53.639 with Nick Cannon. But Nick had a million publishers. They 0:23:53.680 --> 0:23:55.520 get a publicist for a while, and hour publicists for 0:23:55.560 --> 0:23:58.440 the radio show, a publicist for his acting, and here 0:23:58.440 --> 0:24:00.840 I'm doing the pr for the music and so it's 0:24:00.920 --> 0:24:03.280 like I was I remember I told Nick. I'm like, hey, 0:24:03.440 --> 0:24:05.320 I got this opportunity. You can go on Larry King, 0:24:05.440 --> 0:24:07.160 you go on the real He's like, I don't want 0:24:07.160 --> 0:24:09.000 to do that. I'm like, okay, well what do you 0:24:09.040 --> 0:24:10.760 want to do? He's like, I want to do an 0:24:10.760 --> 0:24:13.960 interview with This is fifty. I'm like like, no, shade 0:24:13.960 --> 0:24:15.480 of this is fifty. But I was so happy. I'm 0:24:15.520 --> 0:24:18.359 like a TV booking, Like like that's what we want, 0:24:18.440 --> 0:24:20.680 Like we want TV bookings because there's not as many. 0:24:20.720 --> 0:24:22.760 Like with a digital outlet, you can have a million 0:24:22.760 --> 0:24:25.040 stories on it. You can do everybody TV is. You know, 0:24:25.080 --> 0:24:27.119 it's only five days a week. There's limited slot. So 0:24:27.160 --> 0:24:28.800 you feel like you did something when you got it. 0:24:29.040 --> 0:24:30.520 And he was like, no, I want to do it. 0:24:30.680 --> 0:24:33.479 And I'm like, all right, I don't want to do it. 0:24:33.560 --> 0:24:35.600 I'm like, what about cooking with Snoop and Martha. He's like, nah, 0:24:35.600 --> 0:24:39.400 I don't want to cook this is fifty. I'm bossip. 0:24:39.480 --> 0:24:42.600 I'm like all right, And so because I'm the black 0:24:42.600 --> 0:24:45.280 publicist in that scenario, like I'm not even black. I'm 0:24:45.280 --> 0:24:47.800 not going to use race for Nick. I'm the music publicist. 0:24:47.800 --> 0:24:49.720 He just wants hip hop. He wanted to be an artist, 0:24:49.880 --> 0:24:52.199 or he's an artist. He wanted hip hop outlets, and 0:24:52.240 --> 0:24:54.440 then the person who does his general press. 0:24:54.200 --> 0:24:56.000 Would go out and get those TV opportunities. 0:24:56.720 --> 0:24:59.800 So those that it becomes hard working with other people 0:24:59.840 --> 0:25:02.680 and scenarios like that, I would I would much rather. 0:25:03.840 --> 0:25:05.680 I won't say much rather, I was gonna stay. I 0:25:05.680 --> 0:25:07.840 would much rather work alone, but I would work as 0:25:07.880 --> 0:25:10.520 a team if you know everyone was on the same 0:25:10.560 --> 0:25:13.000 pagecause a lot of times it's not because we didn't. 0:25:12.760 --> 0:25:13.320 All start together. 0:25:13.359 --> 0:25:17.119 It's like imagine you're my publicist and we work and 0:25:17.440 --> 0:25:19.040 all of a sudden, I'm like, yo, this is my 0:25:19.160 --> 0:25:21.359 other publicists. Now you kind of feel away, like what 0:25:21.480 --> 0:25:24.080 you needed him for I wasn't doing good and so now. 0:25:24.040 --> 0:25:25.159 Too many chefs in the kitchen. 0:25:25.200 --> 0:25:25.720 It's too much. 0:25:25.760 --> 0:25:27.320 And so there's really no way for you guys to 0:25:27.359 --> 0:25:29.400 become like this because you're always looking at him like 0:25:29.640 --> 0:25:31.639 is he trying to replace me? You might come in 0:25:31.760 --> 0:25:33.880 with like a chip like yeah, they needed me because 0:25:33.920 --> 0:25:36.800 you couldn't do it, and so it I don't know, 0:25:36.840 --> 0:25:38.200 it's not harmonious. 0:25:38.720 --> 0:25:39.879 Who needs a publicist? 0:25:39.960 --> 0:25:41.919 Like because it's like traditionally you would think, all right, 0:25:41.960 --> 0:25:45.280 an actor, actress, musician, But now, like I said, you 0:25:45.359 --> 0:25:49.439 got mortgage brokers. Just looking at publishers and financial podcasts, Like, 0:25:49.520 --> 0:25:51.560 I think that the landscape has changed because of social 0:25:51.600 --> 0:25:54.080 media has really made any anybody can be a celebrity 0:25:54.080 --> 0:25:55.800 on social media, Like you're gonna be a celebrity chef? 0:25:57.240 --> 0:25:57.520 Huh? 0:25:57.600 --> 0:25:58.000 Can they? 0:25:58.000 --> 0:26:00.760 Though? I mean you could put somebrity in front of it, 0:26:00.800 --> 0:26:04.000 but I'm like thanks, So, like what defined what celebrity means? 0:26:04.000 --> 0:26:06.560 Celebrity as far as famous? Right? 0:26:06.600 --> 0:26:08.800 So it's like when people actually could recognize a person 0:26:08.840 --> 0:26:10.639 in add value And I actually think that's a good 0:26:10.680 --> 0:26:13.840 thing because I always felt, especially as I get older, 0:26:13.880 --> 0:26:16.879 it's like, why is a musician of celebrity because he's 0:26:17.119 --> 0:26:19.639 he's a good poet. What kind of value is he 0:26:19.720 --> 0:26:22.639 really adding some add value? But a mortgage broke is 0:26:22.640 --> 0:26:26.160 probably way more valuable. We should probably celebrate the mortgage 0:26:26.160 --> 0:26:29.640 broker more than a rapper who's rapping about things he's 0:26:29.680 --> 0:26:32.879 never done ever in life. No, disrespect to the rappers, 0:26:32.880 --> 0:26:34.800 but it's just reality, right. It's like even a ballplayer 0:26:34.880 --> 0:26:38.560 is like, Okay, you can dribble a basketball, you entertain us, 0:26:38.920 --> 0:26:41.320 But what real value are you adding? Right, Like maybe 0:26:41.359 --> 0:26:45.959 a school teacher should be celebrity over a basketball or champion. 0:26:46.240 --> 0:26:47.600 Maybe champion is the word. 0:26:47.480 --> 0:26:51.160 Champion, celebrity whatever, But are you so when you're saying 0:26:51.200 --> 0:26:53.720 school teacher and basketball player, are you equating that to 0:26:54.359 --> 0:26:56.639 like money earned or in terms of notoriety? 0:26:56.720 --> 0:26:59.640 Notoriety? So we should all know every school teacher should. 0:26:59.400 --> 0:27:02.800 Be absolutely not, but every basketball player should be celebrity either, right. 0:27:02.840 --> 0:27:05.080 But what I'm saying is that I got turned something down. 0:27:05.119 --> 0:27:06.879 I don't even know they are, But I'm just saying 0:27:06.920 --> 0:27:10.199 that social media, I think, has created a platform. Like 0:27:10.240 --> 0:27:13.200 we've interviewed people who have way Like I know a 0:27:13.240 --> 0:27:15.560 school teacher who has more followers than half of the 0:27:15.640 --> 0:27:16.320 NFL players. 0:27:16.800 --> 0:27:18.040 What's she doing only fans? 0:27:18.640 --> 0:27:24.960 Now, I'm actually what you're doing. 0:27:25.000 --> 0:27:27.800 Now, she's become she became real big. But she works 0:27:27.800 --> 0:27:30.080 in Baltimore and she shout out the valve. She she 0:27:30.119 --> 0:27:32.440 does like clips on she's like a social activist stuff 0:27:32.440 --> 0:27:38.360 like that. So Rihanna follows up everybody. She's been on Time, magazine, people, Vogue, 0:27:38.480 --> 0:27:41.080 all kinds of stuff. She just became really lit online, 0:27:41.280 --> 0:27:44.040 red table everybody. So I say that to say she 0:27:44.200 --> 0:27:48.000 probably has more press, more write up, more than the 0:27:48.119 --> 0:27:50.920 seventh man on the Lakers. For sure, not a seventh 0:27:50.920 --> 0:27:52.720 bent on the Lakers has more money than her. But 0:27:52.800 --> 0:27:55.640 as far as the world that we're in right now, 0:27:55.760 --> 0:28:00.800 odds are somebody like that will probably get recognized than 0:28:01.800 --> 0:28:04.600 a linebacker that is, you know, just trying to make 0:28:04.600 --> 0:28:06.280 the team for the Lions. 0:28:06.600 --> 0:28:06.719 Right. 0:28:06.800 --> 0:28:07.840 It's the reality of it, right. 0:28:07.880 --> 0:28:10.080 So what I'm so the whole point is that I 0:28:10.119 --> 0:28:12.040 feel like social media has kind of leveled with the 0:28:12.080 --> 0:28:17.600 playing field and has given everybody an opportunity. Now everybody 0:28:17.680 --> 0:28:19.919 can't be it, but has given everybody an opportunity to 0:28:19.960 --> 0:28:23.760 have some fame and notoriety. Whereas before you would never 0:28:24.160 --> 0:28:26.639 a mortgage broker, would never have eighty thousand people that 0:28:26.840 --> 0:28:27.520 cared about them. 0:28:27.720 --> 0:28:30.240 They wouldn't walk down the street on Melbourne and somebody's like, yo, 0:28:30.400 --> 0:28:31.480 that's you know what I'm saying. 0:28:31.520 --> 0:28:33.520 Like we went to a coffee shop, They're like legion. 0:28:33.760 --> 0:28:36.360 Yeah, So I say that. I say that to say 0:28:36.359 --> 0:28:38.360 and like I said me, that's just my own personal opinion. 0:28:38.560 --> 0:28:41.240 I'm all for it because I said, especially in our culture, 0:28:41.600 --> 0:28:46.200 we it's out of balance. Who we always the celebrities 0:28:46.240 --> 0:28:48.880 have always, but there's no balance like in other culches. 0:28:48.920 --> 0:28:54.120 It's like you CEOs are are superstars, like like Elon 0:28:54.200 --> 0:28:57.800 Musk is a superstar, right, Steve Jobs was a superstar like, 0:28:58.240 --> 0:29:01.200 so yeah, of course you have actors and actresses that 0:29:01.240 --> 0:29:03.120 are white, but they also have business leaders that are 0:29:03.120 --> 0:29:06.080 superstars and politicians that are superstars as well. For us 0:29:06.160 --> 0:29:08.760 not so much, but it's starting to change. Angela Rai 0:29:08.880 --> 0:29:11.720 she's a superstar right in the world of politics. So 0:29:12.200 --> 0:29:15.440 my whole point is who needs a publicist now? Because 0:29:15.440 --> 0:29:18.959 it feels like it's opened up and everybody can be 0:29:18.960 --> 0:29:23.920 beneficial From that standpoint. 0:29:22.760 --> 0:29:26.000 I yes, And though I mean, I feel like what 0:29:26.040 --> 0:29:29.560 you were just saying about like the teacher or people 0:29:29.600 --> 0:29:32.920 who I guess are like you had said someone earlier too. 0:29:32.920 --> 0:29:35.480 I can't really remember, but because she was saying a 0:29:35.520 --> 0:29:38.400 lot and I was trying to hear her. But I think, like, 0:29:38.480 --> 0:29:40.520 it's not like the teacher obviously she's a teacher, but 0:29:40.600 --> 0:29:43.080 our people following her because she's a teacher or are 0:29:43.080 --> 0:29:45.280 they following her because of the ancillary things that she 0:29:45.360 --> 0:29:47.400 does outside of teaching, you know what I mean. So 0:29:47.440 --> 0:29:49.680 I think when you break it all down, it's like, yeah, 0:29:49.880 --> 0:29:51.880 your your career could be whatever it is. But I 0:29:51.880 --> 0:29:54.600 think people like you build your notoriety based on like 0:29:54.640 --> 0:29:59.200 the ancillary things. So for example, the mortgage person who's 0:29:59.200 --> 0:30:02.240 a mortgage broker, people aren't he's not eighty thousand followers 0:30:02.240 --> 0:30:03.480 because he's just selling houses. 0:30:03.800 --> 0:30:05.720 Like what else is he doing? Is he doing webinars? 0:30:05.760 --> 0:30:07.520 Is he doing these ig lives and he's like really 0:30:07.600 --> 0:30:10.880 trying to bring a community together and mobilize people. Is 0:30:10.920 --> 0:30:13.800 he posting listings all on his page? And people want 0:30:13.840 --> 0:30:15.840 to look at real estate? And so it's like it's 0:30:15.880 --> 0:30:17.840 you're not getting it just because of like the career 0:30:18.080 --> 0:30:19.960 where I don't know if that was your what you 0:30:20.000 --> 0:30:21.440 were trying to say at one point, which is like 0:30:21.520 --> 0:30:24.080 teachers should get more than like the basketball. 0:30:23.640 --> 0:30:26.840 No no, no, I'm saying like as far as who actually 0:30:26.880 --> 0:30:31.840 needs a publicist, Like, because does I think just for 0:30:32.000 --> 0:30:35.120 musicians and entertainers or is it for business people? Is 0:30:35.160 --> 0:30:36.160 it for creatives? 0:30:36.160 --> 0:30:38.720 Like I think it's for every industry because every industry 0:30:38.960 --> 0:30:41.719 there's something that you can maximize on. However, I do 0:30:41.760 --> 0:30:44.400 believe some people need a publicist and some people need 0:30:44.480 --> 0:30:47.560 Jesus some things. It's just like I can't do it. 0:30:47.720 --> 0:30:50.080 I can't do it. I can't figure that out for you. 0:30:50.120 --> 0:30:52.400 I'm sorry, you know. But like, for example, real estate, 0:30:52.400 --> 0:30:54.240 there's real estate magazines. You want to be on the 0:30:54.280 --> 0:30:56.560 cover of that magazine. You want your listenings to be first. 0:30:56.960 --> 0:30:59.120 That's something you can get someone who does marketing or 0:30:59.120 --> 0:31:01.360 publicity for you. That's obviously help your business. I think 0:31:01.360 --> 0:31:04.680 any anything where you can make money off of, like, yeah, 0:31:04.720 --> 0:31:07.520 you should, you can have the you could potentially have 0:31:07.560 --> 0:31:09.800 a publicist because it's going to bring more revenue to 0:31:09.800 --> 0:31:12.920 you because all pr is is maximizing your exposure, and 0:31:12.960 --> 0:31:15.200 more exposure is gonna bring more money. So like, if 0:31:15.240 --> 0:31:17.480 I want an ice cream truck, I want to maximize 0:31:17.560 --> 0:31:19.160 my exposure, and I don't know who's gonna interview the 0:31:19.160 --> 0:31:21.200 ice cream guy. That might be more of a job 0:31:21.240 --> 0:31:23.360 for someone who's marketing to get him out there more. 0:31:23.560 --> 0:31:26.800 But I think there Yeah, definitely would agree then with 0:31:27.040 --> 0:31:27.880 your point. 0:31:28.040 --> 0:31:30.600 So what type of struggles do we have to face 0:31:30.640 --> 0:31:33.080 if we're choosing this career, right, Like, there must be 0:31:33.120 --> 0:31:34.760 some things that happened. I know I heard you say 0:31:34.760 --> 0:31:37.080 at one point you thought about giving this thing up, man, 0:31:37.160 --> 0:31:39.920 So what type of struggles do people face? 0:31:40.520 --> 0:31:42.880 Well, for me, it was a financial struggle. 0:31:42.880 --> 0:31:44.760 I'm giving it up because all right, So if I 0:31:44.800 --> 0:31:47.479 work for a PR firm and I have my set salary, 0:31:47.520 --> 0:31:49.240 I know what I'm gonna make. I have benefits. I'm 0:31:49.280 --> 0:31:51.920 gonna get paid on every two weeks or every month 0:31:52.000 --> 0:31:54.800 or however it works for them, And so there's stability 0:31:54.800 --> 0:31:57.680 there with me. If I don't hustle and go get clients, 0:31:58.080 --> 0:32:01.000 I ain't gonna eat. And then people don't tell you. 0:32:01.000 --> 0:32:02.640 It's like you might have a client. They agree on 0:32:02.640 --> 0:32:05.600 the rate and the retainer late it ain't on time, 0:32:05.720 --> 0:32:07.720 Like my retainer's due on the first of each month. 0:32:08.120 --> 0:32:11.120 I've had people been months late on a retainer where 0:32:11.120 --> 0:32:12.640 it's like, oh, I got you. It's in my account 0:32:12.640 --> 0:32:14.640 and it's a NET sixty or it's a net ninety 0:32:14.760 --> 0:32:17.920 or a net next year. Like I'm like, I'm a 0:32:18.000 --> 0:32:20.640 sentence to collection, man, Like, what the hell you know? 0:32:20.760 --> 0:32:23.520 And so that's part of it too, because if you 0:32:23.520 --> 0:32:26.400 don't budget correctly, It's like, what do you do if 0:32:26.440 --> 0:32:28.440 your rent is doing the first and your money is 0:32:28.440 --> 0:32:29.840 coming in on the first but it's late. Are you 0:32:29.880 --> 0:32:32.160 late with the rant? You're getting evicted? Like what what 0:32:32.240 --> 0:32:32.440 is it? 0:32:32.480 --> 0:32:32.640 You know? 0:32:32.680 --> 0:32:34.520 And so I think that's a struggle for sure. 0:32:35.480 --> 0:32:40.040 I'm reading this book right now by a very famous 0:32:40.040 --> 0:32:42.880 publisher's name is Terry Williams. She was she was like 0:32:42.880 --> 0:32:45.479 one of the first publishers. She used to represent Eddie Murphy. 0:32:45.920 --> 0:32:47.880 And even just in the beginning of the book, like 0:32:47.920 --> 0:32:51.320 she was talking about like always putting her clients first, 0:32:52.040 --> 0:32:54.959 even at the even at her own detriment, you know, 0:32:55.040 --> 0:32:56.680 Like she was talking about she would be out at 0:32:56.720 --> 0:32:59.200 red carpet parties and all this stuff until midnight and 0:32:59.240 --> 0:33:01.520 then come home and she would she'd be just in 0:33:01.560 --> 0:33:05.880 the fridge just eating her feelings. And I'm like, damn, 0:33:05.920 --> 0:33:06.920 I can relate to that. 0:33:06.960 --> 0:33:07.160 You know. 0:33:07.720 --> 0:33:09.440 I'm not saying I'm eating my feelings, but I'm like 0:33:09.560 --> 0:33:12.080 I've been binge eating too, you know. And so as 0:33:12.160 --> 0:33:15.000 she continues in the book, like speaking of struggle, it's like, 0:33:15.280 --> 0:33:17.960 this is the job where you kind of sacrifice yourself 0:33:18.000 --> 0:33:21.680 and put yourself last, Like you're for me, I'm the 0:33:21.720 --> 0:33:24.080 publicist who caters to my clients. Like, if I have 0:33:24.080 --> 0:33:25.360 a great idea, I'm like, is it for me? No, 0:33:25.400 --> 0:33:27.920 I'm gonna give this to my client. Or I'm gonna 0:33:27.920 --> 0:33:29.640 go travel with my client and do all these different 0:33:29.720 --> 0:33:31.640 cities on their tour for them, and that's okay. 0:33:31.640 --> 0:33:33.560 If I don't eat, they eat, they do that. And 0:33:33.600 --> 0:33:34.200 so it's like. 0:33:36.040 --> 0:33:37.800 That can take a toll on you mentally if you're 0:33:37.800 --> 0:33:40.280 not strong, because you don't really know your true word 0:33:40.360 --> 0:33:44.800 out of client one time. It's so funny. I was 0:33:44.840 --> 0:33:46.760 almost said her name, but out of client one time. 0:33:47.520 --> 0:33:56.040 Nobody's listening to something podcasts. Yeah, but literally, like she 0:33:57.000 --> 0:33:59.280 wanted to cut my rate in half, and I'm like, 0:33:59.320 --> 0:34:01.040 cut it in half, and she's like, because all right, 0:34:01.080 --> 0:34:03.200 this is what happened. She was famous and her husband 0:34:03.240 --> 0:34:05.000 were famous, and they both hired me together, and I 0:34:05.040 --> 0:34:07.080 was going to work them as a couple. Me and 0:34:07.080 --> 0:34:10.120 the husband kind of fell out because I wouldn't get 0:34:10.160 --> 0:34:11.480 involved with their arguments. 0:34:11.520 --> 0:34:13.480 Like it's like if y'all was arguing and you're like, well, 0:34:13.520 --> 0:34:15.040 who's right? Am I right? Are you right? 0:34:15.160 --> 0:34:16.680 If I say he's right, You're gonna be mad. And 0:34:16.680 --> 0:34:18.239 if you say if I say, you're right, you might 0:34:18.280 --> 0:34:20.040 be mad. And so I was always in the middle 0:34:20.040 --> 0:34:21.440 of stuff like that, and so one day he's like, 0:34:21.440 --> 0:34:23.120 you fired. I don't want to work with you no more. 0:34:23.360 --> 0:34:25.400 So I'm thinking, like, I guess I'm fired, you know, 0:34:25.440 --> 0:34:27.400 And then she's like, no, I'm gonna keep you. So 0:34:27.440 --> 0:34:29.200 but remember I'm working with both of them. When they 0:34:29.239 --> 0:34:30.919 asked me what the rate was, I gave him the rate. 0:34:31.000 --> 0:34:33.719 They decided to split the rate. So if they said 0:34:33.719 --> 0:34:35.880 this house was ten thousand and you put five, and 0:34:35.920 --> 0:34:37.960 you put five, the house is still ten thousand, regardless 0:34:38.000 --> 0:34:39.759 if you move out or not, you know, you don't 0:34:39.800 --> 0:34:40.520 just get to pay five. 0:34:40.520 --> 0:34:41.440 And that's what she wanted to do. 0:34:41.480 --> 0:34:44.160 She's like, well, I'm only paying my half, and I'm like, no, no, no, 0:34:44.160 --> 0:34:46.680 the rate was the rate, and she's like, you're not 0:34:46.719 --> 0:34:51.520 even worth that rate. And at the time, sadly, I 0:34:51.560 --> 0:34:54.640 took the half because I believe I wasn't worth the 0:34:54.719 --> 0:34:58.680 rate because a lot of times, like you don't see 0:34:58.680 --> 0:35:00.760 what happens before a client go on the red carpet 0:35:00.840 --> 0:35:03.920 or before they go on an interview, like the the 0:35:03.960 --> 0:35:06.360 words of affirmation you got to instill in these people, 0:35:06.440 --> 0:35:08.239 or like all the moving parts it takes to push 0:35:08.280 --> 0:35:10.560 somebody out there to get the image that you I see. 0:35:10.920 --> 0:35:12.600 And a lot of times people beat up on those 0:35:12.640 --> 0:35:14.320 who are closest to them. Like I remember in the 0:35:14.360 --> 0:35:15.839 beginning the ice side of a client and would talk 0:35:15.880 --> 0:35:19.479 to me crazy like you motherfucker, you fat mother? 0:35:19.600 --> 0:35:20.279 This heavy e. 0:35:20.520 --> 0:35:24.400 I'm like, heavy E, what bitch knocked the ship out 0:35:24.440 --> 0:35:25.080 to you? 0:35:25.200 --> 0:35:25.439 Now? 0:35:25.719 --> 0:35:29.320 You know, like you ever think about somebody, especially especially. 0:35:30.280 --> 0:35:34.120 Literally now I'm a completely different person, and I'd be 0:35:34.160 --> 0:35:35.360 wanting revenge on people. 0:35:35.400 --> 0:35:35.600 Man. 0:35:36.440 --> 0:35:38.800 I remember, not too long ago, I went on Facebook 0:35:38.840 --> 0:35:40.200 and try to find somebody from high. 0:35:40.040 --> 0:35:42.240 School crazy that I let slide. 0:35:42.280 --> 0:35:44.080 I'm like, yo, I wish I was who I am 0:35:44.160 --> 0:35:48.160 now then? Like what Yeah, Like I was to find 0:35:48.200 --> 0:35:49.799 them and fight. I'm like, this is ridiculous. They probably 0:35:49.800 --> 0:35:52.359 don't even remember what they said to you, you know, 0:35:52.960 --> 0:35:55.040 but like, and I would take that kind of stuff 0:35:55.280 --> 0:35:57.120 because that's how I grew up. Like my dad is 0:35:57.120 --> 0:35:59.919 like if from Detroit, he's a hood kind of guy. 0:36:00.080 --> 0:36:02.440 He would talk to us like that, motherfucker is your 0:36:02.440 --> 0:36:05.200 motherfucker that? But that's how he was raised too, And 0:36:05.239 --> 0:36:06.759 so in my mind, I'm like, oh, this is like, 0:36:06.840 --> 0:36:09.560 this is how people talk, you know, it wasn't. I 0:36:09.560 --> 0:36:11.000 did my own little soul searching and you know, some 0:36:11.040 --> 0:36:13.080 therapy and stuff, and I'm like, yo, this is toxic 0:36:13.239 --> 0:36:14.960 and it even worth it. I'm getting cussed out for 0:36:15.000 --> 0:36:17.319 fifty dollars. So in my mind, I'm thinking right right now, 0:36:17.640 --> 0:36:21.239 right now, That's how I get it. Like, so you 0:36:21.239 --> 0:36:23.359 have a how do you balance your personal life? 0:36:23.400 --> 0:36:23.480 Right? 0:36:23.480 --> 0:36:25.399 Because it seems like you're putting your clients first, right, 0:36:25.520 --> 0:36:27.400 even if you have ideas, you're giving it to your clients. 0:36:27.440 --> 0:36:28.200 This was in sight. 0:36:28.360 --> 0:36:30.960 I want to say, this is hindsight, guys, this is like, 0:36:31.040 --> 0:36:34.839 now you have great personal life. Like the same way 0:36:34.840 --> 0:36:36.719 I said, I would try to the same way I 0:36:36.719 --> 0:36:40.760 would have to budget my time with clients, like Okay, 0:36:40.760 --> 0:36:42.000 this client is going to get this much time, and 0:36:42.040 --> 0:36:43.239 this client's can get this much time. 0:36:43.520 --> 0:36:45.319 Like I'm budget my own life in there too. 0:36:45.719 --> 0:36:45.920 You know. 0:36:45.960 --> 0:36:47.839 At one point you can call me at two am. 0:36:47.840 --> 0:36:50.480 I'm like hello, I'm always up. Now it's like two am. 0:36:50.520 --> 0:36:54.239 I'm like, nigga, no, what the fuck? So I have 0:36:54.320 --> 0:36:58.359 created boundaries, how to learn boundaries. But I can say 0:36:58.400 --> 0:37:00.560 a lot of people start and they don't have boundaries. 0:37:00.840 --> 0:37:02.520 Like so many people, like when I listened to like 0:37:02.560 --> 0:37:04.600 these zoom calls or these webinars like they. 0:37:04.680 --> 0:37:05.239 Claim to fame. 0:37:05.360 --> 0:37:07.279 Is like, you know, I was working with so and so, 0:37:07.320 --> 0:37:09.080 and I was living in my car. I was homeless, 0:37:09.080 --> 0:37:11.840 so I spent my last to go here. And I'm like, 0:37:11.880 --> 0:37:14.280 why is that the story? Like why is that something 0:37:14.280 --> 0:37:16.759 that we should celebrate? Like you know, like for me, 0:37:16.840 --> 0:37:19.600 it's like, yeah, I was living on a couch. We 0:37:19.640 --> 0:37:21.200 all lived on a couch. That's not the story. And 0:37:21.280 --> 0:37:22.920 nigga like I got off the couch, and that's what 0:37:22.960 --> 0:37:24.719 I want to talk about, like getting off of it. 0:37:25.560 --> 0:37:27.360 But I think so for so many of us, we 0:37:27.400 --> 0:37:30.640 feel like we have to struggle in order to uh, 0:37:30.880 --> 0:37:34.040 to be validated, validated. I even my first TV deal, 0:37:34.400 --> 0:37:36.960 I knew it was a fucked up deal. I knew 0:37:36.960 --> 0:37:38.759 it was fucked up. I knew like everyone was making 0:37:38.760 --> 0:37:41.920 way more than me. And I think, like I executive 0:37:41.960 --> 0:37:44.120 producing the show, like a TV show executive producer, you 0:37:44.160 --> 0:37:45.240 would think you get some checks. 0:37:45.600 --> 0:37:46.719 It was two thousand. 0:37:46.480 --> 0:37:49.360 Dollars and I'm like, what the entire series for the 0:37:49.600 --> 0:37:50.680 two thousand dollars? 0:37:50.719 --> 0:37:51.040 Wow? 0:37:51.320 --> 0:37:54.440 And I had an attorney who was experienced. I had 0:37:54.480 --> 0:37:57.200 an agent who was experienced, and what the agent told 0:37:57.200 --> 0:37:58.880 me was like, you know, you always take an L 0:37:58.960 --> 0:38:01.399 on your first deal, Like have you ever heard that before? 0:38:01.400 --> 0:38:05.560 Like that's what everybody says, and we're so accustomed to 0:38:05.640 --> 0:38:07.680 thinking that way, Like you take an L. Yeah, if 0:38:07.719 --> 0:38:09.600 I was doing this on my own, I should take 0:38:09.600 --> 0:38:11.319 an L. But nigga, this is like your hundredths deal. 0:38:11.440 --> 0:38:12.960 This is you've been doing this, Like why am I 0:38:13.040 --> 0:38:15.600 taking els? Why am I expected to take an L 0:38:15.800 --> 0:38:18.160 on my first deal? Like this is my project, I'm 0:38:18.200 --> 0:38:20.600 epeing it like y'all want to buy it. Clearly there's 0:38:20.600 --> 0:38:21.480 a huge budget. 0:38:21.760 --> 0:38:22.160 I've worked. 0:38:22.200 --> 0:38:24.640 I've been blessed to work on different areas of television 0:38:24.680 --> 0:38:26.640 where I'm producing. I know what the producers are getting, 0:38:26.840 --> 0:38:28.560 I know what the talent is getting. I know what 0:38:28.600 --> 0:38:30.919 the marketing company is gonna get when they market it. 0:38:31.040 --> 0:38:33.080 How come I'm getting less than everybody? And this is 0:38:33.120 --> 0:38:37.920 my ship, you know? And so for me, I don't 0:38:38.280 --> 0:38:40.920 want back to your question creating boundaries and then also 0:38:41.520 --> 0:38:42.920 being knowledgeable. 0:38:42.400 --> 0:38:44.560 Like to not have to go through those struggles. 0:38:45.600 --> 0:38:47.759 That's what I try to tell people, like really ask 0:38:48.400 --> 0:38:50.880 Like for me, I was embarrassed to ask certain questions. 0:38:51.440 --> 0:38:53.040 I remember I would go to parties and they would 0:38:53.040 --> 0:38:55.800 be like Diddy, like the most recent party before COVID, 0:38:55.840 --> 0:38:59.560 it was lit and I was that Yep, Diddy's fifty 0:38:59.680 --> 0:39:01.600 then said I was hot and I'm like, hey, I know, 0:39:02.760 --> 0:39:04.759 but it was lit because like Kobe was there, rest 0:39:04.800 --> 0:39:07.000 in peace and Marvin Sapp was saying, and all these 0:39:07.040 --> 0:39:09.000 different people in the room. And I remember I used 0:39:09.000 --> 0:39:11.520 to go to parties like that, and I would spend money. 0:39:11.520 --> 0:39:13.040 I didn't have to look like I was a part 0:39:13.040 --> 0:39:15.560 of the crew, just to stand this close to Beyonce 0:39:15.880 --> 0:39:18.160 or this close to somebody like an La Read or whoever, 0:39:18.480 --> 0:39:20.800 and not say shit, Like I won't even ask for 0:39:20.800 --> 0:39:22.719 a photo because I'm like in LA you don't ask 0:39:22.760 --> 0:39:23.080 for a photo. 0:39:23.120 --> 0:39:25.040 You ask for a photo. It's like your courtney, like 0:39:25.120 --> 0:39:26.080 you got to look like you belong. 0:39:26.120 --> 0:39:27.560 So I wouldn't ask for photos and I would act 0:39:27.640 --> 0:39:29.840 like I was supposed to be there, And really I 0:39:29.920 --> 0:39:32.279 realized that was doing a disservice to myself, Like if 0:39:32.320 --> 0:39:34.160 God's putting you in these rooms, like you gotta humble 0:39:34.160 --> 0:39:36.480 yourself enough to ask questions, like you're in your for 0:39:36.560 --> 0:39:39.040 a reason. Like you network, Like, don't come in here 0:39:39.040 --> 0:39:41.080 and already think that like your shit, don't think and 0:39:41.120 --> 0:39:43.759 you the hottest thing since slice bread because you're in 0:39:43.800 --> 0:39:46.200 the party, like go Like for me, I always see 0:39:46.200 --> 0:39:46.680 people take. 0:39:46.600 --> 0:39:48.359 Pictures that party. I'm like, who's number did you get? 0:39:48.400 --> 0:39:50.399 Like what follow up is going to happen? 0:39:50.440 --> 0:39:52.319 You get a meeting setup, Like that's more impressive to 0:39:52.320 --> 0:39:55.440 me than an Instagram feed full of celebrity images and 0:39:55.520 --> 0:39:57.759 so all this is like stuff I just had to 0:39:57.800 --> 0:40:01.600 learn over time. So one is like knowledge and then boundaries. 0:40:01.880 --> 0:40:03.680 And I hope I answered the question because I thought 0:40:03.680 --> 0:40:07.239 about Beyonce and started rambling shout out to be because 0:40:07.239 --> 0:40:08.719 I'm like, this is a moment right here, and. 0:40:08.760 --> 0:40:09.280 That's the moment. 0:40:09.360 --> 0:40:11.040 Let me let me ask you this to switch gears 0:40:11.040 --> 0:40:13.319 a little bit on the marketing side, because you have 0:40:13.320 --> 0:40:14.560 a book about social media. 0:40:14.840 --> 0:40:17.440 Yeah, let me just say something really quickly, because we 0:40:17.480 --> 0:40:19.200 saw what happen to be Simone and they said she 0:40:19.280 --> 0:40:19.920 plagiarized it. 0:40:20.000 --> 0:40:21.800 Oh yes, I plagiarized that entire book. 0:40:23.000 --> 0:40:25.239 You're not cheating if you're not cheating and not trying it. 0:40:25.440 --> 0:40:26.319 But here's what I did. 0:40:26.880 --> 0:40:29.360 It's I didn't say Written by me, it's curated by me, 0:40:29.400 --> 0:40:32.600 like you're paying for me to curate this erness. 0:40:32.600 --> 0:40:33.000 What's up? 0:40:33.080 --> 0:40:36.239 You ever walk into a small business and everything just works, 0:40:36.480 --> 0:40:39.800 Like the checkout is fast, the receipts are digital, tipping 0:40:40.040 --> 0:40:42.480 is a breeze, and you're out the door before the 0:40:42.520 --> 0:40:46.879 line even builds odds are they're using Square. We love 0:40:46.920 --> 0:40:50.080 supporting businesses that run on Square because it just feels seamless. 0:40:50.239 --> 0:40:52.759 Whether it's a local coffee shop, a vendor at a 0:40:52.800 --> 0:40:55.680 pop up market, or even one of our merch partners, 0:40:55.920 --> 0:40:59.680 Square makes it easy for them to take payments, manage inventory, 0:40:59.760 --> 0:41:03.680 and run their business with confidence, all from one simple system. 0:41:04.160 --> 0:41:06.759 If you're a business owner or even just thinking about 0:41:06.840 --> 0:41:09.719 launching something soon, Square is hands. 0:41:09.400 --> 0:41:11.279 Down one of the best tools out there to help 0:41:11.360 --> 0:41:15.120 you start, run, and grow. It's not just about payments, 0:41:15.480 --> 0:41:18.120 it's about giving you time back so you can focus 0:41:18.120 --> 0:41:20.839 on what matters most ready. To see how Square can 0:41:20.880 --> 0:41:25.640 transform your business, visit Square dot com backslash go backslash 0:41:25.760 --> 0:41:29.920 eyl to learn more that Square dot com backslash, go 0:41:30.360 --> 0:41:34.560 backslash eyl. Don't wait, don't hesitate. Let Square handle the 0:41:34.600 --> 0:41:39.400 back end so you can keep pushing your vision forward. 0:41:40.760 --> 0:41:43.000 This episode is brought to you by P and C Bank. 0:41:43.400 --> 0:41:46.160 A lot of people think podcasts about work are boring, 0:41:46.360 --> 0:41:50.200 and sure they definitely can be, But understanding a professionals 0:41:50.280 --> 0:41:53.560 routine shows us how they achieve their success little by little, 0:41:53.920 --> 0:41:57.560 day after day. It's like banking with P and C Bank. 0:41:58.040 --> 0:42:00.840 It might seem boring to save, plan and make calculated 0:42:00.880 --> 0:42:03.960 decisions with your bank, but keeping your money boring is 0:42:04.000 --> 0:42:07.319 what helps you live or more happily fulfilled life. P 0:42:07.440 --> 0:42:12.280 and C Bank Brilliantly Boring since eighteen sixty five. Brilliantly 0:42:12.320 --> 0:42:14.960 Boring since eighteen sixty five is a service mark of 0:42:15.000 --> 0:42:18.240 the PNC Financial Service Group, Inc. P and C Bank 0:42:18.640 --> 0:42:20.840 National Association Member FDIC. 0:42:23.000 --> 0:42:25.759 Coach, the energy out there felt different. What changed for 0:42:25.800 --> 0:42:26.359 the team today? 0:42:26.520 --> 0:42:28.680 It was the new game day, scratches from the California 0:42:28.719 --> 0:42:30.160 Lottery players, everything. 0:42:30.480 --> 0:42:32.439 Those games sent the team's energy through the roof. 0:42:32.520 --> 0:42:34.480 Are you saying it was the off field play that 0:42:34.560 --> 0:42:35.680 made the difference on the field. 0:42:35.760 --> 0:42:38.480 Hey, little play makes your day, and today it made 0:42:38.520 --> 0:42:40.640 the game. That's all for now, Coach. 0:42:40.760 --> 0:42:43.400 One more question play the new Los Angeles Chargers, San 0:42:43.440 --> 0:42:46.400 Francisco forty nine Ers and Los Angeles Rams Scratchers from 0:42:46.440 --> 0:42:50.160 the California Lottery. A little play can make your day. Peace, 0:42:50.160 --> 0:42:52.120 pay responsibily. Must be eighteen years or older to purchase 0:42:52.160 --> 0:42:53.080 plate or claim. 0:42:52.840 --> 0:42:56.239 Way to where it's you have a million captions. It's like, oh, 0:42:56.239 --> 0:42:57.600 you want a party caps, you want a caption with 0:42:57.640 --> 0:43:00.719 your friends, you want to caption for us ub subliminal 0:43:00.800 --> 0:43:02.839 disks Like I'm curating it, adding my own things into 0:43:02.920 --> 0:43:05.520 it while still sourcing the people who I got the 0:43:05.560 --> 0:43:06.640 things from, but. 0:43:06.760 --> 0:43:07.400 I didn't write it. 0:43:07.400 --> 0:43:09.240 So when they come out like, he's still my caption, 0:43:09.360 --> 0:43:11.239 I gave you credit on the last page and I 0:43:11.239 --> 0:43:12.560 said I curated it, I didn't write it. 0:43:13.120 --> 0:43:16.680 But yeah, go ahead, there you have PC has been given. 0:43:18.040 --> 0:43:20.480 So yeah, you have a book about social media. And 0:43:20.480 --> 0:43:22.080 I feel like social media has really changed the game, 0:43:22.120 --> 0:43:24.960 like I said before and now marketing. I feel like 0:43:24.960 --> 0:43:28.000 whether you're an artist, whether you're a small business own 0:43:28.040 --> 0:43:32.520 or whatever, social media is like everything. Right, So you 0:43:32.600 --> 0:43:36.200 have a whole book about it curated. What is some 0:43:36.280 --> 0:43:38.359 tips that you have for your clients or like, how 0:43:38.400 --> 0:43:40.239 do you like is that part of like being a 0:43:40.280 --> 0:43:42.360 publicist as well as far as like to help your 0:43:42.400 --> 0:43:44.280 clients understand because I feel like a lot of people 0:43:44.880 --> 0:43:48.399 don't really understand social media. And I actually have given 0:43:48.440 --> 0:43:51.240 a lot of tips to different people in the business world, 0:43:51.800 --> 0:43:55.680 and I'm actually thinking about being a social media consultant myself. 0:43:55.719 --> 0:43:57.319 Actually why not? Why not? 0:43:58.760 --> 0:44:01.279 And I feel like people just completely don't get it. 0:44:01.360 --> 0:44:04.560 Like they might like have a great personality, they might 0:44:04.600 --> 0:44:07.360 have great content, they have the potential to make great content, 0:44:07.440 --> 0:44:10.040 but it's just a weird vibe for a lot of people. 0:44:10.080 --> 0:44:12.160 So social media, how do you? How do you handle that? 0:44:12.200 --> 0:44:12.600 For people? 0:44:13.120 --> 0:44:16.120 I don't think that's necessarily a job of a traditional publicist, 0:44:16.560 --> 0:44:18.640 Like they're like, we do PR. That's you have a 0:44:18.640 --> 0:44:21.080 social media manager for that, and maybe a marketing manager 0:44:21.080 --> 0:44:23.120 for the marketing stuff. But going back to what I 0:44:23.120 --> 0:44:26.000 said initially, like being with a client who had nobody 0:44:26.000 --> 0:44:28.600 else and just having to do things I didn't really know, 0:44:28.680 --> 0:44:30.840 like that wasn't the job of a publicist, And so 0:44:31.080 --> 0:44:34.400 I really like mastered my skill in those different areas 0:44:34.680 --> 0:44:36.239 to where it's like, oh shit, like I just kind 0:44:36.280 --> 0:44:38.400 of taught myself to new skills that I can monetize 0:44:38.400 --> 0:44:39.920 on differently outside of PR. 0:44:40.239 --> 0:44:42.399 Sounds like three checks, you know, And. 0:44:42.360 --> 0:44:47.680 So for me because of that, I can do it, 0:44:47.719 --> 0:44:50.759 but I don't think a traditional publicist would do it. 0:44:50.840 --> 0:44:53.600 Like so for social media, for example, one of my 0:44:53.719 --> 0:44:55.160 clients before Covid. 0:44:54.880 --> 0:44:57.520 Was Fox Soul. It's like the new streaming platform from Fox. 0:44:58.200 --> 0:44:59.520 So is that owned by Fox? 0:45:00.160 --> 0:45:02.600 It's owned by Thoughts, but it's like completely black owned 0:45:02.640 --> 0:45:03.959 and ran it's black. 0:45:04.160 --> 0:45:04.560 It's black. 0:45:05.320 --> 0:45:10.200 Sorry, sorry, you know I've been watching the Twitter. I'm 0:45:10.200 --> 0:45:15.520 black on this. Like my friend he's ahead of Fox, 0:45:15.560 --> 0:45:18.800 so he's a black man, but it is under Fox. 0:45:20.480 --> 0:45:22.320 Yeah, okay, James do boats. 0:45:22.360 --> 0:45:24.959 But uh so with them, Like I got that job 0:45:25.040 --> 0:45:27.600 to do social media managing for them. So I got 0:45:27.600 --> 0:45:31.560 it and like maybe four hundred followers on Instagram, no YouTube, nothing, 0:45:31.840 --> 0:45:33.680 And so my team and I like we came up 0:45:33.680 --> 0:45:35.319 with the whole how the page is going to look, 0:45:35.960 --> 0:45:39.120 getting the content from their platforms, editing it up, putting 0:45:39.200 --> 0:45:42.080 up there with like dope captions, and really cross promoting 0:45:42.080 --> 0:45:45.200 with other Instagram pages and YouTube pages and Twitter. And 0:45:45.200 --> 0:45:47.399 then when I finished, like I'd grown that Instagram page. 0:45:47.440 --> 0:45:49.160 I think it was like sixty thousand followers and the 0:45:49.200 --> 0:45:51.640 YouTube at one hundred thousand subscribers in a matter of 0:45:51.680 --> 0:45:53.880 four months. And so I don't think that's something that 0:45:54.320 --> 0:45:56.480 typical publicers would do, But because I had to do 0:45:56.480 --> 0:45:58.080 that with other clients, it's like, oh, I could do 0:45:58.120 --> 0:46:01.480 that marketing. So right now I'm working on a marketing 0:46:01.480 --> 0:46:05.080 campaign for BT for Chronicles, which is a docu series 0:46:05.080 --> 0:46:07.319 on No Limit and Rough Riders. Has nothing to do 0:46:07.360 --> 0:46:09.760 with PR. There's no press element at all. It's simply 0:46:11.320 --> 0:46:14.720 experiential in terms of marketing. And like the creative campaign 0:46:14.920 --> 0:46:15.560 that I came up. 0:46:15.560 --> 0:46:17.839 With, how did you how did you help how did 0:46:17.880 --> 0:46:19.560 you help grow the page in the in the YouTube 0:46:19.600 --> 0:46:20.960 page that fast? 0:46:21.239 --> 0:46:23.600 Uh? Well, the thing about Fox so every there was 0:46:23.680 --> 0:46:26.640 so much content, So every day from six to ten, 0:46:26.880 --> 0:46:29.120 it's four hours, five days a week there was a 0:46:29.160 --> 0:46:29.520 show on. 0:46:30.120 --> 0:46:32.640 So what is that twenty hours a week? 0:46:32.640 --> 0:46:35.759 I think, so twenty hours of content, Like we would 0:46:35.800 --> 0:46:39.120 just constantly do the feed and then in buying social 0:46:39.120 --> 0:46:41.600 ads like through Facebook or making sure like when you 0:46:41.600 --> 0:46:44.560 click other outlets that are similar, like let's say Fox 0:46:44.600 --> 0:46:46.520 Sol could be similar to the Real or to Wendy 0:46:46.560 --> 0:46:49.239 Wims in terms of in terms of the talent. When 0:46:49.239 --> 0:46:51.040 you click a Windy Wims video, you get a Fox 0:46:51.040 --> 0:46:53.200 Soul ad like it would be like Fox, so's like 0:46:53.239 --> 0:46:53.600 what is this? 0:46:53.600 --> 0:46:55.759 Who's that? And then also what I was saying for 0:46:55.840 --> 0:46:56.480 you guys in. 0:46:56.480 --> 0:47:00.400 Terms of like getting excerpts of like your review is 0:47:00.400 --> 0:47:02.440 like well Ryan Leslie says this, or so and so 0:47:02.520 --> 0:47:04.080 says that, and sending that to blogs. 0:47:04.080 --> 0:47:04.719 That's one way. 0:47:05.040 --> 0:47:07.160 Another way, or I guess a visual way of that 0:47:07.200 --> 0:47:09.279 would be taking a clip, Like you don't want to 0:47:09.320 --> 0:47:11.040 send someone an hour long interview, like I don't have 0:47:11.080 --> 0:47:13.520 time to listen to it. So I would take a 0:47:13.560 --> 0:47:16.080 minute interview, a minute clip, and I would send that 0:47:16.080 --> 0:47:18.360 out to Shade Room or to Baller or to Neighborhood 0:47:18.360 --> 0:47:20.560 Talk or whoever, and they would tag us like this 0:47:20.640 --> 0:47:21.719 is via Fox Soul. 0:47:21.800 --> 0:47:23.520 So people will come and through. Did you pay for that? 0:47:24.040 --> 0:47:25.480 No? No, not at all. 0:47:25.680 --> 0:47:25.879 Yeah. 0:47:26.080 --> 0:47:28.839 And that was strategically done because I feel like once 0:47:28.880 --> 0:47:31.319 you pay, no matter if your clip is good or not, 0:47:31.320 --> 0:47:35.200 they want to So I would send stuff all the time. 0:47:35.400 --> 0:47:37.520 Mind you is five days a week, there's four shows 0:47:37.520 --> 0:47:39.640 a day. I would always send stuff. They didn't post everything, 0:47:39.920 --> 0:47:41.920 but the things that they did post was stuff that 0:47:42.040 --> 0:47:44.960 was polarizing. Like for example, now they have the show 0:47:44.960 --> 0:47:47.279 at Lisa Ray and Vivica Fox on there whatever. So 0:47:47.360 --> 0:47:49.320 Lisay's talking about Nicki Minaj, of course they're going to 0:47:49.400 --> 0:47:51.480 post that. So what we realize is like we got 0:47:51.480 --> 0:47:54.440 to really go in and find things that are topical, 0:47:54.880 --> 0:47:57.920 like instead of just doing an interview with somebody about publicity, 0:47:58.239 --> 0:48:01.080 it's like, what question can you ask them that other 0:48:01.080 --> 0:48:01.839 people will care about? 0:48:01.840 --> 0:48:03.200 If they had no idea who I was? 0:48:03.719 --> 0:48:05.520 For example, if no one had no idea who I 0:48:05.680 --> 0:48:08.520 was or no idea who you were, what would make 0:48:08.560 --> 0:48:10.960 somebody post a clip? I would then say, well, we're 0:48:10.960 --> 0:48:14.600 going to ask a question like this Varieting magazine just 0:48:14.600 --> 0:48:16.799 did a cover like the State of Black Hollywood. It's like, 0:48:16.840 --> 0:48:19.280 talk to us about being a black publicist in Hollywood? 0:48:19.600 --> 0:48:22.200 Or do you think these white corporations are using Black 0:48:22.200 --> 0:48:24.840 Lives Matter as a way to get more publicity or 0:48:24.840 --> 0:48:26.840 do you think they really care from a PR perspective. 0:48:27.120 --> 0:48:29.320 So now that's something that is current and trending. People 0:48:29.360 --> 0:48:31.719 want to know about that because everyone is putting Black 0:48:31.760 --> 0:48:34.000 Lives Matter and their messaging. They don't care who I am, 0:48:34.000 --> 0:48:35.759 where you guys are, But it's the clip is a 0:48:35.800 --> 0:48:38.600 conversation piece is going to get engagement on their Instagram page, 0:48:38.760 --> 0:48:40.680 which is why they're going to post it. It's like 0:48:40.680 --> 0:48:42.360 when you post a picture yourself, You're like, if you 0:48:42.400 --> 0:48:44.480 look good, you know, people don't comment because you look good. 0:48:44.840 --> 0:48:45.719 If you don't, they not. 0:48:45.840 --> 0:48:48.640 So you even with like outlets, it's like, will people 0:48:48.680 --> 0:48:50.120 comment on this post? 0:48:50.360 --> 0:48:52.520 Yes? Or no? You know? And so I think that's 0:48:52.520 --> 0:48:54.000 something that would be a conversation piece. 0:48:54.040 --> 0:48:55.440 And then from there I would take that post and 0:48:55.480 --> 0:48:57.759 I might go put it on the Black Startup Page, 0:48:57.800 --> 0:49:02.040 or I might put it on Talk to Pops on Instagram, not. 0:49:01.880 --> 0:49:02.839 Necessarily Shade Room. 0:49:03.040 --> 0:49:04.640 And that's another thing people have to realize too, that 0:49:04.680 --> 0:49:06.920 there are micro blogs that are more important to me 0:49:07.400 --> 0:49:12.160 than the ones who have millions and millions of followers. Yeah, exactly, 0:49:12.200 --> 0:49:15.279 like if I was gonna like earn your Leisure, if 0:49:15.320 --> 0:49:17.560 I was going to promote your podcast, I don't necessarily 0:49:17.560 --> 0:49:20.000 think I would put it on the Shade Room because 0:49:20.040 --> 0:49:22.480 even if it's the great content, people on there are 0:49:22.560 --> 0:49:24.640 ultimately there to be shady. I want to have the 0:49:24.640 --> 0:49:27.440 top comment, So I'm going to spend my money on 0:49:27.560 --> 0:49:29.880 my ad on Shade Room for them to talk about 0:49:29.920 --> 0:49:31.319 me and talk about all your. 0:49:31.200 --> 0:49:31.799 Shirt don't fit. 0:49:31.840 --> 0:49:37.280 It's like I don't want that or am I gonna 0:49:37.320 --> 0:49:42.200 put it on like wealth to Prosperities Instagram page or 0:49:42.280 --> 0:49:44.640 something like that, to where people on their only phone 0:49:44.719 --> 0:49:46.960 this page because they want knowledge and information and they 0:49:47.000 --> 0:49:49.880 want to do a business. Like for me, I DMed 0:49:49.920 --> 0:49:52.200 you guys back in March for something. I forget what 0:49:52.239 --> 0:49:54.000 campaign I was working. I didn't get a reply, by 0:49:54.000 --> 0:49:54.839 the way, but. 0:49:56.440 --> 0:49:59.200 Publicist, I don't. 0:49:59.040 --> 0:50:01.040 Know if y'all do as at the time I dammed, 0:50:01.040 --> 0:50:02.359 I'm like, yo, how much would it be for an 0:50:02.360 --> 0:50:04.440 ad on this page? Because for me, I'm like, you 0:50:04.440 --> 0:50:07.759 guys are the perfect page to monetize black businesses or 0:50:07.920 --> 0:50:10.080 just business in general, because everybody following it wants to 0:50:10.080 --> 0:50:10.680 start a business. 0:50:10.680 --> 0:50:12.160 They want to know something about something. 0:50:12.320 --> 0:50:15.000 For example, when I did the Breakfast club, I was 0:50:15.000 --> 0:50:17.759 on there with a hat and like a hoodie on 0:50:17.800 --> 0:50:20.279 or something like. I didn't even think about image. I 0:50:20.280 --> 0:50:21.960 thought I was just talking to friends. I didn't care 0:50:21.960 --> 0:50:23.960 about it coming on here. I'm like, hold on, let 0:50:24.000 --> 0:50:26.960 me go to the closet and get something, because I know 0:50:27.000 --> 0:50:29.320 the audience. Everyone who listens either has a business or 0:50:29.320 --> 0:50:31.680 wants to start a business. And you have a business, 0:50:31.680 --> 0:50:33.640 you want to hire a publicist. You're gonna hire me, 0:50:33.640 --> 0:50:35.320 and I'm on here, like, you know, just slashing with 0:50:35.440 --> 0:50:38.239 my little you know, I'm like, let me put my 0:50:38.280 --> 0:50:40.360 best foot forward, let me put my Louis Paton's on it. 0:50:40.600 --> 0:50:41.800 Even though I didn't know we wasn't going to be 0:50:41.800 --> 0:50:44.319 able to see the fee out of work, you know, 0:50:44.400 --> 0:50:45.560 but nonetheless. 0:50:45.080 --> 0:50:47.200 I put my the resk check, the risk check. 0:50:47.719 --> 0:50:51.279 I understand the audience for this platform, and I think 0:50:51.320 --> 0:50:53.680 that's what people out in marketing got to understand the audience, 0:50:53.719 --> 0:50:56.080 Like people advertise on places that don't even care just 0:50:56.120 --> 0:50:59.000 because the followers and numbers, not engagement or like what 0:50:59.239 --> 0:51:00.680 that audience is into. 0:51:01.200 --> 0:51:04.239 Speaking of variety, can we talk about the coalition that 0:51:04.239 --> 0:51:07.200 you guys formed. My publicist is black and the representation 0:51:07.239 --> 0:51:09.239 I know, I mean presence is everything. And I know 0:51:09.280 --> 0:51:12.319 there's probably a lack of black publicists in Hollywood and 0:51:12.360 --> 0:51:13.479 probably in New York as well. 0:51:14.239 --> 0:51:16.520 Why do we formed the coalition? What's his purpose? 0:51:17.160 --> 0:51:22.080 So in twenty eighteen, I wore a jacket to Beyonce 0:51:22.160 --> 0:51:24.160 and jay Z's On the Run concert that said Beyonce's 0:51:24.160 --> 0:51:27.040 publicsist is black. I wasn't trying to really send a 0:51:27.080 --> 0:51:29.120 message other than like a big fuck you to somebody 0:51:29.160 --> 0:51:31.360 who told me they wouldn't take me on as a 0:51:31.840 --> 0:51:33.440 they wouldn't let me take their client on as their 0:51:33.440 --> 0:51:36.400 publishers because they wanted to have white press, and because 0:51:36.440 --> 0:51:38.160 I was black, all I could do was black press. 0:51:38.520 --> 0:51:40.880 And I'm like, well, Beyonce's publicist is black, and they're like, no, 0:51:40.920 --> 0:51:41.239 she's not. 0:51:41.360 --> 0:51:42.400 I'm like, no, she really is. 0:51:42.640 --> 0:51:45.000 Like well she probably has a white publicist too, and 0:51:45.040 --> 0:51:46.920 so I'm like, let me go look into it. And 0:51:46.960 --> 0:51:49.719 so I went and researched her publicist, Yvett Noel Shore, 0:51:50.000 --> 0:51:53.280 and she'd been with Beyonce since Destiny's Child, and before 0:51:53.280 --> 0:51:54.640 that she was with Mariah Carey, and then she was 0:51:54.640 --> 0:51:57.000 with Prince and Adele and Jessica Simpson, all these big 0:51:57.120 --> 0:51:59.640 names black and white. And I'm like, yo, this is 0:51:59.640 --> 0:52:01.920 who I'm to aspire to be like. And it's like 0:52:02.080 --> 0:52:04.560 for me, it instantly changed the narrative of what people 0:52:04.560 --> 0:52:07.120 would have you to believe. There's like a black publicist 0:52:07.120 --> 0:52:09.080 you can only do urban stuff, and a white publicsert 0:52:09.080 --> 0:52:10.320 can do general market stuff. 0:52:10.560 --> 0:52:11.719 This is a black woman. 0:52:11.480 --> 0:52:14.040 Who has no white publicist or she's not someone's indie 0:52:14.040 --> 0:52:17.680 publisherst she's the publicist, and she has Beyonce on Vogue, 0:52:17.760 --> 0:52:20.800 and she also knows enough about culture to have Beyonce 0:52:21.320 --> 0:52:24.000 talking to Angie Martinez or to talking to people who 0:52:24.080 --> 0:52:26.880 reached the culture and her core demographic right, And so 0:52:26.960 --> 0:52:28.920 I put that on the jacket as like, yeah, she 0:52:29.040 --> 0:52:30.759 is black and I'm at the concert. I didn't think 0:52:30.760 --> 0:52:32.680 I wouldn't meet her at all because there's a million 0:52:32.680 --> 0:52:35.040 people there and I'm like, she's probably in the back, 0:52:35.120 --> 0:52:40.360 chilling whatever. But as fate would have it, my friend Dora, 0:52:40.520 --> 0:52:43.279 she called him, was like, hell, I've my husband's in 0:52:43.400 --> 0:52:46.719 La going to the concert. He has like these passes 0:52:46.760 --> 0:52:51.080 where like the celebrities hangout. Because ticket, Yeah, my ticket 0:52:51.120 --> 0:52:52.440 was gonna be up in the front, like front row. 0:52:52.440 --> 0:52:54.680 I played for that ticket. She got me a ticket 0:52:54.719 --> 0:52:56.600 where I was further back, and at first I'm like, yo, 0:52:56.800 --> 0:52:57.520 my seat way up there? 0:52:57.600 --> 0:52:58.399 Why am I back here? 0:52:58.440 --> 0:53:01.280 But you're on the risers and literally like I'm standing 0:53:01.320 --> 0:53:03.920 with Kim Gardashian and Chris Jenner and all these different people. 0:53:04.120 --> 0:53:06.920 And then here comes Beyonce's publicist, vent Noel Short, and 0:53:06.960 --> 0:53:09.440 so she sees the jacket. I didn't even know that 0:53:09.480 --> 0:53:11.239 June Ambrose had already taken a picture of it and 0:53:11.280 --> 0:53:12.840 sent it to hers. So she was looking for me 0:53:13.040 --> 0:53:14.600 and we took a picture and she's like, here, take 0:53:14.640 --> 0:53:17.200 my number down. I'm gonna send you the picture. I'm like, 0:53:17.200 --> 0:53:19.000 all right, cool, send me the picture. I think I'll 0:53:19.040 --> 0:53:21.040 ever talk to the woman again. I'm like, you busy whatever. 0:53:21.520 --> 0:53:23.600 The very next day she called me and she's like, yo, 0:53:23.719 --> 0:53:26.200 I wanted to have a real conversation because I understood 0:53:26.200 --> 0:53:28.240 what you meant by the jacket. And so she started 0:53:28.239 --> 0:53:30.759 telling me all these stories about how she had been marginalizing, 0:53:30.840 --> 0:53:33.279 how people would try to take Beyonce from her, and 0:53:33.760 --> 0:53:35.080 different friends are like, well, you need to go with 0:53:35.160 --> 0:53:37.680 this company or John Legend. I remember she was telling 0:53:37.680 --> 0:53:40.040 me a story that they convinced him to bring on 0:53:40.080 --> 0:53:42.680 another publicist to get them an outlet that they thought. 0:53:42.520 --> 0:53:43.160 She couldn't get. 0:53:43.760 --> 0:53:45.839 Meanwhile, they still never had gotten that outlet when they 0:53:45.880 --> 0:53:48.560 hired them, and so she's like, yeah, I have gone 0:53:48.600 --> 0:53:51.480 through it as well. And so from there she involved 0:53:51.520 --> 0:53:54.520 a couple other people be brought in Vanessa Anderson. She 0:53:54.600 --> 0:53:58.840 represents Isa Ray and DJ Mustard, and then Erica Tucker 0:53:58.840 --> 0:54:01.759 does Yashadi and Kendrick Sampson he's doing all the Black 0:54:01.760 --> 0:54:05.000 Lives Matter stuff for Insecure, and Trel Thomas works with 0:54:05.120 --> 0:54:08.040 Tina Knowles because at first Miss Knowles or Miss nos 0:54:08.120 --> 0:54:11.000 Lawson was gonna have us do a panel at her theater, 0:54:11.200 --> 0:54:12.759 and that's how he was involved, Like We're gonna do 0:54:12.760 --> 0:54:15.880 a panel at Waco talking about like black pr and 0:54:15.920 --> 0:54:18.799 black publicist and I'm like, okay, cool, and then from 0:54:18.800 --> 0:54:20.919 there it just grew. And so then the last person 0:54:20.960 --> 0:54:24.000 she brought in was Felicia font from Colombia. She's like 0:54:24.080 --> 0:54:26.839 the head of urban there and does so many people 0:54:26.880 --> 0:54:30.200 as well, and so we just started having conversations with people. 0:54:30.560 --> 0:54:33.720 We had no intentions of like making it anything really 0:54:34.080 --> 0:54:37.240 and then it wasn't until we did, like in COVID. 0:54:37.280 --> 0:54:39.000 We had a zoom call, we did one in Beverly Hills, 0:54:39.000 --> 0:54:41.520 one in Harlem at Linkston Hughes's house, and we did 0:54:41.520 --> 0:54:43.360 a COVID one and we had like like almost a 0:54:43.400 --> 0:54:45.640 thousand people on there on zoom. I'm like, damn, these 0:54:45.680 --> 0:54:48.719 people really showed up and we saw impactful. It was 0:54:48.800 --> 0:54:51.560 like we need to do something, and so we have 0:54:51.640 --> 0:54:54.600 turned into a nonprofit organization because what we realized is 0:54:54.640 --> 0:54:57.320 like you can like again sacrificing yourself like I said earlier, 0:54:57.360 --> 0:54:59.560 and not knowing your worth. You can devote so much 0:54:59.560 --> 0:55:03.000 time to client and in the end have nothing because 0:55:03.040 --> 0:55:06.279 for example, oh I see example. So for example, I'm 0:55:06.320 --> 0:55:08.840 represented earn your Leisure and I'm doing all this press 0:55:08.880 --> 0:55:10.480 for you guys. Now all this money is coming in, 0:55:10.840 --> 0:55:12.880 and y'all getting all these ads, y'all bawling, y'all got 0:55:12.920 --> 0:55:15.520 the Porsches, the Bentleys or whatever. My rate is still 0:55:15.560 --> 0:55:18.600 my rate. I'm still getting one thousand dollars a month. 0:55:19.080 --> 0:55:21.440 But I did all this stuff to help elevate your 0:55:21.480 --> 0:55:24.359 brand and get you so much income that when it's 0:55:24.400 --> 0:55:27.400 all said and done, like I could potentially be broke. 0:55:27.560 --> 0:55:30.000 And there was a situation where, going back to the 0:55:30.000 --> 0:55:32.920 woman Terry Williams, so I mentioned her book that I'm 0:55:32.920 --> 0:55:35.800 reading is called Black Pain. Just because we make it 0:55:35.840 --> 0:55:37.320 look good doesn't mean we're hurting. 0:55:39.040 --> 0:55:39.480 Her book. 0:55:39.480 --> 0:55:41.400 I said, you work with Eddie Murphy. Now she's in 0:55:41.440 --> 0:55:44.319 a nursing home, and we're like, does Eddie Murphy know, 0:55:44.360 --> 0:55:47.080 does anybody know, like anybody helping this woman out? So 0:55:47.320 --> 0:55:50.080 the nonprofit started because we wanted to help her. We 0:55:50.160 --> 0:55:52.080 wanted to give her money we wanted to take donations 0:55:52.080 --> 0:55:56.000 for and so like, well, we can help other people 0:55:56.000 --> 0:55:58.360 because there's more than one terry out there. Imagine like 0:55:58.560 --> 0:56:01.279 there's so many people who probably were lit at one 0:56:01.280 --> 0:56:04.840 point and devoted so much to somebody and then because 0:56:04.880 --> 0:56:06.919 that's what happens, honestly, and this is a sad truth. 0:56:06.920 --> 0:56:08.520 I don't want to be long winded, but as a 0:56:08.520 --> 0:56:12.400 black publicist, what happens is that like you become discarded, 0:56:12.800 --> 0:56:15.720 like I can take earn your leisure to new heights, 0:56:16.080 --> 0:56:18.719 like we're competing with Gary Vee. We're on the top 0:56:18.760 --> 0:56:21.399 of the podcast charts. I didn't got y'all a TV show. 0:56:21.560 --> 0:56:24.719 Now y'all on Fox with Murdoch or Fox, so we 0:56:24.800 --> 0:56:28.879 do bos whatever you know, and you as so big 0:56:28.960 --> 0:56:31.680 that when before in this moment here, how many PR 0:56:31.719 --> 0:56:33.759 people have reached out to represent you guys at this 0:56:33.840 --> 0:56:35.200 point in this moment. 0:56:35.080 --> 0:56:36.600 A lot, not a lot. 0:56:37.040 --> 0:56:39.080 So I take you to a point where now all 0:56:39.120 --> 0:56:41.319 the top firms are reaching out to hire y'all, and 0:56:41.400 --> 0:56:43.080 y'all think, well, ship, we want to elevate, so we 0:56:43.120 --> 0:56:45.000 got to go with the big firm, and y'all drop 0:56:45.080 --> 0:56:47.919 my black ass, Like I helped y'all when we was nothing. 0:56:47.920 --> 0:56:49.960 When we was you know, trapping out this nice mansion. 0:56:51.800 --> 0:56:54.279 Don't let that your head, you. 0:56:54.239 --> 0:56:57.360 Know, when it was marble on the floor, but not 0:56:57.480 --> 0:56:58.160 so much to trap. 0:56:58.200 --> 0:56:58.719 But I helped you. 0:56:58.960 --> 0:57:01.160 I helped you when we were like on the come up, right. 0:57:01.840 --> 0:57:04.839 There's no loyalty in this industry. It's like you want 0:57:04.840 --> 0:57:08.160 to go to whoever is hot next, and so if 0:57:08.200 --> 0:57:10.440 you don't again budget and how it's hard to budget 0:57:10.480 --> 0:57:14.000 because my white counterparts are getting paid double three times 0:57:14.040 --> 0:57:16.480 when I'm getting paid, you know, Like I remember, like 0:57:16.520 --> 0:57:18.280 I said earlier, Oh I'm trying to sab my five thousand, 0:57:18.360 --> 0:57:19.560 Like that's so much money. 0:57:20.000 --> 0:57:21.320 And I'm like, well, i's. 0:57:21.120 --> 0:57:24.240 The white publicist who also represents representing someone equivalent to 0:57:24.240 --> 0:57:26.800 who I was representing. How much did they pay? Fifteen 0:57:26.800 --> 0:57:29.680 thousand a month, twenty thousand a month, one hundred thousand 0:57:29.760 --> 0:57:31.920 dollars a month. I'm like, God, damn, what is happening? 0:57:32.400 --> 0:57:34.880 And I'm like, it's only like for like the black people, 0:57:34.960 --> 0:57:37.040 Like I feel like this is only my experience. Somebody 0:57:37.040 --> 0:57:40.640 got a different experience. Is that you expect more, but 0:57:40.680 --> 0:57:42.440 you also expect to pay less. 0:57:42.560 --> 0:57:46.320 Yeah, I think that that's something that's across the board 0:57:46.320 --> 0:57:49.480 as far as black businesses. It's like, stop disrespecting the 0:57:49.960 --> 0:57:53.480 entrepreneurs because I got like, you know, essentially the entrepreneurs 0:57:53.760 --> 0:57:56.120 are our future. And like I said, no matter how 0:57:56.120 --> 0:57:58.240 good a rapper is, Derek Falcon said is on my 0:57:58.240 --> 0:58:00.800 podcast Shout and one of my favorite Alumni episodes eleven, 0:58:01.320 --> 0:58:03.760 their career is short lived, no matter how no matter 0:58:03.760 --> 0:58:05.920 how fast you can run on a football, for your 0:58:06.120 --> 0:58:07.680 career is short lived. But you can do what you're 0:58:07.720 --> 0:58:11.320 doing for sixty years that you could be a publicist. 0:58:11.920 --> 0:58:15.840 So it's like a lot of times we devalue the entrepreneurs. 0:58:16.240 --> 0:58:18.680 And that's whether it's a barbershop owner or whether it's 0:58:18.680 --> 0:58:20.560 a publicist. It's like you always trying to get a deal. 0:58:21.000 --> 0:58:24.280 And that just comes psychologically, I think, from not valuing 0:58:24.440 --> 0:58:27.080 ourselves enough, Like we don't look at ourselves as valuable enough, 0:58:27.080 --> 0:58:28.680 because the white person can come and just say anything 0:58:29.160 --> 0:58:31.280 and it's like, oh, they're white, they got a suit. 0:58:31.120 --> 0:58:32.240 On, they must be true. 0:58:33.160 --> 0:58:35.840 Monique said this right, and this is so funny because 0:58:35.840 --> 0:58:38.280 I remember Monique was doing her like equal pay thing. 0:58:38.360 --> 0:58:40.440 We're like, shut up, Monique. But then if you go 0:58:40.480 --> 0:58:43.520 back and listen to those interviews in today's landscape, Like literally, 0:58:43.560 --> 0:58:46.280 you hear it differently and I'm like, oh, well, she 0:58:46.360 --> 0:58:48.080 was saying some real shit, you know, like she was 0:58:48.120 --> 0:58:50.480 really preaching. And I think the reason why they're able 0:58:50.520 --> 0:58:52.200 to pay less. And this is a quote that she 0:58:52.280 --> 0:58:54.880 said that she brought from someone else. She said, what 0:58:55.480 --> 0:58:58.120 one what they understand is that what one nigga won't do, 0:58:58.200 --> 0:59:02.040 another nigga will. And so if we're all three publicists 0:59:02.080 --> 0:59:05.040 and I'm saying my rate is what this white person's 0:59:05.120 --> 0:59:07.320 rate is, but then y'all coming behind me like I 0:59:07.320 --> 0:59:09.080 do it for twenty five hundred, I got you, and 0:59:09.080 --> 0:59:11.400 then you're like twenty five I YouTube for fifteen hundred. 0:59:12.440 --> 0:59:13.760 It's taking value away from me. 0:59:13.800 --> 0:59:15.600 No one's ever gonna get that rate because there's no 0:59:15.640 --> 0:59:18.800 standard across the board. And as much as like I 0:59:18.800 --> 0:59:22.280 feel like that's a counterproductive, I also understand it. If 0:59:22.280 --> 0:59:24.480 you're not getting opportunities and nobody wants to hire you, 0:59:24.560 --> 0:59:26.360 and then this person giving you fifteen hundred, It's like 0:59:26.400 --> 0:59:27.560 me with the fifty dollars a placement. 0:59:27.600 --> 0:59:28.439 I knew that was cheap. 0:59:28.760 --> 0:59:29.480 I had no money. 0:59:29.560 --> 0:59:31.480 It's like, I know what's wrong but I got to 0:59:31.560 --> 0:59:33.840 eat ultimately, you know what I mean. And that's why 0:59:33.880 --> 0:59:36.040 I started my own company. It wasn't because I wanted 0:59:36.080 --> 0:59:39.280 to be a boss and entrepreneurship was in now it's in, 0:59:39.360 --> 0:59:41.360 like if you're starting a business now, there's so many resources. 0:59:41.360 --> 0:59:43.680 This is a major resource to help you start a business. 0:59:43.720 --> 0:59:45.840 I was listening almost started the damn vending machine. 0:59:47.440 --> 0:59:47.880 Lucrative. 0:59:48.160 --> 0:59:51.280 I didn't even know this is a real, real right, 0:59:51.600 --> 0:59:51.800 you know. 0:59:51.960 --> 0:59:54.600 But at that time, entrepreneurship was not cool. It was 0:59:54.640 --> 0:59:57.520 like entrepreneurship okay, But I did it because I know 0:59:57.560 --> 1:00:00.600 one would hire me. I was only getting internshi jobs 1:00:00.880 --> 1:00:02.919 and then when the internship was over, they would hire 1:00:02.920 --> 1:00:04.440 somebody who just came in. It wasn't like they were 1:00:04.440 --> 1:00:08.120 promoting within, and so I had to take those rates. 1:00:08.120 --> 1:00:11.280 And so I honestly feel like having like the broader 1:00:11.320 --> 1:00:13.680 conversation like with the my publicist as black, or having 1:00:13.720 --> 1:00:20.000 conversations like this, it allows you to hopefully shift change 1:00:21.040 --> 1:00:23.280 in terms of those shift change with people who are 1:00:23.280 --> 1:00:25.800 making the decisions on who to hire right now. As 1:00:25.800 --> 1:00:29.080 a black publicist, send your resumes out. Everybody wants somebody black. 1:00:29.320 --> 1:00:30.919 There are people out there saying we want to see 1:00:30.920 --> 1:00:33.400 your team, your leadership team, Like who's on there, who's black? 1:00:33.760 --> 1:00:36.080 They're boycotting right Like so many companies they were saying 1:00:36.120 --> 1:00:38.640 like oh, uber like one percent black or representation or whatever. 1:00:38.920 --> 1:00:40.520 Now is the time to be a black publicist. 1:00:40.560 --> 1:00:43.800 You go and you apply for those jobs, get those jobs, 1:00:43.840 --> 1:00:44.760 and charge those rates. 1:00:44.840 --> 1:00:47.520 So how do you feel You asked that question before, 1:00:48.080 --> 1:00:50.000 but I'm actually interested once you bring it up. 1:00:50.240 --> 1:00:52.160 There's a lot of pr going on right now. 1:00:52.480 --> 1:00:56.200 Black lives matter, whether it's Nike, whether it's every company 1:00:56.240 --> 1:00:58.680 has some form. I feel like you had to make 1:00:58.680 --> 1:01:00.840 a statement. If you didn't make a it was like 1:01:01.080 --> 1:01:03.080 you was complicit with everything that was going on. So 1:01:03.160 --> 1:01:06.360 every company pretty much made a statement. Some companies like 1:01:06.440 --> 1:01:09.000 Netflix even went further and they put one hundred million 1:01:09.040 --> 1:01:11.720 dollars into like black owned banks. So everybody's kind of 1:01:11.720 --> 1:01:16.240 like doing their own thing as a publicist. It's just 1:01:16.240 --> 1:01:17.200 just pr spin. 1:01:17.920 --> 1:01:19.840 Is it good? Is it something that's gonna last? 1:01:19.880 --> 1:01:19.920 Like? 1:01:19.920 --> 1:01:21.680 What's your thoughts on the whole Black Lives Matter? 1:01:22.520 --> 1:01:24.640 I think there's so many layers to it because I 1:01:24.680 --> 1:01:26.560 watched all happening, So I think there were some companies 1:01:26.760 --> 1:01:28.920 that nothing at first and then on its blackout too, 1:01:28.960 --> 1:01:30.520 so they you just put a black square and you 1:01:30.720 --> 1:01:32.720 weren't responsible for leaving a caption or nothing. 1:01:33.040 --> 1:01:34.920 Companies took advantage of that, like that's how we could 1:01:34.920 --> 1:01:35.240 set it. 1:01:35.440 --> 1:01:35.880 Both sides. 1:01:36.120 --> 1:01:38.240 Put the black square. It don't mean shit, you know, 1:01:38.280 --> 1:01:39.840 like it's just the black square. The whites are cool, 1:01:39.840 --> 1:01:42.560 the blacks are cool. Perfect No. So for me, I 1:01:42.560 --> 1:01:44.240 think people who do stuff like that or they just 1:01:44.240 --> 1:01:46.880 put like we staying with Black Lives Matter. Almost like 1:01:47.000 --> 1:01:48.640 literally where you guys are at, like a couple of 1:01:48.640 --> 1:01:52.080 weeks ago, this shit looked like Iraq like houses with 1:01:52.080 --> 1:01:54.280 the game, burned, businesses was towed up, it was looting 1:01:54.280 --> 1:01:56.120 and riding like literally a block from where you guys 1:01:56.120 --> 1:01:58.640 are now to the point where all businesses spray painted 1:01:58.680 --> 1:02:02.120 on this stuff like Black Lives Matter BLM, black owned. 1:02:02.160 --> 1:02:03.280 To protect their business. 1:02:03.600 --> 1:02:05.400 And I feel like that is the same thing that 1:02:05.440 --> 1:02:07.240 I see online with companies when they put the Black 1:02:07.280 --> 1:02:10.840 Lives Matter like standard templates like black and gray with 1:02:10.920 --> 1:02:13.120 like a fist, it's like black Lives Matter. I feel 1:02:13.120 --> 1:02:15.200 like they're just doing that to protect their businesses. The 1:02:15.280 --> 1:02:17.720 ones that I do like say, okay, y'all really are 1:02:17.800 --> 1:02:20.960 rocking with us are the ones who have made an 1:02:20.960 --> 1:02:23.600 effort to commit to something where it's like, Okay, we're 1:02:23.720 --> 1:02:25.680 like you said, Netflix, we're gonna commit one hundred million 1:02:25.720 --> 1:02:29.280 dollars to black owned banks, or we're gonna diversify RC 1:02:29.320 --> 1:02:31.960 suite and hire more black people or whatever. 1:02:32.360 --> 1:02:35.760 And it's funny. I'm like, yeah, like black people's inventing yesterday. 1:02:35.600 --> 1:02:35.920 Like I did. 1:02:36.400 --> 1:02:39.200 That's it's easy to protest, and everyone's protest. Yeah, it's 1:02:39.240 --> 1:02:40.800 easy to write, pretty easy. 1:02:40.800 --> 1:02:42.840 But I'm saying, yeah, even if they are doing it 1:02:42.880 --> 1:02:45.680 for their own to save face as a black entrepreneur, 1:02:45.760 --> 1:02:48.720 a black business person, go get your money. Like you 1:02:48.760 --> 1:02:50.880 wanted somebody black to stand it. It's gonna cost you 1:02:51.480 --> 1:02:53.280 to be just for me to stand next to you 1:02:53.560 --> 1:02:55.760 and to give you that. I've never had to educate 1:02:55.800 --> 1:02:59.680 so many people on the black experience. But you know what, 1:02:59.760 --> 1:03:02.120 let me take something else stuff. I have made more 1:03:02.160 --> 1:03:05.200 money in this COVID quarantine than I've made probably in 1:03:05.200 --> 1:03:09.280 the last five never wasted collectively. Want to learn about 1:03:09.280 --> 1:03:15.320 the black hold on remit payment. I teach you everything 1:03:15.360 --> 1:03:17.520 you need to know, you know, and so literally I've 1:03:17.520 --> 1:03:19.520 been helping people behind the scenes, like I've made so 1:03:19.640 --> 1:03:23.840 much it's ridiculous. But I and I think that's also 1:03:23.920 --> 1:03:25.520 not fair to ask people to help you and not 1:03:25.560 --> 1:03:28.280 pay them either. Because literally, in high school, did y'all 1:03:28.320 --> 1:03:31.080 learn about Black Wall Street? Did y'all learn about what 1:03:31.120 --> 1:03:34.400 happened in Tulsa? Did y'all learn about like slave? Yeah, 1:03:34.440 --> 1:03:37.040 we learned about like the slavery and the since they 1:03:37.040 --> 1:03:38.560 wanted us to learn about it, But did you go 1:03:38.680 --> 1:03:40.560 deep into it the way that we are now? No, 1:03:40.680 --> 1:03:42.480 we had to go seek that information for ourselves. So 1:03:43.120 --> 1:03:45.400 I did the work to learn this. So if you 1:03:45.440 --> 1:03:47.360 want to capitalize off the work and the time I 1:03:47.400 --> 1:03:49.760 invested in myself to learn, you got to pay. But 1:03:49.800 --> 1:03:51.640 I say all have to say some companies. I feel 1:03:51.680 --> 1:03:53.280 like a lot of people are doing it, because at 1:03:53.280 --> 1:03:57.280 this point it's it's you're gonna get black balled or 1:03:57.320 --> 1:04:00.080 blacklisted if you have not mentioned or said just. 1:04:00.000 --> 1:04:01.600 They're looking at you. They're looking at you crazy. Yeah, 1:04:01.600 --> 1:04:02.240 youre looking crazy. 1:04:02.280 --> 1:04:04.360 So now it's like, yeah, black lives matter, whatever, but 1:04:04.400 --> 1:04:06.640 it's like, what are you doing to further that? 1:04:06.880 --> 1:04:07.080 Dude? 1:04:07.080 --> 1:04:09.760 We gotta see I mean I saw Facebook, for one, 1:04:09.800 --> 1:04:11.280 it was like they're going to donate one hundred million 1:04:11.320 --> 1:04:12.000 dollars to black. 1:04:11.840 --> 1:04:13.280 Closes, and it's like, what does that even mean? 1:04:13.400 --> 1:04:14.520 Yeah, why want you to be specific? 1:04:14.760 --> 1:04:16.520 There's no specific It's like, Yo, where where do I 1:04:16.520 --> 1:04:17.120 apply for that? 1:04:17.160 --> 1:04:17.400 People? 1:04:17.440 --> 1:04:20.200 And then at the time, remember what was the Minnesota 1:04:20.320 --> 1:04:22.920 like bail fund or what Freedom fund or whatever where 1:04:22.920 --> 1:04:25.520 they're bailing people out of jail. Right when George Floyd 1:04:25.560 --> 1:04:27.520 Floyd to pass away, they got so many donations they 1:04:27.520 --> 1:04:29.560 put on the website, we ain't taking no more give 1:04:29.720 --> 1:04:31.600 to other places. I'm like, I never nobody say we 1:04:31.640 --> 1:04:33.960 got too much money. I'm like, y'all was really just 1:04:33.960 --> 1:04:36.560 giving them guilt money. I was just sending checks or whatever. 1:04:36.760 --> 1:04:38.320 And so I feel like, for me, if you're gonna 1:04:38.320 --> 1:04:40.400 give money, it also tells me a lot about you 1:04:40.800 --> 1:04:43.280 when I see who you gave them money to. Because 1:04:43.320 --> 1:04:44.919 it's so easy to say I gave money a Black 1:04:44.920 --> 1:04:47.320 Lives Matter or I gave money to NAACP, because they're 1:04:47.320 --> 1:04:48.280 like staples. 1:04:47.840 --> 1:04:48.560 In the community. 1:04:48.720 --> 1:04:51.439 But it's like, what about these organizations that no one 1:04:51.840 --> 1:04:54.120 knows about that really could benefit from No. 1:04:54.320 --> 1:04:57.240 That's and that's a good point that you bring up too, 1:04:57.240 --> 1:05:00.520 because there's always in any crisis, it's always opportunity. And 1:05:00.560 --> 1:05:02.600 it's like, not to sound callous about it, but it's 1:05:02.640 --> 1:05:05.040 just the reality. Whether it was COVID, there was a 1:05:05.040 --> 1:05:07.320 lot of opportunity, and just COVID situations, a lot of 1:05:07.320 --> 1:05:10.040 people made a lot of money. And now the whole 1:05:10.600 --> 1:05:14.040 you know, black lives matter, racial injustice situation. And I 1:05:14.120 --> 1:05:15.640 was talking to a friend of mine who works in 1:05:15.680 --> 1:05:17.760 the NBA, and he was telling me he was like 1:05:17.800 --> 1:05:19.840 he told all his guys like, you know, like look 1:05:19.960 --> 1:05:23.080 like there's gonna be a lot of opportunity as far 1:05:23.080 --> 1:05:25.120 as like for businesses and business people. And it's like 1:05:25.120 --> 1:05:27.000 because now these companies feel like they got to wash 1:05:27.000 --> 1:05:30.440 away their sins and they got to like spend money. 1:05:30.840 --> 1:05:33.800 And it's like they're looking for people to really give 1:05:33.840 --> 1:05:36.520 money to. Whether it's a black publicist, whether it's a 1:05:36.560 --> 1:05:41.160 black teacher that can teach their staff about the racial 1:05:41.200 --> 1:05:43.600 injustices for the last four hundred years, whether it's a 1:05:43.600 --> 1:05:47.440 black accountant, whether it's a black doctor. Like they're looking 1:05:47.480 --> 1:05:49.720 to diversify their looking. So I say that to say, 1:05:50.400 --> 1:05:53.080 if you're an entrepreneur, if you're an investor, if you're black, 1:05:53.240 --> 1:05:56.560 this is a perfect opportunity right now to maybe reach out, 1:05:56.640 --> 1:06:00.400 make network, and make yourself known because I seen it 1:06:00.480 --> 1:06:04.840 firsthand where companies are actively looking to give money in 1:06:04.880 --> 1:06:08.400 a variety of different ways, whether there's inclusion programs, whether 1:06:08.400 --> 1:06:11.000 it's consultants, whether it's a you know, I have never 1:06:11.000 --> 1:06:14.040 really seen this much activity, and we don't know. 1:06:13.960 --> 1:06:14.959 How long it's gonna last. 1:06:14.960 --> 1:06:17.520 So you know, and if you are a white company 1:06:17.560 --> 1:06:20.920 who's hiring people black people, can do more than just 1:06:21.000 --> 1:06:23.880 head up the diversity and inclusion thing. Like literally everybody 1:06:23.920 --> 1:06:27.040 I was looking like we hired somebody for diversity and inclusion. 1:06:27.080 --> 1:06:29.720 I'm like, what God damn Like, like, imagine, like going 1:06:29.760 --> 1:06:32.080 to college and learning, you're so talented at what you do. 1:06:32.120 --> 1:06:33.600 When they say you're going to be here to talk 1:06:33.600 --> 1:06:36.800 about affirmative action and inclusion, it's like it's. 1:06:36.680 --> 1:06:37.720 Like the door. 1:06:37.800 --> 1:06:40.919 It's like I've been putting those situations where it's like, Yo, hey, 1:06:40.920 --> 1:06:43.200 we're gonna talk about race and schools and you're going 1:06:43.280 --> 1:06:45.360 to be the person. And I'm like, yo, I'm living it. 1:06:45.360 --> 1:06:48.160 Like it's I'm living it. It's enough living it now 1:06:48.160 --> 1:06:49.080 trying to explain. 1:06:48.800 --> 1:06:50.160 It and the thing and the thing you know, I 1:06:50.200 --> 1:06:52.280 always look at me. I'm a little different because I 1:06:52.320 --> 1:06:55.000 was raised was due for self, Like I never really 1:06:55.240 --> 1:06:58.840 was raised like on some inclusion type vibe. So I 1:06:58.880 --> 1:07:02.080 tell people all the time, like, to me, support is 1:07:02.120 --> 1:07:04.880 a lot more efficient than boycotting. So it's like you 1:07:05.000 --> 1:07:07.960 boycotting and you're putting pressure on EAT. That's good, but 1:07:08.040 --> 1:07:11.760 it's like instead of focusing that energy, focus your energy 1:07:11.760 --> 1:07:14.680 on building something that you are part of or in 1:07:14.720 --> 1:07:15.320 your community. 1:07:15.400 --> 1:07:16.320 Right, So it's like, let's. 1:07:16.160 --> 1:07:19.880 Say there's a top PR firm who only has white people, 1:07:19.920 --> 1:07:22.440 and it's like, all right, we're gonna boycott this PR 1:07:22.480 --> 1:07:24.880 firm until they hire three black PR eight. 1:07:24.920 --> 1:07:27.520 But it's like, you already have your own PR firm, 1:07:27.640 --> 1:07:29.520 why don't we because that's already a boycott. 1:07:29.600 --> 1:07:31.200 If you, if you, if you, if you, if you 1:07:31.240 --> 1:07:34.000 focus your your energy and you you actually give business 1:07:34.080 --> 1:07:37.320 to real black owned businesses, technically you're already boycotting that 1:07:37.360 --> 1:07:39.840 because you're taking money away from where you are spending it. 1:07:39.920 --> 1:07:42.280 But the problem with the boycotts, like the Gucci situation, like, Okay, 1:07:42.280 --> 1:07:45.720 we're gonna stop wearing Gucci until they make some flip flops. 1:07:45.720 --> 1:07:50.160 It's really cool three months, okay, but what's really changed. 1:07:53.320 --> 1:07:55.640 But it's like if you have like a black owned designer, 1:07:56.480 --> 1:07:58.840 then that's already taking money out of Gucci because you're 1:07:58.880 --> 1:08:01.160 you're just you don't have have to like force them 1:08:01.560 --> 1:08:04.480 to make Okay, we're gonna come to Harlem and. 1:08:04.400 --> 1:08:10.520 Eat it, Sylvius take a photo. It's like, I just don't. 1:08:10.560 --> 1:08:13.000 I just I still to this day don't fully understand 1:08:13.000 --> 1:08:15.760 why black people a lot of times are just so 1:08:16.560 --> 1:08:20.720 fascinated with being accepted by white people. It's really fascinating 1:08:20.720 --> 1:08:22.599 to me when it's like I don't really see any 1:08:22.640 --> 1:08:26.280 other culture that has tried so hard to be accepted 1:08:26.280 --> 1:08:29.440 and it's like abusive relationship, like you're hoping it's gonna change. 1:08:29.160 --> 1:08:29.880 That, it's really not. 1:08:30.000 --> 1:08:31.000 I think that's systemic. 1:08:31.120 --> 1:08:31.800 They're still beating you. 1:08:32.600 --> 1:08:34.040 I was gonna say that's that's the systemic part. 1:08:34.560 --> 1:08:35.679 Sure, I think it's a systemic. 1:08:35.720 --> 1:08:38.400 And then also I think, yeah, you can say, oh, 1:08:38.720 --> 1:08:42.240 come and like patronize with my company versus like trying 1:08:42.280 --> 1:08:45.240 to have this big company hire black people. But I 1:08:45.240 --> 1:08:49.759 think ultimately it's like everybody doesn't want to be an entrepreneur, everybody, 1:08:49.840 --> 1:08:51.920 And that's another thing that everyone is not built to 1:08:51.960 --> 1:08:53.880 be an entrepreneur. Some people just want to work for 1:08:53.880 --> 1:08:56.479 a company, and unfortunately for me, in the way that 1:08:56.560 --> 1:08:59.679 my company is ran. I don't see my company isn't 1:08:59.680 --> 1:09:01.559 scale the same way as like a PMK or like 1:09:01.560 --> 1:09:03.880 a Rogerson Cowan or whatever, you know what I mean. 1:09:04.000 --> 1:09:06.080 So I can understand why you might want to go 1:09:06.120 --> 1:09:07.840 work over there because you're gonna get your benefits and 1:09:07.880 --> 1:09:09.920 your salary's gonna be bigger at whatever. It's a bigger 1:09:09.920 --> 1:09:12.080 obvious you might have a corner suite. You ain't getting 1:09:12.080 --> 1:09:14.000 that over here, you know, But we're gonna work hard, 1:09:14.040 --> 1:09:15.519 We're gonna do some things that are dope, and you're 1:09:15.520 --> 1:09:16.120 gonna get paid. 1:09:16.680 --> 1:09:20.360 Let me ask you this hypothetically speaking, right, so you 1:09:19.960 --> 1:09:23.280 you you have ther whole correalition with my publicist is 1:09:23.320 --> 1:09:26.080 black you network with So what's stopping you guys from 1:09:26.120 --> 1:09:30.000 coming together and making your own top agency where maybe 1:09:30.000 --> 1:09:30.880 now you can scale it. 1:09:30.960 --> 1:09:32.920 Stay tuned, Stay tuned. 1:09:33.040 --> 1:09:36.240 Because why not? Right, I was gonna piggyback on that. 1:09:36.520 --> 1:09:39.519 The biggest and you have these big talents, you know, 1:09:39.560 --> 1:09:41.680 like you're coming with Beyonce to the table and then 1:09:41.720 --> 1:09:43.439 you got fucking he's over here. 1:09:43.760 --> 1:09:44.599 You can do a lot. 1:09:44.600 --> 1:09:46.840 Because everything is like like you're looking like a wells 1:09:46.880 --> 1:09:49.519 far like a lot of these different companies were like 1:09:49.600 --> 1:09:52.080 two names or three names. Is because two or three 1:09:52.080 --> 1:09:55.200 people came together at one point and they formed a company. 1:09:55.479 --> 1:09:57.640 That's something that black entrepreneurs don't do a lot of 1:09:57.760 --> 1:10:01.599 Either small businesses stay small because they're not scaling and 1:10:01.640 --> 1:10:04.680 it's small, but three small businesses can come together and 1:10:04.720 --> 1:10:06.719 make a mid sized business or a larger business. 1:10:07.040 --> 1:10:09.840 Thankfully, I found the right group of people who who 1:10:10.640 --> 1:10:12.599 they're thinking it's in alignment with what you just said, 1:10:12.760 --> 1:10:15.439 because I tried that early on and we couldn't get 1:10:15.479 --> 1:10:18.960 past the name. Like my company is not like Earnest Publicity, 1:10:19.000 --> 1:10:20.519 like a lot of people that use their name like 1:10:21.000 --> 1:10:23.720 you know, Ray Charles Publicity or whatever. Mine is not 1:10:23.880 --> 1:10:25.680 that I wanted it to be something that like if 1:10:25.680 --> 1:10:27.240 I ever wanted to leave this one day, it can 1:10:27.280 --> 1:10:29.679 still go on and it's not like tied into me. Also, 1:10:29.680 --> 1:10:31.639 because my mouth is crazy too, I might say something 1:10:31.640 --> 1:10:34.360 in this interview that's gonna get me blacklisted, and now 1:10:35.000 --> 1:10:37.200 with the company no more, it's like no, no, you know, 1:10:37.360 --> 1:10:39.840 And so we couldn't get past the name like the 1:10:39.880 --> 1:10:41.719 people like Lit's say, the three of us were gonna 1:10:41.720 --> 1:10:43.240 do it He's like, now I want it to be 1:10:43.320 --> 1:10:45.040 my name first, and you want your name first, and 1:10:45.040 --> 1:10:47.360 I'm like, what the fuck, Like wet even got no client, 1:10:47.600 --> 1:10:50.040 Like we're talking about a name and so it couldn't happen. 1:10:50.120 --> 1:10:53.080 And also because like it's so competitive. At least when 1:10:53.200 --> 1:10:55.920 it's my peers, like people were my age and we 1:10:55.960 --> 1:10:57.960 all came up around the same time, it's super competitive. 1:10:58.200 --> 1:11:02.320 But with this my publicists black, I believe I'm the 1:11:02.400 --> 1:11:05.519 youngest one on the entire thing, you know, and everyone 1:11:05.520 --> 1:11:08.000 has different levels of experience. They've been around for decades 1:11:08.040 --> 1:11:10.959 and whatever. They all do different things where we're not competing, 1:11:10.960 --> 1:11:13.719 we're collaborating. So just like you guys have like assets 1:11:13.760 --> 1:11:18.000 over liabilities, I'm like collaboration over competition, and that's where 1:11:18.040 --> 1:11:20.360 our mindset is and we're able to say, like, you know, 1:11:20.439 --> 1:11:22.840 we should do this, But before like it wasn't. It 1:11:22.920 --> 1:11:26.519 was like we're too competitive because we think like of 1:11:26.520 --> 1:11:28.519 like the crabs and a barrel mentality, like you know, 1:11:28.720 --> 1:11:30.559 there can only be one and I hate them people 1:11:30.600 --> 1:11:32.200 say crabs in a barrel because like crabs don't even 1:11:32.240 --> 1:11:32.920 belong in barrels. 1:11:32.920 --> 1:11:34.519 Like no one ever questions that. It's just like, yeah, 1:11:34.520 --> 1:11:35.320 we crabs in a barrel. 1:11:35.800 --> 1:11:35.920 You know. 1:11:36.120 --> 1:11:39.160 It's like no, like there really is so much money 1:11:39.280 --> 1:11:40.040 everybody to eat. 1:11:40.080 --> 1:11:41.040 It's enough everybody. 1:11:41.080 --> 1:11:44.240 What's what's your thoughts on quote unquote Black Hollya, what's 1:11:44.280 --> 1:11:46.760 the future of it? Or is it in black Atlanta now? 1:11:46.800 --> 1:11:47.799 Because you know Tyler. 1:11:47.560 --> 1:11:50.960 Peri studios it's huge? What what's your thoughts on it? 1:11:51.120 --> 1:11:53.080 No? Actually know what Tyler Perry Studios. I think is 1:11:53.120 --> 1:11:55.920 gonna be something that's super dope. And I see a 1:11:55.920 --> 1:11:58.439 lot of things are done there already. I've done I've 1:11:58.479 --> 1:12:02.040 done multiplepoper reductions on his studio a lot, So I 1:12:02.040 --> 1:12:04.960 don't want to speak to that. The future of Black Hollywood, 1:12:05.000 --> 1:12:09.240 to me, it seems like, and I hope it's not 1:12:09.280 --> 1:12:11.240 just a moment, but I think people are starting to 1:12:11.800 --> 1:12:15.160 really see the value that black people bring in terms 1:12:15.160 --> 1:12:18.439 of their experiences. Like even like with these animated series, 1:12:18.479 --> 1:12:20.559 like the guy who plays in Cleveland, Cleveland or whatever, 1:12:20.600 --> 1:12:22.439 he's like, I'm not going to voice him anymore. I 1:12:22.439 --> 1:12:24.760 think somebody black should be the voice of him. Well, 1:12:24.840 --> 1:12:26.320 I mean you could have twenty years to say that, you. 1:12:26.360 --> 1:12:29.479 Know whatever, Oh Cleveland, the guy's white. 1:12:29.760 --> 1:12:34.040 Yeah, I never knew that that's that's crazy. 1:12:34.439 --> 1:12:36.919 Close your eyes, he do sound that's very very racist. 1:12:37.280 --> 1:12:41.559 Melon the lack of melon, that's amazing. I think people 1:12:41.600 --> 1:12:46.240 are making more conscious decisions like that, we need representation here, 1:12:46.439 --> 1:12:48.960 Black representation, authentic black voices to be heard. 1:12:49.280 --> 1:12:51.120 We want to hire black and diversify. 1:12:51.200 --> 1:12:55.240 And so I think it's an exciting time we walked into, 1:12:55.320 --> 1:12:58.799 like this pandemic, like the years over, Summer's canceled or whatever. 1:12:59.200 --> 1:13:01.080 I feel like all this stuff. 1:13:01.120 --> 1:13:03.040 Although there has been some bad things that have happened 1:13:03.040 --> 1:13:05.160 and people have lost their lives, lost their homes, whatever, 1:13:06.840 --> 1:13:08.680 I think there's also good too. I think we had 1:13:08.720 --> 1:13:11.160 to kind of do like a hard reset, you know, 1:13:11.280 --> 1:13:13.880 to where like no one should want to go back 1:13:13.880 --> 1:13:15.840 out of this pandemic, Like we want to go back 1:13:15.840 --> 1:13:19.080 to normal. Like I was asking about TV earlier before 1:13:19.120 --> 1:13:20.680 we filmed, I'm like, y'all still want to watch that? 1:13:20.720 --> 1:13:22.559 I don't care about that no more, Like yeah, I've 1:13:22.560 --> 1:13:23.960 been in the house. I didn't watch so much TV, 1:13:23.960 --> 1:13:25.920 Like I don't want to see nothing else. So like 1:13:26.160 --> 1:13:29.120 we're creating a new normal, and I think the new 1:13:29.120 --> 1:13:33.439 normal was going to include diversity and amplifying and supporting 1:13:33.479 --> 1:13:34.120 black voices. 1:13:34.200 --> 1:13:35.840 Yeah, I'm thinking about this, like I'm going all the 1:13:35.880 --> 1:13:38.960 way back now, Like you started out as a publicist, 1:13:39.360 --> 1:13:42.719 but you also executive produced. Like how did you gravitate 1:13:42.760 --> 1:13:44.160 toward that and where did you get the skill? Is 1:13:44.200 --> 1:13:46.960 it just being on the scene and learning as you 1:13:46.560 --> 1:13:48.800 with your clients or did you like to study that? 1:13:49.040 --> 1:13:52.559 No. So when I was working with a PR one 1:13:52.600 --> 1:13:54.960 of the people I interned for, I didn't really intern 1:13:54.960 --> 1:13:57.519 I'm not gonna lie. She would outsource things to me 1:13:57.920 --> 1:13:59.759 so she would pay me. She was based in Atlanta, 1:13:59.840 --> 1:14:03.400 name Teresa. She would sense to say, you're her client, 1:14:03.439 --> 1:14:05.120 you're in LA. She's like, can you go look after 1:14:05.160 --> 1:14:06.519 them in LA? Because I don't want to fly in 1:14:06.960 --> 1:14:08.120 and it saves money of course. 1:14:08.240 --> 1:14:08.479 Fine. 1:14:08.520 --> 1:14:08.840 Whatever. 1:14:09.200 --> 1:14:11.880 So one of those people was Kisha Cole And so 1:14:12.080 --> 1:14:14.800 I'm like my own publicist. I my own company, not 1:14:14.840 --> 1:14:16.519 really a real company. I just had a logo on 1:14:16.560 --> 1:14:18.920 a website. I didn't do nothing like to like really 1:14:18.960 --> 1:14:20.960 register it. But I thought that's all I needed. So 1:14:21.000 --> 1:14:22.960 I'm thinking I'm like this big Mogo type nigga. I 1:14:23.000 --> 1:14:24.800 got a company. And so she's like, can you look 1:14:24.840 --> 1:14:27.040 after my client? I'm like sure, whatever, So I look 1:14:27.080 --> 1:14:29.920 after Kisha Coole, and at the end of us working 1:14:29.960 --> 1:14:31.720 together for that day, it was a photo shoot from 1:14:31.720 --> 1:14:33.840 a magazine, She's like, Oh, what are you doing? Do 1:14:33.840 --> 1:14:35.280 you want to come back to Cleveland with me and 1:14:35.280 --> 1:14:37.519 my husband and be my assistant? And in my mind, 1:14:37.560 --> 1:14:40.200 I'm like an assistant, I'm a boss, nigga, I have a company. 1:14:40.360 --> 1:14:43.000 But I'm like, oh wait. Her publicist probably told her 1:14:43.040 --> 1:14:45.040 I was her assistant, and so she's like, well, you're 1:14:45.040 --> 1:14:46.240 an assistant, you want to work with her, you can 1:14:46.280 --> 1:14:48.120 work with me, And again, being broke, I was like, 1:14:48.160 --> 1:14:50.000 hell yeah, And so I moved to Cleveland and started 1:14:50.000 --> 1:14:51.479 working with her. And at that time, she had a 1:14:51.520 --> 1:14:55.800 reality show on BT and Keisha is somebody who you 1:14:55.800 --> 1:14:57.679 have to really speak her language in order to communicate 1:14:57.680 --> 1:14:59.360 with her. That there's a way to talk to her 1:14:59.439 --> 1:15:02.840 or I think people we've mastered the art of communicating 1:15:02.920 --> 1:15:04.960 with various type of people. It's like, if you're an introvert, 1:15:05.040 --> 1:15:06.920 we can sit here in silence and talk really loud. 1:15:07.120 --> 1:15:09.200 If you're an extroverted, we could be extra stuck together 1:15:09.240 --> 1:15:11.040 and we're gonna get the job done. And whatever you 1:15:11.080 --> 1:15:12.439 want to talk and we want to curse, we could 1:15:12.439 --> 1:15:13.880 do that. You wanna smoke, i'mna smoke what you want 1:15:13.920 --> 1:15:16.160 to do it. I'm a chameleon in that way. So 1:15:16.240 --> 1:15:18.280 I mastered the art of communicating with her, and so 1:15:18.360 --> 1:15:21.640 that production brought me on as a production assistant, Like 1:15:21.720 --> 1:15:24.240 they paid me in addition to her, so I can 1:15:24.280 --> 1:15:26.160 make sure she was on time and that she knew 1:15:26.160 --> 1:15:28.400 everything she had to do and that because if she's late, 1:15:28.439 --> 1:15:29.640 it's going to hold the whole production up. 1:15:29.680 --> 1:15:31.160 You know, she don't come downstairs for the day you 1:15:31.160 --> 1:15:31.799 wasted money. 1:15:32.040 --> 1:15:35.160 And from there, when it was over, I was offered 1:15:35.200 --> 1:15:38.200 a job by that production company to work as a 1:15:38.360 --> 1:15:40.000 production assistant within their company. 1:15:40.200 --> 1:15:40.960 And I'm like, I want to be. 1:15:40.960 --> 1:15:42.680 A publicist, but this is paying more money because I 1:15:42.720 --> 1:15:44.720 was paying eight hundred dollars a week, and I'm like 1:15:44.760 --> 1:15:47.439 eight hundred a week versus the fifty dollars a month, 1:15:47.560 --> 1:15:50.000 I mean fifty dollars a placement. I'm like, hmm, I'm 1:15:50.040 --> 1:15:51.479 gonna do it eight hundred dollars a week. So I 1:15:51.520 --> 1:15:52.960 went there and I just worked my way up through 1:15:52.960 --> 1:15:56.559 that company while simultaneously still doing publicity. So I would 1:15:56.560 --> 1:15:59.320 be working with Jackie Christie getting her interviews and then 1:15:59.320 --> 1:16:02.479 I would be at the production company answering phones because 1:16:02.479 --> 1:16:04.360 I wanted that extra income and I wanted to learn. 1:16:04.400 --> 1:16:06.360 And so in that company, I went from a. 1:16:06.280 --> 1:16:10.920 Production assistant to casting associate, which is like the casting assistant, 1:16:11.000 --> 1:16:14.080 to like a field producer, a segment producer, and I 1:16:14.160 --> 1:16:16.160 worked my way up to an executive producer. 1:16:16.640 --> 1:16:17.439 And one thing I. 1:16:17.439 --> 1:16:20.680 Would say is that like people, when you demonstrate like 1:16:20.760 --> 1:16:23.360 what you're good at in your strengths, people will hire 1:16:23.439 --> 1:16:25.280 you and they'll rock with you. They may not like you, 1:16:25.400 --> 1:16:26.840 but they'll call you when the money is there because 1:16:26.840 --> 1:16:28.360 they know you can get the job done and they 1:16:28.360 --> 1:16:31.120 can trust you. And so that same guy who hired 1:16:31.120 --> 1:16:33.880 me as a production assistant is also who brought me 1:16:33.920 --> 1:16:36.040 in for Fox Soul to do that, because he now 1:16:36.080 --> 1:16:38.439 is the head of Fox Soul, James Dubos, And so 1:16:38.439 --> 1:16:40.840 it's like a testament to having good relationships and also 1:16:40.880 --> 1:16:42.760 like having a vision. Like I knew when I was 1:16:42.800 --> 1:16:44.960 answering the phones, I'm like, I barely answer my own phone. 1:16:45.000 --> 1:16:47.320 I don't want to answer this phone. But I knew 1:16:47.640 --> 1:16:49.200 I was able to see other people in the company 1:16:49.240 --> 1:16:51.920 who were driving nice cars and they were making nice 1:16:51.920 --> 1:16:53.400 salaries and I'm like, I want to get to that point, 1:16:53.439 --> 1:16:54.559 so I'm gonna do what I have to do so 1:16:54.560 --> 1:16:56.280 I can do what I want to do later. And 1:16:56.600 --> 1:16:58.120 that's really how it came about. And I was I 1:16:58.120 --> 1:17:00.320 got more credits, other people would hire me, you know. 1:17:00.400 --> 1:17:02.599 So then I went an EP like Tammy Roman Special 1:17:02.640 --> 1:17:04.920 for VH one Tammy Ever After, and then I guess 1:17:05.120 --> 1:17:07.400 we got the Bonding Chronicle show was scripted, and then 1:17:07.400 --> 1:17:10.880 I got another show on bt HER with Queen Latifa's company, 1:17:10.880 --> 1:17:14.240 and just really like showcasing like, okay, what you're able 1:17:14.280 --> 1:17:17.080 to do, and not just saying that you can do it, 1:17:17.120 --> 1:17:18.759 which a lot of people do, Like I'm a producer, 1:17:18.800 --> 1:17:21.400 I'm whatever. It's like, I can show you like what 1:17:21.439 --> 1:17:23.439 I've been able to do, you know. So even when 1:17:23.439 --> 1:17:25.599 I took that L and said I got two thousand dollars, 1:17:26.200 --> 1:17:28.439 I booked for another job and I made what I 1:17:28.479 --> 1:17:29.679 was supposed to make on that one. 1:17:30.240 --> 1:17:31.479 So I guess it was right. You got to take 1:17:31.479 --> 1:17:32.400 it L on your first one. 1:17:32.439 --> 1:17:34.920 But I still don't think you had to, like you 1:17:34.920 --> 1:17:38.719 don't have to hurt yourself or less of your value 1:17:38.880 --> 1:17:40.200 in order to be successful. 1:17:40.240 --> 1:17:42.959 But ended up working out for me, for sure. 1:17:42.800 --> 1:17:46.200 So Ernest, it's been a pleasure. One last question the 1:17:46.240 --> 1:17:47.360 most and most. 1:17:47.240 --> 1:17:49.719 Of the all they tired and in the already interview 1:17:49.760 --> 1:17:54.920 already four ads and fifteen second thing full times to 1:17:54.920 --> 1:17:58.400 skip it, like That's what I'll be doing in like bevel, 1:18:02.560 --> 1:18:04.320 the most important I'm sorry. 1:18:04.320 --> 1:18:10.200 The most important question, no anchor shout shout out to anchor, 1:18:10.400 --> 1:18:13.800 just skip that. One the good people is Spotify. How 1:18:13.800 --> 1:18:16.400 do you get verified on Instagram? Uh? 1:18:16.439 --> 1:18:20.479 There are various ways to do it, the easy for 1:18:20.520 --> 1:18:24.280 a friend, the easiest, ask. 1:18:24.160 --> 1:18:24.880 For whatever you want to ask. 1:18:25.160 --> 1:18:26.280 I'm ask for my check. 1:18:27.280 --> 1:18:29.360 But I think the easiest way to do it is 1:18:29.400 --> 1:18:32.719 one if you're on a TV show. Like companies like Viacom, 1:18:32.880 --> 1:18:35.639 vach one, they take ads out or they do ads 1:18:35.640 --> 1:18:38.960 with Facebook, which owns Instagram. They can there are like 1:18:39.040 --> 1:18:40.920 a lot of a certain amount of people they can verify, 1:18:41.080 --> 1:18:44.360 so they'll verify easily. Or the key is to get 1:18:44.400 --> 1:18:48.840 like ride ups that are all right? So are you 1:18:48.880 --> 1:18:51.040 familiar with domain authorities like the rating like the d 1:18:51.080 --> 1:18:51.519 A rating? 1:18:51.920 --> 1:18:53.479 All right? So I wasn't at first either. 1:18:53.600 --> 1:18:56.280 So like imagine like a site like Google, they have 1:18:56.360 --> 1:18:58.360 like a domain authority of one hundred I mean so 1:18:58.400 --> 1:19:01.160 many people go there. Everybody body knows Google. It's like 1:19:01.200 --> 1:19:05.120 a verifiable type of thing, whereas like uh, plant based 1:19:05.439 --> 1:19:08.799 hustlers dot com, they may have like a domain authority 1:19:08.800 --> 1:19:10.960 of twenty, Like no one goes there, they're not getting ads, 1:19:10.960 --> 1:19:13.040 people aren't linking things back to their site or whatever. 1:19:13.320 --> 1:19:15.519 And so you have to have I think as a 1:19:15.560 --> 1:19:20.160 minimum of like five articles about you on on an 1:19:20.240 --> 1:19:23.080 outlet that have like a domain authority of seventy or higher. 1:19:23.479 --> 1:19:24.960 So like if you get an article in like. 1:19:24.960 --> 1:19:26.960 Fours or Yahoo find it. 1:19:27.040 --> 1:19:30.160 Yeah exactly, you do those, then then they see you 1:19:30.200 --> 1:19:32.640 as somebody who needs to be verified, like you are 1:19:32.720 --> 1:19:35.479 a person who these people vouch for, who know who 1:19:35.560 --> 1:19:38.559 you are, and therefore you could get verified or another 1:19:38.600 --> 1:19:40.360 way to do it is like in this you know, 1:19:40.400 --> 1:19:42.320 you have some interns or whatever, create a bunch of 1:19:42.320 --> 1:19:45.960 fake pages, earn your leisure, but eat are in like 1:19:46.200 --> 1:19:48.479 my do mind, earn your leisure, and then it's like okay, 1:19:49.320 --> 1:19:51.040 put the same logo on there and just upload shit. 1:19:51.120 --> 1:19:52.280 Do a couple of those, and then they're going to 1:19:52.400 --> 1:19:54.599 verify you because they feel like there is too much 1:19:54.640 --> 1:19:57.480 confusion on who they're accurate on is like their imposters 1:19:57.520 --> 1:20:01.639 impostering you or havn't just known somebody. 1:20:01.680 --> 1:20:02.080 I don't know. 1:20:02.280 --> 1:20:04.599 I don't know who that somebody is because I've seen 1:20:04.600 --> 1:20:06.439 people pay and ain't got nothing out of it. They 1:20:06.439 --> 1:20:10.840 didn't get verified or nothing. It's got swindled. But I 1:20:10.840 --> 1:20:13.559 think those are the two most effective ways to do it. 1:20:14.240 --> 1:20:16.519 You know, Okay, you're trying to get verified. 1:20:17.080 --> 1:20:18.080 We should be verified. 1:20:18.560 --> 1:20:19.800 Are you verified in the street. 1:20:20.479 --> 1:20:22.000 That's a fact. That's a fact. 1:20:23.120 --> 1:20:25.719 No, no, no, nothing that not. That's first and formal 1:20:26.000 --> 1:20:32.120 for sure. Respectfully, respect respectfully. Obviously people like I ain't 1:20:32.200 --> 1:20:33.000 verified with you know. 1:20:33.000 --> 1:20:34.040 Like the hout. 1:20:34.080 --> 1:20:35.479 Your game go up when you get verified. So I 1:20:35.560 --> 1:20:36.400 get it, y'all want to be. 1:20:37.960 --> 1:20:41.559 Respectful. I cannot confirm now. 1:20:41.560 --> 1:20:49.080 That who check can't do this house might get appreciate 1:20:49.880 --> 1:20:53.320 you'all got to do on the YouTube page the extra 1:20:53.439 --> 1:20:58.439 blog home to for Really Ernest Living, to Ernest Living. 1:20:59.479 --> 1:21:03.960 Episode in your Leisure for shout out Tonest. 1:21:04.600 --> 1:21:05.599 It's been a pleasure, bro. 1:21:05.640 --> 1:21:07.880 How can people contact you any initiatives you want to 1:21:07.880 --> 1:21:09.519 make them aware of anything you have going on? 1:21:09.680 --> 1:21:11.679 No, just drink water and get your rest. 1:21:12.439 --> 1:21:15.080 I am on Instagram at arn Duke's E R N 1:21:15.479 --> 1:21:18.320 d U k S And that's kind of consistent across 1:21:18.360 --> 1:21:21.240 all platforms. I don't follow back what I do read 1:21:21.280 --> 1:21:21.960 on my rams. 1:21:22.840 --> 1:21:26.719 So how that me? There? You have it, ladies and gentlemen. 1:21:27.120 --> 1:21:27.879 Troy Housekeeping. 1:21:28.160 --> 1:21:30.439 Yeah, shout out everybody on Patreon dot com. Y'all know 1:21:30.439 --> 1:21:31.920 that's our proud to pay program. 1:21:32.439 --> 1:21:34.160 We have some new members. I hope I get their 1:21:34.240 --> 1:21:35.000 names right A Kilo. 1:21:35.320 --> 1:21:38.080 It's Tier five are Brown and Richard, Tier four and 1:21:38.120 --> 1:21:43.080 you know, shout out to hire you. I'm like, we 1:21:43.080 --> 1:21:45.440 don't know, Yeah, so shout out them. 1:21:45.560 --> 1:21:45.960 And you know. 1:21:46.320 --> 1:21:48.479 With Tier four and five, members get access to E 1:21:48.640 --> 1:21:50.800 y L University that is our online school, the number 1:21:50.800 --> 1:21:54.520 one business school in the world with only over seventy webinars. 1:21:55.040 --> 1:21:56.920 We got a book club, movie club, We have the 1:21:56.920 --> 1:21:59.120 Breaking Bread session with our brother MG, the mortgage guy 1:21:59.400 --> 1:22:01.960 who we referenced earlier. So shout everybody that's been joining 1:22:01.960 --> 1:22:04.160 and shout everybody that's been supporting the merch. 1:22:04.280 --> 1:22:05.800 We got some new merch on today. Shout out. 1:22:05.840 --> 1:22:07.519 Shout out to Mike for getting that merch. Out for 1:22:08.800 --> 1:22:10.240 get you some merch. We probably can get you some 1:22:10.240 --> 1:22:10.840 before you leave. 1:22:11.479 --> 1:22:14.320 Yeah, shout shout out to all the earners that's been 1:22:14.360 --> 1:22:14.880 supporting that. 1:22:15.960 --> 1:22:18.840 Yeah, and once again you forgot the real estate face 1:22:18.960 --> 1:22:19.800 or the investment face. 1:22:19.840 --> 1:22:20.720 Oh yes, yes, yes, yes. 1:22:20.840 --> 1:22:23.679 Facebook University is a wave. That's the whole new wave 1:22:23.720 --> 1:22:27.240 that we're right now. So yeah, if you're interested, click 1:22:27.280 --> 1:22:30.519 the link in our bio. Thank you guys for rocking 1:22:30.520 --> 1:22:33.040 with us. Shout out to Los Angeles. Everybody always said like, Yo, 1:22:33.080 --> 1:22:36.040 you don't give LA enough love. Yeah, So we're here 1:22:36.040 --> 1:22:38.439 in l A and we will be doing more stuff 1:22:38.439 --> 1:22:39.639 in l A once COVID is over. 1:22:39.680 --> 1:22:41.720 We're gonna be doing events in l A. You love 1:22:41.760 --> 1:22:42.240 it out here. 1:22:43.120 --> 1:22:45.440 Catch us on running three times. 1:22:46.760 --> 1:22:49.120 So shout out to everybody in LA and all over 1:22:49.160 --> 1:22:51.160 the West Coast. Thank you guys rocking with us. We'll 1:22:51.160 --> 1:22:51.920 see you next week. 1:22:52.080 --> 1:22:52.840 Peace Peace p