WEBVTT - TERRI J VAUGHN - A Star Is Grilled

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<v Speaker 1>Hey, guys, welcome to another episode of Eating While Broke.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm your host, Coleen Witt, and today we have a

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<v Speaker 1>very special treat for you all. Pun intended. Terry J. Vaughn, actress, director, producer.

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<v Speaker 1>Terry J. Vaughn's in the building. Thank you so much

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<v Speaker 1>for coming. I was extremely and I told you off camera,

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<v Speaker 1>extremely excited to have you on today. I've watched you.

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<v Speaker 1>I feel like we family, Like I've watched you so much.

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<v Speaker 2>I love that.

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<v Speaker 1>I know people probably come up to you and say, hey.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, yeah, it's like we're family, and I don't mind that.

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<v Speaker 1>You don't mind it, Okay for all our listeners, you

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<v Speaker 1>don't mind. Yeah, let me eat my mail and come over.

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<v Speaker 1>But what will you be having us eat today?

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<v Speaker 2>I Am going to make us some fish tacos.

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<v Speaker 1>Fish tacos.

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<v Speaker 2>Yes, so very excited, very exciting, favorite thing to do.

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<v Speaker 2>I love Mexican food, so I love I'm a taco fanatic.

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<v Speaker 1>Really are you based out of Are you from California?

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<v Speaker 2>I am.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm from the Bay Area, from San Francisco. Okay, okay, yeah.

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<v Speaker 1>Whenever someone says they love Mexican food, I'm like that. California.

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<v Speaker 1>It is a California thing.

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<v Speaker 2>It is, it is.

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<v Speaker 1>I have some great news for all the listeners. We've

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<v Speaker 1>never had fish tacos on the show. Okay, we've taped

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<v Speaker 1>like one hundred and twenty episodes, so that's amazing and

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<v Speaker 1>it's affordable. But what will be going into your dish?

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<v Speaker 1>By the way, I've never had homemade fish tacos?

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<v Speaker 2>Oh really?

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<v Speaker 1>Oh, you're in for a tree not Judge Hard. I'm

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<v Speaker 1>like that, who's that white guy that he's the chef,

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<v Speaker 1>that he's really mean? I forgot his name.

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<v Speaker 2>I don't know.

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<v Speaker 1>You don't watch cook you don't want to cook it

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<v Speaker 1>though you want a cook It show except for yours. Okay,

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<v Speaker 1>that's great, all right. Tell me what the ingredients are

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<v Speaker 1>for your fish tacos.

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<v Speaker 2>Okay, for my fish tacos, we're gonna use tilapia fish.

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<v Speaker 2>I like corntertias because I do a little crunch on

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<v Speaker 2>my tacos. And we have avocados, onions, jalapeno, garlic, tomatoes,

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<v Speaker 2>and lime in cilantro.

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<v Speaker 1>Nope, but you got it all.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, And I like it all fresh, okay.

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<v Speaker 1>And we did it fresh because I like to sneak

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<v Speaker 1>in the two garlic and I was like man when

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<v Speaker 1>they put a real garlic what's official? And then you

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<v Speaker 1>have a sauce.

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<v Speaker 2>Yes, So I love taco sauce and I like the green.

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<v Speaker 1>Verdet sauce day sauce.

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<v Speaker 2>Yes.

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<v Speaker 1>I was talking to my Meda glasses. What is Verdet sauce?

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<v Speaker 1>Show me picture? Yes, okay, so get in the kitchen woman.

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<v Speaker 2>Okay, so I cook?

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<v Speaker 1>Now you cook, you cook. It's so weird because you're

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<v Speaker 1>taking a busy time out of your schedule. We have

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<v Speaker 1>this beautiful resume and then you're cooking for me a

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<v Speaker 1>broke dish, that's right, yes, yes, And I didn't know

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<v Speaker 1>if you needed that extra. I don't really know how

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<v Speaker 1>to make tortillas for real, So.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, did you know? This is a shame? Come on,

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<v Speaker 2>you need to learn.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm a New York native. New York. You don't eat

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<v Speaker 1>Mexican over there, not really. Some people do, but I

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<v Speaker 1>don't think it's a big We're like a Chinese pizza

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<v Speaker 1>type of state.

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<v Speaker 2>And I do love Chinese food. Chinese food is big,

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<v Speaker 2>not in LA in the Bay Area, really, I'm saying.

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<v Speaker 2>In San Francisco, yes, we have a huge Chinese population.

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<v Speaker 2>One of the best chinatowns in the.

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<v Speaker 1>World what And I love Chinese. I need to go

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<v Speaker 1>hit a month.

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<v Speaker 2>So yeah, so we Chinese food and Mexican food are

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<v Speaker 2>huge in San Francisco.

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<v Speaker 1>And then, just so you all listeners know, she did

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<v Speaker 1>use avocado oil, and I gotta know why.

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<v Speaker 2>I just try to eat as healthy as possible, and

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<v Speaker 2>I'll be honest.

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<v Speaker 1>That's why you look good.

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<v Speaker 2>I try, so I'll be honest. So I know we're

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<v Speaker 2>making the broke dish like something I ate, but I

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<v Speaker 2>did not use avocado oil. Yeah.

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<v Speaker 1>I was growing up and I was assuming you didn't

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<v Speaker 1>always have avocados either.

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<v Speaker 2>And I didn't always, So this is an upgraded broke.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, thank you. I appreciate the treat because sometimes people

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<v Speaker 1>really make me relive for real. Okay, so you're putting

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<v Speaker 1>the tilapia in the pan and avocado oil. I saw

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<v Speaker 1>you did both sides. By the way, we did play

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<v Speaker 1>with some of your seasonings. You should tell the guests

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<v Speaker 1>what seasonings you have.

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<v Speaker 2>So I like to put a little garlic, even though

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<v Speaker 2>I'm using fresh garlic. You know what, I don't need

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<v Speaker 2>to do both.

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<v Speaker 1>You don't want to do the both garlic powder.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, I'm going to use the fresh garl like

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<v Speaker 2>pepper salt, of course, and then Cooman mm hmm.

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<v Speaker 1>I always wonder what people use cooming for.

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<v Speaker 2>It's Mexican food.

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<v Speaker 1>Oh that's what I make for me.

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<v Speaker 2>That's the only thing I use it for. When I'm

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<v Speaker 2>making my tacos or if I'm making guacamole.

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<v Speaker 1>I use Cuman. And really, is it Cooman or Cuman?

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<v Speaker 1>It's Cooman Cooman? Okay, you know what? It wasn't in

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<v Speaker 1>the studio. I went home and I was like, I know,

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<v Speaker 1>I haven't in my yeah, but I even understand why

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<v Speaker 1>I have it in my cabinet. I was like, I

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<v Speaker 1>must have taken it from point eating while broke or something.

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<v Speaker 1>And then you used to whole Himmalayan salt.

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<v Speaker 2>I love it again that this is your upgrade. This

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<v Speaker 2>is a part of the upgrade. It was just regular

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<v Speaker 2>ass white sauce salt, Morton.

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<v Speaker 1>And why do you feel like this salt is better?

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<v Speaker 1>Is it healthier?

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<v Speaker 2>It's healthier. It's not well processed. Okay, so you see

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<v Speaker 2>it's still and you guys got the good kind too,

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<v Speaker 2>because it's still in the big crystal flakes and we

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<v Speaker 2>gotta spin it to grind it.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay. So that when you go, if we were to

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<v Speaker 1>go in your house, would your pepper be the pepper grind?

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<v Speaker 1>We have it back there by the way, And they

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<v Speaker 1>played a tad of this because you we didn't get

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<v Speaker 1>the sodium.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, you guys got the one with a lot of sodium.

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<v Speaker 2>And the whole point is we're trying to be a

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<v Speaker 2>little bit more healthy, isn't it right? Aren't we?

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<v Speaker 1>I really need to lose a lot of weight. So yes, yes,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm gonna get there.

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<v Speaker 2>Okay, so this is gonna let this fry a little bit.

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<v Speaker 2>It's a heat. I'm just gonna say I do not

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<v Speaker 2>like cooking on the electric stoves.

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<v Speaker 1>But everyone on this show, i'd say, like nine hate election.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah it's terrible. So hopefully the dish comes out.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, Okay, so you're cooking those up, and then what

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<v Speaker 1>do you do with these tortillas?

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<v Speaker 2>Are you gonna know the tartilla? I am also going

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<v Speaker 2>to just do a little I don't know if you

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<v Speaker 2>call it fried because it's not like really fried, but

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<v Speaker 2>I am gonna I guess it's fried. I'm going to

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<v Speaker 2>put more avocado oil on this pain. Then I'm gonna

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<v Speaker 2>put the tortilla on and I'm gonna fry it up

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<v Speaker 2>a little bit because I like my shells crunching.

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<v Speaker 1>Now, is there a way to get the whole shell

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<v Speaker 1>really crunchy.

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<v Speaker 2>Listen, if you fry it hard, it'll be very crunchy.

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<v Speaker 1>So I watch you do it. I love crunching. I

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<v Speaker 1>love crunching. Matter of fact, back in the day, when

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<v Speaker 1>Chipotle first came out, I would always get the bowls,

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<v Speaker 1>and then I discovered they had the taco shells, the

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<v Speaker 1>hard shells. You will never catch me in Chippole without

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<v Speaker 1>a hard taco shell.

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<v Speaker 2>But you know what, and I get so in the

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<v Speaker 2>broke day when I was doing like sometimes, we would

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<v Speaker 2>have the taco shells that are already in the box.

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<v Speaker 1>I still use some. Okay, are you mad at me?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah?

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<v Speaker 1>So that guys see how she looks in real life.

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<v Speaker 1>She looks exactly how she looks on TV.

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<v Speaker 2>I do.

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<v Speaker 1>And the crazy part is we've been watching her all

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<v Speaker 1>for a very long time, so just imagine seeing her

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<v Speaker 1>in person. It's crazy how beautiful you are.

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<v Speaker 2>Thank you.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, So now that my fans know that they should

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<v Speaker 1>be googling you and looking at you, and you have

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<v Speaker 1>Instagram too, we can keep it you I do.

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<v Speaker 2>Everything is under Terry Jbond.

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<v Speaker 1>Terry Jbon. You know, like when I say the JA,

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<v Speaker 1>I do like.

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<v Speaker 2>I don't like when people forget my jay.

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<v Speaker 1>Oh really, I don't good because I like saying it's

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<v Speaker 1>Terry J.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah. Isn't it cooler? Yeah? And I've always gone by it.

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<v Speaker 2>It's it's my middle name starts with a J.

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<v Speaker 1>I love it. It's very in a.

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<v Speaker 2>Million years, you cannot guess when my middle name. Man,

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<v Speaker 2>it starts with the J. Obviously, but everything you say

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<v Speaker 2>is going to be off.

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<v Speaker 1>I bet I'm gonna go with jam jam Jam s jam.

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<v Speaker 1>What is the J stand for? Are you gonna tell us?

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<v Speaker 2>I will? I just wanted to at least take jam jelly. No,

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<v Speaker 2>why are you saying weird?

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<v Speaker 1>Because I'm trying to think of what name is giving

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<v Speaker 1>a J Jackson girl? Wait, I got excited.

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<v Speaker 2>People say like Jeanett or jan answer they say regular regular.

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<v Speaker 1>No, I'm sure it's gonna be a bomb name.

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<v Speaker 2>It's not necessarily it isn't. I love my middle name,

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<v Speaker 2>but will give us a hand? Just want okay? The

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<v Speaker 2>J is silent.

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<v Speaker 1>One?

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<v Speaker 2>Keep going?

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I was gonna get that right from the jump.

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<v Speaker 1>I was thinking that from the jump. Does anyone ever

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<v Speaker 1>guess it that way?

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<v Speaker 2>Ever?

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<v Speaker 1>But does anyone ever guess one in the beginning? No,

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<v Speaker 1>So I'm like the first.

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<v Speaker 2>I gave you about a thousand hens.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah. Yeah, but if you give someone the silent jh.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, yeah, the silent J gives it away.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, J that's nice. Cherry Juanita, Ye, Terry, okay, Terry,

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<v Speaker 1>take me back to what was going on now with

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<v Speaker 1>the elevated fish tacos? What was going on with the

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<v Speaker 1>broke of fish tacos?

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<v Speaker 2>Okay? So, yes, this is elevated because when I was

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<v Speaker 2>growing up, like I said, we love Mexican food in

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<v Speaker 2>my house, and so we would make tacos really out

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<v Speaker 2>of all kinds of stuff. So on a normal day

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<v Speaker 2>it was just the ground beast, regular kind of tacos.

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<v Speaker 2>But I don't eat meat anymore. I only eat fish fish.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah you chicken, Nope.

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<v Speaker 1>No, we're slowly learning her beauty tips right here.

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<v Speaker 2>Guys, I gave it up. I just felt, to be honest,

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<v Speaker 2>I feel like our country doesn't take good care of

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<v Speaker 2>how they get our meat. So that's what it. This

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<v Speaker 2>is gonna sound so weird, I literally because I used

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<v Speaker 2>to eat bacon back then. We would make bacon tacos. Really,

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<v Speaker 2>that's some ghetto ship. Yeah, that's ghetto.

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<v Speaker 1>You really love tacos? Really, really you would make it?

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<v Speaker 1>Did you have like breakfast tacos reastc eggs? Okay? You

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<v Speaker 1>just like the shell?

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<v Speaker 2>I too, I love and the shell just gives the

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<v Speaker 2>taste of Mexican. But I love Mexican. But I love

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<v Speaker 2>the rice, I love the beans.

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<v Speaker 1>I love you really love it?

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<v Speaker 2>I do? I really?

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<v Speaker 1>Do you still eat Mexican every day? You just earlier

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<v Speaker 1>about eating Mexican?

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<v Speaker 2>Yes, yes, yes. When we finished with you guys, we're

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<v Speaker 2>gonna go out tonight and Mexican.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, you really like Mexican. Take me back to what

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<v Speaker 1>was going on in this household of Mexican food.

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<v Speaker 2>So I grew up in a single parent household, raised

0:11:11.559 --> 0:11:14.760
<v Speaker 2>by my mom. It was me and my sister. I

0:11:14.800 --> 0:11:18.400
<v Speaker 2>have a sister that's two years younger than me and

0:11:18.559 --> 0:11:21.600
<v Speaker 2>my mom. She worked two jobs when we were young,

0:11:22.559 --> 0:11:25.320
<v Speaker 2>so me and my sister were we're home a lot

0:11:25.880 --> 0:11:27.800
<v Speaker 2>by ourselves, and.

0:11:27.840 --> 0:11:30.800
<v Speaker 1>So well she when did you become a When did

0:11:30.800 --> 0:11:31.800
<v Speaker 1>she become a single mom?

0:11:31.880 --> 0:11:31.920
<v Speaker 2>Like?

0:11:31.960 --> 0:11:32.800
<v Speaker 1>How old were you then?

0:11:33.600 --> 0:11:36.000
<v Speaker 2>I was really young, probably about.

0:11:35.720 --> 0:11:38.240
<v Speaker 1>Four, Okay, so that's pretty much all you've known is.

0:11:38.240 --> 0:11:41.199
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, yeah, yeah, I don't have a lot of memory.

0:11:41.280 --> 0:11:44.079
<v Speaker 2>I definitely don't have anything. So yeah, So it was

0:11:44.120 --> 0:11:47.120
<v Speaker 2>always just me, my mom, and my sister, and we

0:11:47.200 --> 0:11:52.319
<v Speaker 2>have a family full of amazing, powerful, badass women, so

0:11:52.480 --> 0:11:55.520
<v Speaker 2>like my grandmother would of course we would go to

0:11:55.600 --> 0:11:59.040
<v Speaker 2>her house sometimes or my aunt. So we were always

0:11:59.160 --> 0:12:03.079
<v Speaker 2>very well cared for and we always ate really well.

0:12:03.720 --> 0:12:05.440
<v Speaker 2>It's funny as a kid, you never know that you

0:12:05.480 --> 0:12:08.280
<v Speaker 2>were poor, Like I never thought I'd never even thought

0:12:08.280 --> 0:12:08.640
<v Speaker 2>about it.

0:12:08.760 --> 0:12:10.640
<v Speaker 1>What about when you got older though, in high school

0:12:10.679 --> 0:12:13.079
<v Speaker 1>and middle school, did you start to were you poor then?

0:12:13.200 --> 0:12:17.119
<v Speaker 2>Or no, yeah, you're still living in the same household.

0:12:17.720 --> 0:12:20.640
<v Speaker 1>Did you start to realize you guys were didn't have

0:12:20.720 --> 0:12:22.320
<v Speaker 1>as much as others or yeah.

0:12:22.520 --> 0:12:25.720
<v Speaker 2>One time I overheard my mom talking to somebody. And

0:12:25.720 --> 0:12:27.360
<v Speaker 2>this is when I was really young, maybe I was

0:12:27.400 --> 0:12:30.600
<v Speaker 2>in high school and I or with her. My mom

0:12:30.880 --> 0:12:34.800
<v Speaker 2>having a conversation telling somebody that they had to she

0:12:35.280 --> 0:12:38.000
<v Speaker 2>needed to borrow five dollars or something so she could

0:12:38.520 --> 0:12:42.200
<v Speaker 2>get something from McDonald's for us to eat, And that

0:12:42.840 --> 0:12:45.240
<v Speaker 2>always stuck with me. I was like, and I never

0:12:45.320 --> 0:12:48.679
<v Speaker 2>knew that she was doing that, but she was talking

0:12:48.720 --> 0:12:51.880
<v Speaker 2>to somebody, telling somebody that's what she had done. And

0:12:51.920 --> 0:12:55.120
<v Speaker 2>I was like, dang, I never even knew. Made me

0:12:55.200 --> 0:12:56.720
<v Speaker 2>appreciate my mother a lot more.

0:12:57.120 --> 0:12:58.920
<v Speaker 1>Did you ever approach about it or you just kept

0:12:58.960 --> 0:12:59.520
<v Speaker 1>it to yourself?

0:12:59.600 --> 0:13:02.880
<v Speaker 2>I just came to myself. I just kept it to myself.

0:13:04.280 --> 0:13:05.520
<v Speaker 1>Did you tell your sister about it?

0:13:05.720 --> 0:13:08.320
<v Speaker 2>I'm sure we've talked about it now, but back then

0:13:09.000 --> 0:13:13.760
<v Speaker 2>we didn't talk about it. But yeah, it just made

0:13:13.760 --> 0:13:18.120
<v Speaker 2>me have a greater appreciation for her. And we always

0:13:18.200 --> 0:13:22.120
<v Speaker 2>tried to be very hopeful around the house, making sure

0:13:22.160 --> 0:13:25.400
<v Speaker 2>that we didn't bring too much drama into her life

0:13:25.440 --> 0:13:28.080
<v Speaker 2>because we knew that she was a single mom and

0:13:28.280 --> 0:13:31.400
<v Speaker 2>working her ass off and so good grades. We always

0:13:31.440 --> 0:13:34.000
<v Speaker 2>did really well in school. It was just I was

0:13:34.040 --> 0:13:34.880
<v Speaker 2>just a fast girl.

0:13:35.920 --> 0:13:37.120
<v Speaker 1>I was what does that mean?

0:13:37.280 --> 0:13:43.480
<v Speaker 2>I was liked boys and that was probably the most

0:13:43.520 --> 0:13:44.520
<v Speaker 2>drama that I brought.

0:13:46.760 --> 0:13:49.840
<v Speaker 1>I love you, Yes, I was not expecting that.

0:13:50.960 --> 0:13:52.960
<v Speaker 2>Just telling on myself. I don't know why you make me.

0:13:53.280 --> 0:13:56.920
<v Speaker 2>I'm just opening up and tell my business.

0:13:57.280 --> 0:14:01.200
<v Speaker 1>I'm sure the boys liked you a lot, did you?

0:14:01.400 --> 0:14:04.160
<v Speaker 1>Was your dad semi around even though? Did you see

0:14:04.240 --> 0:14:04.920
<v Speaker 1>him in passing.

0:14:05.200 --> 0:14:11.320
<v Speaker 2>No, not really. My dad suffered from alcoholism and for

0:14:13.880 --> 0:14:17.920
<v Speaker 2>my mom left my dad because of that, Like he

0:14:18.120 --> 0:14:24.400
<v Speaker 2>just wasn't it just wasn't good. And when she decided

0:14:24.400 --> 0:14:27.760
<v Speaker 2>that she was divorcing him, I think a part of

0:14:28.480 --> 0:14:30.840
<v Speaker 2>and it's weird, I think a part of his get

0:14:30.880 --> 0:14:34.480
<v Speaker 2>back at her was to not be accessible for him,

0:14:34.560 --> 0:14:37.280
<v Speaker 2>not to help out with us. Okay, then you got

0:14:37.280 --> 0:14:40.920
<v Speaker 2>it on your own. That's what it feels like to me. Yeah,

0:14:42.040 --> 0:14:45.840
<v Speaker 2>but I do remember a couple of times. There were

0:14:45.880 --> 0:14:47.560
<v Speaker 2>several times when I was waiting for him, like he

0:14:47.640 --> 0:14:50.120
<v Speaker 2>was supposed to come pick us up, do something, and

0:14:50.160 --> 0:14:54.760
<v Speaker 2>he just was a no show. And that was very hurtful. Yeah,

0:14:54.840 --> 0:14:56.240
<v Speaker 2>but then I remember.

0:14:57.200 --> 0:14:59.240
<v Speaker 1>Oh, you real cook, you real cook. You see how

0:14:59.280 --> 0:15:01.760
<v Speaker 1>she did that? Very rare we get guests to do that.

0:15:01.800 --> 0:15:02.200
<v Speaker 2>I like that.

0:15:02.640 --> 0:15:04.840
<v Speaker 1>By the way, I didn't know how these fish tackles

0:15:04.920 --> 0:15:07.440
<v Speaker 1>going to look. First time watching anyone make fish tackles,

0:15:07.440 --> 0:15:10.040
<v Speaker 1>this would be this time I do mine. But I

0:15:10.120 --> 0:15:11.720
<v Speaker 1>love that you broke up the meat.

0:15:11.920 --> 0:15:14.320
<v Speaker 2>I like to do that, okay, because it were mine.

0:15:14.400 --> 0:15:18.480
<v Speaker 2>It's like eating like the ground beef, but it's ground turkey.

0:15:18.760 --> 0:15:22.120
<v Speaker 1>Okay, But I do know people that do it, Yeah, use.

0:15:23.600 --> 0:15:27.680
<v Speaker 2>Quiet. So anyway, so I was about to say, I

0:15:27.720 --> 0:15:31.880
<v Speaker 2>remember one time we were going to spend our summer

0:15:31.920 --> 0:15:35.320
<v Speaker 2>with him, and he had moved to Oklahoma at this time,

0:15:35.480 --> 0:15:38.760
<v Speaker 2>and we were still in San Francisco, and so we

0:15:39.000 --> 0:15:44.440
<v Speaker 2>go to visit him, and unfortunately he was still an alcoholic,

0:15:45.720 --> 0:15:50.240
<v Speaker 2>and I remember just not being feeling comfortable being in

0:15:50.320 --> 0:15:53.040
<v Speaker 2>his house. I think like for the first couple of days,

0:15:53.080 --> 0:15:55.800
<v Speaker 2>it was fine, and so at some point we were

0:15:56.040 --> 0:15:58.120
<v Speaker 2>we were just calling my mom and we were like, look,

0:15:58.200 --> 0:16:00.400
<v Speaker 2>we want to leave. We don't want to stay here,

0:16:00.440 --> 0:16:03.120
<v Speaker 2>because we were supposed to stay like for a few weeks.

0:16:03.840 --> 0:16:05.640
<v Speaker 2>And I was like, there's no way, I can't do it.

0:16:05.800 --> 0:16:08.840
<v Speaker 2>I cannot stay here. And I think I'm about maybe

0:16:09.000 --> 0:16:12.480
<v Speaker 2>ten or maybe twelve, but the most I don't think

0:16:12.480 --> 0:16:16.600
<v Speaker 2>I wasn't twelve. And so we're calling my mom. We're crying, like, Mom,

0:16:16.640 --> 0:16:18.360
<v Speaker 2>we don't want to stay, we want to come home.

0:16:19.040 --> 0:16:21.800
<v Speaker 1>So does he catch wind of it? Does she tell him?

0:16:22.000 --> 0:16:25.840
<v Speaker 2>Yeah? My grandmother at the time, she was on her

0:16:25.880 --> 0:16:29.680
<v Speaker 2>way to Texas for her family's family reunion, because my

0:16:29.680 --> 0:16:35.040
<v Speaker 2>grandmother's from Texas, my mom's mom, and so she my

0:16:35.120 --> 0:16:38.840
<v Speaker 2>mom had my dad because Oklahoma and Texas are pretty close.

0:16:39.440 --> 0:16:44.800
<v Speaker 2>Drive them to Texas and they'll be with my mom

0:16:44.880 --> 0:16:47.320
<v Speaker 2>and their grandmother and they'll come back.

0:16:47.200 --> 0:16:49.800
<v Speaker 1>With her on his side of the family. No, on

0:16:49.800 --> 0:16:53.560
<v Speaker 1>your mom's side, yes, okay, okay, my mother's mom. Okay.

0:16:53.680 --> 0:17:01.720
<v Speaker 2>So he agrees. So I remember driving, riding in the car.

0:17:02.320 --> 0:17:04.280
<v Speaker 2>My sister sleep in the back seat. I'm sleeping in

0:17:04.280 --> 0:17:08.160
<v Speaker 2>the front seat. And this is a horrible story, but.

0:17:08.240 --> 0:17:09.679
<v Speaker 1>I want to hear it. I'm all in it.

0:17:10.600 --> 0:17:14.160
<v Speaker 2>So we're driving. So I fall asleep and I wake

0:17:14.280 --> 0:17:16.520
<v Speaker 2>up and the car swerving.

0:17:17.440 --> 0:17:19.160
<v Speaker 1>Oh heck no, this is a terrible shit.

0:17:19.240 --> 0:17:22.240
<v Speaker 2>And so I look at him and I see that

0:17:22.320 --> 0:17:26.600
<v Speaker 2>he had a drink, a bottle in the center council,

0:17:27.280 --> 0:17:32.200
<v Speaker 2>and so I wake up. I was like, you're drinking.

0:17:32.720 --> 0:17:35.200
<v Speaker 2>I was like, you're crazy, you are drinking and you're

0:17:35.320 --> 0:17:41.680
<v Speaker 2>driving us. And he got mad. He raised his hand

0:17:41.720 --> 0:17:45.720
<v Speaker 2>like he was gonna hit me, but he didn't, and

0:17:45.840 --> 0:17:48.520
<v Speaker 2>that's all I can remember from it. But we got

0:17:48.560 --> 0:17:51.000
<v Speaker 2>there safely. But ever since then, I was like, yeah,

0:17:51.040 --> 0:17:52.920
<v Speaker 2>I'm never going back.

0:17:53.160 --> 0:17:55.480
<v Speaker 1>Wow again. I was gonna ask you if at some

0:17:55.560 --> 0:17:57.240
<v Speaker 1>point did he plead with you guys that he could

0:17:57.240 --> 0:18:01.560
<v Speaker 1>make the trip better or did he just was it?

0:18:02.280 --> 0:18:04.320
<v Speaker 2>So? Yeah, you only remember the traumatic shit.

0:18:04.480 --> 0:18:07.560
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, yeah that's pretty traumatic though.

0:18:07.640 --> 0:18:09.120
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, that was pretty traumatic.

0:18:09.359 --> 0:18:10.480
<v Speaker 1>Did you tell your mom on him?

0:18:10.560 --> 0:18:11.080
<v Speaker 2>Yeah?

0:18:11.119 --> 0:18:11.840
<v Speaker 1>And what she say?

0:18:12.680 --> 0:18:17.879
<v Speaker 2>She was pissed, She was pissed, pissed. I was just

0:18:17.920 --> 0:18:22.920
<v Speaker 2>so happy to get in my grandmother's arms with this dude.

0:18:23.280 --> 0:18:25.600
<v Speaker 1>So after that, did you ever request to see him again?

0:18:26.400 --> 0:18:29.800
<v Speaker 2>As we got older and just started learning more about

0:18:29.800 --> 0:18:34.720
<v Speaker 2>his family and his childhood trauma and all that stuff

0:18:34.760 --> 0:18:37.840
<v Speaker 2>as well, do you become a little bit more forgiving?

0:18:38.640 --> 0:18:40.280
<v Speaker 1>So you guys were close with his side.

0:18:41.080 --> 0:18:43.159
<v Speaker 2>No, not really because we didn't grow up with her.

0:18:43.720 --> 0:18:45.640
<v Speaker 1>So how did you hear his stories and all that?

0:18:46.000 --> 0:18:48.800
<v Speaker 2>So the funny thing is, so my father is from LA.

0:18:49.960 --> 0:18:53.320
<v Speaker 2>And when I got into the business and I moved

0:18:53.359 --> 0:18:56.560
<v Speaker 2>to LA, that's when I got to know some of

0:18:56.600 --> 0:18:59.840
<v Speaker 2>his more of his family, my aunt whom I love her,

0:19:00.080 --> 0:19:04.080
<v Speaker 2>his sister, his mom was still alive then, so I

0:19:04.160 --> 0:19:07.960
<v Speaker 2>used to go visit her, my grandmother, and that's how

0:19:08.000 --> 0:19:10.639
<v Speaker 2>I got all the stories. Okay, okay, that's how I

0:19:10.640 --> 0:19:11.280
<v Speaker 2>got all the stories.

0:19:11.320 --> 0:19:14.280
<v Speaker 1>Your food looks really good. It looks official, It looks

0:19:15.040 --> 0:19:18.080
<v Speaker 1>and the tackles look good too. You're gonna make a lot.

0:19:18.160 --> 0:19:18.800
<v Speaker 1>I eat a lot.

0:19:19.080 --> 0:19:21.199
<v Speaker 2>It doesn't look like a lot, but I do.

0:19:22.200 --> 0:19:25.600
<v Speaker 1>I'm a real eater. Okay, all right, girl, go for it.

0:19:25.640 --> 0:19:30.639
<v Speaker 1>Go for it. So fast forward to you're starting to

0:19:30.680 --> 0:19:32.680
<v Speaker 1>get older and figure out what it is you want

0:19:32.720 --> 0:19:33.080
<v Speaker 1>to do.

0:19:33.640 --> 0:19:38.960
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, so I so I went to college in the

0:19:38.960 --> 0:19:41.720
<v Speaker 2>Bay Area as well. This was before I ever knew

0:19:41.720 --> 0:19:44.760
<v Speaker 2>anything about having a career as an actor. I was

0:19:44.800 --> 0:19:48.080
<v Speaker 2>in college and I just knew I wanted to be

0:19:48.119 --> 0:19:50.400
<v Speaker 2>a boss. I was like, I'm going to college because

0:19:50.400 --> 0:19:52.280
<v Speaker 2>I want to be a boss. I want to be

0:19:52.480 --> 0:19:55.760
<v Speaker 2>a business owner. But I didn't know what kind of

0:19:55.800 --> 0:19:59.040
<v Speaker 2>business I was going to be in. The boss of

0:19:59.160 --> 0:20:00.800
<v Speaker 2>the business of me in a boss.

0:20:01.880 --> 0:20:04.840
<v Speaker 1>And you told your mom and all this, everybody like yeah, I.

0:20:04.760 --> 0:20:07.320
<v Speaker 2>Was like so in my mind, I was like, okay,

0:20:07.400 --> 0:20:10.960
<v Speaker 2>so I will be in a business as my major

0:20:11.080 --> 0:20:12.600
<v Speaker 2>because I don't know what kind of business I want

0:20:12.600 --> 0:20:13.760
<v Speaker 2>to be in, but I want to learn how to

0:20:13.800 --> 0:20:17.040
<v Speaker 2>be a boss in business. And oh yeah, these are

0:20:17.040 --> 0:20:19.160
<v Speaker 2>cooking good. Now. I use my hands a lot.

0:20:19.080 --> 0:20:21.879
<v Speaker 1>Don't I love it? Oh, I see how you've been

0:20:21.960 --> 0:20:27.159
<v Speaker 1>in them. Okay, Okay, don't bring yourself. Geez, do you

0:20:27.200 --> 0:20:30.960
<v Speaker 1>need a utensil? You need an INTENSI I'm terrible. She

0:20:31.080 --> 0:20:41.160
<v Speaker 1>over here doing it with her fingers. Is these are good?

0:20:41.560 --> 0:20:42.080
<v Speaker 2>Oh good?

0:20:42.280 --> 0:20:43.840
<v Speaker 1>Oh my gosh, I'm excited.

0:20:44.320 --> 0:20:46.239
<v Speaker 2>Yeah. I hope they taste good. That's gonna be so

0:20:46.280 --> 0:20:47.400
<v Speaker 2>embarrassing if they don't.

0:20:47.920 --> 0:20:50.320
<v Speaker 1>How much I'm gonna judge you really, and I want

0:20:50.320 --> 0:20:50.600
<v Speaker 1>you to.

0:20:50.560 --> 0:20:56.119
<v Speaker 2>Be honest, Be honest girl. So yeah, so I was

0:20:56.480 --> 0:20:58.240
<v Speaker 2>God talkt Okay, hold on a second.

0:20:58.280 --> 0:20:59.640
<v Speaker 1>I just want I hope you make more. I hope

0:20:59.680 --> 0:21:05.600
<v Speaker 1>you don't too much time on these little curved tackles. Please,

0:21:05.640 --> 0:21:08.720
<v Speaker 1>you love the utensil. She's over here struggling.

0:21:09.200 --> 0:21:11.000
<v Speaker 2>You gotta bend it. You gotta flip it over and

0:21:11.040 --> 0:21:15.959
<v Speaker 2>bend it before it gets too hard. Hold on, hold on, everybody,

0:21:16.080 --> 0:21:20.000
<v Speaker 2>just be quiet and calm down. I'm fixing it. There

0:21:20.000 --> 0:21:22.000
<v Speaker 2>we go. Okay, So there's one.

0:21:22.200 --> 0:21:25.320
<v Speaker 1>I don't know this, This moment with you feels really special.

0:21:25.320 --> 0:21:26.639
<v Speaker 1>I don't know if it's because I watched you on

0:21:26.720 --> 0:21:29.880
<v Speaker 1>TV for so long, but it feels really I love

0:21:29.920 --> 0:21:30.960
<v Speaker 1>it special to me.

0:21:31.240 --> 0:21:35.600
<v Speaker 2>Thank you? Okay. So yeah, I was so a business school.

0:21:35.720 --> 0:21:38.959
<v Speaker 2>You're gonna be a bus So I started taking all

0:21:38.960 --> 0:21:39.800
<v Speaker 2>these business classes.

0:21:39.800 --> 0:21:41.240
<v Speaker 1>Oh they're flipping right back, It's okay.

0:21:42.200 --> 0:21:43.920
<v Speaker 2>And I didn't like it. I didn't like the classes

0:21:43.960 --> 0:21:46.520
<v Speaker 2>I have to take for a business major. So I

0:21:46.560 --> 0:21:49.399
<v Speaker 2>was like, what else could I do? And so I

0:21:49.640 --> 0:21:54.720
<v Speaker 2>changed it to Liberal Arts because I heard that I

0:21:54.720 --> 0:21:58.200
<v Speaker 2>can go into advertising. That was a good major if

0:21:58.200 --> 0:22:01.320
<v Speaker 2>you want to go into advertising, and it's far as advertising.

0:22:01.560 --> 0:22:05.080
<v Speaker 2>I was introduced to it and it was a business

0:22:05.080 --> 0:22:07.520
<v Speaker 2>but it was super creative and I was like, that

0:22:07.560 --> 0:22:10.280
<v Speaker 2>feels good to me. I want to do that, man.

0:22:11.920 --> 0:22:17.000
<v Speaker 2>And so I got an internship at this advertising agency

0:22:18.240 --> 0:22:21.320
<v Speaker 2>and one of my class projects was to interview the

0:22:21.359 --> 0:22:25.760
<v Speaker 2>people in the company. And it was with Gray Advertising,

0:22:25.800 --> 0:22:30.400
<v Speaker 2>when the biggest advertising agencies based in San Francisco. And

0:22:30.520 --> 0:22:38.880
<v Speaker 2>when I did the interview, everybody, Mama, I mean oh

0:22:39.359 --> 0:22:42.600
<v Speaker 2>I did with garlic and anyase more garlic tastes hilarious.

0:22:42.760 --> 0:22:46.359
<v Speaker 2>Everybody I interviewed at the company had come from theater

0:22:47.000 --> 0:22:50.520
<v Speaker 2>or something artistic like that, like they used to be

0:22:50.600 --> 0:22:53.240
<v Speaker 2>an actor in theater or something in theater. And I

0:22:53.280 --> 0:22:55.359
<v Speaker 2>just thought it was so weird. I'm like, this whole

0:22:55.400 --> 0:22:58.119
<v Speaker 2>advertising agency is full of people that used to be

0:22:58.160 --> 0:23:02.320
<v Speaker 2>in theater. And I just thought it was interesting. Fast forward,

0:23:03.080 --> 0:23:04.720
<v Speaker 2>returning the shills off.

0:23:05.200 --> 0:23:07.800
<v Speaker 1>And this is your first job in advertising, you're realizing this.

0:23:08.600 --> 0:23:13.760
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, so yeah, So it was an internship and everybody

0:23:13.800 --> 0:23:17.680
<v Speaker 2>was talking about how they took theater and fast forwards.

0:23:17.720 --> 0:23:19.960
<v Speaker 1>I would have never thought that either, me either.

0:23:20.119 --> 0:23:24.400
<v Speaker 2>I was very surprised. Fast forward to my fifth year

0:23:24.400 --> 0:23:28.919
<v Speaker 2>in college now and a friend was recruiting girls for

0:23:28.920 --> 0:23:33.239
<v Speaker 2>a Miss Black California pageant. So weird, so random, and

0:23:33.280 --> 0:23:35.320
<v Speaker 2>so me and some of my girlfriends we were like, Okay, yeah,

0:23:35.320 --> 0:23:37.600
<v Speaker 2>we'll do the pageant. So what do you do? What's

0:23:37.680 --> 0:23:40.159
<v Speaker 2>the thing? What do you do for a beauty pageant?

0:23:40.200 --> 0:23:43.880
<v Speaker 2>Because I was just not that girl, and so we

0:23:43.880 --> 0:23:47.400
<v Speaker 2>were like, okay, we'll do it. And we did the pageant.

0:23:48.680 --> 0:23:49.800
<v Speaker 2>I'm concentrating here.

0:23:50.000 --> 0:23:52.440
<v Speaker 1>I know it's hard to talk, it is, but your

0:23:52.480 --> 0:23:55.400
<v Speaker 1>stories are very captivating. So eight, come on, go back

0:23:55.400 --> 0:23:56.000
<v Speaker 1>to the story.

0:23:56.400 --> 0:23:59.240
<v Speaker 2>Okay, I still feel like it needs more.

0:24:04.160 --> 0:24:05.960
<v Speaker 1>Wait, what did they say you needed to do for

0:24:06.080 --> 0:24:07.240
<v Speaker 1>the talent part?

0:24:07.320 --> 0:24:08.639
<v Speaker 2>So we had to wear a bathing suit, we had

0:24:08.640 --> 0:24:10.879
<v Speaker 2>to wear a gown, and we had to do a

0:24:10.920 --> 0:24:13.080
<v Speaker 2>talent part. So I was like, what the fuck am

0:24:13.119 --> 0:24:15.000
<v Speaker 2>I going to do for her? Talent. I don't know

0:24:15.080 --> 0:24:19.199
<v Speaker 2>what to do. And so me and my mom and

0:24:19.240 --> 0:24:21.439
<v Speaker 2>my aunt we came up with this idea for me

0:24:21.520 --> 0:24:26.919
<v Speaker 2>to recite a poem from a play, and so I

0:24:27.000 --> 0:24:30.040
<v Speaker 2>recited a poem from a play called for Colored Girls

0:24:30.080 --> 0:24:32.640
<v Speaker 2>who considered to a side when the rainbow is enough?

0:24:33.800 --> 0:24:35.960
<v Speaker 1>And one of the poems I know, does it dark? Wait,

0:24:36.160 --> 0:24:39.520
<v Speaker 1>consider suicide? Wait say it again? For Colored girls who

0:24:39.520 --> 0:24:40.280
<v Speaker 1>can commit.

0:24:40.400 --> 0:24:45.159
<v Speaker 2>Consider suicide when the rainbow is enough? Geez, but it was.

0:24:45.280 --> 0:24:48.160
<v Speaker 2>It's a very powerful play. They actually did a movie

0:24:48.160 --> 0:24:50.960
<v Speaker 2>off of it too. It's very powerful play. So anyway,

0:24:51.000 --> 0:24:54.280
<v Speaker 2>so I took one of the monologues from the play

0:24:54.960 --> 0:25:01.720
<v Speaker 2>and I performed it. And one of the judges in

0:25:01.760 --> 0:25:05.800
<v Speaker 2>the pageant was a producer of a play that was

0:25:06.040 --> 0:25:08.560
<v Speaker 2>getting the casting and getting ready to tour the country,

0:25:10.160 --> 0:25:11.840
<v Speaker 2>and he asked me if I would be interested in

0:25:11.880 --> 0:25:14.720
<v Speaker 2>auditioning for his play. And I was like, what do

0:25:14.800 --> 0:25:17.879
<v Speaker 2>you do for an audition in the play? What is that?

0:25:18.880 --> 0:25:22.080
<v Speaker 2>And so he gave me all the information, told me

0:25:22.080 --> 0:25:25.400
<v Speaker 2>to bring a picture and a resume show up at

0:25:25.400 --> 0:25:29.440
<v Speaker 2>the theater, which was the Black Repertory Theater in Berkeley, California.

0:25:30.600 --> 0:25:33.680
<v Speaker 2>And I was like Okay, a picture and a resume,

0:25:33.960 --> 0:25:37.800
<v Speaker 2>all right, I got it. I'll do it just random.

0:25:37.840 --> 0:25:39.720
<v Speaker 2>My life is full of random stuff. I love it,

0:25:39.840 --> 0:25:41.639
<v Speaker 2>really love it, really I love it.

0:25:42.720 --> 0:25:45.080
<v Speaker 1>By the way, for all your listeners, she added lime

0:25:45.240 --> 0:25:48.640
<v Speaker 1>to the pot, and she added the red as sausa. Yeah,

0:25:49.240 --> 0:25:51.800
<v Speaker 1>so she still got to make a lot more taco though.

0:25:52.200 --> 0:25:54.880
<v Speaker 2>She's crazy. Okay, I want I want you to taste it.

0:25:55.440 --> 0:25:58.440
<v Speaker 2>I want you to taste I know if it is anything.

0:25:58.080 --> 0:26:00.680
<v Speaker 1>In it, it's anything like this store where it's gonna

0:26:00.720 --> 0:26:01.360
<v Speaker 1>be good.

0:26:02.359 --> 0:26:03.840
<v Speaker 2>Salt or pepper or something.

0:26:06.119 --> 0:26:09.920
<v Speaker 1>Don't change anything. Perfect okay, yeah, really good?

0:26:09.960 --> 0:26:12.120
<v Speaker 2>Okay, really good.

0:26:12.880 --> 0:26:14.680
<v Speaker 1>And it's not dry, guys, Oh good?

0:26:14.680 --> 0:26:16.679
<v Speaker 2>Because yeah, and I should turn it off so it

0:26:16.720 --> 0:26:18.200
<v Speaker 2>doesn't get dry.

0:26:18.200 --> 0:26:20.080
<v Speaker 1>That's why you're adding the water and the sauces and

0:26:20.080 --> 0:26:20.320
<v Speaker 1>all that.

0:26:20.400 --> 0:26:21.880
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, because I like it to feel most.

0:26:22.000 --> 0:26:23.639
<v Speaker 1>I like it. Yeah, I was scared it was going

0:26:23.680 --> 0:26:26.680
<v Speaker 1>to be dry, but not at all. That's why you water.

0:26:26.800 --> 0:26:29.359
<v Speaker 2>Okay, So this is yours you want, I'll make yours first.

0:26:29.920 --> 0:26:32.439
<v Speaker 1>You better make way more tackles. We ain't on diet

0:26:32.440 --> 0:26:33.200
<v Speaker 1>eating while.

0:26:32.960 --> 0:26:37.959
<v Speaker 2>Broka, you want me to keep making the showy. So

0:26:37.960 --> 0:26:39.159
<v Speaker 2>this was yours. I was making it.

0:26:39.880 --> 0:26:43.679
<v Speaker 1>We'll just switch plates. This looks really good. Miss a

0:26:43.680 --> 0:26:48.360
<v Speaker 1>little messy, and then why do I feel so comfortable

0:26:48.400 --> 0:26:48.679
<v Speaker 1>with you?

0:26:48.920 --> 0:26:49.480
<v Speaker 2>Alvocado?

0:26:49.680 --> 0:26:51.560
<v Speaker 1>Yes, I want to do it. How you would do

0:26:51.600 --> 0:26:53.560
<v Speaker 1>it the elevated version?

0:26:53.800 --> 0:26:56.639
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, because we definitely did not have bitch tacos.

0:26:56.720 --> 0:27:00.520
<v Speaker 1>This is so good looking. We shouldn't when they have

0:27:00.760 --> 0:27:03.280
<v Speaker 1>the cameras, the picture when you take a picture of

0:27:03.280 --> 0:27:04.840
<v Speaker 1>your food, I feel like we should.

0:27:05.080 --> 0:27:05.800
<v Speaker 2>I should have done that.

0:27:06.440 --> 0:27:08.399
<v Speaker 1>Well we should. We can see technically do it with

0:27:08.440 --> 0:27:09.280
<v Speaker 1>these tacos.

0:27:09.480 --> 0:27:12.800
<v Speaker 2>Okay, you want something, any extra stuff because this I.

0:27:12.760 --> 0:27:15.760
<v Speaker 1>Want to do tomato here, I'll do the about your.

0:27:16.320 --> 0:27:20.120
<v Speaker 2>Okay, okay, oh yeah. So I go to the Black

0:27:20.160 --> 0:27:24.679
<v Speaker 2>Repertory Theater. I show up with a picture and a resume.

0:27:24.960 --> 0:27:29.240
<v Speaker 2>So again, I don't know anything about about acting as

0:27:29.280 --> 0:27:32.480
<v Speaker 2>a career or anything like that at this point. So

0:27:33.880 --> 0:27:39.720
<v Speaker 2>I show up with a regular working resume. I haven't

0:27:40.080 --> 0:27:42.200
<v Speaker 2>marry out hotel and this rent a car.

0:27:42.080 --> 0:27:43.320
<v Speaker 1>I would have done the same time.

0:27:44.280 --> 0:27:45.960
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I don't know. He said bring a picture in

0:27:46.000 --> 0:27:48.280
<v Speaker 2>a resume, So I brought my picture in my resume

0:27:49.359 --> 0:27:53.639
<v Speaker 2>and the picture and a picture, So it was this

0:27:53.720 --> 0:27:57.480
<v Speaker 2>is I'm totally aging myself. Look guys, I'm totally aging myself.

0:27:58.920 --> 0:28:02.520
<v Speaker 2>I brought a polaroid picture that I had my college

0:28:02.560 --> 0:28:04.159
<v Speaker 2>roommate take of me the night before.

0:28:05.080 --> 0:28:07.320
<v Speaker 1>Oh my goodness, you are real green.

0:28:07.920 --> 0:28:10.800
<v Speaker 2>So I showed up with my working resume and my

0:28:10.840 --> 0:28:15.400
<v Speaker 2>little polaroy picture, and I walk into the into the

0:28:15.400 --> 0:28:20.919
<v Speaker 2>theater and it's full of real actors. And if you

0:28:20.960 --> 0:28:23.960
<v Speaker 2>know anything about San Francisco, in the whole Bay area Berkeley,

0:28:24.240 --> 0:28:29.440
<v Speaker 2>it's very artsy, it's a very artsy town. So these

0:28:29.440 --> 0:28:34.160
<v Speaker 2>were like real thesbian and I walk in and they

0:28:34.200 --> 0:28:39.000
<v Speaker 2>are like doing all these weird theater exercises, like with

0:28:39.080 --> 0:28:45.360
<v Speaker 2>their voice there stretching, They're moaning me all the just

0:28:45.440 --> 0:28:48.280
<v Speaker 2>weird shit. I was like, this is weird. They are weird.

0:28:48.720 --> 0:28:50.520
<v Speaker 2>I'm just gonna sit in the corner and wait for

0:28:50.560 --> 0:28:51.400
<v Speaker 2>them to call my name.

0:28:52.680 --> 0:28:55.000
<v Speaker 1>At this point, did you see what other people's pictures

0:28:55.080 --> 0:28:56.560
<v Speaker 1>in what they saw all.

0:28:56.480 --> 0:28:58.200
<v Speaker 2>The big eight by tens, they were black and white

0:28:58.200 --> 0:29:03.480
<v Speaker 2>eight by tens. Back then, I was like whatever. I

0:29:03.520 --> 0:29:05.720
<v Speaker 2>didn't have a way to feel because I didn't know shit,

0:29:06.400 --> 0:29:09.640
<v Speaker 2>and I've been doing a lot of dropping curse words.

0:29:09.800 --> 0:29:13.280
<v Speaker 1>You literally only curse twice because me sit down, Terrace

0:29:13.360 --> 0:29:16.240
<v Speaker 1>sit down. Okay, let's try this while we hot. Okay,

0:29:16.320 --> 0:29:18.840
<v Speaker 1>I'm excited to eat this, guys, because it looks really delicious.

0:29:18.880 --> 0:29:20.360
<v Speaker 2>Hey, I hope it tastes good.

0:29:20.520 --> 0:29:24.600
<v Speaker 1>I want to Cilantro. I just want to be like

0:29:24.640 --> 0:29:28.680
<v Speaker 1>you right now. I want to experience it. Okay, Okay,

0:29:28.680 --> 0:29:30.240
<v Speaker 1>I'm gonna let you buy first.

0:29:30.400 --> 0:29:30.959
<v Speaker 2>I'm scared.

0:29:31.640 --> 0:29:33.360
<v Speaker 1>You know you ain't got to be scared. You know

0:29:33.520 --> 0:29:34.200
<v Speaker 1>you make this.

0:29:35.480 --> 0:29:35.960
<v Speaker 2>It's good.

0:29:39.000 --> 0:29:41.080
<v Speaker 1>That's way better than any restaurant. You're sure you want

0:29:41.120 --> 0:29:45.200
<v Speaker 1>to go to the restaurant. The dish, Yo, it's juicy,

0:29:47.240 --> 0:29:50.760
<v Speaker 1>it's really good. That crunch. We're on a tight tom crunch.

0:29:50.760 --> 0:29:52.360
<v Speaker 1>But you're gonna make more of these before you leave.

0:29:53.400 --> 0:29:53.840
<v Speaker 2>I got you.

0:29:54.160 --> 0:29:58.440
<v Speaker 1>This is a plus one of my favorite top three

0:29:58.840 --> 0:29:59.760
<v Speaker 1>dishes on this show.

0:30:00.040 --> 0:30:05.720
<v Speaker 2>Yay, yay. Oh all right, let me finish my story.

0:30:06.920 --> 0:30:09.920
<v Speaker 1>Wait, even without all the jobbings, I know, it's just

0:30:10.040 --> 0:30:14.280
<v Speaker 1>you murdered that fish. You annihilated the fish tacco.

0:30:14.440 --> 0:30:15.080
<v Speaker 2>It's so good.

0:30:15.320 --> 0:30:19.080
<v Speaker 1>No one makes a fish taco this juicy and flavorform.

0:30:19.400 --> 0:30:22.560
<v Speaker 1>You can't get it to no Mexican restaurant. No, no,

0:30:23.200 --> 0:30:26.200
<v Speaker 1>you better make moreities at home, girl. Okay, So get

0:30:26.200 --> 0:30:29.840
<v Speaker 1>back to this story. Yes, you are auditioning for this

0:30:29.960 --> 0:30:31.960
<v Speaker 1>play and yes.

0:30:32.080 --> 0:30:34.840
<v Speaker 2>So I walk into the Black Repertory Theater. I see

0:30:34.840 --> 0:30:39.240
<v Speaker 2>all these real actors in there, and they're doing all

0:30:39.320 --> 0:30:44.360
<v Speaker 2>these theatrical exercises warming up for their big audition. Their

0:30:45.560 --> 0:30:48.240
<v Speaker 2>nat it was crazy, all kinds of stuff, and I

0:30:48.280 --> 0:30:50.040
<v Speaker 2>was like, Okay, these people are weird. I'm just gonna

0:30:50.040 --> 0:30:51.720
<v Speaker 2>sit over in the corner and wait for them to

0:30:51.800 --> 0:30:54.560
<v Speaker 2>call my name. I'm sitting on a corner with my

0:30:54.880 --> 0:31:00.080
<v Speaker 2>little working resume and my little polaroid picture and and

0:31:00.080 --> 0:31:02.280
<v Speaker 2>they finally call my name and I go in. I

0:31:02.320 --> 0:31:05.240
<v Speaker 2>meet the director. His name is Paul Roach, and I

0:31:05.280 --> 0:31:08.600
<v Speaker 2>meet the playwright who I'll say who the playwright is

0:31:08.600 --> 0:31:11.480
<v Speaker 2>and it in because you guys might know of him.

0:31:12.160 --> 0:31:15.200
<v Speaker 2>And so they give me some material.

0:31:15.880 --> 0:31:18.480
<v Speaker 1>I'm so excited, you like leaving these little cliffhangers going.

0:31:18.680 --> 0:31:19.840
<v Speaker 1>They give you the material, you read it.

0:31:19.840 --> 0:31:21.480
<v Speaker 2>Oh, they give me the material. So I read it

0:31:21.520 --> 0:31:24.400
<v Speaker 2>with the director and then he gives me a note.

0:31:24.440 --> 0:31:27.960
<v Speaker 2>He's okay, that was good, but this character, she's really sassy.

0:31:28.480 --> 0:31:31.520
<v Speaker 2>She has a lot of spice, and can you read

0:31:31.560 --> 0:31:33.360
<v Speaker 2>it again and give me some of that? And I

0:31:33.400 --> 0:31:36.160
<v Speaker 2>was like absolutely, so basically, you just want me to

0:31:36.160 --> 0:31:38.719
<v Speaker 2>be myself if I used to get in trouble all

0:31:38.760 --> 0:31:41.920
<v Speaker 2>the time for being too sassy, get popped in the mouth.

0:31:41.960 --> 0:31:44.280
<v Speaker 2>I was like, okay, so I'll just be myself. So

0:31:44.400 --> 0:31:47.640
<v Speaker 2>I read it again, did the audition and they were

0:31:47.640 --> 0:31:50.360
<v Speaker 2>like okay, great, And so I go home that night

0:31:50.880 --> 0:31:53.320
<v Speaker 2>and they call me and they offer me apart in

0:31:53.440 --> 0:31:57.200
<v Speaker 2>this play to tour the country. And it was David E.

0:31:57.400 --> 0:32:01.560
<v Speaker 2>Talbert's very first play. Wow Talbert is one maker now wow.

0:32:01.720 --> 0:32:05.120
<v Speaker 2>So yeah, it was his very first play. And I

0:32:05.160 --> 0:32:07.600
<v Speaker 2>toured with that play. It's called telling It like It

0:32:07.680 --> 0:32:11.960
<v Speaker 2>TI is Okay. I toured with that play for two years,

0:32:12.000 --> 0:32:15.960
<v Speaker 2>off and on and the Beauty and what changed my

0:32:16.080 --> 0:32:21.479
<v Speaker 2>life forever was Paul Roach, our director. He was a

0:32:21.760 --> 0:32:26.800
<v Speaker 2>very astute Thesbian had studied at act in San Francisco,

0:32:26.880 --> 0:32:31.080
<v Speaker 2>so he was a very well respected theater director and

0:32:31.520 --> 0:32:34.640
<v Speaker 2>he traveled with us the whole time and was training

0:32:34.720 --> 0:32:38.320
<v Speaker 2>us in the art of acting. He introduced me to

0:32:39.080 --> 0:32:42.480
<v Speaker 2>all the greats that I just started studying about acting

0:32:42.560 --> 0:32:47.360
<v Speaker 2>in theater, ud Hoggins, Demislowski, check Off, and I just

0:32:47.400 --> 0:32:49.360
<v Speaker 2>fell in love with it. I fell in love with

0:32:49.400 --> 0:32:51.760
<v Speaker 2>the craft. I fell in love with all the theater

0:32:51.920 --> 0:32:54.280
<v Speaker 2>exercises that I was laughing at all the other people.

0:32:54.720 --> 0:32:56.240
<v Speaker 2>So now I'm doing all these Oh.

0:32:56.240 --> 0:32:58.040
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, okay, that was good. I wanted to know. So

0:32:58.080 --> 0:33:00.720
<v Speaker 1>you do do those now, so now make it all

0:33:00.760 --> 0:33:01.320
<v Speaker 1>makes sense to you.

0:33:01.560 --> 0:33:04.160
<v Speaker 2>It all makes sense. It all makes sense. And that

0:33:04.360 --> 0:33:06.760
<v Speaker 2>just changed my life forever. So I always tell people that,

0:33:07.280 --> 0:33:08.560
<v Speaker 2>oh my career to Paul Roach.

0:33:09.120 --> 0:33:12.120
<v Speaker 1>Wow, so what did your mom say when you booked

0:33:12.160 --> 0:33:12.960
<v Speaker 1>this tour?

0:33:13.360 --> 0:33:16.040
<v Speaker 2>Yeah? So when they called me that night, the first

0:33:16.080 --> 0:33:19.440
<v Speaker 2>thing I did was I was like, okay, I'll call

0:33:19.480 --> 0:33:23.880
<v Speaker 2>you back. I was like, Mom, these people are offering

0:33:23.960 --> 0:33:29.040
<v Speaker 2>me this role to travel with a play and we're

0:33:29.040 --> 0:33:31.320
<v Speaker 2>going to travel around the country and they take care

0:33:31.360 --> 0:33:33.360
<v Speaker 2>of all of it, and they're going to pay me

0:33:33.400 --> 0:33:34.640
<v Speaker 2>four hundred dollars a week.

0:33:34.960 --> 0:33:37.160
<v Speaker 1>Oh snap, I was like.

0:33:37.600 --> 0:33:39.200
<v Speaker 2>And I was like, can I go? Should I go?

0:33:39.280 --> 0:33:41.600
<v Speaker 2>And she was like absolutely. She was like, when is

0:33:41.640 --> 0:33:43.560
<v Speaker 2>this ever going to happen in your lifetime?

0:33:43.640 --> 0:33:43.840
<v Speaker 1>Yeah?

0:33:43.920 --> 0:33:46.400
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, to get an offer like this, to travel the

0:33:46.440 --> 0:33:48.560
<v Speaker 2>country to perform on stage.

0:33:48.240 --> 0:33:49.520
<v Speaker 1>And how old are you at this time?

0:33:49.640 --> 0:33:52.160
<v Speaker 2>Land At this time, I'm twenty oh.

0:33:52.080 --> 0:33:55.600
<v Speaker 1>Girl, Yes go mom for that shut out of support.

0:33:55.800 --> 0:33:58.040
<v Speaker 1>Yeah yeah, and you were excited about it too.

0:33:58.400 --> 0:34:02.480
<v Speaker 2>I was, Are you changed my mouth? Yes? Again, I

0:34:02.520 --> 0:34:07.240
<v Speaker 2>had never done anything like that ever, And so we started.

0:34:07.280 --> 0:34:11.760
<v Speaker 2>We went into rehearsals, and that's how I learned the craft.

0:34:11.920 --> 0:34:13.400
<v Speaker 1>Was there any part of it that was like a

0:34:13.400 --> 0:34:15.440
<v Speaker 1>little rigorous where you wanted to quit at all? Or

0:34:15.560 --> 0:34:15.960
<v Speaker 1>was it all?

0:34:16.280 --> 0:34:19.960
<v Speaker 2>It is very rigorous, But I was so in my

0:34:20.080 --> 0:34:24.719
<v Speaker 2>element and felt so excited and connected to this new

0:34:24.840 --> 0:34:27.160
<v Speaker 2>thing that I have found acting.

0:34:27.400 --> 0:34:29.200
<v Speaker 1>Did you have to drop out of college to do?

0:34:29.320 --> 0:34:29.480
<v Speaker 2>Yeah?

0:34:29.880 --> 0:34:30.799
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, you was like peace.

0:34:30.960 --> 0:34:33.560
<v Speaker 2>That's why I had to ask my mom. Okay, but yeah,

0:34:33.640 --> 0:34:36.080
<v Speaker 2>but it changed the whole trajectory of my life.

0:34:36.400 --> 0:34:40.240
<v Speaker 1>So after are you getting interior at up in the house? Snap?

0:34:40.400 --> 0:34:40.720
<v Speaker 2>Okay?

0:34:40.840 --> 0:34:44.120
<v Speaker 1>I wanted to ask you after the tour ends? Huh?

0:34:44.160 --> 0:34:44.799
<v Speaker 1>What's it like?

0:34:45.320 --> 0:34:47.440
<v Speaker 2>So the tour. When the tour ended, it was a

0:34:47.440 --> 0:34:49.239
<v Speaker 2>group of us. We decided we were going to move

0:34:49.239 --> 0:34:51.800
<v Speaker 2>to la and pursue acting.

0:34:51.960 --> 0:34:53.239
<v Speaker 1>Are you made friends too?

0:34:53.600 --> 0:34:53.880
<v Speaker 2>Yeah?

0:34:54.000 --> 0:34:55.960
<v Speaker 1>Were any of the people from the audition room? Do

0:34:55.960 --> 0:34:58.040
<v Speaker 1>you remember any of them? And then they made it?

0:34:58.440 --> 0:35:03.200
<v Speaker 1>Kalita Smith a so a known actress. She was it

0:35:03.320 --> 0:35:04.440
<v Speaker 1>was her first start too.

0:35:05.040 --> 0:35:06.880
<v Speaker 2>So we were all from the Bay Area, and we

0:35:07.239 --> 0:35:11.400
<v Speaker 2>all moved to LA after the show went down and

0:35:11.640 --> 0:35:13.239
<v Speaker 2>just started pursuing it as a.

0:35:13.239 --> 0:35:14.880
<v Speaker 1>Career with a real picture.

0:35:15.520 --> 0:35:19.680
<v Speaker 2>Yes, I got a real black and white by tea

0:35:19.680 --> 0:35:22.040
<v Speaker 2>and glossy. This is like so old, so you know

0:35:22.120 --> 0:35:26.360
<v Speaker 2>you We would mail our phus to different agencies and stuff,

0:35:26.360 --> 0:35:30.200
<v Speaker 2>trying to get agents. Again. Was always very adamant about

0:35:30.239 --> 0:35:32.760
<v Speaker 2>the craft. So the first thing we did find acting

0:35:32.760 --> 0:35:35.479
<v Speaker 2>classes to get into. Okay, when we moved to LA.

0:35:35.480 --> 0:35:37.600
<v Speaker 1>Even after all that work and training you went on

0:35:37.640 --> 0:35:40.359
<v Speaker 1>the road, you still wanted to do more to perfect it.

0:35:40.400 --> 0:35:42.560
<v Speaker 2>Oh yeah, okay, it's never ending.

0:35:43.080 --> 0:35:45.040
<v Speaker 1>You still do take Do you still take acts?

0:35:45.400 --> 0:35:48.960
<v Speaker 2>I teach acting classes now, which is also for me

0:35:49.080 --> 0:35:52.040
<v Speaker 2>a form of study for myself as well. But I

0:35:52.120 --> 0:35:56.840
<v Speaker 2>do also watch Masterclass a lot or and for directing,

0:35:57.000 --> 0:36:00.360
<v Speaker 2>I definitely like ye taking all that information and I

0:36:00.400 --> 0:36:01.120
<v Speaker 2>can get still.

0:36:01.520 --> 0:36:05.919
<v Speaker 1>So between the touring and you booking major roles, how

0:36:05.960 --> 0:36:08.920
<v Speaker 1>long is that gap and what was that struggle looking like?

0:36:09.040 --> 0:36:12.040
<v Speaker 2>I would say it was a five year build, which

0:36:12.080 --> 0:36:15.319
<v Speaker 2>is really a blessing because I have several friends that

0:36:16.040 --> 0:36:19.839
<v Speaker 2>I've been in it, doing it for well beyond five

0:36:19.920 --> 0:36:24.000
<v Speaker 2>years and still hadn't gotten their break. But so, yeah,

0:36:24.000 --> 0:36:28.040
<v Speaker 2>so I just I started booking like small parts. And

0:36:29.880 --> 0:36:33.080
<v Speaker 2>I want to say, yeah, five years in of me

0:36:33.239 --> 0:36:35.960
<v Speaker 2>living here, I got the audition for the Steve Harvey Show.

0:36:36.360 --> 0:36:38.640
<v Speaker 1>Wow. And then how are you surviving in between this

0:36:38.800 --> 0:36:39.239
<v Speaker 1>five year?

0:36:39.360 --> 0:36:40.600
<v Speaker 2>Like a waitress?

0:36:41.040 --> 0:36:42.279
<v Speaker 1>You did the waitressing thing?

0:36:42.360 --> 0:36:46.360
<v Speaker 2>Okay, I waitressed, and I worked at a clothing store

0:36:46.400 --> 0:36:50.680
<v Speaker 2>that was in the Sherman Oaks Galleria. Yes, okay, I

0:36:50.760 --> 0:36:52.680
<v Speaker 2>used to work at the Sherman Oaks Galleria at a

0:36:52.680 --> 0:36:57.279
<v Speaker 2>store called Benetton. Yeah, I don't think company. I think

0:36:57.280 --> 0:37:00.400
<v Speaker 2>it's folded, but yeah, that's where I was, Okay, and

0:37:00.400 --> 0:37:05.400
<v Speaker 2>then so so so I have been waitressing a lot longer.

0:37:05.880 --> 0:37:08.160
<v Speaker 2>And then I got tired of waitressing and I got

0:37:08.440 --> 0:37:12.480
<v Speaker 2>the job at ben Aton. And I have been at

0:37:12.560 --> 0:37:16.319
<v Speaker 2>Benaton like two weeks and I booked the Steve Harvey Show.

0:37:17.080 --> 0:37:17.760
<v Speaker 1>Oh my gosh.

0:37:18.000 --> 0:37:23.239
<v Speaker 2>So I gave ben Aton my two weeks notice. I

0:37:23.239 --> 0:37:26.000
<v Speaker 2>didn't just leave. I gave them a two week notice.

0:37:26.000 --> 0:37:29.080
<v Speaker 2>And I still worked at ben Aton after I first

0:37:29.080 --> 0:37:30.399
<v Speaker 2>booked the Steve Harvey Show.

0:37:30.600 --> 0:37:34.520
<v Speaker 1>Okay, that's cool. And then but it wasn't out yet, no,

0:37:34.800 --> 0:37:36.600
<v Speaker 1>so nobody.

0:37:35.840 --> 0:37:38.160
<v Speaker 2>Was on because I came in the second season, but

0:37:38.320 --> 0:37:39.160
<v Speaker 2>I hadn't started.

0:37:39.520 --> 0:37:41.880
<v Speaker 1>People hadn't seen you yet because you that two week notice.

0:37:42.000 --> 0:37:47.200
<v Speaker 1>Now I'm curious, so you become like a household name household,

0:37:47.239 --> 0:37:50.759
<v Speaker 1>everybody knows who you are. You from that point on,

0:37:50.960 --> 0:37:54.680
<v Speaker 1>is your career completely consistent or is it like a

0:37:54.719 --> 0:37:56.080
<v Speaker 1>little roller coastery in there?

0:37:56.120 --> 0:38:01.279
<v Speaker 2>There's nothing consistent in this business. Nothing, no. So I

0:38:01.320 --> 0:38:05.439
<v Speaker 2>did the Steve Harvey Show for five seasons, and when

0:38:05.480 --> 0:38:09.480
<v Speaker 2>it went down, I, like you, just said, thought, Oh,

0:38:10.440 --> 0:38:13.239
<v Speaker 2>I'll just get my next gig. This is great. The

0:38:13.239 --> 0:38:15.400
<v Speaker 2>Steve Harvey Show was great for me. It's gotten my

0:38:15.480 --> 0:38:19.200
<v Speaker 2>name out there, fun character, everybody loves it, so I'm

0:38:19.200 --> 0:38:22.200
<v Speaker 2>sure I'll get another gig. It didn't happen that quick.

0:38:23.000 --> 0:38:24.920
<v Speaker 1>How long would that get?

0:38:25.400 --> 0:38:29.480
<v Speaker 2>To be honest, it wasn't long in the aspect of

0:38:29.600 --> 0:38:32.920
<v Speaker 2>what we do, because even if I was out of

0:38:32.960 --> 0:38:37.400
<v Speaker 2>work for four months, that's not really a long time

0:38:37.760 --> 0:38:41.360
<v Speaker 2>in his business. So it was probably something like that

0:38:41.520 --> 0:38:45.640
<v Speaker 2>before I got a call from Felicia Henderson, who was

0:38:45.760 --> 0:38:49.520
<v Speaker 2>the showrunner and producer of Soul Food that was on

0:38:49.680 --> 0:38:53.720
<v Speaker 2>Showtime at the time, and she offered me a part

0:38:53.960 --> 0:38:58.800
<v Speaker 2>for a reoccurring character on Soul Food, which they shot

0:38:58.880 --> 0:39:02.960
<v Speaker 2>in Toronto, so that was a huge blessing. So I

0:39:03.000 --> 0:39:08.840
<v Speaker 2>did fly to Toronto and I worked there for one season.

0:39:09.000 --> 0:39:11.160
<v Speaker 2>I can't remember how much time I spent out there,

0:39:11.640 --> 0:39:14.520
<v Speaker 2>but that was huge for me because I was going

0:39:14.680 --> 0:39:20.640
<v Speaker 2>from this sitcom really funny, silly kind of character, and

0:39:20.680 --> 0:39:23.480
<v Speaker 2>then I was going on to a Showtime show that

0:39:23.600 --> 0:39:27.200
<v Speaker 2>was a drama and a more astute kind of character.

0:39:27.280 --> 0:39:30.160
<v Speaker 2>So they were totally different from each other. So I

0:39:30.280 --> 0:39:33.319
<v Speaker 2>just always really thanked Felicia Henderson for seeing.

0:39:33.120 --> 0:39:36.000
<v Speaker 1>Pass and not communicat yeah.

0:39:35.800 --> 0:39:37.759
<v Speaker 2>And not just putting me in the box, which a

0:39:37.760 --> 0:39:40.719
<v Speaker 2>lot of people tried to do. So she immediately came

0:39:40.800 --> 0:39:49.319
<v Speaker 2>and gave me that opportunity. So that was huge.

0:39:50.360 --> 0:39:53.320
<v Speaker 1>And then where does along this journey, where does directing

0:39:53.360 --> 0:39:56.600
<v Speaker 1>and producing start to peak its little head in were you?

0:39:56.960 --> 0:40:01.920
<v Speaker 2>So? After the so thing, I want to say, the

0:40:01.960 --> 0:40:06.399
<v Speaker 2>next series that I was a regular on was All

0:40:06.480 --> 0:40:10.160
<v Speaker 2>of Us Will Smiths and Jada Pikett Smith Show. And

0:40:10.600 --> 0:40:16.800
<v Speaker 2>when that show went down, it was dry. The industry

0:40:16.920 --> 0:40:19.160
<v Speaker 2>was really dry. It was when a lot of the

0:40:19.200 --> 0:40:22.360
<v Speaker 2>black shows got taken off air. They weren't really producing

0:40:22.400 --> 0:40:27.440
<v Speaker 2>a lot of black television shows anymore. And that's when

0:40:27.440 --> 0:40:30.400
<v Speaker 2>I got frustrated and I met a girl who was

0:40:30.480 --> 0:40:34.560
<v Speaker 2>a writer. I was working on an independent project in

0:40:34.600 --> 0:40:37.480
<v Speaker 2>Atlanta at the time, and I met a girl that

0:40:37.640 --> 0:40:40.400
<v Speaker 2>was a writer and she had given me her novel.

0:40:40.480 --> 0:40:43.239
<v Speaker 2>She had written her first novel, and she asked me

0:40:43.280 --> 0:40:45.759
<v Speaker 2>if I were read it. So on my flight back

0:40:45.800 --> 0:40:49.319
<v Speaker 2>to home to LA I started reading her book and

0:40:49.400 --> 0:40:53.600
<v Speaker 2>I loved her book. It was called a Girl Named Lily.

0:40:53.680 --> 0:40:55.680
<v Speaker 2>And when I got home, I called her. I was like,

0:40:55.719 --> 0:40:59.880
<v Speaker 2>have you ever considered turning this book into a television show?

0:41:00.640 --> 0:41:02.520
<v Speaker 2>And she was like, no, I never thought about that.

0:41:03.239 --> 0:41:05.319
<v Speaker 2>And I was like, I would like to try to

0:41:05.360 --> 0:41:07.000
<v Speaker 2>do that. Would you be okay with that?

0:41:07.320 --> 0:41:09.239
<v Speaker 1>And how did you guys intersect it? To begin with?

0:41:09.480 --> 0:41:12.600
<v Speaker 2>On a film project that I've done in Atlanta, And

0:41:12.640 --> 0:41:16.520
<v Speaker 2>she was actually the costumer, and she slipped her book

0:41:17.080 --> 0:41:20.560
<v Speaker 2>and she slipping her book, and so once she said

0:41:20.640 --> 0:41:23.719
<v Speaker 2>yes to taking this journey with me of trying to

0:41:23.760 --> 0:41:26.000
<v Speaker 2>sell and this is my first time ever doing something

0:41:26.080 --> 0:41:27.799
<v Speaker 2>like this. But I had been in the business. I

0:41:27.840 --> 0:41:31.279
<v Speaker 2>had great relationships from the shows that I had been on,

0:41:31.560 --> 0:41:34.520
<v Speaker 2>So I thought I was always so naive. I was

0:41:34.600 --> 0:41:37.479
<v Speaker 2>so like I could do anything, give it this book,

0:41:37.480 --> 0:41:40.400
<v Speaker 2>I'm not making a TV show, and so my agent

0:41:40.440 --> 0:41:42.120
<v Speaker 2>at the time, they set up some meetings for me

0:41:42.239 --> 0:41:47.480
<v Speaker 2>to pitch this book. And the feedback we kept getting

0:41:47.640 --> 0:41:50.359
<v Speaker 2>was sounds like a great idea, but it doesn't sound

0:41:50.480 --> 0:41:52.920
<v Speaker 2>like a black voice. It doesn't sound like a black person.

0:41:53.120 --> 0:41:56.799
<v Speaker 2>And I'm like, that's strange because it's written by a

0:41:56.840 --> 0:42:00.319
<v Speaker 2>black person. This is her book, her voice, what are

0:42:00.320 --> 0:42:03.200
<v Speaker 2>you talking about. So that was the feedback we got,

0:42:03.320 --> 0:42:05.680
<v Speaker 2>and it just really lit a fire under our butts.

0:42:05.719 --> 0:42:08.360
<v Speaker 2>It's like, Okay, they're not going to tell us what

0:42:08.480 --> 0:42:12.160
<v Speaker 2>a black voice is. Yes, will We're going to make

0:42:12.520 --> 0:42:15.160
<v Speaker 2>content together that is our voice and that is So

0:42:15.200 --> 0:42:18.440
<v Speaker 2>that's how we started our production company that's called the

0:42:18.719 --> 0:42:23.160
<v Speaker 2>Nina Holliday Entertainment And the first project that we did

0:42:23.320 --> 0:42:26.840
<v Speaker 2>right after we went through that pitching cycle was we

0:42:27.080 --> 0:42:31.160
<v Speaker 2>shot a documentary called Angels Can't Help But Laugh, and

0:42:31.880 --> 0:42:34.880
<v Speaker 2>it was me interviewing a bunch of my peers that

0:42:34.920 --> 0:42:37.919
<v Speaker 2>were in the business just about their journey and how

0:42:37.960 --> 0:42:43.680
<v Speaker 2>they stay motivated and inspired to keep going when the

0:42:43.760 --> 0:42:48.120
<v Speaker 2>opportunities are so small, when we're constantly put in boxes

0:42:48.800 --> 0:42:51.000
<v Speaker 2>like what motivates you to keep doing this? Why don't

0:42:51.040 --> 0:42:56.360
<v Speaker 2>you just quit. So the documentary was amazing.

0:42:56.080 --> 0:42:58.640
<v Speaker 1>It sounds amazing, It was incredible.

0:42:59.000 --> 0:43:04.560
<v Speaker 2>It was Shirley out making good, Melinda Williams, Vanessa Williams,

0:43:04.960 --> 0:43:10.160
<v Speaker 2>Kim Whitley, Regina King, and we had some really great

0:43:10.440 --> 0:43:14.640
<v Speaker 2>people in the documentary and it was like our calling card.

0:43:14.719 --> 0:43:17.160
<v Speaker 2>This is what we are about. We're about the voices

0:43:17.320 --> 0:43:20.000
<v Speaker 2>of the black women in this industry.

0:43:20.280 --> 0:43:22.640
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, so how old did that do?

0:43:23.280 --> 0:43:25.440
<v Speaker 2>So that did good. We ended up doing a lot

0:43:25.440 --> 0:43:31.960
<v Speaker 2>of college screenings and talkbacks. It was available on Amazon

0:43:32.280 --> 0:43:35.040
<v Speaker 2>or something. But this is the thing, and I really

0:43:35.040 --> 0:43:38.120
<v Speaker 2>want to tell everybody to handle your business like we

0:43:38.120 --> 0:43:38.920
<v Speaker 2>were just artists.

0:43:38.920 --> 0:43:41.160
<v Speaker 1>So that was gonna be my next question. How are

0:43:41.160 --> 0:43:43.640
<v Speaker 1>you funding? How are you maintaining during this whole project?

0:43:44.200 --> 0:43:46.279
<v Speaker 2>So we made it. It only cost us like five

0:43:46.320 --> 0:43:50.680
<v Speaker 2>thousand dollars, so we just paid for it ourselves because

0:43:50.719 --> 0:43:53.280
<v Speaker 2>we were just It was just a camera person, lights

0:43:53.280 --> 0:43:55.320
<v Speaker 2>and stuff that we and we would go to people

0:43:55.360 --> 0:43:56.680
<v Speaker 2>to interview them.

0:43:56.800 --> 0:43:57.799
<v Speaker 1>I love that, by the way.

0:43:57.960 --> 0:44:02.839
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, it got out and still to this day it's

0:44:03.000 --> 0:44:06.000
<v Speaker 2>out and you can order it, but I don't know

0:44:06.040 --> 0:44:09.600
<v Speaker 2>where it's being ordered and delivered from. It's really weird.

0:44:09.800 --> 0:44:11.000
<v Speaker 1>What do you mean, if I were to go on

0:44:11.040 --> 0:44:13.360
<v Speaker 1>Amazon type it in, I could order it, but you

0:44:13.360 --> 0:44:14.479
<v Speaker 1>don't know where the money goes.

0:44:14.560 --> 0:44:16.399
<v Speaker 2>I don't know where the money's going, and I don't

0:44:16.440 --> 0:44:20.880
<v Speaker 2>know who's sending it to you. Somebody to this day, Yeah, yeah,

0:44:20.920 --> 0:44:23.080
<v Speaker 2>like you could work because I did it because I

0:44:23.120 --> 0:44:25.080
<v Speaker 2>saw it. Somebody had hit me up and was like, Oh,

0:44:25.160 --> 0:44:27.360
<v Speaker 2>isn't this your documentary? It's so good? I love it,

0:44:27.360 --> 0:44:29.480
<v Speaker 2>blah blah blah blah. And I was like, where did

0:44:29.480 --> 0:44:31.080
<v Speaker 2>you get it? And they were like, oh, I ordered

0:44:31.080 --> 0:44:34.000
<v Speaker 2>it off of I think it's Amazon, And I was like, really,

0:44:34.080 --> 0:44:37.359
<v Speaker 2>So I went in not ordered it, and I got it,

0:44:38.400 --> 0:44:41.680
<v Speaker 2>and I don't know. It's really weird.

0:44:42.640 --> 0:44:45.160
<v Speaker 1>So you did you try to call Amazon and find out.

0:44:45.680 --> 0:44:48.319
<v Speaker 2>I had an attorney to try to reach out to

0:44:48.440 --> 0:44:50.920
<v Speaker 2>the name that was on it. It looks like it's

0:44:50.920 --> 0:44:53.960
<v Speaker 2>coming from somewhere from China, so it was really weird.

0:44:54.120 --> 0:44:54.840
<v Speaker 2>It's really weird.

0:44:54.960 --> 0:44:57.919
<v Speaker 1>But so does that mean did you just find this out?

0:44:58.040 --> 0:45:00.439
<v Speaker 2>Yeah? Not too long ago, like maybe year ago.

0:45:00.520 --> 0:45:02.520
<v Speaker 1>So are they is there a way to find out

0:45:02.640 --> 0:45:03.200
<v Speaker 1>or stop it?

0:45:03.840 --> 0:45:04.399
<v Speaker 2>I don't know.

0:45:05.360 --> 0:45:07.839
<v Speaker 1>Oh no, I just wanted to do But wait, what's

0:45:07.880 --> 0:45:09.600
<v Speaker 1>the name of the documentary One more Time.

0:45:09.600 --> 0:45:12.200
<v Speaker 2>Can really take care of your business when you're doing stuff.

0:45:12.360 --> 0:45:13.319
<v Speaker 1>You still want to see it.

0:45:13.480 --> 0:45:19.160
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, it just it's called Angels can't help but laugh.

0:45:19.360 --> 0:45:24.120
<v Speaker 1>Angels can't help but laugh. Yeah, I love that. Yeah, damn.

0:45:24.160 --> 0:45:25.600
<v Speaker 1>So it's like I want to say, go out there

0:45:25.760 --> 0:45:27.360
<v Speaker 1>and go out and still watch it.

0:45:27.560 --> 0:45:31.880
<v Speaker 2>Really good. It's super informative, some great interviews and advice

0:45:32.040 --> 0:45:35.480
<v Speaker 2>and yeah, it's really good. I want to Smith as

0:45:35.480 --> 0:45:38.240
<v Speaker 2>in it. It was like a lot of my peers Essens, Adkins,

0:45:38.880 --> 0:45:39.760
<v Speaker 2>Jasmine Guy.

0:45:39.840 --> 0:45:41.880
<v Speaker 1>And we could probably order on Amazon. I hate to.

0:45:43.120 --> 0:45:44.000
<v Speaker 1>Let's still check it out.

0:45:44.040 --> 0:45:46.879
<v Speaker 2>It's still also I know, but that's the thing. Of course,

0:45:46.920 --> 0:45:51.000
<v Speaker 2>we want to make money off of stuff. But you

0:45:51.040 --> 0:45:54.160
<v Speaker 2>know sometimes and so this is why I want artists

0:45:54.160 --> 0:45:57.560
<v Speaker 2>to do better to handle your business. But I really

0:45:57.600 --> 0:45:59.440
<v Speaker 2>just I want to give my gifts to the world,

0:45:59.600 --> 0:46:03.359
<v Speaker 2>and that documentary is really a gift to young people

0:46:03.920 --> 0:46:07.280
<v Speaker 2>and it's a gift, and so I still want people

0:46:07.320 --> 0:46:09.560
<v Speaker 2>to see it even I want to see it. Yes,

0:46:09.600 --> 0:46:10.360
<v Speaker 2>I still want business.

0:46:10.400 --> 0:46:11.600
<v Speaker 1>I was very inspirational.

0:46:12.000 --> 0:46:15.759
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, so that was our that was my entry into producing.

0:46:16.320 --> 0:46:19.640
<v Speaker 1>That was that and then from there the whole time

0:46:19.680 --> 0:46:21.680
<v Speaker 1>this is going on, what your mom saying she still

0:46:21.719 --> 0:46:26.840
<v Speaker 1>support everyone's support. You're fully sustained on acting, you're handling

0:46:26.920 --> 0:46:28.040
<v Speaker 1>your money right.

0:46:27.880 --> 0:46:31.680
<v Speaker 2>Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, I've always been very frugal. Okay, good,

0:46:31.760 --> 0:46:34.080
<v Speaker 2>I'm very frugal and I learned a long time ago

0:46:34.120 --> 0:46:36.879
<v Speaker 2>in this business. You're working this great great getting them checks,

0:46:36.880 --> 0:46:40.640
<v Speaker 2>give them check, and then you could go years without working. Yeah. Yeah,

0:46:40.760 --> 0:46:45.200
<v Speaker 2>So I've always been very smart with my money. Yeah.

0:46:45.239 --> 0:46:48.800
<v Speaker 1>I always tell people it's all about managing cash flow. Yeah,

0:46:48.840 --> 0:46:51.480
<v Speaker 1>like people, will you get check a big check and

0:46:51.480 --> 0:46:53.560
<v Speaker 1>you're like, whoa, we can go here and buy this,

0:46:53.719 --> 0:46:56.240
<v Speaker 1>but no, let's make sure that we cover your monthly

0:46:56.280 --> 0:47:00.000
<v Speaker 1>for at least six months. Take exactly exactly minimum, hopefully exactly.

0:47:00.040 --> 0:47:01.560
<v Speaker 1>Actually that is it.

0:47:01.920 --> 0:47:04.240
<v Speaker 2>But at that time, so yeah, so I was sustaining

0:47:04.280 --> 0:47:07.920
<v Speaker 2>myself but still still okay, I need to check. I

0:47:07.920 --> 0:47:09.319
<v Speaker 2>still got a mortgage. I still got that.

0:47:09.520 --> 0:47:12.080
<v Speaker 1>You had a mortgage too, Yeah, oh girl, yeah. Do

0:47:12.160 --> 0:47:14.000
<v Speaker 1>you get married having kids in between all them?

0:47:14.120 --> 0:47:18.359
<v Speaker 2>Okay, that's where I was about. So at that time, yes,

0:47:18.480 --> 0:47:23.200
<v Speaker 2>I was married and I had a son, but I

0:47:23.360 --> 0:47:26.319
<v Speaker 2>was breaking up. In the middle of breaking up, it

0:47:26.360 --> 0:47:30.839
<v Speaker 2>was a very stressful time in my life. Personally but creatively.

0:47:30.920 --> 0:47:34.320
<v Speaker 2>I think that's why I really poured so much into

0:47:34.840 --> 0:47:37.880
<v Speaker 2>especially that particular project, because it featured women and I

0:47:37.920 --> 0:47:39.640
<v Speaker 2>wanted to just get their voice and.

0:47:39.880 --> 0:47:42.799
<v Speaker 1>With the empowerment. Yeah you needed it at that time.

0:47:42.880 --> 0:47:47.960
<v Speaker 2>I really did. I really did. And yeah, so yes

0:47:48.080 --> 0:47:51.000
<v Speaker 2>I was married, and yes I had my first son

0:47:51.360 --> 0:47:51.879
<v Speaker 2>at that time.

0:47:52.000 --> 0:47:54.600
<v Speaker 1>So after that, you go into after producing, you go

0:47:54.640 --> 0:47:55.400
<v Speaker 1>into directing.

0:47:56.000 --> 0:48:01.479
<v Speaker 2>So the directing came in years later. So I did

0:48:01.680 --> 0:48:05.480
<v Speaker 2>finally go through a divorce and I ended up moving

0:48:05.880 --> 0:48:11.400
<v Speaker 2>meeting my current husband who was based in Atlanta, and

0:48:11.880 --> 0:48:14.600
<v Speaker 2>when we got married, I ended up moving to Atlanta.

0:48:14.640 --> 0:48:15.640
<v Speaker 2>That's how I ended up.

0:48:15.600 --> 0:48:17.520
<v Speaker 1>In Atlanta almost just so you know, I wanted you

0:48:17.600 --> 0:48:19.960
<v Speaker 1>so bad. I was like, man, we may have to

0:48:19.960 --> 0:48:21.160
<v Speaker 1>make this trip to Atlanta.

0:48:21.480 --> 0:48:23.359
<v Speaker 2>Ah. I wish I would have known that. I would

0:48:23.360 --> 0:48:25.000
<v Speaker 2>have said, oh, that would have been some fun.

0:48:25.200 --> 0:48:27.520
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, you guys could trust me. It was a lot

0:48:27.560 --> 0:48:28.520
<v Speaker 1>better on my budgets.

0:48:28.600 --> 0:48:30.839
<v Speaker 2>So I'm sure I got you both.

0:48:30.960 --> 0:48:33.600
<v Speaker 1>I got you here, but I was willing to. We

0:48:33.680 --> 0:48:35.240
<v Speaker 1>got to see if we can make it happen.

0:48:35.440 --> 0:48:38.560
<v Speaker 2>But so yeah, so I'm so now. I moved to

0:48:39.520 --> 0:48:44.000
<v Speaker 2>Atlanta in two thousand and nine when I got there,

0:48:44.120 --> 0:48:46.560
<v Speaker 2>so I had been working there already. I had done

0:48:46.680 --> 0:48:49.240
<v Speaker 2>three projects in a row that was based in Atlanta.

0:48:49.480 --> 0:48:50.879
<v Speaker 2>So I was there and then I would come back

0:48:50.880 --> 0:48:54.239
<v Speaker 2>to LA there and so when I decided I was

0:48:54.360 --> 0:48:57.719
<v Speaker 2>moving there, I was like, Okay, I want to help

0:48:57.840 --> 0:49:02.239
<v Speaker 2>contribute to the film industry there because if I'm going

0:49:02.320 --> 0:49:08.080
<v Speaker 2>to live there and be considered now a Atlanta actor,

0:49:08.960 --> 0:49:12.040
<v Speaker 2>I need all the games to be up. So I

0:49:12.080 --> 0:49:14.520
<v Speaker 2>was on a mission to really pour into the film industry.

0:49:14.840 --> 0:49:18.239
<v Speaker 2>And that's when I started teaching acting classes. I had

0:49:18.440 --> 0:49:23.000
<v Speaker 2>a lot of young actors, aspiring actors that I worked with,

0:49:23.040 --> 0:49:25.520
<v Speaker 2>and I fell in love with doing that. I really

0:49:25.560 --> 0:49:29.160
<v Speaker 2>fell in love with just really teaching them how I

0:49:29.280 --> 0:49:34.200
<v Speaker 2>learned acting. And it was really study the books, study

0:49:34.200 --> 0:49:38.560
<v Speaker 2>the craft, watch films, and we would do a scene

0:49:38.600 --> 0:49:43.080
<v Speaker 2>study class. So in scene study, I'm directing actors in

0:49:43.120 --> 0:49:48.279
<v Speaker 2>the scenes. And so we got ready to produce a

0:49:49.440 --> 0:49:53.520
<v Speaker 2>movie that it was independently funded. It was like maybe

0:49:53.520 --> 0:49:56.840
<v Speaker 2>one hundred and twenty thousand dollars, but the script was funny.

0:49:56.880 --> 0:50:00.000
<v Speaker 2>It was a hood comedy. It was called a hashtag

0:50:00.080 --> 0:50:03.719
<v Speaker 2>Digital Lives Matter, Okay, and it was starting DC Young

0:50:03.719 --> 0:50:09.560
<v Speaker 2>fly Me, Little Hudson, I do too, Ernestine Johnson, b Simone.

0:50:09.719 --> 0:50:13.400
<v Speaker 2>So it was a lot of new actors, new faces,

0:50:13.440 --> 0:50:16.960
<v Speaker 2>but they were growing in their social media platforms, right,

0:50:17.560 --> 0:50:22.040
<v Speaker 2>So we produced this movie for them, and we didn't

0:50:22.040 --> 0:50:25.520
<v Speaker 2>really have money to pay a director. So I was like,

0:50:25.680 --> 0:50:27.600
<v Speaker 2>I can do it. I was like, I've been directing

0:50:27.800 --> 0:50:33.480
<v Speaker 2>young talent for a few years now. It's a comedy.

0:50:33.840 --> 0:50:39.959
<v Speaker 2>That's my sweet spot. Ann it's hood, that's my background. Yeah, yeah,

0:50:40.000 --> 0:50:43.560
<v Speaker 2>so I could do this, and that's how I directed

0:50:43.680 --> 0:50:44.840
<v Speaker 2>my first project.

0:50:45.280 --> 0:50:48.520
<v Speaker 1>Wow. And in between all this, you're still acting.

0:50:48.719 --> 0:50:52.600
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, still acting. So when I first moved to Atlanta,

0:50:53.160 --> 0:50:54.840
<v Speaker 2>I called Tyler Perry Studio.

0:50:54.880 --> 0:50:56.600
<v Speaker 1>I was about to get to that. Yeah, oh yeah.

0:50:56.680 --> 0:50:58.400
<v Speaker 2>I was like, I just want to let y'all know

0:50:58.480 --> 0:51:02.080
<v Speaker 2>that I live in Atlanta, so if there's any parts

0:51:02.160 --> 0:51:06.000
<v Speaker 2>on your show, I'm here and I'm available. And so

0:51:06.040 --> 0:51:08.799
<v Speaker 2>they did end up calling me and giving me a

0:51:08.920 --> 0:51:10.680
<v Speaker 2>role on Meet the Browns.

0:51:11.080 --> 0:51:11.440
<v Speaker 1>Wow.

0:51:11.719 --> 0:51:13.799
<v Speaker 2>And that's how I got on Meet the Browns. So yeah,

0:51:13.840 --> 0:51:17.359
<v Speaker 2>so it was still acting and what else was going

0:51:17.360 --> 0:51:20.480
<v Speaker 2>on at the time. I also opened up wanting to

0:51:20.520 --> 0:51:23.960
<v Speaker 2>pour into the community there, the art community. I opened

0:51:24.040 --> 0:51:28.040
<v Speaker 2>up a coffee shop, slash theatrical bookstore right because when

0:51:28.040 --> 0:51:31.279
<v Speaker 2>I was teaching the acting classes, there was nowhere for

0:51:31.320 --> 0:51:33.279
<v Speaker 2>me to send them to get these books that I

0:51:33.360 --> 0:51:36.360
<v Speaker 2>was telling them about. We're here, we have Samuel French,

0:51:36.840 --> 0:51:39.200
<v Speaker 2>and as a young actor, I spent so much time

0:51:39.280 --> 0:51:42.080
<v Speaker 2>in Samuel French. But they didn't have anything like that

0:51:42.280 --> 0:51:45.520
<v Speaker 2>in Atlanta. So I opened up a store and had

0:51:45.560 --> 0:51:48.480
<v Speaker 2>a contract with Samuel French store here and so I

0:51:48.560 --> 0:51:51.680
<v Speaker 2>offered some of the books at my store. And it

0:51:51.719 --> 0:51:54.520
<v Speaker 2>was a coffee shop, it was a lounge, we had

0:51:54.560 --> 0:51:56.520
<v Speaker 2>a stage, so I would do my acting class.

0:51:57.280 --> 0:51:58.720
<v Speaker 1>Run that business too, very.

0:52:00.360 --> 0:52:04.799
<v Speaker 2>Very I loved all the just the community of it.

0:52:05.000 --> 0:52:08.680
<v Speaker 2>I loved pouring into the people. People loved it. But

0:52:08.960 --> 0:52:12.600
<v Speaker 2>running the business was really stressful. For It's very stressful

0:52:12.880 --> 0:52:14.759
<v Speaker 2>and it was like I had to be there every

0:52:14.800 --> 0:52:18.080
<v Speaker 2>day and I was like, I gotta go make money.

0:52:18.480 --> 0:52:21.680
<v Speaker 2>So it stayed open for three years and then I

0:52:21.760 --> 0:52:26.000
<v Speaker 2>eventually had to close it just because it was just training, mentally, financially,

0:52:26.320 --> 0:52:29.839
<v Speaker 2>all the things. But people still ask me about it

0:52:30.000 --> 0:52:33.000
<v Speaker 2>all the time and was like it was just before

0:52:33.080 --> 0:52:35.680
<v Speaker 2>it's time. If you opened it up now, it would

0:52:35.760 --> 0:52:39.439
<v Speaker 2>blow up so much. And I'm like yeah, I don't

0:52:39.440 --> 0:52:42.200
<v Speaker 2>have the time or the wherewithal to do that again,

0:52:42.640 --> 0:52:44.720
<v Speaker 2>so I don't know, but who knows what the future holds.

0:52:44.960 --> 0:52:47.560
<v Speaker 2>But those were the things that I was doing before

0:52:47.840 --> 0:52:50.839
<v Speaker 2>I did the directing thing and having babies, had two

0:52:50.880 --> 0:52:54.680
<v Speaker 2>more and more kids.

0:52:54.760 --> 0:52:57.600
<v Speaker 1>Yes, how can everybody keep up with everything?

0:52:58.040 --> 0:53:03.760
<v Speaker 2>Ary Jay on all the platforms? I am Terry Jay

0:53:03.840 --> 0:53:07.160
<v Speaker 2>Vaughn on all the platforms. And I do have to

0:53:07.239 --> 0:53:12.239
<v Speaker 2>plug my new series right here, okay, straight ahead? Yeah,

0:53:12.440 --> 0:53:14.480
<v Speaker 2>and it's a beautiful Do we have time just for

0:53:14.480 --> 0:53:15.600
<v Speaker 2>me to tell this quick little story?

0:53:15.640 --> 0:53:16.239
<v Speaker 1>I love it?

0:53:16.360 --> 0:53:20.319
<v Speaker 2>Okay. I've had this TV show idea for at least

0:53:20.320 --> 0:53:23.839
<v Speaker 2>seven years. It was inspired by a girlfriend of mine,

0:53:24.160 --> 0:53:27.600
<v Speaker 2>London Breed, who became the mayor of San Francisco. Black Girl.

0:53:27.880 --> 0:53:31.160
<v Speaker 2>She's the only black female mayor that has ever been

0:53:31.360 --> 0:53:33.759
<v Speaker 2>in the city of San Francisco, and it was just

0:53:33.840 --> 0:53:36.440
<v Speaker 2>her journey and all the stuff she had to go

0:53:36.480 --> 0:53:40.719
<v Speaker 2>through was very interesting to me as a story. She's

0:53:40.760 --> 0:53:43.160
<v Speaker 2>a girl from the hood, all the things, and here

0:53:43.200 --> 0:53:45.640
<v Speaker 2>she is the mayor of one of the richest cities

0:53:45.920 --> 0:53:48.920
<v Speaker 2>in the country. Right. So I had this show idea,

0:53:49.520 --> 0:53:52.239
<v Speaker 2>and every time I pitched it to people, they were like, no,

0:53:52.239 --> 0:53:54.359
<v Speaker 2>I don't want to do anything political blah blah blah

0:53:54.360 --> 0:53:57.480
<v Speaker 2>blah blah blah blah. So I put it aside, got

0:53:57.480 --> 0:54:01.200
<v Speaker 2>busy directing, acting and other stuff. But the strike happened

0:54:01.280 --> 0:54:04.040
<v Speaker 2>in twenty twenty three, the writer strike and a brutal strike.

0:54:04.400 --> 0:54:06.719
<v Speaker 2>It was brutal, and I was like, so all my

0:54:06.800 --> 0:54:09.160
<v Speaker 2>jobs went away. Had jobs lined up through the year,

0:54:09.320 --> 0:54:11.760
<v Speaker 2>and they all went away. And so I was like, Okay,

0:54:12.840 --> 0:54:16.360
<v Speaker 2>I'm going to focus back on my dream, which is

0:54:16.400 --> 0:54:19.360
<v Speaker 2>to have my own series. And so I picked the

0:54:19.480 --> 0:54:23.560
<v Speaker 2>show back up and I called my writing partner who

0:54:23.640 --> 0:54:26.719
<v Speaker 2>was working on the show for me with me, and

0:54:26.880 --> 0:54:31.719
<v Speaker 2>her name is Nia Palmer, great writer, and I was like, look,

0:54:31.760 --> 0:54:33.840
<v Speaker 2>I know we're in the strike, but would you be

0:54:33.920 --> 0:54:37.200
<v Speaker 2>willing to just write a fifteen minute proof of concept

0:54:37.280 --> 0:54:39.759
<v Speaker 2>so we can shoot a proof of concept of this

0:54:39.840 --> 0:54:42.479
<v Speaker 2>show so when the strike is over we can send

0:54:42.520 --> 0:54:45.480
<v Speaker 2>it out and pitch it. And she was like, hell, yeah,

0:54:45.600 --> 0:54:48.480
<v Speaker 2>let's do it. So because I was nervous because a

0:54:48.480 --> 0:54:51.480
<v Speaker 2>lot of writers just wasn't to they were not and

0:54:51.520 --> 0:54:53.839
<v Speaker 2>I was like, we'll just do it, you know, I'll

0:54:53.840 --> 0:54:56.440
<v Speaker 2>call on friends, call the favors, and we'll shoot it,

0:54:57.040 --> 0:54:59.880
<v Speaker 2>so we did. I did that because it was in

0:54:59.880 --> 0:55:03.719
<v Speaker 2>the political space I wanted to add I wanted to

0:55:03.760 --> 0:55:07.200
<v Speaker 2>have a consulting producer, just to add some cachet for

0:55:07.280 --> 0:55:09.439
<v Speaker 2>when I go out to pitch it. So I met

0:55:09.480 --> 0:55:13.400
<v Speaker 2>with Keisha Lance Bottoms, who was our mayor in Atlanta

0:55:13.680 --> 0:55:16.759
<v Speaker 2>some years ago, and we've always had a good relationship.

0:55:16.760 --> 0:55:17.759
<v Speaker 2>So I called her and I was like, I have

0:55:17.800 --> 0:55:19.480
<v Speaker 2>an idea. I want to share it run by you.

0:55:20.120 --> 0:55:22.680
<v Speaker 2>And I met with her and when I pitched her

0:55:22.680 --> 0:55:25.680
<v Speaker 2>the idea, she loved it and she was like, absolutely,

0:55:25.760 --> 0:55:27.520
<v Speaker 2>I will join you on this journey. So now I

0:55:27.560 --> 0:55:30.680
<v Speaker 2>got Keisha Lance Bottoms as a producer with me. I

0:55:30.719 --> 0:55:34.120
<v Speaker 2>got the script, I got my producing team all together

0:55:34.200 --> 0:55:37.400
<v Speaker 2>in Atlanta. Oh, and I had to find somebody to

0:55:37.440 --> 0:55:42.080
<v Speaker 2>fund it because it's still so Keisha was like, I

0:55:42.120 --> 0:55:44.719
<v Speaker 2>know an investor that would invest in this because he

0:55:44.880 --> 0:55:47.600
<v Speaker 2>supports black women. Oh okay, this is one of the

0:55:47.640 --> 0:55:50.360
<v Speaker 2>reasons why I love living in Atlanta. I cannot lie.

0:55:50.440 --> 0:55:54.280
<v Speaker 2>I love it. The support there and that black pride

0:55:54.560 --> 0:55:58.120
<v Speaker 2>and stuff there is amazing. So he was like, yep,

0:55:58.160 --> 0:56:00.680
<v Speaker 2>I got it. I'll cover it. So shot this proof

0:56:00.680 --> 0:56:04.759
<v Speaker 2>of concept in twenty twenty three at the end of

0:56:04.800 --> 0:56:07.120
<v Speaker 2>the year at the beginning of the next year. Now

0:56:07.200 --> 0:56:09.960
<v Speaker 2>the strike is over. I got it edited when my

0:56:10.040 --> 0:56:14.160
<v Speaker 2>guy Victor editor back in Atlanta. He edited. He got

0:56:14.200 --> 0:56:16.680
<v Speaker 2>it just like I wanted it. I was like perfect

0:56:17.080 --> 0:56:19.120
<v Speaker 2>because I was like, I needed to look like it

0:56:19.160 --> 0:56:21.799
<v Speaker 2>can air on TV. I needed to look like that,

0:56:22.360 --> 0:56:25.440
<v Speaker 2>and it did. So the music was great, everything was great. Okay,

0:56:25.480 --> 0:56:27.400
<v Speaker 2>it was like, so, let's put it out into the

0:56:27.440 --> 0:56:31.239
<v Speaker 2>world and see what happens. So my agent sent it out.

0:56:31.480 --> 0:56:35.319
<v Speaker 2>We got calls left and right of people wanting to

0:56:35.360 --> 0:56:39.400
<v Speaker 2>meet with us about it. So we started setting up meetings.

0:56:39.440 --> 0:56:43.480
<v Speaker 2>Every meeting we had, they were pitching us why they

0:56:43.520 --> 0:56:46.560
<v Speaker 2>want our show. We did not have to pitch anything.

0:56:47.719 --> 0:56:51.040
<v Speaker 2>And the perfect fit for me was Tyler Perry.

0:56:51.480 --> 0:56:53.400
<v Speaker 1>Of course I was wanting it.

0:56:53.280 --> 0:56:59.480
<v Speaker 2>Okay, Yeah, he was the perfect person. Yeah, that's what

0:56:59.520 --> 0:57:04.239
<v Speaker 2>I'm saying. For several reasons, he was the one, and

0:57:04.400 --> 0:57:10.520
<v Speaker 2>working with him has been amazing, like incredibly collaborative. So yeah,

0:57:10.560 --> 0:57:13.120
<v Speaker 2>so he got it. He got us right away. He

0:57:13.239 --> 0:57:16.640
<v Speaker 2>was like the wind beneath our wings. And he had

0:57:16.680 --> 0:57:19.400
<v Speaker 2>a deal at Netflix already in place.

0:57:19.520 --> 0:57:20.479
<v Speaker 1>What's the name of it again?

0:57:20.680 --> 0:57:23.520
<v Speaker 2>So the show is she the People, She the People,

0:57:23.520 --> 0:57:28.200
<v Speaker 2>She the People. It will It's starring me, created by me,

0:57:28.760 --> 0:57:33.200
<v Speaker 2>Linda's it are in May, So May launching May on Netflix.

0:57:33.360 --> 0:57:34.400
<v Speaker 2>Please look out for it.

0:57:34.480 --> 0:57:37.120
<v Speaker 1>She the People, She the People, and I will be

0:57:37.200 --> 0:57:40.720
<v Speaker 1>watching it. I'm really excited and very happy. That was

0:57:40.760 --> 0:57:44.120
<v Speaker 1>the most beautiful story. Thank you, beautiful ending, So She

0:57:44.280 --> 0:57:46.480
<v Speaker 1>the People. Watch it on Netflix now, and you keep

0:57:46.560 --> 0:57:50.160
<v Speaker 1>up with Terry J. Vaughn on all social media platforms. Yep,

0:57:50.360 --> 0:57:52.640
<v Speaker 1>don't forget the Jay, don't forget the JA, don't forget

0:57:52.640 --> 0:57:53.439
<v Speaker 1>the Jay. Peace out.

0:57:53.680 --> 0:57:55.880
<v Speaker 2>Thank you, Thanks honey.

0:58:00.720 --> 0:58:04.000
<v Speaker 1>For more Eating while Broke from iHeartRadio and The Black Effect.

0:58:04.120 --> 0:58:07.680
<v Speaker 1>Visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen

0:58:07.720 --> 0:58:12.360
<v Speaker 1>to your favorite shows.