1 00:00:04,960 --> 00:00:07,280 Speaker 1: Welcome to Money Making Conversations. It's the show that she 2 00:00:07,320 --> 00:00:10,039 Speaker 1: has the secrets of success experience firsthand by marketing and 3 00:00:10,119 --> 00:00:13,039 Speaker 1: Brandon expert Rashan McDonald. I will know he's giving me 4 00:00:13,080 --> 00:00:16,000 Speaker 1: advice to many occasions. In incase you didn't notice, I'm 5 00:00:16,040 --> 00:00:20,000 Speaker 1: not broke. You know, he'll be interviewing celebrity CEOs, entrepreneurs 6 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:22,440 Speaker 1: and industry decision makers. It's what he likes to do, 7 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:25,079 Speaker 1: it's what he likes to share. Now it's time to 8 00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:29,120 Speaker 1: hear from my man, Rashan McDonald money making Conversations Here 9 00:00:29,160 --> 00:00:31,639 Speaker 1: we come. Welcome to money Making Conversation. As you know, 10 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:34,520 Speaker 1: I'm your host from Sean McDonald. It's time to stop 11 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:36,760 Speaker 1: reading other people's success stories. I say that all the 12 00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:39,920 Speaker 1: time on this show. Stop reading other people's success stories 13 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:42,479 Speaker 1: and start writing your own. That's their story. You need 14 00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:45,040 Speaker 1: to write your own story. Put time into yourself and 15 00:00:45,120 --> 00:00:48,480 Speaker 1: always tell people leave with their gifts, your passion, your drive, 16 00:00:48,800 --> 00:00:51,239 Speaker 1: and don't let your age. So many times people are 17 00:00:51,240 --> 00:00:53,040 Speaker 1: of their age, they get thirty, hit forward it. They 18 00:00:53,080 --> 00:00:55,760 Speaker 1: started feeling they can't do anything. When they the sixties, 19 00:00:55,760 --> 00:00:58,040 Speaker 1: they want to try to retire, retire to what because 20 00:00:58,080 --> 00:01:00,320 Speaker 1: the government is not gonna take you. And if you 21 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:02,600 Speaker 1: have friends who don't believe your family or co workers 22 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:05,440 Speaker 1: don't believe you, you cannot let anybody stop you from 23 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:08,400 Speaker 1: planning or living your dreams. That's why I bring interviews 24 00:01:08,440 --> 00:01:13,240 Speaker 1: on my show, Money Making Conversations celebrities, ceo s, former athletes, athletes, 25 00:01:13,480 --> 00:01:16,800 Speaker 1: entrepreneurs and industry decision makers. My next guest is a 26 00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:20,560 Speaker 1: Mari Startermira the six time NBA All Stories currently an 27 00:01:20,560 --> 00:01:24,000 Speaker 1: assistant player developer coach for the Brooklyn Nets, and he's 28 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:27,720 Speaker 1: an entrepreneur get it entrepreneur. Omar is the first and 29 00:01:27,760 --> 00:01:32,640 Speaker 1: only black kosher winemaker. Amri's owned star STARTERMRA Farms, an organic, 30 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:35,759 Speaker 1: family run farm in Duchess County, New York, which raises 31 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:39,720 Speaker 1: black angers. Amar wants to raise awareness about struggling black 32 00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:42,760 Speaker 1: farmers and teach the next generation a three sixty degree 33 00:01:42,840 --> 00:01:46,399 Speaker 1: view of wellness, which includes not only exercising, food, but 34 00:01:46,520 --> 00:01:49,840 Speaker 1: financial wellness and community service. A. Mari is also currently 35 00:01:49,880 --> 00:01:53,040 Speaker 1: pursuing his master's degree in business from the University Mary 36 00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:56,120 Speaker 1: I Am. That's to you, y'all. Do you please work 37 00:01:56,120 --> 00:01:58,960 Speaker 1: with the Money Making Conversations. Happy to have one more show, 38 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:02,800 Speaker 1: Amri out of mind, man, Thanks for having me. How 39 00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:07,000 Speaker 1: you doing, sir? Feeling good, brother, feeling good? No, you know, Maria, 40 00:02:07,080 --> 00:02:09,200 Speaker 1: I would tell you something. I'm a big NBA fans, 41 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:11,960 Speaker 1: so I can I can see those uh those lives 42 00:02:12,040 --> 00:02:14,760 Speaker 1: from Steve Nash to you and you slam ducking and 43 00:02:14,760 --> 00:02:19,679 Speaker 1: you was like you were an incredible athlete in the NBA. 44 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:24,560 Speaker 1: And talk about that portion of feeling invincible, feeing all 45 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:27,520 Speaker 1: world because you were all world. Talk about that whole 46 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:30,839 Speaker 1: part of your life and then trashing the transitioning out 47 00:02:30,880 --> 00:02:32,720 Speaker 1: of the game. We want to talk about it as well, 48 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:34,639 Speaker 1: but just talk about when you're the top of your 49 00:02:34,639 --> 00:02:38,160 Speaker 1: game athletically. You know what, when you're when you're playing 50 00:02:38,160 --> 00:02:40,560 Speaker 1: the game at the high level, UM, you put in 51 00:02:40,639 --> 00:02:42,960 Speaker 1: so much work to to reach a level of expertise 52 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:45,280 Speaker 1: in your craft. I think for me, I was able 53 00:02:45,280 --> 00:02:48,520 Speaker 1: to somewhat strive for greatness and my and my feeling 54 00:02:48,520 --> 00:02:50,200 Speaker 1: to be able to try to reach my full potential. 55 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:52,800 Speaker 1: So when you're in that space, man, you feel like 56 00:02:52,880 --> 00:02:56,600 Speaker 1: you're just in a different world. You're in a different stratosphere. UM. 57 00:02:56,680 --> 00:02:59,640 Speaker 1: And so the energy along kind of cords in with 58 00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:02,960 Speaker 1: if you plan and succeeding at whatever you're doing. And 59 00:03:02,960 --> 00:03:06,280 Speaker 1: for me it was basketball playing, going to the you know, 60 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:10,840 Speaker 1: conference finals, planning the Olympics, All Star Games, and all NBA. 61 00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:14,880 Speaker 1: All these were incredible accolades that I felt amazing during 62 00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:18,600 Speaker 1: that stretch. Now, when you when you feel amazing, like 63 00:03:18,639 --> 00:03:22,000 Speaker 1: you was saying, um, you know, any point in that part, 64 00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:24,639 Speaker 1: there's you know, because you kind of had your game 65 00:03:24,720 --> 00:03:26,959 Speaker 1: when it wasn't social media and the social media is 66 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:30,360 Speaker 1: now so prevalent, and I'm sure you own social media now. 67 00:03:30,800 --> 00:03:33,560 Speaker 1: But when social media made a difference in who are 68 00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:36,040 Speaker 1: Mari stottom Rars if he had it when he played, 69 00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:39,280 Speaker 1: yeah for sure with me. When I played, I was 70 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:41,360 Speaker 1: I was one of the first guys to put together 71 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:45,080 Speaker 1: All Star campaign like a like a mini TV show, 72 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:48,080 Speaker 1: trying to tell you it goes over the you know, 73 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:50,640 Speaker 1: uh you know, getting fans get out there to vote 74 00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:52,920 Speaker 1: right on the vote initiatives. Uh So, I was the 75 00:03:52,960 --> 00:03:55,320 Speaker 1: first guy to kind of start that whole movement. And 76 00:03:55,440 --> 00:03:57,040 Speaker 1: I was also one of the first guys. I have 77 00:03:57,160 --> 00:04:02,960 Speaker 1: my own uh uh YouTube show, you know so, YouTube channel, 78 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:05,560 Speaker 1: I should say so back back in the early two thousands, 79 00:04:05,600 --> 00:04:07,760 Speaker 1: I started a YouTube channel, and I was I was 80 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:11,640 Speaker 1: just you know, recruiting all this content. Even back in 81 00:04:11,640 --> 00:04:14,920 Speaker 1: the early two thousands, for all the social media came out. 82 00:04:14,960 --> 00:04:16,520 Speaker 1: So I was for sure out of the curve. And 83 00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:18,160 Speaker 1: if I would have had social media back then, I 84 00:04:18,200 --> 00:04:20,520 Speaker 1: would have took for advantage of it. You've been a beast, 85 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:22,599 Speaker 1: You've been a social media beast. Where I liked this, 86 00:04:22,720 --> 00:04:24,680 Speaker 1: they say, well, I liked in the game. But you 87 00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:26,800 Speaker 1: know the thing about it, man, when you're you're so 88 00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:30,080 Speaker 1: articularly you're so you, so you you resonate at a 89 00:04:30,160 --> 00:04:35,320 Speaker 1: high level of professionalism. And so there's so many stereotypes 90 00:04:35,400 --> 00:04:38,640 Speaker 1: of the black athletes. How do you break that mode? 91 00:04:38,720 --> 00:04:40,760 Speaker 1: How did you break that mode? Because you know, even 92 00:04:40,760 --> 00:04:43,440 Speaker 1: when you were successful, they're still gonna be stereotypes. How 93 00:04:43,480 --> 00:04:45,360 Speaker 1: do you go through dealing with that? Or do you 94 00:04:45,400 --> 00:04:48,120 Speaker 1: deal with it at all? You know what? I think 95 00:04:48,120 --> 00:04:50,440 Speaker 1: the idea has been able to to step outside of 96 00:04:50,440 --> 00:04:52,440 Speaker 1: your box. Right. You know, I grew up in a 97 00:04:52,440 --> 00:04:54,240 Speaker 1: small town of Florida, and I was also raised in 98 00:04:54,240 --> 00:04:58,320 Speaker 1: New York and so always in my community box. Um, 99 00:04:58,360 --> 00:05:00,000 Speaker 1: and so for me, I was able to step outside 100 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:03,880 Speaker 1: the box and learn new things, uh, advance my conversation, 101 00:05:04,760 --> 00:05:07,599 Speaker 1: advanced my thinking, and so I think that helped me 102 00:05:07,680 --> 00:05:11,719 Speaker 1: somewhat advanced mentally, you know, and so educational wise, I 103 00:05:11,760 --> 00:05:14,719 Speaker 1: was able to somewhat pursue education, continue reading and just 104 00:05:14,720 --> 00:05:17,479 Speaker 1: trying to trying to improve myself over the years. I 105 00:05:17,520 --> 00:05:20,440 Speaker 1: think that helped me somewhat, you know, iron out or 106 00:05:20,600 --> 00:05:23,560 Speaker 1: straighten out my conversations and my way of thinking about business. 107 00:05:24,160 --> 00:05:26,839 Speaker 1: Right now, you assisted one of your one of your titles, 108 00:05:26,839 --> 00:05:29,240 Speaker 1: because you're run us man, I put up there. If 109 00:05:29,320 --> 00:05:31,839 Speaker 1: I mentioned everything else, you almost a reality show. You know, 110 00:05:31,960 --> 00:05:34,479 Speaker 1: a camera should actually follow you around. You know, you 111 00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:37,200 Speaker 1: got the farm, you got the wine, you got the education, 112 00:05:37,440 --> 00:05:41,039 Speaker 1: and you also assistant player development coach for the Brooklyn Nets. 113 00:05:41,320 --> 00:05:44,880 Speaker 1: Tell us exactly what that is. Yeah, so right now 114 00:05:45,160 --> 00:05:47,359 Speaker 1: it's my first ship being a part of like a 115 00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:51,160 Speaker 1: coaching staff. Right. Actually, I played over season Israel in 116 00:05:51,240 --> 00:05:53,600 Speaker 1: the championship there. I got the m v P last season, 117 00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:56,320 Speaker 1: and so I was looking to go back overseason play 118 00:05:56,360 --> 00:05:59,200 Speaker 1: another year. But when I got the opportunity to coach 119 00:05:59,279 --> 00:06:02,480 Speaker 1: with the Nets. Uh, my role now is to to 120 00:06:02,480 --> 00:06:05,840 Speaker 1: to help develop players, but at the same time learn 121 00:06:05,920 --> 00:06:09,080 Speaker 1: from the front office and the coaching staff to see 122 00:06:09,120 --> 00:06:10,960 Speaker 1: where I want my future to go, whether it's front 123 00:06:10,960 --> 00:06:14,760 Speaker 1: office work or whether it's coaching. Okay, cool, now, okay, 124 00:06:14,800 --> 00:06:19,160 Speaker 1: now the Brooklyn Nets. Brother, now you you you were 125 00:06:19,160 --> 00:06:22,160 Speaker 1: special when you played there, Imori, I ain't gonna lot 126 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:25,600 Speaker 1: to you. Now you get to see three players I'm 127 00:06:25,640 --> 00:06:31,200 Speaker 1: talking about Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kylie r. As a player. 128 00:06:32,279 --> 00:06:35,760 Speaker 1: How would you guard them or what is their greatest 129 00:06:35,839 --> 00:06:40,680 Speaker 1: asset as a player? Individuals? I mean, you can't really 130 00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:45,640 Speaker 1: guard him. He's got this guy a special These gots 131 00:06:45,680 --> 00:06:48,440 Speaker 1: a special offensive players that you just cannot find way 132 00:06:48,440 --> 00:06:53,320 Speaker 1: to guard these guys. And you know the strengths is 133 00:06:53,400 --> 00:06:59,359 Speaker 1: Kevin duran is a complete all around players guys like 134 00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:01,560 Speaker 1: six or eleven, and he plays like a guard. He 135 00:07:01,600 --> 00:07:04,119 Speaker 1: shoots the ball with the best of him. He's sure, 136 00:07:04,560 --> 00:07:07,239 Speaker 1: he's for sure one of the all time great scores 137 00:07:07,240 --> 00:07:11,960 Speaker 1: that we the game. I've ever seen. Uh. Kyrie Irving 138 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:15,760 Speaker 1: is a point guard that is so creative. I mean, 139 00:07:15,800 --> 00:07:17,760 Speaker 1: you can never you could. I mean I have never 140 00:07:17,800 --> 00:07:20,480 Speaker 1: seen a guard that's this creative before. As far as 141 00:07:20,480 --> 00:07:23,480 Speaker 1: the way he finished around the basket, by the way 142 00:07:23,480 --> 00:07:25,280 Speaker 1: he gets a shot off, the way he approached the 143 00:07:25,320 --> 00:07:29,080 Speaker 1: game is sensational. And then James Harden. Before we get 144 00:07:29,120 --> 00:07:31,360 Speaker 1: to James Harden, Let's let's stay on Kyrie because I 145 00:07:31,400 --> 00:07:35,600 Speaker 1: was talking to Stephen A. Smith. He you know, you 146 00:07:35,640 --> 00:07:38,560 Speaker 1: know what he does with that ball man when he's 147 00:07:38,640 --> 00:07:41,400 Speaker 1: dribbling it. I saw him doing moved with Toy Gibson 148 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:45,640 Speaker 1: in the last game they played against the Knicks, and 149 00:07:45,920 --> 00:07:48,200 Speaker 1: he went back and forward, back and forward, and he 150 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:50,400 Speaker 1: took him to the whole and all the time he 151 00:07:50,440 --> 00:07:54,520 Speaker 1: was dribbling. I've never seen that in my life. I'mori, yeah, man, 152 00:07:54,560 --> 00:07:57,080 Speaker 1: he I mean, he's incredible. Man Like, like I watched 153 00:07:57,160 --> 00:08:00,160 Speaker 1: him every day in practice. As you know, I was 154 00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:04,520 Speaker 1: every game and what I see every night is always 155 00:08:04,760 --> 00:08:06,640 Speaker 1: every every game I turn, you know, I have a 156 00:08:06,640 --> 00:08:08,320 Speaker 1: moment in the game where I just like just shave 157 00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:12,800 Speaker 1: my head like this. And I'm a guy who's seen 158 00:08:12,840 --> 00:08:17,200 Speaker 1: at all I've been running over. But but Kyries are different. 159 00:08:17,400 --> 00:08:20,600 Speaker 1: He's he's he's a remarkable player. Now I played. I'm 160 00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:23,680 Speaker 1: originally from Houston, Texas, so I got to see the 161 00:08:23,800 --> 00:08:27,160 Speaker 1: trade of James Harden to Houston. Didn't know he was 162 00:08:27,240 --> 00:08:29,520 Speaker 1: that great. He was a sixth man at the Oklahoma 163 00:08:29,560 --> 00:08:32,160 Speaker 1: Thunders and uh and then they have him come to 164 00:08:32,240 --> 00:08:36,880 Speaker 1: Houston and suddenly blossom into a superstar. What makes him 165 00:08:36,920 --> 00:08:39,760 Speaker 1: so unique in your eyes? As an former athlete and 166 00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:43,640 Speaker 1: as a as a coach, Well, James is also a 167 00:08:43,640 --> 00:08:47,160 Speaker 1: creative in his own way, right, So make this guys special. 168 00:08:47,240 --> 00:08:49,880 Speaker 1: The creativity that one bringing to the game that the 169 00:08:49,920 --> 00:08:52,400 Speaker 1: game have never seen it make you a special player, right. 170 00:08:52,760 --> 00:08:56,320 Speaker 1: And so with James, his creativity, being able to draw fouls, 171 00:08:56,320 --> 00:08:59,640 Speaker 1: being able to manipulate the defense, being able to take 172 00:08:59,679 --> 00:09:02,040 Speaker 1: with the offense, gives him if you're back off from 173 00:09:02,120 --> 00:09:04,440 Speaker 1: three point, if not, he drives to the basket. He 174 00:09:04,480 --> 00:09:06,680 Speaker 1: has just he has just stepped back to the side. 175 00:09:07,280 --> 00:09:09,760 Speaker 1: I mean, I mean we saw, we saw YouTube clips 176 00:09:09,760 --> 00:09:13,520 Speaker 1: of him creating different type of shots. It's like the 177 00:09:13,600 --> 00:09:16,400 Speaker 1: creativity is something special. And for a guy like him 178 00:09:16,400 --> 00:09:20,640 Speaker 1: to be now the leading assist guy, after being after 179 00:09:20,679 --> 00:09:23,480 Speaker 1: being the leading score of the year prior, it shows 180 00:09:23,480 --> 00:09:25,880 Speaker 1: you how great, how great James really is and how 181 00:09:25,920 --> 00:09:27,640 Speaker 1: he's not selfish And a lot of people thought that 182 00:09:28,280 --> 00:09:33,240 Speaker 1: wouldn't be enough balls k when he got traded over there. Now, 183 00:09:33,720 --> 00:09:37,440 Speaker 1: let's let's talk about you and the transition up. You 184 00:09:37,559 --> 00:09:40,040 Speaker 1: were currently pursuing a master's degree in business from the 185 00:09:40,120 --> 00:09:43,319 Speaker 1: University of Miami. Why is that important to you? Well, 186 00:09:43,320 --> 00:09:44,920 Speaker 1: for me, I felt like, you know, when I was 187 00:09:44,920 --> 00:09:47,679 Speaker 1: in NBA, I had you know, associates that did a 188 00:09:47,720 --> 00:09:50,480 Speaker 1: lot of my finances for me as my and my 189 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:52,880 Speaker 1: team did a remarkable job. But I felt like I 190 00:09:52,960 --> 00:09:54,760 Speaker 1: want to be the one also knowing about all the 191 00:09:54,760 --> 00:09:58,160 Speaker 1: intricate details that's concerning the business you know on my side, 192 00:09:58,280 --> 00:09:59,920 Speaker 1: right so I have my hands involved in a lot 193 00:09:59,920 --> 00:10:02,440 Speaker 1: of different businesses. I want to be able to know 194 00:10:02,960 --> 00:10:06,640 Speaker 1: how to articulate my conversation acts the right questions uh 195 00:10:06,800 --> 00:10:09,600 Speaker 1: with with future you know partners or have you so 196 00:10:09,679 --> 00:10:11,840 Speaker 1: that will can conduct myself properly in meetings and so 197 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:16,280 Speaker 1: and and note and be more knowledgeable about things going forward. 198 00:10:16,679 --> 00:10:18,959 Speaker 1: You know that it's really you know you're in You're 199 00:10:18,960 --> 00:10:22,679 Speaker 1: in a special era for especially NBA players because NBA 200 00:10:22,720 --> 00:10:25,840 Speaker 1: players are not what they used to be. Their their 201 00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:29,000 Speaker 1: their leaders in the corporate space, their leaders and entertainment. 202 00:10:29,840 --> 00:10:33,160 Speaker 1: What what is making like NBA players so unique and 203 00:10:33,160 --> 00:10:36,520 Speaker 1: how they approach the game, why they're playing as well 204 00:10:36,800 --> 00:10:39,280 Speaker 1: and also the excellent because you can actually see you guys, 205 00:10:39,320 --> 00:10:41,160 Speaker 1: you guys have we know you don't have a helping 206 00:10:41,240 --> 00:10:43,520 Speaker 1: on your face. I don't look at baseball because it's 207 00:10:43,520 --> 00:10:46,439 Speaker 1: not enough blacks to make a difference in baseball. At 208 00:10:46,440 --> 00:10:48,440 Speaker 1: one time they felt that too many blacks will ruin 209 00:10:48,480 --> 00:10:51,200 Speaker 1: the game of basketball. And that's not the case. What 210 00:10:51,440 --> 00:10:54,720 Speaker 1: is really making that transition for you guys so successful 211 00:10:54,760 --> 00:10:57,840 Speaker 1: because you play the most games other than outside of baseball, 212 00:10:57,880 --> 00:11:00,120 Speaker 1: so you're busy all the time. So how you were 213 00:11:00,120 --> 00:11:04,160 Speaker 1: able to pursue a degree plan and also you still 214 00:11:04,200 --> 00:11:07,719 Speaker 1: coach you okay, and but you also we're gonna talk 215 00:11:07,720 --> 00:11:10,640 Speaker 1: about the other two businesses, winery and the black angles 216 00:11:10,720 --> 00:11:13,439 Speaker 1: parm in a minute, because you're still as busy as 217 00:11:13,480 --> 00:11:18,880 Speaker 1: you were when you're playing, right, And so the idea 218 00:11:18,960 --> 00:11:21,280 Speaker 1: has been able to put people in power and position 219 00:11:21,320 --> 00:11:24,720 Speaker 1: of power to bear to articulate these businesses for you, 220 00:11:24,240 --> 00:11:27,840 Speaker 1: right and oversee each individual entity, which is all which 221 00:11:27,880 --> 00:11:30,000 Speaker 1: is very important. But you also have to be knowledgeable. 222 00:11:30,360 --> 00:11:32,640 Speaker 1: You have to be up on your game to to 223 00:11:32,679 --> 00:11:35,040 Speaker 1: hold the people accountable that are in charge of these 224 00:11:35,080 --> 00:11:38,320 Speaker 1: different businesses. Um And so for me, what I think 225 00:11:38,440 --> 00:11:41,360 Speaker 1: in my generation was myself like this whole error right now. 226 00:11:41,400 --> 00:11:44,520 Speaker 1: And I think the next generation is starting to you know, 227 00:11:44,760 --> 00:11:50,040 Speaker 1: figure out as well. But me Lebron, Carmelo, Chris Paul. 228 00:11:50,760 --> 00:11:53,560 Speaker 1: You know this mean started with Kobe and Garnett and 229 00:11:53,559 --> 00:11:57,080 Speaker 1: those guys, but this whole era of of of guys 230 00:11:57,120 --> 00:12:02,440 Speaker 1: and players that are thinking more so about intelligence and 231 00:12:02,559 --> 00:12:05,640 Speaker 1: also basketball. Right, So for it's always been like a 232 00:12:05,760 --> 00:12:08,439 Speaker 1: narrative of like all the basketball players or athletes are 233 00:12:08,480 --> 00:12:13,240 Speaker 1: just dumb jocks like sports, and so we're like, that's 234 00:12:13,320 --> 00:12:15,840 Speaker 1: not true, and it's that's that's that's a bad narrative. 235 00:12:15,880 --> 00:12:19,040 Speaker 1: That's false. So what we're doing now is proven that 236 00:12:19,120 --> 00:12:22,960 Speaker 1: by being uh someone educated on on everything that we 237 00:12:23,040 --> 00:12:26,520 Speaker 1: do and being innovative without without businesses. Now, it's an 238 00:12:26,520 --> 00:12:28,640 Speaker 1: interesting thing because I read this when I introduced you 239 00:12:28,840 --> 00:12:31,679 Speaker 1: to talking about financial wellness and community service because it 240 00:12:31,800 --> 00:12:34,360 Speaker 1: was together and I think they do run together. So 241 00:12:34,679 --> 00:12:37,839 Speaker 1: because throughout your career, I always knew about you community service. Now, 242 00:12:38,200 --> 00:12:40,679 Speaker 1: what is that conversation that you're trying to create when 243 00:12:40,720 --> 00:12:44,959 Speaker 1: it comes to financial wellness? Well, financial wellness is important. 244 00:12:45,080 --> 00:12:47,440 Speaker 1: I mean, obviously we had a lot of systemic racism 245 00:12:47,520 --> 00:12:49,720 Speaker 1: where a lot of the African American culture have been 246 00:12:49,760 --> 00:12:52,600 Speaker 1: somewhere behind the paradigm when it comes to being able 247 00:12:52,640 --> 00:12:56,439 Speaker 1: to to obtain wealth and pass their wealth down to 248 00:12:56,559 --> 00:12:59,760 Speaker 1: the next generation. Um. And so we're somewhere behind schedule 249 00:12:59,840 --> 00:13:02,600 Speaker 1: at the play the catch up game uh for us now. 250 00:13:02,720 --> 00:13:05,920 Speaker 1: And I think, uh, you know, financial literacy and financial 251 00:13:06,120 --> 00:13:09,200 Speaker 1: you know, wealth is important because we have to now 252 00:13:09,280 --> 00:13:12,480 Speaker 1: understand how to uh not only make the money, but 253 00:13:12,559 --> 00:13:15,640 Speaker 1: also save the money and then also invest. And those 254 00:13:15,679 --> 00:13:18,160 Speaker 1: are those are those are interricate balances between knowing how 255 00:13:18,240 --> 00:13:21,800 Speaker 1: to save, which means you have to somewhat disconnect yourself 256 00:13:21,840 --> 00:13:24,079 Speaker 1: from certain possiblanity because you don't want to get caught 257 00:13:24,120 --> 00:13:26,839 Speaker 1: up in spending money that's not gonna do you any good. 258 00:13:27,400 --> 00:13:30,120 Speaker 1: You have to also know how to invest, because investing 259 00:13:30,160 --> 00:13:33,679 Speaker 1: would allow that money to then make money for itself. Um. 260 00:13:33,760 --> 00:13:35,760 Speaker 1: And then you have to aw to save. When you're saving, 261 00:13:36,120 --> 00:13:39,439 Speaker 1: you can now put to put aside certain funds for 262 00:13:39,520 --> 00:13:42,080 Speaker 1: your children so when they become an adults, that can 263 00:13:42,160 --> 00:13:44,360 Speaker 1: have a head start on a head start in the 264 00:13:44,480 --> 00:13:47,320 Speaker 1: financial space moving forward. So you have to be able 265 00:13:47,320 --> 00:13:49,599 Speaker 1: to have that financial literacy for sure. Well, you know 266 00:13:49,640 --> 00:13:52,480 Speaker 1: an interesting thing when I'm hearing you talk about your 267 00:13:52,559 --> 00:13:55,679 Speaker 1: brain and your career. First of all, you know, uh, 268 00:13:55,760 --> 00:13:58,079 Speaker 1: if you ever want to go back on TV, please 269 00:13:58,120 --> 00:14:02,040 Speaker 1: call me tomorrow. You're a fantastic but you know, you know, 270 00:14:02,080 --> 00:14:04,319 Speaker 1: I don't know if you have a TV representative, but 271 00:14:04,400 --> 00:14:07,160 Speaker 1: please call ra Sean McDonald because you're you're special. Brother. 272 00:14:07,480 --> 00:14:09,520 Speaker 1: You know, I don't know what they're paying you be 273 00:14:09,840 --> 00:14:12,280 Speaker 1: the assistant player development code, but you need to be 274 00:14:12,360 --> 00:14:16,800 Speaker 1: on TV. Brother. Uh, your insights incredible, great smile and say, 275 00:14:17,040 --> 00:14:18,920 Speaker 1: I'll be breaking it down. May you do you know 276 00:14:18,960 --> 00:14:20,840 Speaker 1: maybe you might know in the Google me a little bit. 277 00:14:20,920 --> 00:14:22,920 Speaker 1: You know, you'll find out when I tell you you're special. Man, 278 00:14:22,960 --> 00:14:25,240 Speaker 1: You go that brother does know what you're talking about. 279 00:14:25,600 --> 00:14:28,000 Speaker 1: But when But I had C. J McCullough on on 280 00:14:28,080 --> 00:14:31,000 Speaker 1: show twice. Now he has a wine line that's sold 281 00:14:31,040 --> 00:14:34,240 Speaker 1: out as well. Now you got into wine business. But 282 00:14:34,560 --> 00:14:38,160 Speaker 1: you know, but you're a black kosher winemaker. Please tell 283 00:14:38,240 --> 00:14:42,400 Speaker 1: us the significance of that well ben business. First, I 284 00:14:42,400 --> 00:14:44,640 Speaker 1: don't think there's another black coachure wine make graphs in 285 00:14:44,680 --> 00:14:48,680 Speaker 1: the world. Um and so I wanted someone trans that narrative. 286 00:14:48,720 --> 00:14:51,120 Speaker 1: Also is being able to now step into a coatural space, 287 00:14:51,200 --> 00:14:55,000 Speaker 1: to space where where health is wealth, right, um and 288 00:14:55,160 --> 00:14:57,720 Speaker 1: so and so you know, the winery out of out 289 00:14:57,760 --> 00:14:59,720 Speaker 1: of Israel was important for me. To get involved in 290 00:14:59,800 --> 00:15:02,760 Speaker 1: becau as you know, obviously having the biblical ties and 291 00:15:02,880 --> 00:15:05,800 Speaker 1: knowing that throughout the whole biblical context there's always been 292 00:15:05,880 --> 00:15:08,040 Speaker 1: wine involved in the Bible, right, so I wanted to 293 00:15:08,080 --> 00:15:11,440 Speaker 1: kind of back with that soil and create a juice 294 00:15:12,040 --> 00:15:14,320 Speaker 1: that people here in American drink and be a part 295 00:15:14,400 --> 00:15:15,800 Speaker 1: of Israel like they can be a part of that 296 00:15:15,920 --> 00:15:21,000 Speaker 1: biblical connotation. Um. So that's how the originally started. And 297 00:15:21,080 --> 00:15:23,840 Speaker 1: then now I just released two more bottles. That's made 298 00:15:23,880 --> 00:15:28,480 Speaker 1: in California. There's there's a cabinet Savoon that's cab that's 299 00:15:28,480 --> 00:15:32,160 Speaker 1: made in California. Mr said it again, seven, I got, 300 00:15:32,520 --> 00:15:34,480 Speaker 1: I got articularly like you. How do you say that? Man? 301 00:15:34,640 --> 00:15:37,960 Speaker 1: Just lay it? Roll off your lip, savenon what you say? Brother? 302 00:15:38,280 --> 00:15:41,640 Speaker 1: You need to stop man, You're a smooth operative brother. 303 00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:45,040 Speaker 1: Come on, come on say it one more time. What 304 00:15:45,160 --> 00:15:51,240 Speaker 1: you're saying. That's the that's the cabinet Savona from California. 305 00:15:51,240 --> 00:15:53,320 Speaker 1: And I have a I have a petite bird dough 306 00:15:53,440 --> 00:15:58,320 Speaker 1: that's also rose also California. Right now, Why you know, 307 00:15:58,640 --> 00:16:00,600 Speaker 1: two years ago reading USA to Day and they was 308 00:16:00,640 --> 00:16:04,720 Speaker 1: talking about NBA players and why why it was such 309 00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:08,760 Speaker 1: a popular Uh, drink and NBA players walk around with 310 00:16:08,800 --> 00:16:11,720 Speaker 1: little cases with wine in the little cases and they 311 00:16:11,800 --> 00:16:15,080 Speaker 1: travel with their whine. Why is that the case? Well, 312 00:16:15,120 --> 00:16:17,880 Speaker 1: you know what, I think the NBA nowadays is becoming 313 00:16:17,880 --> 00:16:20,800 Speaker 1: a luxury brand. A lot of the players that are 314 00:16:21,000 --> 00:16:23,880 Speaker 1: in the NBA and have played in the NBA are 315 00:16:24,440 --> 00:16:27,040 Speaker 1: you know, their brands are considered to be luxury brands. 316 00:16:27,200 --> 00:16:29,480 Speaker 1: So why is a part of their luxury connotation? So 317 00:16:29,560 --> 00:16:31,640 Speaker 1: I think, wh A lot of the guys who like 318 00:16:31,760 --> 00:16:33,840 Speaker 1: to go out and have dinner, as you know, five 319 00:16:33,880 --> 00:16:36,720 Speaker 1: star restaurants, mission the restaurants, I want to sit down 320 00:16:36,760 --> 00:16:39,480 Speaker 1: and drink wine. I want to smoke cigars, I want 321 00:16:39,520 --> 00:16:42,760 Speaker 1: to drink whiskey and chill relas, have a good fun night. 322 00:16:43,320 --> 00:16:45,120 Speaker 1: Those are those are the ideas that a lot of 323 00:16:45,240 --> 00:16:47,720 Speaker 1: NBA guys are thinking and so getting into that wine 324 00:16:47,760 --> 00:16:51,920 Speaker 1: space kind of goes with their brand. Now, now let's 325 00:16:51,920 --> 00:16:54,880 Speaker 1: go to another part of your entrepreneur career. Is that's 326 00:16:54,880 --> 00:16:58,040 Speaker 1: why I love about you? It's not like you your pigeonhole. Okay? 327 00:16:58,480 --> 00:17:02,160 Speaker 1: Now they start Mire Farms, which is an organic family 328 00:17:02,240 --> 00:17:05,240 Speaker 1: round farm in Duchess County, New York that raises black angers. 329 00:17:05,720 --> 00:17:07,800 Speaker 1: Talk about how did that come about in your life. 330 00:17:08,280 --> 00:17:11,359 Speaker 1: Who turned you on to the opportunity? Well, you know 331 00:17:11,480 --> 00:17:13,359 Speaker 1: what I mean. You know, it's funny. I grew up 332 00:17:13,359 --> 00:17:15,080 Speaker 1: in a small town in Florida, which is like, you know, 333 00:17:15,160 --> 00:17:18,480 Speaker 1: it's like a farmtown kind of type. Deal. Also lived 334 00:17:18,480 --> 00:17:21,320 Speaker 1: in New York for a while, right, So my grandfather 335 00:17:21,600 --> 00:17:26,640 Speaker 1: was my grandfather, Jack was an entrepreneur himself. He had 336 00:17:26,680 --> 00:17:29,440 Speaker 1: like fish in the morning, he had grape vines and 337 00:17:30,400 --> 00:17:32,680 Speaker 1: peace trees in the backyard. He would have, you know, 338 00:17:32,760 --> 00:17:37,000 Speaker 1: all these different agriculture uh elements and you know at 339 00:17:37,040 --> 00:17:38,639 Speaker 1: his home. And so when I when I go to 340 00:17:38,720 --> 00:17:40,920 Speaker 1: my grandfather's house, I would see all this and I 341 00:17:40,960 --> 00:17:43,639 Speaker 1: would see how he works in until the soil. And 342 00:17:43,720 --> 00:17:46,600 Speaker 1: so I was like, there's an opportunity that came along 343 00:17:46,640 --> 00:17:48,320 Speaker 1: my way here in New York where a friend of 344 00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:52,840 Speaker 1: mine we're moving to Italy and had this massive ranch 345 00:17:53,080 --> 00:17:55,920 Speaker 1: out upstate New York. And they're like, hey, we you know, 346 00:17:56,000 --> 00:17:57,720 Speaker 1: we have this ranch. We're just you know, really just 347 00:17:57,840 --> 00:18:01,040 Speaker 1: trying to get rid of it. And so I was 348 00:18:01,080 --> 00:18:03,399 Speaker 1: like sure. You know, for me, my initial thought was 349 00:18:03,440 --> 00:18:05,959 Speaker 1: having a nice getaway place for the family. They can 350 00:18:06,000 --> 00:18:09,720 Speaker 1: have a nice vacation, uh and go out the log cabin, relaxed, 351 00:18:09,800 --> 00:18:12,720 Speaker 1: light up, the light up the fire pit. Um. But 352 00:18:12,880 --> 00:18:16,440 Speaker 1: then I turned it into a working farm, and so 353 00:18:16,520 --> 00:18:18,960 Speaker 1: I used about a hundred and eighty five acres of it, 354 00:18:19,040 --> 00:18:21,480 Speaker 1: and I brought in some black angers. I brought a 355 00:18:21,520 --> 00:18:24,520 Speaker 1: farm hand. And now, and this is about seven to 356 00:18:24,600 --> 00:18:29,440 Speaker 1: ten years ago. So are you and the horse? No, 357 00:18:29,600 --> 00:18:31,520 Speaker 1: I have no horses. Okay, you're not riding the har 358 00:18:31,600 --> 00:18:32,960 Speaker 1: you do how do you get out there? And and 359 00:18:33,119 --> 00:18:36,680 Speaker 1: and corral the the anger? See what do you do? 360 00:18:36,800 --> 00:18:39,520 Speaker 1: You know? Up what you're out there doing? Yeah? I 361 00:18:39,600 --> 00:18:43,359 Speaker 1: got I got, I got the a t V. A TV. 362 00:18:43,480 --> 00:18:47,560 Speaker 1: You rolling? Huh yeah? Man? So so so the farm hand. Actually, whenever, whenever, 363 00:18:47,640 --> 00:18:49,240 Speaker 1: whenever you go on the farm, you have like a 364 00:18:49,320 --> 00:18:52,399 Speaker 1: certain feed and the cows that come to you, you know, 365 00:18:52,480 --> 00:18:55,120 Speaker 1: because they're coming right to you, and you can somewhat 366 00:18:55,320 --> 00:18:57,920 Speaker 1: you know, showing which way to go, and you fence 367 00:18:57,960 --> 00:19:00,360 Speaker 1: some men depending on which right which in the land 368 00:19:00,400 --> 00:19:02,680 Speaker 1: you want them to graze right, because you have some 369 00:19:02,800 --> 00:19:05,080 Speaker 1: parts of some parts of the land needs to grow back, 370 00:19:05,760 --> 00:19:07,639 Speaker 1: and so you take them to another part of the 371 00:19:07,720 --> 00:19:10,000 Speaker 1: land fencing mail at them graze that right, and then 372 00:19:10,040 --> 00:19:12,800 Speaker 1: you read them out that way, uh field by field. 373 00:19:13,480 --> 00:19:15,760 Speaker 1: But it's an easy deal, man, you know, it's it's 374 00:19:15,800 --> 00:19:18,400 Speaker 1: it's an easy deal, and it's fun because now there's 375 00:19:18,400 --> 00:19:20,359 Speaker 1: a new there's a new situation now with the American 376 00:19:20,400 --> 00:19:24,560 Speaker 1: government that now are giving back to the black farmers. Yeah, 377 00:19:24,640 --> 00:19:29,000 Speaker 1: because before um, um, you know, there was like I 378 00:19:29,119 --> 00:19:33,680 Speaker 1: think like sixteen percent of the population were black farmers, 379 00:19:34,760 --> 00:19:37,320 Speaker 1: and now it's down to like point two percent of 380 00:19:37,880 --> 00:19:40,520 Speaker 1: the farmers that are black. And so now the government's 381 00:19:40,520 --> 00:19:43,199 Speaker 1: are gonna re issue that and try to enhance black farmers. 382 00:19:43,280 --> 00:19:45,440 Speaker 1: So I was also ahead of that curve as well. 383 00:19:45,840 --> 00:19:49,400 Speaker 1: You know, Congressman uh Lindsay Ram called it reparations. That's 384 00:19:49,400 --> 00:19:52,040 Speaker 1: what he was calling. That was in this deal, you know, 385 00:19:52,560 --> 00:19:56,320 Speaker 1: funding for black farmers. You know, when you you are 386 00:19:56,720 --> 00:19:59,280 Speaker 1: a man of many hats, what you know, I won't 387 00:19:59,359 --> 00:20:01,800 Speaker 1: use the word where had are you most proud of? Win? Now? 388 00:20:02,280 --> 00:20:06,800 Speaker 1: But what allows you the ability to multitask? Well? I 389 00:20:06,840 --> 00:20:10,040 Speaker 1: think for me, everything everything that I get myself involved in, 390 00:20:10,240 --> 00:20:14,080 Speaker 1: our passions that I love doing right and and I 391 00:20:14,119 --> 00:20:16,200 Speaker 1: also learned about it first. I learned about it and 392 00:20:16,320 --> 00:20:19,520 Speaker 1: understand it first before I really get involved. Um. And 393 00:20:19,600 --> 00:20:22,440 Speaker 1: so it allows me to do it naturally. You know. 394 00:20:22,480 --> 00:20:25,000 Speaker 1: I feel like if you force something you're not too 395 00:20:25,040 --> 00:20:27,520 Speaker 1: sure about it, then it makes it doesn't look as natural, 396 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:31,200 Speaker 1: doesn't feel as clean, it doesn't feel as right, you know. So, uh, 397 00:20:31,520 --> 00:20:33,880 Speaker 1: everything that I do is based upon like my passions, 398 00:20:33,880 --> 00:20:37,520 Speaker 1: what I enjoy doing. How can I now pass this 399 00:20:37,640 --> 00:20:40,800 Speaker 1: down to the next generation right and set the tone 400 00:20:40,920 --> 00:20:43,960 Speaker 1: for for them? So let's talk about that next generation 401 00:20:44,040 --> 00:20:47,000 Speaker 1: that you talk about a wellness and and then you 402 00:20:47,119 --> 00:20:49,680 Speaker 1: talk about that, you know, so they won't struggle. You know, 403 00:20:50,040 --> 00:20:51,920 Speaker 1: do you feel a responsibility And I'm not trying to 404 00:20:51,960 --> 00:20:53,560 Speaker 1: put your own but I hopefully we're just having a 405 00:20:53,600 --> 00:20:56,719 Speaker 1: really good conversation with a successful person who has been 406 00:20:56,760 --> 00:20:59,320 Speaker 1: successful in so many of its level as an athlete, 407 00:20:59,760 --> 00:21:03,440 Speaker 1: now as an academic because you got to give your masters. Agree, 408 00:21:03,440 --> 00:21:05,560 Speaker 1: you gotta an undergraduate degree you can't get you can't 409 00:21:05,560 --> 00:21:08,280 Speaker 1: skill to get that. So you've been successful at that 410 00:21:08,400 --> 00:21:10,840 Speaker 1: level as well. Your entrepreneur you you wouldn't have step 411 00:21:10,920 --> 00:21:13,200 Speaker 1: on in the beauty of having land. I always my 412 00:21:13,560 --> 00:21:15,880 Speaker 1: dad just always said God ain't making no more land. 413 00:21:16,240 --> 00:21:18,560 Speaker 1: So when you buy the land, that's an investment. Did 414 00:21:18,600 --> 00:21:20,439 Speaker 1: you should hold on too? So that's a smart move 415 00:21:20,560 --> 00:21:22,640 Speaker 1: on your part right there. But when you talking about 416 00:21:22,680 --> 00:21:27,080 Speaker 1: next generation, what is your responsibility especially in wellness because 417 00:21:27,440 --> 00:21:31,840 Speaker 1: in twenty we discovered how a global pandemic can affect 418 00:21:31,880 --> 00:21:36,359 Speaker 1: African Americans and we saw the George Flaw situation. What 419 00:21:36,600 --> 00:21:38,760 Speaker 1: role did you feel you've had to play? What role 420 00:21:38,840 --> 00:21:41,680 Speaker 1: did you play from a pandemic side and from a 421 00:21:41,800 --> 00:21:44,440 Speaker 1: civil unrest and trying to try to get people understand 422 00:21:44,480 --> 00:21:46,959 Speaker 1: that we are and we should be represented properly as 423 00:21:46,960 --> 00:21:50,280 Speaker 1: African Americans. Yeah, for sure. I mean I think I 424 00:21:50,359 --> 00:21:52,680 Speaker 1: think my ideal of it is being able to understand 425 00:21:53,280 --> 00:21:56,800 Speaker 1: our heritage, sir. And I think that's key because I'm sure, 426 00:21:56,840 --> 00:22:00,800 Speaker 1: I'm sure it's governmental facts and paperwork and the files there. 427 00:22:01,280 --> 00:22:03,400 Speaker 1: But a lot of the African Americans that were brought 428 00:22:03,440 --> 00:22:06,120 Speaker 1: to America are from like the children of Israel, from 429 00:22:06,160 --> 00:22:10,560 Speaker 1: a Dane that you Dan region. So for us, for me, 430 00:22:10,760 --> 00:22:13,399 Speaker 1: what I always try to connect the people with is 431 00:22:13,440 --> 00:22:15,840 Speaker 1: being able for them to reconnect with the Bible so 432 00:22:15,920 --> 00:22:19,000 Speaker 1: they can understand their heritage and then start to follow 433 00:22:19,080 --> 00:22:22,439 Speaker 1: suit in that way. And so that is that's an 434 00:22:22,480 --> 00:22:24,800 Speaker 1: important message for me to someone give to the children, 435 00:22:24,840 --> 00:22:29,280 Speaker 1: because we have our heritage only goes back to slavery, 436 00:22:29,560 --> 00:22:32,120 Speaker 1: you know at one point, like we've we've been there's 437 00:22:32,160 --> 00:22:35,040 Speaker 1: so many different titles of of heritage that we've been given. 438 00:22:35,080 --> 00:22:38,840 Speaker 1: Whether it's Black, it's Negro, whether it's African American, whether 439 00:22:38,920 --> 00:22:41,960 Speaker 1: it's you know, whatever these names are. But what's our heritage, 440 00:22:42,040 --> 00:22:45,720 Speaker 1: and our heritage is the Bible, our here, our heritage 441 00:22:46,160 --> 00:22:48,960 Speaker 1: is inside the history book. Not important for us to 442 00:22:49,000 --> 00:22:52,280 Speaker 1: reconnect with that and to understand what that means and 443 00:22:52,359 --> 00:22:54,760 Speaker 1: do your own particular learning to figure that part out 444 00:22:55,280 --> 00:22:58,359 Speaker 1: and then go from there. Oh man, it's been a 445 00:22:58,400 --> 00:23:02,000 Speaker 1: wonderful conversation. I'm already and uh, you're special, brother, But 446 00:23:02,040 --> 00:23:03,760 Speaker 1: of course you know that, and I hope you understand 447 00:23:03,840 --> 00:23:06,120 Speaker 1: that the gifts that you're given to us as an entrepreneur, 448 00:23:06,200 --> 00:23:09,600 Speaker 1: as a leader, as a as a person who's understands 449 00:23:09,640 --> 00:23:13,360 Speaker 1: the value of education, as a landowner, which is beautiful 450 00:23:13,440 --> 00:23:15,119 Speaker 1: for black people to say that, because we know that 451 00:23:15,520 --> 00:23:19,080 Speaker 1: land has been stripped away from us illegally at times, uh, 452 00:23:19,840 --> 00:23:22,040 Speaker 1: from a scam way, and we're not and not being 453 00:23:22,040 --> 00:23:24,359 Speaker 1: in the position to make money from the land that 454 00:23:24,480 --> 00:23:26,399 Speaker 1: we buy. And you were smart enough to see there 455 00:23:26,480 --> 00:23:28,840 Speaker 1: was value in it and having the black angers for 456 00:23:29,119 --> 00:23:32,080 Speaker 1: me raising uh as these these cattle, i'ms wooing up 457 00:23:32,080 --> 00:23:34,159 Speaker 1: there and making money out of it. Continue to do 458 00:23:34,240 --> 00:23:35,680 Speaker 1: what you do, man, I want to. I wanna thank you, 459 00:23:35,720 --> 00:23:38,639 Speaker 1: brother for coming on my show Money Making Conversations. Absolutely, Bro, 460 00:23:38,720 --> 00:23:42,240 Speaker 1: thanks as an amazing conversation. That's do it again. Yeah, man, 461 00:23:42,359 --> 00:23:44,480 Speaker 1: I'll tell you something more. I'm not lying, man. You 462 00:23:44,720 --> 00:23:46,800 Speaker 1: are gifted, brother. But you knew that al right, because 463 00:23:46,800 --> 00:23:49,080 Speaker 1: you're the YouTube show. I just to watch it. I 464 00:23:49,119 --> 00:23:51,520 Speaker 1: would looking at it to you. You you're creating Chris Boss. 465 00:23:51,800 --> 00:23:54,359 Speaker 1: Chris Boss followed you with that little commercial he did. 466 00:23:54,720 --> 00:23:57,719 Speaker 1: I'm not looking at man. You are a special man, 467 00:23:57,840 --> 00:23:59,560 Speaker 1: and I was happy to see you on Steve and 468 00:23:59,640 --> 00:24:02,879 Speaker 1: as Stephen's steven A's World, Man, because you know a 469 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:06,400 Speaker 1: lot of people. They have an image of you, of anybody, 470 00:24:06,600 --> 00:24:09,560 Speaker 1: especially from an athletic standpoint, and you're so smooth and 471 00:24:09,680 --> 00:24:13,280 Speaker 1: you're so smart. Uh, don't stop, man, And I'll always 472 00:24:13,280 --> 00:24:14,840 Speaker 1: to let you know. Man, I'm a fan of yours 473 00:24:15,160 --> 00:24:17,879 Speaker 1: just as a man and because you are doing some 474 00:24:18,040 --> 00:24:22,399 Speaker 1: man stuff. And don't stop. Okay you all right, we 475 00:24:22,520 --> 00:24:25,520 Speaker 1: will be right back with more money making Conversations with 476 00:24:25,640 --> 00:24:30,280 Speaker 1: your host Rashwan McDonald. It's finally here, the season of celebration, 477 00:24:30,520 --> 00:24:33,159 Speaker 1: And no matter how you celebrate with family and friends, 478 00:24:33,400 --> 00:24:37,320 Speaker 1: whether you're preparing for reys magos or Karamu lighting the Manura, 479 00:24:37,520 --> 00:24:40,520 Speaker 1: are going to midnight mass, Coals has just what you 480 00:24:40,600 --> 00:24:44,399 Speaker 1: need to make those traditions special. Plus you'll find gifts 481 00:24:44,480 --> 00:24:47,719 Speaker 1: for all your loved ones. Send warm wishes with Cozy 482 00:24:47,840 --> 00:24:52,359 Speaker 1: Fleece's sweaters, loungeware, blankets and throws. Support minority owned or 483 00:24:52,440 --> 00:24:55,880 Speaker 1: founded brands by giving gifts from human Nation and shame 484 00:24:55,960 --> 00:24:59,280 Speaker 1: moisture or treat them to everyone's favorite active war from 485 00:24:59,400 --> 00:25:02,280 Speaker 1: top brand. It is like Nike, Adidas and under Armor. 486 00:25:02,680 --> 00:25:05,920 Speaker 1: And in the spirit of giving, Coals Cares is donating 487 00:25:06,040 --> 00:25:09,800 Speaker 1: eight million dollars to local nonprofits nationwide committed to the 488 00:25:09,880 --> 00:25:12,840 Speaker 1: health and well being of our communities. No matter how 489 00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:16,160 Speaker 1: you celebrate, when you shop at Coals, you're right where 490 00:25:16,200 --> 00:25:19,560 Speaker 1: you belong. 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Hi Roshan McDonald's the 509 00:26:24,720 --> 00:26:27,760 Speaker 1: host of Money Making Conversation. The Cafe Mocha Swag Award 510 00:26:27,840 --> 00:26:29,800 Speaker 1: is a celebration of black men who are making a 511 00:26:29,840 --> 00:26:32,960 Speaker 1: difference in our community by empowering others to reach their 512 00:26:33,040 --> 00:26:37,760 Speaker 1: life goals. From civic leaders, businessmen, activists, celebrities and everyday dad's. 513 00:26:38,119 --> 00:26:41,320 Speaker 1: The Cafe Mocha Swag Award winner this week is PRIENTSS. 514 00:26:41,400 --> 00:26:45,080 Speaker 1: Penny He is a Peabody and Golden Globe Award winning writer, director, 515 00:26:45,160 --> 00:26:47,639 Speaker 1: and producer who continues to change the game with his 516 00:26:47,760 --> 00:26:50,960 Speaker 1: groundbreaking Netflix original film On Cork, where he is the 517 00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:54,800 Speaker 1: writer and director and is the showrunner and executive producer 518 00:26:54,840 --> 00:26:59,000 Speaker 1: of they hit HBO series Insecure, Super Glass to Like 519 00:26:59,200 --> 00:27:02,080 Speaker 1: mostly had the same writers from Man, So I think 520 00:27:02,160 --> 00:27:04,800 Speaker 1: that brings like a level of you know, people being 521 00:27:04,840 --> 00:27:07,320 Speaker 1: super familiar with how we want to tell the stories 522 00:27:07,440 --> 00:27:09,720 Speaker 1: and the way to tell stories and what works and 523 00:27:09,760 --> 00:27:11,879 Speaker 1: what doesn't work on our shows, but still offering you know, 524 00:27:12,280 --> 00:27:14,639 Speaker 1: fresh new insight and fresh takes on it. And so 525 00:27:14,760 --> 00:27:16,280 Speaker 1: I think that and other thing you have an amazing 526 00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:19,879 Speaker 1: it just makes our job easier. Cathey March Squag Award 527 00:27:19,920 --> 00:27:23,320 Speaker 1: represents men who have strength, whose wisdom is assertive, and 528 00:27:23,400 --> 00:27:26,680 Speaker 1: who is genuine in their spirit. Welcome back to Money 529 00:27:26,720 --> 00:27:31,159 Speaker 1: Making Conversations with your host Rashaan McDonald. My interviews that 530 00:27:31,240 --> 00:27:33,960 Speaker 1: I have on Money Making Conversations provide the consuming business 531 00:27:33,960 --> 00:27:37,120 Speaker 1: owner access to celebrities. That's who I'm about the interview next. 532 00:27:37,440 --> 00:27:41,280 Speaker 1: He's an entrepreneur, he's a CEO, he's an industry decision maker. 533 00:27:41,640 --> 00:27:47,440 Speaker 1: His name is Chris Lee He's played many roles on TV. Actor, singer, dancer, vampire, 534 00:27:48,240 --> 00:27:52,119 Speaker 1: drug dealing, musician. He is currently on the cast of 535 00:27:52,160 --> 00:27:54,560 Speaker 1: the c W series Legacy. He don't know but I 536 00:27:54,680 --> 00:27:58,240 Speaker 1: watched that too. Currently are and uh season three He's 537 00:27:58,280 --> 00:28:01,679 Speaker 1: a vampire and that. On the music side, his latest 538 00:28:01,760 --> 00:28:04,880 Speaker 1: release is the new single Miss, available now. But Chris 539 00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:06,680 Speaker 1: was in the college when from college, he was casting 540 00:28:06,720 --> 00:28:09,440 Speaker 1: the broad we hit musical Hamilton's, where he played two 541 00:28:09,520 --> 00:28:12,359 Speaker 1: characters We're gonna talk about that, how you swing between them? 542 00:28:12,400 --> 00:28:15,800 Speaker 1: To Thomas Jefferson and all that stuff for their Chicago production. 543 00:28:15,840 --> 00:28:18,800 Speaker 1: After that, he shifted to television, appearing on The Empire 544 00:28:19,080 --> 00:28:22,639 Speaker 1: because you can say swap because he got physicality and 545 00:28:23,080 --> 00:28:25,240 Speaker 1: recurred where I really fell in love with him on 546 00:28:25,359 --> 00:28:28,320 Speaker 1: the shot he was he was the coolest drug dealer 547 00:28:28,680 --> 00:28:30,840 Speaker 1: since Fringer Bell. That's what I'm just telling you right now. 548 00:28:30,920 --> 00:28:34,120 Speaker 1: It's Fringer Bell is legend there from the wire. Please 549 00:28:34,160 --> 00:28:37,119 Speaker 1: welcome to money making conversation telling the young act. I'm 550 00:28:37,160 --> 00:28:39,840 Speaker 1: happy to have more money making conversation. Chris Lee. How 551 00:28:39,880 --> 00:28:42,240 Speaker 1: you doing, Chris doing well? And I thank you for 552 00:28:42,360 --> 00:28:44,680 Speaker 1: having to start tell Chris. Have to let you know 553 00:28:47,320 --> 00:28:50,720 Speaker 1: I appreciate. I appreciate it. Well, let's let's talk about 554 00:28:50,720 --> 00:28:52,440 Speaker 1: you man a little bit. You where you based, are, 555 00:28:52,480 --> 00:28:54,640 Speaker 1: where you get started and how did you get started 556 00:28:54,720 --> 00:28:57,520 Speaker 1: in the and the just the love of entertainment because 557 00:28:57,560 --> 00:29:01,000 Speaker 1: we have so many people have these aspirations but don't 558 00:29:01,000 --> 00:29:03,600 Speaker 1: know how to jump it off. Yeah. Yeah, So, I 559 00:29:03,640 --> 00:29:05,800 Speaker 1: mean I'm originally from Georgia, right outside of Atlanta. I 560 00:29:05,920 --> 00:29:09,920 Speaker 1: was born in Augusta. My mom moved to uh, Atlanta 561 00:29:10,920 --> 00:29:12,880 Speaker 1: when I think I was going for and uh so 562 00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:14,480 Speaker 1: that's that's where I grew up in. I mean, you know, 563 00:29:14,600 --> 00:29:18,000 Speaker 1: grew up in a regular you know, black household, you know, 564 00:29:18,200 --> 00:29:21,400 Speaker 1: a single parents situation. Um. And you know, my mom, 565 00:29:21,600 --> 00:29:25,920 Speaker 1: you know, instilled in me the ideals of of Christianity 566 00:29:26,120 --> 00:29:29,840 Speaker 1: and and and my entire life is definitely rooted in 567 00:29:29,880 --> 00:29:32,520 Speaker 1: the true relationship Jesus Christ will first given honor to him. 568 00:29:32,600 --> 00:29:34,880 Speaker 1: And so thankful that I'm here to be able to 569 00:29:35,120 --> 00:29:37,800 Speaker 1: share with you guys and everything. But yeah, man, so 570 00:29:37,880 --> 00:29:39,840 Speaker 1: I went to actually went to a boarding school when 571 00:29:39,840 --> 00:29:42,840 Speaker 1: I was about fourteen years old, and uh just to 572 00:29:42,920 --> 00:29:44,480 Speaker 1: kind of get out of the situation I was in 573 00:29:44,640 --> 00:29:47,800 Speaker 1: and to kind of explore more opportunities when it came 574 00:29:47,880 --> 00:29:50,760 Speaker 1: to you know, the potential I I feel my mom 575 00:29:50,840 --> 00:29:53,760 Speaker 1: thought I had, and um my my peers and my 576 00:29:54,000 --> 00:29:56,880 Speaker 1: my educator start I had. And so the school is 577 00:29:56,880 --> 00:30:00,240 Speaker 1: called My College School located in Chaga, Tennessee, and college 578 00:30:00,240 --> 00:30:02,320 Speaker 1: prep school, and they really just offer everything, you know. 579 00:30:02,400 --> 00:30:04,800 Speaker 1: I mean I remember the first time I toured the 580 00:30:04,880 --> 00:30:07,600 Speaker 1: campus and you know, found that you could not only 581 00:30:07,680 --> 00:30:10,760 Speaker 1: do the you know, like basketball and football and soccer 582 00:30:10,800 --> 00:30:14,080 Speaker 1: and baseball, but they had like water polo and ning 583 00:30:14,160 --> 00:30:16,760 Speaker 1: and canoeing and and crew like growing and so it 584 00:30:16,880 --> 00:30:19,880 Speaker 1: was just seeing stuff I had never known and being 585 00:30:19,960 --> 00:30:22,080 Speaker 1: cultured in a way that was that can only be 586 00:30:22,120 --> 00:30:24,200 Speaker 1: beneficial because you know, the knowledge I would gain, I 587 00:30:24,240 --> 00:30:26,120 Speaker 1: didn't know I could use it later, one of those 588 00:30:26,200 --> 00:30:29,800 Speaker 1: things being theater. And so make a long story short, 589 00:30:29,840 --> 00:30:32,680 Speaker 1: I lost a bet and and I had to auditions 590 00:30:32,720 --> 00:30:36,120 Speaker 1: for the play. And I loved it. I mean I absolutely, 591 00:30:36,560 --> 00:30:40,080 Speaker 1: you know, I was so I wasn't really drawn to it, 592 00:30:40,160 --> 00:30:42,120 Speaker 1: but once I was in it, I mean, the feeling 593 00:30:42,200 --> 00:30:43,720 Speaker 1: that I had it was kind of that that space 594 00:30:43,800 --> 00:30:45,480 Speaker 1: where you just know where you're supposed to be for 595 00:30:45,520 --> 00:30:47,400 Speaker 1: the first time in your life. And I was, you know, 596 00:30:47,640 --> 00:30:51,440 Speaker 1: fifteen years old. I think fifteen, sixteen years old, I knew, okay, 597 00:30:51,440 --> 00:30:52,760 Speaker 1: I want to be on stage. I didn't even know 598 00:30:52,800 --> 00:30:54,320 Speaker 1: what that would look like. I didn't think I could 599 00:30:54,360 --> 00:30:55,680 Speaker 1: have a career doing it, you know what I mean? 600 00:30:55,760 --> 00:30:58,560 Speaker 1: Because I was informed and just where I grew up, 601 00:30:58,560 --> 00:31:00,400 Speaker 1: you didn't really hear about too many people trying to 602 00:31:00,520 --> 00:31:03,760 Speaker 1: pursue acting for real, you know, I mean, it just 603 00:31:03,880 --> 00:31:05,440 Speaker 1: kind of you saw people on TV and that's where 604 00:31:05,440 --> 00:31:08,760 Speaker 1: it was. Um. But thankful God. I thinking for my 605 00:31:08,880 --> 00:31:11,000 Speaker 1: mom for encouraging me. Seeing the gifts that I had. 606 00:31:11,040 --> 00:31:13,040 Speaker 1: I was you know, I came from a musical family. 607 00:31:13,080 --> 00:31:15,480 Speaker 1: Everybody could sing, so it wasn't really impressive to me 608 00:31:15,960 --> 00:31:17,840 Speaker 1: that I could. I could that I was musical at 609 00:31:17,840 --> 00:31:19,880 Speaker 1: all because that's just I was normal in my household. 610 00:31:19,880 --> 00:31:22,280 Speaker 1: You sing all the time, singing church. It was kind 611 00:31:22,280 --> 00:31:24,760 Speaker 1: of like more like can write a passage, you know 612 00:31:24,760 --> 00:31:26,160 Speaker 1: what I mean. You have to be kind of musical. 613 00:31:26,200 --> 00:31:27,680 Speaker 1: You have to know how to worship, and you have 614 00:31:27,760 --> 00:31:29,960 Speaker 1: to know how to use that game. And so you know, 615 00:31:30,160 --> 00:31:32,280 Speaker 1: I'm in high school and my mom she sees me 616 00:31:32,440 --> 00:31:35,320 Speaker 1: do a play and she's like, well, you're really good, dude. 617 00:31:35,320 --> 00:31:37,160 Speaker 1: You should you should think about going to college for it, 618 00:31:37,720 --> 00:31:39,560 Speaker 1: and I was like, oh, you could, you could like 619 00:31:39,800 --> 00:31:42,080 Speaker 1: major in this. She's like, yeah, you can major musical theater, 620 00:31:42,200 --> 00:31:44,880 Speaker 1: acting music, all that, okay, And I was like, what 621 00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:46,720 Speaker 1: would I do? You said, you can go to Broadway 622 00:31:47,160 --> 00:31:49,080 Speaker 1: and I was like they paid. She's like, Chris, they 623 00:31:49,160 --> 00:31:51,440 Speaker 1: get paid. I was like, oh, no, let's just do that. 624 00:31:52,320 --> 00:31:54,360 Speaker 1: And that's really how I went down. Bro. It really 625 00:31:54,400 --> 00:31:56,240 Speaker 1: went down like that. Like I I auditioned at a 626 00:31:56,280 --> 00:31:58,760 Speaker 1: bunch of schools, fell in love with Bellmount University and 627 00:31:58,800 --> 00:32:01,560 Speaker 1: that's where I began my formal education on theater, where 628 00:32:01,600 --> 00:32:05,000 Speaker 1: I had my first voice lessons, acting lessons, dancing lessons, 629 00:32:05,360 --> 00:32:08,680 Speaker 1: and um kind of honed the talent I had into 630 00:32:08,800 --> 00:32:11,720 Speaker 1: like real skill. And during that time, I think it 631 00:32:11,760 --> 00:32:15,600 Speaker 1: was around Hamilton's came out, and I became obsessed with 632 00:32:15,680 --> 00:32:18,200 Speaker 1: the soundtrack like everybody did. Because at the time you 633 00:32:18,200 --> 00:32:20,560 Speaker 1: couldn't see it. You could just listen to it um, 634 00:32:21,080 --> 00:32:23,880 Speaker 1: you know, via Spotify iTunes. You could hear the plot 635 00:32:24,280 --> 00:32:26,239 Speaker 1: and you can hear everything the characters are going through, 636 00:32:26,280 --> 00:32:28,240 Speaker 1: and it was becoming this phenomenon and I remember hearing 637 00:32:28,280 --> 00:32:30,280 Speaker 1: it for the first time saying like, I'm gonna do 638 00:32:30,400 --> 00:32:32,720 Speaker 1: that one day. I didn't think it'd be six months later. 639 00:32:32,760 --> 00:32:35,040 Speaker 1: It ended up being six months later. I was UM 640 00:32:35,280 --> 00:32:38,840 Speaker 1: casting a role and opening in Chicago. When did Chicago 641 00:32:39,080 --> 00:32:42,000 Speaker 1: started doing Hamilton, I played the roles of Lafayette, mar 642 00:32:42,080 --> 00:32:45,880 Speaker 1: keep La Thomas Jefferson, which is an iconic today UM 643 00:32:46,080 --> 00:32:48,320 Speaker 1: role originally performed by Darby did who was a good 644 00:32:48,320 --> 00:32:50,360 Speaker 1: friend of mine now and at the time, I was 645 00:32:50,440 --> 00:32:52,280 Speaker 1: just blown away for for the opportunity. So I was 646 00:32:52,360 --> 00:32:55,200 Speaker 1: just a sponge. I was on stage with Broadway stars 647 00:32:55,320 --> 00:32:57,960 Speaker 1: Tony or winners, Tony on the knees like taking that 648 00:32:58,080 --> 00:33:00,560 Speaker 1: in and and to me at I remember at that 649 00:33:00,680 --> 00:33:03,400 Speaker 1: point feeling like, okay, this this is it, Like this 650 00:33:03,600 --> 00:33:05,200 Speaker 1: is as big as it's gonna get, Like this is 651 00:33:05,520 --> 00:33:07,760 Speaker 1: I've reached a pinnacle. I'm gonna just sit here and 652 00:33:07,920 --> 00:33:12,120 Speaker 1: enjoy it. And immediately, you know, after having done it, 653 00:33:12,720 --> 00:33:17,680 Speaker 1: I felt this, you know, this kind of unsatisfactory feeling, 654 00:33:17,760 --> 00:33:19,440 Speaker 1: like this thing like, oh wait, there must be more. 655 00:33:20,000 --> 00:33:23,880 Speaker 1: I've accomplished one thing. Maybe there's more to Maybe there 656 00:33:23,960 --> 00:33:26,080 Speaker 1: isn't a line, Maybe there isn't like a ceiling, you 657 00:33:26,120 --> 00:33:28,200 Speaker 1: know what I mean. Maybe I can you know, do 658 00:33:28,680 --> 00:33:31,200 Speaker 1: some TV like see you know, grow up watching A 659 00:33:32,000 --> 00:33:34,160 Speaker 1: Murphy and Mark Lawrence and Will Smith and Denzel these 660 00:33:34,160 --> 00:33:37,080 Speaker 1: black actors have such a wide range and do comedy 661 00:33:37,160 --> 00:33:39,400 Speaker 1: and do music and play roles that you know, we're 662 00:33:39,440 --> 00:33:41,920 Speaker 1: more serious and heart thrives and you know, more drama 663 00:33:42,800 --> 00:33:46,440 Speaker 1: and dangerous and action packed and superhero stuff. Maybe maybe 664 00:33:47,040 --> 00:33:49,240 Speaker 1: I can do all that kind of stuff. And so 665 00:33:49,360 --> 00:33:52,400 Speaker 1: I took a shot. I left Hamilton in twenty I 666 00:33:52,400 --> 00:33:56,360 Speaker 1: think January twenties or I guess it was June, and 667 00:33:56,440 --> 00:33:58,520 Speaker 1: just moved to l A with no job, just took 668 00:33:58,560 --> 00:34:01,920 Speaker 1: with a little money I had had acquired UM doing 669 00:34:02,000 --> 00:34:05,680 Speaker 1: Hamilton and went out there got a spot audition for 670 00:34:05,800 --> 00:34:09,000 Speaker 1: a show called Legacies. A week and a half later, 671 00:34:09,040 --> 00:34:10,680 Speaker 1: I was not even though it was I think it's 672 00:34:10,680 --> 00:34:12,680 Speaker 1: about five days I was casting. Told I gotta come 673 00:34:12,680 --> 00:34:15,279 Speaker 1: back to Atlanta because we're shooting Atlanta, and I've been 674 00:34:15,360 --> 00:34:18,440 Speaker 1: here ever since. Um in between that time, I got 675 00:34:18,840 --> 00:34:21,720 Speaker 1: the pleasure because I was doing Hamilton's Chicago, the pleasure 676 00:34:21,719 --> 00:34:24,200 Speaker 1: of doing shows like Empire that shoots there and other shows, 677 00:34:24,200 --> 00:34:27,480 Speaker 1: and the shot was was definitely the one that kind 678 00:34:27,480 --> 00:34:29,200 Speaker 1: of gave me the book. The shot was the one 679 00:34:29,680 --> 00:34:33,200 Speaker 1: where luckily, you know, lean away than Adam Glass. I 680 00:34:33,239 --> 00:34:35,440 Speaker 1: mean shout out to everybody who was, you know, helping 681 00:34:35,480 --> 00:34:38,799 Speaker 1: me out over there. Um, I got they let me fly, 682 00:34:39,040 --> 00:34:40,959 Speaker 1: like they let me take a character that they wrote 683 00:34:41,000 --> 00:34:45,000 Speaker 1: for me. Oh it was beautiful, beautiful character. Man. Yeah, 684 00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:46,680 Speaker 1: I appreciate. I think he's great. You know, I remember 685 00:34:46,680 --> 00:34:49,400 Speaker 1: auditioning for a role and I can't I think it 686 00:34:49,600 --> 00:34:52,680 Speaker 1: might have been. Um, I think the character's name is 687 00:34:52,719 --> 00:34:55,080 Speaker 1: Melgic and he's just weird older, do you know what 688 00:34:55,120 --> 00:34:57,680 Speaker 1: I'm saying with a trap house? And I remember they said, yeah, 689 00:34:57,719 --> 00:34:59,759 Speaker 1: you're not the right age, the right look like, we're 690 00:34:59,800 --> 00:35:02,200 Speaker 1: not really looking at you for that, but you're really talented. 691 00:35:02,400 --> 00:35:04,600 Speaker 1: So we'll see if anything comes up. Next day, I 692 00:35:04,680 --> 00:35:06,480 Speaker 1: get a call saying like, hey, we want to write 693 00:35:06,480 --> 00:35:09,279 Speaker 1: a road for you. We want you in the show. Bro. 694 00:35:09,520 --> 00:35:10,920 Speaker 1: That's why you see him show up in the third 695 00:35:10,920 --> 00:35:13,680 Speaker 1: episode and eventually have a you know, make his appearances 696 00:35:13,760 --> 00:35:15,920 Speaker 1: here and that. Right. But I remember by the time 697 00:35:15,960 --> 00:35:17,600 Speaker 1: I got to the fifth episode, which is the block 698 00:35:17,680 --> 00:35:20,239 Speaker 1: part of the big one, where he uh Brandon and 699 00:35:20,280 --> 00:35:22,600 Speaker 1: spending the whole day with his cousin Hannibal. Um, it 700 00:35:22,760 --> 00:35:25,399 Speaker 1: was just it was one of those those weeks where 701 00:35:25,400 --> 00:35:27,120 Speaker 1: we shot it, and I was like, they really let 702 00:35:27,200 --> 00:35:28,840 Speaker 1: me play, Like they're really letting me come up with 703 00:35:29,320 --> 00:35:31,480 Speaker 1: who I think this guy is in conjunction with who 704 00:35:31,560 --> 00:35:34,120 Speaker 1: they the spirit of what they want the character to have, 705 00:35:34,800 --> 00:35:37,040 Speaker 1: and they let me, i mean, go off script and 706 00:35:37,360 --> 00:35:39,200 Speaker 1: just kind of beauty of it. The beauty of Chris 707 00:35:39,360 --> 00:35:41,200 Speaker 1: was that you know that, like I said, you know, 708 00:35:42,800 --> 00:35:45,640 Speaker 1: you're a drug dealer, okay, and and and it so, 709 00:35:46,239 --> 00:35:49,839 Speaker 1: but you were able to make him likable. You were 710 00:35:49,880 --> 00:35:53,000 Speaker 1: able to make him like, man, I like that dude. 711 00:35:53,360 --> 00:35:55,800 Speaker 1: You was first of all, you want to make everybody 712 00:35:56,080 --> 00:35:58,759 Speaker 1: day you're a new stupid guy. Okay, this is a 713 00:35:58,840 --> 00:36:02,560 Speaker 1: busy decision. You know, you're just making business because and 714 00:36:02,680 --> 00:36:05,359 Speaker 1: I love that spin on it, because you're going like, okay, 715 00:36:05,400 --> 00:36:07,840 Speaker 1: look at hello, Hello, hello, especially when you open that 716 00:36:07,840 --> 00:36:10,080 Speaker 1: a little cool shot where you always had to have, 717 00:36:10,680 --> 00:36:15,480 Speaker 1: you know, uh membership to get in, you know. But 718 00:36:15,880 --> 00:36:18,160 Speaker 1: but what I want to talk about that character because 719 00:36:18,480 --> 00:36:21,000 Speaker 1: the brilliant because you're brilliant. Man. I'm just gonna let 720 00:36:21,040 --> 00:36:23,319 Speaker 1: you know it. Because I had the pleasure of being 721 00:36:23,320 --> 00:36:25,400 Speaker 1: a lot of a lot still today, work around a 722 00:36:25,440 --> 00:36:28,200 Speaker 1: lot of chalented people, and that little acting step the 723 00:36:28,280 --> 00:36:30,759 Speaker 1: ability to be able to connect the dots. You're able 724 00:36:30,800 --> 00:36:32,520 Speaker 1: to pull it off. We were talking about the whole 725 00:36:32,560 --> 00:36:35,440 Speaker 1: scenario of you've been a drug deal Okay, what you 726 00:36:35,600 --> 00:36:38,239 Speaker 1: what your tendency to be the most like and despised 727 00:36:38,320 --> 00:36:41,000 Speaker 1: character in the black community because you feel like you 728 00:36:41,200 --> 00:36:43,880 Speaker 1: you you want to bring the community down. But you 729 00:36:44,000 --> 00:36:47,280 Speaker 1: were important that you said, hey, man, look at I'm smart. Okay, 730 00:36:47,520 --> 00:36:49,839 Speaker 1: you come to me. I make decisions. I make things happen, 731 00:36:50,120 --> 00:36:51,759 Speaker 1: even to the point when you set up that little 732 00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:54,880 Speaker 1: that little underground, a little place where you had almost 733 00:36:54,920 --> 00:36:56,840 Speaker 1: had a membership to be able to get there to 734 00:36:56,880 --> 00:36:59,480 Speaker 1: get the right drugs. And so my whole thing is 735 00:36:59,560 --> 00:37:04,000 Speaker 1: that stepping beyond what they put on paper, what natural 736 00:37:04,120 --> 00:37:07,080 Speaker 1: instinct is leading you in that direction because you're brilliant, 737 00:37:07,080 --> 00:37:09,360 Speaker 1: you know, man, it was a person like you I 738 00:37:09,440 --> 00:37:12,319 Speaker 1: wanted to bring on the show because you step into 739 00:37:12,360 --> 00:37:14,120 Speaker 1: another level. And I was just gonna throw it out there. 740 00:37:14,120 --> 00:37:16,680 Speaker 1: We're talking on that Denzel Washington level. You know what 741 00:37:16,719 --> 00:37:19,279 Speaker 1: I'm saying, and and and and that's a beautiful thing. 742 00:37:19,719 --> 00:37:22,040 Speaker 1: But he can't see though. So you got that blessing. Okay, 743 00:37:23,960 --> 00:37:28,080 Speaker 1: So so talk about really trusting yourself walking through that 744 00:37:28,320 --> 00:37:32,600 Speaker 1: that that next wall. Yeah, it really is. I think 745 00:37:32,640 --> 00:37:35,160 Speaker 1: it's all about what your desire is, you know what. 746 00:37:35,200 --> 00:37:38,160 Speaker 1: I mean, a lot of people value um different things. 747 00:37:38,600 --> 00:37:42,440 Speaker 1: I find that and when people have to pursuit of entertainment, 748 00:37:42,719 --> 00:37:46,239 Speaker 1: a lot of times they see the glamorous part of it, right, 749 00:37:46,280 --> 00:37:48,399 Speaker 1: Like they see the money you can make, the fame 750 00:37:48,480 --> 00:37:51,040 Speaker 1: you can gain, Instagram followers, TikTok streams and all that 751 00:37:51,120 --> 00:37:53,480 Speaker 1: kind of stuff, like you see, you know what it 752 00:37:53,600 --> 00:37:55,840 Speaker 1: what it could what you could gain from it. And 753 00:37:55,920 --> 00:37:57,640 Speaker 1: I think that I just kind of I don't I 754 00:37:57,680 --> 00:37:59,160 Speaker 1: don't know why. I just never had that in me. 755 00:37:59,239 --> 00:38:02,360 Speaker 1: It was really more about the art. Like I love acting, 756 00:38:02,440 --> 00:38:04,880 Speaker 1: I love seeing your love writing, I love performing, I 757 00:38:05,000 --> 00:38:10,600 Speaker 1: love telling stories and completely different vehicles. And so I'm 758 00:38:10,640 --> 00:38:14,600 Speaker 1: not really concerned. I never was really concerned about getting 759 00:38:14,680 --> 00:38:17,560 Speaker 1: the job or or or making the money or or 760 00:38:17,640 --> 00:38:20,000 Speaker 1: what I'm a the level I'll be at, And I 761 00:38:20,080 --> 00:38:22,520 Speaker 1: think that's what it is. I think the trick is too, 762 00:38:23,480 --> 00:38:26,120 Speaker 1: the level should be personal. Right. If you're trying to, uh, 763 00:38:26,239 --> 00:38:28,480 Speaker 1: you know, reaching the next pinnacle of whatever it is 764 00:38:28,640 --> 00:38:32,280 Speaker 1: you do, let you you be the pioneer of that journey, 765 00:38:32,360 --> 00:38:34,480 Speaker 1: you know. I mean don't let it be uh some 766 00:38:34,600 --> 00:38:37,960 Speaker 1: kind of outside standard informing where like what move you 767 00:38:38,000 --> 00:38:40,759 Speaker 1: should make? Right? Like the if if that's like money 768 00:38:40,800 --> 00:38:43,680 Speaker 1: follows excellence, right, So you walk in anything and the 769 00:38:43,840 --> 00:38:46,799 Speaker 1: excellence and and and in the heart like crazy work, 770 00:38:46,880 --> 00:38:50,239 Speaker 1: ethic and um, and you keep there's this reality check 771 00:38:50,320 --> 00:38:52,680 Speaker 1: that you're keeping yourself saying I'm in the right place, 772 00:38:52,760 --> 00:38:55,640 Speaker 1: doing the right thing, and you consistently better yourself in 773 00:38:55,760 --> 00:38:58,600 Speaker 1: that regard. You never have to worry about what it 774 00:38:58,640 --> 00:39:01,200 Speaker 1: looks like to everybody else. You know, Oh what do 775 00:39:01,320 --> 00:39:03,880 Speaker 1: I make this look like? Oh? You know, YadA, YadA, YadA. 776 00:39:04,280 --> 00:39:08,040 Speaker 1: And so it really comes down to what is what 777 00:39:08,280 --> 00:39:10,040 Speaker 1: is your true goal? What is your true passion? If 778 00:39:10,080 --> 00:39:12,600 Speaker 1: it is being an excellent actor, it shouldn't be about 779 00:39:12,640 --> 00:39:14,600 Speaker 1: the oscar. It should be about being an excellent actor. 780 00:39:14,760 --> 00:39:17,560 Speaker 1: If you get the oscar. Cool, that's that like that's 781 00:39:17,600 --> 00:39:19,960 Speaker 1: for something, no shade to any kind of wards. But 782 00:39:20,080 --> 00:39:22,759 Speaker 1: like the goal shouldn't be to to to get a 783 00:39:22,880 --> 00:39:25,000 Speaker 1: thing rather than to be a thing. And so when 784 00:39:25,040 --> 00:39:27,400 Speaker 1: it comes to that role, like the shy, I was 785 00:39:27,480 --> 00:39:30,919 Speaker 1: given an opportunity to do something that hadn't been done 786 00:39:31,120 --> 00:39:34,160 Speaker 1: in some regard, and so that was what was important 787 00:39:34,200 --> 00:39:36,319 Speaker 1: to me, So I studied, you know, when it came 788 00:39:36,360 --> 00:39:39,240 Speaker 1: to him, the guy has multiple streams and of revenue. 789 00:39:39,480 --> 00:39:41,640 Speaker 1: Him being likable is beautiful, the fact that he's a 790 00:39:41,680 --> 00:39:43,799 Speaker 1: drug dealer, But it's because him being a drug dealer 791 00:39:44,080 --> 00:39:46,680 Speaker 1: was only a means for him to uh broaden the 792 00:39:46,760 --> 00:39:49,600 Speaker 1: scope of his revenue income. It wasn't like he was 793 00:39:49,680 --> 00:39:52,120 Speaker 1: trying to push on anybody. You know, you need to 794 00:39:52,160 --> 00:39:54,320 Speaker 1: sell weed because you know, you know, you need to 795 00:39:54,360 --> 00:39:56,279 Speaker 1: be a bad person. It's like, no, we're in a 796 00:39:56,400 --> 00:39:59,120 Speaker 1: situation as black people in Chicago, but they're we're limited. 797 00:39:59,160 --> 00:40:00,680 Speaker 1: There's always so many things the people are checking for 798 00:40:00,800 --> 00:40:02,520 Speaker 1: us to do. And so I found a way to 799 00:40:02,600 --> 00:40:05,560 Speaker 1: take that thing that is bad or evil or whatever 800 00:40:05,920 --> 00:40:08,279 Speaker 1: and turn into a positive hurt into something I could 801 00:40:08,320 --> 00:40:12,160 Speaker 1: build on, employ people, keep myself eating, and eventually, you 802 00:40:12,200 --> 00:40:14,600 Speaker 1: know what's gonna happen. It's gonna be legal anyway. You know, 803 00:40:14,760 --> 00:40:20,279 Speaker 1: like we're talking about is special. Man. When I see you, 804 00:40:20,719 --> 00:40:24,480 Speaker 1: I see you as directing one day, and I'm pretty 805 00:40:24,520 --> 00:40:27,480 Speaker 1: sure you because the creative side of you, here's a 806 00:40:27,520 --> 00:40:29,680 Speaker 1: great thing about it. I gotta go back to your mom, 807 00:40:29,920 --> 00:40:34,640 Speaker 1: you know, because you know, as kids she didn't you know. 808 00:40:35,200 --> 00:40:37,680 Speaker 1: You know a lot of people say they see entertainment, 809 00:40:37,800 --> 00:40:40,520 Speaker 1: they see sports, they go, my kid can't do that. 810 00:40:40,800 --> 00:40:45,439 Speaker 1: Your mom. Your mom said broadway. And she wasn't thinking 811 00:40:45,520 --> 00:40:49,960 Speaker 1: small with you. She said broadway. So talk about your mom, man, 812 00:40:50,080 --> 00:40:53,440 Speaker 1: because beautiful. I mean, I'll get to emotion if I 813 00:40:53,520 --> 00:40:55,279 Speaker 1: get two D. But I can. I can definitely say 814 00:40:55,320 --> 00:40:58,120 Speaker 1: that my mom is is the reason that I mean, 815 00:40:58,160 --> 00:41:01,280 Speaker 1: anything good in me can't from her, you know, anything 816 00:41:01,560 --> 00:41:03,279 Speaker 1: bad at me. That was what I learned them all 817 00:41:03,360 --> 00:41:05,879 Speaker 1: because because it's just not an evil bone in her body, 818 00:41:05,920 --> 00:41:08,239 Speaker 1: and the and the encouragement was specific because I I 819 00:41:08,320 --> 00:41:11,120 Speaker 1: want to I want to make myself clear. I don't 820 00:41:11,200 --> 00:41:13,920 Speaker 1: think you know. My mom is a big believer, and um, 821 00:41:14,880 --> 00:41:17,200 Speaker 1: she doesn't like the same follow your heart right. She 822 00:41:17,320 --> 00:41:20,360 Speaker 1: doesn't like that the idea that if you want to 823 00:41:20,440 --> 00:41:22,920 Speaker 1: do something, that's the thing you should do. She believes 824 00:41:23,000 --> 00:41:25,759 Speaker 1: that God gaves us, gave us specific gifts. There's something 825 00:41:25,800 --> 00:41:28,680 Speaker 1: that makes people individuals, right, like you know that I 826 00:41:28,880 --> 00:41:31,239 Speaker 1: can't do what you can do, what he can do, 827 00:41:31,320 --> 00:41:34,200 Speaker 1: what she can do. We all are different for specific reason. 828 00:41:34,520 --> 00:41:37,440 Speaker 1: Find what it is that is your gift and then 829 00:41:37,560 --> 00:41:39,839 Speaker 1: think big with that right. If I would have gone 830 00:41:39,880 --> 00:41:42,719 Speaker 1: to her and said, I want to be a vallerina 831 00:41:43,160 --> 00:41:45,440 Speaker 1: and I'm fourteen years old, never taking a class, you know, 832 00:41:45,560 --> 00:41:47,799 Speaker 1: never you know, stretched the day in my life, never 833 00:41:47,840 --> 00:41:49,719 Speaker 1: done any kind of dancing, that would be kind of 834 00:41:49,760 --> 00:41:51,239 Speaker 1: out of pocket, right, and that I would be kind 835 00:41:51,239 --> 00:41:53,719 Speaker 1: of like, well, that may not be your gifts. You 836 00:41:53,840 --> 00:41:56,200 Speaker 1: have not shown any interest in it. We don't really 837 00:41:56,280 --> 00:41:59,160 Speaker 1: seem like you have the talent or the discipline to 838 00:41:59,440 --> 00:42:02,239 Speaker 1: live that life style. What you do, however, show is 839 00:42:02,320 --> 00:42:05,400 Speaker 1: that you know you you have a very creative mind 840 00:42:05,840 --> 00:42:09,200 Speaker 1: and you can translate that very well physically in your voice, 841 00:42:09,320 --> 00:42:12,319 Speaker 1: and you're acting and you're writing, et cetera. So why 842 00:42:12,360 --> 00:42:15,239 Speaker 1: don't we see if you know we we can go 843 00:42:15,360 --> 00:42:17,000 Speaker 1: in that lane. And I want you to think big. 844 00:42:17,040 --> 00:42:18,520 Speaker 1: I want you to think, what's the best thing you 845 00:42:18,600 --> 00:42:20,719 Speaker 1: can do? Maybe that the goal, and do all you 846 00:42:20,760 --> 00:42:23,320 Speaker 1: can do to get to that place. It's never and 847 00:42:23,400 --> 00:42:26,600 Speaker 1: there's no plan B. There's no second option. There's no like, 848 00:42:27,000 --> 00:42:28,920 Speaker 1: if this doesn't work out, I should go here. It's like, no, 849 00:42:29,320 --> 00:42:31,600 Speaker 1: you said you were gonna do this, do what you 850 00:42:31,719 --> 00:42:34,000 Speaker 1: can to make that happen. To die trying you know what, 851 00:42:34,040 --> 00:42:38,640 Speaker 1: I'm saying, and that that is something that's practical for you. 852 00:42:38,960 --> 00:42:41,560 Speaker 1: But you say, Christie, you understand you said no Plan B, 853 00:42:41,960 --> 00:42:46,040 Speaker 1: but you're planing A, acting your Plan A, singing your 854 00:42:46,080 --> 00:42:50,279 Speaker 1: Plan A, dancing, you're playing A, being a musician. That's 855 00:42:50,280 --> 00:42:52,920 Speaker 1: a hell of a plan A. Brother, that wasn't Plan A. 856 00:42:53,320 --> 00:42:57,279 Speaker 1: And one thing that where she saw she was telling you, look, 857 00:42:58,080 --> 00:43:00,520 Speaker 1: you are my child. But this is where I see. 858 00:43:00,960 --> 00:43:03,040 Speaker 1: That's what I say for you, that you can't say 859 00:43:03,360 --> 00:43:05,800 Speaker 1: there was no Plan BE because your Plan A was 860 00:43:05,920 --> 00:43:09,799 Speaker 1: stacked stand him. I think I think it just kills 861 00:43:09,840 --> 00:43:12,840 Speaker 1: the narrative that your career has to be singular, that 862 00:43:12,960 --> 00:43:14,719 Speaker 1: there's a one thing you do and one thing you're 863 00:43:14,719 --> 00:43:17,840 Speaker 1: good at. Right, I believe wholeheartedly that. And and this 864 00:43:17,960 --> 00:43:19,759 Speaker 1: is why we have different kinds of friends, and we 865 00:43:19,920 --> 00:43:22,160 Speaker 1: meet people in different areas of life and they are 866 00:43:22,239 --> 00:43:24,680 Speaker 1: they we have a relationship with them that's very specific 867 00:43:24,760 --> 00:43:27,440 Speaker 1: to how we met them. Is because people are multi facinted. 868 00:43:27,520 --> 00:43:29,960 Speaker 1: Who are we to limit anybody? Who? Who who am 869 00:43:30,000 --> 00:43:32,239 Speaker 1: I to tell you I stick to that and don't 870 00:43:32,280 --> 00:43:34,600 Speaker 1: ever think about doing that? Why would why would I 871 00:43:34,640 --> 00:43:37,360 Speaker 1: do that? And who has interested in that? Like you know, 872 00:43:37,640 --> 00:43:40,080 Speaker 1: the beautiful thing man, is that you can have multiple 873 00:43:40,120 --> 00:43:42,760 Speaker 1: plan AI's for sure, but it's because you're a multiple 874 00:43:42,800 --> 00:43:46,399 Speaker 1: planned person, like you're a multiple multi facinting human beings. 875 00:43:46,480 --> 00:43:49,799 Speaker 1: So there shouldn't just be one thing that you're good at, 876 00:43:49,840 --> 00:43:50,960 Speaker 1: you know what I mean? Something I know when I 877 00:43:51,000 --> 00:43:52,840 Speaker 1: think about some of my favorite actors that also have 878 00:43:52,920 --> 00:43:56,120 Speaker 1: these hobbies of like making shoes or design and clones. 879 00:43:56,360 --> 00:43:58,000 Speaker 1: I mean, you look at the the icons, when you 880 00:43:58,080 --> 00:44:00,360 Speaker 1: look at the Kanye Age and jay Z, you know 881 00:44:00,440 --> 00:44:03,080 Speaker 1: your leader like you think of people who we they 882 00:44:03,200 --> 00:44:05,279 Speaker 1: started out as something that they were excellent that and 883 00:44:05,480 --> 00:44:08,120 Speaker 1: today we know them and kids know them to the 884 00:44:08,160 --> 00:44:10,640 Speaker 1: kids that are coming up know them for completely different things. 885 00:44:10,680 --> 00:44:12,040 Speaker 1: You know what I'm saying. I remember going up with 886 00:44:12,120 --> 00:44:15,120 Speaker 1: Jamie Fox being on in Living Color and having the 887 00:44:15,200 --> 00:44:19,120 Speaker 1: Jamie Fox Show. Today he's an Oscar War winning Grammy 888 00:44:19,200 --> 00:44:22,120 Speaker 1: War women like household name. That's not the same thing, 889 00:44:22,400 --> 00:44:25,040 Speaker 1: and it's because of it's mostly fact multi faceted um 890 00:44:25,360 --> 00:44:27,440 Speaker 1: way of going about life. Wayne Brady another example. I 891 00:44:27,560 --> 00:44:29,880 Speaker 1: remember him from the show Whose Line Is It Anyway? 892 00:44:30,160 --> 00:44:32,600 Speaker 1: And like, okay, that show talent you can improv. I mean, 893 00:44:32,640 --> 00:44:35,360 Speaker 1: I've seen that man that he's grammar nominated and in 894 00:44:35,480 --> 00:44:38,719 Speaker 1: multiple active world roles from all stretches of the imagination, 895 00:44:39,320 --> 00:44:41,840 Speaker 1: and it can it has his own multiple businesses. You 896 00:44:41,880 --> 00:44:44,480 Speaker 1: know what I'm saying, it's a household name. So for me, 897 00:44:44,600 --> 00:44:48,040 Speaker 1: it's about if one human being can do that, who's 898 00:44:48,080 --> 00:44:49,719 Speaker 1: to say that all human beings can do that? So 899 00:44:49,920 --> 00:44:52,080 Speaker 1: I'm in. I'm an encourage the young people. I'm a 900 00:44:52,160 --> 00:44:55,240 Speaker 1: encouraging to people, to older people, to anyone in their journey. 901 00:44:56,160 --> 00:44:58,640 Speaker 1: It's it's all about that. It's all about where they say, 902 00:44:58,719 --> 00:45:02,840 Speaker 1: success happens when preparation meets opportunity. If you're prepared for 903 00:45:03,000 --> 00:45:06,520 Speaker 1: multiple things and opportunities for multiple things come up, you 904 00:45:06,560 --> 00:45:08,759 Speaker 1: will succeed in those things. Right, But you have to 905 00:45:08,840 --> 00:45:11,479 Speaker 1: have the preparation. You have to have done the work 906 00:45:11,520 --> 00:45:14,040 Speaker 1: and have the discipline and and and really home and 907 00:45:14,120 --> 00:45:16,800 Speaker 1: work ethic to get this thing that you do. You know, 908 00:45:16,960 --> 00:45:18,719 Speaker 1: as a book called Outliers I Love, and it talks 909 00:45:18,719 --> 00:45:21,520 Speaker 1: about ten thousand hours, ten thousand hours doing any one 910 00:45:21,560 --> 00:45:23,719 Speaker 1: thing makes you an expert in that thing. How many 911 00:45:23,800 --> 00:45:25,960 Speaker 1: of us have actually spent ten thousand hours a week 912 00:45:25,960 --> 00:45:29,120 Speaker 1: can count you know, honing us for the skill. You 913 00:45:29,160 --> 00:45:31,799 Speaker 1: know what I mean, you spend ten thousand hours here, here, here, 914 00:45:31,880 --> 00:45:34,000 Speaker 1: and here, you know, you say two hours a day 915 00:45:34,040 --> 00:45:36,360 Speaker 1: and do the three things that you love. Eventually you 916 00:45:36,440 --> 00:45:38,279 Speaker 1: get to the point where you're a master those three 917 00:45:38,320 --> 00:45:40,840 Speaker 1: things simultaneously. And so I think it's just a different 918 00:45:40,880 --> 00:45:43,719 Speaker 1: way of disciplining yourself and really believe in a big 919 00:45:43,800 --> 00:45:46,200 Speaker 1: part of it, bro big part of it is that belief, 920 00:45:46,480 --> 00:45:48,960 Speaker 1: right that that faith aspect that I that I hold 921 00:45:49,040 --> 00:45:51,160 Speaker 1: so dear is that there's nothing you could tell me 922 00:45:51,200 --> 00:45:52,640 Speaker 1: I couldn't do if I say I want to do 923 00:45:52,719 --> 00:45:54,719 Speaker 1: it and not believe that, And that's that. I think 924 00:45:54,760 --> 00:45:56,719 Speaker 1: that's a choice people really have to make in their lives. 925 00:45:56,920 --> 00:45:59,160 Speaker 1: Is you know, how much am I gonna let the 926 00:45:59,239 --> 00:46:03,359 Speaker 1: practicality of my situation, of my circumstance define what I'm 927 00:46:03,400 --> 00:46:05,279 Speaker 1: really gonna do? How much of it? Can it just 928 00:46:05,400 --> 00:46:08,279 Speaker 1: be me saying I'm gonna do it and really dying trying, 929 00:46:08,360 --> 00:46:09,800 Speaker 1: you know what I'm saying, because I'm really willing to 930 00:46:09,840 --> 00:46:12,520 Speaker 1: go that. I'm really willing to die broken, hungry, chasing 931 00:46:12,560 --> 00:46:15,600 Speaker 1: the thing that I know I was purposed to do. Wow. Uh, 932 00:46:15,680 --> 00:46:19,080 Speaker 1: when you said the word imagination, Okay, and I want 933 00:46:19,120 --> 00:46:22,000 Speaker 1: to bring imagination when we're talking about the third season 934 00:46:22,040 --> 00:46:25,600 Speaker 1: of Legacies, because you better have an imagination where you're 935 00:46:25,640 --> 00:46:33,440 Speaker 1: dealing with vampires, wear wolves, wolocks, uh, demons. Okay, now 936 00:46:33,600 --> 00:46:36,040 Speaker 1: that's the stretch of your imagination. You have an opportunity 937 00:46:36,080 --> 00:46:39,080 Speaker 1: to see you m l A you're audition for is 938 00:46:39,160 --> 00:46:41,719 Speaker 1: the third season. You play the character Caleb and the 939 00:46:41,760 --> 00:46:43,920 Speaker 1: other brother in the show. His name is MG. You 940 00:46:44,000 --> 00:46:46,160 Speaker 1: know that you said now your family in the sense 941 00:46:46,239 --> 00:46:49,919 Speaker 1: you know he's a vampire, So talk about that whole 942 00:46:50,160 --> 00:46:52,200 Speaker 1: because you know I want you on the show. It's 943 00:46:52,239 --> 00:46:54,600 Speaker 1: like you know, it's because because I've been around acting 944 00:46:54,680 --> 00:46:58,160 Speaker 1: so much. You know you gonna see a moment you're 945 00:46:58,200 --> 00:47:00,640 Speaker 1: here where you have to imagine this is I gotta 946 00:47:00,680 --> 00:47:02,480 Speaker 1: act like this real? But I know when they're real. 947 00:47:03,120 --> 00:47:05,200 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, I mean, especially when you're into those scenes 948 00:47:05,239 --> 00:47:07,200 Speaker 1: where you're just acting at a green screen or like, 949 00:47:07,360 --> 00:47:09,320 Speaker 1: you know nothing. You know that moms are supposed to 950 00:47:09,400 --> 00:47:12,160 Speaker 1: ain't nothing that right, you know what I mean? But 951 00:47:12,320 --> 00:47:14,960 Speaker 1: but that I mean the big reason, like, if not 952 00:47:15,120 --> 00:47:17,400 Speaker 1: the number one reason I accepted the role and it 953 00:47:17,520 --> 00:47:20,399 Speaker 1: was awful, was because it was something completely left field, 954 00:47:20,400 --> 00:47:23,560 Speaker 1: different than anything I ever thought of, you know, and 955 00:47:23,960 --> 00:47:27,520 Speaker 1: it takes I think personally, it takes a very committed 956 00:47:27,600 --> 00:47:31,160 Speaker 1: actor to do a good job in a supernatural world, 957 00:47:31,520 --> 00:47:34,240 Speaker 1: you know, because you're dealing with things that absolutely aren't 958 00:47:34,280 --> 00:47:36,560 Speaker 1: you know that just that cannot be proven that not 959 00:47:36,680 --> 00:47:38,880 Speaker 1: we don't, like we're not talking about just you know, 960 00:47:39,080 --> 00:47:41,240 Speaker 1: all my girlfriend breaking up with me and I slept 961 00:47:41,280 --> 00:47:42,960 Speaker 1: with the best friend. And so now that's the story 962 00:47:43,040 --> 00:47:44,200 Speaker 1: of the me, you know what I mean, if I 963 00:47:44,280 --> 00:47:46,279 Speaker 1: can get her back, that's something that can happen in 964 00:47:46,320 --> 00:47:48,400 Speaker 1: real life. But a dragon appearing out of the air 965 00:47:48,480 --> 00:47:51,279 Speaker 1: breathing fire and me, you know, taking my things and 966 00:47:51,320 --> 00:47:54,000 Speaker 1: biting some girls neck off like that, that doesn't happen. 967 00:47:54,520 --> 00:47:58,440 Speaker 1: So imagination is key, and and and and and to 968 00:47:59,040 --> 00:48:00,440 Speaker 1: be able to live in a world, world where you 969 00:48:00,560 --> 00:48:03,479 Speaker 1: truly have to you have to believe in the moment 970 00:48:03,560 --> 00:48:06,560 Speaker 1: as the actor that the character really believes this thing 971 00:48:06,600 --> 00:48:09,200 Speaker 1: and is really living in this world. That's the whole gig, Like, 972 00:48:09,320 --> 00:48:11,359 Speaker 1: that's the whole in order for the show to work, 973 00:48:11,680 --> 00:48:13,920 Speaker 1: everyone has to be that committed to that thing. And 974 00:48:14,000 --> 00:48:16,759 Speaker 1: it's the same thing with superheroes. It's any any you know, 975 00:48:16,840 --> 00:48:20,279 Speaker 1: Superman movie, Justice League, Marvel movie. Those actors the reason 976 00:48:20,320 --> 00:48:23,000 Speaker 1: they're so successful is because we look at that world 977 00:48:23,080 --> 00:48:25,520 Speaker 1: and we believe it. We believe yep, I am man, 978 00:48:25,640 --> 00:48:28,239 Speaker 1: he is going because he's what I'm saying. The hope 979 00:48:28,360 --> 00:48:30,560 Speaker 1: is gonna get mad and turn green, because that's what 980 00:48:30,719 --> 00:48:32,800 Speaker 1: happens in this world. We're not thinking about all this 981 00:48:32,960 --> 00:48:34,879 Speaker 1: is make believe. That there's no fun in that. There's 982 00:48:34,920 --> 00:48:37,600 Speaker 1: like we're not watching it to pick it apart and say, oh, 983 00:48:37,680 --> 00:48:39,520 Speaker 1: this is a make believe world. Now we're in it 984 00:48:39,640 --> 00:48:42,799 Speaker 1: because it is convinced us in our imagination that it's 985 00:48:42,800 --> 00:48:45,239 Speaker 1: a world that could exist, that does exist. And so 986 00:48:45,440 --> 00:48:47,239 Speaker 1: that's the fun part of it that I think imagination 987 00:48:47,400 --> 00:48:50,080 Speaker 1: is key, and it's the it's so like that's the 988 00:48:50,680 --> 00:48:52,520 Speaker 1: that's the fun part. I could, I mean, I could 989 00:48:52,560 --> 00:48:56,040 Speaker 1: play some kids from Atlanta that's black with dreads that 990 00:48:56,280 --> 00:48:58,480 Speaker 1: you know is musical. I could. I could do what 991 00:48:58,560 --> 00:49:01,359 Speaker 1: I am. But to to to portray something that I'm 992 00:49:01,440 --> 00:49:04,239 Speaker 1: just not to that, I mean, that's the that's the 993 00:49:04,320 --> 00:49:06,120 Speaker 1: acting part, you know what I mean. But you know 994 00:49:06,239 --> 00:49:09,440 Speaker 1: the beauty of it is that when I'm watching these 995 00:49:09,480 --> 00:49:13,880 Speaker 1: different levels, you know, whether it's a suad empire, the shot, 996 00:49:14,120 --> 00:49:17,640 Speaker 1: you know, the Hamilton experience and now there's legacies. I'm 997 00:49:17,840 --> 00:49:20,759 Speaker 1: I'm looking at you and going, Okay, then he's unstoppable. 998 00:49:20,880 --> 00:49:23,359 Speaker 1: You know. My purpose of bringing you on the show 999 00:49:23,400 --> 00:49:26,160 Speaker 1: with just let you know you're unstoppable. Just and and 1000 00:49:26,239 --> 00:49:28,680 Speaker 1: I didn't know that you already had that that queen 1001 00:49:29,160 --> 00:49:32,120 Speaker 1: pushing you. Call your mom, you know, then she'd let 1002 00:49:32,239 --> 00:49:35,000 Speaker 1: you know he was unstoppable. So I'm just added fuel. 1003 00:49:35,080 --> 00:49:36,960 Speaker 1: You know what I'm saying. If you're on five, I'll 1004 00:49:37,000 --> 00:49:39,920 Speaker 1: just putting more wood on the five, put more gas 1005 00:49:39,960 --> 00:49:42,279 Speaker 1: on that five, because you're special man. And I but 1006 00:49:42,440 --> 00:49:44,759 Speaker 1: before we leave, I just want to talk about you know, 1007 00:49:45,200 --> 00:49:47,640 Speaker 1: one at once scene, you know you're you're wrapping. I said, 1008 00:49:47,680 --> 00:49:49,919 Speaker 1: that's brother's brother, you know, and I can tell you're 1009 00:49:49,920 --> 00:49:51,920 Speaker 1: adding man. Yeah, I'm telling I've been looking at this. 1010 00:49:52,400 --> 00:49:55,840 Speaker 1: I love I love looking the talented people. Man, I 1011 00:49:55,920 --> 00:49:58,319 Speaker 1: just sit back, my wife, go boy you, I said, 1012 00:49:58,320 --> 00:49:59,960 Speaker 1: I said, I'm gonna interview this younger man. I said, 1013 00:50:00,000 --> 00:50:02,560 Speaker 1: look at him, I said, and and then and so 1014 00:50:02,760 --> 00:50:04,840 Speaker 1: you have so music is a point. You got a 1015 00:50:04,840 --> 00:50:08,320 Speaker 1: single I called miss you get a new album one thousand, 1016 00:50:08,640 --> 00:50:11,279 Speaker 1: you know, so talk about the single because I want 1017 00:50:11,320 --> 00:50:13,680 Speaker 1: to make sure you know we're gonna play music on 1018 00:50:13,800 --> 00:50:16,040 Speaker 1: our show, but I wanted to talk about why music 1019 00:50:16,200 --> 00:50:17,960 Speaker 1: is a passion. Why is it important to release this 1020 00:50:18,080 --> 00:50:22,600 Speaker 1: single and your upcoming CD. Absolutely so. Yeah. First of all, 1021 00:50:22,800 --> 00:50:25,560 Speaker 1: misses out streaming on all platforms. You can get on Spotify, 1022 00:50:25,600 --> 00:50:28,799 Speaker 1: Apple Music, wherever you listen to music is there, um 1023 00:50:29,480 --> 00:50:32,080 Speaker 1: missed by Chris Lee. That song was fun, man, it 1024 00:50:32,160 --> 00:50:34,200 Speaker 1: was it was. It was one of those beautiful moments 1025 00:50:34,280 --> 00:50:37,560 Speaker 1: that I wrote a song, um that I did not 1026 00:50:37,760 --> 00:50:40,920 Speaker 1: play on writing or necessarily being good, and I put 1027 00:50:41,000 --> 00:50:43,000 Speaker 1: no effort into it. I was just having fun and 1028 00:50:43,480 --> 00:50:45,640 Speaker 1: I would show every friend I showed it was like, oh, yeah, 1029 00:50:45,680 --> 00:50:47,000 Speaker 1: this is the one you need to drop like now. 1030 00:50:47,560 --> 00:50:50,200 Speaker 1: And so uh, my partner, I got it together and 1031 00:50:50,280 --> 00:50:53,520 Speaker 1: we released it and yeah, man, I mean the whole 1032 00:50:53,920 --> 00:50:58,000 Speaker 1: music is it is truly a part of like the 1033 00:50:58,280 --> 00:51:00,759 Speaker 1: fabric of my being. Like it. I could not escape 1034 00:51:00,800 --> 00:51:02,680 Speaker 1: it if I wanted to. Like I said, my whole 1035 00:51:02,719 --> 00:51:06,160 Speaker 1: family's musical. My mom is the musician of the family. 1036 00:51:06,239 --> 00:51:09,160 Speaker 1: She's the singers, she has the voice. Um she is. 1037 00:51:09,360 --> 00:51:12,239 Speaker 1: I mean, she has the annointing on her that is 1038 00:51:12,280 --> 00:51:16,520 Speaker 1: just undeniable. And you know, and my grandmother, grandfather, my 1039 00:51:16,760 --> 00:51:20,560 Speaker 1: my father his, his mother, my entire family it can sing, 1040 00:51:20,960 --> 00:51:23,680 Speaker 1: making their musical. So again, I came from a household 1041 00:51:23,760 --> 00:51:26,840 Speaker 1: that it wasn't really like. I just didn't think about 1042 00:51:26,840 --> 00:51:29,160 Speaker 1: it being something that you show off to make money, 1043 00:51:29,200 --> 00:51:31,880 Speaker 1: like something that you use to to really like, you know, 1044 00:51:32,200 --> 00:51:33,759 Speaker 1: in a in a career, because it was just it 1045 00:51:33,880 --> 00:51:35,640 Speaker 1: was like it was like drinking water. It was just 1046 00:51:35,840 --> 00:51:38,920 Speaker 1: the way it was. I as a kid, thought everybody 1047 00:51:38,960 --> 00:51:40,719 Speaker 1: could sing because my family could sing. I thought the 1048 00:51:40,800 --> 00:51:42,920 Speaker 1: whole world knows how to sing. It took a while 1049 00:51:42,960 --> 00:51:45,160 Speaker 1: for me to realize, oh, some people really don't have 1050 00:51:45,600 --> 00:51:49,200 Speaker 1: the same you know, ability of the same talent. But yeah, man, 1051 00:51:49,200 --> 00:51:50,560 Speaker 1: it's just a part of who I am. And so 1052 00:51:50,760 --> 00:51:53,600 Speaker 1: I've always sang. And then you know, I always wrote 1053 00:51:53,680 --> 00:51:56,000 Speaker 1: songs and I never really thought that I could really 1054 00:51:56,120 --> 00:51:57,560 Speaker 1: do it, as I didn't know if I wanted to 1055 00:51:57,600 --> 00:52:00,160 Speaker 1: be a music artist. Per se Um and I had 1056 00:52:00,200 --> 00:52:01,960 Speaker 1: been in a group in college, you know, two of 1057 00:52:02,000 --> 00:52:04,920 Speaker 1: my friends, Uh and I would we would performed shows 1058 00:52:04,960 --> 00:52:06,600 Speaker 1: and we had a fun run. And then when I 1059 00:52:06,719 --> 00:52:09,200 Speaker 1: got Hamilton's, like I said, it was a spark when 1060 00:52:09,200 --> 00:52:11,200 Speaker 1: I got there, like you know, after I had performed 1061 00:52:11,239 --> 00:52:14,000 Speaker 1: the first night, I realized, oh man, I really can 1062 00:52:14,080 --> 00:52:16,800 Speaker 1: do I could do anything I want to do, like anything. 1063 00:52:17,320 --> 00:52:20,600 Speaker 1: So while I try to like make music, and so 1064 00:52:20,840 --> 00:52:24,640 Speaker 1: I released the EP entitled MFL Feelings that's available everywhere too, 1065 00:52:24,920 --> 00:52:26,440 Speaker 1: And it was my first thing and I did it 1066 00:52:26,480 --> 00:52:29,440 Speaker 1: by myself with with my friend. We wrote and produced 1067 00:52:29,480 --> 00:52:32,000 Speaker 1: everything by ourselves and just drop just to see the effects. 1068 00:52:32,360 --> 00:52:34,640 Speaker 1: And I had gained fans from Hamilton and fans from 1069 00:52:34,640 --> 00:52:36,640 Speaker 1: the shot saw with two of the different cities and 1070 00:52:36,680 --> 00:52:39,279 Speaker 1: do little shows you know, where about two other people, 1071 00:52:39,280 --> 00:52:41,319 Speaker 1: three people would come out and they will come out 1072 00:52:41,520 --> 00:52:43,399 Speaker 1: and love the music. So I was like, oh, maybe 1073 00:52:43,440 --> 00:52:45,560 Speaker 1: I need to like really kicking and gear and do 1074 00:52:45,680 --> 00:52:49,400 Speaker 1: this for real. At the same time, I booking legacies 1075 00:52:49,440 --> 00:52:51,800 Speaker 1: and my TV career is kind of taking off and 1076 00:52:52,080 --> 00:52:53,920 Speaker 1: taking a lot of my time. So it's been like 1077 00:52:54,040 --> 00:52:56,719 Speaker 1: a balance of like doing trying to like, you know, 1078 00:52:57,120 --> 00:52:58,800 Speaker 1: do my due diligence with my music and do my 1079 00:52:58,920 --> 00:53:01,799 Speaker 1: due diligence uh in my acting career. So it's it's 1080 00:53:01,840 --> 00:53:04,319 Speaker 1: a it's a it's a fun ping pong that goes 1081 00:53:04,400 --> 00:53:07,719 Speaker 1: back and forth. Um. But music is definitely a huge 1082 00:53:07,760 --> 00:53:09,640 Speaker 1: passion of mine and I'm big on writing, you know, 1083 00:53:09,840 --> 00:53:12,440 Speaker 1: I'm doing did the writing session, a copy writing sessions 1084 00:53:12,440 --> 00:53:14,680 Speaker 1: this past week for some core artists that we're gonna 1085 00:53:14,760 --> 00:53:17,240 Speaker 1: drop some core music. Um. I've been in the studio 1086 00:53:17,360 --> 00:53:19,759 Speaker 1: with you know, legends in it and it's been so 1087 00:53:19,880 --> 00:53:22,520 Speaker 1: fun to absorb. So I consider myself in the beginning 1088 00:53:22,560 --> 00:53:25,520 Speaker 1: stages of putting my music out there. So ms is 1089 00:53:25,760 --> 00:53:28,080 Speaker 1: is a single that is starting a new era of 1090 00:53:28,480 --> 00:53:30,560 Speaker 1: the sound that you will you a game for me 1091 00:53:30,640 --> 00:53:34,640 Speaker 1: going forward. UM, So please listen to it, y'all definitely 1092 00:53:34,760 --> 00:53:38,480 Speaker 1: enjoy send me comments, feedback in your Instagram, dams, all 1093 00:53:38,520 --> 00:53:40,399 Speaker 1: that kind of stuff. UM, let me know how y'all 1094 00:53:40,400 --> 00:53:43,160 Speaker 1: revived into the music. And I'm gonna continue to release more. Uh, 1095 00:53:43,400 --> 00:53:45,239 Speaker 1: and just to share with you what what what it 1096 00:53:45,360 --> 00:53:47,279 Speaker 1: is that I love to do. Well, I want to 1097 00:53:47,360 --> 00:53:49,880 Speaker 1: thank you. You know, we we we did a journey. 1098 00:53:49,920 --> 00:53:52,640 Speaker 1: In this interview, we talked about the Hamilton experience, playing 1099 00:53:52,680 --> 00:53:56,200 Speaker 1: two roles, talked about being a Georgia boy, you know, 1100 00:53:56,320 --> 00:53:58,279 Speaker 1: talking about a mom who believes you and your boy 1101 00:53:58,320 --> 00:54:02,080 Speaker 1: in the school. Uh. Talk about going from Empire Swath 1102 00:54:02,280 --> 00:54:04,680 Speaker 1: you know, the shy where I fell in love with 1103 00:54:04,800 --> 00:54:07,840 Speaker 1: your your abilities, brother, your abilities and now you're in 1104 00:54:07,920 --> 00:54:09,920 Speaker 1: the Legacies, which is on the c W in the 1105 00:54:10,040 --> 00:54:13,520 Speaker 1: third season, playing the character Caleb Harkins. Like I said 1106 00:54:14,239 --> 00:54:16,600 Speaker 1: you had, you said playing b what the option? I 1107 00:54:16,680 --> 00:54:19,680 Speaker 1: go back to what I say. You're playing anchors Lee 1108 00:54:19,920 --> 00:54:24,399 Speaker 1: is stacked, the same dance the musicians. I don't tell 1109 00:54:24,440 --> 00:54:26,680 Speaker 1: you more stack it is. In the beginning, I said 1110 00:54:26,680 --> 00:54:29,640 Speaker 1: I have celebrity. You got that. I say, I'm CEO 1111 00:54:30,640 --> 00:54:34,000 Speaker 1: key your game music. Okay, okay, I'll say that, entrepreneur 1112 00:54:34,320 --> 00:54:39,040 Speaker 1: keep of game music, okay, industry decision maker, you'll beach boy, 1113 00:54:39,400 --> 00:54:42,920 Speaker 1: You'll be no encouragement. I appreciate you, and I love 1114 00:54:43,000 --> 00:54:45,560 Speaker 1: what you're doing. I love the encouragement you're given the 1115 00:54:45,640 --> 00:54:48,480 Speaker 1: black people to all people, man, and and and you 1116 00:54:48,560 --> 00:54:51,000 Speaker 1: know it's it's confident as I am, and I'm sure 1117 00:54:51,000 --> 00:54:53,800 Speaker 1: a lot of performers are. It always feels good to 1118 00:54:54,040 --> 00:54:56,279 Speaker 1: to to be reaffirmed over and over again. We have 1119 00:54:56,360 --> 00:54:58,919 Speaker 1: to build each other up, man, especially during this time 1120 00:54:59,000 --> 00:55:01,640 Speaker 1: during pandemics. Um we're coming off of a lot of 1121 00:55:01,760 --> 00:55:04,640 Speaker 1: huge racial tension and people dying. It is important for 1122 00:55:04,760 --> 00:55:06,359 Speaker 1: us to be able to boost each other and can 1123 00:55:06,400 --> 00:55:08,239 Speaker 1: see you to share our guests. So I appreciate you 1124 00:55:08,360 --> 00:55:11,799 Speaker 1: in your time thank you for having me on the alright, man, 1125 00:55:11,960 --> 00:55:14,680 Speaker 1: thank you for coming on Money Making Conversation. At ADP, 1126 00:55:15,080 --> 00:55:18,600 Speaker 1: we work with more than eight d sixty thousand companies worldwide. 1127 00:55:18,960 --> 00:55:20,719 Speaker 1: That gives us a pretty good idea of how to 1128 00:55:20,800 --> 00:55:24,560 Speaker 1: help businesses grow stronger, whether it's through data insights that 1129 00:55:24,680 --> 00:55:27,320 Speaker 1: help you make informed decisions about building a team that 1130 00:55:27,440 --> 00:55:30,320 Speaker 1: works better as a team, or by keeping you ahead 1131 00:55:30,360 --> 00:55:33,600 Speaker 1: of thousands of changing regulations so you can keep ahead 1132 00:55:33,800 --> 00:55:38,680 Speaker 1: of everything else, like building that better team, grow stronger 1133 00:55:38,920 --> 00:55:44,879 Speaker 1: with a dp HR talent, time and payroll. And we're 1134 00:55:44,960 --> 00:55:48,440 Speaker 1: live here outside the Perez family home, just waiting for 1135 00:55:48,640 --> 00:55:51,600 Speaker 1: the and there they go, almost on time. This morning. 1136 00:55:51,760 --> 00:55:54,080 Speaker 1: Mom is coming out the front door strong with a 1137 00:55:54,160 --> 00:55:56,960 Speaker 1: double arm kid carry. Looks like dad has the bags. 1138 00:55:57,080 --> 00:56:00,360 Speaker 1: Daughter is bringing up the rear. Oh but the diaper 1139 00:56:00,440 --> 00:56:05,680 Speaker 1: bag wasn't closed. Tapers and toys are everywhere. Oh but 1140 00:56:06,000 --> 00:56:08,920 Speaker 1: mom has just nailed the perfect car seat buckle for 1141 00:56:09,040 --> 00:56:11,960 Speaker 1: the toddler. And now the eldest daughter, who looks to 1142 00:56:12,040 --> 00:56:14,640 Speaker 1: be about nine or ten, has secured herself in the 1143 00:56:14,719 --> 00:56:19,080 Speaker 1: booster seat. Tad zips the bad clothes and they're off. Ah, 1144 00:56:19,160 --> 00:56:21,520 Speaker 1: but looks like Mom doesn't realize her coffee cup is 1145 00:56:21,560 --> 00:56:24,560 Speaker 1: still on the roof of the car, and there it goes. 1146 00:56:26,160 --> 00:56:29,120 Speaker 1: That's a shame that mug was a fan favorite. Don't 1147 00:56:29,160 --> 00:56:31,640 Speaker 1: sweat the small stuff, just nailed the big stuff, like 1148 00:56:31,760 --> 00:56:33,560 Speaker 1: making sure your kids are buckle correctly in the right 1149 00:56:33,600 --> 00:56:35,759 Speaker 1: seat for their agent's eyes. Learn more n h t 1150 00:56:35,920 --> 00:56:38,239 Speaker 1: s A dot gov slash The Right Seat. Visits n 1151 00:56:38,440 --> 00:56:42,319 Speaker 1: h s A dot gov slash The Right Seat, brought 1152 00:56:42,360 --> 00:56:45,480 Speaker 1: to you by Mitza and the ad Council. Adoption of 1153 00:56:45,560 --> 00:56:48,040 Speaker 1: teens from foster care is a topic not enough people 1154 00:56:48,080 --> 00:56:50,960 Speaker 1: know about, and we're here to change that. I'm April Dinnuity, 1155 00:56:51,040 --> 00:56:54,600 Speaker 1: host of the new podcast Navigating Adoption, presented by adopt 1156 00:56:54,680 --> 00:56:58,400 Speaker 1: Us Kids. Each episode brings you compelling, real life adoption 1157 00:56:58,480 --> 00:57:00,960 Speaker 1: stories told by the families that of them, with commentary 1158 00:57:01,040 --> 00:57:05,120 Speaker 1: from experts. Visit adopt us Kids dot org slash podcast 1159 00:57:05,239 --> 00:57:08,600 Speaker 1: or subscribed to Navigating Adoption presented by adopt Us Kids, 1160 00:57:08,840 --> 00:57:10,520 Speaker 1: brought to you by the U. S Department of Health 1161 00:57:10,600 --> 00:57:14,040 Speaker 1: and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, and the Council. 1162 00:57:14,640 --> 00:57:18,640 Speaker 1: My next guest is an industry decision maker. His name 1163 00:57:18,760 --> 00:57:21,920 Speaker 1: is Anton Bonds Or fifteen years in the music industry 1164 00:57:21,960 --> 00:57:26,320 Speaker 1: as a record executive Rockefeller Records or Sonylaoud Records, Universal 1165 00:57:26,360 --> 00:57:30,280 Speaker 1: Motown Records, Couch Records, as regional and national director of promotions. 1166 00:57:30,560 --> 00:57:33,400 Speaker 1: He left the music industry right there is key because 1167 00:57:33,440 --> 00:57:35,280 Speaker 1: a lot of you out there are sitting in positions 1168 00:57:35,280 --> 00:57:37,680 Speaker 1: where you want to transition, You want to move with 1169 00:57:37,800 --> 00:57:40,600 Speaker 1: fear stops you. So in two thousand and nine he started. 1170 00:57:40,640 --> 00:57:44,160 Speaker 1: He decided to start the Brand Architects, which is informed 1171 00:57:44,200 --> 00:57:48,880 Speaker 1: that specialized in pro athletes individual brand development. I know 1172 00:57:48,920 --> 00:57:50,760 Speaker 1: a lot about brand have been fortunately work with a 1173 00:57:50,800 --> 00:57:53,600 Speaker 1: lot of high profile talent, and Brandon is uh, we're 1174 00:57:53,680 --> 00:57:55,520 Speaker 1: just throwing around a lot. I remember when I started 1175 00:57:55,560 --> 00:57:57,880 Speaker 1: in two with Steve Harvey, and I brought up the 1176 00:57:57,960 --> 00:58:01,120 Speaker 1: idea of branding to him in two thousand too. Do 1177 00:58:01,160 --> 00:58:02,640 Speaker 1: you nobody know what I was talking about? But I 1178 00:58:02,680 --> 00:58:04,800 Speaker 1: worked at IBM, and I always felt that if a 1179 00:58:04,920 --> 00:58:08,480 Speaker 1: company could have its standards and and brands and and 1180 00:58:08,560 --> 00:58:12,120 Speaker 1: can stay there an individual, why can the individual have 1181 00:58:12,240 --> 00:58:14,880 Speaker 1: those same standards. Well that's what he does with pro 1182 00:58:15,040 --> 00:58:18,560 Speaker 1: athletes brand development. Please work with to money making conversations. 1183 00:58:18,800 --> 00:58:21,560 Speaker 1: He's down in PGC, y'all, that's in that DC area. 1184 00:58:22,000 --> 00:58:25,560 Speaker 1: That's an Tom. How you doing that? Tom? Hey, I'm 1185 00:58:25,640 --> 00:58:28,360 Speaker 1: great today? Or so how you doing? As the weather 1186 00:58:28,480 --> 00:58:30,600 Speaker 1: that you know, we all in the spray time. You know, 1187 00:58:31,160 --> 00:58:33,560 Speaker 1: it's kind of like starting is thirty five when I 1188 00:58:33,640 --> 00:58:35,920 Speaker 1: wake up, sixty five when I when I walk out 1189 00:58:35,960 --> 00:58:37,960 Speaker 1: of my office. How is it down there in the PGC? 1190 00:58:38,800 --> 00:58:42,000 Speaker 1: Pretty much the same? You know today, Well, yesterday it 1191 00:58:42,040 --> 00:58:44,040 Speaker 1: was in the thirties. Tomorrow is supposed to be almost 1192 00:58:44,080 --> 00:58:46,440 Speaker 1: seventy two. So what I'm saying, you know, is that 1193 00:58:46,600 --> 00:58:49,080 Speaker 1: time of the year is that for the grass totard green? 1194 00:58:49,480 --> 00:58:52,680 Speaker 1: The beauty of uh? Because you know, I know of 1195 00:58:52,840 --> 00:58:56,800 Speaker 1: you we've talked before, is that you have the ability 1196 00:58:56,840 --> 00:58:59,880 Speaker 1: to communicate. Is that you feel that's that's when you 1197 00:59:00,080 --> 00:59:03,760 Speaker 1: true gifts, your ability to be relatable, your ability to 1198 00:59:03,800 --> 00:59:08,240 Speaker 1: communicate with people. I concur. I concur one thing. I'm 1199 00:59:08,280 --> 00:59:10,920 Speaker 1: a firm believer, and it is also transparency. You know. 1200 00:59:11,840 --> 00:59:14,160 Speaker 1: I was born in New Jersey, so I'm very frank 1201 00:59:14,240 --> 00:59:17,680 Speaker 1: with people. You know, I think there's too many How 1202 00:59:17,760 --> 00:59:21,720 Speaker 1: can I say, too many people being misled and missing 1203 00:59:21,800 --> 00:59:24,640 Speaker 1: from and misinformed. I was always taught, you know, I'd 1204 00:59:24,720 --> 00:59:27,480 Speaker 1: rather you be mad and be I grew up during 1205 00:59:27,560 --> 00:59:32,160 Speaker 1: the age of constructive criticism, you know, and you know, listen, 1206 00:59:32,240 --> 00:59:35,000 Speaker 1: we all make mistakes, we all we don't know everything. 1207 00:59:35,240 --> 00:59:38,240 Speaker 1: And the only way you learn is by listening and 1208 00:59:38,520 --> 00:59:41,840 Speaker 1: by making mistakes, and you know, being honest with anyone 1209 00:59:41,840 --> 00:59:43,960 Speaker 1: because I want that. I want the same treatment to me, 1210 00:59:44,240 --> 00:59:46,160 Speaker 1: you know. Don't beat me around the voice, don't feed 1211 00:59:46,200 --> 00:59:48,760 Speaker 1: me no bs the truth, because they're not the only 1212 00:59:48,800 --> 00:59:51,280 Speaker 1: way you can make. You can fix things, or advance 1213 00:59:51,480 --> 00:59:54,919 Speaker 1: or learn yourself. And in the process of learning. Now 1214 00:59:55,840 --> 00:59:58,080 Speaker 1: you know, you have educational learning, you have learning in 1215 00:59:58,120 --> 01:00:01,400 Speaker 1: the streets, and you have learning life. You know, So 1216 01:00:01,880 --> 01:00:05,240 Speaker 1: what lay out those three paths that will that helped 1217 01:00:05,280 --> 01:00:11,000 Speaker 1: you to from the educational standpoint, the streets and then life. Well, 1218 01:00:11,080 --> 01:00:15,120 Speaker 1: I uh, my father was a very successful black business 1219 01:00:15,160 --> 01:00:18,960 Speaker 1: owner in New Jersey, so I was thank god, I 1220 01:00:19,080 --> 01:00:21,400 Speaker 1: was blessed to see it forehand. Born and raised in 1221 01:00:21,520 --> 01:00:24,560 Speaker 1: Jersey City, you know, came from very humble beginnings and 1222 01:00:24,640 --> 01:00:27,840 Speaker 1: the projects my father uh went on to become a 1223 01:00:27,920 --> 01:00:31,920 Speaker 1: councilman in Jersey City in the eighties, actually initiated the 1224 01:00:33,040 --> 01:00:36,400 Speaker 1: the Jersey City Redevelopment Project which is now you see 1225 01:00:36,440 --> 01:00:40,520 Speaker 1: Newport Downtown Newport City. So my father was very uh 1226 01:00:40,720 --> 01:00:43,400 Speaker 1: involved in the community in regards to politics, but also business. 1227 01:00:43,800 --> 01:00:47,080 Speaker 1: You know, he owned business stores, he owned car dealership, 1228 01:00:47,200 --> 01:00:49,400 Speaker 1: so I was able to see what hard work. But 1229 01:00:49,560 --> 01:00:53,920 Speaker 1: then also I saw with him how you know, also 1230 01:00:54,000 --> 01:00:56,040 Speaker 1: the difference being a black man, what he had to 1231 01:00:56,120 --> 01:00:58,480 Speaker 1: deal with, but he never let it stop him and 1232 01:00:58,600 --> 01:01:00,760 Speaker 1: he really used it his motivation. But one thing I 1233 01:01:00,880 --> 01:01:03,880 Speaker 1: also saw was his connect with the community. He always 1234 01:01:03,960 --> 01:01:06,040 Speaker 1: gave back and took care of the community and vice 1235 01:01:06,200 --> 01:01:09,360 Speaker 1: versa back in those days. Now, unfortunately he passed away 1236 01:01:10,120 --> 01:01:12,840 Speaker 1: when I graduated high school, so I had to really 1237 01:01:13,160 --> 01:01:17,200 Speaker 1: take lessons that I saw his mistakes and his advancements 1238 01:01:17,280 --> 01:01:19,480 Speaker 1: and use it to myself. And then I attended Morgan 1239 01:01:19,520 --> 01:01:24,959 Speaker 1: State University HBCU proudly in Baltimore. So I went there 1240 01:01:25,360 --> 01:01:27,680 Speaker 1: and that's kind of that's kind of where I found 1241 01:01:27,840 --> 01:01:30,560 Speaker 1: myself as a man. But also what I wanted to 1242 01:01:30,640 --> 01:01:32,720 Speaker 1: do in the industry. I wanted to sell cars. I 1243 01:01:32,840 --> 01:01:34,280 Speaker 1: want to be in the music industry. I gonna be 1244 01:01:34,280 --> 01:01:36,720 Speaker 1: honest with you, you know. It was by chance, um 1245 01:01:37,280 --> 01:01:39,520 Speaker 1: me and a group of friends of mine, we used 1246 01:01:39,560 --> 01:01:44,240 Speaker 1: to throw parties in concerts and upon a chance meeting 1247 01:01:44,320 --> 01:01:47,080 Speaker 1: with Jay Z. We had jay Z. I wanted to 1248 01:01:47,200 --> 01:01:48,960 Speaker 1: where people that I could say I had jay Z 1249 01:01:49,120 --> 01:01:52,120 Speaker 1: performed for me for free. He had jay Z performed 1250 01:01:52,160 --> 01:01:55,040 Speaker 1: for us for free for Faith Evans album released party 1251 01:01:55,560 --> 01:01:59,640 Speaker 1: and to Baltimore grant. This may have been n And 1252 01:02:00,280 --> 01:02:03,600 Speaker 1: upon meeting jay Z and the Rockefeller Croup we hadn't perform, 1253 01:02:04,160 --> 01:02:06,840 Speaker 1: they offered me a position of Rockefeller records that I 1254 01:02:07,360 --> 01:02:10,760 Speaker 1: couldn't turn down. And that kind of was my you know, 1255 01:02:10,920 --> 01:02:14,120 Speaker 1: my opportunity. You know, you being an individual like yourself, 1256 01:02:14,200 --> 01:02:16,680 Speaker 1: you know, opportunities come. You gotta be able to go 1257 01:02:16,920 --> 01:02:19,800 Speaker 1: with it. Don't be like you said, fearful or scared 1258 01:02:19,840 --> 01:02:22,840 Speaker 1: of opportunities, because sometimes that may take you on a 1259 01:02:22,920 --> 01:02:25,920 Speaker 1: path that you never even intended on, that could take 1260 01:02:25,960 --> 01:02:28,480 Speaker 1: you the biggest dreams that you really initially didn't plan. 1261 01:02:28,800 --> 01:02:32,200 Speaker 1: And you said that because you said, Richard, look, first 1262 01:02:32,200 --> 01:02:34,600 Speaker 1: of all, if I go to you, you selling cars 1263 01:02:34,720 --> 01:02:37,920 Speaker 1: and now you just music, and now you know managing 1264 01:02:38,000 --> 01:02:41,760 Speaker 1: and branded athletes. Let's talk about HBCUs. Yeah. And then 1265 01:02:41,840 --> 01:02:47,040 Speaker 1: in twenty twenty, during the pandemic, somehow white America discovered HBCUs, 1266 01:02:47,160 --> 01:02:51,480 Speaker 1: especially corporate America. They decided to start donating uh there's 1267 01:02:51,520 --> 01:02:53,480 Speaker 1: a good and bad to that because of the fact 1268 01:02:53,520 --> 01:02:56,040 Speaker 1: that it means that you know, this is not something 1269 01:02:56,120 --> 01:02:59,840 Speaker 1: new in the black community. What HBCS was founded due 1270 01:02:59,880 --> 01:03:02,800 Speaker 1: to racism because there you can see that there, but 1271 01:03:02,920 --> 01:03:05,760 Speaker 1: made basically in the southeast part of the country as 1272 01:03:05,800 --> 01:03:09,160 Speaker 1: it rolls up the Eastern Carter because of racist admission 1273 01:03:09,200 --> 01:03:12,920 Speaker 1: practices and prevented black people from trying to pursue the 1274 01:03:13,200 --> 01:03:16,360 Speaker 1: next level education. But you went to Morgan State, which 1275 01:03:16,440 --> 01:03:20,000 Speaker 1: is right outside of the Baltimore area. Talk about your 1276 01:03:20,160 --> 01:03:24,720 Speaker 1: HBCU experienced and then seeing what's happened in and moving 1277 01:03:24,760 --> 01:03:27,680 Speaker 1: forward like the All Star Game. Three million dollars were 1278 01:03:27,720 --> 01:03:31,040 Speaker 1: donated from the All Star Game to the HBCUs UH 1279 01:03:31,720 --> 01:03:34,640 Speaker 1: athletes who went to p w I. That's predominant white 1280 01:03:34,680 --> 01:03:39,280 Speaker 1: institutions are now focusing their attention on HBCU. You gotta 1281 01:03:39,320 --> 01:03:41,560 Speaker 1: be proud, but you also got to be you know 1282 01:03:41,800 --> 01:03:45,120 Speaker 1: what's going on. Yes, I'm glad you brought that up. 1283 01:03:46,120 --> 01:03:48,560 Speaker 1: I was coming out of high school. I was actually 1284 01:03:48,560 --> 01:03:52,240 Speaker 1: a highly recruited football player. Actually uh, I had every 1285 01:03:52,280 --> 01:03:55,640 Speaker 1: intentions on playing at Clemson University out of scholarship and 1286 01:03:56,480 --> 01:04:00,200 Speaker 1: highly recruited. But going back, I lost my father, uh 1287 01:04:00,440 --> 01:04:03,800 Speaker 1: literally a month the palm graduating, so I actually wanted 1288 01:04:03,840 --> 01:04:06,480 Speaker 1: to take some time for myself. I mentally just couldn't 1289 01:04:06,480 --> 01:04:08,920 Speaker 1: do it, and I asked for some time to leave 1290 01:04:09,000 --> 01:04:12,560 Speaker 1: Clemson and basically get my mind right. I was mourning 1291 01:04:12,640 --> 01:04:15,160 Speaker 1: the death of my father and I saw had Ay 1292 01:04:15,200 --> 01:04:19,720 Speaker 1: treated me differently, see what I'm saying. Like they were like, well, 1293 01:04:20,560 --> 01:04:23,400 Speaker 1: you you're committed, you know, using his motivation to hit 1294 01:04:23,440 --> 01:04:26,240 Speaker 1: harder on the football field. They didn't care about my 1295 01:04:26,320 --> 01:04:30,880 Speaker 1: emotional wealthy and it rubbed me the wrong way. So 1296 01:04:31,080 --> 01:04:32,960 Speaker 1: that's when I decided to go to an HBCU. And 1297 01:04:33,040 --> 01:04:35,440 Speaker 1: I always had interested because I grew up watching school 1298 01:04:35,560 --> 01:04:38,360 Speaker 1: days in a different world and I was always intrigued. 1299 01:04:38,480 --> 01:04:41,720 Speaker 1: I was like, wow, that's amazing, Like wow. So I 1300 01:04:41,840 --> 01:04:43,840 Speaker 1: went to Mortgage State, went for a visit, and fell 1301 01:04:43,880 --> 01:04:47,720 Speaker 1: in love. And it was the best decision me personally 1302 01:04:47,760 --> 01:04:50,160 Speaker 1: that I ever made because I was able to be 1303 01:04:50,280 --> 01:04:53,760 Speaker 1: around like minded individuals but that had other interests. Like 1304 01:04:54,160 --> 01:04:57,320 Speaker 1: I was around friends that wanted to be engineers, chemist, 1305 01:04:58,040 --> 01:05:00,680 Speaker 1: uh you know, other business profession Where is that a 1306 01:05:00,720 --> 01:05:03,680 Speaker 1: p w y. Most of the black faces that I 1307 01:05:03,800 --> 01:05:08,360 Speaker 1: saw were just athletes. They weren't trying. They didn't have 1308 01:05:08,440 --> 01:05:11,680 Speaker 1: any interest in other professions. So it was it was 1309 01:05:11,760 --> 01:05:15,160 Speaker 1: a very interesting and great developmental stage for myself because 1310 01:05:15,200 --> 01:05:18,960 Speaker 1: I was able to find out who I was as 1311 01:05:19,000 --> 01:05:20,840 Speaker 1: a man, not just an athlete. And we'll kind of 1312 01:05:20,840 --> 01:05:22,720 Speaker 1: get into that later on what why I started to 1313 01:05:22,760 --> 01:05:25,480 Speaker 1: brand architects. But it's like it was I went through 1314 01:05:25,560 --> 01:05:28,320 Speaker 1: that personal experience in regards to developing as a man 1315 01:05:28,720 --> 01:05:31,560 Speaker 1: and being at a historically black, black university. And this 1316 01:05:31,680 --> 01:05:33,640 Speaker 1: was in the nineties. Like you said, you know, I 1317 01:05:33,720 --> 01:05:36,400 Speaker 1: go to Morrigan. Now it's like I'm in all like wow, 1318 01:05:36,480 --> 01:05:38,520 Speaker 1: they put all this money, Like the campus looks nothing 1319 01:05:38,600 --> 01:05:43,800 Speaker 1: like but you know, the experience was definitely mind boggling, 1320 01:05:43,960 --> 01:05:46,200 Speaker 1: and like you said, all of a sudden, everybody sees 1321 01:05:46,920 --> 01:05:50,600 Speaker 1: the I call them the hidden gems of our society 1322 01:05:50,880 --> 01:05:54,440 Speaker 1: HBCUs and I'm proud. I'm glad now people are finally 1323 01:05:54,520 --> 01:05:57,680 Speaker 1: giving them the credit that they deserve because they also 1324 01:05:57,840 --> 01:06:00,439 Speaker 1: need that to support you know that that they haven't 1325 01:06:00,480 --> 01:06:04,000 Speaker 1: beginning for so long. That's really it's interesting that you 1326 01:06:04,080 --> 01:06:07,680 Speaker 1: say to a campus change and when you went to 1327 01:06:07,800 --> 01:06:10,960 Speaker 1: I know, I graduated p w I, which was uh 1328 01:06:11,640 --> 01:06:16,440 Speaker 1: University of Houston, Cougars and three uh five sla my 1329 01:06:16,520 --> 01:06:23,120 Speaker 1: Jamma Clyde Drexler and uh uh they lost the championship. 1330 01:06:23,160 --> 01:06:27,080 Speaker 1: I still don't have the ring, so I could not 1331 01:06:27,200 --> 01:06:32,000 Speaker 1: pay myself, I said with them, but I couldn't put 1332 01:06:32,000 --> 01:06:34,400 Speaker 1: a ring on my finger. Man, when they lost that 1333 01:06:34,480 --> 01:06:38,360 Speaker 1: A three championship, it was I take credit for it. 1334 01:06:38,400 --> 01:06:40,400 Speaker 1: I tell you it's my boys, though. But when you 1335 01:06:40,560 --> 01:06:43,280 Speaker 1: but you're absolutely right. I remember when I was at 1336 01:06:43,280 --> 01:06:46,320 Speaker 1: the University Houston, it's about thirty or five thousand students 1337 01:06:46,400 --> 01:06:49,240 Speaker 1: on campus, it was probably by two thousand black people. 1338 01:06:49,280 --> 01:06:51,320 Speaker 1: It looked like it was a ton of us until 1339 01:06:51,320 --> 01:06:54,040 Speaker 1: you actually with the what they found out, I mane 1340 01:06:54,040 --> 01:06:56,160 Speaker 1: it really was of us. But it tends to be 1341 01:06:56,360 --> 01:06:59,320 Speaker 1: that the case of where if you go to h 1342 01:06:59,840 --> 01:07:02,880 Speaker 1: h you see you everybody on their representative of who 1343 01:07:03,000 --> 01:07:05,720 Speaker 1: you are and who you can be, and it feels 1344 01:07:05,760 --> 01:07:08,840 Speaker 1: like a much more communal format. But again, when you 1345 01:07:09,040 --> 01:07:12,920 Speaker 1: see the n b A and you do what they 1346 01:07:13,000 --> 01:07:16,520 Speaker 1: did on Sunday, you know the HP the court was HBCU. 1347 01:07:17,080 --> 01:07:21,960 Speaker 1: You see the donations they make, you know, inspiring. I'm 1348 01:07:22,000 --> 01:07:24,360 Speaker 1: just saying, man, you know I didn't go there, but wow, 1349 01:07:24,520 --> 01:07:27,360 Speaker 1: I have to say Wow. When I see that, it's 1350 01:07:27,480 --> 01:07:29,600 Speaker 1: unique for Sean, and I'm gonna be honest with you, 1351 01:07:30,480 --> 01:07:34,800 Speaker 1: they're thirty years upon leaving Morgan State. There are people 1352 01:07:34,880 --> 01:07:37,280 Speaker 1: we still Like I tell everyone, when you go to 1353 01:07:37,360 --> 01:07:39,600 Speaker 1: a p w Y, you don't know a home coming 1354 01:07:39,640 --> 01:07:43,400 Speaker 1: until you go to HBCU. Yes, yes, it's it's a 1355 01:07:43,440 --> 01:07:45,520 Speaker 1: totally different experience. And I have friends that went to 1356 01:07:45,640 --> 01:07:48,160 Speaker 1: p WISE and when they come to our home commings 1357 01:07:48,400 --> 01:07:50,880 Speaker 1: there and all, they're like, wow, I said, came through 1358 01:07:52,280 --> 01:07:55,240 Speaker 1: and I'm glad you brought that up too. We there's 1359 01:07:55,280 --> 01:07:57,400 Speaker 1: not just that family look, but we also still do 1360 01:07:57,640 --> 01:08:01,520 Speaker 1: business together. See that's critical. That's critical. Like I get 1361 01:08:01,600 --> 01:08:05,600 Speaker 1: my advice from black doctors that graduated from Morgan I know, 1362 01:08:06,040 --> 01:08:10,160 Speaker 1: I know black judges, like if I need that. That 1363 01:08:10,440 --> 01:08:14,160 Speaker 1: is unique and I cherish it because I could talk 1364 01:08:14,240 --> 01:08:17,680 Speaker 1: to people that can relate to me as a black man, 1365 01:08:18,240 --> 01:08:21,680 Speaker 1: but also make that connection on a professional level. You 1366 01:08:21,720 --> 01:08:23,920 Speaker 1: see what I'm saying where I could like, Okay, you 1367 01:08:24,000 --> 01:08:26,320 Speaker 1: know everybody's talking about the vaccine now, like okay, should 1368 01:08:26,320 --> 01:08:31,240 Speaker 1: I take it or not? I have four professional black 1369 01:08:31,320 --> 01:08:32,960 Speaker 1: doctors that I could call to that I went to 1370 01:08:33,040 --> 01:08:35,960 Speaker 1: Morgan State with. You're gonna give me that straight up answer, 1371 01:08:36,520 --> 01:08:39,720 Speaker 1: you know, for thirty years and we do. I got 1372 01:08:39,920 --> 01:08:42,599 Speaker 1: an individual what I'm doing with he's a secret service 1373 01:08:42,720 --> 01:08:45,599 Speaker 1: agent and I'm actually consulting him now because he wants 1374 01:08:45,640 --> 01:08:47,800 Speaker 1: to do something about mental health and if we're gonna 1375 01:08:47,920 --> 01:08:50,519 Speaker 1: talk about that later, especially in the black community. So 1376 01:08:50,640 --> 01:08:53,519 Speaker 1: it's like, you know, it's not just a family. It's 1377 01:08:53,560 --> 01:08:56,760 Speaker 1: a family, but it's also business unification. I call it 1378 01:08:56,840 --> 01:09:01,679 Speaker 1: as well too. I cheated, though, and Tom, because see, 1379 01:09:01,680 --> 01:09:03,920 Speaker 1: I went to University of Houston, and I could walk 1380 01:09:04,000 --> 01:09:07,200 Speaker 1: down the Texas Southern University, all right, and then I 1381 01:09:07,320 --> 01:09:10,719 Speaker 1: could drive forty five minutes to prayer for you NM. 1382 01:09:11,080 --> 01:09:14,000 Speaker 1: So I cheated, and I cheated. Now, I don't gonna 1383 01:09:14,000 --> 01:09:20,240 Speaker 1: lie to you about something. Have social media back then, right, 1384 01:09:21,479 --> 01:09:24,120 Speaker 1: I cheated. I'm just gonna let you know show what 1385 01:09:24,200 --> 01:09:26,840 Speaker 1: you're talking about, yea, brother, I want right down the 1386 01:09:26,920 --> 01:09:30,479 Speaker 1: Texas univers and drove forty five minutes off the prayer 1387 01:09:30,479 --> 01:09:33,800 Speaker 1: of you Panthers, the Tangers and the Panthers thought you 1388 01:09:33,880 --> 01:09:37,280 Speaker 1: went there. The Tagers and the Panthers at this cougar 1389 01:09:37,439 --> 01:09:42,559 Speaker 1: right here locked up, So you gotta taste of the day. 1390 01:09:42,640 --> 01:09:45,560 Speaker 1: So that's why I gotta tell you, I cheat it. 1391 01:09:45,640 --> 01:09:47,840 Speaker 1: I cheated and talm, I cheat it. Let's tell you 1392 01:09:47,840 --> 01:09:49,240 Speaker 1: about you a little bit more. We live in a 1393 01:09:49,320 --> 01:09:52,920 Speaker 1: capitalistic state. There's a lot of cheating going at fluid. 1394 01:09:53,080 --> 01:09:56,240 Speaker 1: Let's talk about the brand architect you know the reason behind. 1395 01:09:56,360 --> 01:09:59,240 Speaker 1: And you the African American man, you're black man. You know, 1396 01:09:59,560 --> 01:10:02,880 Speaker 1: we live in the society where black athletes have a 1397 01:10:03,000 --> 01:10:06,320 Speaker 1: shocked window and they make can make a lot of money. 1398 01:10:07,000 --> 01:10:10,519 Speaker 1: And we heard the horror stories about black athletes spending 1399 01:10:10,600 --> 01:10:14,160 Speaker 1: my money and walking away broke, not understanding how or 1400 01:10:14,280 --> 01:10:17,360 Speaker 1: why they do with their money. I don't know if 1401 01:10:17,360 --> 01:10:20,320 Speaker 1: I hear that story is much now and talk, but 1402 01:10:20,439 --> 01:10:23,120 Speaker 1: you know, one time it was pretty bad. So talk 1403 01:10:23,160 --> 01:10:26,639 Speaker 1: about why you started the brand Architects. Well, I started 1404 01:10:26,640 --> 01:10:29,880 Speaker 1: the brand Architects back in UH two thousand nine. While 1405 01:10:29,920 --> 01:10:31,839 Speaker 1: I was in the music industry. I would meet these athletes, 1406 01:10:32,040 --> 01:10:34,080 Speaker 1: of course, you know, because we would always have these 1407 01:10:34,120 --> 01:10:36,320 Speaker 1: concerts and parties and in the club, so we will 1408 01:10:36,320 --> 01:10:39,439 Speaker 1: always meet. And I had an interesting conversation with Burning 1409 01:10:39,520 --> 01:10:42,400 Speaker 1: Davis Bernon. Davis was actually the first NFL player I 1410 01:10:42,479 --> 01:10:45,000 Speaker 1: started working with, and he would always tell me how 1411 01:10:45,240 --> 01:10:48,120 Speaker 1: he was interested in other things like he was like, Anton, 1412 01:10:48,200 --> 01:10:50,639 Speaker 1: there's other things I want to do besides being known 1413 01:10:50,720 --> 01:10:53,479 Speaker 1: as a football player. Um, and he was like, how 1414 01:10:53,560 --> 01:10:56,040 Speaker 1: do I go about that? And at the time, I 1415 01:10:56,120 --> 01:10:58,080 Speaker 1: was kind of brushing up, like burning I got to 1416 01:10:58,240 --> 01:11:01,040 Speaker 1: the artists. I gotta I don't have time for this. 1417 01:11:01,120 --> 01:11:04,160 Speaker 1: But then I started doing research. And but let's let's 1418 01:11:04,200 --> 01:11:06,559 Speaker 1: tell everybody who Vernon was. Now. He was the number 1419 01:11:06,640 --> 01:11:09,719 Speaker 1: six pick in the draft. You know, University of Maryland, 1420 01:11:09,800 --> 01:11:13,240 Speaker 1: tighty in San Francistical for now. The sad part about 1421 01:11:13,320 --> 01:11:16,120 Speaker 1: that I know all that, and then I didn't know 1422 01:11:16,200 --> 01:11:17,920 Speaker 1: you're gonna bring up his name. That's the sad part 1423 01:11:17,920 --> 01:11:21,080 Speaker 1: about this conversation. So didn't everybody know It wasn't just 1424 01:11:21,160 --> 01:11:25,040 Speaker 1: a low level guy talking to you. This was and 1425 01:11:25,479 --> 01:11:28,599 Speaker 1: that one of the bad physically built bodies in NFL 1426 01:11:28,760 --> 01:11:31,519 Speaker 1: was was him. I was on a tour with Nellie 1427 01:11:31,560 --> 01:11:35,200 Speaker 1: and Cash Money because like whatever, but Vernon, yeah, you're cool, 1428 01:11:35,320 --> 01:11:39,360 Speaker 1: like like dude, I don't get all strugg and I 1429 01:11:39,439 --> 01:11:41,320 Speaker 1: tell him straight up, like I tell him, I'm not 1430 01:11:41,439 --> 01:11:43,920 Speaker 1: a fan, like you know, I'm I've been on tour 1431 01:11:44,000 --> 01:11:46,439 Speaker 1: with Prints, I've been I've been Brian McKnight's been to 1432 01:11:46,520 --> 01:11:48,679 Speaker 1: my house, Like I'm like, okay, I don't get into 1433 01:11:48,720 --> 01:11:51,080 Speaker 1: all that. It's about the person, you know, That's what 1434 01:11:51,240 --> 01:11:54,759 Speaker 1: matters to me. And when I started doing the research, 1435 01:11:54,840 --> 01:11:59,000 Speaker 1: I saw similar a lot of similarities between artists and athletes, 1436 01:12:00,080 --> 01:12:04,120 Speaker 1: how the record label pretty much sucks the artist dry 1437 01:12:04,880 --> 01:12:07,320 Speaker 1: runs them like literally one week you're relevant, the next 1438 01:12:07,360 --> 01:12:10,080 Speaker 1: week you're not. And I started seeing that and I 1439 01:12:10,240 --> 01:12:13,479 Speaker 1: sat back and I did the research and athletes, and 1440 01:12:13,560 --> 01:12:15,680 Speaker 1: I met I met an athlete I won't say his 1441 01:12:15,800 --> 01:12:18,200 Speaker 1: name is a Hall of Famer, and I met him 1442 01:12:18,200 --> 01:12:20,719 Speaker 1: at Super Bowl event, and I mean when I saw 1443 01:12:21,320 --> 01:12:26,000 Speaker 1: what he was going through in regards to mental health, financial, uh, 1444 01:12:26,160 --> 01:12:30,000 Speaker 1: just identity crisis in regards to and he had a conversation. 1445 01:12:30,040 --> 01:12:32,120 Speaker 1: We had a very in depth conversation. He said, Anton, 1446 01:12:32,160 --> 01:12:34,439 Speaker 1: there's so many things I would have done differently while 1447 01:12:34,479 --> 01:12:37,960 Speaker 1: I was still playing then now and see. And that's 1448 01:12:38,000 --> 01:12:40,280 Speaker 1: the thing where I started the brand architects. I was like, Okay, 1449 01:12:40,400 --> 01:12:43,000 Speaker 1: you know what these young men, like we said they 1450 01:12:43,080 --> 01:12:46,759 Speaker 1: come from, they go there, They're instantaining. They get money 1451 01:12:46,880 --> 01:12:48,360 Speaker 1: like out of nowhere. I mean a lot of them 1452 01:12:48,400 --> 01:12:51,559 Speaker 1: come from nothing, so they're instantaining there instantly. I'm sorry, 1453 01:12:51,640 --> 01:12:54,120 Speaker 1: put into a situation where they got all this money, 1454 01:12:54,400 --> 01:12:57,120 Speaker 1: but also they have a lot of relevancy. It's like, okay, 1455 01:12:57,920 --> 01:12:59,760 Speaker 1: now people know your name, like you said, you know 1456 01:13:00,280 --> 01:13:02,960 Speaker 1: Davis he ran the four three a forty. You know 1457 01:13:03,120 --> 01:13:05,479 Speaker 1: he was the fastest tight end. But what else do 1458 01:13:05,600 --> 01:13:08,040 Speaker 1: we know about Vernon Das Nothing? We just know the 1459 01:13:08,200 --> 01:13:11,320 Speaker 1: athletes side, and you're not gonna be an athlete your 1460 01:13:11,360 --> 01:13:14,120 Speaker 1: whole career. Let's be honest here. That's a short period 1461 01:13:14,160 --> 01:13:17,040 Speaker 1: of time. Burning was in the league for eleven years. 1462 01:13:17,120 --> 01:13:19,360 Speaker 1: That's a rarity. You're lucky to get five years in 1463 01:13:19,400 --> 01:13:22,559 Speaker 1: the NFL. Now, let's be honest here, especially now now 1464 01:13:22,720 --> 01:13:25,240 Speaker 1: is three to five years. So what are you gonna 1465 01:13:25,320 --> 01:13:28,720 Speaker 1: do with this platform to make a transition? That's the 1466 01:13:28,800 --> 01:13:31,040 Speaker 1: been The issue with Sean is a lot of guys 1467 01:13:31,520 --> 01:13:33,960 Speaker 1: they get I call it the track and this is 1468 01:13:34,000 --> 01:13:37,040 Speaker 1: what I'm gonna get real deep, Okay, A lot of 1469 01:13:37,120 --> 01:13:41,400 Speaker 1: them depend on their agents to uh. I guess you 1470 01:13:41,439 --> 01:13:44,439 Speaker 1: could say take care or run things to them. That's 1471 01:13:44,479 --> 01:13:46,479 Speaker 1: the number one makes that's the number one mistake that 1472 01:13:46,560 --> 01:13:48,680 Speaker 1: they make. I'm gonna just be honest with you. Your 1473 01:13:48,720 --> 01:13:53,040 Speaker 1: agents should only negotiate your contracts between you and the teams. 1474 01:13:53,200 --> 01:13:55,559 Speaker 1: They shouldn't have anything to do with your marketing, your 1475 01:13:55,600 --> 01:13:59,240 Speaker 1: branding because first off, okay, most agents don't even care 1476 01:13:59,240 --> 01:14:00,800 Speaker 1: about what you want to do. It could be painting, 1477 01:14:00,840 --> 01:14:03,840 Speaker 1: it could be pottery, like Vernon was into painting. And 1478 01:14:03,920 --> 01:14:06,679 Speaker 1: now he wasn't a Picasso. But since it was Vernon, 1479 01:14:06,800 --> 01:14:09,360 Speaker 1: Davis and San Francisco loved him so much. We did 1480 01:14:09,600 --> 01:14:12,639 Speaker 1: art exhibits, you know, we did fashion stuff. We did 1481 01:14:13,000 --> 01:14:16,160 Speaker 1: you know, home the court. Vernon was not known as 1482 01:14:16,200 --> 01:14:19,000 Speaker 1: being the renaissance man as he is now. Okay, Emmanuel 1483 01:14:19,040 --> 01:14:21,160 Speaker 1: Acco was one of our first clients. Man. He was 1484 01:14:21,200 --> 01:14:24,720 Speaker 1: about the host the Bachelor. Now, Emmanuel wasn't even a 1485 01:14:24,800 --> 01:14:27,759 Speaker 1: starter on his team when he was with the Philadelphia Eagles, 1486 01:14:28,120 --> 01:14:30,080 Speaker 1: but we had a conversation. He wanted to get into 1487 01:14:30,120 --> 01:14:32,680 Speaker 1: sports analysts. He wanted to be an analyst, so he 1488 01:14:32,880 --> 01:14:35,080 Speaker 1: was on tuesdays he would catch a train from Philly 1489 01:14:35,160 --> 01:14:40,200 Speaker 1: to New York intern at NBC ABC for free, learning 1490 01:14:40,280 --> 01:14:43,160 Speaker 1: the industry that he did not know. See, if you're 1491 01:14:43,200 --> 01:14:45,920 Speaker 1: just a football player, I tell the most important advice 1492 01:14:45,960 --> 01:14:50,400 Speaker 1: I tell any potential pro athlete. Have someone when you 1493 01:14:50,680 --> 01:14:55,080 Speaker 1: when you make it, Okay, have a team or someone 1494 01:14:55,120 --> 01:14:57,280 Speaker 1: on your payroll does that does not care about football, 1495 01:14:57,439 --> 01:15:00,320 Speaker 1: or does not care about basketball. They care about Okay, 1496 01:15:00,360 --> 01:15:03,160 Speaker 1: what you're gonna do when you're done playing, because you 1497 01:15:03,280 --> 01:15:05,000 Speaker 1: have to do it while you're in the league. That's 1498 01:15:05,000 --> 01:15:06,840 Speaker 1: when you have relevancy. That's when the opportunities are going 1499 01:15:06,880 --> 01:15:08,800 Speaker 1: to be there for you, not when you're not when 1500 01:15:08,840 --> 01:15:10,519 Speaker 1: it's over. See, a lot of them the mistake that 1501 01:15:10,600 --> 01:15:13,360 Speaker 1: they make, a lot of them get trapped into. They 1502 01:15:13,439 --> 01:15:16,599 Speaker 1: get convinced into waiting, Oh, don't worry about that until 1503 01:15:16,640 --> 01:15:18,800 Speaker 1: you're done playing. Well, you don't know when you're done playing. 1504 01:15:18,840 --> 01:15:21,920 Speaker 1: It takes one weekend that you get hit and it's over. 1505 01:15:22,280 --> 01:15:26,160 Speaker 1: And now even with the salary cap structure, okay, you 1506 01:15:26,240 --> 01:15:28,720 Speaker 1: could be making a league minimum. Team doesn't even want 1507 01:15:28,720 --> 01:15:31,560 Speaker 1: to pay you because you your league minimum. Now you 1508 01:15:31,880 --> 01:15:34,240 Speaker 1: you get aged out. A lot of players get aged 1509 01:15:34,280 --> 01:15:36,680 Speaker 1: out that you don't hear about. And then that on 1510 01:15:36,960 --> 01:15:39,720 Speaker 1: that will on set to mental issues too, because now 1511 01:15:40,080 --> 01:15:42,920 Speaker 1: all these people have around them they're gone, including their agent, 1512 01:15:43,520 --> 01:15:45,680 Speaker 1: and a lot of them think there that they they 1513 01:15:46,520 --> 01:15:48,320 Speaker 1: they work for their No, the agent works for you. 1514 01:15:49,000 --> 01:15:51,320 Speaker 1: He's not your boss. Let's be honest. That's the number 1515 01:15:51,360 --> 01:15:53,160 Speaker 1: one thing a lot of these guys. The worst thing 1516 01:15:53,240 --> 01:15:54,559 Speaker 1: that I hear a lot of these athletes say, oh, 1517 01:15:54,640 --> 01:15:57,840 Speaker 1: let me talk, but ask my agent why while you 1518 01:15:57,920 --> 01:15:59,800 Speaker 1: have to do No, you need to tell your agent 1519 01:16:00,160 --> 01:16:01,519 Speaker 1: this is what I'm gonna do. I'm anna hire an 1520 01:16:01,560 --> 01:16:06,479 Speaker 1: outside marketing, branding firm that's gonna focus on my lifestyle, branding, 1521 01:16:06,560 --> 01:16:09,840 Speaker 1: my image, not my football moms to totally different things 1522 01:16:10,760 --> 01:16:13,680 Speaker 1: and exactly right, because like I said, you know these 1523 01:16:13,760 --> 01:16:16,840 Speaker 1: agencies that you sound with, whether they're I know them all, 1524 01:16:17,000 --> 01:16:20,519 Speaker 1: you know we're MARS c A, you know U t A, 1525 01:16:21,080 --> 01:16:24,160 Speaker 1: and they've all developed little sports divisions, and so what 1526 01:16:24,280 --> 01:16:26,960 Speaker 1: they don't do is day to day they're not there 1527 01:16:27,080 --> 01:16:29,000 Speaker 1: what you They won't talk to you through or four 1528 01:16:29,040 --> 01:16:31,360 Speaker 1: times a day. What you have to do if you 1529 01:16:31,439 --> 01:16:34,360 Speaker 1: want somebody that there's no your brand, no your interests, 1530 01:16:34,680 --> 01:16:37,000 Speaker 1: no your good days and your bad days. Not somebody 1531 01:16:37,040 --> 01:16:41,080 Speaker 1: who shows up at game time high fives you, pointing 1532 01:16:41,120 --> 01:16:43,320 Speaker 1: at you from the stand. That's not a person that's 1533 01:16:43,320 --> 01:16:45,439 Speaker 1: gonna carry you to the next level. And that's the 1534 01:16:45,520 --> 01:16:49,160 Speaker 1: part that they make the mistake on because they allowing 1535 01:16:49,200 --> 01:16:52,560 Speaker 1: these people to make financial decisions and career decisions for 1536 01:16:52,640 --> 01:16:56,080 Speaker 1: them that like you said one bad moment, and let's 1537 01:16:56,080 --> 01:16:58,760 Speaker 1: take the salary cap this year with the NFL. It 1538 01:16:58,880 --> 01:17:03,200 Speaker 1: has this is a billion dollar industry and guess what. 1539 01:17:03,360 --> 01:17:06,560 Speaker 1: The cap was reduced, which means the cap instead of 1540 01:17:06,600 --> 01:17:09,640 Speaker 1: going up, it was reduced, which is crazy, all right. 1541 01:17:09,920 --> 01:17:12,200 Speaker 1: So it means that athletes are being cut right now, 1542 01:17:12,680 --> 01:17:15,320 Speaker 1: not because there they don't have the ability to play 1543 01:17:15,320 --> 01:17:19,000 Speaker 1: in the NFL, is because a billion dollar industry has 1544 01:17:19,040 --> 01:17:22,679 Speaker 1: made a decision that they need to reduce the salary cap, 1545 01:17:22,920 --> 01:17:25,320 Speaker 1: which means that players are being cut right now and 1546 01:17:25,400 --> 01:17:30,280 Speaker 1: will take less money for the two seasons because of 1547 01:17:30,360 --> 01:17:32,760 Speaker 1: the salary cap. This is this is what you're talking 1548 01:17:32,800 --> 01:17:35,519 Speaker 1: about the business side, and that's what you try to 1549 01:17:35,600 --> 01:17:40,320 Speaker 1: protect your athletes and your friends. Moving yes, because I 1550 01:17:40,439 --> 01:17:42,519 Speaker 1: take it personal. You know, it's a sob story. Like 1551 01:17:42,840 --> 01:17:45,880 Speaker 1: you know, half of our roster rashan or retire guys 1552 01:17:46,280 --> 01:17:48,160 Speaker 1: they've been on the late three, four or five years. 1553 01:17:48,479 --> 01:17:51,479 Speaker 1: That shows the value on what we do because once 1554 01:17:51,560 --> 01:17:54,360 Speaker 1: we once I signed a client, I tell him first off, 1555 01:17:54,439 --> 01:17:56,920 Speaker 1: first off, I don't care about football. En If I don't, 1556 01:17:57,000 --> 01:17:58,160 Speaker 1: I don't even have ever been to a game of 1557 01:17:58,240 --> 01:18:00,719 Speaker 1: five years. I don't need to go and be honest, 1558 01:18:00,800 --> 01:18:02,439 Speaker 1: I know, I forgot gout. I have a guy's playing 1559 01:18:02,479 --> 01:18:03,760 Speaker 1: the Super Bowl. I don't need to go for that. 1560 01:18:04,479 --> 01:18:06,360 Speaker 1: My job and my team's job is to keep you 1561 01:18:06,439 --> 01:18:10,920 Speaker 1: relevant Monday through Friday. Okay, you know, let's get you 1562 01:18:11,000 --> 01:18:13,120 Speaker 1: in the room. You got these fans cheering for you 1563 01:18:13,280 --> 01:18:16,519 Speaker 1: on Sunday. Let's make you relevant. Let's make sure you're 1564 01:18:16,560 --> 01:18:20,920 Speaker 1: in the room with them on Tuesday. Let's utilize your 1565 01:18:21,080 --> 01:18:26,240 Speaker 1: base to create it to increase your personal value. Okay, 1566 01:18:26,439 --> 01:18:28,880 Speaker 1: see there's a difference. And even now with the league, 1567 01:18:29,000 --> 01:18:30,760 Speaker 1: let's be on. The league is all about their brand. 1568 01:18:30,800 --> 01:18:32,560 Speaker 1: You have the brand, the NFL brand, and you have 1569 01:18:32,640 --> 01:18:35,439 Speaker 1: the team and their brand. The more value you put 1570 01:18:35,520 --> 01:18:39,240 Speaker 1: on your individual brand, the actually more value it creates 1571 01:18:39,640 --> 01:18:41,960 Speaker 1: for your agent. Because guess what it's like, I tell 1572 01:18:42,040 --> 01:18:44,759 Speaker 1: people you have Lebron fans, you don't have Laker fans. 1573 01:18:45,080 --> 01:18:50,080 Speaker 1: Wherever Lebron goes, this fan base is going scenario. These 1574 01:18:50,080 --> 01:18:52,920 Speaker 1: are you know, these are big time examples. But it's like, 1575 01:18:53,000 --> 01:18:56,439 Speaker 1: if you create your own individual brand, it follows you 1576 01:18:57,200 --> 01:18:59,879 Speaker 1: while you're in the league. But guess what most importantly 1577 01:19:00,000 --> 01:19:02,680 Speaker 1: when you're done with the league, but you you you 1578 01:19:02,840 --> 01:19:07,920 Speaker 1: have to utilize the platform. Now, the interesting part about 1579 01:19:07,920 --> 01:19:10,599 Speaker 1: it because we were the same page, because we're talking 1580 01:19:10,600 --> 01:19:14,040 Speaker 1: about media. Now we're seeing brands that really in some 1581 01:19:14,160 --> 01:19:17,320 Speaker 1: ways are bigger than the football teams. Okay, especially from 1582 01:19:17,360 --> 01:19:20,479 Speaker 1: a football perspective. We're seeing it being challenged now by 1583 01:19:21,040 --> 01:19:26,479 Speaker 1: by by UH Dwayne Watson and UH Houston Texas and 1584 01:19:26,560 --> 01:19:30,200 Speaker 1: also Russell Wilson up in cl Seahawks. And you know, 1585 01:19:30,360 --> 01:19:33,639 Speaker 1: you get that little racism type statement where they should 1586 01:19:33,680 --> 01:19:37,519 Speaker 1: keep their mouth shut. Huh okay, keep your mouth shut? 1587 01:19:37,560 --> 01:19:39,960 Speaker 1: Who who were talking about here? You know? And then 1588 01:19:40,160 --> 01:19:42,799 Speaker 1: usually the person who's saying that was the most vocal 1589 01:19:42,920 --> 01:19:46,639 Speaker 1: person in sports. But now they want to tell athletes 1590 01:19:46,680 --> 01:19:49,280 Speaker 1: who to happen to be color of color, they should 1591 01:19:49,360 --> 01:19:52,479 Speaker 1: keep their mouth shut. With social media, and we see 1592 01:19:52,560 --> 01:19:56,560 Speaker 1: how athletes are now becoming more and more engaged in 1593 01:19:57,160 --> 01:20:01,519 Speaker 1: entertainment entertainment productions. How do you tell your athletes that 1594 01:20:01,600 --> 01:20:05,040 Speaker 1: do that are steer plan and athletes who are transitioning 1595 01:20:05,479 --> 01:20:08,599 Speaker 1: post athletics, how do you evolve it with the social 1596 01:20:08,640 --> 01:20:12,519 Speaker 1: media growth partition of the partition of the brand as 1597 01:20:12,560 --> 01:20:16,360 Speaker 1: well as the entertainment side of it. Well, social media 1598 01:20:16,439 --> 01:20:19,960 Speaker 1: nowadays literally your resume. Let's just be to be honest, 1599 01:20:20,680 --> 01:20:22,599 Speaker 1: when someone brings up your name, first thing they're gonna 1600 01:20:22,600 --> 01:20:24,679 Speaker 1: do is google you, okay, And a lot of times 1601 01:20:24,800 --> 01:20:27,120 Speaker 1: what comes up if you don't have a Wikipedia page, 1602 01:20:27,520 --> 01:20:31,320 Speaker 1: is your Instagram, your Facebook, your website. But then also 1603 01:20:31,520 --> 01:20:33,439 Speaker 1: what follows and I'm glad you brought that up? Song? 1604 01:20:34,120 --> 01:20:37,200 Speaker 1: What other what other categories will come up? What interviews 1605 01:20:37,240 --> 01:20:41,120 Speaker 1: that you have you conducted, Like if you're just doing okay, 1606 01:20:41,439 --> 01:20:45,919 Speaker 1: ESPN or CBS sports or and you're just talking about sports, 1607 01:20:46,400 --> 01:20:49,560 Speaker 1: guess what, You're just relevant in the sports for me. 1608 01:20:49,760 --> 01:20:53,000 Speaker 1: So you're just relevant to Nike, Adidas, etcetera, etcetera. You're 1609 01:20:53,000 --> 01:20:57,120 Speaker 1: not relevant to lifestyle brands. Okay. Like, let's just say hypothetically, 1610 01:20:57,160 --> 01:21:00,160 Speaker 1: if a client's interested in the fashion Ronnie mclaus my lines, 1611 01:21:00,200 --> 01:21:02,960 Speaker 1: it's very into fashion. So we set him up with 1612 01:21:03,200 --> 01:21:07,479 Speaker 1: doing interviews with fashion magazines talking about fashion, not talking 1613 01:21:07,520 --> 01:21:10,160 Speaker 1: about how many passes he intercepted or how many tackles 1614 01:21:10,200 --> 01:21:13,080 Speaker 1: he had. See what I'm saying, it's about expanding your 1615 01:21:13,200 --> 01:21:17,640 Speaker 1: knowledge while also gaining your knowledge and expanding your relevancy 1616 01:21:17,720 --> 01:21:20,000 Speaker 1: in the in the other industry. Because now you're in 1617 01:21:20,040 --> 01:21:22,320 Speaker 1: the NFL, people want to talk to you it's interested 1618 01:21:22,360 --> 01:21:23,920 Speaker 1: in what you want to say, and to be honest 1619 01:21:23,960 --> 01:21:26,360 Speaker 1: with you, a lot of the times media you'll get 1620 01:21:26,400 --> 01:21:28,960 Speaker 1: a better interview out of an athlete if you're talking 1621 01:21:29,000 --> 01:21:32,639 Speaker 1: about things that's not just athletes. Like athletes get tired 1622 01:21:32,640 --> 01:21:34,840 Speaker 1: of talking about how many tackles they had and how 1623 01:21:34,880 --> 01:21:36,080 Speaker 1: many and then they were like, well that was a 1624 01:21:36,160 --> 01:21:39,479 Speaker 1: sorry interview. Well you're talking about something that they To them, 1625 01:21:39,560 --> 01:21:41,920 Speaker 1: this is their job, and that's what I tell them too. 1626 01:21:41,960 --> 01:21:45,280 Speaker 1: I'm like, listen, Okay, you're in a unique position. Isn't 1627 01:21:45,320 --> 01:21:48,599 Speaker 1: there something else that you like to do? Football after 1628 01:21:48,640 --> 01:21:50,880 Speaker 1: a while isn't fun to them, it's a job. So 1629 01:21:50,960 --> 01:21:53,560 Speaker 1: it's like, okay, let's start invest let's you need to 1630 01:21:53,640 --> 01:21:58,120 Speaker 1: invest in cars or you know, house building, whatever your 1631 01:21:58,200 --> 01:22:00,720 Speaker 1: other interests are, because that's the American can dream right 1632 01:22:01,080 --> 01:22:03,800 Speaker 1: to get paid doing what you like to do. You're 1633 01:22:03,840 --> 01:22:07,800 Speaker 1: in a unique position at the typical year old young 1634 01:22:07,880 --> 01:22:11,760 Speaker 1: male isn't so you have this door that doors that 1635 01:22:11,920 --> 01:22:14,160 Speaker 1: doors cracked open for you where we got to pick 1636 01:22:14,200 --> 01:22:16,200 Speaker 1: the rock and work through in and trying to figure 1637 01:22:16,200 --> 01:22:18,680 Speaker 1: out a way that doors cracked open for you. What 1638 01:22:18,800 --> 01:22:20,760 Speaker 1: are you gonna do with it? Because if you wait 1639 01:22:20,840 --> 01:22:23,360 Speaker 1: until you're done playing guess what to shut you got? 1640 01:22:23,520 --> 01:22:26,519 Speaker 1: It took your spots. Well. You we were talking about 1641 01:22:26,720 --> 01:22:29,600 Speaker 1: talking to Anton Barnes, you know, the founder of the 1642 01:22:29,760 --> 01:22:32,320 Speaker 1: brand Architect, and you brought up something I definitely want 1643 01:22:32,360 --> 01:22:34,360 Speaker 1: to talk about before we leave the air, the mental 1644 01:22:34,520 --> 01:22:39,240 Speaker 1: health part of it. Because athletes, they seem invincible, they 1645 01:22:39,280 --> 01:22:42,120 Speaker 1: seem that they're your heroes, but we don't see the 1646 01:22:43,240 --> 01:22:46,360 Speaker 1: the when they're off the main stage, or when they retire, 1647 01:22:46,439 --> 01:22:48,560 Speaker 1: they land in bed and afraid to get out, or 1648 01:22:48,640 --> 01:22:51,920 Speaker 1: can't get out due to some ailment or due to 1649 01:22:52,040 --> 01:22:55,000 Speaker 1: some head injury. Let's talk about that which is not 1650 01:22:55,160 --> 01:22:57,679 Speaker 1: often discussed. You know, there was a settlement several years 1651 01:22:57,680 --> 01:22:59,640 Speaker 1: ago and it's kind of been brushed aside, but we 1652 01:22:59,720 --> 01:23:02,000 Speaker 1: know that problem still exists out there. So let's talk 1653 01:23:02,000 --> 01:23:05,240 Speaker 1: about the mental health side of being a professional athlete. 1654 01:23:05,960 --> 01:23:09,439 Speaker 1: The mental health side is very, very it's it's brushed under. 1655 01:23:09,600 --> 01:23:11,960 Speaker 1: The league doesn't really want that to get as much 1656 01:23:12,000 --> 01:23:14,519 Speaker 1: shine as it deserves. You know, let's be honest here, 1657 01:23:14,760 --> 01:23:17,680 Speaker 1: and then, especially amongst our black athletes, we all noticed that, 1658 01:23:17,800 --> 01:23:19,559 Speaker 1: you know, the black community is a stigma that we're 1659 01:23:19,600 --> 01:23:21,920 Speaker 1: already fighting through. You know, back in the day, you know, 1660 01:23:22,040 --> 01:23:24,960 Speaker 1: suck it up or you know, so it's you know, 1661 01:23:25,040 --> 01:23:28,200 Speaker 1: it's a sign of weakness looking for help. But especially 1662 01:23:28,240 --> 01:23:32,200 Speaker 1: in a pro athletes, people don't realize, especially in the NFL, 1663 01:23:32,400 --> 01:23:36,240 Speaker 1: the pressures that these young men go through. Okay, it's 1664 01:23:36,240 --> 01:23:40,120 Speaker 1: such a physical sport. And then it's also to availability. 1665 01:23:40,800 --> 01:23:43,080 Speaker 1: Means if you're not available, you're more than likely gonna 1666 01:23:43,120 --> 01:23:45,320 Speaker 1: get cut in the team. Isn't doesn't not gonna pick 1667 01:23:45,360 --> 01:23:46,920 Speaker 1: you up. You don't know how many times these guys 1668 01:23:47,000 --> 01:23:49,800 Speaker 1: have gone. I see the comments that these people make, 1669 01:23:50,040 --> 01:23:51,920 Speaker 1: and they don't realize what when I talk to these 1670 01:23:51,960 --> 01:23:54,920 Speaker 1: guys on Monday, it's like they went through a car crash. Literally, 1671 01:23:55,320 --> 01:23:57,639 Speaker 1: it's it's been proven that their body has been through 1672 01:23:57,640 --> 01:24:01,920 Speaker 1: a car crash. You got these ultimate athletes that can't 1673 01:24:01,960 --> 01:24:04,400 Speaker 1: be that could barely walk. Okay, so you got the 1674 01:24:04,479 --> 01:24:07,800 Speaker 1: physical aspect, but then we're sawing the most important thing 1675 01:24:07,920 --> 01:24:10,320 Speaker 1: is the mental aspect. They don't have anyone that they 1676 01:24:10,360 --> 01:24:14,200 Speaker 1: can really talk to. Okay, they can't. You know, it's 1677 01:24:14,240 --> 01:24:16,920 Speaker 1: that you know, it's it's not it's not my cheesemo, 1678 01:24:17,080 --> 01:24:19,880 Speaker 1: it's not man enough to talk about whatever you're going 1679 01:24:19,960 --> 01:24:22,840 Speaker 1: through mentally. And then by the time it comes out, 1680 01:24:22,920 --> 01:24:25,040 Speaker 1: it's too late. You know how many pro athletes have 1681 01:24:25,200 --> 01:24:28,720 Speaker 1: committed suicide. You killed themselves, and people think, oh, it's 1682 01:24:28,720 --> 01:24:31,479 Speaker 1: all financially based. No, it's not that. And then it's 1683 01:24:31,520 --> 01:24:34,280 Speaker 1: also part, like I said, of that transition stage that 1684 01:24:34,400 --> 01:24:37,120 Speaker 1: we focus on. You go from being the man one 1685 01:24:37,240 --> 01:24:40,240 Speaker 1: day to no one calling you. Tori Smith actually put 1686 01:24:40,280 --> 01:24:42,720 Speaker 1: a tweet out the other day saying the same thing. 1687 01:24:43,160 --> 01:24:45,559 Speaker 1: You know, He's like, listen, you know, one day you're 1688 01:24:45,640 --> 01:24:48,920 Speaker 1: the man. Everybody's calling you, everybody is available. The next day, 1689 01:24:48,960 --> 01:24:52,439 Speaker 1: nobody's answering your call. Your agent mon't even your agent. 1690 01:24:52,880 --> 01:24:56,240 Speaker 1: Most of their the biggest problems, Okay, having all those 1691 01:24:56,280 --> 01:24:58,960 Speaker 1: people that were around you when you were scoring touchdowns 1692 01:24:59,040 --> 01:25:02,599 Speaker 1: and ducking the basketball. They're going right, and you don't 1693 01:25:02,600 --> 01:25:05,559 Speaker 1: have anything to transition to. You have no self value. 1694 01:25:05,640 --> 01:25:08,120 Speaker 1: And that's what we try instilling our guys. You have 1695 01:25:08,200 --> 01:25:10,560 Speaker 1: to have self value in you as a person, not 1696 01:25:10,720 --> 01:25:12,559 Speaker 1: just an act. I tell you this has been an 1697 01:25:12,560 --> 01:25:15,559 Speaker 1: incredible interview. In two thousand nine, he left the record 1698 01:25:15,640 --> 01:25:19,040 Speaker 1: business and decided to a bed on himself and found it. 1699 01:25:19,400 --> 01:25:22,080 Speaker 1: The brand architect and now not unless he changing lives, 1700 01:25:22,120 --> 01:25:25,000 Speaker 1: but he's also improving lives and especially in the African 1701 01:25:25,000 --> 01:25:28,360 Speaker 1: American Black Athlete Area arena, not only for himself but 1702 01:25:28,479 --> 01:25:30,280 Speaker 1: also letting people. You know, you think they had the 1703 01:25:30,320 --> 01:25:34,519 Speaker 1: head coaching problems in all these pro leagues, management and agency, 1704 01:25:34,560 --> 01:25:38,479 Speaker 1: it's worse. It's worse, and and and gentlemen like Anton 1705 01:25:38,640 --> 01:25:41,560 Speaker 1: a very important in breaking down those walls. And I 1706 01:25:41,640 --> 01:25:43,599 Speaker 1: want to thank you for coming on Money Making Conversation, 1707 01:25:43,880 --> 01:25:49,320 Speaker 1: Mr Barnes. Thank you. Yeah, I appreciate that you're having 1708 01:25:49,400 --> 01:25:54,120 Speaker 1: me on. And hey, listen anytime, you know, anytime I'm gone, 1709 01:25:54,120 --> 01:25:56,439 Speaker 1: because I may, I'm telling we could have It's like 1710 01:25:56,720 --> 01:26:00,639 Speaker 1: thirty minutes we've been talking about time we got because 1711 01:26:00,640 --> 01:26:02,320 Speaker 1: we had you talked about the b GC yet you 1712 01:26:02,360 --> 01:26:03,920 Speaker 1: know that was part of stuff off and we said 1713 01:26:03,920 --> 01:26:07,160 Speaker 1: we're gonna talk about PTC and so the Holy Spirit, 1714 01:26:07,439 --> 01:26:09,280 Speaker 1: so no that we're gonna get back on the line 1715 01:26:09,320 --> 01:26:11,479 Speaker 1: real quick, kid, probably about draft time a little bit 1716 01:26:11,479 --> 01:26:14,040 Speaker 1: after that. Come back on the show, and I can 1717 01:26:14,080 --> 01:26:16,560 Speaker 1: see your friend, my brother, he has like some barbershops 1718 01:26:16,600 --> 01:26:18,799 Speaker 1: in the DC area, and so you know, the COVID 1719 01:26:18,840 --> 01:26:20,920 Speaker 1: died down. I'll be back out there often like I 1720 01:26:20,920 --> 01:26:24,719 Speaker 1: awards previously, and we're gonna connect, but importantly, most importantly, 1721 01:26:25,040 --> 01:26:28,040 Speaker 1: I just wanted to share your story about the brand architect, 1722 01:26:28,080 --> 01:26:30,800 Speaker 1: who you are and uh and and and how you 1723 01:26:30,920 --> 01:26:34,280 Speaker 1: are changing the game. And I appreciate you. I appreciate it. 1724 01:26:34,320 --> 01:26:36,200 Speaker 1: And hey, listen, I'm trying to keep over there your 1725 01:26:36,280 --> 01:26:38,760 Speaker 1: trailblaze yourself, so it's always a privilege to be on it. 1726 01:26:38,880 --> 01:26:41,280 Speaker 1: Which thank you. If we hear more money making conversations 1727 01:26:41,280 --> 01:26:43,720 Speaker 1: and interviews, please go to money Making Conversation dot com. 1728 01:26:44,040 --> 01:26:48,040 Speaker 1: I am Rashan McDonald. I am your host. We will 1729 01:26:48,080 --> 01:26:51,360 Speaker 1: be right back with more money making conversations with your host, 1730 01:26:51,520 --> 01:26:55,760 Speaker 1: Rashan McDonald. Him. Rashan McDonald's the host of money Making Conversation. 1731 01:26:55,960 --> 01:26:58,559 Speaker 1: The Cafe Moka Swag Award is a celebration of black 1732 01:26:58,640 --> 01:27:01,080 Speaker 1: men who are making a difference in our community by 1733 01:27:01,160 --> 01:27:05,800 Speaker 1: empowering others to reach their life goals, from civic leaders, businessmen, activists, 1734 01:27:05,800 --> 01:27:09,360 Speaker 1: celebrities and everyday dads. The Cafe Moka Swagger Award winner 1735 01:27:09,439 --> 01:27:13,240 Speaker 1: this week is Q Parker, a Grammy Award winning member 1736 01:27:13,320 --> 01:27:16,559 Speaker 1: of the group Once Twilve. The Q Parker Legacy Foundation 1737 01:27:16,840 --> 01:27:20,760 Speaker 1: has admission of using family engagement and social empowerment to 1738 01:27:20,880 --> 01:27:25,160 Speaker 1: strengthen families throughout the city of Atlanta to generate stronger communities. 1739 01:27:25,640 --> 01:27:29,160 Speaker 1: The Q Parker Legacy Foundation was established five years ago, 1740 01:27:29,320 --> 01:27:32,240 Speaker 1: and so everything that you see about Q Parker, it 1741 01:27:32,439 --> 01:27:35,120 Speaker 1: really comes from my story because of me going through 1742 01:27:35,160 --> 01:27:38,240 Speaker 1: those trials. I saw how it affected every aspect of 1743 01:27:38,320 --> 01:27:40,840 Speaker 1: my family. When I decided that I wanted to give back, 1744 01:27:40,920 --> 01:27:43,360 Speaker 1: and I understood that my life was about serving and 1745 01:27:43,439 --> 01:27:45,400 Speaker 1: that was the way I was going to repay all 1746 01:27:45,479 --> 01:27:48,320 Speaker 1: the many blessings that I've been received. I wanted to serve. 1747 01:27:48,680 --> 01:27:52,040 Speaker 1: The Cafemoka Swag Award represents men who have strength, whose 1748 01:27:52,080 --> 01:27:54,960 Speaker 1: wisdom is assertive, and who is genuine in their spirit. 1749 01:27:55,360 --> 01:27:58,200 Speaker 1: Looked at your children's eyes to see the true magic 1750 01:27:58,400 --> 01:28:01,760 Speaker 1: of a forest. It's us storybook world for them. You 1751 01:28:01,920 --> 01:28:04,920 Speaker 1: look and see a tree. They see the wrinkled face 1752 01:28:04,960 --> 01:28:08,320 Speaker 1: of a wizard with arms outstretched to the sky. They 1753 01:28:08,360 --> 01:28:11,479 Speaker 1: see treasure and pebbles, They see a windy path that 1754 01:28:11,640 --> 01:28:15,880 Speaker 1: could lead to adventure, and they see you. They're fearless. Guide. 1755 01:28:16,120 --> 01:28:19,360 Speaker 1: Is this fascinating world? Find a forest near you and 1756 01:28:19,479 --> 01:28:22,479 Speaker 1: start exploring and discover the forest dot Org brought to 1757 01:28:22,520 --> 01:28:25,040 Speaker 1: you by the United States Forest Service and the AD Council. 1758 01:28:25,800 --> 01:28:27,960 Speaker 1: If I could be you and you could be me 1759 01:28:28,360 --> 01:28:30,599 Speaker 1: for just one hour, if you could find a way 1760 01:28:30,840 --> 01:28:34,400 Speaker 1: to get inside each other's mind. Walk a mile in 1761 01:28:34,560 --> 01:28:38,799 Speaker 1: my shoes, wac a mile in my shoes, walco shoes. 1762 01:28:39,200 --> 01:28:42,400 Speaker 1: We've all felt left out, and for some that feeling 1763 01:28:42,479 --> 01:28:45,960 Speaker 1: lasts more than a moment. We can change that. Learn 1764 01:28:46,040 --> 01:28:48,720 Speaker 1: how it belonging begins with us dot org brought to 1765 01:28:48,800 --> 01:28:52,599 Speaker 1: you by the AD Council. Welcome out in the machine. 1766 01:28:56,439 --> 01:29:00,160 Speaker 1: What grows in the forest trees? Sure you know what else? 1767 01:29:00,200 --> 01:29:03,679 Speaker 1: Girls in the forest. Our imagination, our sense of wonder, 1768 01:29:04,080 --> 01:29:07,280 Speaker 1: and our family bonds grow too. Because when we disconnect 1769 01:29:07,320 --> 01:29:13,960 Speaker 1: from this and connect with this, we reconnect with each other. 1770 01:29:14,760 --> 01:29:17,559 Speaker 1: The forest is closer than you think. Find a forest 1771 01:29:17,720 --> 01:29:20,920 Speaker 1: near you and start exploring. I Discover the forest. Dot 1772 01:29:21,080 --> 01:29:23,799 Speaker 1: org brought to you by the United States Forest Service 1773 01:29:24,040 --> 01:29:28,400 Speaker 1: and the AD Council. Welcome back to money making Conversations 1774 01:29:28,520 --> 01:29:31,760 Speaker 1: with your host, Rashaan McDonald. My next guest is a 1775 01:29:31,840 --> 01:29:35,840 Speaker 1: successful person who've made the transition athlete to entrepreneur. You 1776 01:29:35,920 --> 01:29:39,840 Speaker 1: hear so many harror stories about athlete. Not Lawrence Sidbury Jr. 1777 01:29:40,080 --> 01:29:42,640 Speaker 1: A former two thousand nine fourth our draft pick of 1778 01:29:42,680 --> 01:29:46,879 Speaker 1: the Atlanta Factors. He graduated from Richmond University in Richmond, Virginia, 1779 01:29:47,080 --> 01:29:49,240 Speaker 1: and was part of that famed two thousand and eight 1780 01:29:49,360 --> 01:29:52,200 Speaker 1: National Championship team. Lawrence Is on, I think that team 1781 01:29:52,240 --> 01:29:54,360 Speaker 1: was undefeated. To Lawrence is on the show that they 1782 01:29:54,439 --> 01:29:57,920 Speaker 1: discussed the importance of preparing for life after the NFL. Please, 1783 01:29:58,000 --> 01:30:01,960 Speaker 1: welcome to Money Making Conversation, Lawrence sit Bury Junior. How 1784 01:30:02,000 --> 01:30:04,320 Speaker 1: are you doing, my friend, I'm doing pretty good. Thanks 1785 01:30:04,320 --> 01:30:07,040 Speaker 1: for having me now, Lawrence, that team that you want, 1786 01:30:07,080 --> 01:30:10,400 Speaker 1: the two thousand eight National Championship team, that team was undefeated, right, 1787 01:30:10,600 --> 01:30:13,599 Speaker 1: Did they have any losses? Uh? Not quite. We actually 1788 01:30:13,680 --> 01:30:16,800 Speaker 1: had a pretty trying season get into the championship game. 1789 01:30:16,960 --> 01:30:18,560 Speaker 1: We won a bunch of games in the beginning of 1790 01:30:18,640 --> 01:30:20,920 Speaker 1: the season, and we hit a rough patch and we 1791 01:30:21,040 --> 01:30:22,840 Speaker 1: lost like three or four games in a row. We 1792 01:30:22,960 --> 01:30:24,920 Speaker 1: were kind of at a point well, you know, we 1793 01:30:24,960 --> 01:30:27,360 Speaker 1: actually called the players only meeting and we just we 1794 01:30:27,439 --> 01:30:29,439 Speaker 1: had to you know, galvanize everybody and we had to 1795 01:30:29,479 --> 01:30:32,639 Speaker 1: win every game. You know, to the end of the season, 1796 01:30:32,720 --> 01:30:34,560 Speaker 1: pretty much every game was like a playoff game, and 1797 01:30:34,680 --> 01:30:38,519 Speaker 1: we just you know, we pulled it out game at 1798 01:30:38,560 --> 01:30:40,439 Speaker 1: the game at the game gotten to the playoffs, and 1799 01:30:40,479 --> 01:30:43,839 Speaker 1: one of these games finally we won. We beat Montana 1800 01:30:44,000 --> 01:30:46,320 Speaker 1: and uh in Chattauga, that's where the championship game was 1801 01:30:46,360 --> 01:30:48,919 Speaker 1: at that point, and I brought the first first championship 1802 01:30:49,000 --> 01:30:52,479 Speaker 1: home school history. Right now, I hear that a lot 1803 01:30:52,840 --> 01:30:57,120 Speaker 1: in sports, the team only meeting players only, players only meeting. 1804 01:30:57,280 --> 01:31:00,160 Speaker 1: Right Absolutely, we're not, you know, giving away name I'm 1805 01:31:00,160 --> 01:31:02,880 Speaker 1: asking for names. What is the purpose of the players 1806 01:31:02,960 --> 01:31:05,640 Speaker 1: on their meeting and uh and why what what was 1807 01:31:05,680 --> 01:31:08,479 Speaker 1: accomplished out of that players only meeting that you guys 1808 01:31:08,640 --> 01:31:11,120 Speaker 1: did that led to the run for the national championship 1809 01:31:11,120 --> 01:31:14,280 Speaker 1: in two thousand and eight. You know, sometimes you get 1810 01:31:14,280 --> 01:31:17,960 Speaker 1: to a point where the coach's voice can go still 1811 01:31:18,320 --> 01:31:20,800 Speaker 1: and they coaching that they coach you every day, they're 1812 01:31:20,840 --> 01:31:22,880 Speaker 1: telling you what you're doing along every day. You know, 1813 01:31:23,360 --> 01:31:25,519 Speaker 1: when you got a group of guys, at some point 1814 01:31:25,720 --> 01:31:28,080 Speaker 1: everyone has to hold each other accountable. It's really to 1815 01:31:28,080 --> 01:31:30,080 Speaker 1: the point where the coach doesn't even matter because we're 1816 01:31:30,080 --> 01:31:33,680 Speaker 1: truly playing for each other. Right. Um. You know, I 1817 01:31:34,080 --> 01:31:36,920 Speaker 1: wasn't really I'm not really the vocal leader. I'm kind 1818 01:31:36,920 --> 01:31:38,519 Speaker 1: of a lead by action type person. But I was 1819 01:31:38,640 --> 01:31:40,800 Speaker 1: kind of vocal at that point plus and I had 1820 01:31:40,880 --> 01:31:45,120 Speaker 1: some aspirations after the season, so I kind of needed everybody. Yeah, 1821 01:31:45,160 --> 01:31:47,519 Speaker 1: I wanted to win, but I kind of needed to 1822 01:31:47,560 --> 01:31:49,479 Speaker 1: happen to keep going, so I get you know, get 1823 01:31:49,560 --> 01:31:52,600 Speaker 1: more film about the Scots to see. But we know, 1824 01:31:52,640 --> 01:31:54,599 Speaker 1: we brought it together and kind of looked at each 1825 01:31:54,640 --> 01:31:57,400 Speaker 1: other and man and man and we just you know, 1826 01:31:57,439 --> 01:31:59,360 Speaker 1: we just banded together and decided, you know, we had 1827 01:31:59,400 --> 01:32:02,040 Speaker 1: a bigger miss wanted you know, something, wanted to accomplishment, 1828 01:32:02,080 --> 01:32:04,880 Speaker 1: and we got it done. So that's absolutely true because 1829 01:32:04,920 --> 01:32:07,520 Speaker 1: you know, for a fact there winn the National Championship 1830 01:32:07,560 --> 01:32:11,280 Speaker 1: two thousand and eight versus not winning it. It's a 1831 01:32:11,320 --> 01:32:14,599 Speaker 1: difference between being a forefround draft tick maybe a seventh 1832 01:32:14,720 --> 01:32:17,920 Speaker 1: round draft pick, or being an undrafted free agent correct, 1833 01:32:18,800 --> 01:32:21,280 Speaker 1: especially especially at the level of which I played. Um, 1834 01:32:21,760 --> 01:32:23,840 Speaker 1: we played at the FCS level, which is the back 1835 01:32:23,880 --> 01:32:25,280 Speaker 1: then it was called the one double A level, So 1836 01:32:25,760 --> 01:32:27,960 Speaker 1: we kind of we had to prove ourselves. You know, 1837 01:32:28,479 --> 01:32:30,920 Speaker 1: there's a there's a question about level competition came to 1838 01:32:30,960 --> 01:32:33,600 Speaker 1: play against. Yeah, you know, from the bigger school. So 1839 01:32:34,120 --> 01:32:36,240 Speaker 1: you want to get as much film, as much tape 1840 01:32:36,280 --> 01:32:38,800 Speaker 1: out there as possible, and not only for myself. You know, 1841 01:32:39,080 --> 01:32:41,400 Speaker 1: us making that run, you know, gave other people on 1842 01:32:41,400 --> 01:32:43,800 Speaker 1: the team opportunities and you get seen that we have 1843 01:32:43,880 --> 01:32:46,120 Speaker 1: guys that signed this free agents. Uh that played a 1844 01:32:46,160 --> 01:32:48,280 Speaker 1: few years in the league as well. So it just 1845 01:32:48,400 --> 01:32:51,479 Speaker 1: was it was big for everybody. Now that that's now, 1846 01:32:51,479 --> 01:32:53,400 Speaker 1: I'm just talking about college and two thousand they win 1847 01:32:53,439 --> 01:32:56,200 Speaker 1: the national championship is Richmond University of Talking to Lawrence 1848 01:32:56,400 --> 01:32:59,080 Speaker 1: said Burrow Jr. For fround draft tick back then in 1849 01:32:59,160 --> 01:33:02,280 Speaker 1: two thousand nine. So preparing for the draft, how did 1850 01:33:02,360 --> 01:33:05,200 Speaker 1: you prepare for the draft? And then when you got drafted? 1851 01:33:05,840 --> 01:33:10,200 Speaker 1: How did that change your life financially? Uh? He got 1852 01:33:10,280 --> 01:33:12,560 Speaker 1: me going way back machine, So come on down for 1853 01:33:12,680 --> 01:33:15,320 Speaker 1: the Preparing for the draft was like it was a 1854 01:33:15,360 --> 01:33:17,439 Speaker 1: world win for me because you know, in college we 1855 01:33:17,560 --> 01:33:21,559 Speaker 1: actually played sixteen games with the regular season and the playoffs. 1856 01:33:22,200 --> 01:33:24,679 Speaker 1: Um then it was I played in two All Star games. 1857 01:33:24,720 --> 01:33:26,439 Speaker 1: So I played in the Shrine Game and also played 1858 01:33:26,439 --> 01:33:28,920 Speaker 1: in the Senior Bowl, and I went I did all 1859 01:33:29,000 --> 01:33:30,600 Speaker 1: that and I went to New Jersey and Pure C 1860 01:33:30,720 --> 01:33:34,559 Speaker 1: Speed School. Uh I trained for the Combine, and uh 1861 01:33:35,160 --> 01:33:37,519 Speaker 1: I went to the Combine ran the fastest for they 1862 01:33:37,520 --> 01:33:40,200 Speaker 1: had all the defensive mends there. I really was kind 1863 01:33:40,200 --> 01:33:44,160 Speaker 1: of tired. My body never really got arrest um. And 1864 01:33:44,200 --> 01:33:46,439 Speaker 1: then after that this protoy workout was like what's going 1865 01:33:46,479 --> 01:33:49,360 Speaker 1: on right now? So it's the whole game of things 1866 01:33:49,400 --> 01:33:51,439 Speaker 1: that had to be done before April. Then once you 1867 01:33:51,520 --> 01:33:54,280 Speaker 1: get drafted, you know, yeah, I got drafted in the 1868 01:33:54,320 --> 01:33:56,880 Speaker 1: fourth round. It was considerable sign up, honest and then 1869 01:34:00,080 --> 01:34:02,639 Speaker 1: see it up. You wake up one day and don't 1870 01:34:02,640 --> 01:34:04,280 Speaker 1: have any money. You wake up the next day you 1871 01:34:04,320 --> 01:34:06,800 Speaker 1: do have some money, So it's it does change now, Lauren. 1872 01:34:06,880 --> 01:34:09,240 Speaker 1: So so I you know you have the first round, 1873 01:34:09,520 --> 01:34:12,320 Speaker 1: So did you have an idea through your agent round 1874 01:34:12,400 --> 01:34:16,840 Speaker 1: you may go. Uh. I thought that there was a 1875 01:34:16,920 --> 01:34:19,080 Speaker 1: chance that I would go on the second, but we 1876 01:34:19,160 --> 01:34:22,120 Speaker 1: were predicting anywhere between kind of two to five, and 1877 01:34:22,200 --> 01:34:23,920 Speaker 1: I happened to be the facons in the forth round. 1878 01:34:25,520 --> 01:34:28,240 Speaker 1: So you're sitting there, Ride, I'm just going through the 1879 01:34:28,280 --> 01:34:30,760 Speaker 1: emotion because what happens is people in life have so 1880 01:34:30,840 --> 01:34:33,080 Speaker 1: many emotions. They have certain dreams, and when they don't, 1881 01:34:33,400 --> 01:34:36,040 Speaker 1: like you said, you think about the second But now 1882 01:34:36,240 --> 01:34:40,600 Speaker 1: the second pass, third pass, where were you alady emotionally? 1883 01:34:40,720 --> 01:34:43,200 Speaker 1: And then the people around you, where were they at 1884 01:34:43,240 --> 01:34:46,840 Speaker 1: emotionally prior to the selection. Um. You know, I didn't 1885 01:34:46,840 --> 01:34:49,720 Speaker 1: really have too many people there. Actually what I did 1886 01:34:49,880 --> 01:34:51,599 Speaker 1: the first day because I thought it was a chance 1887 01:34:51,680 --> 01:34:54,280 Speaker 1: that will go in the second round. Actually had coaches 1888 01:34:54,439 --> 01:34:58,080 Speaker 1: throughout my you know, my life that was influenial to me. Right. Uh. 1889 01:34:58,240 --> 01:35:00,519 Speaker 1: They sat me the first day they be a chance 1890 01:35:00,600 --> 01:35:02,439 Speaker 1: that my name get called at the end of the 1891 01:35:02,479 --> 01:35:06,120 Speaker 1: second round. Um. And I did that because of appreciation, man, 1892 01:35:06,160 --> 01:35:07,560 Speaker 1: because I had a lot of people help me on 1893 01:35:07,680 --> 01:35:09,680 Speaker 1: the way, right, and I didn't I didn't know how 1894 01:35:09,720 --> 01:35:12,040 Speaker 1: to probably do that with my family. So I broke 1895 01:35:12,080 --> 01:35:14,000 Speaker 1: it up in two days. So they sat with me 1896 01:35:14,080 --> 01:35:16,120 Speaker 1: the first night. I was a little dejected at first. 1897 01:35:16,240 --> 01:35:18,280 Speaker 1: Then the second day game, I didn't know what was 1898 01:35:18,280 --> 01:35:21,040 Speaker 1: gonna happen. I didn't have many people at the house. Um. 1899 01:35:22,120 --> 01:35:23,719 Speaker 1: And then once in my name we got called, people 1900 01:35:23,760 --> 01:35:27,640 Speaker 1: started coming over and the cookout stuff because I know, 1901 01:35:27,720 --> 01:35:30,080 Speaker 1: because this is gonna air as we're leading up to 1902 01:35:30,160 --> 01:35:33,599 Speaker 1: the fame NFL Draft, So I wanted to I'm asking 1903 01:35:33,640 --> 01:35:36,519 Speaker 1: you some questions to understand that mindset and so people 1904 01:35:36,560 --> 01:35:39,800 Speaker 1: can understand that mindset because you know, they fly in 1905 01:35:39,920 --> 01:35:42,040 Speaker 1: the first round draft picks. You know, they would get 1906 01:35:42,040 --> 01:35:46,160 Speaker 1: to walk on stage. But really the workhouses of this 1907 01:35:46,320 --> 01:35:48,200 Speaker 1: league is the people who are not the first round 1908 01:35:48,280 --> 01:35:52,280 Speaker 1: draft picks. They undrafted the draft picks. And so you drafted, 1909 01:35:52,320 --> 01:35:55,000 Speaker 1: you come on the team and the Atlanta factors in 1910 01:35:55,040 --> 01:35:56,800 Speaker 1: the city of Atlanta. You still stand in the city 1911 01:35:56,800 --> 01:36:00,200 Speaker 1: of Atlanta. I'm assuming correct, right, Atlanta brought you in 1912 01:36:00,280 --> 01:36:01,920 Speaker 1: and you have not left. This is where you do 1913 01:36:02,040 --> 01:36:05,680 Speaker 1: your business. So what what were the positives other than 1914 01:36:05,800 --> 01:36:08,640 Speaker 1: just having to play for the Atlanta Falcons and what 1915 01:36:08,760 --> 01:36:11,519 Speaker 1: did they do to help you transition out of the 1916 01:36:11,640 --> 01:36:14,839 Speaker 1: NFL Playing for the Atlanta famconis you know? I started 1917 01:36:15,240 --> 01:36:18,240 Speaker 1: working on my transition while I was so active. So 1918 01:36:19,600 --> 01:36:22,960 Speaker 1: the the Players Association in the leadue they have but 1919 01:36:23,120 --> 01:36:24,800 Speaker 1: you know, they have a bunch of programs that guys 1920 01:36:24,840 --> 01:36:27,320 Speaker 1: can take advantage of in the off season. They have 1921 01:36:27,400 --> 01:36:30,600 Speaker 1: business management, entrepreneurship programs, Guys can go back to their 1922 01:36:30,640 --> 01:36:34,360 Speaker 1: degrees U there's internships and externships you can do. So 1923 01:36:34,439 --> 01:36:37,679 Speaker 1: I tried to stay active um as much as possible 1924 01:36:37,720 --> 01:36:40,160 Speaker 1: each off season. So even if I, you know, travel 1925 01:36:40,439 --> 01:36:43,080 Speaker 1: worked out, have fun, always made sure I did something 1926 01:36:43,120 --> 01:36:47,400 Speaker 1: to enrich myself. So I did two business management programs 1927 01:36:47,439 --> 01:36:50,040 Speaker 1: one Awarded Business School and you Can and Wanted kell 1928 01:36:50,080 --> 01:36:52,360 Speaker 1: All Business School and nor Western. I did those. I 1929 01:36:52,439 --> 01:36:56,320 Speaker 1: did two internships UM, one with under Armor at one 1930 01:36:56,360 --> 01:36:58,680 Speaker 1: of the events DC and Washington d C. And then 1931 01:36:59,280 --> 01:37:01,400 Speaker 1: UH prior of too conclusion of my career as she 1932 01:37:01,439 --> 01:37:04,360 Speaker 1: started my NBA UH while I was still playing at 1933 01:37:04,360 --> 01:37:06,600 Speaker 1: the University of Indiana Online and finished it as soon 1934 01:37:06,640 --> 01:37:08,840 Speaker 1: as I got done. So I just did a pretty 1935 01:37:08,840 --> 01:37:10,800 Speaker 1: good job of taking advantage of the resources that were 1936 01:37:10,840 --> 01:37:13,559 Speaker 1: there so that my transition would be a little bit easier. 1937 01:37:13,640 --> 01:37:15,320 Speaker 1: So I wouldn't get to the end and be like, Okay, 1938 01:37:15,479 --> 01:37:17,920 Speaker 1: I'm done, Now what do I do because there's always 1939 01:37:17,960 --> 01:37:20,439 Speaker 1: that startup paid well, that's always that period. I'm sorry, 1940 01:37:20,880 --> 01:37:22,360 Speaker 1: we just have to kind of figure it out. So 1941 01:37:23,000 --> 01:37:24,400 Speaker 1: why not try to get it figure out a little 1942 01:37:24,400 --> 01:37:25,880 Speaker 1: bit earlier so you're not caught behind the eight ball. 1943 01:37:25,920 --> 01:37:29,599 Speaker 1: Wants some check stop. But so many get caught behind 1944 01:37:29,640 --> 01:37:33,680 Speaker 1: the eight ball, So many don't see the incoming Is 1945 01:37:33,760 --> 01:37:36,439 Speaker 1: it is it? It's just just youth because you've seen 1946 01:37:36,479 --> 01:37:38,960 Speaker 1: their figured it out. You know, you played and you 1947 01:37:39,040 --> 01:37:41,680 Speaker 1: realize that, hey, there is a stopping point to this. 1948 01:37:41,920 --> 01:37:44,040 Speaker 1: Let me take this money and not spending on everything 1949 01:37:44,200 --> 01:37:47,400 Speaker 1: or every good party or every good car and every 1950 01:37:47,439 --> 01:37:50,640 Speaker 1: good house, you want those things. What it was, it 1951 01:37:50,800 --> 01:37:53,439 Speaker 1: was it role mardels on the team, or just you know, 1952 01:37:53,560 --> 01:37:56,280 Speaker 1: your your your parenting background that allowed you to be 1953 01:37:56,400 --> 01:37:59,160 Speaker 1: able to uh support these ideas and see things a 1954 01:37:59,240 --> 01:38:03,479 Speaker 1: lot clearer than average person your age. I had a 1955 01:38:03,560 --> 01:38:06,000 Speaker 1: combination of all of that. I did have both my 1956 01:38:06,120 --> 01:38:09,479 Speaker 1: parents were there, which is, you know, today's world unfortunately 1957 01:38:09,520 --> 01:38:12,599 Speaker 1: not as common. So they did teach me a lot, 1958 01:38:13,000 --> 01:38:17,000 Speaker 1: kept me grounded. I did develop relationships within the locker room. 1959 01:38:17,360 --> 01:38:19,599 Speaker 1: You know, guys, you know that was a little bit smarter. 1960 01:38:20,040 --> 01:38:22,759 Speaker 1: You know that's that you know, we're kind of moving, 1961 01:38:23,560 --> 01:38:26,040 Speaker 1: you know, outside of football, but not not really doing 1962 01:38:26,080 --> 01:38:28,080 Speaker 1: too much. You don't want to be seen as someone 1963 01:38:28,120 --> 01:38:31,280 Speaker 1: who just not focused on your craft. But the fact 1964 01:38:31,479 --> 01:38:35,360 Speaker 1: is there's there's gonna be him. There's only one player 1965 01:38:35,400 --> 01:38:37,519 Speaker 1: that's playing well into his sporties right now, and that's 1966 01:38:37,560 --> 01:38:42,200 Speaker 1: Tom Bray. Everyone else you know, you're gonna you're gonna retire. 1967 01:38:42,280 --> 01:38:44,040 Speaker 1: The game is gonna be done with you before you're 1968 01:38:44,040 --> 01:38:47,639 Speaker 1: done with it. Um. But there's also see your point, 1969 01:38:48,160 --> 01:38:50,160 Speaker 1: there's a guys are getting a lot smarter. You know, 1970 01:38:50,240 --> 01:38:52,920 Speaker 1: you're seeing guys kind of walking away early. You don't 1971 01:38:52,920 --> 01:38:54,680 Speaker 1: want to they' one of dam with their bodies as 1972 01:38:54,760 --> 01:38:57,840 Speaker 1: much this guy's taking advantage of some of these programs. 1973 01:38:58,439 --> 01:39:01,559 Speaker 1: Um probably not as much, uh you know as when 1974 01:39:01,560 --> 01:39:03,439 Speaker 1: they get done. But they are all guys who focus on, 1975 01:39:03,600 --> 01:39:05,679 Speaker 1: you know, what's going on after they understand the business, 1976 01:39:05,760 --> 01:39:08,200 Speaker 1: like the business of the league is. They're telling anybody 1977 01:39:08,240 --> 01:39:10,479 Speaker 1: every day on TV guys losing their job because of 1978 01:39:10,560 --> 01:39:14,000 Speaker 1: contract situations, capt room, not necessarily because of their talent, 1979 01:39:14,360 --> 01:39:16,280 Speaker 1: because of the business. So you gotta respect it as 1980 01:39:16,280 --> 01:39:18,800 Speaker 1: a business that you gotta handle your business right now. 1981 01:39:19,520 --> 01:39:21,600 Speaker 1: You you grew up your career grew up in the 1982 01:39:22,320 --> 01:39:25,680 Speaker 1: era of social media, you know, you know, I I 1983 01:39:26,240 --> 01:39:28,960 Speaker 1: know when I was managed Steve Harvey, uh in social media, 1984 01:39:29,040 --> 01:39:31,400 Speaker 1: we had like a big old fan club about me 1985 01:39:31,560 --> 01:39:34,040 Speaker 1: and people. We didn't give a hood about social media 1986 01:39:34,040 --> 01:39:37,680 Speaker 1: because we have fan club members. Now you did. I'm 1987 01:39:37,720 --> 01:39:40,680 Speaker 1: sure you use social media as a player, and now 1988 01:39:40,760 --> 01:39:43,599 Speaker 1: you as a as a businessman. You're a businessman, how 1989 01:39:43,680 --> 01:39:46,799 Speaker 1: do you social media to grow your business or promote 1990 01:39:46,840 --> 01:39:51,200 Speaker 1: your business. I'm still still trying to figure that out 1991 01:39:51,600 --> 01:39:55,720 Speaker 1: because I'm in a transportation transportation industry, so there's really 1992 01:39:55,840 --> 01:39:59,679 Speaker 1: not much social media needed. And I'm saying that because 1993 01:39:59,680 --> 01:40:01,960 Speaker 1: I'm young in this game. I'm less than a year end, 1994 01:40:02,240 --> 01:40:04,400 Speaker 1: so I really haven't quite found out how I can 1995 01:40:04,479 --> 01:40:09,160 Speaker 1: really leverage uh my social media page, um to my 1996 01:40:09,240 --> 01:40:11,600 Speaker 1: business unless I moved into the consultant area, which I 1997 01:40:11,640 --> 01:40:13,880 Speaker 1: am saying that do. Um. But I will say I 1998 01:40:14,000 --> 01:40:16,600 Speaker 1: didn't take the advantage of social media as much as 1999 01:40:16,640 --> 01:40:18,479 Speaker 1: I should as a player that I've always been like 2000 01:40:18,520 --> 01:40:20,680 Speaker 1: a private person. I kind of didn't want to just 2001 01:40:20,840 --> 01:40:22,680 Speaker 1: do too much. But now that that I'm done, I 2002 01:40:22,760 --> 01:40:24,400 Speaker 1: wish I would have done it a little a little 2003 01:40:24,400 --> 01:40:26,960 Speaker 1: bit more. I was playing ABU that left for a million, 2004 01:40:27,080 --> 01:40:29,040 Speaker 1: Left for a million, yea, I wish I would have 2005 01:40:29,160 --> 01:40:30,599 Speaker 1: used it. I wish I would have used a little 2006 01:40:30,600 --> 01:40:32,679 Speaker 1: bit more while I was playing to you know, grow 2007 01:40:32,760 --> 01:40:39,360 Speaker 1: my following. But uh but um, you know, but it's 2008 01:40:39,360 --> 01:40:42,920 Speaker 1: it's not it's not hurting my performance. My performance of 2009 01:40:42,960 --> 01:40:45,600 Speaker 1: my company is kind of helping it. Bro. But I 2010 01:40:45,640 --> 01:40:47,240 Speaker 1: wish I would have been a lot more active to 2011 01:40:47,400 --> 01:40:50,360 Speaker 1: grow that follow up plane. Now. Now, first of all, 2012 01:40:50,479 --> 01:40:53,360 Speaker 1: this is not a negative conversation, but you know, all 2013 01:40:53,439 --> 01:40:55,680 Speaker 1: my life I did with talent like you, you know, 2014 01:40:55,840 --> 01:40:58,680 Speaker 1: marketing brand and and and talk to him about who 2015 01:40:58,760 --> 01:41:01,960 Speaker 1: they are. Let's talk about you. Now, it's not about 2016 01:41:02,000 --> 01:41:05,360 Speaker 1: your business, Lawrence, It's about you, Okay, you know that. 2017 01:41:05,920 --> 01:41:07,720 Speaker 1: That's what this conversation is about. This is about the 2018 01:41:07,760 --> 01:41:11,360 Speaker 1: money making conversation is that your social media post really 2019 01:41:11,520 --> 01:41:14,840 Speaker 1: is translates into what you're doing with your foundation and 2020 01:41:14,920 --> 01:41:18,639 Speaker 1: with your businesses and the employees and how you're growing. 2021 01:41:19,120 --> 01:41:21,320 Speaker 1: And so that's the story that you want to tell 2022 01:41:21,360 --> 01:41:23,400 Speaker 1: on your social media. That's the story I want to 2023 01:41:23,479 --> 01:41:27,240 Speaker 1: hear about your success story, what you're doing and changing 2024 01:41:27,280 --> 01:41:30,160 Speaker 1: the community. That's what your point of view, because you 2025 01:41:30,280 --> 01:41:33,720 Speaker 1: are a brand. And so that's what I did with 2026 01:41:33,800 --> 01:41:36,880 Speaker 1: Steve Harvey. You know, I had the brand conversation because 2027 01:41:36,880 --> 01:41:39,519 Speaker 1: I used to work for IBM, so I knew about 2028 01:41:39,920 --> 01:41:43,840 Speaker 1: a corporate philosophy and I felt that why can't individual 2029 01:41:44,080 --> 01:41:47,280 Speaker 1: have that same standards? And so a lot of people 2030 01:41:47,320 --> 01:41:48,920 Speaker 1: throw the word brand out. I don't I know where 2031 01:41:48,920 --> 01:41:51,240 Speaker 1: it came from because I started using problem it for anybody. 2032 01:41:51,600 --> 01:41:53,960 Speaker 1: So when I look at you and you said wherever Sean, 2033 01:41:54,120 --> 01:41:56,960 Speaker 1: you know, uh, you know, you know, I don't know 2034 01:41:57,000 --> 01:41:59,280 Speaker 1: about promoting my company I'm not asking you to promote 2035 01:41:59,320 --> 01:42:02,120 Speaker 1: your company. I'm talking about you. And if we talk 2036 01:42:02,160 --> 01:42:04,120 Speaker 1: about you, your company is gonna get promoted, and all 2037 01:42:04,200 --> 01:42:07,679 Speaker 1: your brands and all your tentacles of success will get promoted. 2038 01:42:08,000 --> 01:42:10,920 Speaker 1: So as we go through this conversation today and you 2039 01:42:11,040 --> 01:42:12,639 Speaker 1: hang up, I want you to hang up and step 2040 01:42:12,680 --> 01:42:14,519 Speaker 1: off the call and go. You know what he's saying. 2041 01:42:14,640 --> 01:42:18,000 Speaker 1: He's saying, it's all about me. It's not about my 2042 01:42:18,120 --> 01:42:20,800 Speaker 1: foundation over there. It's not about my my trucking business. 2043 01:42:20,800 --> 01:42:23,400 Speaker 1: It's about me. So if I focus it's about me, 2044 01:42:23,840 --> 01:42:26,960 Speaker 1: then guess what everything makes sense? And that's what I'm 2045 01:42:27,040 --> 01:42:29,280 Speaker 1: asking you to do when it comes to your social 2046 01:42:29,320 --> 01:42:32,879 Speaker 1: media because you could have left with social media followers 2047 01:42:33,360 --> 01:42:36,080 Speaker 1: from football, but guess what that have been? Football social 2048 01:42:36,120 --> 01:42:39,400 Speaker 1: media followers. You are a businessman and I'm asking you, 2049 01:42:39,479 --> 01:42:42,240 Speaker 1: as a businessman to understand how much value you're bringing 2050 01:42:42,280 --> 01:42:44,920 Speaker 1: to the table as a brand. Does that make sense? 2051 01:42:45,640 --> 01:42:48,519 Speaker 1: You got cool? Now, let's talk about these companies I've 2052 01:42:48,520 --> 01:42:49,720 Speaker 1: been talking about. Do we want to go to the 2053 01:42:49,800 --> 01:42:53,120 Speaker 1: foundation conversation first or the trucking business first? Which one 2054 01:42:53,160 --> 01:42:56,160 Speaker 1: you want to do? Let's go, Let's go. Let's go 2055 01:42:56,280 --> 01:42:58,840 Speaker 1: to the UH Foundation. That's actually one of my most 2056 01:42:58,880 --> 01:43:02,120 Speaker 1: product that. Well, I'm gonnaell yourself, Lawrence. I'm proud of 2057 01:43:02,160 --> 01:43:05,960 Speaker 1: everything you do. You made the transition because I because 2058 01:43:06,040 --> 01:43:07,920 Speaker 1: talk to you, Manute. So you've done a lot of 2059 01:43:08,000 --> 01:43:11,240 Speaker 1: mature things in your life. And also you understand how 2060 01:43:11,360 --> 01:43:15,160 Speaker 1: you got here, and so you you you self educated yourself. 2061 01:43:15,280 --> 01:43:18,200 Speaker 1: You could have you could have just not self educated yourself. 2062 01:43:18,240 --> 01:43:21,280 Speaker 1: But you say, I want to take advantage of the values, 2063 01:43:21,600 --> 01:43:24,000 Speaker 1: and you take advantage of the coaching, You're taking advantage 2064 01:43:24,040 --> 01:43:26,400 Speaker 1: of the good parenting. And then you got over here 2065 01:43:26,760 --> 01:43:29,320 Speaker 1: and you took advantage of being drafted by the Atlanta Falcons. 2066 01:43:29,640 --> 01:43:31,759 Speaker 1: So you have a you have a d n inside 2067 01:43:31,800 --> 01:43:34,439 Speaker 1: of you. Is that if you give you an option, 2068 01:43:34,920 --> 01:43:37,080 Speaker 1: you're gonna use it to be a positive And so 2069 01:43:37,520 --> 01:43:40,200 Speaker 1: that's a quality inside of you. Man. Then not many 2070 01:43:40,240 --> 01:43:42,000 Speaker 1: people have. And I just want to point that out 2071 01:43:42,040 --> 01:43:44,439 Speaker 1: to you. Let's talk about now. Yeah, I want you 2072 01:43:44,520 --> 01:43:46,720 Speaker 1: to hear that, man, because a lot of people I 2073 01:43:46,800 --> 01:43:48,439 Speaker 1: get to talk to a lot of people, I get 2074 01:43:48,520 --> 01:43:50,400 Speaker 1: to uh and I've had a lot of layers of 2075 01:43:50,479 --> 01:43:52,760 Speaker 1: success in my life, and I've been successful with a 2076 01:43:52,840 --> 01:43:56,080 Speaker 1: lot of different people, actors and entrepreneurs, and business owners 2077 01:43:56,120 --> 01:43:59,120 Speaker 1: and corporate leaders and all that the quality that stands 2078 01:43:59,120 --> 01:44:00,599 Speaker 1: out to you. And I was hapy to get back 2079 01:44:00,640 --> 01:44:03,640 Speaker 1: on the go do another interview with you, was to 2080 01:44:03,680 --> 01:44:07,280 Speaker 1: tell you that because you're a grinder and a grinder 2081 01:44:07,720 --> 01:44:13,120 Speaker 1: and oftentimes doesn't appreciate what they are accomplishing. And so you, sire, 2082 01:44:13,120 --> 01:44:15,680 Speaker 1: I'm really proud of the foundation. Brother, I proud of 2083 01:44:15,680 --> 01:44:18,200 Speaker 1: the foundation because you've taken time to get back but 2084 01:44:18,320 --> 01:44:21,800 Speaker 1: all shoot, you're employing people, you're paying taxes, You've been 2085 01:44:21,840 --> 01:44:24,960 Speaker 1: a functional person that this country often says about people 2086 01:44:25,000 --> 01:44:29,000 Speaker 1: of color don't do. So proud of you, man, Thank you, man, 2087 01:44:29,000 --> 01:44:31,599 Speaker 1: I appreciate that. Now let's talk about this a foundation 2088 01:44:32,240 --> 01:44:37,520 Speaker 1: all right? How it started? Why? Man, it's actually the foundation. 2089 01:44:38,040 --> 01:44:40,600 Speaker 1: That's something that I've been one to do for a 2090 01:44:40,720 --> 01:44:43,560 Speaker 1: long time. When I when I played a battle with 2091 01:44:43,920 --> 01:44:46,240 Speaker 1: starting my own foundational partner with somebody, so when I 2092 01:44:46,320 --> 01:44:48,560 Speaker 1: was a player partner with Big brothers, Big exists. But 2093 01:44:48,600 --> 01:44:51,679 Speaker 1: now that I'm you know, I've done um, I still 2094 01:44:51,800 --> 01:44:54,920 Speaker 1: had that urge just to want to just empower people 2095 01:44:54,960 --> 01:44:57,679 Speaker 1: to just know that, man, you really can do anything 2096 01:44:58,000 --> 01:45:00,320 Speaker 1: you set your mind to it. There's no limits. Hence 2097 01:45:00,400 --> 01:45:03,679 Speaker 1: the name zero Limitations foundation. A lot of times people 2098 01:45:03,720 --> 01:45:06,280 Speaker 1: may lack an example, they may not have to drive, 2099 01:45:06,800 --> 01:45:08,439 Speaker 1: and you might can say or show somebody that one 2100 01:45:08,479 --> 01:45:11,760 Speaker 1: thing that can spark them into greatness. And that's really 2101 01:45:11,880 --> 01:45:13,680 Speaker 1: that's really what I believe. I tell my friends all 2102 01:45:13,720 --> 01:45:15,400 Speaker 1: the time. Sometimes I think I'm preaching that it, but 2103 01:45:15,439 --> 01:45:17,639 Speaker 1: I really just true to believe you can do anything. 2104 01:45:17,880 --> 01:45:20,439 Speaker 1: You can do anything such your minds. But some sometimes 2105 01:45:20,520 --> 01:45:22,360 Speaker 1: people just need they may need that one thing, a 2106 01:45:22,439 --> 01:45:25,439 Speaker 1: little bit of help. So, uh, you know, we we 2107 01:45:25,720 --> 01:45:28,680 Speaker 1: we started with a food give way around the holiday time, um, 2108 01:45:29,000 --> 01:45:31,320 Speaker 1: you know because of COVID and people you know, just 2109 01:45:31,600 --> 01:45:33,800 Speaker 1: you know this food and security. But as we move 2110 01:45:33,880 --> 01:45:39,040 Speaker 1: forward and were really working towards programming scholarships, mentorship programs 2111 01:45:39,080 --> 01:45:41,960 Speaker 1: and just I'm really passing about this developing people. I 2112 01:45:42,120 --> 01:45:43,680 Speaker 1: just I just feel like everyone could do their best 2113 01:45:43,760 --> 01:45:46,280 Speaker 1: as a place for everybody, this girl to be successful 2114 01:45:46,320 --> 01:45:49,320 Speaker 1: with contrary to probably believe. And with that being said, 2115 01:45:49,560 --> 01:45:52,960 Speaker 1: zero limitations. That's a problem. How did you come up 2116 01:45:53,000 --> 01:45:56,920 Speaker 1: with that? You know? Actually I named it the large 2117 01:45:56,960 --> 01:46:00,760 Speaker 1: City Berry Jade. If I think, son, you need you 2118 01:46:00,840 --> 01:46:04,120 Speaker 1: need something else, something catching. So it took me a 2119 01:46:04,160 --> 01:46:07,400 Speaker 1: few days to UH to come up with it right, 2120 01:46:07,560 --> 01:46:10,200 Speaker 1: And at first I was thinking, though lives like man, 2121 01:46:10,240 --> 01:46:12,880 Speaker 1: you can't use that. We might come out. He will 2122 01:46:12,960 --> 01:46:15,760 Speaker 1: come after you. He will come back to you. He said, 2123 01:46:16,120 --> 01:46:19,479 Speaker 1: he might come at you. So zero limitations. Foundation. Once. 2124 01:46:19,600 --> 01:46:22,120 Speaker 1: Once I said it the first time, that was it. Uh, 2125 01:46:22,600 --> 01:46:25,080 Speaker 1: that was it. That's how I came up with it. Cool. Now, 2126 01:46:25,479 --> 01:46:28,640 Speaker 1: that's awesome. Now, how does one become a part of it? 2127 01:46:28,680 --> 01:46:31,360 Speaker 1: Is in the age group that you're dealing with, or 2128 01:46:31,439 --> 01:46:33,720 Speaker 1: is it the annual event? Is a summary event? What 2129 01:46:33,880 --> 01:46:38,040 Speaker 1: exactly comes out of your foundation? Right now, We're gonna 2130 01:46:38,120 --> 01:46:40,360 Speaker 1: keep everybody updated on programming. So right now, the first 2131 01:46:40,400 --> 01:46:42,439 Speaker 1: thing we have going on, we partnered with a high school. 2132 01:46:42,920 --> 01:46:44,840 Speaker 1: What we're gonna actually be, I'm actually gonna be getting 2133 01:46:44,840 --> 01:46:47,960 Speaker 1: scholarships to uh some of the students who perform well, 2134 01:46:48,479 --> 01:46:51,080 Speaker 1: um and they has aspirationally go to college, and we're 2135 01:46:51,080 --> 01:46:54,519 Speaker 1: gonna help. We're gonna have quill some of that financial needs. Eventually, 2136 01:46:54,600 --> 01:46:55,800 Speaker 1: one day I want to get to the point where 2137 01:46:55,800 --> 01:46:58,559 Speaker 1: I can pay someone's entire scholarship. But we're not there yet. 2138 01:46:58,600 --> 01:47:00,800 Speaker 1: We're working there, but we're gonna start with scolarsars first, 2139 01:47:01,160 --> 01:47:04,679 Speaker 1: and we're gonna start some mental programs throughout the summer. 2140 01:47:04,760 --> 01:47:07,400 Speaker 1: So this you can you can visit us at zero 2141 01:47:07,479 --> 01:47:11,280 Speaker 1: limitations order and you can sign up and put your 2142 01:47:11,280 --> 01:47:13,640 Speaker 1: email in. You can also donate there and we keep 2143 01:47:13,680 --> 01:47:16,720 Speaker 1: everybody abreasts on the program that we have coming up. Okay, uh, 2144 01:47:17,000 --> 01:47:19,320 Speaker 1: you know you're a planner and you're a goal setting 2145 01:47:19,439 --> 01:47:21,600 Speaker 1: you will get there. But I know that about you. 2146 01:47:22,000 --> 01:47:24,320 Speaker 1: Now you're playing football. You're tackling people. You got that. 2147 01:47:24,640 --> 01:47:26,400 Speaker 1: You got that little spin that you came up with. 2148 01:47:26,520 --> 01:47:28,439 Speaker 1: Tell us about that and a little a little spin 2149 01:47:28,560 --> 01:47:32,080 Speaker 1: that you came up with. Did you are you developing it? 2150 01:47:32,200 --> 01:47:34,160 Speaker 1: You don't know what? You don't know what. I actually 2151 01:47:34,240 --> 01:47:36,400 Speaker 1: I have us have a little football conversation. So like 2152 01:47:37,280 --> 01:47:41,160 Speaker 1: my head coach at the time, Mike hunder Um, He's like, man, 2153 01:47:41,200 --> 01:47:43,479 Speaker 1: the Scotts is looking. They know you fast, and you 2154 01:47:43,600 --> 01:47:45,479 Speaker 1: know you're trying to get around the head need to 2155 01:47:45,560 --> 01:47:47,400 Speaker 1: kind of moves Like damn. I'm sitting there thinking what 2156 01:47:47,479 --> 01:47:50,479 Speaker 1: can I work at the time. You know one of 2157 01:47:50,479 --> 01:47:53,080 Speaker 1: them two of my favorite rushers at the time. Actually 2158 01:47:53,080 --> 01:47:54,960 Speaker 1: I got to play with one of them, White Freeny 2159 01:47:55,000 --> 01:47:57,479 Speaker 1: and Robert Mathis. Everyone knows if you watch any of 2160 01:47:57,520 --> 01:48:00,600 Speaker 1: that coach coming out the balls to guys had this. 2161 01:48:01,520 --> 01:48:04,559 Speaker 1: I was in college at the time, so I was like, damn, 2162 01:48:04,600 --> 01:48:06,920 Speaker 1: maybe I can do that one day in practice. I 2163 01:48:07,080 --> 01:48:08,800 Speaker 1: just I just tried and net work and after that 2164 01:48:09,000 --> 01:48:11,320 Speaker 1: it just that's that's the way I went to when 2165 01:48:11,320 --> 01:48:13,960 Speaker 1: I was in school. Well, you know, you know, you 2166 01:48:14,080 --> 01:48:16,640 Speaker 1: make me sick, Lauren. You you're so you don't you 2167 01:48:16,680 --> 01:48:18,960 Speaker 1: don't tell the truth about how talented you are. Well, 2168 01:48:19,000 --> 01:48:21,920 Speaker 1: you know, I was just just practice and just but 2169 01:48:22,040 --> 01:48:26,240 Speaker 1: that's really but you were the fastest defensive end and 2170 01:48:26,400 --> 01:48:30,400 Speaker 1: come by Okay, you know you you you you just 2171 01:48:30,560 --> 01:48:32,360 Speaker 1: can't do that. I'm it's a whole lot of people 2172 01:48:32,400 --> 01:48:34,320 Speaker 1: wish they could just do a spin move and go 2173 01:48:34,479 --> 01:48:39,160 Speaker 1: to a cornerback or stop running back. So you we're gonna, 2174 01:48:39,200 --> 01:48:41,680 Speaker 1: we're gonna, we're gonna have a relationship because what I'm 2175 01:48:41,680 --> 01:48:44,080 Speaker 1: gonna get you just started doing. Man, is it's all 2176 01:48:44,200 --> 01:48:47,720 Speaker 1: right to be prime time. It's all right. You know 2177 01:48:48,000 --> 01:48:50,200 Speaker 1: what they you know, they're saying Church favorite, So I 2178 01:48:50,280 --> 01:48:56,000 Speaker 1: guess thank God for that. So so, so you got 2179 01:48:56,080 --> 01:48:58,840 Speaker 1: you got the moves. You know, you're a man, you're 2180 01:48:58,840 --> 01:49:01,960 Speaker 1: a young man. And Atlanta, you know, Atlanta is a 2181 01:49:02,120 --> 01:49:06,320 Speaker 1: great capital, a city for African American men and women. 2182 01:49:07,160 --> 01:49:09,639 Speaker 1: When did you make the decision? Man? Like you said, 2183 01:49:09,720 --> 01:49:11,840 Speaker 1: you thought the process, you knew you weren't gonna play. 2184 01:49:12,200 --> 01:49:14,479 Speaker 1: But the business that you're doing, now, how did that 2185 01:49:14,600 --> 01:49:20,479 Speaker 1: come about? Actually it started in covid Um. You know, 2186 01:49:20,640 --> 01:49:22,519 Speaker 1: before I got out the league, I was already started 2187 01:49:22,520 --> 01:49:25,400 Speaker 1: an investments in real estate, actually living in some properties 2188 01:49:25,720 --> 01:49:29,479 Speaker 1: back in Maryland. While when I'm from and uh, you know, 2189 01:49:29,560 --> 01:49:31,439 Speaker 1: I had a deal go south. I was gonna be 2190 01:49:31,520 --> 01:49:33,880 Speaker 1: my first project here in southwest Atlanta, and you know 2191 01:49:33,960 --> 01:49:37,080 Speaker 1: where everything shut shut down, like nobody basically bout the 2192 01:49:37,120 --> 01:49:40,479 Speaker 1: calendar year from from today. You know, the real estate 2193 01:49:40,560 --> 01:49:42,840 Speaker 1: market is doing well now, but everyone was not. Everyone 2194 01:49:42,960 --> 01:49:45,160 Speaker 1: was certain how things look go about the banks pulling 2195 01:49:45,280 --> 01:49:47,559 Speaker 1: fund in the bank I was dealing with, they pulled 2196 01:49:47,560 --> 01:49:48,840 Speaker 1: a fund and they put a fund on the new 2197 01:49:48,880 --> 01:49:51,600 Speaker 1: construction project I had. So we'll say I kind of 2198 01:49:51,680 --> 01:49:53,360 Speaker 1: had my back nest the wall, but I just knew 2199 01:49:53,520 --> 01:49:57,560 Speaker 1: it I had to do something essentially that something catastrophic 2200 01:49:57,640 --> 01:49:59,920 Speaker 1: wasn't happening again. I'll be in a central end of 2201 01:50:00,040 --> 01:50:02,599 Speaker 1: tree and I can continue to make money. And prior 2202 01:50:02,640 --> 01:50:04,400 Speaker 1: to that, I had spoken to a college teammate who 2203 01:50:04,400 --> 01:50:06,720 Speaker 1: would just jump into the transportation industry. Maybe about a 2204 01:50:06,760 --> 01:50:08,880 Speaker 1: year ago. I just met which is now a good 2205 01:50:08,920 --> 01:50:12,760 Speaker 1: friend of mine. Uh, probably about a month before, and 2206 01:50:12,840 --> 01:50:14,519 Speaker 1: I took the information that they both gave me. I 2207 01:50:14,560 --> 01:50:17,639 Speaker 1: put it together and I started Clipper Logistics. And man, 2208 01:50:17,800 --> 01:50:20,160 Speaker 1: it's been. It's been probably the biggest blessing on my life. 2209 01:50:20,439 --> 01:50:22,080 Speaker 1: Like you should. I've been able to employ people. I 2210 01:50:22,200 --> 01:50:24,320 Speaker 1: just just we brow to the point I just hired 2211 01:50:24,360 --> 01:50:26,760 Speaker 1: an assistant. Um, I've been able to give a black 2212 01:50:26,760 --> 01:50:30,160 Speaker 1: of people jobs. Man, I can't say enough. Man, just 2213 01:50:30,280 --> 01:50:31,640 Speaker 1: it's been the best thing that happened to me. It's 2214 01:50:31,640 --> 01:50:34,800 Speaker 1: a scalable business and still be able to provide opportunity. 2215 01:50:35,120 --> 01:50:37,200 Speaker 1: So it's just a win win all the way around. Okay, 2216 01:50:37,360 --> 01:50:41,920 Speaker 1: I got again Clipperal Logistics. Where did that come from? Again? 2217 01:50:42,040 --> 01:50:44,479 Speaker 1: I always have trouble coming up with names. I just 2218 01:50:45,280 --> 01:50:47,479 Speaker 1: I didn't want to use my name. It's like it's 2219 01:50:47,520 --> 01:50:49,720 Speaker 1: typical and I kind of want to detach myself from 2220 01:50:49,760 --> 01:50:53,560 Speaker 1: the business a little bit. But the clippers Clippers is 2221 01:50:53,560 --> 01:50:55,840 Speaker 1: actually my high school mascot. My hospital we were the 2222 01:50:55,880 --> 01:50:59,200 Speaker 1: Oxting Hill Clippers, So I said Clipper logistics and it 2223 01:50:59,320 --> 01:51:02,479 Speaker 1: just it just went. So I went with it. Always 2224 01:51:02,880 --> 01:51:07,360 Speaker 1: always fall into the names of the club. You know, 2225 01:51:07,680 --> 01:51:10,760 Speaker 1: you're about to get beat up by masterp Okay, then 2226 01:51:10,800 --> 01:51:12,759 Speaker 1: you went back to your high school, got to Stone 2227 01:51:12,840 --> 01:51:20,439 Speaker 1: the Clippers. Second generation. That's that's another one of your business. Correct, Yeah, 2228 01:51:20,479 --> 01:51:23,439 Speaker 1: that's that's the LLC I run. Uh, you know my 2229 01:51:23,520 --> 01:51:26,799 Speaker 1: real estate projects to that was pretty simple, right. My parents, 2230 01:51:27,040 --> 01:51:29,960 Speaker 1: Uh you know, they probably the first people in our 2231 01:51:30,000 --> 01:51:33,280 Speaker 1: family kind of start, you know, owning properties, right, and 2232 01:51:33,439 --> 01:51:36,840 Speaker 1: uh I came after them. So second generation development, that 2233 01:51:36,880 --> 01:51:38,680 Speaker 1: one was. That was pretty easy. I knew the name 2234 01:51:38,720 --> 01:51:41,599 Speaker 1: of that one before before I got started. I shouldn't. 2235 01:51:42,560 --> 01:51:47,559 Speaker 1: There's truly the name about you because your second generation, right, 2236 01:51:47,880 --> 01:51:50,519 Speaker 1: I love it. I love it. Lawrence Man. You Uh, 2237 01:51:51,240 --> 01:51:54,920 Speaker 1: you're humble. You're absolutely correct about that. You're talented, you 2238 01:51:55,000 --> 01:51:58,080 Speaker 1: won't don't want to admit that, you're very smart, somehow 2239 01:51:58,160 --> 01:52:00,599 Speaker 1: you don't want to admit that, and guess it, you're 2240 01:52:00,640 --> 01:52:03,160 Speaker 1: special and somehow you don't want admit that. But all 2241 01:52:03,200 --> 01:52:05,160 Speaker 1: those things I just said, man makes you in an 2242 01:52:05,200 --> 01:52:09,560 Speaker 1: incredible brand. And please man, start telling people about that 2243 01:52:09,680 --> 01:52:12,839 Speaker 1: man in your social media post and let everybody understand 2244 01:52:12,880 --> 01:52:17,080 Speaker 1: how you're shining in the pandemic times in African American. Man, 2245 01:52:17,600 --> 01:52:19,800 Speaker 1: there's doing it and paying taxes out there and making 2246 01:52:19,840 --> 01:52:22,040 Speaker 1: the difference in this country, not only for your life, 2247 01:52:22,360 --> 01:52:24,280 Speaker 1: for people that you don't know. And I think that's 2248 01:52:24,320 --> 01:52:29,519 Speaker 1: the blessing that you are. I appreciate, I really do. Hey, brother, 2249 01:52:29,840 --> 01:52:31,720 Speaker 1: he looking at it. Man. I had to get back 2250 01:52:31,760 --> 01:52:34,840 Speaker 1: on with you, man, because you know, the thing about you, 2251 01:52:35,120 --> 01:52:37,920 Speaker 1: Lawrence is that man. You know, when I meet people 2252 01:52:38,000 --> 01:52:40,880 Speaker 1: like you, Man, it's a blessing to me to pole 2253 01:52:40,960 --> 01:52:43,320 Speaker 1: had this conversation. But the gifts that I have, the 2254 01:52:43,400 --> 01:52:45,760 Speaker 1: Guard gave me was to be able to motivate people 2255 01:52:45,920 --> 01:52:48,519 Speaker 1: also tell the truth. And so when I talk to 2256 01:52:48,600 --> 01:52:51,640 Speaker 1: you about your gifts and talk to you about what 2257 01:52:51,800 --> 01:52:54,320 Speaker 1: you're doing, I'm just asking you to take one more step. 2258 01:52:54,720 --> 01:52:57,000 Speaker 1: And the next step is about you and when you 2259 01:52:57,160 --> 01:52:59,439 Speaker 1: taught telling your story, and that's what we're doing today 2260 01:52:59,439 --> 01:53:01,200 Speaker 1: the US. Hey, man, I'm going I'm in the way 2261 01:53:01,240 --> 01:53:03,040 Speaker 1: back machine. You gotta be going way back to two 2262 01:53:03,080 --> 01:53:06,720 Speaker 1: thousand and eight, because man, you have a career that's 2263 01:53:06,760 --> 01:53:12,040 Speaker 1: worth telling you. You've transitioned into a academia person and 2264 01:53:12,760 --> 01:53:16,080 Speaker 1: an athlete now you're a businessman, you're philanthropist. That's a 2265 01:53:16,080 --> 01:53:19,320 Speaker 1: lot of powerful titles. That's a lot of power that 2266 01:53:19,400 --> 01:53:24,680 Speaker 1: you own. And sometimes I really and I gotta do 2267 01:53:24,800 --> 01:53:27,240 Speaker 1: better at this. I get caught up and like you said, 2268 01:53:27,240 --> 01:53:29,680 Speaker 1: the ground and trying to build something you know, you 2269 01:53:30,080 --> 01:53:33,760 Speaker 1: really to leave, you know, after I'm gone. Sometimes I'm 2270 01:53:33,880 --> 01:53:37,200 Speaker 1: guilty of not cherishing the moment. Like I'm guilty. I 2271 01:53:37,280 --> 01:53:40,360 Speaker 1: know I've been told that, and I really, honestly, I'm 2272 01:53:40,400 --> 01:53:42,439 Speaker 1: just sitting back a couple of days ago, really having 2273 01:53:42,479 --> 01:53:46,200 Speaker 1: this exact same conversation, uh with a friend of mine. 2274 01:53:46,960 --> 01:53:49,360 Speaker 1: And sometimes just I just I get so all caught up. 2275 01:53:49,400 --> 01:53:52,200 Speaker 1: I just don't. I gotta do better. I really gotta 2276 01:53:52,240 --> 01:53:55,680 Speaker 1: do better. I know, appreciate, I appreciate, give me. Uh. 2277 01:53:58,439 --> 01:54:01,080 Speaker 1: I always look, hey, look, call me your life coach. 2278 01:54:01,160 --> 01:54:04,479 Speaker 1: I mean, look, you had head coaches, assistant coaching. Rishan 2279 01:54:04,600 --> 01:54:07,040 Speaker 1: McDonald's your life coach. So you go, hey, ma, I 2280 01:54:07,080 --> 01:54:09,800 Speaker 1: gotta called more part Roshan and run this idea by him. 2281 01:54:09,920 --> 01:54:11,400 Speaker 1: I'm gonna tall you go ahead and do it. Because 2282 01:54:11,439 --> 01:54:13,840 Speaker 1: anything you put your mind to, brom brand, you're gonna 2283 01:54:13,880 --> 01:54:16,799 Speaker 1: be successful at it. And that's the part of your genius. 2284 01:54:16,880 --> 01:54:19,120 Speaker 1: And I'm gonna put the word genius on you because 2285 01:54:19,560 --> 01:54:23,880 Speaker 1: layers of success are not accidental in your life. And 2286 01:54:24,479 --> 01:54:27,439 Speaker 1: but you know, you know, it's interesting how some people 2287 01:54:27,760 --> 01:54:31,240 Speaker 1: who have less will screamed like they got more. Well, 2288 01:54:31,280 --> 01:54:34,080 Speaker 1: you have more, and you don't say anything by how 2289 01:54:34,880 --> 01:54:36,840 Speaker 1: you're accomplishing it. And I want you to go to 2290 01:54:36,920 --> 01:54:38,880 Speaker 1: the front of the line with that story. All Right, 2291 01:54:39,600 --> 01:54:41,200 Speaker 1: we're gonna get it done. We're gonna we're gonna rap 2292 01:54:41,240 --> 01:54:44,120 Speaker 1: outter we get finished. All right, there, your life coach 2293 01:54:44,240 --> 01:54:47,880 Speaker 1: just spoke to you. Okay. I wanna thank you Lauren 2294 01:54:47,920 --> 01:54:49,840 Speaker 1: for coming on the show man telling me about your life, 2295 01:54:50,120 --> 01:54:53,600 Speaker 1: talking about your your career, talking about being an athlete 2296 01:54:53,640 --> 01:54:57,440 Speaker 1: who made the transition from college to the NFL to 2297 01:54:57,560 --> 01:54:59,920 Speaker 1: a businessman to a philanthropie. Thank you for coming on. 2298 01:55:00,000 --> 01:55:03,640 Speaker 1: Want to make conversations, appreciate Thank you cool. If you 2299 01:55:03,680 --> 01:55:05,760 Speaker 1: want to hear more money making conversation interviews, please go 2300 01:55:05,840 --> 01:55:08,600 Speaker 1: and mindy making Conversations dot com. I'm with Sean McDonald. 2301 01:55:08,640 --> 01:55:12,600 Speaker 1: I am your host in this season of giving Coals. 2302 01:55:12,640 --> 01:55:15,200 Speaker 1: Has gifts for all your loved ones. For those who 2303 01:55:15,280 --> 01:55:18,960 Speaker 1: like to keep it cozy, find fleeces, sweaters, loungeware, blankets 2304 01:55:19,000 --> 01:55:22,560 Speaker 1: and throws, or support minority owned or founded brands by 2305 01:55:22,640 --> 01:55:26,240 Speaker 1: giving gifts from Human Nation and Shame Moisture and in 2306 01:55:26,320 --> 01:55:29,800 Speaker 1: the spirit of giving, Coals Cares is donating eight million 2307 01:55:29,920 --> 01:55:33,640 Speaker 1: dollars to local nonprofits nationwide. Give with all your heart 2308 01:55:33,720 --> 01:55:36,840 Speaker 1: this season with great gifts from Coals or Coals dot com. 2309 01:55:37,440 --> 01:55:40,800 Speaker 1: Help Jews and poverty that Help Jews now dot org. 2310 01:55:41,800 --> 01:55:45,320 Speaker 1: Your gift today will help provide a life saving food 2311 01:55:45,400 --> 01:55:48,720 Speaker 1: box to Jews and need. Be a blessing right now. 2312 01:55:49,360 --> 01:55:53,520 Speaker 1: Visit help Jews now dot org. That's help Jews now 2313 01:55:53,840 --> 01:55:59,160 Speaker 1: dot org. The Black Effect Presents features honest conversations and 2314 01:55:59,240 --> 01:56:02,680 Speaker 1: exclusive and use a space for artists, everyday people and 2315 01:56:02,840 --> 01:56:08,160 Speaker 1: listeners to amplify, elevate, and empower Black voices with great conversations. 2316 01:56:08,920 --> 01:56:11,360 Speaker 1: Make sure to listen to The Black Effect Presents podcast 2317 01:56:11,640 --> 01:56:14,800 Speaker 1: on I Heart Radio, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get 2318 01:56:14,840 --> 01:56:15,560 Speaker 1: your podcasts.