WEBVTT - BLACK REPRESENTATION IN CARTOONS w/ Gracie's Corner 0:00:01.360 --> 0:00:03.640 I'm Will Lucas and this is Black Tech, Green Money. 0:00:05.040 --> 0:00:07.320 Javoris and Arlene Holling's Worth are the found us at 0:00:07.320 --> 0:00:10.440 Gracie's Corner, which features their daughter Gracyn, who was the 0:00:10.480 --> 0:00:13.680 inspiration for the hit YouTube animated series, which was also 0:00:13.760 --> 0:00:17.480 nominated for an NAACP Image Award up against big budget 0:00:17.520 --> 0:00:18.880 animation studio Offers. 0:00:19.640 --> 0:00:20.560 Gracie's Corner was. 0:00:20.560 --> 0:00:22.759 A COVID project for Javor's. 0:00:22.239 --> 0:00:24.560 Which he undertook after not finding enough. 0:00:24.360 --> 0:00:27.240 Black representation in cartoons to show his kids, and the 0:00:27.320 --> 0:00:31.360 show today gets millions of views every month. I asked 0:00:31.400 --> 0:00:34.040 the family about the grand idea for Graci's Corner. Was 0:00:34.040 --> 0:00:35.560 a desire just to put out a good piece of 0:00:35.600 --> 0:00:38.360 content or was there a business strategy they wanted to follow. 0:00:38.520 --> 0:00:41.680 We had no idea it was gonna grow the way 0:00:41.720 --> 0:00:43.520 it did, especially at the pace it did. 0:00:44.040 --> 0:00:46.760 It was mostly from the mindset of just seeing that 0:00:46.880 --> 0:00:48.239 a lot of the country that was out there and 0:00:48.280 --> 0:00:51.159 seeing that there really wasn't much representation. 0:00:51.280 --> 0:00:53.960 Where you can see children of color at the forefront. 0:00:54.080 --> 0:00:57.280 And for me that was a big problem because I 0:00:57.320 --> 0:00:59.440 feel like, you know, if our children. 0:00:59.200 --> 0:01:02.320 Are country seeing images that don't look like them, they 0:01:02.360 --> 0:01:04.520 started to wonder like, Okay, there's something wrong with me. 0:01:04.720 --> 0:01:08.360 Do I belong in this grand scheme of you know, society. 0:01:08.520 --> 0:01:10.800 And we just wanted to do something that was proactive 0:01:11.319 --> 0:01:12.280 and then it just. 0:01:12.319 --> 0:01:15.600 Kind of caught on with other parents and now we've 0:01:15.640 --> 0:01:16.680 come to this thing. 0:01:17.680 --> 0:01:20.240 At what point did you say, Okay, this is getting 0:01:20.280 --> 0:01:23.440 serious when it goes, you know, past X number of views? Like, 0:01:23.440 --> 0:01:25.360 at what point did you say, like, hold on, there's 0:01:25.360 --> 0:01:26.000 something here. 0:01:28.360 --> 0:01:30.800 It was lad in the game for me. When we 0:01:30.840 --> 0:01:31.560 first started. 0:01:33.400 --> 0:01:35.399 We weren't getting the type of viewership we're getting now, 0:01:35.520 --> 0:01:40.920 Like it was fairly thousands or so views on like 0:01:41.000 --> 0:01:41.320 it was. 0:01:41.360 --> 0:01:42.920 It was. It was kind of rough, and I was 0:01:43.680 --> 0:01:44.360 I was the believer. 0:01:44.440 --> 0:01:46.959 And she also had faith in the whole project itself 0:01:47.000 --> 0:01:50.160 because we were just putting money into this and you're 0:01:50.160 --> 0:01:54.920 seeing zero returns, right, So she could have she could 0:01:54.960 --> 0:01:58.240 have easily said you know what, honey, but she just 0:01:58.520 --> 0:02:00.680 allowed me to continue to explore and we. 0:02:00.880 --> 0:02:02.160 Just kept pressing through it. 0:02:02.320 --> 0:02:04.400 I really talk about that because it sounds like, you know, 0:02:04.480 --> 0:02:07.240 there was like some idea of like we're trying to 0:02:07.240 --> 0:02:10.160 make something happen other than just feel a need. It's 0:02:10.200 --> 0:02:12.120 like there's there's got to be some sort of return. 0:02:12.200 --> 0:02:13.880 That's what it sounds like. So talk to me about 0:02:13.919 --> 0:02:14.720 what you were looking for. 0:02:14.960 --> 0:02:15.480 Did happen? 0:02:17.240 --> 0:02:22.240 So I would say, what the first year when we 0:02:22.320 --> 0:02:27.800 first started this journey, this fun journey, we you know, 0:02:27.919 --> 0:02:33.680 saw the followers and the subscribers kind of slowly building, 0:02:33.800 --> 0:02:36.239 and I think the minute I knew, oh my goodness, 0:02:37.240 --> 0:02:42.280 this is something that is big was when we reached. 0:02:41.960 --> 0:02:42.919 One hundred thousand. 0:02:43.720 --> 0:02:46.880 Because up until then, you know, and he'll tell you 0:02:46.919 --> 0:02:50.680 every single milestone, I'll say, wow, it would be great 0:02:50.720 --> 0:02:54.200 if we can reach that, And it happened, so we 0:02:54.280 --> 0:02:57.280 surpass it. But I would say when I really knew 0:02:57.400 --> 0:03:01.600 it was gonna be something was around that mark where 0:03:01.880 --> 0:03:04.520 he had one hundred thousand subscribers. 0:03:04.639 --> 0:03:06.280 And then on top. 0:03:06.080 --> 0:03:09.320 Of it, when I saw like all the parents posting 0:03:09.480 --> 0:03:12.880 videos of himself dancing, I said, okay, we have something 0:03:13.160 --> 0:03:19.280 because not only is it something that is educational, but 0:03:19.360 --> 0:03:24.440 it's entertaining not only for the children but for the parents. 0:03:24.960 --> 0:03:27.280 And so that's what I really knew, like, wow, okay, 0:03:27.560 --> 0:03:28.240 this is something. 0:03:28.960 --> 0:03:32.600 Was there any education you consumed with trying to figure 0:03:32.639 --> 0:03:35.120 out how to manage a YouTube channel? Because I know 0:03:35.200 --> 0:03:37.440 there's so many things talk about. You know, you got 0:03:37.440 --> 0:03:40.600 to post so many times, and think YouTube wants quantity 0:03:40.880 --> 0:03:43.720 versus quality in so many respects, and you've got to 0:03:43.760 --> 0:03:46.120 post twenty eight million times a week and all these 0:03:46.160 --> 0:03:48.800 types of things. So talk to me about how you 0:03:49.280 --> 0:03:52.160 gained the knowledge, if you explored that, and what did 0:03:52.200 --> 0:03:52.600 you learn. 0:03:53.560 --> 0:03:58.720 So this is where his background as a researcher. So 0:03:58.800 --> 0:04:04.680 he has a PhD in organic and macro molecular chemistry, 0:04:05.560 --> 0:04:06.720 and so. 0:04:06.960 --> 0:04:10.000 In everything he does, he does. 0:04:09.840 --> 0:04:15.200 Thorough research, thorough research, and so you know, credit goes 0:04:15.240 --> 0:04:20.040 to divorce because you know he researched everything at nauseum. 0:04:21.000 --> 0:04:24.080 And you're right, it's not just hey, you go out, 0:04:24.560 --> 0:04:27.520 you start something, but he researched what he needed to 0:04:27.560 --> 0:04:33.440 go into it. How to get animation, how to you know, 0:04:33.680 --> 0:04:37.880 master and make quality music, how many times. 0:04:37.560 --> 0:04:39.040 You have to post? 0:04:39.240 --> 0:04:43.320 How to what is it called s seo? 0:04:43.839 --> 0:04:49.719 And like he just has this this method he uses 0:04:50.440 --> 0:04:54.119 to make sure that when he posts something, it's gonna 0:04:54.160 --> 0:04:59.640 get optimal search because of keywords and different things like that. 0:05:00.440 --> 0:05:03.080 So, Gracie, and when Dad comes to you and says, hey, 0:05:03.200 --> 0:05:04.520 I got this idea for this show. 0:05:04.960 --> 0:05:07.440 If it happened like that, you know, talk to me 0:05:07.480 --> 0:05:09.839 about how you felt and like you're like, hey, I'm 0:05:09.880 --> 0:05:12.320 in or like I got questions, like tell me about 0:05:12.360 --> 0:05:12.960 what you were thinking. 0:05:14.240 --> 0:05:16.160 What he was saying was like we have like kind 0:05:16.160 --> 0:05:20.919 of like a project going on like together, and he 0:05:21.080 --> 0:05:24.560 was like like so the only thing we have to 0:05:24.560 --> 0:05:27.520 do is like we have to like do this and 0:05:28.040 --> 0:05:30.600 this and then like it'll. 0:05:30.360 --> 0:05:30.760 Be like. 0:05:35.040 --> 0:05:37.240 So the anxiety was there from the beginning, like you 0:05:37.320 --> 0:05:40.400 knew you felt like that this could be something special. 0:05:41.200 --> 0:05:44.920 Yeah, she she actually wanted she wanted a YouTube channel 0:05:45.040 --> 0:05:49.400 where she wanted one of those weird ones where you know, 0:05:49.440 --> 0:05:54.560 you unboxed toy like that type of stuff with me. 0:05:54.880 --> 0:05:58.400 I know a lot of those kids who do YouTube 0:05:58.440 --> 0:06:01.080 channels that the way they have to devote a lot 0:06:01.080 --> 0:06:04.279 of their life to constantly being in front of the camera, 0:06:04.360 --> 0:06:07.839 and this is like it's it's it's like they're constantly online. 0:06:08.000 --> 0:06:11.000 But this was kind of like a nice compromise where 0:06:11.480 --> 0:06:14.680 you know, she's the voice behind the character, but we 0:06:14.839 --> 0:06:17.440 just record when we record, and then once that's done, 0:06:17.520 --> 0:06:21.400 she just plays and you know she's not on on 0:06:21.560 --> 0:06:23.920 camera like that. So it was kind of a way 0:06:23.920 --> 0:06:27.719 to kind of balance the two and yeah, she's been enjoying. 0:06:28.760 --> 0:06:31.560 So you didn't come up as a cartoon designer, I imagine, 0:06:31.600 --> 0:06:35.080 And so I wonder, like, what was that process like 0:06:35.120 --> 0:06:36.880 when you said, you know what, I'm going to learn 0:06:36.880 --> 0:06:38.800 how to do this and what did you like, what 0:06:38.920 --> 0:06:41.040 did you do to learn how to make cartoons? 0:06:42.320 --> 0:06:42.560 Man? 0:06:43.040 --> 0:06:46.080 So, yeah, just like I said, I that side of it, 0:06:46.720 --> 0:06:48.560 I'm still oblivious on the whole. 0:06:48.680 --> 0:06:49.279 I mean, I've. 0:06:49.200 --> 0:06:51.719 Learned the ins and outs of what goes into it, 0:06:51.800 --> 0:06:55.880 but as far as I actually applying. But I did 0:06:55.920 --> 0:06:58.920 a lot of research on like even writing the script, 0:06:59.000 --> 0:07:01.400 Like I do a ton of writing. That's probably like 0:07:01.440 --> 0:07:05.520 the biggest piece, like writing, writing the songs, writing the scripts. 0:07:05.880 --> 0:07:08.359 But I've partnered with I have a team of animators 0:07:08.360 --> 0:07:11.640 down there, you know. I send those scripts off to 0:07:11.720 --> 0:07:14.520 those guys and they bring it to life, you know, 0:07:14.560 --> 0:07:16.680 based on I mean, they'll send something back that I 0:07:16.720 --> 0:07:18.680 may ask for a revision or whatever. 0:07:18.800 --> 0:07:20.280 But but the the. 0:07:20.280 --> 0:07:25.560 Imagery itself, she can tell you, like the I started 0:07:25.560 --> 0:07:28.000 by sending an animator a picture of her when she 0:07:28.240 --> 0:07:33.360 was like oh seven, I think, But yeah, they took 0:07:33.400 --> 0:07:34.600 that and came up with. 0:07:34.560 --> 0:07:36.240 This rendition of what you guys. 0:07:36.240 --> 0:07:39.560 See, so were these animators people that you knew or 0:07:39.600 --> 0:07:41.600 you went to you know, upwork, Like how did you 0:07:41.600 --> 0:07:42.280 find these people? 0:07:43.200 --> 0:07:47.160 Yeah, so using like upwork for the identify freelancers. And 0:07:47.160 --> 0:07:52.200 then once I identified the freelancer, it was, like I said, 0:07:52.200 --> 0:07:54.520 early on, it was really one side of where we're 0:07:54.520 --> 0:07:56.600 just constantly putting money into it. So we didn't really 0:07:56.720 --> 0:08:00.440 we had like a shoe string budget really this thing 0:08:00.440 --> 0:08:03.720 together because at the time I was still a professor 0:08:03.880 --> 0:08:07.560 my wife she's you know, still a professor with we 0:08:07.560 --> 0:08:11.880 were trying to use income, you know, to live with 0:08:12.040 --> 0:08:16.360 also try to keep this project going. But anyway, we 0:08:16.440 --> 0:08:19.440 eventually got some point where the channel actually was making money, 0:08:19.840 --> 0:08:23.480 and then we were able to even grow our animation teams. 0:08:23.520 --> 0:08:26.520 So now it's it's actually a team of animators that 0:08:27.120 --> 0:08:27.760 work on them. 0:08:27.800 --> 0:08:31.880 So the animators, we took them from the I guess 0:08:32.000 --> 0:08:36.040 you found them through like a freelance website, and now 0:08:36.200 --> 0:08:39.880 they work with us and full time, full time, and 0:08:40.040 --> 0:08:43.360 it's teammate animators and from one animator to like four, 0:08:44.160 --> 0:08:46.959 so and it's pretty awesome just to see them growth 0:08:47.679 --> 0:08:49.200 of everything overall. 0:08:50.280 --> 0:08:52.640 So early and I'm interested in your in your thoughts 0:08:52.679 --> 0:08:55.200 on this, and either of you guys can speak up 0:08:55.200 --> 0:08:57.000 on it, but I wonder, like to what. 0:08:56.880 --> 0:08:59.160 Do you attribute the success of the show. 0:08:59.200 --> 0:09:01.520 Would it be you know, your ability to market it, 0:09:01.920 --> 0:09:04.880 or there was purely just a market demand? Like how 0:09:04.880 --> 0:09:07.440 what would you say is the key to you know, your. 0:09:07.320 --> 0:09:07.920 Success in this. 0:09:09.120 --> 0:09:15.359 I definitely think it's more so just a demand zero marketing, 0:09:16.920 --> 0:09:19.200 you know, with regards to to like paid marketing has 0:09:19.240 --> 0:09:24.960 gone into Gracie's Corner still, everything honestly has been just 0:09:25.040 --> 0:09:29.440 of course word of mouth and because of people actually 0:09:29.520 --> 0:09:34.840 watching it enjoying it, the algorithm likes us and push. 0:09:34.760 --> 0:09:36.520 Us us out, and so I feel like that just 0:09:36.559 --> 0:09:38.240 speaks to the need. 0:09:38.480 --> 0:09:43.160 You know, people were hungry for something like Gracy's Corner. 0:09:43.160 --> 0:09:47.480 I mean, and Jemors will say, when we were first starting, we. 0:09:47.320 --> 0:09:49.480 Were hungry for something like Gracie's Corner. 0:09:49.520 --> 0:09:53.280 That's the reason why you know, we worked hard and 0:09:53.400 --> 0:09:57.439 we developed Crazy's Corner, right, And. 0:09:57.440 --> 0:10:02.440 So, Gracie, I wonder when you think about the journey 0:10:02.520 --> 0:10:05.440 that you've watched your parents go on to build this thing, 0:10:05.679 --> 0:10:08.320 and previous to that, you know how young you were 0:10:08.320 --> 0:10:10.720 at the time, but previously they were just working day jobs, 0:10:10.760 --> 0:10:14.400 but now they're also entrepreneurs. Also, you know, what do 0:10:14.480 --> 0:10:16.839 you think about the life that you guys live in 0:10:16.880 --> 0:10:18.560 the amount of work that you guys put in to 0:10:18.559 --> 0:10:19.520 build something that's. 0:10:19.320 --> 0:10:22.959 Special, I'd say it's like really huge. 0:10:23.720 --> 0:10:26.440 Like most times my dad might ask me to be 0:10:26.520 --> 0:10:32.559 like he might be like, oh, let's record this like tonight, 0:10:32.960 --> 0:10:36.640 or like let's start like at this moment, and my 0:10:36.679 --> 0:10:40.960 mom would probably be like, Okay, so let's get the 0:10:41.000 --> 0:10:42.640 boo tea. 0:10:43.160 --> 0:10:47.760 We have a whole entire process we do. So she 0:10:48.360 --> 0:10:49.720 loves like bubble tea. 0:10:50.040 --> 0:10:53.600 Yeah, so, and she probably honestly records like like once 0:10:53.679 --> 0:10:56.960 or twice her week, and so she very much it's 0:10:57.040 --> 0:11:00.920 not every day, right, Yeah, but when he does record, 0:11:01.040 --> 0:11:04.520 she knows I'm going to be sending some bubble tea 0:11:04.840 --> 0:11:08.239 or having something that. 0:11:07.440 --> 0:11:09.560 She can have. And does it take like using two 0:11:09.600 --> 0:11:10.880 to three hours to record? 0:11:11.000 --> 0:11:11.760 What's your record? 0:11:12.800 --> 0:11:36.520 So, yeah, Javoris isn't a cartoon producer by trade, and 0:11:36.600 --> 0:11:41.360 it is informally trained. Yeah, he producers every episode. So 0:11:41.400 --> 0:11:43.840 I asked him from start to finish, walk me through 0:11:43.880 --> 0:11:45.240 the development of an episode. 0:11:46.440 --> 0:11:47.520 Javorce speaks on it. 0:11:47.760 --> 0:11:51.640 Yeah, I think about it from two different angles. 0:11:51.640 --> 0:11:53.680 So one angle I think about is. 0:11:55.120 --> 0:11:57.680 What is what's what's the piece of knowledge that most 0:11:57.720 --> 0:11:58.920 parents would want their kids to know? 0:11:59.480 --> 0:11:59.840 ABC? 0:12:00.160 --> 0:12:01.760 You know that was the first that's you know what 0:12:01.800 --> 0:12:05.720 I mean, like that type of development, and then also 0:12:06.400 --> 0:12:09.160 tapping into like good old traditional nurtural runs and things 0:12:09.200 --> 0:12:12.040 like that too, But yeah, what what do kids? 0:12:12.080 --> 0:12:13.600 What do parents want their kids to know? 0:12:13.840 --> 0:12:18.040 And so J tackling those core uh fundamental uh things 0:12:18.480 --> 0:12:21.960 and then from there, uh coming up with the whole 0:12:22.000 --> 0:12:25.800 piece for for the music and I, as you can see, 0:12:25.880 --> 0:12:29.120 I try to tap into different genres so it can 0:12:29.200 --> 0:12:33.160 range from it can range from uh hip hop to 0:12:33.400 --> 0:12:38.679 afrobeats to reggae to go go music. So that's probably 0:12:38.800 --> 0:12:41.199 the most fun part for me, honestly, like figuring. 0:12:40.880 --> 0:12:42.600 Out like, okay, what what we're gonna do this time? 0:12:42.679 --> 0:12:45.960 Let's let's uh and I try to mix it up. 0:12:46.040 --> 0:12:48.160 You probably if you see it the cat you about 0:12:48.160 --> 0:12:51.520 to see that. But but then once that part. 0:12:51.360 --> 0:12:55.960 Is done and then the music is is in place, 0:12:56.200 --> 0:12:57.840 then it's to writing. 0:12:59.120 --> 0:13:01.839 Sometimes I think the toughest one is like writing the 0:13:01.880 --> 0:13:07.080 original songs, because now you're creating something that's completely new 0:13:07.160 --> 0:13:10.320 and it's not based on something that's kind. 0:13:10.160 --> 0:13:11.480 Of already been made. 0:13:11.600 --> 0:13:17.680 So but then once the song was created then written, 0:13:18.320 --> 0:13:19.480 that's when she steps in. 0:13:19.800 --> 0:13:22.920 And we have an at home studio that I built. 0:13:23.120 --> 0:13:27.720 And even when building that, thank thankfully for things like YouTube. 0:13:28.440 --> 0:13:30.839 That's how I gained the knowledge on you know, how 0:13:30.840 --> 0:13:32.920 to get the necessary equipment in. 0:13:32.880 --> 0:13:36.280 Place at a small budget. 0:13:36.760 --> 0:13:38.920 So and I try to say that to people too, 0:13:38.920 --> 0:13:40.520 to let them know that you don't have to have 0:13:40.559 --> 0:13:43.880 this huge production studio, like you can start you can 0:13:43.920 --> 0:13:46.800 start small and then things will just kind of continue 0:13:46.800 --> 0:13:47.400 to build that way. 0:13:47.520 --> 0:13:50.280 Yeah, I thought that was interesting, but I was. I remember. 0:13:50.280 --> 0:13:53.000 I remember like when we were the NAACP Image Awards 0:13:53.160 --> 0:13:56.240 and you talked about how you know, everybody you are 0:13:56.320 --> 0:13:58.679 up against like a Disney production, and like you have 0:13:58.760 --> 0:14:01.480 a YouTube show, You're going up against these guys, and 0:14:01.520 --> 0:14:03.800 like what does what does that tell you about the 0:14:03.840 --> 0:14:06.800 state of content that we're in today? 0:14:08.080 --> 0:14:08.320 Yeah? 0:14:08.400 --> 0:14:11.760 Then, you know what, that really made me realize how 0:14:11.960 --> 0:14:15.719 things have changed because back in the day, you know 0:14:15.720 --> 0:14:17.200 what I'm saying, It's like I'm an old man, but 0:14:17.240 --> 0:14:19.720 back in the day, if you want to have your 0:14:19.760 --> 0:14:22.360 stuff on any type of platform, you had to go 0:14:22.400 --> 0:14:25.320 through these big you know, these big roots, but now 0:14:26.040 --> 0:14:30.000 it's just so easily accessible for someone to enter. 0:14:30.600 --> 0:14:31.440 I don't want to say. 0:14:31.240 --> 0:14:33.320 Through the back door, but it's easier to kind of 0:14:33.320 --> 0:14:36.000 get in now because we got the YouTube, we got 0:14:36.040 --> 0:14:41.480 the the instagrams, the US it called tiktoks and all 0:14:41.480 --> 0:14:44.480 these different things where you can reach this audience now 0:14:44.720 --> 0:14:47.160 versus back in the day. You know, it was just 0:14:47.200 --> 0:14:51.000 these only a few ways. But we've found this other 0:14:51.040 --> 0:14:53.720 way to reach the audience. And it's cool to see 0:14:53.720 --> 0:14:57.560 that our work can be appreciated, you know amongst the 0:14:57.560 --> 0:15:01.360 biggest names like Disney and Nikola and all these you know, 0:15:01.880 --> 0:15:04.240 top production where these guys are company millions of dollars 0:15:04.240 --> 0:15:06.680 into this stuff and we're not. 0:15:08.720 --> 0:15:09.680 We have a kind of doubt. 0:15:09.720 --> 0:15:15.280 It speaks to like how much technology has advanced MM 0:15:15.440 --> 0:15:18.200 all of us. You know, think about like our animators. 0:15:19.040 --> 0:15:21.760 You know they they're in Nigeria. You know, it was 0:15:21.800 --> 0:15:27.760 technology that allowed us to access these phenomenal animators. Technology 0:15:27.800 --> 0:15:30.600 that allowed us to even put I guess what some 0:15:30.680 --> 0:15:33.720 would call our product out there to be viewed by 0:15:33.960 --> 0:15:36.920 the masses. And so you know, with a doubt, you 0:15:36.920 --> 0:15:40.160 know the reason why we're able to stand and you know, 0:15:40.280 --> 0:15:44.840 being the same conversation as some of these you know 0:15:46.160 --> 0:15:49.880 things that have millions of dollars behind them with these 0:15:49.920 --> 0:15:55.080 big production companies. Is because of technology and you know 0:15:55.240 --> 0:15:56.560 that's including social media. 0:15:57.360 --> 0:15:59.960 We also upgraded. 0:15:59.520 --> 0:16:02.480 Our Yeah, I mean that's it's super important. Like when 0:16:02.480 --> 0:16:04.680 I've learned, you know, when you're doing this side of work. 0:16:04.760 --> 0:16:06.880 You know, for me, at least from my perspective, the 0:16:06.880 --> 0:16:08.800 money goes back in. How do we continue to make 0:16:08.800 --> 0:16:10.920 it bigger instead of pulling the money out and going 0:16:10.960 --> 0:16:13.320 to you know, to Sizzler, Like, we're gonna put the 0:16:13.320 --> 0:16:15.600 money back in so we can continue growing this thing. 0:16:16.040 --> 0:16:17.880 So talk to me about that, like why you decided 0:16:17.920 --> 0:16:20.040 to continue to invest when you have you got the 0:16:20.080 --> 0:16:22.440 guys in Nigeria, you got the equipment that's making it work. 0:16:22.480 --> 0:16:24.520 What makes you continue to want to invest. 0:16:24.720 --> 0:16:28.640 To Gratia's point, man, my. 0:16:28.800 --> 0:16:32.240 Vision for this is way bigger than what people are 0:16:32.280 --> 0:16:34.200 even seeing right now. And I feel like we haven't 0:16:34.200 --> 0:16:37.240 even stretch of service yet with what's possible because. 0:16:38.440 --> 0:16:40.920 At the moment, some people even refer to us like 0:16:41.160 --> 0:16:42.400 the Black Cocoa Meling. 0:16:43.600 --> 0:16:47.000 But you know, even with the Coco Mela franchise on, 0:16:47.120 --> 0:16:50.440 you can see how Yeah, they're available on YouTube with 0:16:50.560 --> 0:16:52.800 these guys, you can also find them on Netflix and 0:16:52.840 --> 0:16:56.040 all these other areas. And then you have your live shows, 0:16:56.160 --> 0:16:58.920 you have your merchandise that you can find it in 0:16:59.160 --> 0:17:00.240 Walmart and Target. 0:17:00.080 --> 0:17:00.840 And all of the place. 0:17:00.920 --> 0:17:03.400 Like, there's so many areas that we haven't even tapped 0:17:03.400 --> 0:17:06.240 into yet, and right now we're just on the YouTube 0:17:06.280 --> 0:17:10.280 side of things. But I see the grand scheme. Man, 0:17:10.359 --> 0:17:13.879 this can be much larger because we're we're doing something 0:17:13.880 --> 0:17:16.119 that really is resonating with the culture, and you know 0:17:16.119 --> 0:17:19.040 what I mean, that's that's big in itself, and I 0:17:19.040 --> 0:17:21.639 think that's a huge part of the success of it, honestly, 0:17:21.960 --> 0:17:25.280 is that when people view it, like, yeah, it's very simple, 0:17:25.760 --> 0:17:28.119 but at the same time, it resonates with people because 0:17:28.240 --> 0:17:34.200 it just comes across this authentic content and yeah, that's. 0:17:34.040 --> 0:17:37.200 I think that's I think there's just so much more 0:17:37.240 --> 0:17:37.920 that can be done. 0:17:38.040 --> 0:17:40.840 So I just want to continue investing into it and 0:17:40.880 --> 0:17:43.680 making sure that it reaches the potential that I know 0:17:43.880 --> 0:17:44.679 can it can have. 0:17:46.640 --> 0:17:49.800 How do you vet the opportunities that you know come 0:17:49.840 --> 0:17:51.520 to you because of the success, Like, what are the 0:17:51.520 --> 0:17:54.199 filters that you put on to make sure that what 0:17:54.280 --> 0:17:57.200 you're partnering with people on or allowing them to be 0:17:57.240 --> 0:18:00.600 in your ear about makes sense, feel man. 0:18:00.520 --> 0:18:04.080 That that's a good question question and something. 0:18:03.840 --> 0:18:06.720 We struggled with earlier on because as soon as we 0:18:06.760 --> 0:18:09.840 start to gain some traction where we're getting let's say 0:18:10.080 --> 0:18:11.720 earlier to back then when we're when we reached the 0:18:11.720 --> 0:18:13.320 point where we're able to get like a million views 0:18:13.320 --> 0:18:16.520 in a month or something, now you know it. I 0:18:16.600 --> 0:18:19.240 think the last one was like over one hundred and 0:18:19.359 --> 0:18:20.800 thirty million in a single one. 0:18:20.920 --> 0:18:23.719 But everybody up there, that's when they pop up. 0:18:23.800 --> 0:18:26.720 Yeah, so now you you getting a lot of phone 0:18:26.760 --> 0:18:29.680 calls people that you probably never would imagine you would, 0:18:30.280 --> 0:18:31.440 you know, talk. 0:18:31.320 --> 0:18:34.240 To and and. 0:18:33.160 --> 0:18:35.720 And it's really tough to really kind of weed through 0:18:35.760 --> 0:18:36.919 like Okay, it. 0:18:36.960 --> 0:18:37.880 Seems like a nice person. 0:18:37.920 --> 0:18:41.560 Oh, this guy's cool and you know, but luckily we 0:18:41.600 --> 0:18:44.680 got to a point where we got with an agency, 0:18:44.800 --> 0:18:48.960 so we're now with United Talent Agency or UTA, and 0:18:49.040 --> 0:18:52.639 those guys are taking a lot of these phone calls 0:18:52.680 --> 0:18:56.280 on our behalf and kind of narrowing down like, Okay, 0:18:56.920 --> 0:18:59.600 here's the value proposition from this person, here's the vague 0:18:59.640 --> 0:19:02.520 proposition this person, and just kind. 0:19:02.320 --> 0:19:03.720 Of weeding it out that way. 0:19:03.920 --> 0:19:06.680 But one of the biggest things for us has been 0:19:07.560 --> 0:19:12.480 being able to maintain the direction that this is going, 0:19:12.560 --> 0:19:16.800 as far as keeping it authentic, because there's we've had 0:19:16.840 --> 0:19:20.560 conversations with some some people that they made it clear 0:19:20.600 --> 0:19:23.760 that hey, like you're doing but you know, maybe we 0:19:23.760 --> 0:19:26.159 could take it this direction and do X y Z, 0:19:26.440 --> 0:19:30.399 and the direction that they were taking it. It's almost 0:19:30.480 --> 0:19:34.879 like diluting what we've created. And that's the nicest way 0:19:34.880 --> 0:19:37.240 I can put it. Yeah, like that the way we 0:19:37.840 --> 0:19:38.280 made it. 0:19:39.040 --> 0:19:40.760 Yeah, I'm not just I want you to go in there, 0:19:40.760 --> 0:19:43.800 because you know, there's when you've gotten something, you know, 0:19:43.880 --> 0:19:45.880 everybody has an idea on what you should be doing. 0:19:46.119 --> 0:19:48.560 Everybody has an idea, you know, So how do you 0:19:48.640 --> 0:19:53.640 protect your your mission because it's not just about money. 0:19:53.800 --> 0:19:55.800 Money is important, but it's not just that you're trying 0:19:55.800 --> 0:19:58.840 to solve a need in the marketplace for representation. So 0:19:58.880 --> 0:20:01.840 talk to me about how well you protect that thing 0:20:02.280 --> 0:20:04.840 in the middle of the money, in the middle of 0:20:04.880 --> 0:20:07.080 the people who are further along and want to help you, 0:20:07.160 --> 0:20:09.399 quote unquote you know, So how do you protect that? 0:20:10.640 --> 0:20:10.840 Yeah? 0:20:10.920 --> 0:20:13.880 The the I think the biggest part is being comf 0:20:14.080 --> 0:20:18.240 being comfortable with saying no, and honestly, for me that 0:20:18.240 --> 0:20:20.280 that was a struggle. Like you know, I'm I'm all. 0:20:20.440 --> 0:20:22.240 I've always been a type to try to, you know, 0:20:22.280 --> 0:20:24.760 meet people in the middle and make things work if possible. 0:20:24.760 --> 0:20:27.240 But I find myself having to say a lot of 0:20:27.280 --> 0:20:31.760 those now because people will try to sell this grand vision, 0:20:32.280 --> 0:20:36.280 but their vision is pretty much their vision in it. 0:20:36.320 --> 0:20:38.800 If if it aligns with the vision that we have, 0:20:39.200 --> 0:20:39.880 I'm all forward. 0:20:40.119 --> 0:20:43.560 But if I can see clearly like Okay, this is 0:20:43.600 --> 0:20:46.960