1
00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:03,239
Speaker 1: My next guest is on the phone. First time we've talked.

2
00:00:03,960 --> 00:00:06,840
Speaker 1: No of his work. Is a former NFL wide receiver

3
00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:11,320
Speaker 1: turned filmmaker who played for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Cincinnati Bengals,

4
00:00:11,360 --> 00:00:14,680
Speaker 1: Carolina Panthers, and the Baltimore Ravens. He retired to two

5
00:00:14,720 --> 00:00:16,799
Speaker 1: thousand and seven and moved to LA to pursue a

6
00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:19,720
Speaker 1: career in entertainment. Since then, he has going on to

7
00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:24,160
Speaker 1: direct music videos, short films, feature films, television and wealth series.

8
00:00:24,720 --> 00:00:29,400
Speaker 1: He's an NFL alum director Monkey Ball, Jim Monkey Paul

9
00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:34,199
Speaker 1: Production Films and television executive and author of When I

10
00:00:34,240 --> 00:00:36,960
Speaker 1: Just Read It last Night called hair Love. He currently

11
00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:39,400
Speaker 1: is a television executive, like I stated early with Markey

12
00:00:39,479 --> 00:00:43,440
Speaker 1: Paul Productions. Please welcome to money making conversations. My man,

13
00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:49,159
Speaker 1: Matthew A Cherry, Hey, how you doing well? You've got

14
00:00:49,159 --> 00:00:51,960
Speaker 1: a lot going on, you know, for to be a

15
00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:56,800
Speaker 1: former football player. A couple of things. You know. First

16
00:00:56,800 --> 00:00:59,680
Speaker 1: of all, you know a sport that I you know,

17
00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:04,360
Speaker 1: a sport that I would never play because physically, uh,

18
00:01:04,560 --> 00:01:07,080
Speaker 1: I don't know. I looked at it this weekend. I'm going,

19
00:01:07,360 --> 00:01:09,960
Speaker 1: how do y'all do it? So do you look back Matthew,

20
00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:12,360
Speaker 1: he go, how did I do it? Why did I

21
00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:17,160
Speaker 1: do it? I don't, No, not at all. Um, you know,

22
00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:20,360
Speaker 1: I think it's just uh, some people, you know, like

23
00:01:20,440 --> 00:01:22,200
Speaker 1: when you when you're growing up, you live in certain

24
00:01:22,280 --> 00:01:25,080
Speaker 1: environments and neighborhoods, and you know, it's kind of what

25
00:01:25,120 --> 00:01:27,560
Speaker 1: all your friends are doing, and you know, you you

26
00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:29,480
Speaker 1: want to kind of stay up the streets and make

27
00:01:29,520 --> 00:01:32,039
Speaker 1: sure that you have something else going on. And you

28
00:01:32,080 --> 00:01:35,200
Speaker 1: know football growing up in Chicago was uh what kind

29
00:01:35,200 --> 00:01:39,160
Speaker 1: of that for me? So no, not at all Chicago.

30
00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:42,480
Speaker 1: I was in Chicago. I lived in Chicago. I was

31
00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:45,160
Speaker 1: I was producing, uh that could produce a Steve Harvest

32
00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:51,800
Speaker 1: talk show from and um my man, I got closed

33
00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:55,120
Speaker 1: winter clothes, but I had to buy in Chicago that

34
00:01:55,160 --> 00:02:00,840
Speaker 1: I wear nowhere else. Hilarious. It gets pretty pretty crossed

35
00:02:00,840 --> 00:02:03,680
Speaker 1: the up there. So do you miss the code? That's

36
00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:07,600
Speaker 1: all I'm ask Do you miss the cold Chicago? My friend? No? No,

37
00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:10,840
Speaker 1: I live in l A now, so you know, don't

38
00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:13,680
Speaker 1: miss it all. So let's talk about you getting started

39
00:02:13,720 --> 00:02:16,320
Speaker 1: in this business, because, like I said, you know everybody's

40
00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:20,200
Speaker 1: stereo types individuals. You know your your football player when

41
00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:22,160
Speaker 1: you start trying to get out of that window people

42
00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:27,000
Speaker 1: can look at your life. M Why how uh is

43
00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:30,440
Speaker 1: that is that even possible? Even if I like that

44
00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:32,040
Speaker 1: to the fact that you know, I come from the

45
00:02:32,040 --> 00:02:35,440
Speaker 1: inner city, Uh, Matthew, and I my degree is in mathematics.

46
00:02:35,520 --> 00:02:37,520
Speaker 1: I wanted to be a stand up comic, and people

47
00:02:37,720 --> 00:02:40,320
Speaker 1: look at me like, okay, stand up comic. You're not

48
00:02:40,440 --> 00:02:43,799
Speaker 1: Richard pryor you're not red Box. So people always want

49
00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:45,920
Speaker 1: to block. You always tell people have to be careful

50
00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:49,480
Speaker 1: to people who who you might consider your family or

51
00:02:49,520 --> 00:02:51,760
Speaker 1: your loved ones or your best friends, because they can

52
00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:53,560
Speaker 1: be the first people to throw out the negative statements

53
00:02:53,600 --> 00:02:56,400
Speaker 1: and throw out the blocks. So so when you when

54
00:02:56,440 --> 00:03:00,000
Speaker 1: you when did you? When did you start developing these skills?

55
00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:04,160
Speaker 1: Did I did? I introduced you as directed and all

56
00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:08,639
Speaker 1: that comes into play? When do you start developing these skills? Um?

57
00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:10,560
Speaker 1: You know it was something I was always interested in,

58
00:03:10,600 --> 00:03:13,960
Speaker 1: man um. You know, probably as early as high school. UM.

59
00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:18,440
Speaker 1: I remember wanting to, uh, you know, kind of join

60
00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:20,800
Speaker 1: like the radio and the TV club that they had

61
00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:23,960
Speaker 1: and uh at my school. And you know, I major

62
00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:26,880
Speaker 1: in the radio and TV broadcasting college. So you know

63
00:03:26,960 --> 00:03:30,000
Speaker 1: I knew that I knew I always knew eventually, whenever

64
00:03:30,040 --> 00:03:33,120
Speaker 1: I got done playing sports, that you know, this would

65
00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:36,640
Speaker 1: be my kind of long term career, and it was

66
00:03:36,680 --> 00:03:39,280
Speaker 1: just kind of a matter of what the approach might be.

67
00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:43,520
Speaker 1: But yeah, I always always knew. Now that would I

68
00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:45,760
Speaker 1: say all this? So you you you're no longer player

69
00:03:45,880 --> 00:03:49,280
Speaker 1: professional football? You say you would moved to Los Angeles?

70
00:03:49,560 --> 00:03:52,600
Speaker 1: Now did you knew would established relationship or you moved

71
00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:54,680
Speaker 1: out there just to you know, you say, man, this

72
00:03:54,720 --> 00:03:56,720
Speaker 1: is where I was supposed to be. I gotta go

73
00:03:56,760 --> 00:04:00,440
Speaker 1: and get my feet wet and start making it happen. Yeah.

74
00:04:00,520 --> 00:04:03,560
Speaker 1: You know when when I was playing ball, um actually

75
00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:05,040
Speaker 1: came out to l A for the first time in

76
00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:06,880
Speaker 1: like oh five when I was with the Bengals, and

77
00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:10,480
Speaker 1: this radio personality that I worked with in Cleveland at

78
00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:13,920
Speaker 1: the radio station out there basically asked if I want

79
00:04:13,960 --> 00:04:15,600
Speaker 1: to come out for the BT wards and just kind

80
00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:16,919
Speaker 1: of hang out. And I was like, you know, this

81
00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:19,479
Speaker 1: would be a good opportunity to kind of get eyes on,

82
00:04:19,760 --> 00:04:21,520
Speaker 1: you know, the city and kind of see what it's like.

83
00:04:21,960 --> 00:04:24,240
Speaker 1: And I just love that. It was just all about production,

84
00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:26,360
Speaker 1: you know, like the coffee jobs, you got nothing but

85
00:04:26,440 --> 00:04:29,040
Speaker 1: writers and they're writing scripts uh, you know, even the

86
00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:32,000
Speaker 1: printing copy stores. You know, they're offering discounts on head

87
00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:35,320
Speaker 1: shots and script printing, and it just felt right. And

88
00:04:35,920 --> 00:04:39,400
Speaker 1: I was lucky enough to meet a person who was

89
00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:43,159
Speaker 1: a part of this program called street Lights and street License,

90
00:04:43,240 --> 00:04:46,040
Speaker 1: as nonprofit organization that kind of helps men and women

91
00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:49,039
Speaker 1: of color get jobs as production assistance in the industry,

92
00:04:49,240 --> 00:04:53,360
Speaker 1: like in mostly the commercial world, and um, basically, you know,

93
00:04:53,680 --> 00:04:56,280
Speaker 1: I met her, we vibe asked her she would kind

94
00:04:56,279 --> 00:04:58,120
Speaker 1: of put me down as a reference that she did,

95
00:04:58,440 --> 00:05:00,320
Speaker 1: and um, I applied to this program him and I

96
00:05:00,360 --> 00:05:02,159
Speaker 1: got in and so when I moved to l A,

97
00:05:02,279 --> 00:05:05,800
Speaker 1: this was kind of like the only really relationship that

98
00:05:05,839 --> 00:05:08,080
Speaker 1: I had coming out there. And I kind of came

99
00:05:08,120 --> 00:05:10,200
Speaker 1: out here knowing that I was gonna be doing this

100
00:05:10,320 --> 00:05:13,599
Speaker 1: like production assistant training program. And you know, as you know,

101
00:05:13,680 --> 00:05:16,480
Speaker 1: production assistants like you do all the hide jobs like

102
00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:19,760
Speaker 1: I know, where the moving to director's chairs, getting the

103
00:05:19,760 --> 00:05:21,920
Speaker 1: talent out the trusting room, righting in the stage like

104
00:05:22,400 --> 00:05:24,880
Speaker 1: stuff like that. But you know, it's a great opportunity

105
00:05:24,960 --> 00:05:27,680
Speaker 1: to actually physically get on set and to kind of

106
00:05:27,720 --> 00:05:30,039
Speaker 1: see what everybody does and trying to figure out what

107
00:05:30,080 --> 00:05:31,559
Speaker 1: it is that you may want to do for a living.

108
00:05:32,040 --> 00:05:34,080
Speaker 1: We know it's really important that you said that, because

109
00:05:34,400 --> 00:05:37,800
Speaker 1: you know a lot of people they have standards. You know.

110
00:05:38,279 --> 00:05:41,120
Speaker 1: I'm not gonna do that, you know, but but I

111
00:05:41,320 --> 00:05:43,960
Speaker 1: tell people when you as as a production assistant on

112
00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:47,080
Speaker 1: the set that was called p A S. And And

113
00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:49,799
Speaker 1: so you get you get to really get to really

114
00:05:49,839 --> 00:05:52,520
Speaker 1: get into some areas where you wouldn't normally get if

115
00:05:52,560 --> 00:05:56,120
Speaker 1: you were just a producer because a king, you know. Plus,

116
00:05:56,279 --> 00:05:59,600
Speaker 1: you can like get into writer's rooms, you can ask reductions,

117
00:05:59,600 --> 00:06:01,600
Speaker 1: you can you can be you can sit down next

118
00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:04,360
Speaker 1: to a director. But you have to have your game plan.

119
00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:06,880
Speaker 1: You know, you can't be annoying. You have to be

120
00:06:06,920 --> 00:06:09,440
Speaker 1: a person that doesn't look too comfortable because a lot

121
00:06:09,480 --> 00:06:11,080
Speaker 1: a lot of people want they want to just sit down,

122
00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:13,240
Speaker 1: you know. In other words, you almost got to be

123
00:06:13,279 --> 00:06:15,280
Speaker 1: just be in the back of the room and blend

124
00:06:15,360 --> 00:06:18,600
Speaker 1: in and and a lot of people don't understand that.

125
00:06:18,680 --> 00:06:21,640
Speaker 1: You always tell people in my life, I don't always

126
00:06:21,880 --> 00:06:23,640
Speaker 1: and you might be the same way with you, Matthew,

127
00:06:23,680 --> 00:06:27,200
Speaker 1: it's not about the financial opportunity. It's about the opportunity. Now,

128
00:06:27,560 --> 00:06:30,040
Speaker 1: it's what you do with that opportunity. That could lead

129
00:06:30,080 --> 00:06:33,400
Speaker 1: to a financial opportunity. And and a lot of people

130
00:06:33,600 --> 00:06:36,160
Speaker 1: understand that just getting in the door that he said

131
00:06:36,160 --> 00:06:37,840
Speaker 1: that really clear. And that's why I try to make

132
00:06:37,880 --> 00:06:40,800
Speaker 1: sure people who come on my show let them note

133
00:06:40,880 --> 00:06:44,760
Speaker 1: the end results. You know, Black Plansman is the end results. Okay.

134
00:06:45,160 --> 00:06:47,440
Speaker 1: And and plus that's not his end end I shouldn't

135
00:06:47,440 --> 00:06:50,520
Speaker 1: even say that. That's one of his accomplishments. We're all

136
00:06:50,560 --> 00:06:53,240
Speaker 1: are aware of. But before that, he was just a

137
00:06:53,279 --> 00:06:59,240
Speaker 1: b A And you know, I mean, and that's the

138
00:06:59,279 --> 00:07:02,520
Speaker 1: thing though about in It's like, you know, sometimes when

139
00:07:02,560 --> 00:07:04,520
Speaker 1: you come out there and you you kind of think

140
00:07:04,560 --> 00:07:06,680
Speaker 1: you already know what you're doing, sometimes that can hinder

141
00:07:06,720 --> 00:07:10,440
Speaker 1: you because, like you you may be closed off to

142
00:07:10,560 --> 00:07:13,400
Speaker 1: kind of all these other opportunities, you know, And being

143
00:07:13,440 --> 00:07:15,200
Speaker 1: a p A is it's such a great way to

144
00:07:15,320 --> 00:07:17,800
Speaker 1: just like literally spend a little time with every department

145
00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:19,400
Speaker 1: kind of Okay, do I want to get in hair

146
00:07:19,440 --> 00:07:21,960
Speaker 1: and makeup? Do you want to be a grip or electrician?

147
00:07:22,040 --> 00:07:23,520
Speaker 1: You know what I mean? Like you really can kind

148
00:07:23,520 --> 00:07:26,200
Speaker 1: of find your your your you know, whatever it is

149
00:07:26,240 --> 00:07:28,800
Speaker 1: that you're trying to get into long term, you know, absolutely,

150
00:07:28,880 --> 00:07:31,480
Speaker 1: So back to let's talk about hair love. Okay, um, yeah,

151
00:07:31,600 --> 00:07:33,560
Speaker 1: like I said, I know, I have a daughter, all right,

152
00:07:33,680 --> 00:07:38,120
Speaker 1: my wife. You know, uh, I've done my attempts over

153
00:07:38,160 --> 00:07:40,600
Speaker 1: the years. My daughter said, don't mess with my hair

154
00:07:40,680 --> 00:07:43,920
Speaker 1: no more, Dad, please stop. Okay, that's not what you do. Okay,

155
00:07:43,920 --> 00:07:46,120
Speaker 1: I love you, but leave my hair along. What was

156
00:07:46,160 --> 00:07:50,320
Speaker 1: the motivation behind hair love? Well, you know, it was

157
00:07:51,240 --> 00:07:53,440
Speaker 1: a couple of years ago, back in two that in seventeen.

158
00:07:54,200 --> 00:07:56,480
Speaker 1: I am you know, very very active on social media,

159
00:07:56,680 --> 00:07:59,160
Speaker 1: and I just really noticed this trend. I kept coming

160
00:07:59,200 --> 00:08:06,000
Speaker 1: across all these videos of specifically African American fathers doing

161
00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:08,560
Speaker 1: their daughter's hair, and you know, I always like trying

162
00:08:08,600 --> 00:08:10,480
Speaker 1: to share a lot of family, friend and content on

163
00:08:10,560 --> 00:08:13,360
Speaker 1: my social media, and it was I was just noticing

164
00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:16,120
Speaker 1: this trend to where every time I shared like a

165
00:08:16,200 --> 00:08:20,000
Speaker 1: video of a mom interacting with their kids, you know,

166
00:08:20,040 --> 00:08:21,440
Speaker 1: they would do well because a lot of times the

167
00:08:21,520 --> 00:08:23,560
Speaker 1: videos were cute, but it was every time it was

168
00:08:23,600 --> 00:08:26,600
Speaker 1: a black dad and a black daughter or a black

169
00:08:26,680 --> 00:08:30,760
Speaker 1: dad and their kids, period, they always just like overperformed.

170
00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:34,840
Speaker 1: And I just really just noticed, you know, it seemed

171
00:08:34,880 --> 00:08:37,120
Speaker 1: like it was kind of this double edged sword because

172
00:08:37,120 --> 00:08:39,920
Speaker 1: like obviously the videos are very cute and touching. But

173
00:08:40,679 --> 00:08:42,800
Speaker 1: I kind of learned that it was also because people

174
00:08:42,840 --> 00:08:46,320
Speaker 1: weren't used to seeing black men depicted in this light,

175
00:08:46,840 --> 00:08:48,079
Speaker 1: you know what I mean, Like, you know, we get

176
00:08:48,080 --> 00:08:50,480
Speaker 1: all these negative stereotypes in the media, like for not

177
00:08:51,400 --> 00:08:54,040
Speaker 1: around for our kids and you know, et cetera. And

178
00:08:54,080 --> 00:08:56,520
Speaker 1: so them seeing like these dads that were taking the

179
00:08:56,600 --> 00:08:58,480
Speaker 1: time to do their daughter's hair, it kind of felt

180
00:08:58,480 --> 00:09:00,720
Speaker 1: like an anomaly. And for me, like I have a

181
00:09:00,720 --> 00:09:02,000
Speaker 1: lot of I'm not a father yet, but I have

182
00:09:02,040 --> 00:09:05,040
Speaker 1: a lot of friends of a young fathers, and there's

183
00:09:05,080 --> 00:09:07,319
Speaker 1: not a nomaly to them, you know, Like rent is

184
00:09:07,400 --> 00:09:11,160
Speaker 1: expensive everywhere and often now now how times you know,

185
00:09:11,200 --> 00:09:14,199
Speaker 1: both parents have to work, and so mom gotta leave earlier,

186
00:09:14,240 --> 00:09:15,959
Speaker 1: gotta go out of town or something, you know, Dad

187
00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:18,480
Speaker 1: gotta step up going to letch kids go to school

188
00:09:18,600 --> 00:09:22,000
Speaker 1: or or wherever. Looking crazy, right, you gotta get together.

189
00:09:22,080 --> 00:09:24,480
Speaker 1: So I think that's when my daughter said, I was

190
00:09:24,760 --> 00:09:27,080
Speaker 1: I had a looking crazy there, but I did step

191
00:09:27,160 --> 00:09:29,280
Speaker 1: up though, I did step up. Bathe and Matthew, You're

192
00:09:29,280 --> 00:09:30,880
Speaker 1: gonna be right back because I want to tell you

193
00:09:30,840 --> 00:09:33,719
Speaker 1: everybody about this short film as well, which currently has

194
00:09:33,720 --> 00:09:39,000
Speaker 1: over ten million views and will release decemate fan. Wow,

195
00:09:39,320 --> 00:09:41,800
Speaker 1: right back with Morema Man Matthew H. Cherry changing the

196
00:09:41,880 --> 00:09:45,360
Speaker 1: game on how people do things and how people you

197
00:09:45,400 --> 00:09:47,000
Speaker 1: know you can do it. You know he started here

198
00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:48,680
Speaker 1: and go there. You can be here. You can be

199
00:09:49,320 --> 00:09:51,240
Speaker 1: you can make a transition life and not be afraid

200
00:09:51,280 --> 00:09:53,839
Speaker 1: to be successful someplace. We'll be right back with more

201
00:09:53,880 --> 00:09:57,719
Speaker 1: money making conversations. I just with Sean McDonald and you're

202
00:09:57,760 --> 00:10:00,560
Speaker 1: listening to money making conversations talking to a a former

203
00:10:00,760 --> 00:10:05,559
Speaker 1: NFL wide receiver. Transition made a decision. Hey, I went

204
00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:08,760
Speaker 1: to school for this, all right. We all know that

205
00:10:08,920 --> 00:10:12,160
Speaker 1: when you're dealing with athletics, there's a window, so you

206
00:10:12,280 --> 00:10:15,320
Speaker 1: have to plan for that next life. His next life

207
00:10:15,360 --> 00:10:18,240
Speaker 1: was to go to l A. Leave. You know, he

208
00:10:19,080 --> 00:10:21,240
Speaker 1: born in Chicago, so he knew about that cold weather.

209
00:10:21,280 --> 00:10:22,760
Speaker 1: So he knew there had to be an exit planning

210
00:10:22,760 --> 00:10:25,000
Speaker 1: away from that cold weather. And so he went to

211
00:10:25,400 --> 00:10:29,679
Speaker 1: l A where he still resides, and Monkey Paul Productions,

212
00:10:29,880 --> 00:10:33,760
Speaker 1: where he resides television executive. And he created this a

213
00:10:33,800 --> 00:10:36,880
Speaker 1: book called hair Love, and then the short film called

214
00:10:37,440 --> 00:10:41,520
Speaker 1: hair Love and uh. He posted it December five on

215
00:10:41,720 --> 00:10:44,800
Speaker 1: YouTube and now currently has a ten million views. I

216
00:10:44,880 --> 00:10:52,160
Speaker 1: asked you matthew A Cherry. Did you expect that? Um,

217
00:10:52,240 --> 00:10:55,240
Speaker 1: you know, I don't think you can ever predict kind

218
00:10:55,280 --> 00:10:57,280
Speaker 1: of how a thing will be received. I mean, we

219
00:10:57,320 --> 00:11:00,240
Speaker 1: had a little indication that would be well received because

220
00:11:00,280 --> 00:11:02,880
Speaker 1: we had a theatrical release in front of Angry Verse

221
00:11:02,920 --> 00:11:05,400
Speaker 1: to back in August was like August fourteen, I believe

222
00:11:05,480 --> 00:11:07,760
Speaker 1: was the date, and um, you know, got a lot

223
00:11:07,760 --> 00:11:12,040
Speaker 1: of love. It was kind of a universal, um good reception.

224
00:11:12,200 --> 00:11:15,560
Speaker 1: You know, people families of all different backgrounds and types. Uh,

225
00:11:15,559 --> 00:11:17,840
Speaker 1: it seemed like they were digging it and feeling it.

226
00:11:18,040 --> 00:11:21,080
Speaker 1: And so the thing I was most excited about when

227
00:11:21,080 --> 00:11:22,960
Speaker 1: it came to putting it online was just, you know

228
00:11:23,360 --> 00:11:26,680
Speaker 1: it getting access to audiences that you know kind of

229
00:11:26,679 --> 00:11:29,160
Speaker 1: don't have the resources to go to the movies every week,

230
00:11:29,800 --> 00:11:32,000
Speaker 1: and you know, just getting it out there even more

231
00:11:32,080 --> 00:11:35,760
Speaker 1: even internationally. And so yeah, it's been a crazy reception

232
00:11:35,880 --> 00:11:39,520
Speaker 1: for sure. Now let's talk about bringing this this project

233
00:11:39,600 --> 00:11:44,280
Speaker 1: to animation. Talk about that process. Yeah, you know, so

234
00:11:44,360 --> 00:11:47,840
Speaker 1: we did a big started campaign for it two years ago. Um,

235
00:11:47,880 --> 00:11:49,880
Speaker 1: it was kind of in part just because like this

236
00:11:50,080 --> 00:11:53,080
Speaker 1: being a medium I had never done before animation, I

237
00:11:53,160 --> 00:11:55,160
Speaker 1: knew that it would be hard for me to go

238
00:11:55,320 --> 00:11:58,000
Speaker 1: to different studios and try to pitch it out right,

239
00:11:58,200 --> 00:12:00,800
Speaker 1: you know, and especially being like a full story about

240
00:12:00,800 --> 00:12:02,760
Speaker 1: a dad doing their daughter's hair, you know, like I

241
00:12:03,240 --> 00:12:04,720
Speaker 1: knew would be something that I would have to show

242
00:12:04,720 --> 00:12:07,040
Speaker 1: people as opposed to telling them. And so he did

243
00:12:07,080 --> 00:12:09,880
Speaker 1: this Kickstarter campaign and it just took off like crazy,

244
00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:13,120
Speaker 1: Like we ended up raising the a three hundred thousand

245
00:12:13,120 --> 00:12:16,800
Speaker 1: dollars in thirty days. Our initial goal was seventy five,

246
00:12:17,120 --> 00:12:18,880
Speaker 1: you know, and we kind of blew past that goal

247
00:12:19,120 --> 00:12:21,800
Speaker 1: and it was just insane. You know. We end up

248
00:12:21,800 --> 00:12:25,240
Speaker 1: getting a book deal through our Kickstarter campaign through a

249
00:12:25,280 --> 00:12:29,120
Speaker 1: Penguin Random House, and you know, really we're just about

250
00:12:29,280 --> 00:12:32,400
Speaker 1: putting a really great team together, so you know, an

251
00:12:32,440 --> 00:12:35,200
Speaker 1: animation as you may. And I know, like it's not

252
00:12:35,320 --> 00:12:39,960
Speaker 1: the most diverse field and entertainment, you know what I mean.

253
00:12:40,160 --> 00:12:43,360
Speaker 1: And he really knew of two or three people of

254
00:12:43,480 --> 00:12:47,400
Speaker 1: color or black people specifically that we're working in the field,

255
00:12:47,600 --> 00:12:49,960
Speaker 1: and because it centered on the black dad and black father,

256
00:12:50,040 --> 00:12:52,199
Speaker 1: I thought it would be really important to try to

257
00:12:52,240 --> 00:12:54,559
Speaker 1: get as many people you know or black in that

258
00:12:54,640 --> 00:12:57,280
Speaker 1: field kind of involved with the project. So one of

259
00:12:57,320 --> 00:12:59,920
Speaker 1: the first people I reached out to, Peter Ramsey was

260
00:13:00,040 --> 00:13:02,199
Speaker 1: one of the co directors on Into the Spider Verse,

261
00:13:02,240 --> 00:13:05,280
Speaker 1: which when the Oscar last year. And then the other

262
00:13:05,480 --> 00:13:09,199
Speaker 1: black animator named Frank Abney who worked at Pixar and

263
00:13:09,559 --> 00:13:12,680
Speaker 1: you know, long story short, you know, looking at different

264
00:13:12,720 --> 00:13:15,600
Speaker 1: places where to get to get the short done. Um,

265
00:13:15,800 --> 00:13:19,960
Speaker 1: we end up getting this relationship with Karen Tolliver at

266
00:13:19,960 --> 00:13:22,360
Speaker 1: the time was working at Fox, who ended up moving

267
00:13:22,360 --> 00:13:25,560
Speaker 1: over to Sony and she you know, eventually it was

268
00:13:25,600 --> 00:13:28,199
Speaker 1: a very organic like we're just working on it, working

269
00:13:28,200 --> 00:13:31,600
Speaker 1: on the characters, developing it, and eventually, uh, you know,

270
00:13:31,720 --> 00:13:34,920
Speaker 1: Sony ended up just really being helpful and ended up

271
00:13:35,640 --> 00:13:38,760
Speaker 1: distributing the film in front of Angie Birds too, and

272
00:13:38,760 --> 00:13:42,000
Speaker 1: then now they're kind of helping us with our Oscar campaign. Cool.

273
00:13:42,280 --> 00:13:45,719
Speaker 1: This is uh, this is really this is really special. Congratulations.

274
00:13:45,800 --> 00:13:48,840
Speaker 1: I'm talking to Matthew A. Cherry. His project Hair Love

275
00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:51,600
Speaker 1: is an animated short film about an African American father

276
00:13:51,679 --> 00:13:54,480
Speaker 1: trying to do his daughter's hair for the first time.

277
00:13:54,840 --> 00:13:58,000
Speaker 1: And it plays out now it ended the video. You know,

278
00:13:58,040 --> 00:14:02,640
Speaker 1: we we I wanted to that's the mom, that's the

279
00:14:02,679 --> 00:14:05,720
Speaker 1: mom character, that's and that that that that has no

280
00:14:05,840 --> 00:14:08,520
Speaker 1: hair and I think that and that plays an important

281
00:14:08,640 --> 00:14:12,360
Speaker 1: role and why was that? Why why would that part

282
00:14:12,400 --> 00:14:16,400
Speaker 1: of the story. Um, you know, it really was just

283
00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:18,960
Speaker 1: about kind of character development. You know, like you have

284
00:14:19,040 --> 00:14:21,240
Speaker 1: this young girl who obviously has growing up with her

285
00:14:21,240 --> 00:14:24,960
Speaker 1: mom being this really popular and natural hair blogger, and

286
00:14:25,040 --> 00:14:28,720
Speaker 1: now she's waking up knowing the special day and you

287
00:14:28,760 --> 00:14:30,800
Speaker 1: know it's like kind of the one thing that she

288
00:14:30,840 --> 00:14:32,560
Speaker 1: can't do on her own. You know, we try to

289
00:14:32,640 --> 00:14:34,440
Speaker 1: establish her like she's able to get up and get

290
00:14:34,520 --> 00:14:37,480
Speaker 1: dressed and um, you know, get you know, kind of

291
00:14:37,640 --> 00:14:40,080
Speaker 1: get her day started, but the one thing she can't

292
00:14:40,080 --> 00:14:42,080
Speaker 1: do was her hair, and she has to enlist her father.

293
00:14:42,600 --> 00:14:44,880
Speaker 1: And for me, it was just really about like what

294
00:14:44,960 --> 00:14:47,720
Speaker 1: would be the most touching kind of gesture that this

295
00:14:47,840 --> 00:14:50,440
Speaker 1: young girl who knows how about her mom's hair meant

296
00:14:50,440 --> 00:14:52,360
Speaker 1: to her to you when they're going to pick her

297
00:14:52,400 --> 00:14:55,360
Speaker 1: up in the hospital, and the act of her getting

298
00:14:55,400 --> 00:14:58,200
Speaker 1: her dad to do her hair in the style that

299
00:14:58,320 --> 00:15:00,200
Speaker 1: you know she really liked that her mom did are

300
00:15:00,560 --> 00:15:05,000
Speaker 1: and also presenting that picture that showed that you know,

301
00:15:05,080 --> 00:15:07,400
Speaker 1: no matter what, whether you have hair you don't have hair,

302
00:15:07,440 --> 00:15:09,760
Speaker 1: I still see you as a queen. Um, you know,

303
00:15:09,800 --> 00:15:12,360
Speaker 1: because it's it's a real thing, you know, like you

304
00:15:12,400 --> 00:15:15,520
Speaker 1: know when black women, you know, get I'm getting sick

305
00:15:15,520 --> 00:15:17,800
Speaker 1: and lose your hair, like it's a really big thing

306
00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:19,440
Speaker 1: that you know, a lot of people tend to be

307
00:15:19,480 --> 00:15:22,080
Speaker 1: so conscious about, and we just wanted to show that

308
00:15:22,200 --> 00:15:24,280
Speaker 1: kind of regardless of whether you have nastural hair, your

309
00:15:24,280 --> 00:15:26,160
Speaker 1: hair was straighte, you didn't have hair at all, that

310
00:15:26,640 --> 00:15:29,320
Speaker 1: you know, you're still beautiful and you know, kind of

311
00:15:29,360 --> 00:15:32,160
Speaker 1: doing that through the daughter. Excellent work man. The animation

312
00:15:32,240 --> 00:15:36,880
Speaker 1: is very clean, very clean. Uh. The story is uh

313
00:15:37,800 --> 00:15:43,000
Speaker 1: is funny, it's uh, it's engaging. It feels real when

314
00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:45,200
Speaker 1: the when the father looks across and sees all of

315
00:15:45,200 --> 00:15:48,200
Speaker 1: those those hair care products on that chair from the bathroom.

316
00:15:48,760 --> 00:15:51,440
Speaker 1: You know, you know, as a as a father who

317
00:15:51,880 --> 00:15:54,000
Speaker 1: you know, who makes that attempt for the very first time.

318
00:15:54,280 --> 00:15:57,600
Speaker 1: It probably it's five times that you know, because you

319
00:15:57,720 --> 00:15:59,160
Speaker 1: just don't know what to do, You don't know what

320
00:15:59,240 --> 00:16:01,800
Speaker 1: step to goal, and your daughters looking at it, you're

321
00:16:01,840 --> 00:16:04,120
Speaker 1: going they know you don't know. First of all, they

322
00:16:04,120 --> 00:16:07,960
Speaker 1: know they're going they know confusion, okay, and and they

323
00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:10,000
Speaker 1: start questioning you because for the first time in your

324
00:16:10,040 --> 00:16:12,400
Speaker 1: life as a father who's making an attempt to do

325
00:16:12,440 --> 00:16:16,560
Speaker 1: that you're not very confident in your effort, that company effort.

326
00:16:16,720 --> 00:16:18,560
Speaker 1: And so so when I look at this man, first

327
00:16:18,560 --> 00:16:20,640
Speaker 1: of all, I just want to say congratulations because you

328
00:16:21,160 --> 00:16:25,480
Speaker 1: because what you're doing is first of all been being

329
00:16:25,560 --> 00:16:29,560
Speaker 1: the transition to be to reinvent yourself and and and

330
00:16:29,680 --> 00:16:32,160
Speaker 1: to do the project like this, that is that is

331
00:16:32,200 --> 00:16:36,200
Speaker 1: being just being considered for awards, That is being uh,

332
00:16:36,360 --> 00:16:39,120
Speaker 1: like you said, translating and making people feel they can

333
00:16:39,160 --> 00:16:42,280
Speaker 1: do this too. Just just a simple concept that's turning

334
00:16:42,280 --> 00:16:44,360
Speaker 1: their heads out there. But you tie to one of

335
00:16:44,400 --> 00:16:47,720
Speaker 1: the most popular production companies in the world, Monkey part

336
00:16:47,720 --> 00:16:50,480
Speaker 1: of the Monkey Paul Production, which is Jordan Peel's production

337
00:16:50,480 --> 00:16:55,080
Speaker 1: company US get Out Twilight Zone. You've been up, You've

338
00:16:55,120 --> 00:16:59,480
Speaker 1: worked on the now Academy nominated project h Black Klansmen.

339
00:17:00,240 --> 00:17:03,120
Speaker 1: What what do you want to do? What is your goal?

340
00:17:03,280 --> 00:17:06,359
Speaker 1: You know we started we was a former NFL football player,

341
00:17:06,400 --> 00:17:08,360
Speaker 1: was a former p A. Now you got this high

342
00:17:08,400 --> 00:17:11,720
Speaker 1: animated project out there. You've executive produced The Black Plansman.

343
00:17:12,320 --> 00:17:15,480
Speaker 1: What do you want to do? My friend? Um, you

344
00:17:15,520 --> 00:17:17,240
Speaker 1: know I'm kind of doing it now. You know, it's

345
00:17:17,280 --> 00:17:20,080
Speaker 1: just uh for me and just continuing to create projects

346
00:17:20,080 --> 00:17:23,119
Speaker 1: that kind of elevates and humanize black people, you know.

347
00:17:23,320 --> 00:17:27,280
Speaker 1: Um be that in any medium, be the animated, live action,

348
00:17:27,400 --> 00:17:31,520
Speaker 1: TV or film. Um, you know, I'm directing television now too.

349
00:17:31,600 --> 00:17:34,359
Speaker 1: So I just did an episode of Blackish. I'll be

350
00:17:34,400 --> 00:17:38,000
Speaker 1: coming out around Valentine's Day, this big book, a big

351
00:17:38,040 --> 00:17:40,960
Speaker 1: movie that hasn't been announced yet, but I'm I'm excited

352
00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:43,320
Speaker 1: about and uh, you know, trying to figure out a

353
00:17:43,359 --> 00:17:46,320
Speaker 1: live acting feature as well. So you know, just continue

354
00:17:46,359 --> 00:17:49,560
Speaker 1: to working, trying to reinvent myself. Man, that that's really

355
00:17:49,640 --> 00:17:53,760
Speaker 1: the goal and the dream now, the dream that the

356
00:17:53,840 --> 00:17:57,640
Speaker 1: last o G that's you. Yeah. Yeah, I was a

357
00:17:57,640 --> 00:18:03,280
Speaker 1: co producer and director on the show too. So yeah, Matthew, Matthew,

358
00:18:03,280 --> 00:18:06,359
Speaker 1: you need to stop being humble. There's a humble interview. Matthew.

359
00:18:06,359 --> 00:18:10,160
Speaker 1: You there's a humble interview. You know, you know you

360
00:18:09,600 --> 00:18:13,800
Speaker 1: you got it going on, my man. You know govern

361
00:18:14,160 --> 00:18:16,359
Speaker 1: the reason I say that because you know, I'm Hollywood.

362
00:18:16,560 --> 00:18:20,520
Speaker 1: I went out to Hollywood, I know, you know when

363
00:18:20,560 --> 00:18:23,240
Speaker 1: they buried all the sitcoms on w B and U

364
00:18:23,280 --> 00:18:25,760
Speaker 1: p N. You know what I'm saying, where as used

365
00:18:25,800 --> 00:18:29,920
Speaker 1: as a starter started kits and when I see you're

366
00:18:29,960 --> 00:18:32,960
Speaker 1: in a you're in a a guy, your talents are?

367
00:18:33,760 --> 00:18:36,360
Speaker 1: Is that Hollywood at a good time? You know, well,

368
00:18:36,400 --> 00:18:39,159
Speaker 1: we can start telling our stories. When I look on

369
00:18:39,320 --> 00:18:42,000
Speaker 1: when I look at TV commercials, I see I see

370
00:18:42,000 --> 00:18:49,000
Speaker 1: interracial people on TV dating, buying insurance together, buying cars together.

371
00:18:49,040 --> 00:18:51,160
Speaker 1: Where only a couple of years ago, when a little

372
00:18:51,160 --> 00:18:53,520
Speaker 1: black girl mixed or a black girl went in the

373
00:18:53,760 --> 00:18:56,440
Speaker 1: room for cheerio, they wanted to shut down cheerios. You

374
00:18:56,480 --> 00:18:58,720
Speaker 1: know what I'm saying, that ain't that far from that.

375
00:18:59,040 --> 00:19:00,680
Speaker 1: And to be able to just stories that are being

376
00:19:00,680 --> 00:19:03,320
Speaker 1: told are able dune And if you hear this here,

377
00:19:03,359 --> 00:19:06,480
Speaker 1: this right here, you're saying, you're comfortably saying I want

378
00:19:06,480 --> 00:19:10,920
Speaker 1: to tell African American stories because you know, now there's

379
00:19:10,920 --> 00:19:14,000
Speaker 1: a demand or need, our requests for that type of

380
00:19:14,040 --> 00:19:18,120
Speaker 1: confidence that has to make you feel good. Yeah, man,

381
00:19:18,200 --> 00:19:20,199
Speaker 1: I mean I think you know nowadays, like you know

382
00:19:20,240 --> 00:19:21,639
Speaker 1: you're talking about back in the day with like the

383
00:19:21,680 --> 00:19:24,360
Speaker 1: c W and the w B and UPN and all that,

384
00:19:24,440 --> 00:19:28,040
Speaker 1: Like you know, now there's so many more networks from

385
00:19:28,040 --> 00:19:31,280
Speaker 1: places that are doing original content. So you know, it's

386
00:19:31,320 --> 00:19:33,600
Speaker 1: just kind of like a byproduct of that, like the

387
00:19:33,680 --> 00:19:36,800
Speaker 1: more outlets that need content, you know, the more opportunities

388
00:19:36,840 --> 00:19:39,479
Speaker 1: that you know, black creators and creators of color are

389
00:19:39,480 --> 00:19:41,479
Speaker 1: going to have to be able to tell their stories

390
00:19:41,520 --> 00:19:43,840
Speaker 1: and you know, hopefully do them in a in a

391
00:19:43,880 --> 00:19:45,880
Speaker 1: good way that you know it makes their people look good.

392
00:19:45,960 --> 00:19:48,320
Speaker 1: So you know, I just want to continue that. You know,

393
00:19:48,320 --> 00:19:51,480
Speaker 1: people like Aba du Renee and Jordan's and very James,

394
00:19:51,560 --> 00:19:54,280
Speaker 1: you know, are all kind of been mentors to me

395
00:19:54,359 --> 00:19:57,840
Speaker 1: and people who are really uh just admire and want

396
00:19:57,840 --> 00:20:01,360
Speaker 1: to follow in their footsteps. So well, I'm telling something

397
00:20:01,440 --> 00:20:04,639
Speaker 1: you did. You are a special talent if I can

398
00:20:04,680 --> 00:20:07,520
Speaker 1: compliment you in that manner and you accepted. My wife

399
00:20:07,560 --> 00:20:09,240
Speaker 1: Alwa tells me, I don't know how to say thank

400
00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:12,000
Speaker 1: you when people compliment me because of the fact that

401
00:20:12,240 --> 00:20:13,560
Speaker 1: some of the things I'm just doing what I love

402
00:20:13,640 --> 00:20:16,159
Speaker 1: to do and you're doing what you love to do.

403
00:20:16,240 --> 00:20:18,320
Speaker 1: Sometimes you don't understand that what you what you have

404
00:20:18,359 --> 00:20:21,719
Speaker 1: a unique talent and you're accomplishing things that are not normal,

405
00:20:22,240 --> 00:20:25,240
Speaker 1: And I just I feel fortunate. Did you call my

406
00:20:25,280 --> 00:20:27,879
Speaker 1: show so I can share your story and knowing the

407
00:20:27,920 --> 00:20:30,040
Speaker 1: future when that big movie come out that you can't

408
00:20:30,040 --> 00:20:32,400
Speaker 1: say right now? Did you come back on money making

409
00:20:32,440 --> 00:20:35,080
Speaker 1: conversation so we can talk about that too, Okay, yeah,

410
00:20:35,119 --> 00:20:38,399
Speaker 1: no man, you know you got me. Man, it's a

411
00:20:38,560 --> 00:20:40,560
Speaker 1: good I appreciate your Matthew A Cherry