WEBVTT - Matthew A. Cherry Full Interview 0:00:00.120 --> 0:00:03.239 My next guest is on the phone. First time we've talked. 0:00:03.960 --> 0:00:06.840 No of his work. Is a former NFL wide receiver 0:00:06.960 --> 0:00:11.320 turned filmmaker who played for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Cincinnati Bengals, 0:00:11.360 --> 0:00:14.680 Carolina Panthers, and the Baltimore Ravens. He retired to two 0:00:14.720 --> 0:00:16.799 thousand and seven and moved to LA to pursue a 0:00:16.840 --> 0:00:19.720 career in entertainment. Since then, he has going on to 0:00:19.800 --> 0:00:24.160 direct music videos, short films, feature films, television and wealth series. 0:00:24.720 --> 0:00:29.400 He's an NFL alum director Monkey Ball, Jim Monkey Paul 0:00:29.640 --> 0:00:34.199 Production Films and television executive and author of When I 0:00:34.240 --> 0:00:36.960 Just Read It last Night called hair Love. He currently 0:00:36.960 --> 0:00:39.400 is a television executive, like I stated early with Markey 0:00:39.479 --> 0:00:43.440 Paul Productions. Please welcome to money making conversations. My man, 0:00:43.800 --> 0:00:49.159 Matthew A Cherry, Hey, how you doing well? You've got 0:00:49.159 --> 0:00:51.960 a lot going on, you know, for to be a 0:00:52.000 --> 0:00:56.800 former football player. A couple of things. You know. First 0:00:56.800 --> 0:00:59.680 of all, you know a sport that I you know, 0:01:00.040 --> 0:01:04.360 a sport that I would never play because physically, uh, 0:01:04.560 --> 0:01:07.080 I don't know. I looked at it this weekend. I'm going, 0:01:07.360 --> 0:01:09.960 how do y'all do it? So do you look back Matthew, 0:01:10.000 --> 0:01:12.360 he go, how did I do it? Why did I 0:01:12.400 --> 0:01:17.160 do it? I don't, No, not at all. Um, you know, 0:01:17.240 --> 0:01:20.360 I think it's just uh, some people, you know, like 0:01:20.440 --> 0:01:22.200 when you when you're growing up, you live in certain 0:01:22.280 --> 0:01:25.080 environments and neighborhoods, and you know, it's kind of what 0:01:25.120 --> 0:01:27.560 all your friends are doing, and you know, you you 0:01:27.560 --> 0:01:29.480 want to kind of stay up the streets and make 0:01:29.520 --> 0:01:32.039 sure that you have something else going on. And you 0:01:32.080 --> 0:01:35.200 know football growing up in Chicago was uh what kind 0:01:35.200 --> 0:01:39.160 of that for me? So no, not at all Chicago. 0:01:39.720 --> 0:01:42.480 I was in Chicago. I lived in Chicago. I was 0:01:42.560 --> 0:01:45.160 I was producing, uh that could produce a Steve Harvest 0:01:45.200 --> 0:01:51.800 talk show from and um my man, I got closed 0:01:51.880 --> 0:01:55.120 winter clothes, but I had to buy in Chicago that 0:01:55.160 --> 0:02:00.840 I wear nowhere else. Hilarious. It gets pretty pretty crossed 0:02:00.840 --> 0:02:03.680 the up there. So do you miss the code? That's 0:02:03.680 --> 0:02:07.600 all I'm ask Do you miss the cold Chicago? My friend? No? No, 0:02:07.640 --> 0:02:10.840 I live in l A now, so you know, don't 0:02:10.840 --> 0:02:13.680 miss it all. So let's talk about you getting started 0:02:13.720 --> 0:02:16.320 in this business, because, like I said, you know everybody's 0:02:16.320 --> 0:02:20.200 stereo types individuals. You know your your football player when 0:02:20.240 --> 0:02:22.160 you start trying to get out of that window people 0:02:22.160 --> 0:02:27.000 can look at your life. M Why how uh is 0:02:27.000 --> 0:02:30.440 that is that even possible? Even if I like that 0:02:30.520 --> 0:02:32.040 to the fact that you know, I come from the 0:02:32.040 --> 0:02:35.440 inner city, Uh, Matthew, and I my degree is in mathematics. 0:02:35.520 --> 0:02:37.520 I wanted to be a stand up comic, and people 0:02:37.720 --> 0:02:40.320 look at me like, okay, stand up comic. You're not 0:02:40.440 --> 0:02:43.799 Richard pryor you're not red Box. So people always want 0:02:43.800 --> 0:02:45.920 to block. You always tell people have to be careful 0:02:45.960 --> 0:02:49.480 to people who who you might consider your family or 0:02:49.520 --> 0:02:51.760 your loved ones or your best friends, because they can 0:02:51.760 --> 0:02:53.560 be the first people to throw out the negative statements 0:02:53.600 --> 0:02:56.400 and throw out the blocks. So so when you when 0:02:56.440 --> 0:03:00.000 you when did you? When did you start developing these skills? 0:03:00.320 --> 0:03:04.160 Did I did? I introduced you as directed and all 0:03:04.200 --> 0:03:08.639 that comes into play? When do you start developing these skills? Um? 0:03:08.680 --> 0:03:10.560 You know it was something I was always interested in, 0:03:10.600 --> 0:03:13.960 man um. You know, probably as early as high school. UM. 0:03:14.480 --> 0:03:18.440 I remember wanting to, uh, you know, kind of join 0:03:18.560 --> 0:03:20.800 like the radio and the TV club that they had 0:03:20.880 --> 0:03:23.960 and uh at my school. And you know, I major 0:03:24.000 --> 0:03:26.880 in the radio and TV broadcasting college. So you know 0:03:26.960 --> 0:03:30.000 I knew that I knew I always knew eventually, whenever 0:03:30.040 --> 0:03:33.120 I got done playing sports, that you know, this would 0:03:33.200 --> 0:03:36.640 be my kind of long term career, and it was 0:03:36.680 --> 0:03:39.280 just kind of a matter of what the approach might be. 0:03:39.400 --> 0:03:43.520 But yeah, I always always knew. Now that would I 0:03:43.560 --> 0:03:45.760 say all this? So you you you're no longer player 0:03:45.880 --> 0:03:49.280 professional football? You say you would moved to Los Angeles? 0:03:49.560 --> 0:03:52.600 Now did you knew would established relationship or you moved 0:03:52.600 --> 0:03:54.680 out there just to you know, you say, man, this 0:03:54.720 --> 0:03:56.720 is where I was supposed to be. I gotta go 0:03:56.760 --> 0:04:00.440 and get my feet wet and start making it happen. Yeah. 0:04:00.520 --> 0:04:03.560 You know when when I was playing ball, um actually 0:04:03.640 --> 0:04:05.040 came out to l A for the first time in 0:04:05.120 --> 0:04:06.880 like oh five when I was with the Bengals, and 0:04:07.600 --> 0:04:10.480 this radio personality that I worked with in Cleveland at 0:04:10.480 --> 0:04:13.920 the radio station out there basically asked if I want 0:04:13.960 --> 0:04:15.600 to come out for the BT wards and just kind 0:04:15.600 --> 0:04:16.919 of hang out. And I was like, you know, this 0:04:16.920 --> 0:04:19.479 would be a good opportunity to kind of get eyes on, 0:04:19.760 --> 0:04:21.520 you know, the city and kind of see what it's like. 0:04:21.960 --> 0:04:24.240 And I just love that. It was just all about production, 0:04:24.320 --> 0:04:26.360 you know, like the coffee jobs, you got nothing but 0:04:26.440 --> 0:04:29.040 writers and they're writing scripts uh, you know, even the 0:04:29.080 --> 0:04:32.000 printing copy stores. You know, they're offering discounts on head 0:04:32.000 --> 0:04:35.320 shots and script printing, and it just felt right. And 0:04:35.920 --> 0:04:39.400 I was lucky enough to meet a person who was 0:04:39.440 --> 0:04:43.159 a part of this program called street Lights and street License, 0:04:43.240 --> 0:04:46.040 as nonprofit organization that kind of helps men and women 0:04:46.040 --> 0:04:49.039 of color get jobs as production assistance in the industry, 0:04:49.240 --> 0:04:53.360 like in mostly the commercial world, and um, basically, you know, 0:04:53.680 --> 0:04:56.280 I met her, we vibe asked her she would kind 0:04:56.279 --> 0:04:58.120 of put me down as a reference that she did, 0:04:58.440 --> 0:05:00.320 and um, I applied to this program him and I 0:05:00.360 --> 0:05:02.159 got in and so when I moved to l A, 0:05:02.279 --> 0:05:05.800 this was kind of like the only really relationship that 0:05:05.839 --> 0:05:08.080 I had coming out there. And I kind of came 0:05:08.120 --> 0:05:10.200 out here knowing that I was gonna be doing this 0:05:10.320 --> 0:05:13.599 like production assistant training program. And you know, as you know, 0:05:13.680 --> 0:05:16.480 production assistants like you do all the hide jobs like 0:05:17.080 --> 0:05:19.760 I know, where the moving to director's chairs, getting the 0:05:19.760 --> 0:05:21.920 talent out the trusting room, righting in the stage like 0:05:22.400 --> 0:05:24.880 stuff like that. But you know, it's a great opportunity 0:05:24.960 --> 0:05:27.680 to actually physically get on set and to kind of 0:05:27.720 --> 0:05:30.039 see what everybody does and trying to figure out what 0:05:30.080 --> 0:05:31.559 it is that you may want to do for a living. 0:05:32.040 --> 0:05:34.080 We know it's really important that you said that, because 0:05:34.400 --> 0:05:37.800 you know a lot of people they have standards. You know. 0:05:38.279 --> 0:05:41.120 I'm not gonna do that, you know, but but I 0:05:41.320 --> 0:05:43.960 tell people when you as as a production assistant on 0:05:44.000 --> 0:05:47.080 the set that was called p A S. And And 0:05:47.160 --> 0:05:49.799 so you get you get to really get to really 0:05:49.839 --> 0:05:52.520 get into some areas where you wouldn't normally get if 0:05:52.560 --> 0:05:56.120 you were just a producer because a king, you know. Plus, 0:05:56.279 --> 0:05:59.600 you can like get into writer's rooms, you can ask reductions, 0:05:59.600 --> 0:06:01.600 you can you can be you can sit down next 0:06:01.640 --> 0:06:04.360 to a director. But you have to have your game plan. 0:06:04.680 --> 0:06:06.880 You know, you can't be annoying. You have to be 0:06:06.920 --> 0:06:09.440 a person that doesn't look too comfortable because a lot 0:06:09.480 --> 0:06:11.080 a lot of people want they want to just sit down, 0:06:11.360 --> 0:06:13.240 you know. In other words, you almost got to be 0:06:13.279 --> 0:06:15.280 just be in the back of the room and blend 0:06:15.360 --> 0:06:18.600 in and and a lot of people don't understand that. 0:06:18.680 --> 0:06:21.640 You always tell people in my life, I don't always 0:06:21.880 --> 0:06:23.640 and you might be the same way with you, Matthew, 0:06:23.680 --> 0:06:27.200 it's not about the financial opportunity. It's about the opportunity. Now, 0:06:27.560 --> 0:06:30.040 it's what you do with that opportunity. That could lead 0:06:30.080 --> 0:06:33.400 to a financial opportunity. And and a lot of people 0:06:33.600 --> 0:06:36.160 understand that just getting in the door that he said 0:06:36.160 --> 0:06:37.840 that really clear. And that's why I try to make 0:06:37.880 --> 0:06:40.800 sure people who come on my show let them note 0:06:40.880 --> 0:06:44.760 the end results. You know, Black Plansman is the end results. Okay. 0:06:45.160 --> 0:06:47.440 And and plus that's not his end end I shouldn't 0:06:47.440 --> 0:06:50.520 even say that. That's one of his accomplishments. We're all 0:06:50.560 --> 0:06:53.240 are aware of. But before that, he was just a 0:06:53.279 --> 0:06:59.240 b A And you know, I mean, and that's the 0:06:59.279 --> 0:07:02.520 thing though about in It's like, you know, sometimes when 0:07:02.560 --> 0:07:04.520 you come out there and you you kind of think 0:07:04.560 --> 0:07:06.680 you already know what you're doing, sometimes that can hinder 0:07:06.720 --> 0:07:10.440 you because, like you you may be closed off to 0:07:10.560 --> 0:07:13.400 kind of all these other opportunities, you know, And being 0:07:13.440 --> 0:07:15.200 a p A is it's such a great way to 0:07:15.320 --> 0:07:17.800 just like literally spend a little time with every department 0:07:18.040 --> 0:07:19.400 kind of Okay, do I want to get in hair 0:07:19.440 --> 0:07:21.960 and makeup? Do you want to be a grip or electrician? 0:07:22.040 --> 0:07:23.520 You know what I mean? Like you really can kind 0:07:23.520 --> 0:07:26.200 of find your your your you know, whatever it is 0:07:26.240 --> 0:07:28.800 that you're trying to get into long term, you know, absolutely, 0:07:28.880 --> 0:07:31.480 So back to let's talk about hair love. Okay, um, yeah, 0:07:31.600 --> 0:07:33.560 like I said, I know, I have a daughter, all right, 0:07:33.680 --> 0:07:38.120 my wife. You know, uh, I've done my attempts over 0:07:38.160 --> 0:07:40.600 the years. My daughter said, don't mess with my hair 0:07:40.680 --> 0:07:43.920 no more, Dad, please stop. Okay, that's not what you do. Okay, 0:07:43.920 --> 0:07:46.120 I love you, but leave my hair along. What was 0:07:46.160 --> 0:07:50.320 the motivation behind hair love? Well, you know, it was 0:07:51.240 --> 0:07:53.440 a couple of years ago, back in two that in seventeen. 0:07:54.200 --> 0:07:56.480 I am you know, very very active on social media, 0:07:56.680 --> 0:07:59.160 and I just really noticed this trend. I kept coming 0:07:59.200 --> 0:08:06.000 across all these videos of specifically African American fathers doing 0:08:06.000 --> 0:08:08.560 their daughter's hair, and you know, I always like trying 0:08:08.600 --> 0:08:10.480 to share a lot of family, friend and content on 0:08:10.560 --> 0:08:13.360 my social media, and it was I was just noticing 0:08:13.360 --> 0:08:16.120 this trend to where every time I shared like a 0:08:16.200 --> 0:08:20.000 video of a mom interacting with their kids, you know, 0:08:20.040 --> 0:08:21.440 they would do well because a lot of times the 0:08:21.520 --> 0:08:23.560 videos were cute, but it was every time it was 0:08:23.600 --> 0:08:26.600 a black dad and a black daughter or a black 0:08:26.680 --> 0:08:30.760 dad and their kids, period, they always just like overperformed. 0:08:30.960 --> 0:08:34.840 And I just really just noticed, you know, it seemed 0:08:34.880 --> 0:08:37.120 like it was kind of this double edged sword because 0:08:37.120 --> 0:08:39.920 like obviously the videos are very cute and touching. But 0:08:40.679 --> 0:08:42.800 I kind of learned that it was also because people 0:08:42.840 --> 0:08:46.320 weren't used to seeing black men depicted in this light, 0:08:46.840 --> 0:08:48.079 you know what I mean, Like, you know, we get 0:08:48.080 --> 0:08:50.480 all these negative stereotypes in the media, like for not 0:08:51.400 --> 0:08:54.040 around for our kids and you know, et cetera. And 0:08:54.080 --> 0:08:56.520 so them seeing like these dads that were taking the 0:08:56.600 --> 0:08:58.480 time to do their daughter's hair, it kind of felt 0:08:58.480 --> 0:09:00.720 like an anomaly. And for me, like I have a 0:09:00.720 --> 0:09:02.000 lot of I'm not a father yet, but I have 0:09:02.040 --> 0:09:05.040 a lot of friends of a young fathers, and there's 0:09:05.080 --> 0:09:07.319 not a nomaly to them, you know, Like rent is 0:09:07.400 --> 0:09:11.160 expensive everywhere and often now now how times you know, 0:09:11.200 --> 0:09:14.199 both parents have to work, and so mom gotta leave earlier, 0:09:14.240 --> 0:09:15.959 gotta go out of town or something, you know, Dad 0:09:16.000 --> 0:09:18.480 gotta step up going to letch kids go to school 0:09:18.600 --> 0:09:22.000 or or wherever. Looking crazy, right, you gotta get together. 0:09:22.080 --> 0:09:24.480 So I think that's when my daughter said, I was 0:09:24.760 --> 0:09:27.080 I had a looking crazy there, but I did step 0:09:27.160 --> 0:09:29.280 up though, I did step up. Bathe and Matthew, You're 0:09:29.280 --> 0:09:30.880 gonna be right back because I want to tell you 0:09:30.840 --> 0:09:33.719 everybody about this short film as well, which currently has 0:09:33.720 --> 0:09:39.000 over ten million views and will release decemate fan. Wow, 0:09:39.320 --> 0:09:41.800 right back with Morema Man Matthew H. Cherry changing the 0:09:41.880 --> 0:09:45.360 game on how people do things and how people you 0:09:45.400 --> 0:09:47.000 know you can do it. You know he started here 0:09:47.000 --> 0:09:48.680 and go there. You can be here. You can be 0:09:49.320 --> 0:09:51.240 you can make a transition life and not be afraid 0:09:51.280 --> 0:09:53.839 to be successful someplace. We'll be right back with more 0:09:53.880 --> 0:09:57.719 money making conversations. I just with Sean McDonald and you're 0:09:57.760 --> 0:10:00.560 listening to money making conversations talking to a a former 0:10:00.760 --> 0:10:05.559 NFL wide receiver. Transition made a decision. Hey, I went 0:10:05.600 --> 0:10:08.760 to school for this, all right. We all know that 0:10:08.920 --> 0:10:12.160 when you're dealing with athletics, there's a window, so you 0:10:12.280 --> 0:10:15.320 have to plan for that next life. His next life 0:10:15.360 --> 0:10:18.240 was to go to l A. Leave. You know, he 0:10:19.080 --> 0:10:21.240 born in Chicago, so he knew about that cold weather. 0:10:21.280 --> 0:10:22.760 So he knew there had to be an exit planning 0:10:22.760 --> 0:10:25.000 away from that cold weather. And so he went to 0:10:25.400 --> 0:10:29.679 l A where he still resides, and Monkey Paul Productions, 0:10:29.880 --> 0:10:33.760 where he resides television executive. And he created this a 0:10:33.800 --> 0:10:36.880 book called hair Love, and then the short film called 0:10:37.440 --> 0:10:41.520 hair Love and uh. He posted it December five on 0:10:41.720 --> 0:10:44.800 YouTube and now currently has a ten million views. I 0:10:44.880 --> 0:10:52.160 asked you matthew A Cherry. Did you expect that? Um, 0:10:52.240 --> 0:10:55.240 you know, I don't think you can ever predict kind 0:10:55.280 --> 0:10:57.280 of how a thing will be received. I mean, we 0:10:57.320 --> 0:11:00.240 had a little indication that would be well received because 0:11:00.280 --> 0:11:02.880 we had a theatrical release in front of Angry Verse 0:11:02.920 --> 0:11:05.400 to back in August was like August fourteen, I believe 0:11:05.480 --> 0:11:07.760 was the date, and um, you know, got a lot 0:11:07.760 --> 0:11:12.040 of love. It was kind of a universal, um good reception. 0:11:12.200 --> 0:11:15.560 You know, people families of all different backgrounds and types. Uh, 0:11:15.559 --> 0:11:17.840 it seemed like they were digging it and feeling it. 0:11:18.040 --> 0:11:21.080 And so the thing I was most excited about when 0:11:21.080 --> 0:11:22.960 it came to putting it online was just, you know 0:11:23.360 --> 0:11:26.680 it getting access to audiences that you know kind of 0:11:26.679 --> 0:11:29.160 don't have the resources to go to the movies every week, 0:11:29.800 --> 0:11:32.000 and you know, just getting it out there even more 0:11:32.080 --> 0:11:35.760 even internationally. And so yeah, it's been a crazy reception 0:11:35.880 --> 0:11:39.520 for sure. Now let's talk about bringing this this project 0:11:39.600 --> 0:11:44.280 to animation. Talk about that process. Yeah, you know, so 0:11:44.360 --> 0:11:47.840 we did a big started campaign for it two years ago. Um, 0:11:47.880 --> 0:11:49.880 it was kind of in part just because like this 0:11:50.080 --> 0:11:53.080 being a medium I had never done before animation, I 0:11:53.160 --> 0:11:55.160 knew that it would be hard for me to go 0:11:55.320 --> 0:11:58.000 to different studios and try to pitch it out right, 0:11:58.200 --> 0:12:00.800 you know, and especially being like a full story about 0:12:00.800 --> 0:12:02.760 a dad doing their daughter's hair, you know, like I 0:12:03.240 --> 0:12:04.720 knew would be something that I would have to show 0:12:04.720 --> 0:12:07.040 people as opposed to telling them. And so he did 0:12:07.080 --> 0:12:09.880 this Kickstarter campaign and it just took off like crazy, 0:12:10.000 --> 0:12:13.120 Like we ended up raising the a three hundred thousand 0:12:13.120 --> 0:12:16.800 dollars in thirty days. Our initial goal was seventy five, 0:12:17.120 --> 0:12:18.880 you know, and we kind of blew past that goal 0:12:19.120 --> 0:12:21.800 and it was just insane. You know. We end up 0:12:21.800 --> 0:12:25.240 getting a book deal through our Kickstarter campaign through a 0:12:25.280 --> 0:12:29.120 Penguin Random House, and you know, really we're just about 0:12:29.280 --> 0:12:32.400 putting a really great team together, so you know, an 0:12:32.440 --> 0:12:35.200 animation as you may. And I know, like it's not 0:12:35.320 --> 0:12:39.960 the most diverse field and entertainment, you know what I mean. 0:12:40.160 --> 0:12:43.360 And he really knew of two or three people of 0:12:43.480 --> 0:12:47.400 color or black people specifically that we're working in the field, 0:12:47.600 --> 0:12:49.960 and because it centered on the black dad and black father, 0:12:50.040 --> 0:12:52.199 I thought it would be really important to try to 0:12:52.240 --> 0:12:54.559 get as many people you know or black in that 0:12:54.640 --> 0:12:57.280 field kind of involved with the project. So one of 0:12:57.320 --> 0:12:59.920 the first people I reached out to, Peter Ramsey was 0:13:00.040 --> 0:13:02.199 one of the co directors on Into the Spider Verse, 0:13:02.240 --> 0:13:05.280 which when the Oscar last year. And then the other 0:13:05.480 --> 0:13:09.199 black animator named Frank Abney who worked at Pixar and 0:13:09.559 --> 0:13:12.680 you know, long story short, you know, looking at different 0:13:12.720 --> 0:13:15.600 places where to get to get the short done. Um, 0:13:15.800 --> 0:13:19.960 we end up getting this relationship with Karen Tolliver at 0:13:19.960 --> 0:13:22.360 the time was working at Fox, who ended up moving 0:13:22.360 --> 0:13:25.560 over to Sony and she you know, eventually it was 0:13:25.600 --> 0:13:28.199 a very organic like we're just working on it, working 0:13:28.200 --> 0:13:31.600 on the characters, developing it, and eventually, uh, you know, 0:13:31.720 --> 0:13:34.920 Sony ended up just really being helpful and ended up 0:13:35.640 --> 0:13:38.760 distributing the film in front of Angie Birds too, and 0:13:38.760 --> 0:13:42.000 then now they're kind of helping us with our Oscar campaign. Cool. 0:13:42.280 --> 0:13:45.719 This is uh, this is really this is really special. Congratulations. 0:13:45.800 --> 0:13:48.840 I'm talking to Matthew A. Cherry. His project Hair Love 0:13:49.000 --> 0:13:51.600 is an animated short film about an African American father 0:13:51.679 --> 0:13:54.480 trying to do his daughter's hair for the first time. 0:13:54.840 --> 0:13:58.000 And it plays out now it ended the video. You know, 0:13:58.040 --> 0:14:02.640 we we I wanted to that's the mom, that's the 0:14:02.679 --> 0:14:05.720 mom character, that's and that that that that has no 0:14:05.840 --> 0:14:08.520 hair and I think that and that plays an important 0:14:08.640 --> 0:14:12.360 role and why was that? Why why would that part 0:14:12.400 --> 0:14:16.400 of the story. Um, you know, it really was just 0:14:16.440 --> 0:14:18.960 about kind of character development. You know, like you have 0:14:19.040 --> 0:14:21.240 this young girl who obviously has growing up with her 0:14:21.240 --> 0:14:24.960 mom being this really popular and natural hair blogger, and 0:14:25.040 --> 0:14:28.720 now she's waking up knowing the special day and you 0:14:28.760 --> 0:14:30.800 know it's like kind of the one thing that she 0:14:30.840 --> 0:14:32.560 can't do on her own. You know, we try to 0:14:32.640 --> 0:14:34.440 establish her like she's able to get up and get 0:14:34.520 --> 0:14:37.480 dressed and um, you know, get you know, kind of 0:14:37.640 --> 0:14:40.080 get her day started, but the one thing she can't 0:14:40.080 --> 0:14:42.080 do was her hair, and she has to enlist her father. 0:14:42.600 --> 0:14:44.880 And for me, it was just really about like what 0:14:44.960 --> 0:14:47.720 would be the most touching kind of gesture that this 0:14:47.840 --> 0:14:50.440 young girl who knows how about her mom's hair meant 0:14:50.440 --> 0:14:52.360 to her to you when they're going to pick her 0:14:52.400 --> 0:14:55.360 up in the hospital, and the act of her getting 0:14:55.400 --> 0:14:58.200 her dad to do her hair in the style that 0:14:58.320 --> 0:15:00.200 you know she really liked that her mom did are 0:15:00.560 --> 0:15:05.000 and also presenting that picture that showed that you know, 0:15:05.080 --> 0:15:07.400 no matter what, whether you have hair you don't have hair, 0:15:07.440 --> 0:15:09.760 I still see you as a queen. Um, you know, 0:15:09.800 --> 0:15:12.360 because it's it's a real thing, you know, like you 0:15:12.400 --> 0:15:15.520 know when black women, you know, get I'm getting sick 0:15:15.520 --> 0:15:17.800 and lose your hair, like it's a really big thing 0:15:18.000 --> 0:15:19.440 that you know, a lot of people tend to be 0:15:19.480 --> 0:15:22.080 so conscious about, and we just wanted to show that 0:15:22.200 --> 0:15:24.280 kind of regardless of whether you have nastural hair, your 0:15:24.280 --> 0:15:26.160 hair was straighte, you didn't have hair at all, that 0:15:26.640 --> 0:15:29.320 you know, you're still beautiful and you know, kind of 0:15:29.360 --> 0:15:32.160 doing that through the daughter. Excellent work man. The animation 0:15:32.240 --> 0:15:36.880 is very clean, very clean. Uh. The story is uh 0:15:37.800 --> 0:15:43.000 is funny, it's uh, it's engaging. It feels real when 0:15:43.000 --> 0:15:45.200 the when the father looks across and sees all of 0:15:45.200 --> 0:15:48.200 those those hair care products on that chair from the bathroom. 0:15:48.760 --> 0:15:51.440 You know, you know, as a as a father who 0:15:51.880 --> 0:15:54.000 you know, who makes that attempt for the very first time. 0:15:54.280 --> 0:15:57.600 It probably it's five times that you know, because you 0:15:57.720 --> 0:15:59.160 just don't know what to do, You don't know what 0:15:59.240 --> 0:16:01.800 step to goal, and your daughters looking at it, you're 0:16:01.840 --> 0:16:04.120 going they know you don't know. First of all, they 0:16:04.120 --> 0:16:07.960 know they're going they know confusion, okay, and and they 0:16:08.000 --> 0:16:10.000 start questioning you because for the first time in your 0:16:10.040 --> 0:16:12.400 life as a father who's making an attempt to do 0:16:12.440 --> 0:16:16.560 that you're not very confident in your effort, that company effort. 0:16:16.720 --> 0:16:18.560 And so so when I look at this man, first 0:16:18.560 --> 0:16:20.640 of all, I just want to say congratulations because you 0:16:21.160 --> 0:16:25.480 because what you're doing is first of all been being 0:16:25.560 --> 0:16:29.560 the transition to be to reinvent yourself and and and 0:16:29.680 --> 0:16:32.160 to do the project like this, that is that is 0:16:32.200 --> 0:16:36.200 being just being considered for awards, That is being uh, 0:16:36.360 --> 0:16:39.120 like you said, translating and making people feel they can 0:16:39.160 --> 0:16:42.280 do this too. Just just a simple concept that's turning 0:16:42.280 --> 0:16:44.360 their heads out there. But you tie to one of 0:16:44.400 --> 0:16:47.720 the most popular production companies in the world, Monkey part 0:16:47.720 --> 0:16:50.480 of the Monkey Paul Production, which is Jordan Peel's production 0:16:50.480 --> 0:16:55.080 company US get Out Twilight Zone. You've been up, You've 0:16:55.120 --> 0:16:59.480 worked on the now Academy nominated project h Black Klansmen. 0:17:00.240 --> 0:17:03.120 What what do you want to do? What is your goal? 0:17:03.280 --> 0:17:06.359 You know we started we was a former NFL football player, 0:17:06.400 --> 0:17:08.360 was a former p A. Now you got this high 0:17:08.400 --> 0:17:11.720 animated project out there. You've executive produced The Black Plansman. 0:17:12.320 --> 0:17:15.480 What do you want to do? My friend? Um, you 0:17:15.520 --> 0:17:17.240 know I'm kind of doing it now. You know, it's 0:17:17.280 --> 0:17:20.080 just uh for me and just continuing to create projects 0:17:20.080 --> 0:17:23.119 that kind of elevates and humanize black people, you know. 0:17:23.320 --> 0:17:27.280 Um be that in any medium, be the animated, live action, 0:17:27.400 --> 0:17:31.520 TV or film. Um, you know, I'm directing television now too. 0:17:31.600 --> 0:17:34.359 So I just did an episode of Blackish. I'll be 0:17:34.400 --> 0:17:38.000 coming out around Valentine's Day, this big book, a big 0:17:38.040 --> 0:17:40.960 movie that hasn't been announced yet, but I'm I'm excited 0:17:41.000 --> 0:17:43.320 about and uh, you know, trying to figure out a 0:17:43.359 --> 0:17:46.320 live acting feature as well. So you know, just continue 0:17:46.359 --> 0:17:49.560 to working, trying to reinvent myself. Man, that that's really 0:17:49.640 --> 0:17:53.760 the goal and the dream now, the dream that the 0:17:53.840 --> 0:17:57.640 last o G that's you. Yeah. Yeah, I was a 0:17:57.640 --> 0:18:03.280 co producer and director on the show too. So yeah, Matthew, Matthew, 0:18:03.280 --> 0:18:06.359 you need to stop being humble. There's a humble interview. Matthew. 0:18:06.359 --> 0:18:10.160 You there's a humble interview. You know, you know you 0:18:09.600 --> 0:18:13.800 you got it going on, my man. You know govern 0:18:14.160 --> 0:18:16.359 the reason I say that because you know, I'm Hollywood. 0:18:16.560 --> 0:18:20.520 I went out to Hollywood, I know, you know when 0:18:20.560 --> 0:18:23.240 they buried all the sitcoms on w B and U 0:18:23.280 --> 0:18:25.760 p N. You know what I'm saying, where as used 0:18:25.800 --> 0:18:29.920 as a starter started kits and when I see you're 0:18:29.960 --> 0:18:32.960 in a you're in a a guy, your talents are? 0:18:33.760 --> 0:18:36.360 Is that Hollywood at a good time? You know, well, 0:18:36.400 --> 0:18:39.159 we can start telling our stories. When I look on 0:18:39.320 --> 0:18:42.000 when I look at TV commercials, I see I see 0:18:42.000 --> 0:18:49.000 interracial people on TV dating, buying insurance together, buying cars together. 0:18:49.040 --> 0:18:51.160 Where only a couple of years ago, when a little 0:18:51.160 --> 0:18:53.520 black girl mixed or a black girl went in the 0:18:53.760 --> 0:18:56.440 room for cheerio, they wanted to shut down cheerios. You 0:18:56.480 --> 0:18:58.720 know what I'm saying, that ain't that far from that. 0:18:59.040 --> 0:19:00.680 And to be able to just stories that are being 0:19:00.680 --> 0:19:03.320 told are able dune And if you hear this here, 0:19:03.359 --> 0:19:06.480 this right here, you're saying, you're comfortably saying I want 0:19:06.480 --> 0:19:10.920 to tell African American stories because you know, now there's 0:19:10.920 --> 0:19:14.000 a demand or need, our requests for that type of 0:19:14.040 --> 0:19:18.120 confidence that has to make you feel good. Yeah, man, 0:19:18.200 --> 0:19:20.199 I mean I think you know nowadays, like you know 0:19:20.240 --> 0:19:21.639 you're talking about back in the day with like the 0:19:21.680 --> 0:19:24.360 c W and the w B and UPN and all that, 0:19:24.440 --> 0:19:28.040 Like you know, now there's so many more networks from 0:19:28.040 --> 0:19:31.280 places that are doing original content. So you know, it's 0:19:31.320 --> 0:19:33.600 just kind of like a byproduct of that, like the 0:19:33.680 --> 0:19:36.800 more outlets that need content, you know, the more opportunities 0:19:36.840 --> 0:19:39.479 that you know, black creators and creators of color are 0:19:39.480 --> 0:19:41.479 going to have to be able to tell their stories 0:19:41.520 --> 0:19:43.840 and you know, hopefully do them in a in a 0:19:43.880 --> 0:19:45.880 good way that you know it makes their people look good. 0:19:45.960 --> 0:19:48.320 So you know, I just want to continue that. You know, 0:19:48.320 --> 0:19:51.480 people like Aba du Renee and Jordan's and very James, 0:19:51.560 --> 0:19:54.280 you know, are all kind of been mentors to me 0:19:54.359 --> 0:19:57.840 and people who are really uh just admire and want 0:19:57.840 --> 0:20:01.360 to follow in their footsteps. So well, I'm telling something 0:20:01.440 --> 0:20:04.639 you did. You are a special talent if I can 0:20:04.680 --> 0:20:07.520 compliment you in that manner and you accepted. My wife 0:20:07.560 --> 0:20:09.240 Alwa tells me, I don't know how to say thank 0:20:09.280 --> 0:20:12.000 you when people compliment me because of the fact that 0:20:12.240 --> 0:20:13.560