WEBVTT - DeVon Franklin on His Journey through Hollywood, His Faith and His purpose 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:04.520 Either of those emotions that we choose. We then have 0:00:04.640 --> 0:00:07.080 to believe that that emotion is serving. 0:00:06.760 --> 0:00:13.680 Us so fine, so really and you you thirty for 0:00:13.760 --> 0:00:17.960 thirty two. Right now we only about fifteen to twenty 0:00:18.040 --> 0:00:18.920 minutes in brother. 0:00:19.000 --> 0:00:36.440 They call it time out about ladies, gentlemen. 0:00:36.479 --> 0:00:40.440 Welcome Not My Best Moment podcast myself. I'm Kevin Stage, 0:00:40.760 --> 0:00:46.360 where I talk to artists, friends, athletes, entertainers about their failures. 0:00:46.720 --> 0:00:49.040 If you didn't know, I'm the author of the New 0:00:49.120 --> 0:00:51.880 York Times best selling book Successful Failure. 0:00:52.080 --> 0:00:53.240 Yes, thank you very much. 0:00:53.560 --> 0:00:55.640 This is an offshoot of that book, where we talk 0:00:55.680 --> 0:01:01.080 about your successful failures. Today, I have the only Devon Franklin. 0:01:01.080 --> 0:01:02.640 And I've never said this in front of Damon Franklin, 0:01:02.680 --> 0:01:05.720 but I will say this today. Your family will tell you, oh, 0:01:05.720 --> 0:01:07.600 you got to meet with Tyler, you got to go 0:01:07.680 --> 0:01:08.440 with Oprah. 0:01:08.680 --> 0:01:10.280 When you get to Hollywood, you got to go to Oprah. 0:01:10.319 --> 0:01:11.240 You got to go with Tyler. 0:01:11.800 --> 0:01:15.400 When you're actually in the industry, your agent will tell you, 0:01:15.400 --> 0:01:17.920 if you're faith based, you got to go to divn 0:01:18.480 --> 0:01:20.920 As soon as they know you love the Lord, oh 0:01:21.160 --> 0:01:25.000 you got to meet Divine Franklin. Divonne is the way 0:01:25.080 --> 0:01:26.560 the truth of the life. I said, I thought that 0:01:26.600 --> 0:01:27.160 was a lawyer. 0:01:27.319 --> 0:01:29.840 No, he is the Lord, but also Divine is Lord. 0:01:29.920 --> 0:01:32.680 Let me tell y'all if y'all don't know divn Ruth 0:01:32.720 --> 0:01:36.600 and Boaz, that's Devon Franklin produced that flaming hot breakthrough. 0:01:36.640 --> 0:01:40.280 The Star Male Goes from Heaven, the Karate Kid All 0:01:40.480 --> 0:01:41.920 that is the Von Franklin on. 0:01:41.880 --> 0:01:42.800 The producer's side. 0:01:42.880 --> 0:01:44.319 He also acts as well. 0:01:44.440 --> 0:01:47.720 He's on Divorce Sisters, and he's on Soul on Fire, 0:01:47.760 --> 0:01:52.120 which has a ninety eight percent Center score. Excuse me, 0:01:52.240 --> 0:01:55.400 ninety percent on Rotten Tomatoes, Ladies and Gentlemen. He's also 0:01:55.920 --> 0:02:00.800 the author of Produced by Faith. He been on stage 0:02:00.960 --> 0:02:05.200 in New York City off Broadway, Off Broadway with Audible. 0:02:05.280 --> 0:02:07.200 And we're not here to talk about any of that, 0:02:08.600 --> 0:02:13.959 none of his successes pitch posh. Today we're here to 0:02:14.000 --> 0:02:19.360 talk about. Please welcome Devon Franklin. Devon Franklin. Now we 0:02:19.360 --> 0:02:24.000 were just talking off camera. I kid, but I'm very serious. 0:02:24.320 --> 0:02:27.880 Every agent I've ever had, they don't know we know 0:02:27.960 --> 0:02:30.680 each other, right, They are like, you know who you need. 0:02:30.560 --> 0:02:34.000 To talk to? You love the Lord, you need to 0:02:34.000 --> 0:02:35.079 talk to Devon Franklin. 0:02:35.600 --> 0:02:38.400 I feel like you are a guiding star in the 0:02:38.480 --> 0:02:40.720 faith for me, and I'm gon give your flowers right 0:02:40.720 --> 0:02:43.160 here while you're alive and you can smell them in 0:02:43.200 --> 0:02:46.320 the faith based but not only church way. You are 0:02:46.360 --> 0:02:50.560 the goiding star for me because I grew up in 0:02:50.600 --> 0:02:53.520 a wall that I didn't want to just do church 0:02:53.560 --> 0:02:57.160 things only to me, you have never lost your north star. 0:02:57.440 --> 0:02:59.320 You have never done anything you shouldn't be proud of. 0:02:59.639 --> 0:03:02.480 But you also aren't just church movie, church movie, church movie. 0:03:02.520 --> 0:03:05.400 You are just responsible for good films. Relationship Goals is 0:03:05.440 --> 0:03:09.360 the most recent example. That's just a great film. Before 0:03:09.360 --> 0:03:11.520 we get to anything that you wrote down, I want 0:03:11.560 --> 0:03:14.000 to talk about what I wrote down. Yeah, as a 0:03:14.040 --> 0:03:16.080 guy who believes in the Lord, how do you even 0:03:16.320 --> 0:03:20.800 navigate Hollywood in a way that protects your faith but 0:03:20.840 --> 0:03:24.840 also protects your desire to chase the creative arts in 0:03:24.880 --> 0:03:27.280 a way that's not only church based film? 0:03:27.520 --> 0:03:28.000 Right? You know? 0:03:28.080 --> 0:03:30.040 So it's an interest. That's an interesting question, you know, 0:03:30.080 --> 0:03:31.440 and hopefully I have a concise answer. 0:03:31.560 --> 0:03:36.800 So because you got top yeah all day, Yeah you know. 0:03:37.440 --> 0:03:39.560 But but the answer is is this. 0:03:39.680 --> 0:03:42.480 It's like, you know, when I started in Hollywood, you know, 0:03:42.480 --> 0:03:46.080 I started at eighteen years old, really eighteen years old? 0:03:46.120 --> 0:03:47.680 What were you actually doing? At eighteen? 0:03:47.760 --> 0:03:50.920 I was interning at a company called Handprint Entertainment no 0:03:51.000 --> 0:03:54.520 longer exists, and the principles were Benny Medina and James 0:03:54.560 --> 0:03:58.640 Lasseter Jeff Pollock who passed away, Peter Golden, and they 0:03:58.680 --> 0:04:02.680 represented Will Smith and Jada and Maya Campbell and Babyface 0:04:02.720 --> 0:04:03.760 Michelle and Dego Cello. 0:04:03.880 --> 0:04:06.320 And so at eighteen years old, I was an intern. 0:04:06.400 --> 0:04:08.200 If you don't know Fresh Prince, he created. 0:04:07.880 --> 0:04:10.320 Fresh Prince and he also manages j Love, yes, you know. 0:04:10.360 --> 0:04:14.120 And so I was, you know, getting coffee, uh, you know, 0:04:14.440 --> 0:04:17.120 copying scripts, picking up the dry clean and getting the 0:04:17.200 --> 0:04:17.760 lunch orders. 0:04:17.800 --> 0:04:19.120 That's how I got started. 0:04:19.200 --> 0:04:19.479 Wow. 0:04:19.640 --> 0:04:22.320 And for me, you know, growing up in the church, 0:04:22.680 --> 0:04:24.719 you know, I was always focused on going to Hollywood, 0:04:24.760 --> 0:04:26.839 like that's where I was going, like just from a 0:04:27.000 --> 0:04:29.040 from a young age, I just felt like that's where 0:04:29.040 --> 0:04:31.799 I needed to be. And my faith was always important. 0:04:31.839 --> 0:04:35.000 It was it was never like it was never something 0:04:35.040 --> 0:04:37.039 I thought a lot about. It was just it was 0:04:37.040 --> 0:04:39.440 in me, yes, you know, I mean going to church 0:04:39.480 --> 0:04:42.000 every weekend. And my uncle was the pastor of the church, 0:04:42.080 --> 0:04:44.440 and so I was, you know, very very involved in 0:04:44.480 --> 0:04:47.960 the church usher and deaconing, you know, preaching, uh, you know, 0:04:48.000 --> 0:04:50.680 playing all the thing church you play. 0:04:51.960 --> 0:04:54.359 That's right, get on, get on that drum so we 0:04:54.400 --> 0:04:58.160 can service. You know, that's real church. 0:04:57.960 --> 0:05:00.160 You know. Yes, yes. 0:05:00.600 --> 0:05:03.360 So by the time I was eighteen years old and 0:05:03.400 --> 0:05:05.719 I got to Hollywood, you know, it was not even 0:05:05.760 --> 0:05:09.000 a thought about like, okay, can I honor my faith? 0:05:09.000 --> 0:05:10.200 I was just like, oh, this is just who I am. 0:05:10.279 --> 0:05:13.200 So at eighteen years old before in the internship interview, 0:05:13.400 --> 0:05:14.920 they asked me, Hey, is there anything else you want 0:05:14.960 --> 0:05:16.560 us to know? And I said, well, yeah, I said, 0:05:16.600 --> 0:05:20.000 I observe the Sabbath. So if taking this job, this internship, 0:05:20.000 --> 0:05:21.640 would require me to work on the Sabbath, I won't 0:05:21.640 --> 0:05:23.120 take it. It was just that it was just very 0:05:23.160 --> 0:05:26.520 clear from the jump from the jump, and they were like, oh, okay, 0:05:26.600 --> 0:05:30.159 well yeah, no problem. We anybody even know what Sabbath was? 0:05:30.360 --> 0:05:30.560 Yeah? 0:05:30.640 --> 0:05:32.000 What no problem? Right? 0:05:32.000 --> 0:05:32.760 Cool? Cool? 0:05:32.800 --> 0:05:33.000 You know. 0:05:33.120 --> 0:05:35.320 I was like, hey, I don't work Friday night sundown 0:05:35.320 --> 0:05:37.560 a Saturday night soundown yeah, And they were like, no problem. 0:05:37.680 --> 0:05:40.560 And so that for me, the foundation was always just 0:05:40.600 --> 0:05:41.600 being authentic. 0:05:41.640 --> 0:05:43.159 Yeah, and being true yeah. 0:05:43.240 --> 0:05:46.160 And so as I started to continue to navigate the 0:05:46.200 --> 0:05:49.320 business and you know, move from being in an intern 0:05:49.360 --> 0:05:51.960 to an assistant, to a junior executive to more senior 0:05:51.960 --> 0:05:55.200 executive and now running my own company. It's always been 0:05:55.560 --> 0:05:57.880 just be true. And part of my truth is I 0:05:57.920 --> 0:06:00.400 love the Lord, you know, the follower of Christ. And 0:06:00.440 --> 0:06:03.799 so the other part of this is being in the business. 0:06:03.839 --> 0:06:05.440 The scripture, the scripture that says you have to study 0:06:05.480 --> 0:06:08.159 to show yourself approved. That's it's and a lot of 0:06:08.200 --> 0:06:10.440 times in life we want the approval, but we don't 0:06:10.440 --> 0:06:11.040 want to study. 0:06:12.080 --> 0:06:14.080 Okay, more there, that's good. 0:06:14.120 --> 0:06:17.080 So so so as it relates to entertainment, it's one 0:06:17.080 --> 0:06:19.880 thing to say, oh, I want to be successful, but 0:06:19.960 --> 0:06:23.039 it's another thing to understand the path to success is 0:06:23.160 --> 0:06:26.799 directly through the path of studying. I had to learn 0:06:26.839 --> 0:06:30.520 the business. I had to, I mean literally every day. 0:06:30.600 --> 0:06:32.600 My passion, you know, initially was like I want to 0:06:32.600 --> 0:06:34.800 produce films. That was what drove me. And so but 0:06:34.920 --> 0:06:37.400 every day as an intern, as an assistant, as a 0:06:37.480 --> 0:06:40.720 junior executive, as it seems I'm learning the business. How 0:06:40.720 --> 0:06:42.640 do you make movies? How do you make them better? 0:06:42.640 --> 0:06:44.919 How do you develop stories? How do you work with writers? 0:06:44.960 --> 0:06:46.200 How do you work with actors, How do you work 0:06:46.240 --> 0:06:48.880 with directors? Why do some movies work? Why don't they work? 0:06:49.080 --> 0:06:55.680 Like completely immersing myself in the business so that when 0:06:55.760 --> 0:06:57.120 we get to a place, when I got to a 0:06:57.120 --> 0:06:59.599 place where I could start making my own movies, you know, 0:06:59.640 --> 0:07:01.960 I could do it in a way with credibility and 0:07:02.240 --> 0:07:07.120 with experience and expertise. So the answer to the question 0:07:07.240 --> 0:07:10.400 was it was about being authentic and it was about 0:07:10.440 --> 0:07:13.760 committing to the process because I wanted to run my 0:07:13.760 --> 0:07:16.160 own production company when I was, you know, eighteen years old. 0:07:16.160 --> 0:07:19.760 I mean even when I graduated USC. My senior thesis 0:07:20.080 --> 0:07:24.040 was a business plan for my production company at twenty two. Really, yes, 0:07:24.200 --> 0:07:26.000 but nobody was going to give me no money to 0:07:26.080 --> 0:07:26.920 run a production company. 0:07:27.040 --> 0:07:27.280 Yeah. 0:07:28.720 --> 0:07:34.160 It took me fourteen years, fourty fourteen years from that 0:07:34.280 --> 0:07:36.520 business plan to actually starting the company. 0:07:37.680 --> 0:07:38.840 Oh now that's good. 0:07:39.280 --> 0:07:43.240 Yes, Okay, So you went from twenty two thirty two, 0:07:44.000 --> 0:07:46.800 thirty four, thirty six, yes. 0:07:47.040 --> 0:07:49.960 Always having that in your mind. Yes, how did you 0:07:50.160 --> 0:07:55.320 stay humble? How did you stay focused to have this? 0:07:55.720 --> 0:07:58.160 Because a lot of times I feel like social media 0:07:58.720 --> 0:08:00.400 and the quickness of the Internet. 0:08:00.080 --> 0:08:02.960 It robs people of the like. 0:08:04.600 --> 0:08:07.120 What I'll call the nineties version eighties version right, We 0:08:07.360 --> 0:08:09.840 grew up in similar areas when we grew up. When 0:08:09.880 --> 0:08:11.880 you had an artist, they would take you in the 0:08:11.880 --> 0:08:17.640 garage for two years. No shows, no radio, rehearsal, training, 0:08:17.760 --> 0:08:21.200 all that stuff. New addition, shut up close that garage. 0:08:21.360 --> 0:08:23.720 We're going to get in here and learn how to 0:08:23.720 --> 0:08:26.080 be artists nowadays, no disrespect. A lot of times you 0:08:26.080 --> 0:08:28.160 have a hit song, your song's number one, you go 0:08:28.240 --> 0:08:32.160 straight to Coachella. But that's not the case for you. 0:08:32.520 --> 0:08:36.720 How did you stay focused on your dream and work 0:08:36.760 --> 0:08:41.040 your way up from literally picking up coffee and ironing? 0:08:41.240 --> 0:08:41.800 Like, how did you? 0:08:42.120 --> 0:08:44.080 How did you stay true to yourself, knowing what you 0:08:44.160 --> 0:08:45.760 wanted to do the whole time? 0:08:45.920 --> 0:08:48.840 Well, see, this is where you know, I think sometimes 0:08:48.840 --> 0:08:51.559 you know, being raised in the church, we think what 0:08:51.600 --> 0:08:56.000 we learned is on some level theological. But this is 0:08:56.080 --> 0:08:59.600 where it became very practical to me, just that concept 0:08:59.600 --> 0:09:02.400 of faith. You know, faith is a substance of things. 0:09:02.400 --> 0:09:04.680 We hope for the evidence of things we don't see. 0:09:05.200 --> 0:09:08.440 We walk by faith, not by sight. So you know, 0:09:08.559 --> 0:09:11.680 I was like, Okay, I have the faith to believe 0:09:12.400 --> 0:09:15.960 and keep seeing my company even though I don't see it. 0:09:16.640 --> 0:09:20.280 And so it was that mental picture that then allowed 0:09:20.320 --> 0:09:23.160 me to just focus and say, Okay, God, I believe 0:09:23.160 --> 0:09:24.880 you gave me this image, so I'm going to keep working. 0:09:24.920 --> 0:09:27.280 And then the other part of this is as I 0:09:27.400 --> 0:09:30.520 was working and learning the business, you know, my goal was, Okay, 0:09:30.520 --> 0:09:32.400 I'm going to be of service. And I think when 0:09:32.440 --> 0:09:34.240 you talk about this generation, I think this is what's 0:09:34.240 --> 0:09:37.199 getting lost. It's like the people that I worked for, 0:09:37.240 --> 0:09:40.360 Benny Medeina, James Lasster, Will Smith, all of these amazing 0:09:40.679 --> 0:09:44.240 you know, culture changers and artists. And for me, how 0:09:44.240 --> 0:09:45.400 did I What did I want from that? I just 0:09:45.400 --> 0:09:48.480 wanted information how do I become successful? So then how 0:09:48.480 --> 0:09:51.160 did I get that information? I had to serve. I 0:09:51.200 --> 0:09:53.000 had to serve, and I had to say, hey, you know, 0:09:53.080 --> 0:09:55.520 let me let me because everybody wants to go put 0:09:55.520 --> 0:09:58.600 me on. They want to you know, but it's like, no, no, no, 0:09:58.720 --> 0:10:02.280 my work works as an intern and assistant is gonna 0:10:02.280 --> 0:10:05.760 be so excellent. You're gonna you're gonna say, yeah, we 0:10:05.840 --> 0:10:07.880 just gotta we gotta help this dude out right. 0:10:07.960 --> 0:10:10.319 And so the way of that I did it was 0:10:10.360 --> 0:10:11.360 just staying focused. 0:10:12.000 --> 0:10:15.320 And there's you know, it's in this other part of it, 0:10:15.360 --> 0:10:17.040 you know again, not trying to get churchy. 0:10:17.200 --> 0:10:20.240 You get churchy here, turn at them. No, we love 0:10:20.280 --> 0:10:22.520 the Lord here at not my best moment. You won't 0:10:22.559 --> 0:10:24.880 love him on the Mother podcast, on the iHeart of 0:10:24.880 --> 0:10:26.880 the Radio. But we love the Lord here are not 0:10:27.000 --> 0:10:30.160 my best moment because he's from a mighty long way. 0:10:30.240 --> 0:10:34.000 You could be churchytel. You can't be churching nowhere else. 0:10:34.200 --> 0:10:35.800 You could be churchy here right here. 0:10:37.240 --> 0:10:41.600 But you know, it's it's this idea of like staying 0:10:41.720 --> 0:10:48.000 committed to the process and feeling God along the way. 0:10:49.000 --> 0:10:51.240 And so what I mean by that was it was 0:10:51.360 --> 0:10:54.920 even though you know, at twenty five, twenty eight, twenty nine, 0:10:54.960 --> 0:10:58.600 twenty thirty, I didn't have the company, I could see 0:10:58.640 --> 0:11:05.200 God's hand guiding me, moving, opening up doors, opening up opportunities. 0:11:05.200 --> 0:11:08.640 So even though I didn't have exactly what I was 0:11:08.760 --> 0:11:12.080 praying for in the macro sense, I could feel that 0:11:12.360 --> 0:11:14.800 this is where I'm supposed to be, this is where 0:11:14.800 --> 0:11:16.920 I need to be. There's then clearly if I was 0:11:16.960 --> 0:11:18.760 ready for the company, I would have it. So I'm 0:11:18.800 --> 0:11:19.520 not ready. 0:11:19.240 --> 0:11:22.040 For it, so let me, you know, learn, let me shave. 0:11:22.480 --> 0:11:23.600 And so that's what it was. 0:11:23.640 --> 0:11:26.360 It was keeping that mental picture, having the faith to 0:11:26.440 --> 0:11:30.680 believe it, and feeling God's presence along the way. So 0:11:30.720 --> 0:11:34.280 from that twenty two to to thirty six, it was like, Okay. 0:11:34.280 --> 0:11:36.600 There were times I was frustrated, there were times I pried, 0:11:36.640 --> 0:11:37.640 there were times about. 0:11:37.400 --> 0:11:38.280 God, what are you doing? 0:11:38.600 --> 0:11:40.480 But then I would look around and say, Okay, I 0:11:40.480 --> 0:11:44.559 see momentum, I see movement, you know, I see progress, 0:11:45.000 --> 0:11:46.720 and sometimes that progress is incremental. 0:11:46.800 --> 0:11:47.600 It was just a step. 0:11:47.960 --> 0:11:50.080 You see it anyway, And it was it was that 0:11:50.280 --> 0:11:54.880 combination that allowed me to endure to the point when 0:11:55.080 --> 0:11:56.800 it was finally time for me to be able to 0:11:56.840 --> 0:11:58.760 start my own, you know, company and going on my own. 0:11:59.040 --> 0:12:00.560 I want to get to your comfort, but first I 0:12:00.559 --> 0:12:01.920 want to I want to I want to pause here, 0:12:01.920 --> 0:12:05.120 and I want to ask you this. In this industry, 0:12:05.440 --> 0:12:07.439 we both came from the same place. We were both 0:12:07.480 --> 0:12:09.880 at essence Black women in Hollywood, and I was talking 0:12:09.880 --> 0:12:11.960 to a friend of mine and she was like, you know, 0:12:12.000 --> 0:12:15.000 I feel like I'm in these rooms and like I'm 0:12:15.160 --> 0:12:17.920 near these people, but I'm not these people. So you 0:12:18.000 --> 0:12:20.920 start off at eighteen with Will Smith James Lasser, who 0:12:21.640 --> 0:12:24.560 you know, Will has been at this level for a 0:12:24.679 --> 0:12:27.920 long time time, right how did you And from when 0:12:27.960 --> 0:12:30.760 I've known you, You've always been a part of like 0:12:31.040 --> 0:12:34.520 big projects, big films, both you know, working for these 0:12:34.520 --> 0:12:36.959 companies and on your own. But at the same time 0:12:37.760 --> 0:12:41.280 them movies end. And what I've learned about this business, 0:12:41.360 --> 0:12:45.240 people work with you, they are very nice. That movie ends, 0:12:45.600 --> 0:12:48.440 They shake your hand, take your picture at the rat party. 0:12:48.760 --> 0:12:51.920 They go on to their next project, and you go 0:12:52.040 --> 0:12:55.320 on to yours. They might go to Calabasa's Wooden Hills, 0:12:55.559 --> 0:12:59.240 Hidden Hills. You go back where I live, Reseda in 0:12:59.360 --> 0:13:02.040 North Hollyoo would we go back over the valley? 0:13:02.240 --> 0:13:03.319 You open that apartment? 0:13:03.640 --> 0:13:06.520 You know, how do you stay focused when you're with 0:13:06.679 --> 0:13:09.040 people who have I don't want to say made it, 0:13:09.040 --> 0:13:10.960 but they're further along in your career. And then your 0:13:11.000 --> 0:13:13.760 friends and family are like, oh, brother, you was with X, 0:13:13.880 --> 0:13:17.360 Y and Z and you know, yeah, brother, I ain't 0:13:17.400 --> 0:13:22.040 got no rent. I'm in the eating Rahmen, no packing 0:13:22.640 --> 0:13:23.760 ceial number. 0:13:23.960 --> 0:13:24.800 I've been there. 0:13:24.840 --> 0:13:29.280 So how do you, like, how do you stay positive 0:13:30.400 --> 0:13:32.679 knowing that people thought you made it into yourself? 0:13:33.360 --> 0:13:35.959 You like, brother, I got a long way to go. 0:13:36.160 --> 0:13:39.160 Yeah, yeah, you know, staying positive it's it's it's so 0:13:39.240 --> 0:13:43.920 funny It's like one of my first experiences interning was, 0:13:44.320 --> 0:13:46.600 you know, I used to drive Benny Medina around from 0:13:46.640 --> 0:13:48.000 meeting the meeting and stuff. 0:13:47.760 --> 0:13:50.960 And Davon, you really got it out the mud man. 0:13:51.040 --> 0:13:51.880 People don't know that. 0:13:52.160 --> 0:13:53.240 I didn't know that. 0:13:53.320 --> 0:13:55.240 I just think like, oh, you know, I've only known 0:13:55.240 --> 0:13:56.560 you as Franklin. 0:13:57.120 --> 0:13:59.560 Like there's a certain amount of humbleness to pick up 0:13:59.640 --> 0:14:01.640 launch and drive people around. 0:14:01.400 --> 0:14:01.880 It that way. 0:14:02.160 --> 0:14:05.480 Yes, absolutely, And and what I loved about it was 0:14:05.520 --> 0:14:07.120 I got a chance to listen to the phone calls. 0:14:08.320 --> 0:14:10.800 Oh no, So it was like it was like being 0:14:10.840 --> 0:14:13.000 in school, so I could hear, you know, how he 0:14:13.080 --> 0:14:15.320 was doing deals, how he was, you know, managing town. 0:14:15.480 --> 0:14:17.240 So that was that was study for me. 0:14:17.320 --> 0:14:20.440 That was like a masterclass, right and so and so 0:14:20.480 --> 0:14:22.200 for me, what was so funny is there was one 0:14:22.200 --> 0:14:24.920 time when I was intern for Benny and uh, he 0:14:25.240 --> 0:14:27.520 was managing this artist and this artist had rented this 0:14:27.640 --> 0:14:30.480 major house in Hollywood Hills and I'm eighteen years old 0:14:30.480 --> 0:14:32.720 and I you know, drive him and we go up 0:14:32.720 --> 0:14:34.400 to the to the It wasn't even an event. 0:14:34.400 --> 0:14:35.360 Everybody was just hanging out. 0:14:35.640 --> 0:14:37.120 So we were just hanging out on the terrace looking 0:14:37.120 --> 0:14:39.040 out over the city and I'll never forget. I ran 0:14:39.200 --> 0:14:41.200 the into the house and used one of the phones. 0:14:41.200 --> 0:14:43.160 That's when landlines was still a thing. Oh you've been 0:14:43.200 --> 0:14:46.280 in there for real, for real, and I called. I 0:14:46.360 --> 0:14:49.120 called my folks and I said, yoh, y'all not gonna 0:14:49.120 --> 0:14:51.200 believe where I'm at and when who I'm with, I said, 0:14:51.240 --> 0:14:54.480 this is amazing. And the reason why I shared that 0:14:55.280 --> 0:14:57.640 is there's one of two ways to look at things. 0:14:57.640 --> 0:15:00.400 So like, when you're in the presence of someone who 0:15:00.520 --> 0:15:03.160 is doing what you aspire to do, or may have 0:15:03.200 --> 0:15:06.000 a lifestyle that you would say, oh wow, I want 0:15:06.040 --> 0:15:09.280 that lifestyle and you don't have it. There's two ways 0:15:09.360 --> 0:15:14.360 to deal with that, jealousy or joy. Okay, So so 0:15:14.360 --> 0:15:16.240 so you can have You can be jealous and say, 0:15:16.280 --> 0:15:18.840 oh man, well why not me? And and I'm being 0:15:18.880 --> 0:15:22.240 exposed to this but I'm not it, and I'm jealous. 0:15:22.280 --> 0:15:25.920 How do I get to be it? Or if it's 0:15:26.000 --> 0:15:28.960 being shown to me, if I'm in the proximity of it, 0:15:29.360 --> 0:15:32.440 that must mean I'm close to it. So let me 0:15:32.520 --> 0:15:37.040 have joy that God is bringing people into my life 0:15:37.080 --> 0:15:40.880 and experience that will mirror who I am and who 0:15:40.880 --> 0:15:41.520 I'm becoming. 0:15:45.520 --> 0:15:48.360 Keep going divine. I don't want to be there. I 0:15:48.360 --> 0:15:50.720 don't want to mess you up, but you minister it 0:15:50.760 --> 0:15:54.600 to me personally. I hope y'all listen it because you 0:15:54.760 --> 0:15:57.760 in here and you to be good. Now. I love 0:15:57.960 --> 0:16:02.360 that because I think you're saying that is really important 0:16:02.360 --> 0:16:07.360 for people you're in a situation if either way, yeah, 0:16:07.560 --> 0:16:09.520 you you deciding how you're. 0:16:09.400 --> 0:16:11.480 Going to look at the situation is up to you, 0:16:12.040 --> 0:16:12.480 right right. 0:16:12.520 --> 0:16:15.360 You couldn't make yourself be Benny Medina that's right, eighteen 0:16:15.480 --> 0:16:17.080 or Will Smith at twenty or two two. 0:16:17.800 --> 0:16:20.040 You could be angry frustrated. 0:16:20.120 --> 0:16:22.600 You could be you know, oh my god, god on, 0:16:22.680 --> 0:16:26.320 I want to do this and at that like understandably so, 0:16:26.880 --> 0:16:29.400 but you also took the time to say, okay, this 0:16:29.480 --> 0:16:32.720 is you took value in the service when you could 0:16:32.720 --> 0:16:34.000 have been angry that it wasn't. 0:16:33.800 --> 0:16:37.040 You absolutely and listen every time, like you know, over 0:16:37.040 --> 0:16:39.200 the years. I mean, the beautiful thing about Will is 0:16:39.240 --> 0:16:41.320 like you know, not only working for him, but then 0:16:41.360 --> 0:16:43.200 you know he's like a mentor and a friend who's 0:16:43.240 --> 0:16:44.120 giving me advice and stuff. 0:16:44.160 --> 0:16:46.160 But every time I go up to the house, I'm like, 0:16:46.920 --> 0:16:49.080 thank you, Okay, Jesus, you showing me this. 0:16:49.600 --> 0:16:52.640 Ooh boy, my house about to be amazing because if 0:16:52.640 --> 0:16:55.000 you letting me see this, I'm not gonna be jealous, 0:16:55.000 --> 0:16:55.640 if I'm gonna. 0:16:55.440 --> 0:16:58.320 Be joyful, right because you let me know. Okay, yeah, 0:16:58.440 --> 0:16:59.720 how you do this? This is how you live on 0:16:59.760 --> 0:17:00.280 this level? 0:17:00.520 --> 0:17:03.680 You know, because I think it's important because because there's 0:17:03.720 --> 0:17:08.160 another quick idea, which is either of those emotions that 0:17:08.200 --> 0:17:12.200 we choose, we then have to believe that that emotion 0:17:12.359 --> 0:17:13.240 is serving us. 0:17:15.720 --> 0:17:21.359 So so fine, So you're thirty for thirty two right now. 0:17:21.800 --> 0:17:25.399 We only about fifteen to twenty minutes in. Brother, they 0:17:25.520 --> 0:17:28.680 call him time out, time out. You hitting so good. 0:17:28.720 --> 0:17:32.040 They're like, yo, get him. Don't want the Von Frankly. 0:17:32.160 --> 0:17:35.440 I'm sorry for interrupting, y'all. Y'all don't understand. I'm trying 0:17:35.440 --> 0:17:37.960 to be cool. Y'all, don't understand who Devin Franklin is 0:17:37.960 --> 0:17:41.440 to me. Now you don't understand. Go ahead, I'm talking. 0:17:41.800 --> 0:17:43.159 If you're going ahead and love it, I love it. 0:17:43.359 --> 0:17:45.800 I'm just saying that those feelings we have to believe 0:17:46.080 --> 0:17:49.119 service us. So so if I'm in the proximity of 0:17:49.160 --> 0:17:51.520 something that I want or some lifestyle that I love 0:17:51.560 --> 0:17:55.960 to live, and I choose jealousy. Right, then I have 0:17:56.040 --> 0:18:00.359 to I think say, hey, well, why if I'm choosing jealousy, 0:18:01.040 --> 0:18:06.720 why does jealousy serve me? And if it doesn't serve me, 0:18:07.040 --> 0:18:09.320 then I've got to put it back, like I can't 0:18:09.320 --> 0:18:13.639 pick up that emotion. And sometimes when we choose jealousy, 0:18:14.520 --> 0:18:18.040 what it does is it gives us the comfort of 0:18:18.160 --> 0:18:21.280 not actually going out and believing and living like it's 0:18:21.320 --> 0:18:24.600 going to happen. So it's like, oh, well, I'm jealous 0:18:24.600 --> 0:18:26.920 because oh that's just them and dah dah da da dah. 0:18:26.920 --> 0:18:28.560 So then that gives me an excuse to be able 0:18:28.600 --> 0:18:30.639 to say, well, you know what, I'm doing, my thing whatever, 0:18:30.720 --> 0:18:31.720 it'll be okay. 0:18:31.560 --> 0:18:32.320 Yeah, it won't be. 0:18:32.480 --> 0:18:34.680 Like then we kick back in a posture of defeat 0:18:35.119 --> 0:18:39.000 versus like when I choose joy, that emotion serves me. 0:18:39.760 --> 0:18:43.080 Oh my goodness, it serves my soul, it serves my outlook. 0:18:43.320 --> 0:18:45.840 I can be in any room and I'm not jealous 0:18:45.880 --> 0:18:48.800 of them. I'm joyful because I'm in the room, or 0:18:48.840 --> 0:18:50.520 I get a chance to go to a meeting, or 0:18:50.520 --> 0:18:53.280 I get a chance to be in the proximity of. 0:18:53.280 --> 0:18:56.080 A phone call. That emotion services me. 0:18:56.160 --> 0:18:58.240 So what I've learned is that any emotion we choose, 0:18:59.160 --> 0:19:02.600 we have to really be careful because if we're choosing it, 0:19:02.600 --> 0:19:04.000 it's serving us in some way. 0:19:04.359 --> 0:19:07.879 I love that and I think that that's so good, 0:19:08.000 --> 0:19:09.800