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Speaker 1: Welcome to Money Making Conversations. It's the show that she

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Speaker 1: has the secrets of success experience firsthand by marketing and

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Speaker 1: Brandon expert Rashan McDonald. I will know he's giving me

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Speaker 1: advice to many occasions. In the case you didn't notice,

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Speaker 1: I'm not broke, you know he'll be interviewing celebrity CEOs,

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Speaker 1: entrepreneurs and industry decision makers. It's what he likes to do,

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Speaker 1: it's what he likes to share. Now it's time to

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Speaker 1: hear from my man, Rashan McDonald money making Conversations. Here

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Speaker 1: we come. Welcome to Money Making Conversation. I am your

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Speaker 1: host with Sean McDonald. It's just like I said every week,

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Speaker 1: it's time to stop reading other people's success stories and

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Speaker 1: start writing your own. If you have a gift, I

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Speaker 1: always tell you to leave with your gift and don't

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Speaker 1: let your age, friends, family, or co workers stop you

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Speaker 1: from planning or living your dream. My interviews are doing

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Speaker 1: money making conversations or with CEO, celebrities, entrepreneurs, and what

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Speaker 1: I like to call industry decision makers. My next kiss

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Speaker 1: is a celebrity. He's truly an interesting decision maker. His

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Speaker 1: name is Will Packer. Will Packers an HPCU graduate of

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Speaker 1: Family and holds a Bachelor of Science degree and electrical engineering.

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Speaker 1: His company, Will Packer Production has produced films that have

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Speaker 1: earned more than one billion dollars at the box office,

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Speaker 1: and ten of those films have opened at number one,

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Speaker 1: including Girls, Trip, Night School. Uh goodness, man, my movies.

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Speaker 1: You think like a bad thing, like a bad to

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Speaker 1: ride long ride Long? Whoa obsessed? Breaking in st up

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Speaker 1: to y'all? Come on now he's on the children talking

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Speaker 1: about hbcuth changing your career, narrative, self promotion, and the

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Speaker 1: many projects he is currently producing and have on his

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Speaker 1: production schedule. Please working to money making conversation my man,

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Speaker 1: Will Packer, Hey, what's happening? My friends? Well, I thank

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Speaker 1: you man. You know our journey man has been an

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Speaker 1: interesting one and uh you know for as your career

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Speaker 1: and just send you open up. But one thing I've

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Speaker 1: always noticed about you, Will, you can kind of change

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Speaker 1: the narrative as a producer. You've always been out front

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Speaker 1: promoting what you do along with some of your projects,

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Speaker 1: and it's really changing narrati because now everybody does it

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Speaker 1: properly and I don't see nothing wrong because you really

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Speaker 1: understood social media from a producing standpoint as an individual

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Speaker 1: early on. What drove that? You know, it's interest, ey Shane,

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Speaker 1: you hit it on the head. Uh. Film and television

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Speaker 1: has always been a director's meeting, and there's nothing wrong

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Speaker 1: with that at all. But those typically were the only

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Speaker 1: names that you knew, the stars, of course, and then

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Speaker 1: the directors. Well, when I came in as a producer,

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Speaker 1: I knew how important it was to connect with an ardience.

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Speaker 1: And I'll be honest with you to Sean, that really

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Speaker 1: started with my journey at FAMU because I made my

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Speaker 1: first film project, which was Chocolate City, while I was

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Speaker 1: still an undergraduate at FAMU, I was a junior. We

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Speaker 1: shot Chocolate City. This a little bitty movie. We didn't know,

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Speaker 1: you know, what it was gonna do. We didn't really

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Speaker 1: know what we were doing, to be honest with you,

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Speaker 1: but we had a lot of dry a lot of passion,

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Speaker 1: a lot of hustle, and in for that film to

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Speaker 1: be successful, I had to go out to my audience,

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Speaker 1: my core audience, which at that time was my family

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Speaker 1: peers that those are the only people that cared about

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Speaker 1: that movie. At that time. We tried to send into

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Speaker 1: Hollywood and they sent it back, and try the big

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Speaker 1: Friday and Sears, and they sent it back. They try

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Speaker 1: to send it the big actors. They didn't even have

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Speaker 1: the courtesy to sent it back to John. They but

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Speaker 1: that's part of the journey. That's what it takes. And

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Speaker 1: I realized I needed to go out and explained to

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Speaker 1: that audience why they should care about this film. And

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Speaker 1: that really started something that I still do to this day,

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Speaker 1: which is going out and trying to touch people with

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Speaker 1: every project that I had, trying to connect with people.

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Speaker 1: Back in the days after Chocolate City, which was that

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Speaker 1: first movie we shot at Family You, we made a

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Speaker 1: movie called Ta. And with Ta, we literally drove all

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Speaker 1: around the country. We drove city to city to city.

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Speaker 1: We rented a Ford Excursion, which which was a bad plan.

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Speaker 1: I realized, I was sean because it takes so much gas.

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Speaker 1: It was a big gas. We don't have any money,

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Speaker 1: so we spent almost all our promotion money trying to

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Speaker 1: fill up that big old truck. But that's what it took.

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Speaker 1: And we went to each city and we would tell

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Speaker 1: people literally hand out flying We go to the mall,

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Speaker 1: we go to the church, and we go to the club,

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Speaker 1: wherever people were, and we'd say, please go see our movies,

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Speaker 1: Please go see our movie. Well, a version of that

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Speaker 1: is what we do and I still do to this day.

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Speaker 1: Now we've got social media. You talk about this on

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Speaker 1: your show with Sean. You've got to use the tools

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Speaker 1: that you have access to. You've got to use the

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Speaker 1: resources that are available to you. And so with the

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Speaker 1: advent of the social media and the digital landscape expanding

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Speaker 1: the way that it has, I knew that I didn't

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Speaker 1: needed to use that aspect of my promotion, my grassroots

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Speaker 1: hustle to connect with people, and so that's exactly what

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Speaker 1: we did with some of those big movies that you named.

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Speaker 1: But it really started right there on the campus and family,

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Speaker 1: going and knocking on doors and trying to get people

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Speaker 1: to to care about the movie, think them to understand

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Speaker 1: it wasn't just something that was gonna be released, you know,

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Speaker 1: on their campus and maybe they go, maybe they don't.

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Speaker 1: I was going around telling people you have to go

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Speaker 1: see this movie, and a version of that is what

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Speaker 1: I still do to this day, do it very well now.

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Speaker 1: But your electrical engineer, that was your degree plan. Okay, now, okay,

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Speaker 1: it's really interesting because I always tell people, like, you know,

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Speaker 1: I wanted to be a stand up I got my

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Speaker 1: degree in mathematics, my mind and sociology. Just because I

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Speaker 1: wanted to go in that direction didn't mean I needed

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Speaker 1: to change my degree plan. And I think it's really impressive,

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Speaker 1: and I know you get the reaction I get. What

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Speaker 1: I tell people by degree is in mathematic When you

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Speaker 1: tell people your electrical engineer, they always go huh. And

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Speaker 1: then but they said, but they said in a good

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Speaker 1: way because they're stunned because they know how difficult it

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Speaker 1: is to achieve, because you was an undergraduate as well,

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Speaker 1: and they have to re plan. So let's talk about

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Speaker 1: that now. You know, I left my job. I left,

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Speaker 1: I graduated math, I went to work for IBM, so

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Speaker 1: everything was normal, and then I went and pursue my

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Speaker 1: career as a stand up comic. You left college with

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Speaker 1: your electrical engineer honors graduate and pursued a Hollywood career.

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Speaker 1: What do people think that I was crazy? They do

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Speaker 1: the same thing they thought about you. You know that

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Speaker 1: when you left a good, stable, corporate gig to chase

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Speaker 1: your dream and your passion, They said, what are you doing?

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Speaker 1: You know Hollywood? You know we didn't know where Hollywood was.

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Speaker 1: We didn't have a lot of uh, Hollywood connections. We

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Speaker 1: didn't have, you know, big money and resources and all that.

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Speaker 1: So people thought it was fanciful. They thought that I

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Speaker 1: was just chasing a dream that was unlikely to ever

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Speaker 1: be realized. But one thing about about dreamers, and you

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Speaker 1: notice Rashane, is that your dream is your dream. Nobody

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Speaker 1: else has it. Don't give anybody else power over your dream.

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Speaker 1: Nobody owns it but you. And until you say that

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Speaker 1: the dream is over, until you say that the dream

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Speaker 1: is dead, until you say that the dream is deferred,

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Speaker 1: it's not because as long as you still believe in it,

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Speaker 1: it's still got a possibility of happening. And so um.

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Speaker 1: I yes, graduated magnicum laude with a degree in electrical engineering.

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Speaker 1: And I got into engineering because I was strong in

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Speaker 1: math and science when I was coming up in high

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Speaker 1: school and got a scholarship to attend FAM you in engineering.

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Speaker 1: So that's kind of helped to shape that path because

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Speaker 1: I wanted to go. At the time that I first

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Speaker 1: went into college, I didn't know that I was gonna

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Speaker 1: be a filmmaker. I thought I was just going to

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Speaker 1: be an entrepreneur. That was I knew that was my passion,

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Speaker 1: and I wanted to go to an Ivy League school,

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Speaker 1: but they weren't offering me a single dime and you

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Speaker 1: was offering me a big old scholarship to be in

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Speaker 1: their engineering program. So my parents said, guess where you're going.

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Speaker 1: I said, I guess it won't be the IVY. They said,

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Speaker 1: you damn right, and so they sent me the family.

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Speaker 1: The decision was made for me, and it was the

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Speaker 1: best decision ever. And I took that a ran with

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Speaker 1: it much like you did. Right. I had that solid foundation.

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Speaker 1: A lot of people, um, I think underestimate the value

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Speaker 1: of having that solid degree that you had that I have,

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Speaker 1: Like you know, if if nothing else, I did have

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Speaker 1: that to fall back on, and it forced me to

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Speaker 1: work hard. You work hard to get a degree in math.

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Speaker 1: I were hard to get a degree and electric engineer,

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Speaker 1: especially graduating mad nicomblaude. But that work also helped to

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Speaker 1: hone and shape my work ethic and the way that

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Speaker 1: I approached projects even today. So I always tell people,

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Speaker 1: even if you're not in a field, in a position

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Speaker 1: that ultimately you want to be in for the rest

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Speaker 1: of your life, it's still you, your name is still

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Speaker 1: all the people are watching you that you don't even

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Speaker 1: know always give a hundred ten percent. Well that's key,

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Speaker 1: that's key, and that I guess that transitions to people

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Speaker 1: don't know you, but they still believe in your brain.

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Speaker 1: That that kind of like our relationship. I was Steve Harvey.

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Speaker 1: Now I was on Steve Harvard Morning Show and this

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Speaker 1: movie Stumped the Yard came out and I and Steve

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Speaker 1: Harvey and I we we would act well, I for

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Speaker 1: made allow us to talk to all the black people

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Speaker 1: in America wherefrom we felt, you know, we're talking to

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Speaker 1: all the black people with number one more than shore

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Speaker 1: in the country. And I told Steve as to Steve,

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Speaker 1: let's make this movie. Let's really put some effort. Nobody

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Speaker 1: made a media by, Nobody made the media by. But

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Speaker 1: I said, we gotta start supporting because Steve has the

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Speaker 1: ability and he had such a loyal and passionate fan base.

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Speaker 1: I said, let's drive this movie. Let's let's push this

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Speaker 1: movie and make it number one. And I didn't even

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Speaker 1: know you just felt that black projects at that time,

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Speaker 1: especially your movie, and it was about fraternity these it

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Speaker 1: was about hbcuth school was hit it hit all of

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Speaker 1: the uh, the points that I wanted to support, and

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Speaker 1: it became number one, and unknowingly that was a really

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Speaker 1: a strong lynch point pen to launching your brand. Correct. Well, listen,

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Speaker 1: it's it's what you saw was potential in a young

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Speaker 1: black filmmaker that you didn't know. You saw a project

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Speaker 1: that had the right themes and the right elements that

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Speaker 1: needed to be out there, right, and you supported. You

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Speaker 1: used your platform that you were associated with at that

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Speaker 1: time to help elevate it. That's what we can all

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Speaker 1: do every day, the projects that you see a lot

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Speaker 1: of people sit back and talk about stuff, right, you know,

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Speaker 1: all we should it should be more movies like this,

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Speaker 1: more content like this, more more politicians like this. But

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Speaker 1: you have the power. Are you putting your brand your money?

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Speaker 1: And I don't mean you have to be Rushy McDonald

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Speaker 1: or even wild Pack the right. You can just be

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Speaker 1: somebody at home. You're voting with your dollars and voting

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Speaker 1: with your clicks. You're voting with you at the balance box,

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Speaker 1: literally voting. But people don't utilize their power enough. So

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Speaker 1: you use your platform, which helped to elevate what we

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Speaker 1: were trying to do and if it weren't for people

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Speaker 1: like yourself and others that came in and said, we're

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Speaker 1: gonna go and support this movie. Right, this is the type.

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Speaker 1: So these are the types of stories that we want

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Speaker 1: to see on the big screen. There's no way we

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Speaker 1: would have been number one movie in the country for

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Speaker 1: two weeks in a row. As a matter of fact,

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Speaker 1: that was because people came out and supported that movie.

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Speaker 1: And so I try to make sure that people realize

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Speaker 1: you still have that power today. You don't have to

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Speaker 1: be some big celebrity figure. You got a network. Whoever

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Speaker 1: you are, You've got people that you talk to. I

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Speaker 1: don't care if it's that the Nelson Line, barbershop, online, Twitter,

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Speaker 1: whatever it is. You're talking to people. You're connecting with people.

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Speaker 1: How are you you seen during network? How are you

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Speaker 1: using your own personal plat Well, you know that you

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Speaker 1: have a highlight ability, and that's really important. I remember

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Speaker 1: that when Steve Harvey blew up, act like a lady,

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Speaker 1: think like a man, and uh I remember Oprah came

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Speaker 1: to us about a book opportunity of uh screen gims

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Speaker 1: came to the opportunity. We all said no. And then

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Speaker 1: this black dude who had never met my knife name

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Speaker 1: Will Packer called me, said hey man, let's talk. Let's talk,

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Speaker 1: and flew down to Dallas, would be a Steve and

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Speaker 1: drove around and convinced us, man that that's a skill.

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Speaker 1: Will you know that's that's a skill, because I say, no, easy,

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Speaker 1: real easy. And but you have learned to be able

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Speaker 1: to disseminate the positive and why this will work and

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Speaker 1: even because you know we will, how much? Just chill everybody, Steve,

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Speaker 1: and I've envisioned this to be a white cast, and

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Speaker 1: you said no, Rachean. I got this guy named Kevin Hard,

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Speaker 1: and I really didn't know Kevin Hard like you knew

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Speaker 1: Kevin Hart. You know you should sure this guy. He's

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Speaker 1: the next, next one. He's the next, I said, I said, Steve,

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Speaker 1: He's gonna Steve, Steve being Steve. Harp I said he

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Speaker 1: wants Kevin Hard to start it. I said, he's Steve's okay,

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Speaker 1: Kevin Hard? Huh? I said, yeah, he said he's the one,

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Speaker 1: and so we trusted you and the rest is history.

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Speaker 1: How do you see talent like that? And because that's

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Speaker 1: what's happening to all your movies, all your problem. You're

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Speaker 1: not number one by accident. You have a skill to

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Speaker 1: be able to see talent and cast it along with

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Speaker 1: great storylines. Talk to us about that. Well. I appreciate you.

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Speaker 1: I appreciate you saying average tie, but I also want

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Speaker 1: to give give some love back to you because if

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Speaker 1: you don't take that call, right, you had a lot

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Speaker 1: of people that were calling you, trying to get into

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Speaker 1: your universe, trying to get on there with you and

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Speaker 1: Steve and being you guys world. But you took the

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Speaker 1: call and you gave me an opportunity, and I really

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Speaker 1: do appreciate that. Brother. I want to I want to

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Speaker 1: say that, you know, in front of everybody, because if

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Speaker 1: you don't have that opportunity, if I don't have somebody

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Speaker 1: like you that that takes that call, uh, it makes

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Speaker 1: it so much harder for me to get to that

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Speaker 1: next level. And that's basically what I'm doing when it

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Speaker 1: comes to talent like like Kevin hard or or or

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Speaker 1: Address Elbow, Tippty Hatters, some people I'm very proud to

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Speaker 1: have have worked with on some of their early projects

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Speaker 1: that kind of launched them into into superstardom. They've got

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Speaker 1: the talent, right, It's not that that you know, um

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Speaker 1: I've had anything to do with Kevin's talent, even amazing

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Speaker 1: comedian and actors saying with Tiffany same with interest in

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Speaker 1: their own rights and other people that I've worked with.

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Speaker 1: But I did have a platform, right, I had the

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Speaker 1: movie that at that time was a foundation for them

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Speaker 1: to be a launching path for their careers. I'm very

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Speaker 1: proud of them. But I gotta be able to take

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Speaker 1: the call right like you took the call. And I

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Speaker 1: also do have to be able to ascertain who I

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Speaker 1: think has got talent that is I'm gonna call it

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Speaker 1: big screen worthy for the purposes of this conversation, Right, everybody,

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Speaker 1: there's some great talent out there that work really well

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Speaker 1: on say Instagram or or on TikTok, and everybody is

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Speaker 1: not set up to be the star of a big

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Speaker 1: television show or a big movie. You do have to

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Speaker 1: and this is something that I've pooned over the years.

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Speaker 1: You do have to be able to ascertain whether or

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Speaker 1: not talent has something that is transferable, because all talent

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Speaker 1: is not. But Kevin, for instance, would think like a man,

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Speaker 1: he definitely had a transferable skill set. And you aren't

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Speaker 1: the only one that was saying, you know, Who's Kevin

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Speaker 1: Hart was the big deal? All the Hollywood was saying,

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Speaker 1: trust me, like there was you know, there were not

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Speaker 1: a lot of people knocking down Kevin Thor because he

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Speaker 1: had some products that had come out before that that

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Speaker 1: had failed, right, they were not successful. So people felt like,

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Speaker 1: we know Kevin Hart, and we know what the ceiling

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Speaker 1: of his talent is and it's not very high. Whereas

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Speaker 1: I felt like that's not true. He was having a

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Speaker 1: moment at that time. People were really connecting with him,

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Speaker 1: and I felt like if he just had the right platform,

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Speaker 1: he could take it to the next level. So that

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Speaker 1: mirror is the story that you told about how you

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Speaker 1: know when you and Steve allow me to come down

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Speaker 1: to Dallas and pitch movie, it's the same thing. We

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Speaker 1: need an opportunity, You need somebody to give you a

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Speaker 1: chance to listen to you and to see your town.

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Speaker 1: You know, It's funny. I talked to people all the

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Speaker 1: time about perception, about perception. I tell everybody, if Vice

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Speaker 1: President Kamala Harris didn't tell anybody what schools she went through,

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Speaker 1: they would immediately say Ivy League. They would, I meanly

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Speaker 1: say Ivy League. And so if Will Packard didn't hype

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Speaker 1: the fact he graduated from FAM. You they would probably

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Speaker 1: say in USC film School U c l A. They

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Speaker 1: would immediately throw you in the because that's what you

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Speaker 1: supposed to be coming from, according to the industry, according

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Speaker 1: to perception. But you're an HBCU grad. Tell us, Wow,

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Speaker 1: the difference that made in your life and how you

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Speaker 1: caring at that mantra, Let everybody know the quality of

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Speaker 1: education and opportunity that is being presented to African Americans

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Speaker 1: or people of color a those schools and they're changing

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Speaker 1: the landscape of America. Yeah, education at the highest levels.

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Speaker 1: And that's the thing that um sometimes people even black people,

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Speaker 1: uh don't realized and give hbc US enough credit for it.

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Speaker 1: Is education at the highest level. More importantly though, because

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Speaker 1: you can get a great education at a lot of

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Speaker 1: different places. What you don't get is the sense of

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Speaker 1: community that creates a Kamala Harris, that creates a Will Packer,

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Speaker 1: that creates an Oprah Winfrey, that creates a Spike Lee,

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Speaker 1: that creates so many folks that have come out of

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Speaker 1: these h b c us and going on to greatness.

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Speaker 1: There's a sense of community, there's a feeling of you

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Speaker 1: are good enough, you are important enough, and a a

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Speaker 1: pressure that is in the best way to push you

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Speaker 1: to get to the next level. See, I was somebody

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Speaker 1: that had taken advantage of the fact that I was

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Speaker 1: very often the only black kid in the honors classes

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Speaker 1: and the ap classes um at my high school because

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Speaker 1: I I grew up in St. Pete, Florida, and my

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Speaker 1: high school was only tempercent black, and so often times

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Speaker 1: I was the only kid in the honors class. I

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Speaker 1: got a lot of attention, right, And I've had a

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Speaker 1: lot of the white kids and white teachers and administrators,

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Speaker 1: frankly who underestimated me. And I was savvy enough as

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Speaker 1: srategic enough to take advantage of that. When when I

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Speaker 1: went to fail, they weren't impressed. They were like, we

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Speaker 1: all came from honest class, right, we all know how

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Speaker 1: to talk to talk like you know how to talk,

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Speaker 1: will pack. We're not impressed by you. You gotta do more,

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Speaker 1: you gotta do something else to make yourself stand out.

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Speaker 1: And it really honed the skills that I use today

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Speaker 1: being pitching a movie or selling a project or like

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Speaker 1: you talked about the likability factor, trying to get people

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Speaker 1: to support what it is that I'm doing. I learned

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Speaker 1: all of that at family. So I'm a big proponent

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Speaker 1: of FAMI you and and HBCUs in general. And the

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Speaker 1: thing I think people don't realize is that they're not monolithic,

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Speaker 1: and they are truly a pipeline. So many of our professionals,

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Speaker 1: I don't care if you're talking about entertainment industry, um,

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Speaker 1: the stock market, doctors, teachers, pharmacists, so many of them

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Speaker 1: come from HBCUs. The pipeline is unquestionable, unquestioned and unmatched.

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Speaker 1: Right it really is? It really is? Now. You know

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Speaker 1: you've revery lately on TV become a relationship man. You

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Speaker 1: know you've been our match man cokein Now you know,

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Speaker 1: Peter ring on it and got my boy and nephew

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Speaker 1: Tommy hosting Ready to Love on own. Now how you

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Speaker 1: how you become? How you get it to the relationship game?

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Speaker 1: I know, thinking like a man, but that was just

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Speaker 1: a movie there, But now you've become a relationship thing.

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Speaker 1: The Black Relationship King on TV. Talk to us about that?

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Speaker 1: Will I like how that sound? But I take that.

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Speaker 1: I'll wear that. I wear that crowd. Uh, you know,

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Speaker 1: I think it was an opportunity man, opportunity that honestly

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Speaker 1: really did start with Things Like a Man. Thing Like

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Speaker 1: a Man was the first relationship movie that I did

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Speaker 1: that really was big. And Uh. It started with the

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Speaker 1: conversation frankly with Oprah. I have a relationship with own

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Speaker 1: and with Discovery, who is the parent company that that

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Speaker 1: owns owned along with Oprah and I sat Uh. I

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Speaker 1: went to to Oprah's house, promising man and talk to

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Speaker 1: her about what I thought was missing. That's what she

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Speaker 1: asked me, where are the opportunities on my network? What

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Speaker 1: is missing? And I said, one of the first things

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Speaker 1: I said, I pitched a uple shows, but one of

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Speaker 1: the first ones was I said, you know, where are

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Speaker 1: the grown African American dating show? I said, It's one

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Speaker 1: thing if you've got people that are dating in their twenties,

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Speaker 1: but you don't really know what you want when in

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Speaker 1: your twenties, you know, you're just figuring out, you're learning,

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Speaker 1: and you know, all of us have been through relationships

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Speaker 1: in our twenties and if it lasted, god bless you, right,

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Speaker 1: but a lot of us we don't figure it out

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Speaker 1: until we get to our thirties and forties. And so

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Speaker 1: I said, let's do something that it's for your audience,

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Speaker 1: which owns audience is grown funks, right, it is primarily

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Speaker 1: you know, forty plus African Americans. I said, they dating,

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Speaker 1: they're trying to figure it out that coming out of

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Speaker 1: out of relationship, that coming out marriages, some of them

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Speaker 1: got kids. What does that look like? And so yeah,

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Speaker 1: I got your guy in Nephew, Tommy and Um, we

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Speaker 1: actually have the number one show on Friday nights and

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Speaker 1: I'm so proud of It's called Rady Love Man, and

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Speaker 1: it's it's doing big things for us. When the beauty

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Speaker 1: of it is that I remember just transitioning um to

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Speaker 1: another great black film director and produces, Tyler Perry. And

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Speaker 1: Tyler Perry was talking about, Uh, you know he'll call

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Speaker 1: people when he cast him a lot of time when

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Speaker 1: they get casting in this project, he'll call him and

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Speaker 1: and and you know a lot of them don't think

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Speaker 1: it's a prank phone call. Not really. I was talking

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Speaker 1: to interview and Nephew telling me he said, when you

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Speaker 1: called him about Ready to Love, he thought he was

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Speaker 1: being prank because he's the king up ranks. So so

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Speaker 1: when does it get now when you make the phone call?

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Speaker 1: Where because I know you make the call and tell people,

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Speaker 1: and it's a blessing to tell people they've been cast

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Speaker 1: in different projects. When you started noticing the turn, because

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Speaker 1: at first you're just doing your job and just happy.

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Speaker 1: But you're Will Packer, you are a brand. You are

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Speaker 1: in some ways, let's be honest, a career maker, because

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Speaker 1: you can put people in leaving roads, your boxer, box office,

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Speaker 1: a star. So that phone call that you make, now

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Speaker 1: it's a little bit different. Now the talent isn't it's different.

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Speaker 1: You're right, and I appreciated saying every shot it is.

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Speaker 1: It feels good to be in a position to get

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Speaker 1: people opportunities because you're talking about folks that have worked very,

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Speaker 1: very hard to get in the position that they're in

427
00:20:59,080 --> 00:21:02,320
Speaker 1: to be noticed by someone like Will Packer, who has

428
00:21:02,320 --> 00:21:04,960
Speaker 1: a platform, who has a show, who has a movie, right,

429
00:21:05,280 --> 00:21:08,440
Speaker 1: and so you've worked hard to get yourself in that position.

430
00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:10,800
Speaker 1: When you do get that call, it's amazing. It's nothing

431
00:21:10,840 --> 00:21:13,960
Speaker 1: like it. It's a true validation not only of the

432
00:21:13,960 --> 00:21:16,639
Speaker 1: work you put in, but of your talent, because I

433
00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:19,320
Speaker 1: can't hire everybody that works hard. A lot of people

434
00:21:19,320 --> 00:21:22,840
Speaker 1: work hard, but you gotta work hard. You gotta have

435
00:21:22,960 --> 00:21:26,200
Speaker 1: the talent. You gotta have them both and be focused

436
00:21:26,240 --> 00:21:28,840
Speaker 1: and be persistent, because you can be talented and working

437
00:21:28,880 --> 00:21:30,879
Speaker 1: hard and still not get a call from a Will Packer,

438
00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:34,560
Speaker 1: Tyler Perry, anybody. It's very possible, right, But if you

439
00:21:34,600 --> 00:21:38,080
Speaker 1: are focused and persistent, you keep working, and if you've

440
00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:40,080
Speaker 1: got that talent, you just keep getting better and better

441
00:21:40,080 --> 00:21:43,199
Speaker 1: and better. I think I am a big believer that

442
00:21:43,280 --> 00:21:45,800
Speaker 1: the opportunity will present itself and then it's on you

443
00:21:45,880 --> 00:21:48,040
Speaker 1: to take advantage when you have that moment. Don't let

444
00:21:48,040 --> 00:21:50,399
Speaker 1: that moment pass you by. And see that sometimes too, Rashan,

445
00:21:50,720 --> 00:21:53,919
Speaker 1: I see people that, um, they're not ready when the

446
00:21:53,920 --> 00:21:57,239
Speaker 1: opportunity presents itself, right, Maybe not mature enough, maybe not

447
00:21:57,280 --> 00:22:00,520
Speaker 1: focused enough. Um. And that's unfortunately because you don't know

448
00:22:00,520 --> 00:22:02,159
Speaker 1: how many of those shots you're gonna get. When you

449
00:22:02,160 --> 00:22:04,560
Speaker 1: get that shot I'm taking, I'm taking you go for you,

450
00:22:04,640 --> 00:22:06,159
Speaker 1: run with it and never let it go. That's what

451
00:22:06,280 --> 00:22:09,520
Speaker 1: somebody like a Kevin Hard or Tivity has done. You know,

452
00:22:09,600 --> 00:22:13,080
Speaker 1: I really appreciate that. But also the reason I love

453
00:22:13,160 --> 00:22:14,920
Speaker 1: talking to you because you know, we we can laugh

454
00:22:14,960 --> 00:22:17,280
Speaker 1: at each other and tease each other. Tell you somethingbody

455
00:22:17,320 --> 00:22:19,679
Speaker 1: will see will will will you know, he threw he

456
00:22:19,760 --> 00:22:21,760
Speaker 1: threw out a conversation during this interview like it was

457
00:22:21,760 --> 00:22:24,840
Speaker 1: no big deal. Well, you know, Oprah asked me, what

458
00:22:24,920 --> 00:22:28,400
Speaker 1: do you think what's missing on my network? Oprah asked me, Now,

459
00:22:28,880 --> 00:22:31,200
Speaker 1: you know, well, when do you get to the point

460
00:22:31,240 --> 00:22:35,800
Speaker 1: in your life that Oprah asked anybody and ask you

461
00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:38,679
Speaker 1: And you're like, where I think? Oprah? You know, can

462
00:22:38,720 --> 00:22:45,640
Speaker 1: you give me a glass of wine? And you got

463
00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:47,520
Speaker 1: that was a little bit of a name that has

464
00:22:47,560 --> 00:22:51,879
Speaker 1: a big name, that's a perion there black woman, Okay,

465
00:22:51,920 --> 00:22:56,800
Speaker 1: who is defined blackness for us all the last twenty

466
00:22:56,880 --> 00:22:59,640
Speaker 1: years of our life. But you're sitting right there now,

467
00:22:59,720 --> 00:23:03,920
Speaker 1: we'll well, we see so many elegant African Americans in

468
00:23:03,960 --> 00:23:07,320
Speaker 1: the entertainment business that are getting deals, that are getting

469
00:23:08,119 --> 00:23:11,920
Speaker 1: that being being recognized for the black culture is now

470
00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:15,280
Speaker 1: being viable. And it's not on the streaming networks but

471
00:23:15,359 --> 00:23:18,760
Speaker 1: the film and network television that has to make you

472
00:23:18,800 --> 00:23:21,639
Speaker 1: feel good. Will question now because in fact makes me

473
00:23:21,640 --> 00:23:24,199
Speaker 1: feel good to be a part of it. Right, Um,

474
00:23:24,320 --> 00:23:27,640
Speaker 1: I am now looking at another generation coming up behind me.

475
00:23:28,240 --> 00:23:31,520
Speaker 1: This everything runs in cycles and the film industry is

476
00:23:31,520 --> 00:23:33,679
Speaker 1: no different. And so when I was coming up, I

477
00:23:33,720 --> 00:23:35,800
Speaker 1: was able to look at people like Spike Lee, like

478
00:23:35,840 --> 00:23:39,080
Speaker 1: the Huddling Brothers, like the Huge Brothers. These were filmmakers

479
00:23:39,080 --> 00:23:41,639
Speaker 1: that John Singleton god bessed soul. These are people that

480
00:23:41,680 --> 00:23:44,159
Speaker 1: were making movies when I was trying to get in

481
00:23:44,280 --> 00:23:46,440
Speaker 1: Robert Towns, and I would look at them and say bad,

482
00:23:46,720 --> 00:23:48,800
Speaker 1: I'm just trying to do what they're doing. Right, I

483
00:23:48,880 --> 00:23:51,360
Speaker 1: got my shot, and I've been very blessed and very

484
00:23:51,400 --> 00:23:53,520
Speaker 1: fortunate to have a lot of success within that industry.

485
00:23:53,600 --> 00:23:56,119
Speaker 1: Now when I look at this new prop of filmmakers

486
00:23:56,119 --> 00:23:58,560
Speaker 1: that's coming up, I see this cycle. I see this

487
00:23:58,640 --> 00:24:02,200
Speaker 1: new wave and it's so man, it is so um.

488
00:24:02,280 --> 00:24:04,520
Speaker 1: It's really validating, Mi Sean. I'll be honest with you

489
00:24:04,560 --> 00:24:07,040
Speaker 1: because it feels like, Okay, the work that I put in,

490
00:24:07,520 --> 00:24:10,840
Speaker 1: laid the pen, laid the foundation and and put in

491
00:24:10,880 --> 00:24:14,040
Speaker 1: the groundwork so that this next generation can come in

492
00:24:14,280 --> 00:24:16,880
Speaker 1: and I hope surpass everything you know that I've ever done.

493
00:24:16,920 --> 00:24:19,520
Speaker 1: I got ten number ones. I hope someday that's somebody

494
00:24:19,520 --> 00:24:21,720
Speaker 1: with twenty number ones at the box office. Box office

495
00:24:21,720 --> 00:24:23,600
Speaker 1: a little bit different now, you know the way that

496
00:24:23,680 --> 00:24:26,160
Speaker 1: they do. You know, everything is on streaming, so we'll

497
00:24:26,160 --> 00:24:28,239
Speaker 1: see that that record might stand for a while. But

498
00:24:28,560 --> 00:24:30,680
Speaker 1: the point is that there are a lot, a lot

499
00:24:30,760 --> 00:24:34,080
Speaker 1: of new African American filmmakers that have a chance to

500
00:24:34,080 --> 00:24:37,280
Speaker 1: tell their stories. And I'm hopeful that my success because

501
00:24:37,280 --> 00:24:40,720
Speaker 1: this industry all my success. Right, somebody has a big movie,

502
00:24:40,920 --> 00:24:43,280
Speaker 1: makes a bunch of money, Hollywood wants the next. Who

503
00:24:43,280 --> 00:24:45,119
Speaker 1: else can do what they do? You know, give us

504
00:24:45,160 --> 00:24:47,919
Speaker 1: the next you know Ryan Kubin, right, give us the

505
00:24:47,920 --> 00:24:50,240
Speaker 1: next Shaka King, you know Judice in the Black Masside,

506
00:24:50,320 --> 00:24:52,920
Speaker 1: Give us the next whoever it is. Well, I'm hopeful

507
00:24:52,960 --> 00:24:56,320
Speaker 1: that Will Packer made some of the folks in the

508
00:24:56,320 --> 00:24:58,760
Speaker 1: industry say, we need another World pack We need to

509
00:24:58,800 --> 00:25:00,800
Speaker 1: work with some more Black produce because they can be

510
00:25:00,840 --> 00:25:04,240
Speaker 1: successful the way that Will Packer was. And that, honestly,

511
00:25:04,480 --> 00:25:07,480
Speaker 1: that's legacy, and that's really what you're doing for Honestly,

512
00:25:07,520 --> 00:25:09,080
Speaker 1: at the end of the day, that's what I'm most

513
00:25:09,119 --> 00:25:11,600
Speaker 1: proud of my life. Well, I've always been most proud

514
00:25:11,640 --> 00:25:15,439
Speaker 1: of the fact that you understood value because you understood

515
00:25:16,000 --> 00:25:18,359
Speaker 1: Rashaan number one. I remember when we were after we

516
00:25:18,400 --> 00:25:20,159
Speaker 1: did think like a man. We were talking on the

517
00:25:20,160 --> 00:25:22,119
Speaker 1: phone and you go here for Sean uh put a

518
00:25:22,119 --> 00:25:23,760
Speaker 1: little extra juice. So on this one, you know, because

519
00:25:23,840 --> 00:25:25,400
Speaker 1: y'all hype it up. It's a little bit more because

520
00:25:25,440 --> 00:25:27,400
Speaker 1: I want to be number one. You knew as far

521
00:25:27,440 --> 00:25:30,600
Speaker 1: as your brand, by hanging on to that mantro or

522
00:25:30,680 --> 00:25:33,960
Speaker 1: releasing number ones, it would pay off down the line.

523
00:25:34,240 --> 00:25:36,960
Speaker 1: And it's like I said, ten, that is nothing. Well,

524
00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:40,520
Speaker 1: I'm gonna tell yourself never been done before. Okay, white

525
00:25:40,600 --> 00:25:43,840
Speaker 1: or black, never been done before. And so but you

526
00:25:43,960 --> 00:25:46,879
Speaker 1: always have a vision about that. Now that leads to

527
00:25:46,920 --> 00:25:50,080
Speaker 1: these upcoming projects that you have coming out ed Universal

528
00:25:50,119 --> 00:25:52,400
Speaker 1: and then you're also developed a Doug Williams bio pick

529
00:25:52,640 --> 00:25:55,320
Speaker 1: talk about the upcoming projects in the podcast that you

530
00:25:55,400 --> 00:25:58,280
Speaker 1: have rolling out again the will pack of brand. You

531
00:25:58,320 --> 00:25:59,920
Speaker 1: know what, First of all, I got amazing team and

532
00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:02,199
Speaker 1: Amy Rashan, and I want everybody listening to this to

533
00:26:02,240 --> 00:26:03,960
Speaker 1: know that, like, at the end of the day, you're

534
00:26:03,960 --> 00:26:06,199
Speaker 1: only as strong as your team, right It's it's my

535
00:26:06,280 --> 00:26:08,840
Speaker 1: name is at the top of the of the company

536
00:26:08,960 --> 00:26:10,680
Speaker 1: letterhead and all of that. But at the end of

537
00:26:10,680 --> 00:26:12,520
Speaker 1: the day, I got good people around me. And so

538
00:26:12,840 --> 00:26:15,760
Speaker 1: as you're looking to build yourself up and and do

539
00:26:16,080 --> 00:26:18,600
Speaker 1: what we've talked about in this interview, make sure you've

540
00:26:18,640 --> 00:26:21,440
Speaker 1: got to write people around you. Uh, and we're busy, man,

541
00:26:21,480 --> 00:26:25,440
Speaker 1: we are busy. We we announced an a podcast deal

542
00:26:25,520 --> 00:26:28,439
Speaker 1: with My Heart as you know, um, one of the

543
00:26:28,440 --> 00:26:31,239
Speaker 1: the major, the biggest in terms of podcasting, but one

544
00:26:31,240 --> 00:26:33,679
Speaker 1: of the major audio services that are out there. So

545
00:26:33,800 --> 00:26:37,440
Speaker 1: we're doing podcast We've got one dropping this summer. It's

546
00:26:37,480 --> 00:26:40,280
Speaker 1: a narrative podcast. So it literally is us getting a

547
00:26:40,359 --> 00:26:42,919
Speaker 1: chance to develop stuff which may turn out to be

548
00:26:42,960 --> 00:26:45,320
Speaker 1: a movie or a television show later, but it's starting

549
00:26:45,359 --> 00:26:49,080
Speaker 1: off in the podcast format. Um, I'm going to shoot

550
00:26:49,119 --> 00:26:52,119
Speaker 1: with in Yourselvil, who we talked about, uh this summer,

551
00:26:52,160 --> 00:26:55,160
Speaker 1: I've got a movie called Beast that I'm excited about.

552
00:26:55,200 --> 00:26:57,560
Speaker 1: It is in Yourselvi's he's uh he's trapped in the

553
00:26:57,640 --> 00:27:00,399
Speaker 1: jungle with a man eating lighting, a man eating lying,

554
00:27:00,800 --> 00:27:04,320
Speaker 1: chasing him and his family. Now, so that's excuse me,

555
00:27:04,400 --> 00:27:07,880
Speaker 1: fun escapeists fair. Um, so that's good. And then we've

556
00:27:07,920 --> 00:27:11,520
Speaker 1: got um a television show called Bigger which is airing

557
00:27:11,520 --> 00:27:14,400
Speaker 1: on BT Plus right now. Uh So if you don't

558
00:27:14,400 --> 00:27:16,480
Speaker 1: have BT Plus, check it out go stream at. Tyler

559
00:27:16,520 --> 00:27:19,760
Speaker 1: Perry has uh all his content on BT Plus. This

560
00:27:19,840 --> 00:27:23,359
Speaker 1: show is called Bigger is fun sexy comedy has grown

561
00:27:23,400 --> 00:27:26,720
Speaker 1: now it's definitely grown a little bit edgy. Uh you

562
00:27:26,920 --> 00:27:30,000
Speaker 1: you were like Gira shot it's it's good. Uh. Then

563
00:27:30,080 --> 00:27:32,440
Speaker 1: of course you talked about rady love on Friday Nights.

564
00:27:32,480 --> 00:27:34,800
Speaker 1: I got another relationship show called Put a Ring On

565
00:27:34,840 --> 00:27:37,200
Speaker 1: It about couples that have been dating for a very

566
00:27:37,240 --> 00:27:40,080
Speaker 1: long time but have never gotten married, and they do

567
00:27:40,160 --> 00:27:43,160
Speaker 1: the social experiment where they see what would happen if

568
00:27:43,200 --> 00:27:46,600
Speaker 1: you allow your significant other to date someone else for

569
00:27:46,720 --> 00:27:50,920
Speaker 1: thirty days? What happens and at the end of those

570
00:27:50,960 --> 00:27:54,240
Speaker 1: dirty days does it make your relationship stronger? Does it

571
00:27:54,320 --> 00:27:57,159
Speaker 1: tear it apart? So that's called put a Ring on It?

572
00:27:57,480 --> 00:27:59,800
Speaker 1: And that was a yeah, man, that that was. That

573
00:27:59,880 --> 00:28:01,840
Speaker 1: was open his face when I pissed that one too,

574
00:28:01,840 --> 00:28:04,680
Speaker 1: exactly just he said, Oh, you're trying to get people

575
00:28:04,680 --> 00:28:08,320
Speaker 1: in trouble. Uh. So were busy, busy, got a lot

576
00:28:08,320 --> 00:28:11,200
Speaker 1: of stuff happening, and you've got Now you've got Dunk Williams.

577
00:28:11,440 --> 00:28:14,040
Speaker 1: God tell us about Doun Williams. Do day Williams man,

578
00:28:14,119 --> 00:28:17,000
Speaker 1: absolutely listen. We talked about hbc U, we talked about

579
00:28:17,040 --> 00:28:21,600
Speaker 1: overcoming adversity. He is the epitome, the troop personification of that.

580
00:28:21,880 --> 00:28:26,480
Speaker 1: Doug Williams first black quarterback ever to win a Super Bowl.

581
00:28:26,680 --> 00:28:30,320
Speaker 1: Super Bowl m v P UM a personal hero of mine.

582
00:28:30,359 --> 00:28:33,280
Speaker 1: We're actually doing his story, Rashan, thank you for bringing

583
00:28:33,280 --> 00:28:37,439
Speaker 1: that up. We're doing his story as a big screen biopic, Um,

584
00:28:37,560 --> 00:28:40,959
Speaker 1: and he deserves the big screen telling. He is the

585
00:28:41,040 --> 00:28:45,240
Speaker 1: precursor to Russell, with Wilson and Patrick Mahomes and Cam

586
00:28:45,240 --> 00:28:48,800
Speaker 1: Newton and Lamar Jackson and Colin Kaepernick. He was the

587
00:28:48,840 --> 00:28:51,720
Speaker 1: first one to go out and succeed at the highest

588
00:28:51,800 --> 00:28:54,760
Speaker 1: levels through all the adversity. Because you know how it is.

589
00:28:54,800 --> 00:28:56,480
Speaker 1: He had a lot of folks that were rooting against

590
00:28:56,560 --> 00:28:58,880
Speaker 1: him and said, you can't do it as a black quarterback.

591
00:28:58,880 --> 00:29:00,640
Speaker 1: You're not smart enough, you don't have what it takes,

592
00:29:00,640 --> 00:29:03,320
Speaker 1: you don't have the leadership. But he did and he

593
00:29:03,360 --> 00:29:05,320
Speaker 1: went out and won, and so we're gonna tell his

594
00:29:05,360 --> 00:29:07,080
Speaker 1: story and give him the big screen treatment. I'm very

595
00:29:07,120 --> 00:29:10,760
Speaker 1: excited about that. Well, well, well, thank you for taking

596
00:29:10,760 --> 00:29:13,200
Speaker 1: the time and come on money making conversations. Man, your

597
00:29:13,240 --> 00:29:16,640
Speaker 1: special brother. Appreciate you, and you know coming to me,

598
00:29:16,680 --> 00:29:18,960
Speaker 1: I'm always going to promote what you gotta say, even

599
00:29:18,960 --> 00:29:23,280
Speaker 1: when I know you and I don't know connector I

600
00:29:23,320 --> 00:29:27,560
Speaker 1: appreciate you, my friend, all love, brother, thank you. We

601
00:29:27,640 --> 00:29:30,600
Speaker 1: will be right back with more money making conversations with

602
00:29:30,680 --> 00:29:38,280
Speaker 1: your hosts Rashaan McDonald. It's finally here, the season of celebration.

603
00:29:38,520 --> 00:29:41,120
Speaker 1: And no matter how you celebrate with family and friends,

604
00:29:41,360 --> 00:29:45,280
Speaker 1: whether you're preparing for reys magos or Karamu lighting the Manura,

605
00:29:45,520 --> 00:29:48,520
Speaker 1: are going to midnight mass, Coals has just what you

606
00:29:48,600 --> 00:29:52,440
Speaker 1: need to make those traditions special. Plus you'll find gifts

607
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608
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609
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610
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611
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612
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Speaker 1: of giving, Coals Cares is donating eight million dollars to

613
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614
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Speaker 1: of our communities. No matter how you celebrate, when you

615
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616
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617
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618
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Speaker 1: Perez family home, just waiting for the and there they go,

619
00:30:36,640 --> 00:30:39,360
Speaker 1: almost on time. This morning, Mom is coming off the

620
00:30:39,360 --> 00:30:42,200
Speaker 1: front door, strong with a double arm kid carry. Looks

621
00:30:42,280 --> 00:30:45,080
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622
00:30:45,560 --> 00:30:49,880
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623
00:30:49,920 --> 00:30:54,479
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624
00:30:54,480 --> 00:30:58,000
Speaker 1: car seat buckle for the toddler. And now the eldest daughter,

625
00:30:58,040 --> 00:31:00,600
Speaker 1: who looks to be about nine or ten, has secured

626
00:31:00,640 --> 00:31:03,440
Speaker 1: herself in the booster seat. Dead SIPs the bad clothes

627
00:31:03,640 --> 00:31:07,320
Speaker 1: and they're off. But looks like Mom doesn't realize her

628
00:31:07,360 --> 00:31:09,560
Speaker 1: coffee cup is still on the roof of the car,

629
00:31:10,000 --> 00:31:14,000
Speaker 1: and there it goes. Oh, that's a shame that mug

630
00:31:14,080 --> 00:31:16,960
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631
00:31:17,080 --> 00:31:19,080
Speaker 1: nail the big stuff, like making sure your kids are

632
00:31:19,120 --> 00:31:21,160
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633
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Speaker 1: The issues of diversity and inclusion in the workplace remain

646
00:32:03,680 --> 00:32:07,160
Speaker 1: at the forefront of national conversation. The COVID nineteen pandemic

647
00:32:07,280 --> 00:32:10,880
Speaker 1: is exposed and heightened glaring inequalities around the world. Carla

648
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Speaker 1: Grant Pickens is the IBM Chief Diversity Officer. Carla tell

649
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Speaker 1: me a little bit more about what it means to

650
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Speaker 1: be neurodivergent and the concept of neurodiversity. Neural diversity is

651
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Speaker 1: acceptance and respect for people with neurological differences. What programs

652
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Speaker 1: and initiatives has IBM launched to accommodate neuro divergent professionals.

653
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Speaker 1: We really have opened up people to be able to

654
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Speaker 1: self identify and hiring process um that their neural divergence,

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Speaker 1: so that we can provide them with the accommodation is

656
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Speaker 1: We are deploying learning to all of our managers and

659
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Speaker 1: more information, just go to IBM dot com, front slash

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Speaker 1: b equal Hi I am ras Sean McDonald hosts a

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Speaker 1: money Making Conversation dot com. The Cafe Mocha Swag Award

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Speaker 1: is a celebration of black men making a difference in

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Speaker 1: everyday dance the Cafe Moca Swag Award. Want to read

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673
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Speaker 1: I think to to five students are in position to

674
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Speaker 1: receive a job that plays up to seventy thousand A

675
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676
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677
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678
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679
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Speaker 1: their family. The Cafe Marca Swag Award represents men who

680
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Speaker 1: have strength, whose wisdom is assertive, and who genuine in

681
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Speaker 1: their spirit. Welcome back to money Making Conversations with your host,

682
00:34:05,840 --> 00:34:09,920
Speaker 1: Rashwan McDonald. My next guest is Stephen A. Smith. He

683
00:34:10,040 --> 00:34:13,280
Speaker 1: is the recognized face of ESPN Sports because on ESPN

684
00:34:13,320 --> 00:34:17,040
Speaker 1: he hosts First Take and Sports Center's NBA Show hosted

685
00:34:17,080 --> 00:34:19,520
Speaker 1: by Stephen A. Smith. He is a proud graduate of

686
00:34:19,560 --> 00:34:23,600
Speaker 1: an HBCU, future book author, runs his own production company,

687
00:34:23,800 --> 00:34:27,120
Speaker 1: and the executive producer of the hit ESPN Plus show

688
00:34:27,320 --> 00:34:30,560
Speaker 1: stephen A's World. Please working the money making conversation, my man,

689
00:34:30,880 --> 00:34:33,440
Speaker 1: stephen A Smith. How you doing? Stephen? What's going on? Man?

690
00:34:33,440 --> 00:34:35,920
Speaker 1: How you doing? I want to get this out the

691
00:34:36,160 --> 00:34:38,920
Speaker 1: the way real early stevement. You know, everybody know I'm

692
00:34:38,920 --> 00:34:41,560
Speaker 1: based in Atlanta, Georgia. You know you travel between New

693
00:34:41,680 --> 00:34:44,280
Speaker 1: York and Los Angeles. And I look at my phone

694
00:34:44,320 --> 00:34:46,600
Speaker 1: and I get a text and I see this guy,

695
00:34:47,280 --> 00:34:50,640
Speaker 1: you know, crouching behind this car, you know, and he

696
00:34:50,719 --> 00:34:54,560
Speaker 1: looks like he's a uh police officer. Ser he looks

697
00:34:54,560 --> 00:34:57,120
Speaker 1: like he's acting on the soul proper. And I said,

698
00:34:57,239 --> 00:35:00,280
Speaker 1: that's my man print. What's what's going on in Stephen?

699
00:35:00,280 --> 00:35:04,239
Speaker 1: They what do they have you doing on TV? Now? Man? No?

700
00:35:04,600 --> 00:35:06,640
Speaker 1: I mean, I got a recurring role on the soap

701
00:35:06,680 --> 00:35:10,319
Speaker 1: opera General Hospital. My character's name is Brick. I'm a

702
00:35:10,360 --> 00:35:15,000
Speaker 1: surveillance expert for the mob headed by Sonny Corinthos Uh

703
00:35:15,120 --> 00:35:17,440
Speaker 1: In real life, his name is Maurice Bernard's character in

704
00:35:17,480 --> 00:35:21,719
Speaker 1: General Hospital Sonny corenthos Um. His his henchman is right here.

705
00:35:21,760 --> 00:35:25,040
Speaker 1: Man is Jason Morgan. And essentially I worked for and

706
00:35:25,120 --> 00:35:28,600
Speaker 1: with a really really pretty much with those guys. And uh,

707
00:35:28,640 --> 00:35:30,799
Speaker 1: I was a surbillance expert for the mob. But this

708
00:35:30,840 --> 00:35:33,800
Speaker 1: particular scene, UM, I had to help out the henchman,

709
00:35:33,880 --> 00:35:36,160
Speaker 1: Jason Morgan, so we had to break him out of prison,

710
00:35:36,600 --> 00:35:39,960
Speaker 1: and uh I was the driver. But also obviously I

711
00:35:40,080 --> 00:35:42,400
Speaker 1: was an enforce of myself as you saw, because I

712
00:35:42,440 --> 00:35:44,880
Speaker 1: had to shoot somebody and kill somebody, you know, in

713
00:35:44,960 --> 00:35:47,120
Speaker 1: order to get him out of their safety. Sound that's

714
00:35:47,120 --> 00:35:51,160
Speaker 1: how you know, we we play around because just watching

715
00:35:51,160 --> 00:35:54,160
Speaker 1: you act, you know, is fun to me. But you

716
00:35:54,280 --> 00:35:56,520
Speaker 1: really take your acting. You don't believe you really have

717
00:35:56,640 --> 00:35:58,840
Speaker 1: the talent to act, but we all know you have

718
00:35:58,920 --> 00:36:02,120
Speaker 1: the talent. While you so humbul about your acting. Well,

719
00:36:02,160 --> 00:36:04,880
Speaker 1: because I've never it's you know, I've got such profound

720
00:36:04,880 --> 00:36:08,080
Speaker 1: respect for the thesbians, the guys and the girls out

721
00:36:08,080 --> 00:36:09,920
Speaker 1: there that you know, the ladies out there that have

722
00:36:10,000 --> 00:36:14,160
Speaker 1: done such a phenomenal job taking this profession seriously, studying it,

723
00:36:14,600 --> 00:36:17,480
Speaker 1: uh from a very young age, going to school for it,

724
00:36:18,040 --> 00:36:21,919
Speaker 1: learning the tricks of the trains per se. Me. I've

725
00:36:21,960 --> 00:36:24,000
Speaker 1: never done any of that. I'm a guy that's a

726
00:36:24,040 --> 00:36:28,880
Speaker 1: sports announcer. I'm a sports commentator and broadcaster. I'm a journalist.

727
00:36:28,960 --> 00:36:32,200
Speaker 1: I've been a newspaper journalist and you know, before transitioning

728
00:36:32,239 --> 00:36:35,400
Speaker 1: the radio and television for the past twenty eight years.

729
00:36:35,400 --> 00:36:40,280
Speaker 1: And so because I've never put the work into the profession. Essentially,

730
00:36:40,280 --> 00:36:42,200
Speaker 1: what I do is go about the business of making

731
00:36:42,239 --> 00:36:44,160
Speaker 1: sure that I'm gonna arize my lines to the best

732
00:36:44,160 --> 00:36:46,759
Speaker 1: of my ability, so I'm not a hindrance or an

733
00:36:46,800 --> 00:36:50,280
Speaker 1: impediment to the success of the show. Uh in that regard.

734
00:36:50,680 --> 00:36:53,320
Speaker 1: Outside of that, I just followed their lead. I listened

735
00:36:53,320 --> 00:36:57,120
Speaker 1: to what Maurice Bernard and and Steve Burton, who plays

736
00:36:57,200 --> 00:36:59,319
Speaker 1: those characters that I mentioned earlier. I listened to what

737
00:36:59,360 --> 00:37:01,400
Speaker 1: they tell me to do, how they tell me to

738
00:37:01,440 --> 00:37:04,000
Speaker 1: do it, along with executive producer Frank Balance team. They

739
00:37:04,080 --> 00:37:05,919
Speaker 1: all think I can act. They all think that I've

740
00:37:05,920 --> 00:37:09,160
Speaker 1: done an incredible job. But I give all praise to

741
00:37:09,239 --> 00:37:11,680
Speaker 1: them because of how much they've helped me and how

742
00:37:11,760 --> 00:37:14,600
Speaker 1: much they've embraced me being a part of the show.

743
00:37:14,680 --> 00:37:17,759
Speaker 1: And that's where the humility comes in, because they could

744
00:37:17,760 --> 00:37:20,160
Speaker 1: have made it difficult if they wanted to. They never

745
00:37:20,200 --> 00:37:23,120
Speaker 1: ever ever did it, not for one second. They invited

746
00:37:23,160 --> 00:37:25,000
Speaker 1: me on the show, they asked me to do it,

747
00:37:25,200 --> 00:37:27,920
Speaker 1: and they've been incredibly supportive. And I think that, you know,

748
00:37:28,160 --> 00:37:30,239
Speaker 1: being a part of it has really really helped me

749
00:37:30,280 --> 00:37:34,640
Speaker 1: appreciate you, you know, actings and actresses even more. It's

750
00:37:34,640 --> 00:37:38,360
Speaker 1: allowed me to take that very significantly more seriously, and

751
00:37:38,400 --> 00:37:40,960
Speaker 1: now I am interested in learning more and doing it

752
00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:43,799
Speaker 1: because it's something to be said about being able to

753
00:37:43,800 --> 00:37:46,640
Speaker 1: play a character and that character is allowed to do

754
00:37:47,080 --> 00:37:50,319
Speaker 1: whatever they write for the character to do, and it's

755
00:37:50,360 --> 00:37:53,000
Speaker 1: not held against you. You know, you could be you

756
00:37:53,000 --> 00:37:55,200
Speaker 1: could be a killer, you could be a criminal, you

757
00:37:55,239 --> 00:37:57,799
Speaker 1: could be Gandhi for crying and allowed. Whatever the role

758
00:37:57,920 --> 00:38:01,080
Speaker 1: calls for. It's acting. And if you do it, and

759
00:38:01,120 --> 00:38:04,120
Speaker 1: you do it well, the public tends to appreciate the

760
00:38:04,239 --> 00:38:06,680
Speaker 1: role that you're playing and then they leave you alone

761
00:38:06,760 --> 00:38:09,080
Speaker 1: on a personal level. And that's a beautiful thing. Well,

762
00:38:09,640 --> 00:38:11,640
Speaker 1: it's the funny thing about you is that you're You're

763
00:38:11,680 --> 00:38:15,040
Speaker 1: so talented, but you also are I don't want to

764
00:38:15,040 --> 00:38:18,400
Speaker 1: admit certain skill sets because I feel you're really funny, okay,

765
00:38:18,400 --> 00:38:20,560
Speaker 1: and the opportunities to come you away. You're funny on

766
00:38:20,600 --> 00:38:24,040
Speaker 1: your show you I guess we can use the word sarcastic,

767
00:38:24,120 --> 00:38:27,040
Speaker 1: which leads you to being funny. Can you Stephen A.

768
00:38:27,120 --> 00:38:31,040
Speaker 1: Smith host Saturday Night Live? I think I can host

769
00:38:31,040 --> 00:38:33,360
Speaker 1: Saturday Night Live one night, But I think I would

770
00:38:33,360 --> 00:38:36,960
Speaker 1: need the help of Pete david Ston and Chris red

771
00:38:37,000 --> 00:38:39,520
Speaker 1: And and all of those guys. I would definitely need

772
00:38:39,600 --> 00:38:41,600
Speaker 1: the assistance. The only thing I ever worry about is

773
00:38:41,600 --> 00:38:44,359
Speaker 1: the opening monologue. In terms of just playing the role

774
00:38:44,480 --> 00:38:46,239
Speaker 1: or whatever for a show or whatever the case may be.

775
00:38:46,280 --> 00:38:48,799
Speaker 1: I know I can do that. Um, I have aspirations

776
00:38:48,840 --> 00:38:51,520
Speaker 1: to host late night television someday because I don't you know,

777
00:38:51,560 --> 00:38:54,160
Speaker 1: since our senior Hall has departed, I think there's been

778
00:38:54,160 --> 00:38:57,239
Speaker 1: a gap on network television that hasn't been fulfilled, and

779
00:38:57,280 --> 00:38:58,920
Speaker 1: I'm confident that I could be able to do that,

780
00:38:59,120 --> 00:39:00,960
Speaker 1: But I would still need writers to help me with

781
00:39:00,960 --> 00:39:02,839
Speaker 1: the opening monologue because I want to be as funny

782
00:39:02,880 --> 00:39:05,120
Speaker 1: as I possibly can be, and my confident that I

783
00:39:05,200 --> 00:39:08,040
Speaker 1: can do these things shut But I compare myself to

784
00:39:08,120 --> 00:39:10,959
Speaker 1: the elite of the elite, the creme dela creme, because

785
00:39:10,960 --> 00:39:12,960
Speaker 1: I'm not trying to be average or just good at

786
00:39:13,000 --> 00:39:16,040
Speaker 1: anything that I choose to do as a profession. If

787
00:39:16,080 --> 00:39:18,920
Speaker 1: I'm going to do it, my goal is to ultimately

788
00:39:18,960 --> 00:39:21,399
Speaker 1: assent to a point where I'm considered one of, if

789
00:39:21,400 --> 00:39:24,200
Speaker 1: not the best, at what I do. I strive for

790
00:39:24,320 --> 00:39:28,719
Speaker 1: excellence constantly and to meet anything short of it, I'm

791
00:39:28,800 --> 00:39:31,359
Speaker 1: just another guy doing the job, and I never want

792
00:39:31,360 --> 00:39:34,279
Speaker 1: to be just another guy doing the job. So that's

793
00:39:34,320 --> 00:39:36,719
Speaker 1: always my goal to be elite at whatever it is

794
00:39:36,760 --> 00:39:39,280
Speaker 1: that I choose to involve myself within whatever I choose

795
00:39:39,360 --> 00:39:42,000
Speaker 1: to do, and that's where it comes from, and that's

796
00:39:42,080 --> 00:39:44,520
Speaker 1: that's just my mindset all the time. So why are

797
00:39:44,560 --> 00:39:47,640
Speaker 1: you so competitive? Because that sounds like a competitive mindset.

798
00:39:47,719 --> 00:39:50,279
Speaker 1: What drives that is is the ability of wanting to

799
00:39:50,320 --> 00:39:53,799
Speaker 1: be number one, or the fact growing up or in

800
00:39:53,880 --> 00:39:56,880
Speaker 1: college you didn't feel you got the right of credit

801
00:39:57,480 --> 00:40:01,160
Speaker 1: for your accomplishment. What drives that competitive comes from it all.

802
00:40:01,200 --> 00:40:03,080
Speaker 1: I got left back in the fourth grade because at

803
00:40:03,080 --> 00:40:05,280
Speaker 1: the first grade reading level, I was called the dummy,

804
00:40:05,400 --> 00:40:07,799
Speaker 1: and I was you know, I had guidance counsels and

805
00:40:07,840 --> 00:40:10,480
Speaker 1: others laughing at the notion of me ultimately going on

806
00:40:10,560 --> 00:40:13,480
Speaker 1: to get a college education. Um. All my life, I've

807
00:40:13,480 --> 00:40:18,120
Speaker 1: been doubted. I've been marginalized and minimized to some degree, um,

808
00:40:18,160 --> 00:40:21,360
Speaker 1: at least in the initial process. And I don't recall

809
00:40:21,480 --> 00:40:24,719
Speaker 1: a time ever where I've walked into a situation and

810
00:40:24,800 --> 00:40:27,560
Speaker 1: the assumption was I was going to be great. I've

811
00:40:27,600 --> 00:40:30,759
Speaker 1: always had to prove myself. So I combined that with

812
00:40:31,080 --> 00:40:34,320
Speaker 1: the reality that we live in a capitalistic society. To

813
00:40:34,440 --> 00:40:37,520
Speaker 1: the victors go the spoils. Uh. If you want something,

814
00:40:37,560 --> 00:40:39,640
Speaker 1: if you want something bad, you're gonna have to go

815
00:40:39,719 --> 00:40:42,200
Speaker 1: get it. Really is it going to be handed to you?

816
00:40:42,239 --> 00:40:46,200
Speaker 1: Almost never? If you're a black man and understanding that

817
00:40:46,280 --> 00:40:51,920
Speaker 1: reality and knowing those obstacles that I'm going to face. Ultimately,

818
00:40:52,520 --> 00:40:56,040
Speaker 1: somebody has children, no matter what profession it is, no

819
00:40:56,080 --> 00:40:58,279
Speaker 1: matter what your job description is, no matter what your

820
00:40:58,360 --> 00:41:03,000
Speaker 1: job title is. Ultimately something someone is chosen, and if

821
00:41:03,040 --> 00:41:05,719
Speaker 1: you're chosen, it's usually at the expense of somebody else,

822
00:41:05,960 --> 00:41:08,360
Speaker 1: and if somebody else has chosen, it's usually at the

823
00:41:08,400 --> 00:41:12,560
Speaker 1: expense of you. So thereby that reality alone brings into

824
00:41:12,600 --> 00:41:16,520
Speaker 1: the equation competition. That's what competition is. And because that's

825
00:41:16,560 --> 00:41:19,480
Speaker 1: the situation, I embrace it. I accept it because I

826
00:41:19,480 --> 00:41:21,799
Speaker 1: know it's a reality that's never going to escape me

827
00:41:21,880 --> 00:41:24,160
Speaker 1: in my lifetime with the world that we're living in.

828
00:41:24,480 --> 00:41:28,000
Speaker 1: So since I embrace it, embrace competitive furvor. Understand that

829
00:41:28,040 --> 00:41:30,480
Speaker 1: you're competing with other people. Understand that you're not the

830
00:41:30,480 --> 00:41:33,600
Speaker 1: only one who wants what you want. Every but everybody

831
00:41:33,680 --> 00:41:36,120
Speaker 1: can't get it. So put your best foot forward. And

832
00:41:36,120 --> 00:41:37,719
Speaker 1: if you have to put your best foot forward in

833
00:41:37,800 --> 00:41:39,360
Speaker 1: order to get what you want, that means you have

834
00:41:39,400 --> 00:41:41,960
Speaker 1: to maximize your potential um and that means you have

835
00:41:42,040 --> 00:41:44,080
Speaker 1: to notice what your potential is and what it isn't.

836
00:41:44,520 --> 00:41:46,520
Speaker 1: So there's so many different steps that come with it.

837
00:41:46,760 --> 00:41:49,640
Speaker 1: I understand it. I recognize it. I accepted um, and

838
00:41:49,719 --> 00:41:52,960
Speaker 1: more importantly, I embrace it. I like the competition because

839
00:41:53,160 --> 00:41:55,480
Speaker 1: if I do get the things that I want, it

840
00:41:55,520 --> 00:41:58,040
Speaker 1: means I'm one of, if not the very best at

841
00:41:58,080 --> 00:42:01,320
Speaker 1: what I do. And I will not apologize for liking

842
00:42:01,719 --> 00:42:04,520
Speaker 1: to be the best. Well the Well, that's true, I

843
00:42:04,600 --> 00:42:06,279
Speaker 1: know that for a fact. But you went to an

844
00:42:06,360 --> 00:42:10,359
Speaker 1: HBCU and our hbc use um, what would you say

845
00:42:10,400 --> 00:42:14,200
Speaker 1: the reputation is of an HBCU and then what did

846
00:42:14,239 --> 00:42:16,840
Speaker 1: you get out of going to an HBCU. Well, I

847
00:42:16,880 --> 00:42:20,080
Speaker 1: think people outside of the world of HBCUs view it

848
00:42:20,320 --> 00:42:24,000
Speaker 1: as black colleges, and they stopped right there. It's a

849
00:42:24,080 --> 00:42:26,719
Speaker 1: place for black people to go to get their education

850
00:42:26,880 --> 00:42:30,200
Speaker 1: because they probably want qualified to get into a predominantly

851
00:42:30,200 --> 00:42:33,320
Speaker 1: white institution. I think that's the thought process of those

852
00:42:33,360 --> 00:42:37,719
Speaker 1: outside of HBCUs. For those who have attended HBCUs, we

853
00:42:37,760 --> 00:42:40,840
Speaker 1: know it's far more than that. Obviously, you have professors

854
00:42:40,840 --> 00:42:44,160
Speaker 1: that are incredibly capable, You have administrative officials and are

855
00:42:44,160 --> 00:42:48,200
Speaker 1: like who are incredibly capable, from the chancellor on down,

856
00:42:48,880 --> 00:42:50,600
Speaker 1: and so you have that going on, and then the

857
00:42:50,640 --> 00:42:54,200
Speaker 1: student body itself. It's just a different environment. Because you're

858
00:42:54,239 --> 00:42:56,920
Speaker 1: surrounded by people who look like you, who share your

859
00:42:56,960 --> 00:43:00,759
Speaker 1: cultural identity, obviously a lot of your experiences that you

860
00:43:00,800 --> 00:43:03,480
Speaker 1: may have ended growing up and beyond, and so as

861
00:43:03,520 --> 00:43:06,120
Speaker 1: a result, you have a support system. You don't feel

862
00:43:06,160 --> 00:43:09,239
Speaker 1: like you're, you know, a dot in the ocean of

863
00:43:09,360 --> 00:43:11,200
Speaker 1: folks that don't look like you and don't share any

864
00:43:11,239 --> 00:43:13,600
Speaker 1: kind of identity with you. You feel like you're a

865
00:43:13,640 --> 00:43:15,760
Speaker 1: part of a brotherhood, of the sisterhood, of a family.

866
00:43:16,120 --> 00:43:18,440
Speaker 1: You have professors who don't just care about grades, they

867
00:43:18,480 --> 00:43:21,240
Speaker 1: care about your well being. They invest in you because

868
00:43:21,280 --> 00:43:23,960
Speaker 1: you're one of them, and it's in their best interest

869
00:43:24,000 --> 00:43:26,160
Speaker 1: to see you as sin and to see you succeed.

870
00:43:26,600 --> 00:43:29,480
Speaker 1: Uh to to like that maybe you didn't even imagine,

871
00:43:29,880 --> 00:43:33,040
Speaker 1: and so because you walk into that, this actually add impression.

872
00:43:33,120 --> 00:43:35,680
Speaker 1: Sometimes it could be even a bit harder than you imagine,

873
00:43:35,920 --> 00:43:39,480
Speaker 1: because the interest in you elevates not just from a

874
00:43:39,520 --> 00:43:42,600
Speaker 1: professional on an academic level, but to a personal level.

875
00:43:42,680 --> 00:43:45,880
Speaker 1: They place a personal invested interest in you because they

876
00:43:45,920 --> 00:43:49,040
Speaker 1: consider you an extension of them and therefore a reflection

877
00:43:49,120 --> 00:43:52,080
Speaker 1: of them. And if you if you don't succeed, you're

878
00:43:52,080 --> 00:43:55,160
Speaker 1: not only letting yourself down, you're letting those professions down,

879
00:43:55,160 --> 00:43:57,760
Speaker 1: you're letting down the institution that repres that you represent,

880
00:43:58,040 --> 00:44:02,040
Speaker 1: and you're letting down HBCU folk everywhere because you're contributing

881
00:44:02,360 --> 00:44:05,040
Speaker 1: to a stigma or a level of skepticism that people

882
00:44:05,040 --> 00:44:08,719
Speaker 1: outside of HBCUs may have that is completely inaccurate. But

883
00:44:08,840 --> 00:44:12,239
Speaker 1: you've attached the level of legitimacy to their skepticism and

884
00:44:12,239 --> 00:44:15,680
Speaker 1: their cynicism. And so when you recognize that challenge, you've

885
00:44:15,719 --> 00:44:18,719
Speaker 1: got to embrace, uh, the reality that you're supposed to

886
00:44:18,719 --> 00:44:22,160
Speaker 1: want to debunk those those skeptics, those cynics at every time.

887
00:44:22,520 --> 00:44:24,879
Speaker 1: You want to show them that, indeed, this is what

888
00:44:24,960 --> 00:44:27,319
Speaker 1: you can do. And so for me, I remember when

889
00:44:27,320 --> 00:44:29,720
Speaker 1: I was working for the New York Daily News. Before

890
00:44:29,719 --> 00:44:31,319
Speaker 1: I worked for the New York Daily News, it was

891
00:44:31,320 --> 00:44:33,919
Speaker 1: because I got offered an internship with the met Pro

892
00:44:34,440 --> 00:44:38,239
Speaker 1: Internship program, and that was a collaboration between New York

893
00:44:38,239 --> 00:44:41,080
Speaker 1: News Day and Los Angeles Times Daily newspapers where they

894
00:44:41,080 --> 00:44:43,560
Speaker 1: were taking interns from all over the country and employing

895
00:44:43,600 --> 00:44:47,920
Speaker 1: them throughout their various papers throughout the country. And there

896
00:44:48,000 --> 00:44:50,520
Speaker 1: was twenty four candidates, I'm sorry, it was twenty four

897
00:44:50,520 --> 00:44:53,759
Speaker 1: people that was chosen, but over three thousand candidates. I

898
00:44:53,800 --> 00:44:56,000
Speaker 1: was one of the twenty four. And you had people

899
00:44:56,040 --> 00:45:00,840
Speaker 1: that went to your Columbia, University of Columbia, Missouri UM,

900
00:45:00,880 --> 00:45:04,759
Speaker 1: you know, Columbia, New York Ivy League schools, usc U,

901
00:45:04,840 --> 00:45:08,480
Speaker 1: c l A, Northwestern, various other journalism programs, and they

902
00:45:08,520 --> 00:45:11,560
Speaker 1: had incredible grades. What I had was two hundred and

903
00:45:11,560 --> 00:45:14,440
Speaker 1: fifty published clips before I even graduated, because I had

904
00:45:14,480 --> 00:45:17,240
Speaker 1: interned at the Winston Sailing Journal, to Greensburg News a Record,

905
00:45:17,360 --> 00:45:20,880
Speaker 1: the Atlanta Journal Constitution, back at the at the Winster

906
00:45:20,880 --> 00:45:24,280
Speaker 1: Seiling Journal. Plus I had written for the newspaper before

907
00:45:24,320 --> 00:45:27,160
Speaker 1: I ever graduated. Because I understood that coming from an

908
00:45:27,239 --> 00:45:30,200
Speaker 1: HBCU what I was going up against, I understood that

909
00:45:30,239 --> 00:45:32,160
Speaker 1: I had to do a little extra and I had

910
00:45:32,239 --> 00:45:34,600
Speaker 1: to be a little bit different in order to put

911
00:45:34,640 --> 00:45:37,279
Speaker 1: my foot forward into really stand out, to make sure

912
00:45:37,320 --> 00:45:39,479
Speaker 1: I wasn't just a name on a resume. You knew

913
00:45:39,480 --> 00:45:41,799
Speaker 1: exactly who the hell I was, and that's what I

914
00:45:41,800 --> 00:45:45,040
Speaker 1: went about the business accomplishing. Of accomplishing, I did it

915
00:45:45,360 --> 00:45:48,160
Speaker 1: and I beat out those people, and it was really

916
00:45:48,480 --> 00:45:51,200
Speaker 1: an indication of what was to come because I realized

917
00:45:51,200 --> 00:45:54,360
Speaker 1: throughout my career I would have to face similar challenges

918
00:45:54,560 --> 00:45:57,480
Speaker 1: and I would have to overcome similar similar obstacles in

919
00:45:57,640 --> 00:45:59,520
Speaker 1: order to get to where I wanted to be. And

920
00:45:59,520 --> 00:46:01,759
Speaker 1: that's what I did. Well. That statement allows me to

921
00:46:01,840 --> 00:46:05,960
Speaker 1: transition to I like to call it the book, the memoir.

922
00:46:07,280 --> 00:46:09,720
Speaker 1: Why is that important to get your stories on paper?

923
00:46:10,160 --> 00:46:12,640
Speaker 1: And then you've been approached by a major publishing company

924
00:46:13,120 --> 00:46:16,799
Speaker 1: and giving an opportunity to tell your story? Why is

925
00:46:16,840 --> 00:46:19,560
Speaker 1: your story important? And how would it help people when

926
00:46:19,600 --> 00:46:23,560
Speaker 1: they read about your story? Because the people who are

927
00:46:23,600 --> 00:46:27,000
Speaker 1: closest to me, the people who love me, uh, the

928
00:46:27,040 --> 00:46:29,040
Speaker 1: people who have known me for a very long time,

929
00:46:29,239 --> 00:46:33,640
Speaker 1: my family, my friends, people like you, um y'all insistent

930
00:46:33,680 --> 00:46:36,640
Speaker 1: on that I was actually reluctant and hesitant to write

931
00:46:36,640 --> 00:46:38,719
Speaker 1: my own book for a very very long time. I

932
00:46:38,840 --> 00:46:41,919
Speaker 1: literally said, although I had a national television show that's

933
00:46:41,960 --> 00:46:44,040
Speaker 1: been number one in the morning for nine years in

934
00:46:44,120 --> 00:46:47,680
Speaker 1: counting UM, I literally and I was I've been an

935
00:46:47,800 --> 00:46:50,600
Speaker 1: NBA analyst, and obviously my success at the ESPN speaks

936
00:46:50,640 --> 00:46:54,040
Speaker 1: for self. I literally was saying, why would anybody want

937
00:46:54,040 --> 00:46:56,720
Speaker 1: to read a book for me? And so many people

938
00:46:56,800 --> 00:46:58,279
Speaker 1: came forward like, what the hell are you talking about?

939
00:46:58,280 --> 00:47:00,120
Speaker 1: What was wrong with you? Everybody needs to hear at

940
00:47:00,120 --> 00:47:03,279
Speaker 1: your story. Everybody needs to hear what you endured, what

941
00:47:03,400 --> 00:47:05,520
Speaker 1: you have to experience, what you had to go through

942
00:47:05,800 --> 00:47:09,560
Speaker 1: to get to this place that you're here now, what

943
00:47:09,680 --> 00:47:12,480
Speaker 1: you succeeded, has been some unprecedented stuff to once to

944
00:47:12,520 --> 00:47:15,960
Speaker 1: be let go by ESPN just a decade ago into return,

945
00:47:16,320 --> 00:47:19,360
Speaker 1: and to be their number one guy at the network,

946
00:47:19,440 --> 00:47:21,960
Speaker 1: the face of the network just ten years removed from

947
00:47:22,000 --> 00:47:24,719
Speaker 1: them letting you go and saying goodbye. This is some

948
00:47:24,880 --> 00:47:27,759
Speaker 1: unprecedented stuff for you to get left back because you

949
00:47:27,800 --> 00:47:30,759
Speaker 1: couldn't read, you could accomprehend what you were reading as

950
00:47:30,800 --> 00:47:33,640
Speaker 1: a fourth grader with a first grade reading level, and

951
00:47:33,640 --> 00:47:37,120
Speaker 1: to excel in the field of journalism and broadcasting. That's

952
00:47:37,120 --> 00:47:40,319
Speaker 1: some unprecedented stuff. To be the figure that you are,

953
00:47:40,360 --> 00:47:42,799
Speaker 1: where you walk into arenas and you're more popular than

954
00:47:42,880 --> 00:47:46,160
Speaker 1: most of the athletes. This is unbelievable. You've got a

955
00:47:46,200 --> 00:47:49,120
Speaker 1: story to tell, and it took a lot of convincing

956
00:47:49,200 --> 00:47:51,800
Speaker 1: over the years. But I do think at this particular juncture,

957
00:47:51,880 --> 00:47:54,919
Speaker 1: this particular moment in time, now is the time. Now

958
00:47:55,040 --> 00:47:57,719
Speaker 1: is the time to just sit back and to tell

959
00:47:57,760 --> 00:48:02,439
Speaker 1: the world who I am, what I've endured, what where

960
00:48:02,440 --> 00:48:05,040
Speaker 1: I've come from and how I got here. You know,

961
00:48:05,080 --> 00:48:07,160
Speaker 1: when people look at me and I used to say,

962
00:48:07,360 --> 00:48:10,680
Speaker 1: I'm angry and I take myself too seriously, I was like,

963
00:48:10,719 --> 00:48:12,080
Speaker 1: first of all, they don't know me because I know

964
00:48:12,120 --> 00:48:13,960
Speaker 1: how to laugh and smile and tell jokes just like

965
00:48:13,960 --> 00:48:17,160
Speaker 1: the best of them. But in the same breath, you know,

966
00:48:17,600 --> 00:48:20,160
Speaker 1: what would you feel like if you were conquering one

967
00:48:20,200 --> 00:48:23,200
Speaker 1: obstacle after another and you were called an affirmative action

968
00:48:23,320 --> 00:48:25,479
Speaker 1: higher that the only reason why you got this job

969
00:48:25,560 --> 00:48:28,200
Speaker 1: is because you're black. That if you're a white guy,

970
00:48:28,480 --> 00:48:30,760
Speaker 1: you know what, it wouldn't have happened for you like that.

971
00:48:30,960 --> 00:48:32,760
Speaker 1: You know, it's just that we're living in a different

972
00:48:32,800 --> 00:48:35,080
Speaker 1: age and stuff like that, where people are catering and

973
00:48:35,200 --> 00:48:38,239
Speaker 1: capitulating the African Americans and stuff like that. This is

974
00:48:38,280 --> 00:48:40,400
Speaker 1: what I've been told, this is what has been written

975
00:48:40,400 --> 00:48:42,840
Speaker 1: to me, death threats that have come my way, and

976
00:48:42,960 --> 00:48:46,640
Speaker 1: stuff like that. I've gone through a lot because I've

977
00:48:46,680 --> 00:48:49,600
Speaker 1: succeeded because people didn't want me to be in a

978
00:48:49,600 --> 00:48:52,279
Speaker 1: position that I'm in. And a lot of times, what

979
00:48:52,320 --> 00:48:54,640
Speaker 1: I'm saying, it's not that people have a problem with

980
00:48:54,719 --> 00:48:57,560
Speaker 1: what I'm saying. They have a problem that my black

981
00:48:57,640 --> 00:49:00,239
Speaker 1: behind is in the position that I'm in two say

982
00:49:00,280 --> 00:49:03,880
Speaker 1: it and to disseminate and have a reach that spans

983
00:49:03,960 --> 00:49:06,600
Speaker 1: tens of millions of people. They have a problem with that.

984
00:49:07,080 --> 00:49:09,960
Speaker 1: And so when you face those challenges on a day

985
00:49:09,960 --> 00:49:15,040
Speaker 1: to day basis and you are just flummix and inundated

986
00:49:15,440 --> 00:49:18,200
Speaker 1: with people coming your way. And it's not just the

987
00:49:18,239 --> 00:49:20,960
Speaker 1: people support you, is cynics and skeptics who want to

988
00:49:21,000 --> 00:49:23,600
Speaker 1: hate on you. The list goes on and on and

989
00:49:23,640 --> 00:49:26,279
Speaker 1: you're still standing. But you're not an athlete, You're not

990
00:49:26,360 --> 00:49:30,000
Speaker 1: a rap artist. You know, you're not an actor and actress. No,

991
00:49:30,160 --> 00:49:31,880
Speaker 1: this is what this is what you're doing. You did

992
00:49:31,960 --> 00:49:34,480
Speaker 1: it as a journalist. Um, there's a story to be

993
00:49:34,560 --> 00:49:37,520
Speaker 1: told there. I finally was convinced that there's a story

994
00:49:37,520 --> 00:49:41,200
Speaker 1: to be told there. Compassionate more than ever before about

995
00:49:41,239 --> 00:49:44,000
Speaker 1: telling that story and I'm looking forward to doing it.

996
00:49:44,080 --> 00:49:46,759
Speaker 1: Stephen Age World, That's what we're talking about right now.

997
00:49:48,040 --> 00:49:52,239
Speaker 1: ESPN Plus the number one new show ratings are on

998
00:49:52,320 --> 00:49:55,400
Speaker 1: fire right now. And it's about you. Is that pressure

999
00:49:55,520 --> 00:49:57,840
Speaker 1: because it's about you? Or it is the fun of

1000
00:49:58,360 --> 00:50:00,560
Speaker 1: that It is about you and your vision it on

1001
00:50:00,600 --> 00:50:04,240
Speaker 1: a daily basis, talk about steven eighths world, it's both. Uh,

1002
00:50:04,239 --> 00:50:07,239
Speaker 1: it's it's definitely fun because I don't run from the

1003
00:50:07,280 --> 00:50:12,000
Speaker 1: responsibility of controlling my own destiny. A matter of fact,

1004
00:50:12,120 --> 00:50:14,120
Speaker 1: the challenge for me is to have to lean on

1005
00:50:14,200 --> 00:50:17,640
Speaker 1: others to control my destiny. Uh, to to make sure

1006
00:50:18,080 --> 00:50:21,400
Speaker 1: that what I produce is top notch and it's a

1007
00:50:21,480 --> 00:50:24,279
Speaker 1: quality it's a quality programming and what have you. To

1008
00:50:24,320 --> 00:50:26,920
Speaker 1: be the executive producer, to be the production company. Co

1009
00:50:27,000 --> 00:50:30,360
Speaker 1: producing in a concert with ESPN is an incredibly, incredibly

1010
00:50:30,400 --> 00:50:34,400
Speaker 1: big deal because I think it's gonna open doors for myself,

1011
00:50:34,440 --> 00:50:37,520
Speaker 1: for you as my partner, as my business manager. Uh,

1012
00:50:37,560 --> 00:50:40,439
Speaker 1: you know, for my family, Uh that I never never

1013
00:50:40,440 --> 00:50:43,200
Speaker 1: would a dream could have been open. So in that regard,

1014
00:50:43,239 --> 00:50:46,200
Speaker 1: it's definitely fun. It's about me and I got that part.

1015
00:50:46,800 --> 00:50:49,280
Speaker 1: But it's an immense amount of pressure, there's no question

1016
00:50:49,320 --> 00:50:53,680
Speaker 1: about it. But if pressure phases you, then I'm in

1017
00:50:53,680 --> 00:50:56,640
Speaker 1: the wrong business. Um is what I live for. I

1018
00:50:56,920 --> 00:50:58,880
Speaker 1: I don't I don't have a problem. I'm not scared

1019
00:50:58,920 --> 00:51:02,000
Speaker 1: to fail, scared if I didn't do all it took

1020
00:51:02,040 --> 00:51:05,960
Speaker 1: to succeed. I'm scared if I took shortcuts. I'm scared

1021
00:51:06,520 --> 00:51:09,400
Speaker 1: of of not making sure that I prepare myself for

1022
00:51:09,440 --> 00:51:12,640
Speaker 1: the opportunities that are going to come my way. But

1023
00:51:12,760 --> 00:51:16,240
Speaker 1: I believe that if I'm at my best with anything

1024
00:51:16,280 --> 00:51:19,680
Speaker 1: that I'm doing, no one can stop me, no one

1025
00:51:20,360 --> 00:51:24,440
Speaker 1: in and in a meritocracy environment. Um if an environment

1026
00:51:24,440 --> 00:51:27,080
Speaker 1: based on merit, if you want to get political, and

1027
00:51:27,080 --> 00:51:30,759
Speaker 1: there's the figurative proverbial glass ceiling that's hovering over me,

1028
00:51:30,840 --> 00:51:33,560
Speaker 1: where I can't see where the darts and arrows are

1029
00:51:33,560 --> 00:51:36,359
Speaker 1: coming from, and people are back during and and and

1030
00:51:36,360 --> 00:51:40,879
Speaker 1: and cheating and being shady in their mission to keep

1031
00:51:40,920 --> 00:51:44,800
Speaker 1: me down or to precipitate my demise, that would be different.

1032
00:51:45,120 --> 00:51:48,319
Speaker 1: But in terms of the merit where you show me

1033
00:51:48,400 --> 00:51:52,040
Speaker 1: what the obstacles are, you give me a fair opportunity

1034
00:51:52,120 --> 00:51:56,759
Speaker 1: to excel. I believe that my a game is just

1035
00:51:56,840 --> 00:52:00,000
Speaker 1: as good, if not better, than anybody on this planet.

1036
00:52:00,480 --> 00:52:02,680
Speaker 1: And that's how I approached things when I'm in front

1037
00:52:02,680 --> 00:52:06,280
Speaker 1: of that camera. You know, I believe I'm the Michael

1038
00:52:06,320 --> 00:52:09,640
Speaker 1: Jordan's of television. I truly do. And I'm talking about

1039
00:52:09,719 --> 00:52:12,319
Speaker 1: you know, sports television. To be exact, I believe I'm

1040
00:52:12,360 --> 00:52:15,200
Speaker 1: the Michael Jordan of television. And I'll show you how

1041
00:52:15,280 --> 00:52:17,760
Speaker 1: literal I am with it. I just spoke to Michael

1042
00:52:17,840 --> 00:52:21,240
Speaker 1: Jordan yesterday and I told him yesterday I'm the Michael

1043
00:52:21,320 --> 00:52:28,600
Speaker 1: Jordan's of television, of sports television. I really feel that way,

1044
00:52:25,960 --> 00:52:32,680
Speaker 1: and I think I'm better per se. It's just I

1045
00:52:32,680 --> 00:52:35,239
Speaker 1: feel I can't be stopped cool. Uh, So what did

1046
00:52:35,239 --> 00:52:37,440
Speaker 1: Michael Jordans say when you said, you know, Michael Jordan?

1047
00:52:38,200 --> 00:52:41,759
Speaker 1: You started laughing, You started laughing. He said, You're crazy

1048
00:52:41,960 --> 00:52:44,279
Speaker 1: or you Chris. But he was on the golf course.

1049
00:52:44,360 --> 00:52:45,920
Speaker 1: He said, had to go. But you know he I

1050
00:52:45,960 --> 00:52:48,200
Speaker 1: knew he had to go. But that that's the kind

1051
00:52:48,200 --> 00:52:52,200
Speaker 1: of conversations Um, that you know, you know I've had,

1052
00:52:52,239 --> 00:52:56,080
Speaker 1: because you know, I don't think you know I when

1053
00:52:56,080 --> 00:52:58,520
Speaker 1: I give speeches. Rather I tell people this all the time,

1054
00:52:58,960 --> 00:53:02,359
Speaker 1: I'm brilliant, because I know I'm not. I steal from

1055
00:53:02,360 --> 00:53:05,880
Speaker 1: people who are brilliant. I learned from them, and I

1056
00:53:05,960 --> 00:53:09,600
Speaker 1: learned successful habits. I learned what to eradicate and dismiss

1057
00:53:09,880 --> 00:53:14,680
Speaker 1: and then I move forward. That's what and so for me, Um,

1058
00:53:14,719 --> 00:53:17,719
Speaker 1: that's where it's at. That's where I'm coming from. And uh,

1059
00:53:17,800 --> 00:53:19,720
Speaker 1: you know, that's the approach that I have with everything

1060
00:53:19,719 --> 00:53:21,799
Speaker 1: that I do. I'm gonna ask two qutions of I

1061
00:53:21,800 --> 00:53:25,000
Speaker 1: ask you is the same subject matters about being able

1062
00:53:25,080 --> 00:53:30,799
Speaker 1: to dominate and become a force in social media, that's one.

1063
00:53:31,400 --> 00:53:36,520
Speaker 1: And then the popularity of Baby stephen A. Yeah, those

1064
00:53:36,520 --> 00:53:40,440
Speaker 1: two things tend to intertwine, but they've they've taken you

1065
00:53:40,520 --> 00:53:43,759
Speaker 1: to another level on the social media side and then

1066
00:53:43,840 --> 00:53:47,759
Speaker 1: on the Baby stephen A side. Talk about those two brands. Well,

1067
00:53:47,880 --> 00:53:51,719
Speaker 1: for me, uh, baby baby stephen A, I take I

1068
00:53:51,760 --> 00:53:54,840
Speaker 1: give all the credit to the folks and social media

1069
00:53:54,960 --> 00:53:58,239
Speaker 1: because about a year or so ago, you know, they

1070
00:53:58,320 --> 00:54:02,279
Speaker 1: attached the baby face me to my face and it

1071
00:54:02,400 --> 00:54:05,080
Speaker 1: was kind of funny, you know, it was hilarious actually,

1072
00:54:05,360 --> 00:54:07,400
Speaker 1: and I said, you know what, that's something that I

1073
00:54:07,400 --> 00:54:10,880
Speaker 1: want to do so periodically on social media. UM, I

1074
00:54:10,960 --> 00:54:15,040
Speaker 1: do that out there. Um. And folks loved it. And

1075
00:54:15,200 --> 00:54:17,640
Speaker 1: because they loved it, you know, once I started to

1076
00:54:17,719 --> 00:54:19,399
Speaker 1: my show, I said, you know what it has to be.

1077
00:54:19,800 --> 00:54:21,400
Speaker 1: You know, it has to be on the show like

1078
00:54:21,440 --> 00:54:24,040
Speaker 1: an alter ego of mind or whatever. Because Baby stephen

1079
00:54:24,080 --> 00:54:27,120
Speaker 1: A is arguing with stephen A all the time. You know,

1080
00:54:27,200 --> 00:54:29,239
Speaker 1: he challenges me even though he's a baby, you know.

1081
00:54:29,600 --> 00:54:32,640
Speaker 1: Indicative of today's generation of youth where they come at

1082
00:54:32,680 --> 00:54:35,279
Speaker 1: you and they think they know everything. Breath smelling like

1083
00:54:35,320 --> 00:54:37,680
Speaker 1: simulac wet behind it is. They don't know a damn

1084
00:54:37,719 --> 00:54:39,680
Speaker 1: thing yet because they're too young, but they think they

1085
00:54:39,719 --> 00:54:41,719
Speaker 1: know everything, just like I thought I knew everything when

1086
00:54:41,760 --> 00:54:44,040
Speaker 1: I was younger. You know, all of those kind of things,

1087
00:54:44,040 --> 00:54:46,160
Speaker 1: And so I just incorporate some of those things into

1088
00:54:46,160 --> 00:54:48,439
Speaker 1: it and it's just taken off. And it's really really

1089
00:54:48,480 --> 00:54:51,440
Speaker 1: funny the way they digitize everything. It makes it look

1090
00:54:51,520 --> 00:54:53,200
Speaker 1: like the baby face and all of that stuff. So

1091
00:54:53,239 --> 00:54:56,040
Speaker 1: that's great, um, But in terms of everything else, like

1092
00:54:56,080 --> 00:54:59,560
Speaker 1: I said, you know, I'm from Holly queens Man, New

1093
00:54:59,640 --> 00:55:02,000
Speaker 1: York City, the end. I went to an HBCU wins

1094
00:55:02,080 --> 00:55:03,680
Speaker 1: the Salem State. I grew up in the streets in

1095
00:55:03,719 --> 00:55:06,640
Speaker 1: New York City. I have four older sisters. I got

1096
00:55:06,680 --> 00:55:10,000
Speaker 1: thirteen niems I'm sorry, fifteen nieces and nephews. You know,

1097
00:55:10,239 --> 00:55:12,560
Speaker 1: the greatest mom in the world guard rested Solo passed

1098
00:55:12,560 --> 00:55:16,160
Speaker 1: away in seventeen and you know my dad had passed away,

1099
00:55:16,520 --> 00:55:19,360
Speaker 1: you know, sixteen months later. Stuff like that. There's a

1100
00:55:19,360 --> 00:55:22,880
Speaker 1: lot of family stories that I could tell. A lot

1101
00:55:23,000 --> 00:55:25,520
Speaker 1: of us can do that where I can imitate my mother.

1102
00:55:25,600 --> 00:55:28,000
Speaker 1: I can imitate my sisters or I peel a lot

1103
00:55:28,000 --> 00:55:32,239
Speaker 1: of ideas from my personal experiences growing up, not just

1104
00:55:32,320 --> 00:55:36,640
Speaker 1: in terms of voices, diction, cadence, how people talk to you,

1105
00:55:36,719 --> 00:55:40,040
Speaker 1: how they deliver certain things, stuff like that, um, in

1106
00:55:40,160 --> 00:55:43,160
Speaker 1: terms of speaking to you. All of those things contribute

1107
00:55:43,880 --> 00:55:47,440
Speaker 1: to characters that I try to bring and incorporate on

1108
00:55:47,640 --> 00:55:50,719
Speaker 1: my show because I think those I think there's a

1109
00:55:50,719 --> 00:55:53,440
Speaker 1: lot of fun memories and stuff like that. Like, for example,

1110
00:55:53,480 --> 00:55:56,360
Speaker 1: I got one of my boys literally literally Rashanda is

1111
00:55:56,400 --> 00:56:01,280
Speaker 1: the absolute truth. One of my boys literally was sucking

1112
00:56:01,360 --> 00:56:05,799
Speaker 1: his thumb until he was forty two years old. I

1113
00:56:05,840 --> 00:56:08,080
Speaker 1: mean I didn't even bring him to the screen yet.

1114
00:56:08,200 --> 00:56:10,200
Speaker 1: I mean, he was one of those and he was

1115
00:56:10,239 --> 00:56:20,000
Speaker 1: like Steve Yo, Steve Yo, you tripping. It was stuff

1116
00:56:20,080 --> 00:56:22,799
Speaker 1: like that, and so you know, I'm like, just imagine

1117
00:56:23,040 --> 00:56:25,720
Speaker 1: if somebody like that was on TV, people would be crying.

1118
00:56:25,800 --> 00:56:28,840
Speaker 1: Levin he had grown, man, but he he just stopped

1119
00:56:28,840 --> 00:56:32,319
Speaker 1: sucking his thumb a decade ago. Literally a decade ago.

1120
00:56:32,440 --> 00:56:36,200
Speaker 1: He was sucking his dumb through college. He never stopped.

1121
00:56:36,400 --> 00:56:39,680
Speaker 1: And it's just I like, they have no idea. You

1122
00:56:39,719 --> 00:56:41,640
Speaker 1: know the kind of guys that I grew up with,

1123
00:56:41,960 --> 00:56:44,760
Speaker 1: the kind of people that I've been around, the personalities.

1124
00:56:44,920 --> 00:56:48,840
Speaker 1: So it's always it's always easy for me to peel

1125
00:56:48,960 --> 00:56:51,880
Speaker 1: compelling stories, and you've been around me, they'll just pop

1126
00:56:51,920 --> 00:56:54,719
Speaker 1: into my head on me is something, and I'll tell

1127
00:56:54,719 --> 00:56:57,040
Speaker 1: a story of what I experienced and what I endured,

1128
00:56:57,200 --> 00:57:00,040
Speaker 1: and all of those experiences contribute to me put it

1129
00:57:00,120 --> 00:57:02,560
Speaker 1: forth a product on the screen that everybody can see

1130
00:57:02,719 --> 00:57:04,680
Speaker 1: that I think will make people laugh and a little

1131
00:57:04,680 --> 00:57:07,560
Speaker 1: bit of levity to the situation. Uh, and just let

1132
00:57:07,600 --> 00:57:10,040
Speaker 1: people know I'm trying to make them laugh, trying to

1133
00:57:10,040 --> 00:57:12,520
Speaker 1: make them have a good time and enjoy watching me.

1134
00:57:12,840 --> 00:57:15,040
Speaker 1: Even though I do have a serious personality, I do

1135
00:57:15,160 --> 00:57:17,520
Speaker 1: like to laugh. I do like to have fun. I

1136
00:57:17,560 --> 00:57:20,439
Speaker 1: do like to make other people smile when I can.

1137
00:57:20,640 --> 00:57:22,680
Speaker 1: And so that's just the kind of things that I

1138
00:57:22,720 --> 00:57:25,600
Speaker 1: try to bring to my show. The ultimate goal late

1139
00:57:25,680 --> 00:57:28,720
Speaker 1: night Talk and seeing you do interviews on Stephen Age

1140
00:57:28,760 --> 00:57:31,680
Speaker 1: World and seeing I've seen you know, first of all,

1141
00:57:31,720 --> 00:57:33,640
Speaker 1: you're talented at it, let's get that out of the way.

1142
00:57:34,000 --> 00:57:37,560
Speaker 1: But seeing the people that you don't know and going

1143
00:57:37,600 --> 00:57:40,840
Speaker 1: into genres that you're not familiar with and then familiarizing

1144
00:57:40,880 --> 00:57:44,040
Speaker 1: yourself with their their work and interviewing them and then

1145
00:57:44,040 --> 00:57:46,760
Speaker 1: seeing people come back on your show, what pride do

1146
00:57:46,840 --> 00:57:49,640
Speaker 1: you take? And watching that growth of your show and

1147
00:57:49,680 --> 00:57:52,600
Speaker 1: seeing these major stars come on your show, which is

1148
00:57:52,640 --> 00:57:55,840
Speaker 1: on the ESPN Plus flat platform, which is sports are driven,

1149
00:57:56,040 --> 00:57:58,560
Speaker 1: but they're ignoring that. Coming to talk to stephen A Smith,

1150
00:57:59,320 --> 00:58:02,160
Speaker 1: I'm proud of but I'm even killed. And the reason

1151
00:58:02,160 --> 00:58:04,680
Speaker 1: why I'm even killed, Like you know, they're sometimes you,

1152
00:58:05,680 --> 00:58:08,000
Speaker 1: My sisters and others would be like, man, you should

1153
00:58:08,040 --> 00:58:10,480
Speaker 1: be a far more excited. I mean, my god, the

1154
00:58:10,600 --> 00:58:14,160
Speaker 1: numbers that you're bringing in, uh to ESPN Plus. Now,

1155
00:58:14,560 --> 00:58:17,720
Speaker 1: what you've contributed to subscriptions, what you know, what you're

1156
00:58:17,760 --> 00:58:20,760
Speaker 1: doing on linear television with First Take and sports and

1157
00:58:20,880 --> 00:58:23,200
Speaker 1: sports and it was stephen A and blah blah blah

1158
00:58:23,240 --> 00:58:26,840
Speaker 1: blah blah. What people don't realize is that, you know,

1159
00:58:26,920 --> 00:58:29,960
Speaker 1: I peel it from what Denzel Washington once told me.

1160
00:58:30,400 --> 00:58:33,600
Speaker 1: You know, I asked him what was the best film

1161
00:58:33,720 --> 00:58:39,320
Speaker 1: he ever made? His answer was the next one. He said.

1162
00:58:39,360 --> 00:58:42,360
Speaker 1: The work that I do, he said, is the work

1163
00:58:42,400 --> 00:58:46,320
Speaker 1: that I do, the finished product and all the accolades

1164
00:58:46,400 --> 00:58:49,440
Speaker 1: and adulation and celebration and everything else that comes with

1165
00:58:49,480 --> 00:58:52,520
Speaker 1: it is for all of you all to do. He said,

1166
00:58:52,600 --> 00:58:55,520
Speaker 1: this is my profession, and so what I do is

1167
00:58:55,600 --> 00:58:58,080
Speaker 1: I'm about the business of doing the best work I

1168
00:58:58,120 --> 00:59:02,800
Speaker 1: can possibly do. That's where he's at. For me, where

1169
00:59:02,840 --> 00:59:06,240
Speaker 1: that elevates to another level is that he's a supreme

1170
00:59:06,320 --> 00:59:10,880
Speaker 1: movie star. I'm in television. I'm not doing a show

1171
00:59:12,160 --> 00:59:16,400
Speaker 1: twice a month, once a week. I'm doing it every day.

1172
00:59:16,520 --> 00:59:19,439
Speaker 1: So I don't have the in my mind. I don't

1173
00:59:19,440 --> 00:59:25,600
Speaker 1: have the luxury of sitting back and just enjoying you

1174
00:59:25,640 --> 00:59:28,960
Speaker 1: know what, everybody else is celebrating. Wow, it's a great show.

1175
00:59:28,960 --> 00:59:31,760
Speaker 1: It's this that all that says to me is I

1176
00:59:31,800 --> 00:59:34,840
Speaker 1: gotta give it to them tomorrow too. I gotta give

1177
00:59:34,880 --> 00:59:37,040
Speaker 1: it to them Friday, and then I gotta give it

1178
00:59:37,040 --> 00:59:40,320
Speaker 1: to them next week Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. In

1179
00:59:40,320 --> 00:59:41,920
Speaker 1: the week after that and the week after that and

1180
00:59:42,000 --> 00:59:44,680
Speaker 1: the week after that. I focused on the task at

1181
00:59:44,680 --> 00:59:47,280
Speaker 1: hand because I'm the one that has to perform. You know,

1182
00:59:47,440 --> 00:59:50,760
Speaker 1: I could sit up there. Rashan McDonald is a brilliant

1183
00:59:50,760 --> 00:59:56,760
Speaker 1: business manager, Incredible with ideas, very focused, you know, meticulous

1184
00:59:56,840 --> 01:00:00,080
Speaker 1: with scheduling and the light. There's so many things it

1185
01:00:00,240 --> 01:00:03,720
Speaker 1: that you handle that makes my life easier my assistant,

1186
01:00:03,720 --> 01:00:06,920
Speaker 1: Smatra Hawkins does a sensational job of that as well

1187
01:00:06,960 --> 01:00:10,240
Speaker 1: as well as as you well know, my sister is

1188
01:00:10,320 --> 01:00:13,240
Speaker 1: like my sister, Calmen is like my Ace, even though

1189
01:00:13,360 --> 01:00:17,000
Speaker 1: Linda and all In and Abigail were close to you know,

1190
01:00:17,080 --> 01:00:19,560
Speaker 1: but I have I have all of these people around

1191
01:00:19,600 --> 01:00:21,320
Speaker 1: me along with my boys that I grew up with,

1192
01:00:21,360 --> 01:00:24,320
Speaker 1: my boys from college. I got an incredible inner circle.

1193
01:00:24,400 --> 01:00:26,000
Speaker 1: Not to mention the people that I know in the

1194
01:00:26,000 --> 01:00:28,960
Speaker 1: world of supports that I've learned to cultivate relationships with

1195
01:00:29,040 --> 01:00:31,800
Speaker 1: and they become dear friends of mine and loved ones.

1196
01:00:32,000 --> 01:00:35,000
Speaker 1: I'm surrounded by a lot of people, and it's a great,

1197
01:00:35,080 --> 01:00:38,720
Speaker 1: great thing to see. But in the end, I'm the

1198
01:00:38,760 --> 01:00:40,520
Speaker 1: one that has to step in front of that camera

1199
01:00:40,600 --> 01:00:43,720
Speaker 1: and that microphone and do the job. And I can't

1200
01:00:43,760 --> 01:00:47,480
Speaker 1: let everybody else down and myself down by being caught

1201
01:00:47,560 --> 01:00:51,600
Speaker 1: up and what I've done that I forget what I

1202
01:00:51,640 --> 01:00:54,120
Speaker 1: have to do. And I think that that's the reason

1203
01:00:54,200 --> 01:00:58,440
Speaker 1: that my bosses support me so much, because they have

1204
01:00:58,600 --> 01:01:02,120
Speaker 1: to think that way too. ESPN is the world wide leader.

1205
01:01:02,520 --> 01:01:05,760
Speaker 1: They they're they're the behemoth. They can't walk around saying

1206
01:01:05,920 --> 01:01:08,000
Speaker 1: we're the behemans we're the world wide leader, so we

1207
01:01:08,040 --> 01:01:10,400
Speaker 1: don't have to do anything. They have to come to

1208
01:01:10,440 --> 01:01:13,960
Speaker 1: work every day striving to live up to a standard

1209
01:01:14,280 --> 01:01:17,520
Speaker 1: that they've set, and the people that they in trust

1210
01:01:17,840 --> 01:01:20,640
Speaker 1: has to have the same mentality as well. And so

1211
01:01:20,680 --> 01:01:22,920
Speaker 1: what I try to do is to make sure that

1212
01:01:22,960 --> 01:01:26,240
Speaker 1: I'm I prove that I'm trustworthy when they pay me

1213
01:01:26,720 --> 01:01:30,160
Speaker 1: this latest contract and we agree to it. That contract

1214
01:01:30,320 --> 01:01:36,080
Speaker 1: is through June of five. They have They essentially said,

1215
01:01:36,800 --> 01:01:40,720
Speaker 1: we trust that what you gave us to earn this

1216
01:01:40,800 --> 01:01:43,760
Speaker 1: contract here, you're going to continue to give us for

1217
01:01:43,960 --> 01:01:46,920
Speaker 1: years to come. And it's my job to make sure

1218
01:01:47,400 --> 01:01:50,000
Speaker 1: I don't let them down by making them out to

1219
01:01:50,040 --> 01:01:53,040
Speaker 1: be liars. That's the approach that I have. That's how

1220
01:01:53,080 --> 01:01:55,640
Speaker 1: I focus UM and that's how I go about doing

1221
01:01:55,680 --> 01:01:58,160
Speaker 1: my job all the time. Stephen A, thank you for

1222
01:01:58,200 --> 01:02:00,800
Speaker 1: coming on money making conversation. I appreciate Thank you. Bro.

1223
01:02:01,480 --> 01:02:03,640
Speaker 1: If I could be you and you could be me

1224
01:02:04,000 --> 01:02:06,480
Speaker 1: for just one hour, if you could find a way

1225
01:02:06,520 --> 01:02:10,120
Speaker 1: to get inside each other's mind, walk a mile in

1226
01:02:10,200 --> 01:02:15,160
Speaker 1: my shoes, wacome mile in my shoes, walcome shoes. We've

1227
01:02:15,200 --> 01:02:18,520
Speaker 1: all felt left out, and for some that feeling lasts

1228
01:02:18,560 --> 01:02:21,880
Speaker 1: more than a moment. We can change that. Learn how

1229
01:02:21,920 --> 01:02:24,600
Speaker 1: it belonging begins with us dot org. Brought to you

1230
01:02:24,680 --> 01:02:32,680
Speaker 1: by the ACT Council. Welcome mile in machines. What grows

1231
01:02:32,720 --> 01:02:36,120
Speaker 1: in the forest trees? Sure you know what else grows

1232
01:02:36,120 --> 01:02:39,840
Speaker 1: in the forest. Our imagination, our sense of wonder, and

1233
01:02:39,920 --> 01:02:43,160
Speaker 1: our family bonds grow too, because when we disconnect from

1234
01:02:43,240 --> 01:02:49,680
Speaker 1: this and connect with this, we reconnect with each other.

1235
01:02:50,400 --> 01:02:53,280
Speaker 1: The forest is closer than you think. Find a forest

1236
01:02:53,400 --> 01:02:56,880
Speaker 1: near you and start exploring. I Discover the Forest dot org.

1237
01:02:57,240 --> 01:02:59,760
Speaker 1: Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and

1238
01:02:59,840 --> 01:03:03,440
Speaker 1: the AD Council. Hi everyone, i'l Rooker here as a

1239
01:03:03,480 --> 01:03:06,680
Speaker 1: guy with his own catchphrase. I appreciate that Smokey's only

1240
01:03:06,720 --> 01:03:10,440
Speaker 1: said only you can prevent wildfires, But I'm filling in

1241
01:03:10,560 --> 01:03:13,760
Speaker 1: because there's a lot more to report, like when they're parched,

1242
01:03:13,760 --> 01:03:17,000
Speaker 1: their windy conditions out there. You gotta be extra careful

1243
01:03:17,040 --> 01:03:20,960
Speaker 1: with things like burning yard wage. After all, wildfires can

1244
01:03:21,000 --> 01:03:23,880
Speaker 1: start anywhere, even in your neck of the woods. Go

1245
01:03:24,040 --> 01:03:27,480
Speaker 1: to Smokey Bear dot com to learn more about wildfire prevention.

1246
01:03:27,640 --> 01:03:29,640
Speaker 1: Brought to you by the U. S. Forest Service, your

1247
01:03:29,640 --> 01:03:32,400
Speaker 1: State Forrester, and the AD Council. Right next, because I've

1248
01:03:32,480 --> 01:03:35,280
Speaker 1: known for a very long time, nephew Tommy A K.

1249
01:03:35,640 --> 01:03:37,720
Speaker 1: Thomas Miles. I made him when he was Thomas Biles.

1250
01:03:37,720 --> 01:03:41,880
Speaker 1: So that's how fall back we go. His career includes radio, television, film, Prank,

1251
01:03:42,000 --> 01:03:45,040
Speaker 1: Phone Call, Soul Dot, Comedy Dates, and he is hosting

1252
01:03:45,120 --> 01:03:49,400
Speaker 1: owns relationship show Ready for Love by the incredible super

1253
01:03:49,440 --> 01:03:53,480
Speaker 1: super producer Will Paca. Nephew Tommy co hosted nationally syndicated

1254
01:03:53,520 --> 01:03:56,560
Speaker 1: Thief Harford Morning Show, and his new food line include

1255
01:03:56,600 --> 01:04:00,640
Speaker 1: Grits two flavors, Hardened Soul and Spicy Love. The website

1256
01:04:00,720 --> 01:04:02,600
Speaker 1: right now, I said so that so it's called just

1257
01:04:02,960 --> 01:04:05,360
Speaker 1: good Grits. But next month he's dropping the whole new

1258
01:04:05,440 --> 01:04:07,680
Speaker 1: product line with it, and so you'll be able to buy,

1259
01:04:07,880 --> 01:04:10,560
Speaker 1: probably be able to buy when this episode airs. Please

1260
01:04:10,560 --> 01:04:13,760
Speaker 1: work with the money making conversation. A K. Thomas Miles,

1261
01:04:14,160 --> 01:04:17,720
Speaker 1: Nephew Tommy. I was gonna do it that way, man.

1262
01:04:17,840 --> 01:04:20,360
Speaker 1: Good to be here without how you doing? Man, Really good, man,

1263
01:04:20,440 --> 01:04:23,000
Speaker 1: really good. I was excited. Man. You know, they sent

1264
01:04:23,080 --> 01:04:25,000
Speaker 1: me your bio and they send a list of questions

1265
01:04:25,000 --> 01:04:27,800
Speaker 1: and everything. But you know, I zee in a few times.

1266
01:04:27,840 --> 01:04:29,280
Speaker 1: We're gonna talk about Ready for a little, but I

1267
01:04:29,360 --> 01:04:32,000
Speaker 1: see it in right on them grits, brother, the grits

1268
01:04:33,600 --> 01:04:36,720
Speaker 1: and those grits. You know what shot. I had no idea.

1269
01:04:36,800 --> 01:04:41,520
Speaker 1: I um hardening up with this guy in Houston, who's

1270
01:04:41,520 --> 01:04:45,480
Speaker 1: who's Who's been cooking for years and I wanted am

1271
01:04:46,040 --> 01:04:49,080
Speaker 1: I needed an extra turkey for Thanksgiving and never met

1272
01:04:49,120 --> 01:04:51,280
Speaker 1: this guy before in my life. I bought a turkey

1273
01:04:51,320 --> 01:04:53,360
Speaker 1: from it, and when I was leaving, he said, hey,

1274
01:04:53,400 --> 01:04:55,160
Speaker 1: do you like grits? I was like, yeah, I love

1275
01:04:55,240 --> 01:04:57,720
Speaker 1: gritz He said, when take this season and put it

1276
01:04:57,760 --> 01:04:59,600
Speaker 1: in your grits next time your wife cuts grits for

1277
01:04:59,640 --> 01:05:01,960
Speaker 1: you said all right, and I never got around to it.

1278
01:05:02,000 --> 01:05:03,640
Speaker 1: The guy calls me back and says, hey, did you

1279
01:05:03,720 --> 01:05:05,560
Speaker 1: did you try the grid season? IF like, nah, I'm

1280
01:05:05,560 --> 01:05:08,040
Speaker 1: done it yet, and and then I don't know. A

1281
01:05:08,040 --> 01:05:10,000
Speaker 1: week later, I told my wife, hey, let's try these

1282
01:05:10,000 --> 01:05:15,120
Speaker 1: grids thru Sean. When I tried those grids and oh

1283
01:05:15,120 --> 01:05:17,800
Speaker 1: my god, you got something. And you know, he and

1284
01:05:17,840 --> 01:05:21,000
Speaker 1: I went back and forth collaborating on changing the seasoning

1285
01:05:21,080 --> 01:05:23,400
Speaker 1: and changing this and that, and we finally got what

1286
01:05:23,440 --> 01:05:26,840
Speaker 1: we want. So um that heart and Soul is the

1287
01:05:26,880 --> 01:05:30,280
Speaker 1: original and that that that uh, that that that spicy

1288
01:05:30,320 --> 01:05:32,160
Speaker 1: one is the next one behind, and then I gotta go.

1289
01:05:32,400 --> 01:05:35,200
Speaker 1: You know, you know there's always a grits debate, right

1290
01:05:35,400 --> 01:05:40,040
Speaker 1: right right, you want sugar in your grids, that's always debate.

1291
01:05:41,360 --> 01:05:44,240
Speaker 1: So so I'm coming up with Swede and Sassy so

1292
01:05:44,280 --> 01:05:47,320
Speaker 1: we can have a sleep. Okay, Okay, So we got

1293
01:05:47,360 --> 01:05:50,560
Speaker 1: the whole world of grits coming, man. So next month,

1294
01:05:50,680 --> 01:05:53,080
Speaker 1: be on the lookout. I'm gonna be calling you. But

1295
01:05:53,080 --> 01:05:54,480
Speaker 1: I'm gonna want to be on here again so I

1296
01:05:54,480 --> 01:05:56,600
Speaker 1: can talk about these grids. Well, first of all, you know,

1297
01:05:56,600 --> 01:05:58,440
Speaker 1: I'm like gonna turn your weight. We're talking about grits

1298
01:05:58,480 --> 01:06:01,720
Speaker 1: because both of us from Houston, Texas, so we Southern boys,

1299
01:06:02,040 --> 01:06:04,760
Speaker 1: and so because grit's man. You know, when you get

1300
01:06:04,760 --> 01:06:07,040
Speaker 1: the real black people, the black people in the you

1301
01:06:07,080 --> 01:06:08,800
Speaker 1: know that grit stuff, that grit talk, because you know,

1302
01:06:09,040 --> 01:06:11,840
Speaker 1: we forgot the bacon and grease, the bacon grease. They

1303
01:06:11,840 --> 01:06:14,760
Speaker 1: go over grits to man, because grits has so much love.

1304
01:06:14,800 --> 01:06:17,280
Speaker 1: To remember, Steve Thieve arves the love when I cook

1305
01:06:17,320 --> 01:06:19,520
Speaker 1: grits because you know I can cook grit So when

1306
01:06:19,560 --> 01:06:22,640
Speaker 1: I saw grits as part of your you know, your

1307
01:06:22,760 --> 01:06:24,920
Speaker 1: entreprenturit newership. You know, you can get a lot of

1308
01:06:24,920 --> 01:06:27,200
Speaker 1: all you do T shirts, you do the prank phone calls,

1309
01:06:27,440 --> 01:06:29,240
Speaker 1: you do a lot of great things. But but to

1310
01:06:29,280 --> 01:06:32,560
Speaker 1: go into this venture called Just Good Grits. That's grit

1311
01:06:32,680 --> 01:06:35,040
Speaker 1: was a z dot com. You can go check it

1312
01:06:35,040 --> 01:06:37,920
Speaker 1: out right now, Just Good Grits Z instead of the

1313
01:06:38,160 --> 01:06:40,440
Speaker 1: S dot com. You can see right now. It has

1314
01:06:40,720 --> 01:06:43,560
Speaker 1: hard and soul and spicy love. Because when I saw

1315
01:06:43,600 --> 01:06:46,920
Speaker 1: your image on the box, I just I just started smiling, Thomas,

1316
01:06:46,960 --> 01:06:50,600
Speaker 1: I really did. Man, Thank you, man, thank you. And

1317
01:06:50,680 --> 01:06:53,040
Speaker 1: you know what you got me thinking. When my mama

1318
01:06:53,120 --> 01:06:55,320
Speaker 1: used to cook grits. She would cook the grits and

1319
01:06:55,320 --> 01:06:59,320
Speaker 1: then you would mix the eggs in there with you. Hey, hey, Thomas,

1320
01:06:59,680 --> 01:07:02,760
Speaker 1: is the right if you know? You know, it's so

1321
01:07:02,880 --> 01:07:04,760
Speaker 1: many once you start doing. That's why I told you

1322
01:07:04,800 --> 01:07:08,320
Speaker 1: I'm dropping my TV show called Rashaan's Kitchen in Atlanta

1323
01:07:08,640 --> 01:07:11,800
Speaker 1: two million homes gonna be a Comcast Tune E five

1324
01:07:12,160 --> 01:07:14,920
Speaker 1: A T and t U Verse channel six May six.

1325
01:07:14,920 --> 01:07:17,680
Speaker 1: That's when it drops. I want to be able to,

1326
01:07:18,000 --> 01:07:21,600
Speaker 1: you know, cook your grids on there because I do breakfast.

1327
01:07:21,680 --> 01:07:24,000
Speaker 1: You know, I love soft eggs. I do eggs over

1328
01:07:24,040 --> 01:07:26,800
Speaker 1: each I do the bacon, I do toads, I do biscuits.

1329
01:07:26,800 --> 01:07:28,880
Speaker 1: I have my boat ridding. This guy done this calm brand.

1330
01:07:29,120 --> 01:07:31,120
Speaker 1: So I really want to just like so you have

1331
01:07:31,240 --> 01:07:33,120
Speaker 1: to be on them. As soon as I get my

1332
01:07:33,280 --> 01:07:35,680
Speaker 1: order from you, I'm gonna put it online ticks of

1333
01:07:35,680 --> 01:07:38,160
Speaker 1: pictures because people just love the fact that I cook.

1334
01:07:38,480 --> 01:07:41,080
Speaker 1: They always I get a lot of engagement. So I'm

1335
01:07:41,120 --> 01:07:43,200
Speaker 1: just excited. But I just love the fact that I

1336
01:07:43,240 --> 01:07:46,240
Speaker 1: saw that picture you and on the box. And I'm

1337
01:07:46,240 --> 01:07:48,320
Speaker 1: gonna tell you some time, I'm not even laughing in

1338
01:07:48,760 --> 01:07:51,520
Speaker 1: like a bad way. It's just like it's a prideful

1339
01:07:51,560 --> 01:07:55,160
Speaker 1: thing because that's a that's that's possible. Man. You can

1340
01:07:55,240 --> 01:07:58,920
Speaker 1: be in Krogers, you can be in public, you can

1341
01:07:58,960 --> 01:08:02,560
Speaker 1: be in all these ordinationwy just on the dream tell

1342
01:08:02,600 --> 01:08:05,440
Speaker 1: us about that. You know what, rich Man, You know,

1343
01:08:05,480 --> 01:08:07,920
Speaker 1: I learned this from you. I learned this from Steve Harvey.

1344
01:08:08,080 --> 01:08:11,880
Speaker 1: It's about connections. It's about you know, capitalizing on it

1345
01:08:11,920 --> 01:08:13,640
Speaker 1: when you know that they're bare, when you know the

1346
01:08:13,640 --> 01:08:17,240
Speaker 1: opportunity is there. Um, you know, I live in Houston, Texas,

1347
01:08:17,280 --> 01:08:19,519
Speaker 1: so you know I have put my ear to the

1348
01:08:19,520 --> 01:08:24,280
Speaker 1: street on what does it take to get a product

1349
01:08:24,320 --> 01:08:26,400
Speaker 1: in an in an h g B in a Kroger,

1350
01:08:26,760 --> 01:08:28,840
Speaker 1: you know, and we don't see many black products on

1351
01:08:28,880 --> 01:08:31,680
Speaker 1: the shelf. So I did the groundwork and found out

1352
01:08:31,720 --> 01:08:34,240
Speaker 1: what it taken. Like is that it, you know? And

1353
01:08:34,439 --> 01:08:36,679
Speaker 1: I'm saying they say, you know, if you get about

1354
01:08:37,479 --> 01:08:42,080
Speaker 1: fifty sixty dollars in sales online, you are now eligible

1355
01:08:42,160 --> 01:08:45,800
Speaker 1: and available to possibly be in h g B. So

1356
01:08:45,880 --> 01:08:48,559
Speaker 1: my thing is what I got a million plus people

1357
01:08:48,560 --> 01:08:52,360
Speaker 1: following me on on every social media outlet you can

1358
01:08:52,360 --> 01:08:56,320
Speaker 1: think of. Surely I can sell for sending them some grants,

1359
01:08:56,760 --> 01:08:59,920
Speaker 1: you know. So I'm just doing the map, saying it

1360
01:09:00,000 --> 01:09:03,000
Speaker 1: if it all makes sense, and um, and I'm connected

1361
01:09:03,000 --> 01:09:06,000
Speaker 1: with people who are in the heads up of of

1362
01:09:06,120 --> 01:09:09,000
Speaker 1: h g B, so it's right there. If I don't

1363
01:09:09,000 --> 01:09:11,320
Speaker 1: do it, it makes no sense. Man, Well it then

1364
01:09:11,400 --> 01:09:14,000
Speaker 1: don't make any sense. But more importantly, it makes sense

1365
01:09:14,000 --> 01:09:17,320
Speaker 1: that you talking about relationships. H g B is like

1366
01:09:17,600 --> 01:09:20,719
Speaker 1: that's a power broker, you know, the day top quality

1367
01:09:20,720 --> 01:09:23,320
Speaker 1: of the line. We talked about everybody's shops there in

1368
01:09:23,520 --> 01:09:25,719
Speaker 1: h g B and then you get into these Krogers.

1369
01:09:25,800 --> 01:09:28,200
Speaker 1: But I'm just tell you, man, I was just so

1370
01:09:28,360 --> 01:09:31,320
Speaker 1: happy and it just maybe smile just seeing your face

1371
01:09:31,720 --> 01:09:34,400
Speaker 1: on a box of grids. Man, And I mean and

1372
01:09:34,439 --> 01:09:36,439
Speaker 1: I and I you know, because as a black person man,

1373
01:09:36,479 --> 01:09:39,519
Speaker 1: we grow up and and and and you know, either

1374
01:09:39,600 --> 01:09:42,799
Speaker 1: the anti mamas and uncle bins and all that stuff.

1375
01:09:42,800 --> 01:09:45,400
Speaker 1: And I know who you are. You're graduate of Texas

1376
01:09:45,560 --> 01:09:47,479
Speaker 1: n them. You know what I'm saying you you you

1377
01:09:47,720 --> 01:09:50,479
Speaker 1: know you're you're a businessman. So you're kind of like

1378
01:09:50,560 --> 01:09:54,439
Speaker 1: breaking the model of what has been portrayed of black people.

1379
01:09:54,439 --> 01:09:56,599
Speaker 1: And you've been breaking the marrow a long time, all

1380
01:09:56,640 --> 01:09:59,120
Speaker 1: the way back to Texas. And then talk about that. Now,

1381
01:09:59,120 --> 01:10:01,439
Speaker 1: have to slow you down because sometimes we just be

1382
01:10:01,520 --> 01:10:03,760
Speaker 1: doing stuff timy and we don't realize what we're doing.

1383
01:10:04,160 --> 01:10:07,000
Speaker 1: But but it's it was a much more prideful thing,

1384
01:10:07,120 --> 01:10:09,000
Speaker 1: more than the fact that I knew you. But I

1385
01:10:09,120 --> 01:10:11,599
Speaker 1: was more pride when I saw that that that when

1386
01:10:11,600 --> 01:10:13,439
Speaker 1: I went to the website Just Good Grits and I

1387
01:10:13,479 --> 01:10:16,280
Speaker 1: saw that dot com, I went, wow, it's my board man.

1388
01:10:16,320 --> 01:10:18,559
Speaker 1: Look at him on that box, Man, and I knew

1389
01:10:18,560 --> 01:10:21,040
Speaker 1: who you were, I knew what you represented as a man.

1390
01:10:21,600 --> 01:10:24,200
Speaker 1: But then just talk about that, you know what, rash

1391
01:10:24,560 --> 01:10:27,360
Speaker 1: It's been a journey man, um, I mean you you

1392
01:10:27,439 --> 01:10:29,400
Speaker 1: were there at the beginning. You put me on stage

1393
01:10:29,680 --> 01:10:31,720
Speaker 1: the first time I ever got on stage and doing

1394
01:10:31,800 --> 01:10:34,880
Speaker 1: stand up, and uh, it's just been a journey. So

1395
01:10:35,280 --> 01:10:37,080
Speaker 1: you know, at some point in my life, I feel like,

1396
01:10:37,120 --> 01:10:39,200
Speaker 1: you know, there's a there's a book coming, you know,

1397
01:10:39,280 --> 01:10:42,160
Speaker 1: a funny thing happened on the way to Hollywood, you know,

1398
01:10:42,320 --> 01:10:44,960
Speaker 1: And it's just the journey of every stop that I've made.

1399
01:10:45,000 --> 01:10:47,920
Speaker 1: I had no idea I was gonna be doing stand up.

1400
01:10:47,960 --> 01:10:50,519
Speaker 1: I had no idea I was going to be doing radio.

1401
01:10:50,920 --> 01:10:53,080
Speaker 1: I mean, I was a theater major, thinking that, you know,

1402
01:10:53,120 --> 01:10:54,960
Speaker 1: like all theater major. Okay, I'm going I'm on my

1403
01:10:55,000 --> 01:10:57,679
Speaker 1: way to Broadway. Now, let me go to New York

1404
01:10:57,760 --> 01:10:59,720
Speaker 1: and that's where I will be getting my career. That's

1405
01:10:59,760 --> 01:11:01,840
Speaker 1: what you think. But you have no idea what your

1406
01:11:01,880 --> 01:11:03,759
Speaker 1: journey is gonna be, and you have to be really

1407
01:11:03,800 --> 01:11:07,680
Speaker 1: open about where your steps are going and and sometimes

1408
01:11:08,000 --> 01:11:11,280
Speaker 1: the journey you sometimes you need every stop along that

1409
01:11:11,360 --> 01:11:13,240
Speaker 1: journey to get where you are to be able to

1410
01:11:13,240 --> 01:11:15,519
Speaker 1: look back and say, you know what, I respect where

1411
01:11:15,560 --> 01:11:18,080
Speaker 1: I've been. I respect the whole journey God has sent

1412
01:11:18,160 --> 01:11:20,360
Speaker 1: me through, and and now here i am I'm a

1413
01:11:20,360 --> 01:11:24,240
Speaker 1: lot more mature, a lot less crazy than I used to,

1414
01:11:26,160 --> 01:11:28,639
Speaker 1: you know, so so uh, you know, you you just

1415
01:11:28,720 --> 01:11:31,040
Speaker 1: you grow up and and you learn and you you

1416
01:11:31,040 --> 01:11:35,519
Speaker 1: you become a little bit more um clear about what

1417
01:11:35,560 --> 01:11:37,120
Speaker 1: you need to be in the in the journey that

1418
01:11:37,200 --> 01:11:40,000
Speaker 1: you're on and how to keep going for it and

1419
01:11:40,000 --> 01:11:42,719
Speaker 1: and not uh not thinking that you can't do something.

1420
01:11:42,760 --> 01:11:44,559
Speaker 1: So when I saw something like the Grids, I'm like,

1421
01:11:44,600 --> 01:11:46,559
Speaker 1: you know what I can do this. Let me, let me,

1422
01:11:46,680 --> 01:11:49,200
Speaker 1: let me put my resources together, because I have too

1423
01:11:49,200 --> 01:11:52,160
Speaker 1: many resources not not to make it. You know, they

1424
01:11:52,200 --> 01:11:54,640
Speaker 1: say it's six degrees of separation. I think I'm I

1425
01:11:54,680 --> 01:11:57,880
Speaker 1: think I'm two or three phone calls from anybody, So

1426
01:11:58,280 --> 01:12:00,360
Speaker 1: it can be done. So I just I just don't

1427
01:12:00,400 --> 01:12:04,000
Speaker 1: tell myself that it can't happen. I'm always pressing forward

1428
01:12:04,000 --> 01:12:05,680
Speaker 1: on we can do this if we want to do so.

1429
01:12:05,760 --> 01:12:08,000
Speaker 1: You know, the beauty of you, man is that you know,

1430
01:12:08,439 --> 01:12:11,080
Speaker 1: it's that you know when you're under umbrella of Steve

1431
01:12:11,080 --> 01:12:14,000
Speaker 1: Harvey's brand, you know, the Steve Berman the show, but

1432
01:12:14,080 --> 01:12:18,160
Speaker 1: the prank phone calls has enabled you to separate yourself

1433
01:12:18,520 --> 01:12:22,120
Speaker 1: as a true individual, true gifted talent, which has led

1434
01:12:22,200 --> 01:12:24,120
Speaker 1: to other things, other acting things. We're gonna get to

1435
01:12:24,120 --> 01:12:26,080
Speaker 1: Ready for Love. But I want to just dissect that

1436
01:12:26,160 --> 01:12:29,680
Speaker 1: whole prank phone called brand that you built. You know,

1437
01:12:29,760 --> 01:12:33,479
Speaker 1: there's this popular on YouTube, you know, de generates income.

1438
01:12:33,840 --> 01:12:36,559
Speaker 1: You know. Let me say this though. Here's what Here's

1439
01:12:36,600 --> 01:12:39,639
Speaker 1: what the listeners don't know is what I first started

1440
01:12:39,680 --> 01:12:42,919
Speaker 1: doing these prank phone called the One and Only, Rushan

1441
01:12:43,080 --> 01:12:48,400
Speaker 1: McDonald said, I won't fire every week, like what, I

1442
01:12:48,400 --> 01:12:52,439
Speaker 1: won't five every week? And you know what, I used

1443
01:12:52,479 --> 01:12:54,400
Speaker 1: to think that was just bananas. I used to say,

1444
01:12:54,520 --> 01:12:56,479
Speaker 1: he has lost his mind if you think I can

1445
01:12:56,520 --> 01:12:59,439
Speaker 1: do this that many times a week. But what that

1446
01:12:59,600 --> 01:13:04,360
Speaker 1: did for me, you got me to over three hundred

1447
01:13:04,439 --> 01:13:08,240
Speaker 1: prank calls laying in the cut. I now have that many.

1448
01:13:08,360 --> 01:13:11,000
Speaker 1: And and what it is, Rashan, is you know, it's

1449
01:13:11,040 --> 01:13:13,640
Speaker 1: a little difficult now for me to to do the

1450
01:13:13,680 --> 01:13:16,680
Speaker 1: pranks sometimes because everybody is called on and they know

1451
01:13:16,880 --> 01:13:19,960
Speaker 1: Nephew Timmy's boys. But back then, when I was first starting,

1452
01:13:20,680 --> 01:13:23,679
Speaker 1: they didn't know that. So I was able to build

1453
01:13:23,720 --> 01:13:28,200
Speaker 1: this whole archive at that time. And now I look

1454
01:13:28,240 --> 01:13:30,479
Speaker 1: back and say, oh my god, Rushan McDonald, if he

1455
01:13:30,479 --> 01:13:33,080
Speaker 1: wouldn't have made me going there, go into the studio

1456
01:13:33,720 --> 01:13:37,160
Speaker 1: cut these uh these prank calls. I would not have

1457
01:13:37,320 --> 01:13:42,240
Speaker 1: had this type of library at all. And I say,

1458
01:13:42,280 --> 01:13:44,960
Speaker 1: thank you, brother, thank you for cracking that whip on me,

1459
01:13:45,000 --> 01:13:47,880
Speaker 1: putting it on me. So going there and do do

1460
01:13:47,960 --> 01:13:49,639
Speaker 1: what you wanted me to do. I thought I thought

1461
01:13:49,680 --> 01:13:52,160
Speaker 1: you lost your mind. But now I look back and say,

1462
01:13:52,360 --> 01:13:55,759
Speaker 1: oh my god. And Rushan now you know, like we're

1463
01:13:55,760 --> 01:13:59,360
Speaker 1: talking about resources. Before you know, I went to um

1464
01:13:59,560 --> 01:14:01,559
Speaker 1: yolland Adams ask her, you know, how do I get

1465
01:14:01,600 --> 01:14:04,280
Speaker 1: my stuff? Like like you got your your your CDs

1466
01:14:04,280 --> 01:14:07,000
Speaker 1: in Walmart? How do I do that? Your Lina Adams

1467
01:14:07,040 --> 01:14:08,960
Speaker 1: made one phone call and the next thing I know,

1468
01:14:09,080 --> 01:14:13,640
Speaker 1: I was in Walmart and my first check and and

1469
01:14:13,800 --> 01:14:16,599
Speaker 1: one month out of Walmart was about sixty some thousand

1470
01:14:16,640 --> 01:14:19,760
Speaker 1: dollars And I was blown away. And and here I

1471
01:14:19,800 --> 01:14:24,320
Speaker 1: am sitting on all these pranks. Go you made me

1472
01:14:24,400 --> 01:14:26,840
Speaker 1: going there and through these pranks. And I look back

1473
01:14:26,840 --> 01:14:30,240
Speaker 1: to Dave ru shan Man and you know, every month

1474
01:14:30,400 --> 01:14:33,679
Speaker 1: YouTube sends me a check for my prank phone call.

1475
01:14:33,800 --> 01:14:36,479
Speaker 1: So brother, thank you so much, thank you, thank you,

1476
01:14:36,560 --> 01:14:39,640
Speaker 1: thank you. I'm grateful, thank you for the couple of me.

1477
01:14:39,800 --> 01:14:41,519
Speaker 1: But you know, it all comes back to talent. I

1478
01:14:41,520 --> 01:14:43,720
Speaker 1: always tell people, you know, a lot of people you know,

1479
01:14:43,880 --> 01:14:45,920
Speaker 1: I'm would push you, you know that, But I pushed

1480
01:14:45,920 --> 01:14:48,759
Speaker 1: people who are I feel but one thing, you work hard.

1481
01:14:49,120 --> 01:14:51,760
Speaker 1: Never take that away from you. And then the fact

1482
01:14:51,760 --> 01:14:54,840
Speaker 1: that you're you're gifted, and and and all the way

1483
01:14:54,880 --> 01:14:56,720
Speaker 1: back to your sister sister days. You know, I was

1484
01:14:56,800 --> 01:14:59,479
Speaker 1: casting your sister sisters. You know what I'm saying as

1485
01:14:59,479 --> 01:15:01,880
Speaker 1: to share, that's to share. That's the police officer, you know.

1486
01:15:02,240 --> 01:15:05,240
Speaker 1: You know, but some people understandments about when you talk

1487
01:15:05,280 --> 01:15:07,800
Speaker 1: about six degree relationships and all that holding onto it,

1488
01:15:08,200 --> 01:15:10,720
Speaker 1: you know, doing some things that you're uncomfortable with When

1489
01:15:10,720 --> 01:15:12,559
Speaker 1: I say that, sometimes you do things you're not paid for.

1490
01:15:12,640 --> 01:15:15,080
Speaker 1: That's the uncomfortable part. When does this When does this

1491
01:15:15,280 --> 01:15:18,200
Speaker 1: endgame go to? But the problem is that when people

1492
01:15:18,400 --> 01:15:20,920
Speaker 1: look at your brand, they don't understand that it's a

1493
01:15:20,960 --> 01:15:23,120
Speaker 1: lot of work. They unders there's a lot of fun.

1494
01:15:23,160 --> 01:15:25,720
Speaker 1: You're getting up every day. You have to be topical.

1495
01:15:25,960 --> 01:15:28,000
Speaker 1: You have to be ready. You're talking, we're working one

1496
01:15:28,040 --> 01:15:30,040
Speaker 1: of the biggest stars in the world. You never know

1497
01:15:30,080 --> 01:15:32,280
Speaker 1: what comes out of his head or direction. He gonna

1498
01:15:32,280 --> 01:15:34,240
Speaker 1: go on sometime and you gotta be ready for that.

1499
01:15:34,600 --> 01:15:36,600
Speaker 1: And so that whole process that led you to be

1500
01:15:36,640 --> 01:15:39,240
Speaker 1: able to go into different acting scenarios. But that that

1501
01:15:39,320 --> 01:15:41,120
Speaker 1: prank phone call. Man, I remember when I asked you,

1502
01:15:41,600 --> 01:15:43,960
Speaker 1: I knew we would own this something. And you've done

1503
01:15:44,000 --> 01:15:46,760
Speaker 1: some claxic brother, You've done celebrity and frank phone calls you.

1504
01:15:47,160 --> 01:15:49,720
Speaker 1: But the beauty of it is that man, you just

1505
01:15:49,880 --> 01:15:53,040
Speaker 1: you were able to manipulate you remember when they remember

1506
01:15:53,120 --> 01:15:55,759
Speaker 1: what one time they was when they when you couldn't

1507
01:15:55,760 --> 01:15:58,520
Speaker 1: do prank phone call, you had to get permission, ridden permission,

1508
01:15:58,680 --> 01:16:00,720
Speaker 1: and they tried to shut you down. Figure that out.

1509
01:16:01,320 --> 01:16:03,000
Speaker 1: You're not worry about I got this, I got this,

1510
01:16:03,360 --> 01:16:05,800
Speaker 1: and just you know, but you you didn't allow this.

1511
01:16:06,120 --> 01:16:09,240
Speaker 1: You know, you you constantly move the needle or maintain

1512
01:16:09,320 --> 01:16:12,120
Speaker 1: your brand. And so I take the cadus of the

1513
01:16:12,160 --> 01:16:14,200
Speaker 1: thank you and all that, but I also get back

1514
01:16:14,479 --> 01:16:17,080
Speaker 1: the hard work. When they were when legally it was

1515
01:16:17,080 --> 01:16:19,080
Speaker 1: in the position to shut down your prank phone call,

1516
01:16:19,320 --> 01:16:22,360
Speaker 1: you pushed through that and you move hard, move forward,

1517
01:16:22,400 --> 01:16:24,840
Speaker 1: and then that leads you to your comedy days. And

1518
01:16:24,880 --> 01:16:27,479
Speaker 1: so I'm just letting everybody know that nephew Tommy is

1519
01:16:27,479 --> 01:16:30,840
Speaker 1: a brand y'all. Thomas Miles the individual. But nephew Tommy

1520
01:16:30,920 --> 01:16:36,040
Speaker 1: is a brand. Talk about that nephew Tommy brands. Uh wow,

1521
01:16:36,120 --> 01:16:38,200
Speaker 1: you know what and and and and you already know

1522
01:16:38,280 --> 01:16:40,760
Speaker 1: that they're really both two different people shot and you

1523
01:16:40,760 --> 01:16:45,400
Speaker 1: know that two different people, but that brand. I had

1524
01:16:45,479 --> 01:16:49,360
Speaker 1: no idea that it was gonna soar to this um

1525
01:16:49,640 --> 01:16:52,760
Speaker 1: to put me on on the platform that I'm on. Um,

1526
01:16:52,960 --> 01:16:55,439
Speaker 1: you guys gave me an opportunity on the radio and

1527
01:16:55,920 --> 01:16:58,880
Speaker 1: we you know, you took a shot at me and

1528
01:16:58,680 --> 01:17:03,320
Speaker 1: and and it worked. The character itself that that whole personna,

1529
01:17:03,720 --> 01:17:06,160
Speaker 1: it worked, and it just started building. And the next thing,

1530
01:17:06,240 --> 01:17:09,160
Speaker 1: you know, you know, the whole name Thomas Miles had

1531
01:17:09,200 --> 01:17:11,519
Speaker 1: just completely gotten washed away. And it was Hey, I

1532
01:17:11,560 --> 01:17:14,960
Speaker 1: am this guy, nephew Timmy and and and you know,

1533
01:17:15,000 --> 01:17:16,680
Speaker 1: you just start building on it. What can I do

1534
01:17:16,760 --> 01:17:19,000
Speaker 1: with it? I don't want to just sit on it

1535
01:17:19,080 --> 01:17:23,120
Speaker 1: and not not capitalized on on this opportunity I'm working for,

1536
01:17:23,800 --> 01:17:25,840
Speaker 1: you know, um so so this is one of the

1537
01:17:25,840 --> 01:17:28,240
Speaker 1: biggest guys in the in the business. So I have

1538
01:17:28,360 --> 01:17:31,120
Speaker 1: to figure out how to make this work. Even though

1539
01:17:31,160 --> 01:17:34,240
Speaker 1: I'm underneath his umbrella. How do I still step out

1540
01:17:34,240 --> 01:17:37,160
Speaker 1: and shine a little bit and and make something my

1541
01:17:37,240 --> 01:17:40,120
Speaker 1: own and I think this, um, you know, the pranks

1542
01:17:40,200 --> 01:17:44,400
Speaker 1: underneath a few time me going out and doing stand up. Uh,

1543
01:17:44,479 --> 01:17:46,120
Speaker 1: you and I did it. We did a tour together

1544
01:17:46,160 --> 01:17:48,760
Speaker 1: where you know, I was able to really showcase the

1545
01:17:48,840 --> 01:17:52,639
Speaker 1: characters that that all trapped inside my head and and

1546
01:17:52,640 --> 01:17:55,680
Speaker 1: and being able to display that. But I think it

1547
01:17:55,840 --> 01:17:59,559
Speaker 1: all goes back to we want to see this guy,

1548
01:17:59,680 --> 01:18:01,880
Speaker 1: nephew tim me that we here on the radio. We

1549
01:18:01,920 --> 01:18:05,080
Speaker 1: want to see what he has from a stand up perspective.

1550
01:18:05,320 --> 01:18:07,000
Speaker 1: So when they came to see me, they had no

1551
01:18:07,120 --> 01:18:10,519
Speaker 1: idea what they were gonna get, and and to you know,

1552
01:18:10,600 --> 01:18:12,559
Speaker 1: to to set up a show the way I did,

1553
01:18:12,680 --> 01:18:16,960
Speaker 1: coming out first giving them fifty five minutes off the top,

1554
01:18:17,200 --> 01:18:20,320
Speaker 1: and then in between each comedian to give them different

1555
01:18:20,400 --> 01:18:23,600
Speaker 1: characters of of of of me. Um, I think it

1556
01:18:23,680 --> 01:18:25,599
Speaker 1: was different. I think it was something that was very

1557
01:18:25,640 --> 01:18:32,320
Speaker 1: unexpected and that that even strengthened that nephew Timmey brands. So, um,

1558
01:18:32,360 --> 01:18:34,840
Speaker 1: you know, as we now move forward, it's like, Okay,

1559
01:18:35,000 --> 01:18:37,200
Speaker 1: what else can I do? Right? I don't I don't

1560
01:18:37,240 --> 01:18:38,800
Speaker 1: want to stop, you know, I want to I want

1561
01:18:38,800 --> 01:18:41,040
Speaker 1: to keep reaching for everything I can reach for. So

1562
01:18:41,479 --> 01:18:43,400
Speaker 1: I'm reaching for grits. Now, let's see what I do

1563
01:18:43,439 --> 01:18:46,519
Speaker 1: with the greats, and we just keep going on and on. Man, Well,

1564
01:18:46,560 --> 01:18:49,200
Speaker 1: I say a few time in the comedy club Las Vegas, Okay,

1565
01:18:49,240 --> 01:18:52,160
Speaker 1: Atlantic City, Okay. So I'll just say, you know, I

1566
01:18:52,200 --> 01:18:54,320
Speaker 1: think that I don't I don't think small. I think

1567
01:18:54,320 --> 01:18:56,479
Speaker 1: big when I see the opportunity, because you got the

1568
01:18:56,479 --> 01:18:59,920
Speaker 1: marketing tool, you got the social media, and so these

1569
01:19:00,040 --> 01:19:02,120
Speaker 1: things are really special. And when you start building out

1570
01:19:02,120 --> 01:19:04,759
Speaker 1: the relationship, you have to realize that, you know, Tamaran

1571
01:19:04,840 --> 01:19:06,800
Speaker 1: Hall with you going on there with your grits and

1572
01:19:06,800 --> 01:19:09,519
Speaker 1: all that the good stuff. But more importantly, the part

1573
01:19:09,560 --> 01:19:11,679
Speaker 1: of the side of that I always loved by Thomas

1574
01:19:11,840 --> 01:19:14,120
Speaker 1: is that he gave. He always give back. He always

1575
01:19:14,160 --> 01:19:16,439
Speaker 1: gave back. And when we were doing the military tour,

1576
01:19:16,680 --> 01:19:19,160
Speaker 1: which you know, which was a great run for you,

1577
01:19:19,200 --> 01:19:22,400
Speaker 1: when you was going over to entertaining the troops and

1578
01:19:22,439 --> 01:19:24,880
Speaker 1: that that was a gear back that caught you, you know,

1579
01:19:24,920 --> 01:19:27,120
Speaker 1: and you didn't see it comment, but boy, you dove in.

1580
01:19:27,200 --> 01:19:28,960
Speaker 1: It was something that you was proud to be a

1581
01:19:28,960 --> 01:19:32,799
Speaker 1: part of. Talk about that. Uh you know what, very schiman.

1582
01:19:33,120 --> 01:19:36,720
Speaker 1: I went over there uh with with not knowing what

1583
01:19:36,760 --> 01:19:40,000
Speaker 1: to expect. Uh, did two of those USO tours. Actually,

1584
01:19:40,560 --> 01:19:43,680
Speaker 1: um my my first one was I was with Robert Ory.

1585
01:19:43,840 --> 01:19:48,120
Speaker 1: I was with Jordan's Sparks, who one American idol young

1586
01:19:48,200 --> 01:19:50,800
Speaker 1: lady named Minka Kelly and actress. So they had quite

1587
01:19:50,840 --> 01:19:53,439
Speaker 1: a few other talents there and and but I was

1588
01:19:53,560 --> 01:19:56,920
Speaker 1: the guy that had to be that person that hopes

1589
01:19:57,040 --> 01:20:00,599
Speaker 1: that you know, I call it the black Bob hope yes, yes, yes,

1590
01:20:01,560 --> 01:20:04,720
Speaker 1: go over and performing for the troops. And I was

1591
01:20:04,800 --> 01:20:07,880
Speaker 1: just blown away by what I saw, just just you know,

1592
01:20:08,160 --> 01:20:11,040
Speaker 1: the front line, the people that represent the country. I

1593
01:20:11,080 --> 01:20:13,400
Speaker 1: couldn't believe how they put their lives on the line.

1594
01:20:13,880 --> 01:20:17,519
Speaker 1: And um, we were we were visiting hospitals and we

1595
01:20:17,520 --> 01:20:19,600
Speaker 1: were in one guy's particular room and he had just

1596
01:20:19,640 --> 01:20:23,160
Speaker 1: come out of surgery and um, he said, um, when

1597
01:20:23,160 --> 01:20:25,479
Speaker 1: he woke up, we were we were all standing around

1598
01:20:25,479 --> 01:20:28,360
Speaker 1: his bed. I mean, he has just woken up from

1599
01:20:28,439 --> 01:20:31,800
Speaker 1: surgery and his his his both his legs have been

1600
01:20:31,840 --> 01:20:35,240
Speaker 1: blown completely on. He's just coming out and he says,

1601
01:20:35,840 --> 01:20:38,160
Speaker 1: you know, I would love to take pictures with you guys,

1602
01:20:38,200 --> 01:20:40,720
Speaker 1: but I gotta go. I gotta get back to my

1603
01:20:40,800 --> 01:20:44,160
Speaker 1: men that they're waiting for me. And he doesn't even

1604
01:20:44,200 --> 01:20:47,080
Speaker 1: realize what has happened to him. And man, we're standing

1605
01:20:47,080 --> 01:20:49,719
Speaker 1: there around and with tears running down our face. And

1606
01:20:49,720 --> 01:20:52,240
Speaker 1: and when we left, you know, we're heading back to

1607
01:20:52,280 --> 01:20:55,800
Speaker 1: the States. That's one of the chief officers. You know

1608
01:20:55,840 --> 01:20:57,800
Speaker 1: what happens to these people when they get back home.

1609
01:20:58,360 --> 01:21:00,479
Speaker 1: And he said, well, you know, you know, you know,

1610
01:21:00,600 --> 01:21:02,599
Speaker 1: America takes care of we take care of our soldiers.

1611
01:21:02,600 --> 01:21:04,639
Speaker 1: I say, how long does that take? He said, well,

1612
01:21:04,720 --> 01:21:07,040
Speaker 1: sometimes it takes a minute, because you know, you gotta

1613
01:21:07,080 --> 01:21:09,960
Speaker 1: go through all of the procedures and so what. And

1614
01:21:10,000 --> 01:21:12,720
Speaker 1: I was like wow. So I came back and created

1615
01:21:13,320 --> 01:21:16,880
Speaker 1: miles of giving, uh and miles of giving as well.

1616
01:21:16,920 --> 01:21:21,240
Speaker 1: We give to you right now, regardless of your circumstances.

1617
01:21:21,600 --> 01:21:24,160
Speaker 1: We give to you right then and there so so

1618
01:21:24,800 --> 01:21:27,760
Speaker 1: um if if if you know, fifteen hundred dollars, two

1619
01:21:27,760 --> 01:21:31,280
Speaker 1: thousand dollars, you're shine. You'll be surprised what that means

1620
01:21:31,560 --> 01:21:34,880
Speaker 1: in a right now situation. And for somebody that's waiting

1621
01:21:34,920 --> 01:21:37,479
Speaker 1: on the government, that might be three or four months,

1622
01:21:37,479 --> 01:21:40,719
Speaker 1: six months a year before they start getting uh taken

1623
01:21:40,760 --> 01:21:44,360
Speaker 1: care of. So miles of giving we are about right now,

1624
01:21:44,479 --> 01:21:46,439
Speaker 1: and we've been giving back to one of the veterans

1625
01:21:46,439 --> 01:21:48,559
Speaker 1: since Um, I don't know, two thousand twelve. I believe

1626
01:21:49,439 --> 01:21:52,599
Speaker 1: two thousand trail. Yeah, that's why, Like I said, you know,

1627
01:21:53,120 --> 01:21:55,679
Speaker 1: you know that's a good created out of the brand

1628
01:21:55,680 --> 01:21:58,400
Speaker 1: of Nephew Tommy. You know that nephew Tommy, that brother,

1629
01:21:58,439 --> 01:22:01,240
Speaker 1: that machine at business, you know. And I envisioned a

1630
01:22:01,280 --> 01:22:05,080
Speaker 1: warehouse just Nephew Timmy logo on it, like a hundred

1631
01:22:05,120 --> 01:22:07,599
Speaker 1: people working in the making T shirts or mixing grid.

1632
01:22:07,800 --> 01:22:10,800
Speaker 1: You know, I think, you know, doing charity engagements and

1633
01:22:10,840 --> 01:22:13,519
Speaker 1: all that stuff, because that's the vision. Man, Because you

1634
01:22:13,520 --> 01:22:15,360
Speaker 1: you know, we all sit back, Thomas, because we're both

1635
01:22:15,400 --> 01:22:17,920
Speaker 1: from Houston, and you know your you know, your father

1636
01:22:18,000 --> 01:22:21,120
Speaker 1: was an amazing man who I always you know, always loved.

1637
01:22:21,120 --> 01:22:23,000
Speaker 1: The fact about your father was that you actually live

1638
01:22:23,040 --> 01:22:26,080
Speaker 1: in your father's life. You know, he didn't get a chance.

1639
01:22:26,200 --> 01:22:28,519
Speaker 1: You know, he became a blue collar worker and he

1640
01:22:28,560 --> 01:22:31,240
Speaker 1: didn't get a chance to pursue the entertainment career. Does

1641
01:22:31,320 --> 01:22:34,280
Speaker 1: that ever cross your mind, man, that you know, you

1642
01:22:34,280 --> 01:22:37,160
Speaker 1: you was a track star, but then you were so

1643
01:22:37,200 --> 01:22:39,960
Speaker 1: far away from what he was, what his dream was.

1644
01:22:40,280 --> 01:22:42,360
Speaker 1: But now you live in his dream. That really is

1645
01:22:42,400 --> 01:22:44,760
Speaker 1: an emotional moment, man, When I think about it. You

1646
01:22:44,760 --> 01:22:46,720
Speaker 1: know what, Man, I had no idea. You know, I

1647
01:22:47,080 --> 01:22:49,760
Speaker 1: was getting ready to Um, you know, I did all that.

1648
01:22:49,920 --> 01:22:52,920
Speaker 1: I did track all through high school and uh, and

1649
01:22:52,960 --> 01:22:55,479
Speaker 1: I also did drama all through high school, and I

1650
01:22:55,600 --> 01:22:58,880
Speaker 1: chose the drama scholarship. And I actually thought that I

1651
01:22:58,960 --> 01:23:02,599
Speaker 1: disappointed him, that I disappointed him by not you didn't

1652
01:23:02,680 --> 01:23:06,400
Speaker 1: running track, you didn't. And man, I'm getting ready to uh,

1653
01:23:06,680 --> 01:23:08,400
Speaker 1: getting ready to pull out of the driveway him. My

1654
01:23:08,439 --> 01:23:11,559
Speaker 1: mother bought me a brand new little Toyota pick up truck,

1655
01:23:11,960 --> 01:23:13,559
Speaker 1: and I'm getting ready to go off to college and

1656
01:23:13,600 --> 01:23:17,280
Speaker 1: the whole better. The truck is loaded and and that's

1657
01:23:17,320 --> 01:23:20,720
Speaker 1: when he's standing there saying, um, you know you you

1658
01:23:20,720 --> 01:23:22,600
Speaker 1: you you got my dream. I was like, what what

1659
01:23:22,640 --> 01:23:24,880
Speaker 1: do you What are you talking about? Because he's crying

1660
01:23:24,880 --> 01:23:27,160
Speaker 1: and I'm like, what do you what's going on? He said,

1661
01:23:27,200 --> 01:23:30,160
Speaker 1: you got my dream? I said, I said, no, I'm not.

1662
01:23:30,720 --> 01:23:33,439
Speaker 1: I'm not running track, Pops. You know I'm I'm I'm

1663
01:23:33,439 --> 01:23:37,160
Speaker 1: gonna pursue this theater thing. He said, yeah, you got

1664
01:23:37,200 --> 01:23:40,320
Speaker 1: my dream. I said, what are you talking about? And

1665
01:23:40,320 --> 01:23:41,840
Speaker 1: that's when he tells me that he was a theater

1666
01:23:41,880 --> 01:23:46,080
Speaker 1: major at Texas Southern university and he had to drop

1667
01:23:46,080 --> 01:23:48,439
Speaker 1: out of school because you had to help his mother

1668
01:23:48,439 --> 01:23:50,639
Speaker 1: and his father helped raise his siblings because my dad

1669
01:23:50,680 --> 01:23:53,680
Speaker 1: was the oldest. And he said, you got my dream,

1670
01:23:53,800 --> 01:23:55,640
Speaker 1: so it's up to you to do something with what

1671
01:23:55,680 --> 01:23:58,719
Speaker 1: you're gonna do with my dream. So, um, I hope,

1672
01:23:58,760 --> 01:24:01,639
Speaker 1: I'm I hope I'm making him. Hey, brother, looking at Thomas,

1673
01:24:01,720 --> 01:24:03,800
Speaker 1: first of all, you made him proud. You know what

1674
01:24:03,800 --> 01:24:06,080
Speaker 1: I'm saying. Uh, I know what you did before he

1675
01:24:06,120 --> 01:24:08,000
Speaker 1: passed away, and I know what you're doing now. That's

1676
01:24:08,040 --> 01:24:10,760
Speaker 1: why I you know, when I before we got on

1677
01:24:10,800 --> 01:24:12,639
Speaker 1: the cost at Thomas, I want to slow this down,

1678
01:24:12,760 --> 01:24:15,479
Speaker 1: I said, because I know him so well. Sometimes I

1679
01:24:15,560 --> 01:24:18,120
Speaker 1: missed these moments in conversation because you just blow pass him.

1680
01:24:18,120 --> 01:24:20,720
Speaker 1: You think that, hey, let's not talk about that. But

1681
01:24:20,800 --> 01:24:22,960
Speaker 1: I knew that. You know, one of my greater just

1682
01:24:23,080 --> 01:24:25,000
Speaker 1: forem was I didn't get to meet your dad. You

1683
01:24:25,040 --> 01:24:27,120
Speaker 1: know I told you that. I said, Man, I'm so mad, bro,

1684
01:24:27,240 --> 01:24:30,200
Speaker 1: I'm so mad because because you know, you know, because

1685
01:24:30,600 --> 01:24:33,400
Speaker 1: the stories, you know, the Cheela jacksonally got up there man,

1686
01:24:33,520 --> 01:24:37,280
Speaker 1: and to tell the stories. Man, I just didn't do everybody.

1687
01:24:37,439 --> 01:24:45,679
Speaker 1: Letn't do halfybody legends. Yes, that's just the beauty. So

1688
01:24:45,680 --> 01:24:47,760
Speaker 1: so that's why I really love the fact that now

1689
01:24:47,800 --> 01:24:51,360
Speaker 1: they're ready for love. You know, came back to Houston. Thomas,

1690
01:24:51,840 --> 01:24:54,439
Speaker 1: came back to Youuthton, Tom. That's what I'm saying, Man,

1691
01:24:54,479 --> 01:24:57,679
Speaker 1: your dad, your family, your mom, bought a house for her,

1692
01:24:58,120 --> 01:25:03,400
Speaker 1: all these things. Man, to bring your your gifts because

1693
01:25:03,400 --> 01:25:04,920
Speaker 1: a lot of people doubt. You know, I know when

1694
01:25:04,920 --> 01:25:06,800
Speaker 1: I quit IBM and show people I want to do

1695
01:25:06,840 --> 01:25:10,200
Speaker 1: stand up comedy. Yeah okay, really next day to Murphy

1696
01:25:10,280 --> 01:25:12,840
Speaker 1: right right right, So a lot of people question that

1697
01:25:12,920 --> 01:25:15,160
Speaker 1: process because it's not a nine to five jobs. They

1698
01:25:15,200 --> 01:25:18,240
Speaker 1: don't understand. But Brother, to bring Ready for Love. Let's

1699
01:25:18,240 --> 01:25:20,639
Speaker 1: tell us about Let's tell everybody what Ready for Love

1700
01:25:20,840 --> 01:25:22,519
Speaker 1: is and then we will talk about bringing it back

1701
01:25:22,560 --> 01:25:25,040
Speaker 1: to Houston. Let me tell you this, okay, but those

1702
01:25:25,080 --> 01:25:26,800
Speaker 1: that don't know Ready to Love is a is a

1703
01:25:26,920 --> 01:25:30,200
Speaker 1: dating show. And uh it's not your typical dating show.

1704
01:25:30,240 --> 01:25:33,440
Speaker 1: You know, your typical dating show. People are in their twenties,

1705
01:25:33,840 --> 01:25:37,360
Speaker 1: life is just getting started. This is different. These people

1706
01:25:37,400 --> 01:25:40,479
Speaker 1: in their thirties, forties, summer in their fifties. People have

1707
01:25:40,560 --> 01:25:43,120
Speaker 1: been married, gotting, divorced. You even have people who are

1708
01:25:43,800 --> 01:25:48,000
Speaker 1: mostly career driven, having taken time to find a relationship,

1709
01:25:48,479 --> 01:25:51,800
Speaker 1: and they come on ready to love. So we start

1710
01:25:51,840 --> 01:25:55,439
Speaker 1: out with twenties singles, ten men and ten women and

1711
01:25:55,520 --> 01:25:59,120
Speaker 1: it's a it's a process of elimination, the powerships back

1712
01:25:59,160 --> 01:26:02,080
Speaker 1: and forth from them and to the women. Women eliminate men,

1713
01:26:02,479 --> 01:26:06,360
Speaker 1: men eliminate women. And it's a ten week journey and

1714
01:26:06,439 --> 01:26:08,920
Speaker 1: at the end of that ten weeks we wind up

1715
01:26:08,920 --> 01:26:13,040
Speaker 1: with six people, six people, three couples who have hopefully

1716
01:26:13,400 --> 01:26:17,280
Speaker 1: found love. That is that's the prize. There is no

1717
01:26:17,720 --> 01:26:21,679
Speaker 1: million dollars, no trip around the world. Love is the prize.

1718
01:26:21,720 --> 01:26:24,120
Speaker 1: That's what you win. I am your host, I'm your

1719
01:26:24,520 --> 01:26:27,160
Speaker 1: your cupid, your love coach, whatever you wanna call it,

1720
01:26:27,600 --> 01:26:31,559
Speaker 1: and I navigate and gut these people on this journey

1721
01:26:32,240 --> 01:26:34,599
Speaker 1: of finding love, and it is. It is very exciting

1722
01:26:34,640 --> 01:26:37,559
Speaker 1: because people are tuning in every Friday night on the

1723
01:26:37,600 --> 01:26:40,519
Speaker 1: own network to um you know, people are trying to

1724
01:26:40,560 --> 01:26:42,120
Speaker 1: pair it up. You know who do I think is

1725
01:26:42,160 --> 01:26:43,880
Speaker 1: gonna make it to the end And I think it's

1726
01:26:43,880 --> 01:26:46,759
Speaker 1: gonna connect with who? And it's just a great grown

1727
01:26:46,800 --> 01:26:49,360
Speaker 1: and sexy show. People are loving it. We're not We're

1728
01:26:49,360 --> 01:26:53,879
Speaker 1: not on their fighting, We're not throwing drinks and thank you.

1729
01:26:54,439 --> 01:26:56,360
Speaker 1: We're having a good time and ready to love is

1730
01:26:56,439 --> 01:26:59,880
Speaker 1: now uh here we are in Houston again, um and

1731
01:27:00,479 --> 01:27:03,759
Speaker 1: it's beautiful that we are. We're showing off our city.

1732
01:27:03,800 --> 01:27:06,000
Speaker 1: People get to see what Houston is all about, some

1733
01:27:06,040 --> 01:27:08,559
Speaker 1: of the night areas, some of the great locations and

1734
01:27:08,800 --> 01:27:11,680
Speaker 1: monumental places in Houston that people don't know about. So,

1735
01:27:11,920 --> 01:27:13,800
Speaker 1: you know, I think sometimes when people think Texas, they

1736
01:27:13,840 --> 01:27:16,320
Speaker 1: think we got a horse sitting outside the house. That's

1737
01:27:16,360 --> 01:27:19,840
Speaker 1: not the case. This is a fourth long You may

1738
01:27:20,080 --> 01:27:22,600
Speaker 1: ty leg hunt make the turkey leg hut. So we

1739
01:27:22,720 --> 01:27:24,800
Speaker 1: definitely put the turkey leg hut on it. But sure

1740
01:27:25,280 --> 01:27:27,040
Speaker 1: so in all those stuff in those type of places,

1741
01:27:27,040 --> 01:27:29,000
Speaker 1: you know, even the breakfast club. You know people those

1742
01:27:29,000 --> 01:27:31,280
Speaker 1: black owned business that we wanted to make sure we

1743
01:27:31,280 --> 01:27:33,599
Speaker 1: we gave them the spotlight and we did that. So

1744
01:27:33,920 --> 01:27:36,320
Speaker 1: I'm excited about this season. Man. Well, you know the

1745
01:27:36,320 --> 01:27:38,240
Speaker 1: thing about it is that you got the call from

1746
01:27:38,240 --> 01:27:41,679
Speaker 1: our board, Will Pack you know who you know we

1747
01:27:41,680 --> 01:27:43,400
Speaker 1: we we watched him grow to you know what I'm

1748
01:27:43,439 --> 01:27:44,920
Speaker 1: saying that Steve and I was blessed to have a

1749
01:27:44,920 --> 01:27:47,880
Speaker 1: relationship on the think like a man want would you

1750
01:27:47,920 --> 01:27:49,840
Speaker 1: appear and Thinking Like a Man movie, and he also

1751
01:27:49,960 --> 01:27:51,559
Speaker 1: did Thinking Like a Man too, and that we all

1752
01:27:51,560 --> 01:27:54,080
Speaker 1: know that was the lunch for Kevin Hart's career. Now

1753
01:27:54,200 --> 01:27:57,240
Speaker 1: was those two movies. So him making that phone call

1754
01:27:57,320 --> 01:27:59,280
Speaker 1: to you, he had already known about the cash in

1755
01:27:59,360 --> 01:28:02,000
Speaker 1: previous movie. How was the what was the thought process

1756
01:28:02,040 --> 01:28:04,400
Speaker 1: of him telling you want to host? Because your stand up?

1757
01:28:04,560 --> 01:28:06,439
Speaker 1: You know, so a lot of things run through your mind.

1758
01:28:06,479 --> 01:28:09,960
Speaker 1: Am I gonna be funny? What can I do? And so?

1759
01:28:10,120 --> 01:28:12,240
Speaker 1: But you had to be almost like a straight shooter

1760
01:28:12,280 --> 01:28:15,559
Speaker 1: in this situation and also take these relationships serious. Talk

1761
01:28:15,640 --> 01:28:18,640
Speaker 1: about that. How you have to process that, you know

1762
01:28:18,680 --> 01:28:21,160
Speaker 1: what we're something First, the first was the phone call.

1763
01:28:21,320 --> 01:28:23,439
Speaker 1: Because the phone call, I thought I was being prank

1764
01:28:25,479 --> 01:28:28,639
Speaker 1: only somebody got me, you know. But but we'll hit

1765
01:28:28,680 --> 01:28:30,960
Speaker 1: me up and said, hey man, I I got something

1766
01:28:31,000 --> 01:28:33,679
Speaker 1: for you. And you know, you know how Hollywood is returning.

1767
01:28:33,680 --> 01:28:35,760
Speaker 1: People always say hey, I'm gonna have something for you. You

1768
01:28:35,640 --> 01:28:38,400
Speaker 1: You know, I have my people call your people. Okay, No,

1769
01:28:38,560 --> 01:28:41,599
Speaker 1: We'll called directly and said I got something for you.

1770
01:28:41,640 --> 01:28:45,120
Speaker 1: And I was like okay, and uh I was overwhelmed. Man.

1771
01:28:45,320 --> 01:28:48,200
Speaker 1: You know, I get teary eyed. I was all emotional.

1772
01:28:48,360 --> 01:28:50,360
Speaker 1: But I was grateful that he called me. He said, man,

1773
01:28:50,680 --> 01:28:53,920
Speaker 1: you and your wife, uh have been together for a

1774
01:28:53,920 --> 01:28:58,040
Speaker 1: long time. This is for you. So I had to

1775
01:28:58,080 --> 01:29:00,800
Speaker 1: digest this as how do who I take this in?

1776
01:29:00,880 --> 01:29:04,599
Speaker 1: Do I take this in as as a comedian because

1777
01:29:04,720 --> 01:29:06,960
Speaker 1: like you're saying, I can't. We're not on their cracking

1778
01:29:07,040 --> 01:29:09,760
Speaker 1: jokes when people are really seriously trying to find a relationship.

1779
01:29:10,160 --> 01:29:12,800
Speaker 1: So I had to find a balance between the two

1780
01:29:13,280 --> 01:29:15,760
Speaker 1: and and really, Rishan, if you if you think about it,

1781
01:29:16,040 --> 01:29:19,559
Speaker 1: I kind of blended Thomas Miles and nephew tim Me together.

1782
01:29:20,520 --> 01:29:22,280
Speaker 1: You know, you get a little bit of a little

1783
01:29:22,280 --> 01:29:23,920
Speaker 1: bit of a ballots, so both of the boys get

1784
01:29:23,920 --> 01:29:27,439
Speaker 1: to play, you know, so you know, everybody knows Thomas

1785
01:29:27,439 --> 01:29:29,559
Speaker 1: Miles is pretty serious, but if you time me, you

1786
01:29:29,600 --> 01:29:31,760
Speaker 1: know he uh he likes to have fun. So a

1787
01:29:31,800 --> 01:29:36,080
Speaker 1: little blend. And then of course, um just just just

1788
01:29:36,960 --> 01:29:39,800
Speaker 1: you know, a guy that's been married for a long time,

1789
01:29:40,280 --> 01:29:43,240
Speaker 1: even my parents who were married up until the day

1790
01:29:43,280 --> 01:29:46,720
Speaker 1: my father left here, I have nothing but that to

1791
01:29:46,840 --> 01:29:49,160
Speaker 1: go off of, which is a great mold to look at.

1792
01:29:49,680 --> 01:29:52,720
Speaker 1: So you know, I'm not I'm not a I'm not

1793
01:29:52,800 --> 01:29:55,679
Speaker 1: a person that has a textbook for this I don't

1794
01:29:55,720 --> 01:29:58,400
Speaker 1: have a formula. All I can do is try to

1795
01:29:58,439 --> 01:30:00,439
Speaker 1: share with these people that are trying to I love

1796
01:30:00,920 --> 01:30:02,960
Speaker 1: what I've gone through and what I've seen my folks

1797
01:30:02,960 --> 01:30:06,040
Speaker 1: go through and give them honest, true advice and that's

1798
01:30:06,040 --> 01:30:08,080
Speaker 1: what they like about it. Well, you know, I wanted

1799
01:30:08,080 --> 01:30:11,519
Speaker 1: to close the show in this whole scenario ready to love,

1800
01:30:11,920 --> 01:30:14,479
Speaker 1: because you know, I built this character a few times

1801
01:30:14,600 --> 01:30:16,600
Speaker 1: with you, and you was able to grow at this

1802
01:30:16,760 --> 01:30:20,280
Speaker 1: amazing persona that is today. But along the way, it

1803
01:30:20,360 --> 01:30:23,400
Speaker 1: was a young lady that we that that loved you.

1804
01:30:23,400 --> 01:30:26,120
Speaker 1: You know, had children with you, had a couple of

1805
01:30:26,200 --> 01:30:28,799
Speaker 1: a couple of I mean a couple of TV shows.

1806
01:30:28,960 --> 01:30:30,920
Speaker 1: You know, but you know you have to go through

1807
01:30:30,920 --> 01:30:33,080
Speaker 1: a point where you know, you you were a single

1808
01:30:33,120 --> 01:30:35,560
Speaker 1: guy on the radio, you know, saying she had to

1809
01:30:35,640 --> 01:30:38,320
Speaker 1: stand by that ignorance you I'm saying, well we share that,

1810
01:30:38,479 --> 01:30:42,400
Speaker 1: I'll be single baby, Okay, okay, And now you know

1811
01:30:42,479 --> 01:30:44,680
Speaker 1: you're back in Houston. She made an appearance on the

1812
01:30:44,680 --> 01:30:48,120
Speaker 1: show just talk about her man having that that that soldier,

1813
01:30:48,160 --> 01:30:51,240
Speaker 1: that female soldier by your side all these years on

1814
01:30:52,560 --> 01:30:54,559
Speaker 1: you know what you're saying, she's she's she's a ride

1815
01:30:54,560 --> 01:30:57,639
Speaker 1: of die man. Um. You know when we first started out,

1816
01:30:58,479 --> 01:31:00,920
Speaker 1: I didn't have no money and nothing. You know, she

1817
01:31:01,080 --> 01:31:04,200
Speaker 1: was the one with with the good job and and

1818
01:31:04,320 --> 01:31:06,919
Speaker 1: um you know engineer out of Texas, D and M.

1819
01:31:06,960 --> 01:31:10,400
Speaker 1: So she was holding us together. Man. And UM, you know,

1820
01:31:10,479 --> 01:31:14,479
Speaker 1: I just you know, I I wanted to make sure

1821
01:31:14,560 --> 01:31:17,400
Speaker 1: I stepped up for someone that had so much confidence

1822
01:31:17,479 --> 01:31:21,040
Speaker 1: in me and my career that had hadn't even started yet,

1823
01:31:21,200 --> 01:31:24,280
Speaker 1: but just just just told me that I could do it. Um.

1824
01:31:24,800 --> 01:31:27,400
Speaker 1: You know, it got to the point one once I

1825
01:31:27,439 --> 01:31:30,160
Speaker 1: got on the radio with you guys and things started

1826
01:31:30,200 --> 01:31:32,920
Speaker 1: to turn. You know, that's when I wanted to put

1827
01:31:32,960 --> 01:31:34,519
Speaker 1: the shoe on the other foot where you know, my

1828
01:31:34,560 --> 01:31:37,400
Speaker 1: wife don't have to work no more. And and I

1829
01:31:37,439 --> 01:31:40,200
Speaker 1: love that. I love the fact that she carried the load.

1830
01:31:40,240 --> 01:31:43,679
Speaker 1: I mean, think about Ruchad. Even the cars I had

1831
01:31:44,200 --> 01:31:47,639
Speaker 1: and it was hers. They wasn't mine. I had nothing,

1832
01:31:50,120 --> 01:31:52,639
Speaker 1: So so you know, you know, she she she took

1833
01:31:52,640 --> 01:31:54,400
Speaker 1: care of me. We wrote it out and to be

1834
01:31:54,560 --> 01:31:58,600
Speaker 1: able to to um turn around and give her the

1835
01:31:58,640 --> 01:32:01,599
Speaker 1: world and then and for a TV show to come

1836
01:32:01,600 --> 01:32:04,240
Speaker 1: back to my hometown. And then you put your queen

1837
01:32:04,320 --> 01:32:07,280
Speaker 1: on that with you. Uh, you can't write that, you

1838
01:32:07,400 --> 01:32:10,280
Speaker 1: just can't write it is. It's beautiful. She's on She's

1839
01:32:10,320 --> 01:32:13,599
Speaker 1: appearing on four episodes this season. I love it and

1840
01:32:13,680 --> 01:32:16,800
Speaker 1: she just shares her honest opinion. Man, So I think

1841
01:32:16,800 --> 01:32:20,120
Speaker 1: it's good. Well, brother, I love you Thomas and uh,

1842
01:32:20,160 --> 01:32:22,600
Speaker 1: I love Thomas. I love both of you, Thomas and

1843
01:32:22,880 --> 01:32:25,000
Speaker 1: you to. But more in fact that I love the

1844
01:32:25,040 --> 01:32:27,280
Speaker 1: fact you're really embracing the brand and you see the

1845
01:32:27,280 --> 01:32:29,439
Speaker 1: business side of it. That's what money making conversation is

1846
01:32:29,479 --> 01:32:31,880
Speaker 1: all about, man, And good luck. You owe me some

1847
01:32:31,960 --> 01:32:35,200
Speaker 1: grits start putting on my TV show. But again, man,

1848
01:32:36,200 --> 01:32:38,600
Speaker 1: hard and soul and spicy, love baby. You know I

1849
01:32:39,080 --> 01:32:43,320
Speaker 1: can mention the sugar and sweetest and sweetish. I know

1850
01:32:43,439 --> 01:32:45,439
Speaker 1: you're gonna say that. Now you're gonna sit that. I

1851
01:32:45,520 --> 01:32:47,559
Speaker 1: don't you're gonna say that, But brother, I love you, man,

1852
01:32:47,600 --> 01:32:49,960
Speaker 1: And thank you for coming on Money Making Conversations, Mack.

1853
01:32:50,040 --> 01:32:52,360
Speaker 1: Thank you for having Matt take care. We will be

1854
01:32:52,479 --> 01:32:55,519
Speaker 1: right back with more money making conversations with your host

1855
01:32:55,720 --> 01:32:59,479
Speaker 1: or Sean McDonald. Adoption of teams from foster care is

1856
01:32:59,479 --> 01:33:01,840
Speaker 1: a topic not enough people know about, and we're here

1857
01:33:01,880 --> 01:33:04,960
Speaker 1: to change that. I'm April Denuity, host of the new podcast,

1858
01:33:05,080 --> 01:33:09,120
Speaker 1: Navigating Adoption, presented by adopt Us Kids. Each episode brings

1859
01:33:09,160 --> 01:33:12,559
Speaker 1: you compelling, real life adoption stories told by the families

1860
01:33:12,560 --> 01:33:15,920
Speaker 1: that lived them, with commentary from experts. Visit adopt us

1861
01:33:16,040 --> 01:33:19,559
Speaker 1: Kids dot org, slash podcast, or subscribe to Navigating Adoption

1862
01:33:19,680 --> 01:33:22,479
Speaker 1: presented by adopt Us Kids, brought to you by the U.

1863
01:33:22,520 --> 01:33:25,200
Speaker 1: S Department of Health, that Human Services Administration for Children

1864
01:33:25,200 --> 01:33:28,559
Speaker 1: and Families, and the AD Council. Look for your children's

1865
01:33:28,560 --> 01:33:31,840
Speaker 1: eyes to see the true magic of a forest. It's

1866
01:33:31,880 --> 01:33:35,200
Speaker 1: a storybook world for them. You look and see a tree.

1867
01:33:35,640 --> 01:33:38,519
Speaker 1: They see the wrinkled face of a wizard with arms

1868
01:33:38,600 --> 01:33:42,400
Speaker 1: outstretched to the sky. They see treasure and pebbles. They

1869
01:33:42,400 --> 01:33:45,439
Speaker 1: see a windy path that could lead to adventure, and

1870
01:33:45,520 --> 01:33:49,759
Speaker 1: they see you. They're fearless. Guide. Is this fascinating world?

1871
01:33:50,120 --> 01:33:52,960
Speaker 1: Find a forest near you and start exploring a Discover

1872
01:33:53,040 --> 01:33:55,280
Speaker 1: the Forest dot org brought to you by the United

1873
01:33:55,320 --> 01:33:59,080
Speaker 1: States Forest Service and the ad Council. What grows in

1874
01:33:59,080 --> 01:34:02,479
Speaker 1: the forest trees? Sure you know what else? Girls in

1875
01:34:02,520 --> 01:34:06,360
Speaker 1: the forest. Our imagination, our sense of wonder, and our

1876
01:34:06,400 --> 01:34:09,680
Speaker 1: family bonds grow too. Because when we disconnect from this

1877
01:34:12,120 --> 01:34:16,760
Speaker 1: and connect with this, we reconnect with each other. The

1878
01:34:16,840 --> 01:34:19,880
Speaker 1: forest is closer than you think. Find a forest near

1879
01:34:19,920 --> 01:34:23,160
Speaker 1: you and start exploring. I Discover the Forest dot org.

1880
01:34:23,479 --> 01:34:26,080
Speaker 1: Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and

1881
01:34:26,120 --> 01:34:29,479
Speaker 1: the AD Council. Hi I am Ra Sean McDonald hosts

1882
01:34:29,520 --> 01:34:32,360
Speaker 1: of Money Making Conversation dot com. The Cafe Marca Swag

1883
01:34:32,439 --> 01:34:34,960
Speaker 1: Award is a celebration of Black men making a difference

1884
01:34:34,960 --> 01:34:38,200
Speaker 1: in our community by empowering others to reach their life goals.

1885
01:34:38,360 --> 01:34:41,440
Speaker 1: They can be civic leaders, people in business, activists, celebrities,

1886
01:34:41,479 --> 01:34:45,160
Speaker 1: and everyday Dad's The Cafe marka Swag Award Honora this weekend.

1887
01:34:45,360 --> 01:34:49,080
Speaker 1: Dr George Frasier Black Business Lives Matter. Dr George Frasier

1888
01:34:49,120 --> 01:34:51,640
Speaker 1: the See You or Found a Frasier that he is

1889
01:34:51,680 --> 01:34:55,320
Speaker 1: regarded as one of the foremost respected authorities of entrepreneurship

1890
01:34:55,600 --> 01:34:59,839
Speaker 1: and building generational wealth and economic empowerment for the Black community.

1891
01:35:00,040 --> 01:35:03,080
Speaker 1: Stop living, brothers and sisters above your means, which means

1892
01:35:03,120 --> 01:35:05,920
Speaker 1: you're spending more than your urn. Stop believing even within

1893
01:35:06,080 --> 01:35:09,840
Speaker 1: your means, which means you're spending everything you earn and

1894
01:35:09,960 --> 01:35:13,840
Speaker 1: live below your means and invest the rest. So as

1895
01:35:13,880 --> 01:35:18,800
Speaker 1: your income increases, your cost of living should either decrease

1896
01:35:19,040 --> 01:35:22,959
Speaker 1: or stay the same. The Captain Markan Squared Award represents

1897
01:35:23,000 --> 01:35:26,000
Speaker 1: men who have strength, whose wisdom is assertive, and who

1898
01:35:26,080 --> 01:35:29,639
Speaker 1: is genuine in their spirit. Welcome back to money making

1899
01:35:29,640 --> 01:35:33,559
Speaker 1: Conversations with your host Rashan McDonald. My next guest is

1900
01:35:33,680 --> 01:35:36,080
Speaker 1: Jasina Product. I haven't had on like two and a

1901
01:35:36,080 --> 01:35:37,920
Speaker 1: half years, so we got a lot to catch up with.

1902
01:35:38,360 --> 01:35:41,000
Speaker 1: She's the host of the Food Networks hit series Baked

1903
01:35:41,000 --> 01:35:43,960
Speaker 1: in Vermont. You can catch all the episodes of Baked

1904
01:35:43,960 --> 01:35:47,320
Speaker 1: in Vermont streaming or Disney Plus. Justina as a pastry

1905
01:35:47,360 --> 01:35:51,519
Speaker 1: shaf it can instruct a TV host successful author. She's

1906
01:35:51,560 --> 01:35:54,719
Speaker 1: currently a judge on the Food Network show Best Baker

1907
01:35:54,920 --> 01:35:58,000
Speaker 1: in America. You hear that, y'all. That means that if

1908
01:35:58,040 --> 01:36:01,080
Speaker 1: you think you can bake, watch this show. You'll find

1909
01:36:01,080 --> 01:36:03,639
Speaker 1: out you can't bake. And you need to just shut

1910
01:36:03,760 --> 01:36:06,000
Speaker 1: your mouth now. When she is a film, when you

1911
01:36:06,000 --> 01:36:07,840
Speaker 1: can find her back home and from off where she

1912
01:36:07,920 --> 01:36:10,439
Speaker 1: hit right now, looking at that the fireplace right there

1913
01:36:10,800 --> 01:36:12,760
Speaker 1: where she teaches students. I was supposed to be one

1914
01:36:12,800 --> 01:36:15,480
Speaker 1: of those students going up there in the month of January.

1915
01:36:15,640 --> 01:36:17,760
Speaker 1: She bootist and people out of the class and then

1916
01:36:17,800 --> 01:36:21,760
Speaker 1: there's no storm hit now so so I old so

1917
01:36:21,800 --> 01:36:23,479
Speaker 1: she she's up there doing her thing, and he's a

1918
01:36:23,560 --> 01:36:27,440
Speaker 1: kitchen call Sugar Glide of Kitchen, and she frequently collaborates

1919
01:36:27,479 --> 01:36:30,639
Speaker 1: with my wife's favorite Flower, you know, Keen author Flower.

1920
01:36:30,920 --> 01:36:33,879
Speaker 1: She's on the show to talk about judging ten world

1921
01:36:33,880 --> 01:36:37,120
Speaker 1: class bakers. They're battling out on the new season of

1922
01:36:37,120 --> 01:36:41,360
Speaker 1: Food Networks Best Baker in America. Season four is airing

1923
01:36:41,439 --> 01:36:44,120
Speaker 1: right now. Leaves working with the money making conversations again,

1924
01:36:44,840 --> 01:36:50,200
Speaker 1: Justina proud of how you know, I'm you look fantastic, Justina,

1925
01:36:50,280 --> 01:36:54,680
Speaker 1: you look beautiful. You really look amazing. Thank you. Um,

1926
01:36:55,040 --> 01:36:58,400
Speaker 1: it's time. I think everybody's feeling good. But I see

1927
01:36:58,400 --> 01:37:01,000
Speaker 1: the fireplace back there. Now, you're spring maybe a little

1928
01:37:01,000 --> 01:37:03,479
Speaker 1: bit different than my spring. Right, that's because it's it's

1929
01:37:03,520 --> 01:37:08,680
Speaker 1: it's humming behind you. It is genuinely cold today. But

1930
01:37:08,760 --> 01:37:10,639
Speaker 1: I'm hoping, you know, it goes back and forth. It'll

1931
01:37:10,680 --> 01:37:14,200
Speaker 1: get warmer, it'll get there cool. Now when when we

1932
01:37:14,240 --> 01:37:15,720
Speaker 1: look at the first of all, I want to talk

1933
01:37:15,720 --> 01:37:18,800
Speaker 1: about this, the school that you have that you teach.

1934
01:37:19,080 --> 01:37:22,040
Speaker 1: Now you ever and I think you have to drive

1935
01:37:22,080 --> 01:37:26,160
Speaker 1: a little bit outside of Burlington to get your location right, Yes, yes,

1936
01:37:26,240 --> 01:37:29,080
Speaker 1: we're we're about We're kind of in the middle of

1937
01:37:29,120 --> 01:37:32,960
Speaker 1: the state, so about an hour away from Burlington. Um,

1938
01:37:33,040 --> 01:37:35,639
Speaker 1: we're actually really close to New Hampshire. It's weird where

1939
01:37:35,640 --> 01:37:38,600
Speaker 1: we are, but we love it. Yeah, it's awesome. And

1940
01:37:38,680 --> 01:37:41,559
Speaker 1: so what prompted you to do with school? What prompted

1941
01:37:41,880 --> 01:37:44,719
Speaker 1: Judo the naz on TV so it's even more popular,

1942
01:37:45,000 --> 01:37:47,000
Speaker 1: But it all starts with a dream. What prompted you

1943
01:37:47,040 --> 01:37:50,920
Speaker 1: to follow through in your dream to create the school? Well,

1944
01:37:51,000 --> 01:37:55,400
Speaker 1: I had had a pastry shop and I was working

1945
01:37:55,479 --> 01:38:00,320
Speaker 1: from three am to seven pm every day and that

1946
01:38:00,479 --> 01:38:04,880
Speaker 1: it was successful, but I like sleep too much and

1947
01:38:04,880 --> 01:38:07,679
Speaker 1: we could never leave because it was small town Vermont.

1948
01:38:07,760 --> 01:38:12,559
Speaker 1: It's really hard to get UM the same amount of

1949
01:38:12,560 --> 01:38:15,800
Speaker 1: skill in baking to have someone there when I leave.

1950
01:38:15,920 --> 01:38:20,360
Speaker 1: So UM we stopped that and I realized afterwards I

1951
01:38:20,400 --> 01:38:23,599
Speaker 1: was asked to teach it King Arthur Flower some master

1952
01:38:23,720 --> 01:38:29,200
Speaker 1: classes there and then I started teaching online for Crafty

1953
01:38:29,439 --> 01:38:34,559
Speaker 1: and then at Stonewall Kitchen, and I loved doing that part.

1954
01:38:34,800 --> 01:38:39,280
Speaker 1: I loved imparting my knowledge to people because I was

1955
01:38:39,360 --> 01:38:44,559
Speaker 1: the kind of baker that I've had professional UM learning

1956
01:38:44,720 --> 01:38:46,920
Speaker 1: and baking. But when I started out, I didn't. I

1957
01:38:47,000 --> 01:38:49,800
Speaker 1: was a home baker. I taught myself and so I

1958
01:38:49,880 --> 01:38:53,000
Speaker 1: knew how to talk to people who were trying to

1959
01:38:53,000 --> 01:38:55,519
Speaker 1: figure things out at home. So if they read a

1960
01:38:55,560 --> 01:38:59,640
Speaker 1: professional book, they couldn't quite understand what was going on

1961
01:39:00,320 --> 01:39:03,479
Speaker 1: or what that mistakement. And so that was brought me

1962
01:39:03,520 --> 01:39:06,519
Speaker 1: so much joy to kind of share the secrets that

1963
01:39:06,600 --> 01:39:09,080
Speaker 1: I had learned from my mistakes. Well, you know, it's

1964
01:39:09,080 --> 01:39:11,000
Speaker 1: really interesting. I'm about to launch I'm just bragging a

1965
01:39:11,040 --> 01:39:12,840
Speaker 1: little bit here. Just you know, I'm about to launch

1966
01:39:12,880 --> 01:39:15,960
Speaker 1: my own cooking baking show. It's called Russenge Kitchen. It's

1967
01:39:16,000 --> 01:39:18,080
Speaker 1: gonna have been launching in the joy by two million

1968
01:39:18,560 --> 01:39:21,480
Speaker 1: homeowners who are gonna get to watch me every Thursday.

1969
01:39:21,560 --> 01:39:24,280
Speaker 1: And but I'm just I'm just a guy who figured

1970
01:39:24,320 --> 01:39:26,679
Speaker 1: it out in the kitchen. You know, I've not been

1971
01:39:26,680 --> 01:39:29,360
Speaker 1: trained And you said that too. When when don't you

1972
01:39:29,479 --> 01:39:31,920
Speaker 1: get the confidence that you could really do this, because

1973
01:39:31,960 --> 01:39:34,679
Speaker 1: there are a lot of naturally trained people in kitchens

1974
01:39:34,720 --> 01:39:37,439
Speaker 1: around this country, but don't take it to the next level.

1975
01:39:37,760 --> 01:39:39,880
Speaker 1: What pushed you to believe that you could take it

1976
01:39:39,920 --> 01:39:43,360
Speaker 1: to the next level? Well, um, I when I when

1977
01:39:43,439 --> 01:39:47,000
Speaker 1: I was asked to King Arthur Flower I thought, well,

1978
01:39:47,040 --> 01:39:50,800
Speaker 1: I'm a professional baker now, uh, but I wasn't quite

1979
01:39:50,840 --> 01:39:53,080
Speaker 1: sure that I had the skills to impart that knowledge.

1980
01:39:53,960 --> 01:39:59,559
Speaker 1: But I thought it was worth trying, and they I

1981
01:39:59,600 --> 01:40:01,200
Speaker 1: thought I done. That's a good job. That they kept

1982
01:40:01,240 --> 01:40:04,120
Speaker 1: asking me back. And so the more I taught, the

1983
01:40:04,280 --> 01:40:06,800
Speaker 1: more I was like, oh, not only do I enjoy this,

1984
01:40:06,800 --> 01:40:09,040
Speaker 1: but I'm really good at this. And then my husband

1985
01:40:09,120 --> 01:40:13,360
Speaker 1: actually was I was teaching at Stonewall Kitchen and Maine,

1986
01:40:13,800 --> 01:40:16,840
Speaker 1: and my husband was picking me up and so he

1987
01:40:16,920 --> 01:40:19,200
Speaker 1: walked in on the back of the class kind of

1988
01:40:19,200 --> 01:40:22,000
Speaker 1: towards the end, and he said to me after class,

1989
01:40:22,000 --> 01:40:24,840
Speaker 1: he goes, You're amazing at this. We need to be

1990
01:40:24,920 --> 01:40:27,960
Speaker 1: doing this all the time. And that was the impetus

1991
01:40:28,040 --> 01:40:32,639
Speaker 1: for opening the school. Um. I'm also I've also trained.

1992
01:40:33,040 --> 01:40:36,280
Speaker 1: I feel like my whole life for this. And I

1993
01:40:36,320 --> 01:40:38,920
Speaker 1: am one of those people that I believe that if

1994
01:40:38,960 --> 01:40:42,080
Speaker 1: you're not learning, then you're not living. And so I

1995
01:40:42,120 --> 01:40:46,120
Speaker 1: spend a lot of time, uh, kind of consulting with

1996
01:40:46,280 --> 01:40:49,839
Speaker 1: kind of the masters of the craft, and um, honing

1997
01:40:49,880 --> 01:40:54,120
Speaker 1: my skills all the time in chocolate work and sugar work,

1998
01:40:54,280 --> 01:40:59,200
Speaker 1: in bread and in viennoassaie and lamination, Like, these are

1999
01:40:59,200 --> 01:41:02,960
Speaker 1: the things that I'm an expert at net But I

2000
01:41:03,120 --> 01:41:06,720
Speaker 1: always find joy in learning more about the things that

2001
01:41:06,760 --> 01:41:08,920
Speaker 1: I think I know everything about. And then you learn

2002
01:41:09,000 --> 01:41:11,600
Speaker 1: something new and you're like, ah, that so great. I

2003
01:41:11,680 --> 01:41:13,960
Speaker 1: have a new I have a new little bit of

2004
01:41:14,120 --> 01:41:16,200
Speaker 1: knowledge that I can work with. Well, you know, I

2005
01:41:16,200 --> 01:41:18,280
Speaker 1: think that when you're hosting a show and you're in

2006
01:41:18,360 --> 01:41:21,160
Speaker 1: your around world class bakers, that always there's a learning

2007
01:41:21,160 --> 01:41:23,360
Speaker 1: curve too, because they're gonna do some things that have

2008
01:41:23,479 --> 01:41:25,680
Speaker 1: techniques they kind of like like you go, wow, I

2009
01:41:25,720 --> 01:41:28,440
Speaker 1: would have never done it that way. What was the

2010
01:41:28,520 --> 01:41:30,800
Speaker 1: judge in this show? And it's already premiered on the

2011
01:41:30,840 --> 01:41:34,160
Speaker 1: Food Network and there's ten of the best around the country.

2012
01:41:34,600 --> 01:41:36,720
Speaker 1: What did you learn the most about yourself? And what

2013
01:41:36,800 --> 01:41:40,240
Speaker 1: did you learn about watching people use other different making

2014
01:41:40,280 --> 01:41:43,720
Speaker 1: techniques that you may not use or consider. Well, I

2015
01:41:43,720 --> 01:41:46,720
Speaker 1: think they didn't use anything that I don't use. But

2016
01:41:46,840 --> 01:41:49,799
Speaker 1: so what was really interesting is seeing very young people

2017
01:41:50,560 --> 01:41:54,960
Speaker 1: uh use techniques that they were inspired by from their grandmother.

2018
01:41:55,280 --> 01:41:57,720
Speaker 1: So in a pastry kitchen, we usually use a lot

2019
01:41:57,760 --> 01:42:01,160
Speaker 1: of very high tech equipment we have. The skill level

2020
01:42:01,240 --> 01:42:03,479
Speaker 1: is really high. Like in chocolate work, it's a lot

2021
01:42:03,479 --> 01:42:06,800
Speaker 1: of science and and and it's it's almost like you're

2022
01:42:06,800 --> 01:42:09,599
Speaker 1: a master builder. You have to know these really amazing things.

2023
01:42:09,680 --> 01:42:11,599
Speaker 1: But it was so lovely to see such a young

2024
01:42:11,680 --> 01:42:16,320
Speaker 1: person coming in and being the most inspired by her

2025
01:42:16,360 --> 01:42:20,320
Speaker 1: grandmother's baking. And that made me so happy to see

2026
01:42:20,360 --> 01:42:24,240
Speaker 1: her kind of create these really wonderful things that used

2027
01:42:24,320 --> 01:42:29,280
Speaker 1: her really like high salute and pastry skills. But you

2028
01:42:29,320 --> 01:42:32,760
Speaker 1: could just feel her grandma's love and everything that she did.

2029
01:42:33,680 --> 01:42:36,000
Speaker 1: That's amazing. Not call the Hall is the host, you know,

2030
01:42:36,160 --> 01:42:38,759
Speaker 1: and uh, and she one of my favorite people because

2031
01:42:38,760 --> 01:42:41,479
Speaker 1: she's funny. And so when when Cala Hall is going

2032
01:42:41,520 --> 01:42:43,200
Speaker 1: to host them? Because she's bigger than life, she's a

2033
01:42:43,240 --> 01:42:47,400
Speaker 1: former model and so she's she's articulate, she she's she

2034
01:42:47,600 --> 01:42:50,720
Speaker 1: is really authentic, I like to say, because when you

2035
01:42:50,800 --> 01:42:52,519
Speaker 1: walk in the room, you're gonna get call of Hall.

2036
01:42:52,880 --> 01:42:55,400
Speaker 1: But she's funny. What was it like working with her?

2037
01:42:55,840 --> 01:42:57,519
Speaker 1: You work with it before, of course, but what was

2038
01:42:57,560 --> 01:42:59,600
Speaker 1: it like working with this particular show? Because there's a

2039
01:42:59,600 --> 01:43:02,920
Speaker 1: lot on the line because you have reputations, people competing

2040
01:43:02,960 --> 01:43:09,000
Speaker 1: for ands, ten of them talk about that. Uh, Carla,

2041
01:43:09,360 --> 01:43:13,840
Speaker 1: I met Carla years ago and you can't not fall

2042
01:43:13,880 --> 01:43:16,960
Speaker 1: in love with her when you meet her, but you

2043
01:43:17,080 --> 01:43:20,160
Speaker 1: also know that it's the same for everyone, that you're

2044
01:43:20,200 --> 01:43:25,360
Speaker 1: not special because everyone loves her. She's just as great

2045
01:43:25,479 --> 01:43:29,799
Speaker 1: with everyone around her. I think what is so special

2046
01:43:29,840 --> 01:43:32,000
Speaker 1: about her, aside from the fact that she's so funny,

2047
01:43:32,040 --> 01:43:35,040
Speaker 1: she's so smart, she's so beautiful, uh, and she's so

2048
01:43:35,040 --> 01:43:37,520
Speaker 1: good at what she does, is that she makes everyone

2049
01:43:37,640 --> 01:43:43,560
Speaker 1: feel as if they're special and they're talented, and it's

2050
01:43:43,600 --> 01:43:47,360
Speaker 1: it's so great to be with someone who we both

2051
01:43:47,400 --> 01:43:52,880
Speaker 1: share such a huge respect for the Bakers, um, for

2052
01:43:53,120 --> 01:43:56,400
Speaker 1: others around us, and for the crew that's working to

2053
01:43:56,439 --> 01:44:00,680
Speaker 1: make everything happen. Uh and so and know Jason, the

2054
01:44:00,680 --> 01:44:04,439
Speaker 1: other judge as well. We both were very similar and

2055
01:44:04,520 --> 01:44:08,080
Speaker 1: how we felt about making everybody happy around us and

2056
01:44:08,160 --> 01:44:12,720
Speaker 1: letting them know that we respected everything that they were doing. Um.

2057
01:44:12,760 --> 01:44:16,040
Speaker 1: But she's just I can't say enough wonderful things about

2058
01:44:16,080 --> 01:44:19,719
Speaker 1: her because she is one of those truly extraordinary human beings.

2059
01:44:19,760 --> 01:44:22,960
Speaker 1: She's like one in a million. And I would spend

2060
01:44:22,960 --> 01:44:25,720
Speaker 1: a lot of time just telling her how amazing she

2061
01:44:26,000 --> 01:44:31,400
Speaker 1: was because I was in awe of how she's so

2062
01:44:31,520 --> 01:44:35,799
Speaker 1: great at hoosting and being funny and natural and giving

2063
01:44:36,439 --> 01:44:40,639
Speaker 1: and and sometimes just a little you know, she knows

2064
01:44:40,720 --> 01:44:43,760
Speaker 1: how to like go after people and it's not mean,

2065
01:44:43,960 --> 01:44:45,960
Speaker 1: but she's messing with them and it's just she's just

2066
01:44:46,080 --> 01:44:48,120
Speaker 1: got the best way about her. And then she's on

2067
01:44:48,200 --> 01:44:50,200
Speaker 1: top of all of that, she's amazing chef. So it's

2068
01:44:50,280 --> 01:44:53,840
Speaker 1: really not fair, but you can't. You love her so

2069
01:44:53,920 --> 01:44:55,559
Speaker 1: much that you don't matter that she's better at you

2070
01:44:55,640 --> 01:44:59,599
Speaker 1: and everything, so west of all, you are fantastic. Though

2071
01:44:59,640 --> 01:45:02,200
Speaker 1: this is I'm interviewing you call I've interviewed on a

2072
01:45:02,240 --> 01:45:04,599
Speaker 1: hard time, but we're talking about you. I just mentioned

2073
01:45:04,640 --> 01:45:07,000
Speaker 1: referencing Caller because she is amazing if what she does,

2074
01:45:07,439 --> 01:45:09,280
Speaker 1: but you're amazing at what you do because of the

2075
01:45:09,360 --> 01:45:11,679
Speaker 1: fact you you make it seem so natural. That's gonna

2076
01:45:11,680 --> 01:45:13,680
Speaker 1: be honest about this. And when you put into a

2077
01:45:13,800 --> 01:45:16,160
Speaker 1: judging environment you kind of talked about it when you

2078
01:45:16,240 --> 01:45:20,679
Speaker 1: was talking about Jason, because you know, you're judging people's talents.

2079
01:45:20,720 --> 01:45:23,880
Speaker 1: They're putting in a pressure situation, they've got time restraints

2080
01:45:23,960 --> 01:45:26,559
Speaker 1: put on it, and then they're giving a theme tied

2081
01:45:26,600 --> 01:45:29,000
Speaker 1: to because each episode has a theme tied to it.

2082
01:45:29,360 --> 01:45:31,240
Speaker 1: So when they invited you to come in, this's the

2083
01:45:31,280 --> 01:45:34,080
Speaker 1: four seasons there right now on the Food Network. You know,

2084
01:45:34,240 --> 01:45:37,719
Speaker 1: is the best Baker in America challenge in world class

2085
01:45:37,720 --> 01:45:42,599
Speaker 1: bakers and you have their basically baking lives in your hands.

2086
01:45:43,040 --> 01:45:46,760
Speaker 1: How do you address that? It's really hard because you,

2087
01:45:47,120 --> 01:45:49,559
Speaker 1: first of all, of course, you have so much sympathy

2088
01:45:49,600 --> 01:45:54,360
Speaker 1: for them. It's totally not fair that bakers have restrictions

2089
01:45:54,640 --> 01:45:58,960
Speaker 1: on timing, because that's not what bakers do. You usually

2090
01:45:58,960 --> 01:46:02,360
Speaker 1: have all the time in world to work, and they're

2091
01:46:02,400 --> 01:46:06,480
Speaker 1: all incredibly talented. But what we did do is we

2092
01:46:06,479 --> 01:46:10,200
Speaker 1: we had priorities of our own. So when you give

2093
01:46:10,240 --> 01:46:12,760
Speaker 1: them a challenge, and this year we asked them to

2094
01:46:12,800 --> 01:46:18,360
Speaker 1: make kind of really traditional American regional desserts. So the

2095
01:46:18,439 --> 01:46:22,960
Speaker 1: challenge there was honoring that dessert, which is usually pretty homey,

2096
01:46:23,160 --> 01:46:27,200
Speaker 1: it's not like a very fancy thing, uh, and so

2097
01:46:27,320 --> 01:46:29,719
Speaker 1: keeping to the heart of that, but at the same

2098
01:46:29,760 --> 01:46:34,040
Speaker 1: time putting their own professional and personal spin on it.

2099
01:46:34,960 --> 01:46:37,720
Speaker 1: And so we had a way of judging them that

2100
01:46:37,880 --> 01:46:40,479
Speaker 1: wasn't just based on the fact that they were all

2101
01:46:40,840 --> 01:46:45,040
Speaker 1: incredibly talented. We were asking them to do something really specific,

2102
01:46:45,640 --> 01:46:49,519
Speaker 1: and sometimes it was easier to judge when they kind

2103
01:46:49,520 --> 01:46:53,000
Speaker 1: of ignored what the featured flavor was or what the

2104
01:46:53,000 --> 01:46:55,599
Speaker 1: actual dessert was that we were asking them to riff

2105
01:46:55,680 --> 01:47:00,559
Speaker 1: off of. But sometimes it was just incredibly hard because

2106
01:47:01,160 --> 01:47:03,160
Speaker 1: you don't want to tell someone that they're better than

2107
01:47:03,160 --> 01:47:06,439
Speaker 1: the other, and that's usually not the case. Usually it's

2108
01:47:06,479 --> 01:47:09,839
Speaker 1: that day someone had a really bad day in the kitchen,

2109
01:47:10,120 --> 01:47:12,719
Speaker 1: which thinks, well, you know, I've had my bad days.

2110
01:47:12,760 --> 01:47:17,000
Speaker 1: I've thrown away stuff that. You know, every good idea

2111
01:47:17,040 --> 01:47:19,479
Speaker 1: doesn't end up to be a good idea in the kitchen. Now,

2112
01:47:19,520 --> 01:47:21,800
Speaker 1: let's talk about that premiere episode because it already is

2113
01:47:21,840 --> 01:47:24,400
Speaker 1: air okay, and it was and it was, like you said,

2114
01:47:24,400 --> 01:47:27,320
Speaker 1: it was regional. So they went to Kentucky. Now, I

2115
01:47:27,400 --> 01:47:29,559
Speaker 1: was gonna ask you this question. Prior to the show,

2116
01:47:29,600 --> 01:47:31,200
Speaker 1: did they tell you where they were going? And they

2117
01:47:31,280 --> 01:47:34,799
Speaker 1: left you in suspense as well as a judge. Um,

2118
01:47:34,880 --> 01:47:37,680
Speaker 1: we know generally what's going to what they're going to

2119
01:47:37,760 --> 01:47:42,080
Speaker 1: be doing, We know generally, um, But everything is a

2120
01:47:42,120 --> 01:47:44,439
Speaker 1: surprise when it comes to what people are making. You

2121
01:47:44,520 --> 01:47:46,559
Speaker 1: have no idea what they'll come up with, which is

2122
01:47:46,600 --> 01:47:49,559
Speaker 1: what is so exciting. And you get to know the

2123
01:47:49,640 --> 01:47:54,600
Speaker 1: person through their choices that they make. Um and everyone,

2124
01:47:55,080 --> 01:47:59,040
Speaker 1: every one of them brought a part of their history

2125
01:47:59,080 --> 01:48:01,200
Speaker 1: to these things that they were making which made it

2126
01:48:01,439 --> 01:48:04,800
Speaker 1: so special. Well, you know, each episode a baker Bus

2127
01:48:04,840 --> 01:48:07,280
Speaker 1: creates something elegant and delicious. We know it's you know,

2128
01:48:07,320 --> 01:48:09,160
Speaker 1: you know, it's like it's almost like you know, it's

2129
01:48:09,160 --> 01:48:10,920
Speaker 1: like getting in the car. It looks good, but you

2130
01:48:11,000 --> 01:48:13,200
Speaker 1: can't drive it. It's like if you make something are

2131
01:48:13,240 --> 01:48:15,759
Speaker 1: pretty dessert, is it edible? Is there? You go? Whoa

2132
01:48:15,840 --> 01:48:18,040
Speaker 1: are you spitting it out? And so that's the that's

2133
01:48:18,080 --> 01:48:20,880
Speaker 1: the often times a challenge with that time restriction, So

2134
01:48:21,320 --> 01:48:25,200
Speaker 1: is talent is tib restriction is the biggest challenge? Or

2135
01:48:25,439 --> 01:48:28,920
Speaker 1: being told what they're gonna make right before they start

2136
01:48:29,000 --> 01:48:31,519
Speaker 1: making it. What what do you think is the biggest challenge?

2137
01:48:32,520 --> 01:48:36,160
Speaker 1: Time restrictions are definitely I think by far the biggest

2138
01:48:36,200 --> 01:48:38,679
Speaker 1: challenge because a lot of times in the kitchen, when

2139
01:48:38,680 --> 01:48:41,960
Speaker 1: something goes wrong, you are getting you have enough backup

2140
01:48:42,040 --> 01:48:45,000
Speaker 1: time to start over again. But when you have a

2141
01:48:45,040 --> 01:48:46,880
Speaker 1: clock that's sticking and saying you have to put this

2142
01:48:46,960 --> 01:48:49,160
Speaker 1: in front of me as a dog, but it is

2143
01:48:49,200 --> 01:48:52,759
Speaker 1: in front of me or you're out right, just that pressure.

2144
01:48:53,160 --> 01:48:56,559
Speaker 1: Even so, it's the time, it's the pressure of the time.

2145
01:48:56,680 --> 01:48:59,880
Speaker 1: It's the pressure of the cameras, of course, I mean

2146
01:49:00,000 --> 01:49:03,360
Speaker 1: that's a huge that's not a small thing. Although they

2147
01:49:03,400 --> 01:49:06,080
Speaker 1: all handled it incredibly well and they're all like super

2148
01:49:06,200 --> 01:49:09,720
Speaker 1: charming and adorable. Um, yeah, the time has to be

2149
01:49:09,800 --> 01:49:12,320
Speaker 1: the thing. I think. The other thing too, is that

2150
01:49:12,479 --> 01:49:16,080
Speaker 1: sometimes when you think you've got a great idea in

2151
01:49:16,120 --> 01:49:19,880
Speaker 1: your head and you haven't really executed it before, that

2152
01:49:19,960 --> 01:49:24,000
Speaker 1: can be a big problem. And you know, and watching

2153
01:49:24,000 --> 01:49:26,280
Speaker 1: the show, you know, and this apologize, I cut you

2154
01:49:26,320 --> 01:49:29,439
Speaker 1: off because I had this thought about because I'm really

2155
01:49:29,439 --> 01:49:33,160
Speaker 1: into this whole judging, because that's the part that scares me,

2156
01:49:33,360 --> 01:49:35,479
Speaker 1: you know, because I've been invited to come on some

2157
01:49:35,520 --> 01:49:37,880
Speaker 1: of these shows, and I go, sure, you're not that good.

2158
01:49:38,000 --> 01:49:39,840
Speaker 1: You know you're gonna get out there, somebody gonna ask

2159
01:49:39,880 --> 01:49:42,000
Speaker 1: you to make something. Your whole brain is gonna just

2160
01:49:42,120 --> 01:49:44,880
Speaker 1: freeze up. So I as a as a whole lot

2161
01:49:44,880 --> 01:49:48,080
Speaker 1: of admiration when I watched either whether they can cook

2162
01:49:48,560 --> 01:49:50,960
Speaker 1: or I would never go on Iron Chef. You'll never

2163
01:49:50,960 --> 01:49:53,160
Speaker 1: see your ball And this Muskia level is not even

2164
01:49:53,200 --> 01:49:55,599
Speaker 1: close to that. That's something else, that's another dimension. They're

2165
01:49:55,640 --> 01:49:58,280
Speaker 1: like aliens to me. When I look at this show.

2166
01:49:58,520 --> 01:50:01,240
Speaker 1: There are challenges and that's and then also you can

2167
01:50:01,280 --> 01:50:03,880
Speaker 1: get cut and then the least baker gets to go

2168
01:50:03,960 --> 01:50:06,840
Speaker 1: up as a Master Challenge. That's what I loved about

2169
01:50:06,840 --> 01:50:09,200
Speaker 1: this show is that it has layers in it, and

2170
01:50:09,240 --> 01:50:11,720
Speaker 1: I think that would also excite you. It's not just

2171
01:50:11,760 --> 01:50:16,120
Speaker 1: a straight here's your dessert and wail, but their their

2172
01:50:16,280 --> 01:50:19,000
Speaker 1: their levels in it. They'll allow you to compete and

2173
01:50:19,000 --> 01:50:22,000
Speaker 1: if you don't meet the requirements, you still can compete,

2174
01:50:22,240 --> 01:50:27,800
Speaker 1: So you don't just right, That's exactly, and that's what

2175
01:50:28,240 --> 01:50:30,879
Speaker 1: it was Actually so much fun in that way too,

2176
01:50:30,960 --> 01:50:34,479
Speaker 1: and that you what Carla would always say, don't think

2177
01:50:34,520 --> 01:50:39,920
Speaker 1: of this second challenge as kind of that you're being punished.

2178
01:50:40,200 --> 01:50:43,080
Speaker 1: Think of it as a way to Wow's again. Um.

2179
01:50:43,800 --> 01:50:45,880
Speaker 1: And the great thing too is that the people who

2180
01:50:45,880 --> 01:50:49,680
Speaker 1: were safe, the bakers who were safe, we're watching and

2181
01:50:49,760 --> 01:50:53,040
Speaker 1: cheering on the competitors who had to duke it out

2182
01:50:53,240 --> 01:50:55,640
Speaker 1: to see who was going home. And I think in

2183
01:50:55,680 --> 01:50:58,439
Speaker 1: that way you learn a lot about everyone and not

2184
01:50:58,520 --> 01:51:02,200
Speaker 1: just the people who are baking. Right. And and what

2185
01:51:02,320 --> 01:51:04,320
Speaker 1: I love about it too is that so many of

2186
01:51:04,360 --> 01:51:07,599
Speaker 1: these shows are just so competitive. There's like there's just

2187
01:51:07,680 --> 01:51:11,559
Speaker 1: an edge to it with it, let any heart all

2188
01:51:11,600 --> 01:51:16,280
Speaker 1: of them became such good friends. They helped each other out,

2189
01:51:16,520 --> 01:51:19,400
Speaker 1: they admired each other's skills, they learned from each other.

2190
01:51:19,920 --> 01:51:25,200
Speaker 1: So everyone felt terribly when someone had to go home.

2191
01:51:25,960 --> 01:51:28,200
Speaker 1: It wasn't just the Usually the judges are the ones

2192
01:51:28,240 --> 01:51:32,559
Speaker 1: who were like, we feel terrible. Everyone was invested in

2193
01:51:32,640 --> 01:51:35,520
Speaker 1: everyone else. And I think it makes it so special

2194
01:51:36,000 --> 01:51:38,800
Speaker 1: and it makes the baking so much better. Well, you

2195
01:51:38,840 --> 01:51:40,800
Speaker 1: know the thing about it, here's what I love about

2196
01:51:40,800 --> 01:51:43,479
Speaker 1: it because I'm a Southern bar born in Houston, Texas,

2197
01:51:43,960 --> 01:51:46,519
Speaker 1: you know, living in Atlanta, Georgia. So you know, when

2198
01:51:46,560 --> 01:51:49,040
Speaker 1: you started talking about bacon pie, you talked talking about

2199
01:51:49,400 --> 01:51:52,200
Speaker 1: any type of there's a peach cobbler, sweetpotato pie. That's

2200
01:51:52,320 --> 01:51:54,680
Speaker 1: that's my roots. But the thing about it is that

2201
01:51:54,720 --> 01:51:56,720
Speaker 1: you allowing yourself to go around the country, like when

2202
01:51:56,760 --> 01:51:59,200
Speaker 1: you go down the Floorida's key lime pie, and then

2203
01:51:59,200 --> 01:52:01,240
Speaker 1: you go to different part to the country. That had

2204
01:52:01,280 --> 01:52:04,040
Speaker 1: to be fun. You know. They just see these different

2205
01:52:04,080 --> 01:52:07,720
Speaker 1: regions which they rule. They do have signature desserts, they

2206
01:52:07,800 --> 01:52:10,920
Speaker 1: totally do, and there's some there's some that some of

2207
01:52:11,000 --> 01:52:13,640
Speaker 1: us had never heard of before, or we were we

2208
01:52:13,760 --> 01:52:15,960
Speaker 1: heard of and we didn't realize that this was like

2209
01:52:16,479 --> 01:52:20,240
Speaker 1: that State's dessert. Um. The other thing is that the

2210
01:52:20,280 --> 01:52:24,760
Speaker 1: first last, the last episode, the first challenge was pie cake,

2211
01:52:24,840 --> 01:52:28,640
Speaker 1: and which was that Derby may Day pie but but

2212
01:52:28,800 --> 01:52:31,760
Speaker 1: baked into a cake. And if you think about it,

2213
01:52:31,840 --> 01:52:34,080
Speaker 1: at that point we had all the contests, all the

2214
01:52:34,120 --> 01:52:38,840
Speaker 1: contestants there, we hadn't eliminated anybody. That means we had

2215
01:52:38,880 --> 01:52:44,519
Speaker 1: to taste ten pieces of pie cake. We all felt

2216
01:52:44,720 --> 01:52:50,719
Speaker 1: so sick at the end of that day. It was crazy.

2217
01:52:50,920 --> 01:52:52,479
Speaker 1: We were looking at you other we were like, at

2218
01:52:52,479 --> 01:52:54,719
Speaker 1: this point, somebody has to go home because we can't

2219
01:52:54,720 --> 01:52:59,320
Speaker 1: eat that. You know. That's that's that's the that's I

2220
01:52:59,320 --> 01:53:01,920
Speaker 1: guess that's the the good part is being a judge.

2221
01:53:02,040 --> 01:53:04,720
Speaker 1: The bad part sometimes it's the sampling because you really

2222
01:53:04,720 --> 01:53:07,599
Speaker 1: have to sample it to give a good, accurate response,

2223
01:53:07,600 --> 01:53:09,519
Speaker 1: because you don't really want to like take a little

2224
01:53:09,520 --> 01:53:12,800
Speaker 1: bit and not really get the full flavor. I'm not

2225
01:53:12,840 --> 01:53:16,880
Speaker 1: one of those people who's just like nibbling. First of all,

2226
01:53:16,920 --> 01:53:20,559
Speaker 1: it's disrespectful, right. The other thing, you you really don't

2227
01:53:20,560 --> 01:53:23,320
Speaker 1: get an idea of what it is a made and

2228
01:53:23,360 --> 01:53:25,639
Speaker 1: you really should. You have to take more than one

2229
01:53:25,680 --> 01:53:28,519
Speaker 1: bite because a lot of times there's a lot of

2230
01:53:28,520 --> 01:53:31,439
Speaker 1: different elements in a really big like pie cake and

2231
01:53:31,479 --> 01:53:33,960
Speaker 1: has the pie in the middle and cake everywhere else,

2232
01:53:34,000 --> 01:53:35,800
Speaker 1: and then the frosting on the ant side. You want

2233
01:53:35,800 --> 01:53:39,719
Speaker 1: to taste all of it. We all needed alka Seltzer

2234
01:53:40,040 --> 01:53:44,520
Speaker 1: and a nap after that day, but we survived. We survived.

2235
01:53:44,520 --> 01:53:46,800
Speaker 1: There are a lot worse jobs, because everybody's looking to

2236
01:53:47,080 --> 01:53:49,400
Speaker 1: the television world is looking at you, because you know,

2237
01:53:49,479 --> 01:53:52,599
Speaker 1: if it looks like you over sample somebody and then

2238
01:53:52,640 --> 01:53:56,480
Speaker 1: you under sample somebody and it looks like his favoritism,

2239
01:53:56,520 --> 01:53:59,840
Speaker 1: so you're right, you have to commit absolutely, and you

2240
01:54:00,000 --> 01:54:03,280
Speaker 1: want to and you want to really give them every

2241
01:54:03,320 --> 01:54:08,400
Speaker 1: benefit of trying their dessert. And but but they all,

2242
01:54:08,439 --> 01:54:11,320
Speaker 1: I mean, I think that was an incredibly tough first

2243
01:54:11,400 --> 01:54:14,599
Speaker 1: challenge because baking a pie in a cake is just

2244
01:54:14,760 --> 01:54:19,439
Speaker 1: something that since they are such like elevated pastry chefs,

2245
01:54:19,800 --> 01:54:23,000
Speaker 1: that is such a not elevated thing, and so some

2246
01:54:23,080 --> 01:54:26,960
Speaker 1: of them were just frankly horrified that they But it's like,

2247
01:54:27,200 --> 01:54:29,800
Speaker 1: that's the challenge you gotta drive well, you know, the

2248
01:54:29,800 --> 01:54:32,560
Speaker 1: beauty of this whole scenarios ten of them. You're part

2249
01:54:32,640 --> 01:54:35,040
Speaker 1: of it along with Jason. Carla Hall is the host

2250
01:54:35,680 --> 01:54:37,640
Speaker 1: The Best Baker in America series right now is on

2251
01:54:37,640 --> 01:54:39,880
Speaker 1: the Food Network. But I want to before I leave,

2252
01:54:39,920 --> 01:54:41,880
Speaker 1: I got to talk about your class. You know, my

2253
01:54:42,000 --> 01:54:44,720
Speaker 1: goal is to get back in the class when you

2254
01:54:44,720 --> 01:54:47,160
Speaker 1: start registering for the class. I know COVID. You know

2255
01:54:47,200 --> 01:54:49,720
Speaker 1: people are getting vaccinated, so you can probably start registering

2256
01:54:49,720 --> 01:54:54,000
Speaker 1: for your class again. Correct, We aren't we We don't

2257
01:54:54,120 --> 01:54:57,280
Speaker 1: quite know yet via the State of Vermont because it's

2258
01:54:57,280 --> 01:55:00,720
Speaker 1: so small, are classes in its hands on? So like

2259
01:55:00,880 --> 01:55:05,720
Speaker 1: restaurants are starting to uh open up again to allow

2260
01:55:05,800 --> 01:55:08,920
Speaker 1: in person dying. But either way, we're thinking at the

2261
01:55:09,040 --> 01:55:13,840
Speaker 1: end of late summer, early fall, uh so everything. So

2262
01:55:13,880 --> 01:55:16,720
Speaker 1: I had there's no chance of saying, oh, we had

2263
01:55:16,760 --> 01:55:19,280
Speaker 1: to shut down again. I just wanted to be smooth,

2264
01:55:19,280 --> 01:55:21,560
Speaker 1: smooth books. And then we have some makeup classes too,

2265
01:55:21,560 --> 01:55:23,560
Speaker 1: because we had to shut down the school and people

2266
01:55:23,600 --> 01:55:26,880
Speaker 1: still were booked for classes. And so I want to

2267
01:55:26,880 --> 01:55:30,320
Speaker 1: bring all those people in who missed their class because

2268
01:55:30,360 --> 01:55:32,800
Speaker 1: of COVID, and I just I can't wait to see

2269
01:55:32,800 --> 01:55:35,400
Speaker 1: them end up getting new ovens for the for those schools.

2270
01:55:35,400 --> 01:55:38,200
Speaker 1: So what you know, what you know, it's really different.

2271
01:55:38,200 --> 01:55:41,440
Speaker 1: People have to understand all oven can cook differently, heat

2272
01:55:41,560 --> 01:55:44,760
Speaker 1: differently than a new oven, correct, getting getting well. I

2273
01:55:44,800 --> 01:55:47,840
Speaker 1: also wanted to have It's a new technology and there's

2274
01:55:47,880 --> 01:55:50,560
Speaker 1: really special events, and I'm like, I just want I

2275
01:55:50,600 --> 01:55:52,600
Speaker 1: want the experience for all the students to be the

2276
01:55:52,640 --> 01:55:55,600
Speaker 1: best that it can be. And this way I'll be

2277
01:55:55,600 --> 01:55:57,960
Speaker 1: able to spend more time with students and less time

2278
01:55:58,040 --> 01:56:00,440
Speaker 1: looking at the oven and going what's going on in there?

2279
01:56:00,480 --> 01:56:02,640
Speaker 1: So now before we wrap, I just want to talk

2280
01:56:02,680 --> 01:56:05,600
Speaker 1: about what makes that Because Baked in Vermont is such

2281
01:56:05,640 --> 01:56:08,640
Speaker 1: a popular show and you're cooking class which start out

2282
01:56:08,680 --> 01:56:10,880
Speaker 1: your husband inspired, you're looking at the back of the room,

2283
01:56:10,920 --> 01:56:13,480
Speaker 1: you're not realizing you had all these gifted natural skills

2284
01:56:13,480 --> 01:56:17,120
Speaker 1: and you go, that's my wife, she's amazing, And now

2285
01:56:17,280 --> 01:56:20,520
Speaker 1: it's but well, what exactly goes on when someone attends

2286
01:56:20,600 --> 01:56:24,800
Speaker 1: your cooking classes. Well, the great thing is that they're small,

2287
01:56:25,240 --> 01:56:29,680
Speaker 1: so I get to pay attention to everyone a lot,

2288
01:56:30,040 --> 01:56:32,560
Speaker 1: and they're not that long. There are three hours so

2289
01:56:32,600 --> 01:56:34,760
Speaker 1: that you don't feel exhausted. Because if you take a

2290
01:56:34,760 --> 01:56:37,680
Speaker 1: really long class where you're on your feet and you

2291
01:56:37,760 --> 01:56:39,960
Speaker 1: have to like try out all these new skills with

2292
01:56:40,040 --> 01:56:43,880
Speaker 1: equipment that's not yours, it can get very tiring. So

2293
01:56:44,000 --> 01:56:47,600
Speaker 1: three hours is the perfect amount of time, and so

2294
01:56:48,640 --> 01:56:51,680
Speaker 1: the class is usually just one thing that you want

2295
01:56:51,680 --> 01:56:55,760
Speaker 1: to learn. So say it's high or it's a Claire's

2296
01:56:55,920 --> 01:56:59,520
Speaker 1: or um, it's a summer cake. You know, we're just

2297
01:56:59,520 --> 01:57:02,560
Speaker 1: gonna make one thing and you're gonna leave the class

2298
01:57:03,160 --> 01:57:08,120
Speaker 1: with that thing that you made with your very own hands. Um.

2299
01:57:08,200 --> 01:57:12,320
Speaker 1: And everyone gets a mixer, everyone gets to try the equipment,

2300
01:57:12,800 --> 01:57:15,480
Speaker 1: and you get to learn the tools that you might

2301
01:57:15,520 --> 01:57:19,839
Speaker 1: not have known about that really help in elevating desserts. Uh.

2302
01:57:19,920 --> 01:57:23,440
Speaker 1: And after class is over, I tell everybody to go

2303
01:57:23,480 --> 01:57:26,080
Speaker 1: to King Arthur Flower because their store is right around

2304
01:57:26,080 --> 01:57:28,760
Speaker 1: the corner, right, but then they go drop a lot

2305
01:57:28,800 --> 01:57:33,480
Speaker 1: of money on a bunch of equipment. Well, the amusing things.

2306
01:57:33,520 --> 01:57:36,520
Speaker 1: She's a she's a pastry chef. She's a wonderful person.

2307
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Speaker 1: She's an author you see on TV all the time.

2308
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Speaker 1: She's a host of a very popular series. But more important,

2309
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Speaker 1: you can see on Food Networks right now, best Baker

2310
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Speaker 1: in America. She's judging this wonderful file that I just

2311
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Speaker 1: love seeing. I'm so happy with. The last time I

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Speaker 1: talked to you was on Oh I have my podcast,

2313
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Speaker 1: so I didn't get to see you. You you have

2314
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Speaker 1: a radiant smile and you're amazing. Thank you for coming

2315
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Speaker 1: on Money Making Conversation. Thank you for having me. You're great.

2316
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Speaker 1: But you know I gotta come down. You know I'm

2317
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Speaker 1: seriously because King Arthur. I'm telling you my what. We

2318
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Speaker 1: went to Seattle for our anniversary and then they have

2319
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Speaker 1: a key and Key arthors up there, and so guess

2320
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Speaker 1: what I had to do. I had to go to

2321
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Speaker 1: a cooking class, baking class and King Arthur. So I'm

2322
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Speaker 1: just telling you, when we go up there, a fan

2323
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Speaker 1: is coming with me. And when you say at the

2324
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Speaker 1: end of the class, they're gonna go around the corner

2325
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Speaker 1: and shop at King Arthur, That's what we're gonna do.

2326
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Speaker 1: We're gonna go around the corner and shop at King

2327
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Speaker 1: Arthur and bring an extra suitcase. I appreciate it. Thank

2328
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Speaker 1: you for coming on Money Making Conversations. We'll talk to me.

2329
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Speaker 1: Okay now, if you want to go to Money Making

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