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Speaker 1: Welcome to the show.

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Speaker 2: I'm Rashan McDonald, the host of Money Making Conversations Masterclass,

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Speaker 2: where we encourage people to stop reading other people's success

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Speaker 2: stories and start planning their own. Listen up as I

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Speaker 2: interview entrepreneurs from around the country, talk to celebrities and

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Speaker 2: ask them how they are running their companies, and speak

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Speaker 2: with dog profits who are making.

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Speaker 1: A difference in their local communities.

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Speaker 2: Now, sit back and listen as we unlock the secrets

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Speaker 2: to their success on Money Making Conversations Masterclass. Hi, I'm

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Speaker 2: Rushan McDonald, a host this weekly Money Making Conversation Master

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Speaker 2: Class show. The interviews and information that this show provides

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Speaker 2: off for everyone. It's time to stop reading other people's

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Speaker 2: success stories and start living your own. My guest is

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Speaker 2: a true champion of diversity, safety and inclusivity in all

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Speaker 2: aspects of entertainment, media, marketing and advocacy. At Visionary Woman Productions,

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Speaker 2: they're of the expert and bring visions to life through

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Speaker 2: powerful storytelling that connects you with your audience and philamp

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Speaker 2: of three that heals the world. Please work in the

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Speaker 2: Money Making Conversations Masterclass. Ashley Lauren L.

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Speaker 1: Rod. How are you doing? My friend?

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Speaker 3: Good? Good? Thank you so much for having me.

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Speaker 1: So where you based at?

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Speaker 3: I am in New York City.

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Speaker 2: Oh that's awesome. Now one of my favorite citis in

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Speaker 2: New York. Now I brought you on the show.

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Speaker 1: And I hear the word visionaire.

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Speaker 2: Now that words, like all words have been because of

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Speaker 2: social media, gets bandied about a lot, brands and faith

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Speaker 2: and passion. What does visionary mean when I use that

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Speaker 2: in your introduction?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, it's definitely.

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Speaker 4: Visionary means honestly leading at the forefront, doing things that

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Speaker 4: we believe that are not being done to the fullest

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Speaker 4: capacity that they can be done, and being able to

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Speaker 4: merge things together that makes sense to be able to

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Speaker 4: actually help help to heal the world.

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Speaker 1: So I'm gonna use this term. You are an entrepreneur,

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Speaker 1: correct I am? Yes.

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Speaker 2: So they're saying that's the black women or African American

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Speaker 2: women are the fastest growing entrepreneurship in the last ten years.

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Speaker 1: Why is that?

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Speaker 4: Honestly, drive, resilience, being able to command whatever we can

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Speaker 4: in our lives, to be able to propel forward through anything.

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Speaker 3: I think is.

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Speaker 4: The most definite reason that black women are one of

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Speaker 4: the leading, actually the leading business entrepreneurs right now in

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Speaker 4: the country.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, I am African American male, and I

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Speaker 2: wish I could say I could walk in the door

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Speaker 2: and somebody didn't see my skin color. Yeah, but I

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Speaker 2: know that is not something that I'm using as as

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Speaker 2: as an excuse, right, But one has to realize that's

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Speaker 2: part of reality because people can define my work to

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Speaker 2: find my ability to fund a project or complete a project.

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Speaker 2: So I constantly have to promote myself. I constantly have

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Speaker 2: to deliver information, stay in front of people. What are

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Speaker 2: some of the pitfalls or maybe not pitfalls that you've

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Speaker 2: experienced in developing your company of Visionary Warm Productions.

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Speaker 4: Yes, well, I started Visionary Women when I was in college.

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Speaker 4: Actually it was fit over fifteen years ago, and it

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Speaker 4: actually was just a collaboration of sorts at first with

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Speaker 4: some really really great friends, all fantastic diverse women who

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Speaker 4: really accomplished so much in their own right and went

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Speaker 4: on to become celebrity photographers and makeup artists and amazing

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Speaker 4: people and think people that I still keep in touch

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Speaker 4: with to this day. And I feel like, you know,

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Speaker 4: in the beginning, it happened so quickly for my business,

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Speaker 4: It kind of happened overnight. Actually, to the point it

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Speaker 4: was like, oh, I think I have a business. You know,

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Speaker 4: people are asking me like, what are you charge for

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Speaker 4: X y Z. You know, we were doing consultations and

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Speaker 4: we were doing honestly bringing wisdom back to our college.

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Speaker 3: That's how it started there.

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Speaker 4: I went to Columbia colle Chicago, and we were not

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Speaker 4: being taught the business side of preparing for graduation. We

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Speaker 4: were taught about acting and you know, getting your portfolio

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Speaker 4: together if you were doing technical theater and things of

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Speaker 4: that nature. But we weren't taught Okay, how do you

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Speaker 4: utilize this after you graduate? You know what, how do

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Speaker 4: you get an agent? How do you land yourself onto productions?

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Speaker 4: And I was already working on productions for a long

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Speaker 4: time before college. So I wanted to take all of

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Speaker 4: that and help people and give them what.

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Speaker 3: They needed to succeed.

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Speaker 4: So I feel starting off so early and honestly not

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Speaker 4: knowing what I was doing because a lot of interesting

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Speaker 4: twists and turns on my journey of business and entrepreneurship.

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Speaker 4: I come from a family of educators, not business owners,

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Speaker 4: with the exception of my grandfathers, who were both business

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Speaker 4: owners and entrepreneurs. But I came from educators who were amazing,

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Speaker 4: but you know, didn't know about angel investments and you know,

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Speaker 4: planning out business from those different aspects that I just

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Speaker 4: I just wasn't taught and given the access to. So

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Speaker 4: everything has been learning and processing, especially even now fifteen

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Speaker 4: years later, with the scope of business changing so much.

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Speaker 3: Just keeping them.

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Speaker 2: Saying right there when you said the scope of business changing,

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Speaker 2: what has been the scope that you see? You know,

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Speaker 2: because we all know social media is like blowing everything up.

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Speaker 2: The Internet is blown everything, even the cell phone has

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Speaker 2: blown everything up. You on the I always heard the

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Speaker 2: story that you know, as an entrepreneur, you work eighty

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Speaker 2: hours a week, but you don't want to do a

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Speaker 2: for their all week job, you know, so you're willing

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Speaker 2: to work out sales to death, but I don't want

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Speaker 2: to do a ford their our week job. So, I mean,

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Speaker 2: there's a dream and passion that drives entrepreneurship. But they

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Speaker 2: have been changed. Now were you resistant to the changes?

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Speaker 2: And tell us what those changes were?

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Speaker 4: Honestly, I feel like I've always had to pivot in

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Speaker 4: every single season of my business. It started off as

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Speaker 4: consultations and then it transferred into people asking me to

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Speaker 4: do production design, on set and then directing things and

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Speaker 4: writing scripts and then you know, one season I was

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Speaker 4: managing talent and then I really like fully propelled into casting,

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Speaker 4: which then took my business off actually to the next

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Speaker 4: level for the past decade.

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Speaker 3: So I feel like.

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Speaker 4: I'm used to the scope changing or having to pivot

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Speaker 4: a little bit to a rise to the occasion for

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Speaker 4: each season of business. And how I've done that is honestly,

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Speaker 4: lots of networking and putting myself out there, like you

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Speaker 4: said earlier, being able to prove myself to people in

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Speaker 4: a way where they referred me because, honestly, up intol

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Speaker 4: this past year, my business was a referra own business

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Speaker 4: only for the past fifteen years, and I was able

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Speaker 4: to stay afloat because of those referrals and be able

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Speaker 4: to bounce from one project to the next and bring

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Speaker 4: in those clients because of that. So that's definitely a

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Speaker 4: big part of it, and just building that foundation. I

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Speaker 4: think building that foundation of my brand has been really

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Speaker 4: important from a community aspect. People know Visionary Woman Productions

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Speaker 4: to be a community.

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Speaker 3: It's not just a.

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Speaker 4: Business, but it's really what artists and other crew members

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Speaker 4: of the industry and social impact leaders can come to

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Speaker 4: for encouragement. They know that they can come to me

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Speaker 4: for good advice that's actually sustainable and be supported on

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Speaker 4: their journey.

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Speaker 2: What advice would you give to young people, Because this

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Speaker 2: is a young person to the industry, I want to

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Speaker 2: ask that question, and then I'm I ask you a

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Speaker 2: person who's in their late forties. Which are two separate

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Speaker 2: questions to be responded to. Let's talk about a young

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Speaker 2: person who wants to get into entertainment industry.

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Speaker 4: Thought I would say, between kids and young adults, it's

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Speaker 4: very important to make sure that you are learning the

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Speaker 4: business early on. And also parents, you know, making sure

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Speaker 4: that parents are keeping their kids safe. That's a big

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Speaker 4: thing that I coach on often when I do workshops

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Speaker 4: and different one on one sessions with people. I say,

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Speaker 4: make sure you know where your kids are. You know

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Speaker 4: you are reading these contracts. You're teaching them how to

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Speaker 4: read contracts. If you don't know how to read a contract,

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Speaker 4: you are getting a suitable lawyer or counsel that can

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Speaker 4: be able to break things down for you of what

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Speaker 4: you should be looking out for at all times, and

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Speaker 4: if you're not able to pay for one, to make

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Speaker 4: sure you at least know the verbiage, so you're able

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Speaker 4: to say, hey, this doesn't look quite quite why right,

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Speaker 4: or I would like to negotiate these terms, or you know,

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Speaker 4: I want to take this down from a two year

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Speaker 4: to a one year contract to see how it goes.

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Speaker 4: Being able to make sure that you are knowledgeable of

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Speaker 4: these contracts and what you are signing and going into

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Speaker 4: is number one important. And making sure that you are

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Speaker 4: you're safe. You know, not everyone is safe in this industry, unfortunately,

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Speaker 4: and I have had my share of a lot of

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Speaker 4: experiences on set as a young actor coming up back

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Speaker 4: in the day that you know, I want to protect

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Speaker 4: as many people coming up from having you know, making

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Speaker 4: sure that you just you know, stay your course and

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Speaker 4: also you don't feel afraid to speak up when something

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Speaker 4: does happen or someone.

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Speaker 3: Is making you uncomfortable. Making sure that you.

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Speaker 4: Just always know that you have the right to speak

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Speaker 4: up no matter what if you lose the job. So

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Speaker 4: what you know, I I morals and values and standards

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Speaker 4: are a thing in this industry, even though so many

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Speaker 4: people will still to this day try to teach you otherwise,

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Speaker 4: that is thing that I teach. It's like if you

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Speaker 4: if you have morals and standards. If you have a

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Speaker 4: role that a certain role that you know is a

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Speaker 4: no go for you, that you would never want to do,

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Speaker 4: tell your agent that you can't do it, and if

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Speaker 4: they have a problem with that, then that's not the

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Speaker 4: agent for you. Making sure that you are comfortable, even

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Speaker 4: as an actor who is supposed to be versatile and

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Speaker 4: you know, be a chameleon of sorts, making sure that

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Speaker 4: you understand that can happen still, but underneath your values

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Speaker 4: and your morals and what you want for your career.

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Speaker 2: Which is really great because I've been fortunate to be

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Speaker 2: on you know, did a lot of sitcoms. So I

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Speaker 2: sold ten Tamara Maori's Mom, Yeah, I said, and a

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Speaker 2: lot of you know it did me and the boys

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Speaker 2: with Steve, they were young boys who wanted to said,

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Speaker 2: and their parents were there. You know, you can't be

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Speaker 2: an absoutee mom and entertainment, yes, let's gonna be rd

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Speaker 2: with that. You just can't let somebody, a stranger take

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Speaker 2: your child to a job where they may keep your

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Speaker 2: child eight to twelve.

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Speaker 1: Hours a day each school breaks.

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Speaker 2: But guess what you want to be there with your

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Speaker 2: child in the entertainment industry. If you want to tick

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Speaker 2: your child and put them in an entertainment game. Know

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Speaker 2: that it's responsibility to you as a parent to stay

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Speaker 2: with your child, be with your child. This is not

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Speaker 2: a part time job. This is not something you want

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Speaker 2: to do.

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Speaker 1: You know. The last I want to say five years.

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Speaker 2: You know, women in general have been in the forefront

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Speaker 2: of how their business can the mean women control women

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Speaker 2: put them in a position where they compromise, you know,

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Speaker 2: started with Harvey, Bill Cosby and now PP Daddy. I've

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Speaker 2: been in this business since ninety two. I've seen not

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Speaker 2: that side of the business, but I know there is

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Speaker 2: power in a business that can cause people or women

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Speaker 2: in particular to be uncomfortable, but they still move forward.

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Speaker 2: How do you, being a woman, a woman of color,

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Speaker 2: how do you deal with those circumstances and also with

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Speaker 2: the recent revelations that come out that force you to

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Speaker 2: even rethink some of the processes that you have in place.

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Speaker 4: Right, Yeah, that's definitely a loaded question. I am a survivor,

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Speaker 4: but from multiple other things growing up in my family,

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Speaker 4: issues and things of that nature, which I believe plays

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Speaker 4: into the overall issue that I think has been ingrained

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Speaker 4: in our country for a very very long time, since

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Speaker 4: the beginning of time, especially within the entertainment industry. I

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Speaker 4: always tell people when these things arise with you know, P.

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Speaker 4: Diddy for instance, or Harvey or R Kelly whoever, that

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Speaker 4: these are things that have been happening for a very

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Speaker 4: long time from the very inception of the entertainment industry. Unfortunately,

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Speaker 4: you know, women were expected to you know, put out

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Speaker 4: to be quite frank, you know, I always tell people,

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Speaker 4: look at Marilyn Monroe, look at Eartha kit look at

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Speaker 4: Dorothy Dandridge, look at all of these people that had

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Speaker 4: very intense stories regards to in regards to abuse and

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Speaker 4: having to you know, go through their lives, which you know,

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Speaker 4: a lot of them unfortunately had very tragic ends due

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Speaker 4: to not being able to cope with all of that

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Speaker 4: after a while, which you can, you know, And it's

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Speaker 4: been a cycle that's been perpetrated, you know, for decades

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Speaker 4: and decades and decades, and there hasn't been accountability. There

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Speaker 4: hasn't been people that that felt that they could speak

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Speaker 4: up fully regarding their stories regarding their pain up until

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Speaker 4: honestly the past few years where you hear child stars

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Speaker 4: finally saying, hey, this happened to me, and I'm tired

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Speaker 4: of being silent about it and you know, being able

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Speaker 4: to process through their trauma for however long they have

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Speaker 4: been able to to be able to have the courage,

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Speaker 4: because it takes a lot of courage to share your

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Speaker 4: story after going through things like that, to be able

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Speaker 4: to speak out and to say, hey, enough, we need

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Speaker 4: to put this out into the light and something needs

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Speaker 4: to change. And Visionary Woman Productions, that is something I'm

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Speaker 4: very passionate about. I am, like I said, as a survivor,

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Speaker 4: I'm very passionate and it refuses me every day to

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Speaker 4: be able to help set protections in place for kids,

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Speaker 4: for teens, for everyone on sets to be able to

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Speaker 4: feel safe and comfortable and included on our sets. I

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Speaker 4: take things very seriously from hiring. I'm very particular of

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Speaker 4: the people that I'm hiring to make sure everyone is safe.

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Speaker 4: I am very very particular regarding that. So that's something

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Speaker 4: that I have put into place where I heavily vet

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Speaker 4: people and make sure that even like their backgrounds, are

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Speaker 4: you know, good to be on our.

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Speaker 2: Sets because you know so, Ashley, I'm talking to Ashley

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Speaker 2: Lauren a Rod of Visionary Woman Production. You know the

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Speaker 2: volatility of you know, of the last going on five years.

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Speaker 2: Is started with the death of the tragic death of

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Speaker 2: George Floyd.

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Speaker 1: Diversity, echoing inclusion exploded.

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Speaker 2: Everybody said, hey, white people, go, hey, we got to

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Speaker 2: see things from a different perspective. We have wrong black

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Speaker 2: people or people of color. Let's give them equal footing.

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Speaker 2: And then all of a sudden, by twenty one twenty two,

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Speaker 2: the word woke popped up and all of a sudden,

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Speaker 2: you know why we banning books popped up, and all

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Speaker 2: of a sudden, you know, different waves of discontent, and

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Speaker 2: it felt like we were suddenly under attack for just

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Speaker 2: saying we want to equal footing right in your business

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Speaker 2: and your company, your production company. Tell us the work

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Speaker 2: process that weighed across you, the diversity equoing inclusion process

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Speaker 2: that weighed across your company, and how did you deal

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Speaker 2: with it and still dealing with it by the.

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Speaker 4: Way, right, I mean, we've always been that and I've

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Speaker 4: always been very vocal about how we need more diversity

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Speaker 4: and inclusion and equity within the production space because we

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Speaker 4: have a very long way to go. I have been

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Speaker 4: in those casting you know CSA meetings, I've been, I've

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Speaker 4: talked to you know, the DGA and PGA, and I've

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Speaker 4: always been very vocal about this before it really honestly

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Speaker 4: became a thing.

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Speaker 1: You were talking before everybody else.

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Speaker 3: Right now, Honestly I really was.

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Speaker 2: I wouldn't hear the truth now because a lot of

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Speaker 2: people act like this thing just jumped.

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Speaker 1: Off last week, right.

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Speaker 2: People have been screaming, especially the entertainment business. I always

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Speaker 2: tell people about this. In the entertainment business, it has

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Speaker 2: the most racially imbalanced format age discrimination, okay, and a

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Speaker 2: gender discrimination. That's entertainment. And people have allowed this to happen.

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Speaker 2: They could ask for just odd asked. The things they

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Speaker 2: can do is for a black person who who don't

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Speaker 2: like white people, and that's your casting description, right, and

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Speaker 2: then people go, okay, fine, let's go find that person.

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Speaker 2: Right and so, but when you look at the role

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Speaker 2: of how people are starting to do it kind of

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Speaker 2: like forcibly pull back, I will say the degree of

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Speaker 2: integration even you said, Rashaan, I've been screaming.

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Speaker 1: I've been hollering about this.

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Speaker 5: Please don't go anywhere. We'll be right back with more

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Speaker 5: Money Making Conversations Masterclass. Welcome back to the Money Making

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Speaker 5: Conversations Masterclass. Hosted by Rashan McDonald. Money Making Conversations Masterclass

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Speaker 5: continues online at Moneymakingconversations dot com and follow money Making

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Speaker 5: Conversations Masterclass on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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Speaker 1: Along the way.

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Speaker 2: Have they started listening to you Ashley talk about that process?

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Speaker 4: Yes, so yeah, they actually have. I mean sometimes I

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Speaker 4: feel like I have probably lost clients because I you know,

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Speaker 4: some people will literally come to me.

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Speaker 3: And I actually just talked about this.

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Speaker 4: It was a huge, huge threads conversation that blew up

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Speaker 4: actually via Instagram that I posted because I said, hey,

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Speaker 4: I work in production and one gal was saying, why

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Speaker 4: is there only I feel like on every commercial only

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Speaker 4: multi racial families. There's no just black families or just

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Speaker 4: Asian or Native America. Like there's all it's either white

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Speaker 4: or it's like they have to have you know, maybe

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Speaker 4: one the blacks start.

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Speaker 1: When did that start?

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Speaker 2: It's not a commercial that runs nowadays that is black

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Speaker 2: black or white white? Yeah, somebody's mixed. Who made that

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Speaker 2: decision that that's the way we're going to promote commercials?

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Speaker 1: Now?

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Speaker 3: All right?

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Speaker 4: I honestly, I feel like I've been casting a bunch

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Speaker 4: of commercials for the past decade, and I feel like

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Speaker 4: it started happening. Yeah, like over probably ten years ago.

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Speaker 4: But also it's always in a format, always been a thing,

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Speaker 4: you know, when it comes to even movies and television,

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Speaker 4: you know, there's always there. I mean, colorism is a thing,

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Speaker 4: and you know, you don't see too many like dark

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Speaker 4: skinned you know, black men and women being able to

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Speaker 4: be in those leads as much as we would like

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Speaker 4: it outside of you know, specifically just black television, you know,

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Speaker 4: and black films like black centric projects, and you know,

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Speaker 4: you don't see like them leading in a mission impossible

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Speaker 4: film or you know just even you know, psychological thrillers

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Speaker 4: and horrors and stuff.

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Speaker 2: Like that about elbows possibly beings exactly.

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Speaker 1: He probably would look look, look, just take my name

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Speaker 1: out of the.

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Speaker 4: Hand right exactly. And that's crazy, you know, it's like

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Speaker 4: we're in twenty twenty four. We should be in a

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Speaker 4: position where that is acceptable beyond honestly, just Denzel Washington,

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Speaker 4: who is you know, a dark skinned black man who

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Speaker 4: was able to break through the mold and be that

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Speaker 4: person that can do thrillers, can do sometimes horrors when

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Speaker 4: he did when he started back in the day, and

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Speaker 4: you know, dramas and pretty much anything he's one of

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Speaker 4: the few that's actually mis because he's now yes exactly,

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Speaker 4: he's been able to break the mold all of these years.

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Speaker 4: But that's very far and few between when you compare

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Speaker 4: that to our white counterparts. And I have been in

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Speaker 4: these meetings where people have accepted and you know, taken

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Speaker 4: a look at my suggestions of different people different casting choices,

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Speaker 4: because they have brought me specs and said, oh, we

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Speaker 4: went X, Y Z or we're interested in these celebrities

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Speaker 4: and they've all been white for pretty much, and me

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Speaker 4: being like, hey, you know, this is a horror and

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Speaker 4: this actually happened. It was a horror film, a psychological horror,

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Speaker 4: and you know, everyone was predominantly white at first, and

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Speaker 4: I just said, hey, you know it's this was in

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Speaker 4: twenty twenty three, and I was like, this, it's twenty

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Speaker 4: twenty three. You know, people are looking for diversity. You know,

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Speaker 4: people of my community love these movies as well, and

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Speaker 4: we can have other ethnicities in these types of congress rights. Yeah,

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Speaker 4: but it's like, you know, but it's like you know,

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Speaker 4: we there are there is a huge following with these

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Speaker 4: genres from our community. I know because I'm a part

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Speaker 4: of a lot of the groups, and it's like they

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Speaker 4: love thrillers, they love mysteries, they love whoores, and it's

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Speaker 4: like they want to be included too. So I put

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Speaker 4: I presented that to them, and they actually did take

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Speaker 4: my advice and they ended up making it a pretty

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Speaker 4: diverse film, which was incredible. They really did follow a

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Speaker 4: lot of what I said, and they were very sensitive

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Speaker 4: to certain things that needed to be changed in the script,

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Speaker 4: which was great. But that doesn't happen all the time,

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Speaker 4: you know. I've definitely lost clients before who One person

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Speaker 4: was trying to do a Joseph movie on the story

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Speaker 4: of Joseph from his perspective with having Jesus and in

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Speaker 4: that whole situation and story. Cool script, interesting perspective to

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Speaker 4: go from, which I was excited about. But they were

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Speaker 4: looking for white people to be the lead characters.

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Speaker 1: And I said, hey, I heard, yeah, I.

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Speaker 4: Said, Jesus none of them were like whites. I tell you,

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Speaker 4: I have to just say that straight up, like this

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Speaker 4: was one. I think this was the twenty twenty twenty

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Speaker 4: twenty one. I was like, this is a very sensitive time.

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Speaker 4: People are looking for actual authenticity in these films. There

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Speaker 4: are so many great wonderful Middle Eastern actors that I

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Speaker 4: can give you a list of right now who would

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Speaker 4: be phenomenal in these roles and adequate and accurate for them,

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Speaker 4: and I never heard from them again.

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Speaker 2: Well, you know the thing about it, That's why I

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Speaker 2: wanted to bring you on my show, because you know,

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Speaker 2: I talk about industry. I've never talked into the entertainment side,

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Speaker 2: something that has been a major part of my life.

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Speaker 1: You know, a sitcom, right. I know the power of writing.

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Speaker 2: I know the power of casting because I've been fortunate

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Speaker 2: to I've cast you know, Gabrielle Union have cast many,

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Speaker 2: many people from from lo Lanthony, from Kim Woodley to

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Speaker 2: Sherry Shepherd to Chris Spencer, all these people just the

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Speaker 2: name of few.

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Speaker 1: So I know the power what you can do.

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Speaker 2: And when you when you're writing for stars like Monique

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Speaker 2: and Robert Towns, and then Jamie Fox and Tia and

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Speaker 2: Tomorrow Mari and Senior Hall and Steve Harvey, then you

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Speaker 2: realize that you can position people to look look at

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Speaker 2: things a certain way and feel a certain way about

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Speaker 2: a particular character, and then that walks away with expectations

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Speaker 2: what they think these people are on the streets.

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Speaker 1: And so when I look at what you're doing, which.

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Speaker 2: Is even more incredible because of the fact that it's imagery.

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Speaker 2: It's imagerying what people expect in their philosophy, what they want,

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Speaker 2: and then you, being strong enough to have before, say

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Speaker 2: can I just say something?

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Speaker 1: Now? I know raising that finger? Can I say something finger?

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Speaker 1: How much courage does it take as ley the race

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Speaker 1: that can I say something finger?

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Speaker 2: Yes?

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Speaker 4: I mean it definitely takes a lot of courage. Like

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Speaker 4: I said, I've been in those meetings where you know,

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Speaker 4: you know, if you do say this out loud.

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Speaker 3: It's a potential that you'll lose that client.

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Speaker 4: And like I said, I have lost clients before by

440
00:24:20,240 --> 00:24:23,639
Speaker 4: speaking up and raising that finger. But I don't regret

441
00:24:23,720 --> 00:24:26,680
Speaker 4: it because it's something that has to be done. I'm

442
00:24:26,720 --> 00:24:30,680
Speaker 4: a person that's always been a person of justice and

443
00:24:32,240 --> 00:24:35,240
Speaker 4: truth and that's something that I want to see ingrain

444
00:24:35,359 --> 00:24:39,360
Speaker 4: more in our world, in every community and every space

445
00:24:39,560 --> 00:24:42,840
Speaker 4: and every business. And I know that we have such

446
00:24:42,880 --> 00:24:46,359
Speaker 4: a far away to go, and I want to be,

447
00:24:46,760 --> 00:24:49,199
Speaker 4: you know, a part of leading the charge when it

448
00:24:49,240 --> 00:24:51,200
Speaker 4: comes to propelling it along.

449
00:24:51,040 --> 00:24:54,640
Speaker 3: A little bit faster in any way that I can.

450
00:24:55,480 --> 00:24:57,520
Speaker 2: Now I get a lot of questions from people you

451
00:24:57,560 --> 00:25:01,680
Speaker 2: know and running RuSHA to get into business their late

452
00:25:01,760 --> 00:25:05,080
Speaker 2: thirties forties, really in the late forties. Yes, is there

453
00:25:05,119 --> 00:25:08,280
Speaker 2: an opportunity for people in their late thirties or forties

454
00:25:08,320 --> 00:25:11,480
Speaker 2: to get into entertainment business and be successful?

455
00:25:12,920 --> 00:25:18,080
Speaker 4: Yes, and absolutely, one hundred percent is possible.

456
00:25:18,440 --> 00:25:21,120
Speaker 3: I will give you my father as an example.

457
00:25:21,280 --> 00:25:25,960
Speaker 4: Okay, yes, he was. He retired. Like I said, he

458
00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:27,960
Speaker 4: was an educator. He worked his way from a teacher

459
00:25:28,080 --> 00:25:31,399
Speaker 4: to a superintendent over thirty years. He had done like

460
00:25:31,480 --> 00:25:35,200
Speaker 4: one play and one like modeling gig, random modeling gig.

461
00:25:35,320 --> 00:25:37,720
Speaker 3: Oh, yeah, it actually was.

462
00:25:37,720 --> 00:25:43,440
Speaker 4: It was for Texas Instruments calculators way back in the day.

463
00:25:42,680 --> 00:25:43,920
Speaker 3: When he was a teacher.

464
00:25:44,160 --> 00:25:47,480
Speaker 1: He got good. Yeah, I'm challenged, really, I'm jealous to

465
00:25:47,600 --> 00:25:48,200
Speaker 1: the model.

466
00:25:48,520 --> 00:25:50,919
Speaker 3: Yeah, he got a modeling gig. And it was like

467
00:25:50,960 --> 00:25:51,800
Speaker 3: when he was a teacher.

468
00:25:51,840 --> 00:25:55,040
Speaker 4: They chose them for the Texas Instruments to be on

469
00:25:55,119 --> 00:25:59,200
Speaker 4: a magazine, for the actual Texas Texas Instruments magazine when

470
00:25:59,200 --> 00:26:01,560
Speaker 4: they had it back in the day to go out

471
00:26:01,600 --> 00:26:03,359
Speaker 4: to all the schools and I had a billboard and stuff.

472
00:26:03,400 --> 00:26:06,040
Speaker 4: So that's the only thing he had ever done. And

473
00:26:07,119 --> 00:26:09,400
Speaker 4: throughout the years, Like when I would he would drop

474
00:26:09,440 --> 00:26:12,119
Speaker 4: me off of my agency to do a tape or

475
00:26:12,160 --> 00:26:15,240
Speaker 4: something or do a go see, and he would stick around.

476
00:26:15,320 --> 00:26:17,800
Speaker 4: My agent always did say she was like, your dad,

477
00:26:18,440 --> 00:26:20,640
Speaker 4: I always think he's one of the models because he's

478
00:26:20,680 --> 00:26:24,720
Speaker 4: just so good looking, Like he's just he should really

479
00:26:26,880 --> 00:26:32,200
Speaker 4: because now, but he always thought these compliments. I mean,

480
00:26:32,200 --> 00:26:35,240
Speaker 4: it was crazy. Everybody always was like, your dad really

481
00:26:35,280 --> 00:26:37,400
Speaker 4: should be on TV, and you know.

482
00:26:37,359 --> 00:26:39,000
Speaker 3: It was not. It was far for his lid.

483
00:26:40,320 --> 00:26:43,920
Speaker 4: Yeah, well so he actually just retired. But the past

484
00:26:43,960 --> 00:26:47,679
Speaker 4: six years he was very successful. And my dad is

485
00:26:47,720 --> 00:26:51,200
Speaker 4: now seventy four and he got started over six years

486
00:26:51,200 --> 00:26:53,280
Speaker 4: ago before I moved to New York, and he, you know,

487
00:26:53,320 --> 00:26:56,119
Speaker 4: he was bored. He was getting a little depressed because

488
00:26:56,160 --> 00:26:57,480
Speaker 4: he wasn't working anymore.

489
00:26:57,720 --> 00:26:59,440
Speaker 3: And that's something that you.

490
00:26:59,400 --> 00:27:01,240
Speaker 4: Know, I don't think it's talked about enough when people

491
00:27:01,320 --> 00:27:04,680
Speaker 4: end up having to retire, that they do get depressed.

492
00:27:04,680 --> 00:27:07,960
Speaker 4: They go through a withdrawal of not feeling needed in

493
00:27:08,080 --> 00:27:11,159
Speaker 4: the big way that they were with their purpose. And

494
00:27:11,200 --> 00:27:14,960
Speaker 4: my dad was a very inspiring educator at the school

495
00:27:14,960 --> 00:27:18,040
Speaker 4: district and really really led it to be honest in

496
00:27:18,080 --> 00:27:21,720
Speaker 4: many ways, and these kids, even adults to this day.

497
00:27:21,760 --> 00:27:23,960
Speaker 4: He'll he'll run into them on the street and they'll

498
00:27:23,960 --> 00:27:25,639
Speaker 4: be like, mister l Rod, oh my god, Like you

499
00:27:25,760 --> 00:27:28,639
Speaker 4: changed my life, you know when I was a teenager,

500
00:27:28,760 --> 00:27:31,120
Speaker 4: and you you know, you really whip me into shape,

501
00:27:31,160 --> 00:27:32,640
Speaker 4: you know, because he was really good with the inner

502
00:27:32,640 --> 00:27:35,000
Speaker 4: city kids who were coming to the suburbs because my

503
00:27:35,080 --> 00:27:37,280
Speaker 4: dad grew up in the ghetto. So you know, he

504
00:27:37,320 --> 00:27:40,359
Speaker 4: grew up in Kabrini Green in Chicago, and he had

505
00:27:40,400 --> 00:27:43,359
Speaker 4: that vibe, right, yeah, like he grew up in the

506
00:27:43,400 --> 00:27:44,640
Speaker 4: real hood, like he went.

507
00:27:44,480 --> 00:27:45,960
Speaker 1: Around television hood.

508
00:27:46,480 --> 00:27:50,320
Speaker 4: Yeah, like actually, and you know migrated from the you know,

509
00:27:50,440 --> 00:27:53,480
Speaker 4: the depths of Mississippi to Chicago, and you know, his

510
00:27:53,600 --> 00:27:57,000
Speaker 4: story is wild, but you know, he had that vibe

511
00:27:57,000 --> 00:28:00,320
Speaker 4: with the kids, so he was very inspirational. And not

512
00:28:00,359 --> 00:28:03,040
Speaker 4: having that need fulfilled anymore for him, you know, really

513
00:28:03,320 --> 00:28:05,680
Speaker 4: kind of put him down in the dumps a little bit.

514
00:28:05,800 --> 00:28:08,160
Speaker 4: So I just was like, you know what I was like, Dad,

515
00:28:09,600 --> 00:28:11,879
Speaker 4: everyone keeps saying that you would be good on TV,

516
00:28:12,200 --> 00:28:14,639
Speaker 4: and like you should model and everything. Why don't we

517
00:28:14,680 --> 00:28:17,400
Speaker 4: just try it, Like I'll take some headshots for you.

518
00:28:17,840 --> 00:28:20,399
Speaker 4: I'll submit them to a few agencies and we'll just

519
00:28:20,400 --> 00:28:23,040
Speaker 4: see how it goes and at first he was very,

520
00:28:23,160 --> 00:28:25,360
Speaker 4: very hesitant, and he was like, no, I don't want

521
00:28:25,400 --> 00:28:29,320
Speaker 4: to do that, that's your thing. No, And then finally

522
00:28:29,359 --> 00:28:33,040
Speaker 4: I broke him and I took his headshots. And then

523
00:28:33,080 --> 00:28:36,439
Speaker 4: there happened to be a modeling ghostye for one of

524
00:28:36,440 --> 00:28:39,520
Speaker 4: the big agencies that I knew for many years. And

525
00:28:39,560 --> 00:28:41,600
Speaker 4: I was like, you should go, just go and see

526
00:28:41,800 --> 00:28:45,640
Speaker 4: what she says and see what happens. Instantly she signed him,

527
00:28:45,680 --> 00:28:49,000
Speaker 4: like right away on the spot. And I mean, when

528
00:28:49,040 --> 00:28:53,480
Speaker 4: I tell you, this man took was booking more than

529
00:28:53,560 --> 00:28:57,560
Speaker 4: I was, because I'm still acting myself, and I swear.

530
00:28:57,640 --> 00:28:59,360
Speaker 3: I was like, what is happening?

531
00:28:59,720 --> 00:29:04,040
Speaker 4: He was booking like multiple gigs a week, like before

532
00:29:04,080 --> 00:29:09,240
Speaker 4: he graduated or graduated before he retired. He you know,

533
00:29:09,320 --> 00:29:14,560
Speaker 4: got SAG after eligible. He did different multiple national commercials

534
00:29:14,640 --> 00:29:16,120
Speaker 4: and had billboards.

535
00:29:16,520 --> 00:29:17,760
Speaker 3: I mean, a.

536
00:29:17,840 --> 00:29:20,760
Speaker 4: Wild six years, the best six years anyone could have

537
00:29:20,800 --> 00:29:23,960
Speaker 4: had at that age sixty plus, right, And.

538
00:29:24,600 --> 00:29:28,160
Speaker 2: So you're sat Rashwan, there's a dream for you, Yes,

539
00:29:28,440 --> 00:29:30,800
Speaker 2: Like the elderly lady was in Black Panther, you know,

540
00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:33,480
Speaker 2: yeah in Atlanta. You know they cast her in that role.

541
00:29:33,640 --> 00:29:35,640
Speaker 2: So you know, because I always tell people that you know,

542
00:29:35,800 --> 00:29:36,720
Speaker 2: never stop, never.

543
00:29:36,680 --> 00:29:38,000
Speaker 1: Let age be an excuse.

544
00:29:38,280 --> 00:29:41,000
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, because a lot of people get fifty sixty. Well,

545
00:29:41,080 --> 00:29:43,880
Speaker 2: you know, I'm just gonna pack it in, and pack

546
00:29:43,960 --> 00:29:44,160
Speaker 2: it in.

547
00:29:44,440 --> 00:29:44,920
Speaker 1: Does leave.

548
00:29:44,960 --> 00:29:47,440
Speaker 2: The depression does leave to a different level of stress

549
00:29:47,600 --> 00:29:51,040
Speaker 2: because we're in the mental a world that just keeps

550
00:29:51,120 --> 00:29:54,480
Speaker 2: evolving and information that is being pushed down our throat

551
00:29:54,520 --> 00:29:56,760
Speaker 2: even if we don't want it on a daily basis

552
00:29:56,920 --> 00:29:59,720
Speaker 2: through your cell phone. Used to be talking on your phone,

553
00:29:59,720 --> 00:30:02,840
Speaker 2: now you're the cell phone could be a distraction with

554
00:30:02,960 --> 00:30:06,800
Speaker 2: notifications and things of that nature. But I really, you know,

555
00:30:07,400 --> 00:30:09,880
Speaker 2: bringing you on the show was important to me because

556
00:30:10,160 --> 00:30:13,560
Speaker 2: I always want to share stories of entrepreneurship and your

557
00:30:13,640 --> 00:30:16,680
Speaker 2: side of being an entertainer, your side of being having

558
00:30:16,720 --> 00:30:20,320
Speaker 2: a voice, and also giving some notes of advice for

559
00:30:20,440 --> 00:30:23,840
Speaker 2: people who think it's such a cool deal to be

560
00:30:23,880 --> 00:30:28,240
Speaker 2: an entertainer, a deal of opportunity, and it is, but.

561
00:30:28,280 --> 00:30:30,640
Speaker 1: Bod the pit palls are ugly and closing.

562
00:30:31,240 --> 00:30:34,200
Speaker 2: Actually, what would you recommend or what advice would you

563
00:30:34,240 --> 00:30:36,840
Speaker 2: give your Secrets to success?

564
00:30:38,160 --> 00:30:39,280
Speaker 3: Secrets of success?

565
00:30:39,400 --> 00:30:43,560
Speaker 4: Oh my gosh, I feel like I'm a hard on myself,

566
00:30:43,560 --> 00:30:44,400
Speaker 4: so I'm always like I.

567
00:30:44,520 --> 00:30:45,640
Speaker 3: There's so much more to do.

568
00:30:45,840 --> 00:30:50,000
Speaker 4: But I think the biggest secrets to success is always

569
00:30:50,160 --> 00:30:57,920
Speaker 4: being available and adaptable to the pivots of life. I think,

570
00:30:58,040 --> 00:31:00,720
Speaker 4: especially as we continue to go throughout this crazy world

571
00:31:00,760 --> 00:31:04,560
Speaker 4: that we're in, it's very important to learn to do

572
00:31:04,640 --> 00:31:09,920
Speaker 4: that because you never know when the market is going

573
00:31:10,000 --> 00:31:13,480
Speaker 4: to change, and you know things are going to get

574
00:31:13,520 --> 00:31:17,440
Speaker 4: a little bit harder, and it's always best to understand

575
00:31:17,480 --> 00:31:20,880
Speaker 4: how to pivot, but also to prepare as best as

576
00:31:20,920 --> 00:31:25,120
Speaker 4: possible for those things, especially in entrepreneurship and being a creative.

577
00:31:25,640 --> 00:31:30,440
Speaker 4: Something that I am working towards helping hopefully more creatives

578
00:31:30,440 --> 00:31:34,520
Speaker 4: do in the next year is really learn how to

579
00:31:34,560 --> 00:31:38,120
Speaker 4: be smart with your finances and to understand you know,

580
00:31:38,240 --> 00:31:41,720
Speaker 4: how to form your LLCs and how that's a benefit

581
00:31:41,800 --> 00:31:45,680
Speaker 4: for taxes, and being able to make sure you're keeping

582
00:31:45,720 --> 00:31:49,080
Speaker 4: yourself covered and prepared for those rainy days. I think

583
00:31:49,120 --> 00:31:52,920
Speaker 4: that's the biggest secret to success that will never go

584
00:31:53,040 --> 00:31:56,960
Speaker 4: out of style, is being prepared and always.

585
00:31:58,160 --> 00:31:59,320
Speaker 3: Learning how to lean.

586
00:31:59,200 --> 00:32:02,160
Speaker 4: Into those pivots, because it's always there's always going to

587
00:32:02,160 --> 00:32:04,480
Speaker 4: be a pivot. Things are always going to be changing.

588
00:32:04,920 --> 00:32:07,680
Speaker 4: Who knows what the entertainment industry is going to look

589
00:32:07,760 --> 00:32:11,080
Speaker 4: like in the next even two years. You know, we've

590
00:32:11,120 --> 00:32:14,320
Speaker 4: seen the strikes, We've seen the detrimental effects that the

591
00:32:14,360 --> 00:32:18,120
Speaker 4: strikes are still having right now, and you know, hopefully

592
00:32:18,160 --> 00:32:21,200
Speaker 4: people are saying in twenty twenty five, you know, things

593
00:32:21,200 --> 00:32:24,920
Speaker 4: will get a little bit better, but they're still honestly

594
00:32:25,360 --> 00:32:28,200
Speaker 4: scraping the ground trying to figure out what happened. You know,

595
00:32:28,280 --> 00:32:30,840
Speaker 4: these higher ups at these at these executives and you

596
00:32:30,880 --> 00:32:34,880
Speaker 4: know at these at these networks. So it's always it's

597
00:32:34,920 --> 00:32:36,840
Speaker 4: important for us to be able to learn how to

598
00:32:36,880 --> 00:32:40,000
Speaker 4: create our own things for ourselves that we can profit

599
00:32:40,120 --> 00:32:44,080
Speaker 4: off of for the foreseeable future and not rely on

600
00:32:45,040 --> 00:32:47,640
Speaker 4: just pitching to these big execs and trying to work

601
00:32:47,640 --> 00:32:51,120
Speaker 4: at Netflix or Paramount. But being able to actually create

602
00:32:51,160 --> 00:32:54,080
Speaker 4: something for ourselves is very important, and I think that's

603
00:32:54,080 --> 00:32:55,320
Speaker 4: a big secret to success.

604
00:32:55,440 --> 00:32:59,600
Speaker 2: She's visionary. That's name of visionary, warm production that tieses

605
00:32:59,680 --> 00:33:03,000
Speaker 2: hefing Ashley. I appreciate you coming on the show. Her

606
00:33:03,280 --> 00:33:06,520
Speaker 2: real name Ashley Lauren er Rod. And you know her

607
00:33:06,600 --> 00:33:12,360
Speaker 2: dad after just left Roushon in the Dust Boy Chicago,

608
00:33:12,640 --> 00:33:14,400
Speaker 2: Richard Romfrey looking dude.

609
00:33:14,560 --> 00:33:16,760
Speaker 1: That was a dad, looked like Richard rot.

610
00:33:16,760 --> 00:33:20,440
Speaker 2: He was the everyday man Jack Beauty of the week,

611
00:33:20,720 --> 00:33:21,560
Speaker 2: handsome of the week.

612
00:33:21,640 --> 00:33:24,040
Speaker 1: He was making new to finding new parts out there.

613
00:33:24,240 --> 00:33:26,360
Speaker 2: But again, thank you for coming on Money Making Conversation

614
00:33:26,440 --> 00:33:27,200
Speaker 2: Master Class show.

615
00:33:27,200 --> 00:33:27,880
Speaker 1: I appreciate you.

616
00:33:28,520 --> 00:33:31,080
Speaker 3: Thank you so much. I really appreciate you as well. Resigned.

617
00:33:31,080 --> 00:33:31,440
Speaker 4: Thank you.

618
00:33:32,360 --> 00:33:35,600
Speaker 2: This has been another edition of Money Making Conversation Masterclass

619
00:33:35,640 --> 00:33:38,800
Speaker 2: hosted by me Rushawn McDonald. Thank you to our guests

620
00:33:38,800 --> 00:33:42,240
Speaker 2: on the show today and thank you listening to audience now.

621
00:33:42,240 --> 00:33:44,240
Speaker 2: If you want to listen to any episode I want

622
00:33:44,240 --> 00:33:47,440
Speaker 2: to be a guest on the show, visit Moneymaking Conversations

623
00:33:47,480 --> 00:33:48,120
Speaker 2: dot com.

624
00:33:48,240 --> 00:33:51,880
Speaker 1: Our social media handle is money Making Conversation. Join us

625
00:33:51,880 --> 00:33:54,440
Speaker 1: next week and remember to always leave with your gifts.

626
00:33:54,800 --> 00:34:00,400
Speaker 1: Keep winning the