Latest / The Steve Harvey Morning Show / Follow Your Dream: HIs journey from Atlanta dancer to globally recognized choreographer and director for icons like Michael and Janet Jackson.

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Follow Your Dream: HIs journey from Atlanta dancer to globally recognized choreographer and director for icons like Michael and Janet Jackson. · The Steve Harvey Morning Show

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  Speaker 1: Welcome to my show. I'm Rashon McDonald, a host of
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  Speaker 1: get this podcast started. My guess has established himself as
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  Speaker 1: a brand, a world renowned brand, choreographer, director and producer.
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  Speaker 1: In fact, as a dancer. He joined Jan and Jackson's
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  Speaker 1: Rhythm Nation eighteen fourteen world tour in nineteen ninety'all remember
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  Speaker 1: that was she had a little black suit.
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  Speaker 2: Don't you know? A fan? Still a fan?
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  Speaker 1: He's associated director and choreographer Michael Jackson. This is It Tour,
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  Speaker 1: one of the most brilliantly Captain.
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  Speaker 2: MoMA's I ever saw in my life.
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  Speaker 1: If you haven't seen that, please take time to watch
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  Speaker 1: that movie or documentary, whatever you want to call it,
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  Speaker 1: is brilliant and serve as associate producer for Michael Jackson's
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  Speaker 1: This is a documentary which grows two hundred and sixty
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  Speaker 1: one million in global revenue. He's here today to talk
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  Speaker 1: about his journey, his life and every people he's basically impacted.
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  Speaker 1: Please welcome to the Money Making Conversation Masterclass. Travis Payne.
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  Speaker 1: How you doing, Travis, Thank you, Sarah.
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  Speaker 3: I appreciate you for Sean. I appreciate you having me.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you everybody listening and watching.
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  Speaker 1: Well, you know, the movie came out. I'm pretty sure
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  Speaker 1: you've been a busy man, Travis. The movie I'm talking
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  Speaker 1: about is Michael, and I'm pretty sure you've been well
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  Speaker 1: just put this way, man. To be associated with the
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  Speaker 1: brand of the Jacksons, to be associated with the king
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  Speaker 1: of pop, Michael Jackson. Let's talk about that, that role
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  Speaker 1: in your life and how do you deal with it?
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  Speaker 3: Okay, Well, I got my start with Janet Jackson, a
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  Speaker 3: ribber nation, as you said, and right out of high school.
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  Speaker 2: Well, actually I went.
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  Speaker 3: To High School in Atlanta Northside School of the Arts,
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  Speaker 3: and then I went to Morehouse for a short time.
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  Speaker 3: I grew up in normous academy dancing It's the Only Guy,
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  Speaker 3: and then I was headhunted by a gentleman who was
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  Speaker 3: working with the choreographer for Janet Jackson.
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  Speaker 2: Wow.
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  Speaker 3: So that's kind of how I got my introduction into
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  Speaker 3: that realm. But of course, like many of us, I
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  Speaker 3: grew up watching the Jacksons, and you know, Prince and
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  Speaker 3: Madonna and you know, during that time, they were the trifecta,
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  Speaker 3: and then came Janet and Paula Abdul and so I
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  Speaker 3: was able to come to Los Angeles and feel it
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  Speaker 3: out because all my life I thought I wanted to
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  Speaker 3: move to New York to dance for Alvin Eley Right
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  Speaker 3: and Broadway in that whole thing, but I didn't really
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  Speaker 3: really know about the West Coast. So I got the
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  Speaker 3: opportunity to replace the great Anthony Thomas, who's another for
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  Speaker 3: a director that I look up to, on the Rhythm
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  Speaker 3: Nation eighteen fourteen world tour and did that for the
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  Speaker 3: final I think the final two legs or the final
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  Speaker 3: leg of the show. Then I was able to audition
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  Speaker 3: for Michael, for remember the time where I started my
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  Speaker 3: almost two decades long career with him. But it's you know,
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  Speaker 3: his dream come true. I can remember as far back
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  Speaker 3: as five six years old, you know, loving the Jackson's cartoon,
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  Speaker 3: you know, the Victory Tours, the first concert I ever
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  Speaker 3: went to, the first record I ever bought. And so
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  Speaker 3: just to be you know, welcomed into that creative dynasty
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  Speaker 3: has just been a blessing and continues to be.
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  Speaker 1: What makes Travis a good dancer because we all think
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  Speaker 1: we can dance, we all.
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  Speaker 2: Think we can move. He'll be in that club be
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  Speaker 2: Lyn dancer.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: What makes a good dancer, Travis?
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  Speaker 3: I think a good dancer is just someone who's open,
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  Speaker 3: you know, who's not fearful to explore, meaning to just move,
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  Speaker 3: you know, and not think about it, don't be afraid
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  Speaker 3: of looking silly. You know, by by repetition, you build
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  Speaker 3: your technique.
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  Speaker 2: You know. I think that dance is a universal language.
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  Speaker 2: I can't see. I hate humble people. I hate humble people.
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  Speaker 2: That's what Travis is being humble right now. I am,
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  Speaker 2: I am, but yeah, I felt.
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  Speaker 3: What I do know is that you know, if you're
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  Speaker 3: if you're training to be a professional dancer. So you
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  Speaker 3: need to know a little bit about a lot, right,
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  Speaker 3: and you need to have tough skin, especially if you're
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  Speaker 3: coming to a market like Los Angeles or Network. But
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  Speaker 3: as far as the as far as dance in general,
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  Speaker 3: I think you know, it is saved. It is saved
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  Speaker 3: countless lives, It sells infinite amounts of products, and you know,
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  Speaker 3: remains one of the only what I call languages that
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  Speaker 3: you don't have to, you know, be in any particular
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  Speaker 3: place to understand.
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  Speaker 2: You know, it unites us. I really do.
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  Speaker 1: And you said you were recruited. When that person recruited you,
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  Speaker 1: I had arder recruited you. What did he see in you, Travis?
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  Speaker 1: That he went, it's a little bit different than what
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  Speaker 1: I'm seeing in somebody else, male or.
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  Speaker 2: Fem of course.
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  Speaker 3: Well, that gentleman was Frank Gatson Junior. And I was
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  Speaker 3: dancing at the Fox Theater in Atlanta. I don't know
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  Speaker 3: if you remember Rich's Fashionada we would do.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah.
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  Speaker 3: So I was with my company, Gary Harrison Contemporary Dance Company,
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  Speaker 3: and we were doing a show at the Fox. When
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  Speaker 3: we finished the show, the young man said, do you
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  Speaker 3: want to in fact talking about this?
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  Speaker 2: This is that show. Wow, So it's a youngster.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, and that's and that's Gary Harrison, who's my dance father.
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  Speaker 3: So we were backstage in that moment. Maybe Frank even
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  Speaker 3: took that picture. But the gentleman said, had you ever
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  Speaker 3: moved considered moving to la And I said, no, I'm
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  Speaker 3: going to New York because I want to. You know,
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  Speaker 3: I've been accepted to Alvin Aley for the summer. And said, well,
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  Speaker 3: you really should consider it. And so, you know, over
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  Speaker 3: a year or so went by, and you know, all
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  Speaker 3: I knew about La is that's where Michael Jackson lived,
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  Speaker 3: That's where the Encino Home was, That's where Jan and
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  Speaker 3: the brothers lived. And I had Uncle Claude who was
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  Speaker 3: out here and in Costa Mesa, and so I took
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  Speaker 3: a visit and I fell in love with the city,
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  Speaker 3: and I fell in love with the with the energy
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  Speaker 3: here and the opportunity that was possible here during that time,
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  Speaker 3: you know, because I left Atlanta pre La.
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  Speaker 2: Face, pre Tyler Perry.
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  Speaker 3: You know, we weren't a huge, you know, mecca of
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  Speaker 3: entertainment yet so getting out here and being able to
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  Speaker 3: do that was just a blessing. And so I think
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  Speaker 3: Frank I think Lavelle Smith Junior too, you know, the
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  Speaker 3: two of them were really instrumental in getting me started
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  Speaker 3: and welcoming me into the fold and sort of showing
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  Speaker 3: me how this city works. And not long after that
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  Speaker 3: I would start with Janet. Why did you handle rejection, Travis?
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  Speaker 3: I think I was so fortunate because I was so
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  Speaker 3: young and kind of naive and didn't really put much
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  Speaker 3: energy into it as far as as far as feeling rejected.
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  Speaker 3: I knew that I was going to sometimes three or
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  Speaker 3: four auditions a day. I knew early on that there
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  Speaker 3: would be a lot of no's before you get to
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  Speaker 3: the yes, right, you know, I was that was shared
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  Speaker 3: with me. So I think that I came into this game,
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  Speaker 3: you know, a little naive, not knowing what I didn't know,
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  Speaker 3: and then I was able to have thick skin. I
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  Speaker 3: think from my training and upbringing in Atlanta with Gary,
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  Speaker 3: you know, because he treated us like young adults. We
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  Speaker 3: were in part of a touring production called the Tour
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  Speaker 3: Show that was really really popular in North Side School
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  Speaker 3: of the Arts. So we had been traveling the world
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  Speaker 3: throughout high school. So I had seen and been in
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  Speaker 3: different professional environments, and so I just tell any young performer.
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  Speaker 3: Thick skin, you know, put on your thick skin. Do
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  Speaker 3: not leave home without it, you know, because from the
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  Speaker 3: time you leave your home, anything could happen. You could
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  Speaker 3: meet Quincy Jones, you could bump into a Kanye, you
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  Speaker 3: could you know, be sitting at dinner with Missy or
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  Speaker 3: at lunch with Pharrell, And you know, you want to
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  Speaker 3: be in a place where you can approach, you know,
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  Speaker 3: where you can try to have a conversation, where you
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  Speaker 3: can ultimately try to, you know, collaborate with those other artists,
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  Speaker 3: because I find that a lot of people here in
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  Speaker 3: LA are trying to do the same thing.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, they just don't have opportunities. Yes, you see.
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  Speaker 3: So I think with preparedness and being ready and meeting opportunity,
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  Speaker 3: you know, and fearlessness, you know, you can you can
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  Speaker 3: have a pretty good time out here and make a
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  Speaker 3: pretty good career for yourself.
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  Speaker 1: Tell the audience a moment with Janet and then a
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  Speaker 1: moment with Michael Jackson.
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  Speaker 2: You went to yourself. Wow.
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  Speaker 3: My first show with Janet was a while because everything
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  Speaker 3: happened so quickly in the transition between Anthony Thomas and
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  Speaker 3: myself that I didn't even meet her until after the
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  Speaker 3: show Okay, and that was in Japan and Tokyo Dome
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  Speaker 3: called the Big Egg, and that was a while for
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  Speaker 3: me because that was my first time on a major
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  Speaker 3: concert stage with one of my heroes. And to be
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  Speaker 3: able to share the stage with her during that time,
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  Speaker 3: you know, because Rhythm Nation was at its height, and
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  Speaker 3: you know, being a fan of the work, you know,
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  Speaker 3: to get that opportunity was just incredible. And then I
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  Speaker 3: think similarly, you know, performing on stage with Michael where
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  Speaker 3: we where we did get to sing as well, was
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  Speaker 3: so electrifying and it was like we were superheroes. And
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  Speaker 3: you know, but one one show in particular with Michael
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  Speaker 3: that you know, was a while because there was so
• 9:38
  Speaker 3: many whiles with both of them over the years, including
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  Speaker 3: screen where I got to co choreograph both of them
• 9:45
  Speaker 3: for the screen short film. But one of the one
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  Speaker 3: of the standout moments for me with Michael was performing
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  Speaker 3: for a sold out crowd in Israel and we there
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  Speaker 3: was so much, so much, so many in attendance that
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  Speaker 3: we were in a field, not even in an arena
• 10:06
  Speaker 3: or stadium, we were literally in a field. The stage
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  Speaker 3: was built in the middle of a field and it
• 10:14
  Speaker 3: was overlooking the ocean was behind us, where the sea
• 10:17
  Speaker 3: was behind us, and there was a sea of people
• 10:20
  Speaker 3: in front of us. And you know, the same people
• 10:24
  Speaker 3: that are having conflict now and have for years were
• 10:29
  Speaker 3: in the same audience, arm in arm, singing.
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  Speaker 2: We are the world or heal the world.
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  Speaker 3: And so that kind of power, you know, not many
• 10:43
  Speaker 3: people have to bring enemies into the same space and
• 10:49
  Speaker 3: for a couple of hours get them to put down
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  Speaker 3: their differences and just be people. You know, Janet and
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  Speaker 3: Michael have been undoubtedly very very central to my career
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  Speaker 3: and the foundation in which I've been able to build
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  Speaker 3: a successful career, you know. But getting to work with
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  Speaker 3: you know, young artists like an Elie Chappa recently it's great.
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  Speaker 3: I've been directing music videos for and with him and
• 11:13
  Speaker 3: and his fiance Erica Raven. They you know, young, they're
• 11:18
  Speaker 3: both twenty three, you know. But then being able to
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  Speaker 3: work like with greats like Donna Ross and Smokey Robinson
• 11:23
  Speaker 3: and Stevie Wonder and you know TLC and Usher and
• 11:27
  Speaker 3: you know Beyonce, Lady Gaga, you know in Vogue, who
• 11:32
  Speaker 3: was very very central. You know a lot of these
• 11:34
  Speaker 3: are two of these are for in Vogue, and just
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  Speaker 3: being able to work at this level for so long.
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  Speaker 3: It's a blessing. I think I'm entering thirty five years
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  Speaker 3: in La.
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  Speaker 2: I know it's tough, brother, La, thirty five. I was
• 11:50
  Speaker 2: that from fifteen. I know. Yeah.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, So it's it's no easy feet, you know. And
• 11:56
  Speaker 3: again it's it's been a lot of trial and error.
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  Speaker 3: It's been a lot of blood, sweat and tears. It's
• 12:01
  Speaker 3: been a lot of no's, you know, and navigating that
• 12:05
  Speaker 3: landscape and making it, making it work despite no matter
• 12:09
  Speaker 3: what is going on, and pressure, you know, and so
• 12:15
  Speaker 3: you know, it's it's, it's it continues to be a
• 12:18
  Speaker 3: daily challenge to balance everything.
• 12:21
  Speaker 2: Please don't go anywhere.
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: We'll be right back with more money Making Conversations Masterclass.
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  Speaker 1: Class on Facebook, x and Instagram. Let's talk about Let's
• 13:03
  Speaker 1: talk about you, my friend, you know, a director, choreographer,
• 13:09
  Speaker 1: because sometimes we look at these jobs which we don't
• 13:13
  Speaker 1: understand them, then we can't understand the difficult nature of them. Right,
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: you're bringing brought in to create. Talk about the process
• 13:22
  Speaker 1: of being a creator, being a director, and being a
• 13:27
  Speaker 1: person who have to challenge people physically to do a
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: task that initially only you can see.
• 13:36
  Speaker 3: Well, I do like to say that what I do
• 13:39
  Speaker 3: you know as a creative, as a director, a producer, choreographer,
• 13:42
  Speaker 3: you know, is yes, it's physical, of course, but it's
• 13:46
  Speaker 3: also emotional and spiritual, just because you know, you have
• 13:50
  Speaker 3: to motivate, you have to encourage, you have to you know,
• 13:55
  Speaker 3: make your clients feel safe, you know, and certainly make
• 13:58
  Speaker 3: them the best versions of themselves for whatever the project is.
• 14:03
  Speaker 2: And to that point, every project is very different, you know.
• 14:06
  Speaker 3: Some require months and months and months of preparation and
• 14:09
  Speaker 3: some are show up on the day and go for it,
• 14:12
  Speaker 3: you know, So it really really varies. So my process
• 14:16
  Speaker 3: is definitely getting involved with understanding what the goals are,
• 14:21
  Speaker 3: you know, certainly, if it's a if it's something that
• 14:24
  Speaker 3: has to do with commerce, you know, and it's generating
• 14:27
  Speaker 3: any sort of profit, you have to understand what those
• 14:29
  Speaker 3: goals are first. So a lot of times I would
• 14:33
  Speaker 3: I kind of try to back into what's best so
• 14:37
  Speaker 3: I understand where we're going and where we are and
• 14:40
  Speaker 3: just try to meet right so that all of the
• 14:43
  Speaker 3: boxes can be checked so that the client is happy,
• 14:46
  Speaker 3: the ad in marketing agency is happy, the the you know,
• 14:51
  Speaker 3: the the viewership or the buyer, you know, gets what
• 14:56
  Speaker 3: the message is. Whether it's a music video to promote
• 15:00
  Speaker 3: a song, or whether it's a concert to promote an album,
• 15:05
  Speaker 3: or a commercial to sell a product. You know, one
• 15:08
  Speaker 3: of the things that I did.
• 15:11
  Speaker 4: A few years ago was I did the very first
• 15:14
  Speaker 4: ever Gap Khakis campaign, which for for that company in
• 15:19
  Speaker 4: that year, they sold a billion dollars worth of khaki pants,
• 15:25
  Speaker 4: right because of that series of commercials and I did
• 15:27
  Speaker 4: the first one, and so you know, that further helped
• 15:32
  Speaker 4: me understand, you know that that entertainment, dance and music
• 15:37
  Speaker 4: specifically are huge, huge.
• 15:42
  Speaker 2: Generate huge profits.
• 15:44
  Speaker 3: And really moved the needle when we're talking about the
• 15:47
  Speaker 3: bottom line for any company. So you have to understand
• 15:50
  Speaker 3: that from that perspective too, because now as I've had,
• 15:54
  Speaker 3: as I have grown in my career, my interest is
• 15:57
  Speaker 3: not just what's on stage in the creative right, the
• 16:00
  Speaker 3: business of entertainment is.
• 16:04
  Speaker 2: Really what drives a lot of my process. Now, let's
• 16:07
  Speaker 2: keep that on.
• 16:08
  Speaker 3: Has to make sense. Otherwise it's a hobby. You know,
• 16:12
  Speaker 3: it's not generating a profit.
• 16:13
  Speaker 1: So let's keep that own business there, Travis, Because you know,
• 16:16
  Speaker 1: Michael Jackson was just a black kid out of Gary, Indiana.
• 16:20
  Speaker 1: He changed the economics of entertainment. I like to believe
• 16:23
  Speaker 1: he did. He did, still does talk to us about that. Yeah,
• 16:27
  Speaker 1: Michael Jackson, his movie I believe is probably close to
• 16:31
  Speaker 1: a billion dollars globally. The movie we're talking about, Michael
• 16:35
  Speaker 1: h and drafted, which I'm so happy was directed by
• 16:40
  Speaker 1: a black man.
• 16:41
  Speaker 3: Okay, work with a handful of times as well. So
• 16:45
  Speaker 3: I got to see them on set and at the
• 16:47
  Speaker 3: premiere here in LA and you know, yes, I'm very
• 16:50
  Speaker 3: very happy about that. But Michael, as far as the
• 16:52
  Speaker 3: business acumen, perfect case study and how to navigate this
• 16:59
  Speaker 3: this this entertainment landscape, you know, almost too smart for
• 17:04
  Speaker 3: his own good and so I think that because if
• 17:09
  Speaker 3: you look at things like Thriller, which was his biggest
• 17:13
  Speaker 3: arguably his biggest album, and still you know, Reign Supreme
• 17:18
  Speaker 3: is the top selling album in the world. Historically, his
• 17:22
  Speaker 3: business for that didn't completely benefit him. You know, there
• 17:29
  Speaker 3: were some collaborators that he worked with, mister Jones and Temperton,
• 17:34
  Speaker 3: you know, who benefited from that relationship and collaboration just
• 17:41
  Speaker 3: as much as he did.
• 17:42
  Speaker 2: But in later years he.
• 17:44
  Speaker 3: Would realize that, you know, there are other aspects of
• 17:48
  Speaker 3: the creative process that matter just as much as the
• 17:51
  Speaker 3: creative because they are the business. So that's the music publishing,
• 17:55
  Speaker 3: that's the sound rights, that's the writing credits, that's all
• 17:58
  Speaker 3: of those things, and then years two acquire publishing of
• 18:04
  Speaker 3: other artists and be able to monetize that, you know,
• 18:07
  Speaker 3: so that with the Beatles, I think that not only
• 18:13
  Speaker 3: the Beatles, but there was Elvis, there's you know, you
• 18:17
  Speaker 3: know a lot of people don't know that, you know,
• 18:19
  Speaker 3: Lady Gaga, her publishing was on Michael It's on the
• 18:22
  Speaker 3: A TV.
• 18:24
  Speaker 2: And many you know, artists.
• 18:26
  Speaker 3: And in later years when you know, he was you know,
• 18:29
  Speaker 3: had issues rather than getting you know, angry or resentful.
• 18:34
  Speaker 1: He just purchased that artist publishing. What does music do
• 18:37
  Speaker 1: do for you? Travis Payne, Well, music is has been
• 18:44
  Speaker 1: a central ingredient to my life's work.
• 18:47
  Speaker 3: It has always been there as a comfort, It's been
• 18:50
  Speaker 3: there as an educator, it's been there as inspiration. But
• 18:55
  Speaker 3: but music, I can't I can't imagine the world, my
• 18:57
  Speaker 3: world without music, absolutely, you know.
• 19:01
  Speaker 2: You know.
• 19:01
  Speaker 1: Even though we see a tremendous amount of success in
• 19:04
  Speaker 1: the movie Michael right, there were some people went, is
• 19:08
  Speaker 1: it people? Does Michael still resonate? Not everybody's saying Michael resonates.
• 19:15
  Speaker 1: Why does Michael Jackson still resonate? I understand my age, okay,
• 19:20
  Speaker 1: but he's resonating with the young people. Why it's a
• 19:24
  Speaker 1: big question, Travis, can you.
• 19:25
  Speaker 2: I know, I know why.
• 19:27
  Speaker 3: I think it's because what Michael created over his decades
• 19:31
  Speaker 3: long career, especially as a soloist, was so innovative and groundbreaking.
• 19:40
  Speaker 3: Not only the what you hear, but what you saw,
• 19:45
  Speaker 3: the style, the fashion, the films, the the sort of vibe.
• 19:53
  Speaker 3: All of it was so branded. Right before everybody was
• 19:58
  Speaker 3: walking around talking about my brand, he was doing that.
• 20:02
  Speaker 3: He was doing signature things like his Fedora people around
• 20:05
  Speaker 3: the world know who Michael Jackson is, even if they
• 20:08
  Speaker 3: can't understand English, they know those two words Michael Jackson.
• 20:14
  Speaker 3: And I think that the combination of Michael's determination to
• 20:20
  Speaker 3: always do something innovative that breaks the mold and pushes
• 20:23
  Speaker 3: the envelope, that means that the work itself, and he
• 20:27
  Speaker 3: would say, is this going to be cool in ten years?
• 20:29
  Speaker 2: Is this going to be cool in fifty years? You know?
• 20:31
  Speaker 3: And that was kind of a litmus test about some
• 20:33
  Speaker 3: of the decision making we'd have. You know, he didn't
• 20:35
  Speaker 3: want to do something that had been done before. He
• 20:38
  Speaker 3: didn't care if it was you know, if someone had
• 20:43
  Speaker 3: done it in a great way, he wouldn't he wouldn't
• 20:46
  Speaker 3: respond to it. It was like he wanted to always
• 20:50
  Speaker 3: create his own specific lane. And I think that that
• 20:53
  Speaker 3: is why a lot of fans and even new fans,
• 20:56
  Speaker 3: and even Michael Jackson has fans that haven't been born
• 20:59
  Speaker 3: yet will connect to the imagery and the music and
• 21:03
  Speaker 3: his messaging.
• 21:05
  Speaker 1: You know, when I think about your life, you know,
• 21:08
  Speaker 1: I don't want to just talk about Janet Jackson the
• 21:12
  Speaker 1: Nation tour, but the documentary that you was fortunate to
• 21:17
  Speaker 1: wake up this is it.
• 21:20
  Speaker 2: I watched it. It was like.
• 21:23
  Speaker 1: A documentary about like you said, detail, because he was
• 21:26
  Speaker 1: detailed or he was there at the practice. It was
• 21:29
  Speaker 1: like watching. He knew who was dancing with him, he
• 21:33
  Speaker 1: knew why they were dancing with him with him. Talk
• 21:36
  Speaker 1: about your participation in that project and what was your
• 21:38
  Speaker 1: biggest takeaway from that project.
• 21:42
  Speaker 3: Well, I was in Las Vegas with Kenny Ortega, who's
• 21:45
  Speaker 3: a dear friend and collaborator and mentor of mine over
• 21:48
  Speaker 3: the years, and we were at the wind Hotel opening
• 21:51
  Speaker 3: the Encore. We were doing the opening weekend for the Encore,
• 21:55
  Speaker 3: which involved a creative event with all of the Winds
• 21:58
  Speaker 3: guests and everything and opening the hotel, and so Kenny's
• 22:03
  Speaker 3: phone wrung, his eyes got big, he said Michael. I
• 22:06
  Speaker 3: was like okay to him, and then that's how we
• 22:10
  Speaker 3: learned about Michael's desire to go back out and his
• 22:14
  Speaker 3: reasonings for doing it, which I just mentioned, and so
• 22:19
  Speaker 3: long story short, we wound up in a meeting once
• 22:22
  Speaker 3: we got back to La he kept saying, this is it,
• 22:25
  Speaker 3: this is it a million times. It's time. We got
• 22:27
  Speaker 3: to tell the world what's going on. We got to
• 22:29
  Speaker 3: caution them, we got to ring the alarm. We have
• 22:31
  Speaker 3: to do all these things, and so Kenny's like, well,
• 22:33
  Speaker 3: why don't you just call the show this is it?
• 22:35
  Speaker 3: You said it one hundred thousand times that then we'll
• 22:37
  Speaker 3: just say this is it. And so that's how we started,
• 22:41
  Speaker 3: and you know, the what was interesting was that this
• 22:46
  Speaker 3: was going to revolutionize the way artists toured and that
• 22:49
  Speaker 3: we would do residencies in different countries. You know, conventional
• 22:53
  Speaker 3: tours would leap frog and do maybe a few days
• 22:56
  Speaker 3: at a time. We were going to live in London
• 22:59
  Speaker 3: for you know, nine months and then moved to the
• 23:02
  Speaker 3: next place and lived there while the shows happened. And
• 23:05
  Speaker 3: so to be included as a director for this is
• 23:09
  Speaker 3: it was obviously a huge, huge blessing for me. Having
• 23:14
  Speaker 3: started as a dancer for Michael and then choreographer and
• 23:17
  Speaker 3: ultimately directing and then and then producing the documentary. That
• 23:23
  Speaker 3: was just a wonderful career trajectory, you know, much of
• 23:29
  Speaker 3: which Michael was directly involved with. You know, he told
• 23:33
  Speaker 3: me when it was time to choreograph, he told me
• 23:35
  Speaker 3: when it was hard for me to direct, when he
• 23:37
  Speaker 3: thought I was ready, and then of course we were
• 23:41
  Speaker 3: tasked with producing the documentary after his passing but the
• 23:47
  Speaker 3: experience itself was great until it wasn't. And you know,
• 23:52
  Speaker 3: we know how the story you know went, you know,
• 23:56
  Speaker 3: on June twenty fifth, as we approached that date as well,
• 24:01
  Speaker 3: it was and it still remains a bittersweet. It does
• 24:04
  Speaker 3: not get easier.
• 24:05
  Speaker 2: You know.
• 24:05
  Speaker 3: I miss him more and more day, and especially with
• 24:08
  Speaker 3: his biopic now out. I'm so proud that the fans
• 24:14
  Speaker 3: will get some more Michael, and the new fans will
• 24:17
  Speaker 3: get to get introduced to Michael, and that you know,
• 24:22
  Speaker 3: that that his music sees and sees the next generation
• 24:26
  Speaker 3: and that people can really sort of get into his
• 24:30
  Speaker 3: ideas and what he was really about and what his
• 24:33
  Speaker 3: purpose on what he felt his purpose was here on
• 24:36
  Speaker 3: this planet. But but for me, as a young guy
• 24:39
  Speaker 3: from Atlanta, Georgia, you know, to get all the way
• 24:44
  Speaker 3: to that place was really dream come true. It's surreal,
• 24:49
  Speaker 3: but it was exactly what I wanted to do and
• 24:51
  Speaker 3: I knew I would do from an early age, you know.
• 24:53
  Speaker 3: So you know that I think is important to know too.
• 24:56
  Speaker 3: You have to have the nerve to think that you
• 24:59
  Speaker 3: can have to you know a lot of people say,
• 25:02
  Speaker 3: well your delusional, Well no, I am committed.
• 25:05
  Speaker 2: There you go myself. There you go, and I'm prepared right.
• 25:08
  Speaker 3: So you know, if you stay ready, you don't have
• 25:11
  Speaker 3: to get ready, as my parents would say, or you know,
• 25:14
  Speaker 3: we have to work much harder than others when we
• 25:17
  Speaker 3: get into the rooms. That was always a part of
• 25:21
  Speaker 3: my fabric and remains to this day, like.
• 25:24
  Speaker 2: I always help you top of myself. If you have
• 25:26
  Speaker 2: a gift, leave with your gift.
• 25:28
  Speaker 1: Don't let your friends, family or co worker stop you
• 25:30
  Speaker 1: from planning or living your dream. My guess Travis Paine
• 25:33
  Speaker 1: has lived and is living his dream. My brother, This
• 25:38
  Speaker 1: is a good interview for me. Man, I'm smiling. Got
• 25:40
  Speaker 1: to talk to somebody who touched genius. Dance with genius,
• 25:43
  Speaker 1: h gout with geniuses, My boy boy.
• 25:46
  Speaker 3: I'm going to be back planning a lot of that,
• 25:48
  Speaker 3: a lot more experiences with not only Michael and Janet,
• 25:51
  Speaker 3: but all of the artists I've worked with at these
• 25:53
  Speaker 3: forty years. In my documentary The Movie Maker, which I'm
• 25:57
  Speaker 3: in production for now, I've just shown a teaser of
• 26:00
  Speaker 3: it in the Yokhama International Film Festival earlier this month.
• 26:05
  Speaker 3: And so yeah, so I've got I've got my own,
• 26:09
  Speaker 3: you know, my own story coming to audiences very very soon.
• 26:13
  Speaker 2: You're doing right. Okay, you lived that same timeline.
• 26:16
  Speaker 3: When you're talking about strategy and you're talking about art
• 26:18
  Speaker 3: and commerce, you have to look at opportunities to write.
• 26:22
  Speaker 3: So for me, this is a huge moment for Michael
• 26:27
  Speaker 3: and his brand, and because of my association, you know,
• 26:32
  Speaker 3: to me, it makes sense to not not ignore the
• 26:37
  Speaker 3: fact that this is a huge Michael moment, a huge
• 26:41
  Speaker 3: Michael look. So from the premiere earlier this month in
• 26:46
  Speaker 3: LA to the premiere next week in Japan in Tokyo,
• 26:51
  Speaker 3: and then through June and October, it's all Michael season
• 26:55
  Speaker 3: to me, you see. So I am just grateful to
• 27:00
  Speaker 3: be able to you know, spend some time with you
• 27:03
  Speaker 3: today talk about the great Michael Jackson.
• 27:05
  Speaker 1: Okay, hey, Travis, now you know we've been talking. Now
• 27:08
  Speaker 1: I got to let people know how to reach out
• 27:10
  Speaker 1: to you, because you know, I got the contact, but
• 27:12
  Speaker 1: let everybody else know how they can reach out, you know, website,
• 27:15
  Speaker 1: social those handles.
• 27:16
  Speaker 3: Of course, my social media is Travis payin one t
• 27:20
  Speaker 3: R A v I, S P A y n E
• 27:23
  Speaker 3: one that's on Instagram, on x and TikTok it's Travis Pain.
• 27:29
  Speaker 3: And then website is Travispain dot com, t R A
• 27:32
  Speaker 3: v I, s P A y n E dot com
• 27:35
  Speaker 3: and uh yeah, and the move Maker is coming to
• 27:36
  Speaker 3: you very very soon. I'm working on it very hard
• 27:39
  Speaker 3: and I'm excited about where it's going. And a lot
• 27:42
  Speaker 3: of other a lot of other things that have a
• 27:44
  Speaker 3: group Travis Japan who are on their third album. We're
• 27:47
  Speaker 3: finishing a show, Herosawa's debut EP, both Japanese artists. I
• 27:54
  Speaker 3: do a lot of work there and especially love Asia
• 27:58
  Speaker 3: and so from me, Atlanta, Los Angeles and Tokyo are
• 28:03
  Speaker 3: really my hubs right and and so hopefully I can
• 28:08
  Speaker 3: I can meet you one day in person with there you.
• 28:10
  Speaker 1: Will, you will, There's no doubt.
• 28:13
  Speaker 2: There's no doubt. Travis, come on now, thank you doing
• 28:15
  Speaker 2: on the show. Brother, appreciate you man, thank you, sir.
• 28:18
  Speaker 2: I appreciate you cool. Thank you for listening to this episode.
• 28:22
  Speaker 1: Now, I need for you to do me a favor
• 28:24
  Speaker 1: right now to follow or subscribe to Money Making Conversations.
• 28:28
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• 28:32
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• 28:36
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• 28:41
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