Latest / The Steve Harvey Morning Show / Building Your Brand: Acting can be a career for the young and the not-so young.

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Building Your Brand: Acting can be a career for the young and the not-so young. · The Steve Harvey Morning Show

0:05
Speaker 1: Welcome to the show.
0:06
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
0:13
Speaker 2: stories and start planning their own. Listen up as I
0:17
Speaker 2: interview entrepreneurs from around the country, talk to celebrities and
0:21
Speaker 2: ask them how they are running their companies, and speak
0:23
Speaker 2: with dog profits who are making.
0:25
Speaker 1: A difference in their local communities.
0:27
Speaker 2: Now, sit back and listen as we unlock the secrets
0:30
Speaker 2: to their success on Money Making Conversations Masterclass. Hi, I'm
0:35
Speaker 2: Rushan McDonald, a host this weekly Money Making Conversation Master
0:39
Speaker 2: Class show. The interviews and information that this show provides
0:42
Speaker 2: off for everyone. It's time to stop reading other people's
0:44
Speaker 2: success stories and start living your own. My guest is
0:48
Speaker 2: a true champion of diversity, safety and inclusivity in all
0:52
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
1:01
Speaker 2: powerful storytelling that connects you with your audience and philamp
1:05
Speaker 2: of three that heals the world. Please work in the
1:07
Speaker 2: Money Making Conversations Masterclass. Ashley Lauren L.
1:11
Speaker 1: Rod. How are you doing? My friend?
1:13
Speaker 3: Good? Good? Thank you so much for having me.
1:15
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.
1:24
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
1:35
Speaker 2: and passion. What does visionary mean when I use that
1:40
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.
2:02
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
3:01
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
3:55
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.
5:37
Speaker 2: The Internet is blown everything, even the cell phone has
5:41
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
5:51
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
6:54
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
7:18
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
7:43
Speaker 4: their journey.
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Speaker 2: What advice would you give to young people, Because this
7:47
Speaker 2: is a young person to the industry, I want to
7:49
Speaker 2: ask that question, and then I'm I ask you a
7:51
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
8:05
Speaker 4: very important to make sure that you are learning the
8:08
Speaker 4: business early on. And also parents, you know, making sure
8:12
Speaker 4: that parents are keeping their kids safe. That's a big
8:15
Speaker 4: thing that I coach on often when I do workshops
8:18
Speaker 4: and different one on one sessions with people. I say,
8:21
Speaker 4: make sure you know where your kids are. You know
8:23
Speaker 4: you are reading these contracts. You're teaching them how to
8:27
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
8:34
Speaker 4: be able to break things down for you of what
8:37
Speaker 4: you should be looking out for at all times, and
8:40
Speaker 4: if you're not able to pay for one, to make
8:42
Speaker 4: sure you at least know the verbiage, so you're able
8:46
Speaker 4: to say, hey, this doesn't look quite quite why right,
8:49
Speaker 4: or I would like to negotiate these terms, or you know,
8:54
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
9:25
Speaker 4: as many people coming up from having you know, making
9:29
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.
9:37
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
9:43
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
9:55
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
10:01
Speaker 4: if you have morals and standards. If you have a
10:03
Speaker 4: role that a certain role that you know is a
10:06
Speaker 4: no go for you, that you would never want to do,
10:08
Speaker 4: tell your agent that you can't do it, and if
10:10
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
10:23
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
10:33
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
10:38
Speaker 2: with Steve, they were young boys who wanted to said,
10:41
Speaker 2: and their parents were there. You know, you can't be
10:44
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
10:52
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
10:58
Speaker 2: child in the entertainment industry. If you want to tick
11:00
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
11:18
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,
11:26
Speaker 2: started with Harvey, Bill Cosby and now PP Daddy. I've
11:31
Speaker 2: been in this business since ninety two. I've seen not
11:36
Speaker 2: that side of the business, but I know there is
11:38
Speaker 2: power in a business that can cause people or women
11:42
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
11:52
Speaker 2: the recent revelations that come out that force you to
11:55
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,
12:05
Speaker 4: but from multiple other things growing up in my family,
12:09
Speaker 4: issues and things of that nature, which I believe plays
12:13
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
12:20
Speaker 4: the beginning of time, especially within the entertainment industry. I
12:24
Speaker 4: always tell people when these things arise with you know, P.
12:27
Speaker 4: Diddy for instance, or Harvey or R Kelly whoever, that
12:32
Speaker 4: these are things that have been happening for a very
12:35
Speaker 4: long time from the very inception of the entertainment industry. Unfortunately,
12:40
Speaker 4: you know, women were expected to you know, put out
12:44
Speaker 4: to be quite frank, you know, I always tell people,
12:47
Speaker 4: look at Marilyn Monroe, look at Eartha kit look at
12:50
Speaker 4: Dorothy Dandridge, look at all of these people that had
12:54
Speaker 4: very intense stories regards to in regards to abuse and
12:59
Speaker 4: having to you know, go through their lives, which you know,
13:03
Speaker 4: a lot of them unfortunately had very tragic ends due
13:06
Speaker 4: to not being able to cope with all of that
13:09
Speaker 4: after a while, which you can, you know, And it's
13:13
Speaker 4: been a cycle that's been perpetrated, you know, for decades
13:16
Speaker 4: and decades and decades, and there hasn't been accountability. There
13:21
Speaker 4: hasn't been people that that felt that they could speak
13:24
Speaker 4: up fully regarding their stories regarding their pain up until
13:29
Speaker 4: honestly the past few years where you hear child stars
13:32
Speaker 4: finally saying, hey, this happened to me, and I'm tired
13:35
Speaker 4: of being silent about it and you know, being able
13:38
Speaker 4: to process through their trauma for however long they have
13:41
Speaker 4: been able to to be able to have the courage,
13:44
Speaker 4: because it takes a lot of courage to share your
13:47
Speaker 4: story after going through things like that, to be able
13:50
Speaker 4: to speak out and to say, hey, enough, we need
13:53
Speaker 4: to put this out into the light and something needs
13:56
Speaker 4: to change. And Visionary Woman Productions, that is something I'm
14:00
Speaker 4: very passionate about. I am, like I said, as a survivor,
14:04
Speaker 4: I'm very passionate and it refuses me every day to
14:06
Speaker 4: be able to help set protections in place for kids,
14:11
Speaker 4: for teens, for everyone on sets to be able to
14:14
Speaker 4: feel safe and comfortable and included on our sets. I
14:19
Speaker 4: take things very seriously from hiring. I'm very particular of
14:23
Speaker 4: the people that I'm hiring to make sure everyone is safe.
14:27
Speaker 4: I am very very particular regarding that. So that's something
14:32
Speaker 4: that I have put into place where I heavily vet
14:34
Speaker 4: people and make sure that even like their backgrounds, are
14:38
Speaker 4: you know, good to be on our.
14:40
Speaker 2: Sets because you know so, Ashley, I'm talking to Ashley
14:42
Speaker 2: Lauren a Rod of Visionary Woman Production. You know the
14:47
Speaker 2: volatility of you know, of the last going on five years.
14:52
Speaker 2: Is started with the death of the tragic death of
14:55
Speaker 2: George Floyd.
14:56
Speaker 1: Diversity, echoing inclusion exploded.
14:58
Speaker 2: Everybody said, hey, white people, go, hey, we got to
15:02
Speaker 2: see things from a different perspective. We have wrong black
15:05
Speaker 2: people or people of color. Let's give them equal footing.
15:08
Speaker 2: And then all of a sudden, by twenty one twenty two,
15:11
Speaker 2: the word woke popped up and all of a sudden,
15:15
Speaker 2: you know why we banning books popped up, and all
15:20
Speaker 2: of a sudden, you know, different waves of discontent, and
15:25
Speaker 2: it felt like we were suddenly under attack for just
15:29
Speaker 2: saying we want to equal footing right in your business
15:33
Speaker 2: and your company, your production company. Tell us the work
15:37
Speaker 2: process that weighed across you, the diversity equoing inclusion process
15:42
Speaker 2: that weighed across your company, and how did you deal
15:45
Speaker 2: with it and still dealing with it by the.
15:47
Speaker 4: Way, right, I mean, we've always been that and I've
15:51
Speaker 4: always been very vocal about how we need more diversity
15:56
Speaker 4: and inclusion and equity within the production space because we
16:01
Speaker 4: have a very long way to go. I have been
16:04
Speaker 4: in those casting you know CSA meetings, I've been, I've
16:07
Speaker 4: talked to you know, the DGA and PGA, and I've
16:10
Speaker 4: always been very vocal about this before it really honestly
16:13
Speaker 4: became a thing.
16:14
Speaker 1: You were talking before everybody else.
16:15
Speaker 3: Right now, Honestly I really was.
16:19
Speaker 2: I wouldn't hear the truth now because a lot of
16:21
Speaker 2: people act like this thing just jumped.
16:22
Speaker 1: Off last week, right.
16:24
Speaker 2: People have been screaming, especially the entertainment business. I always
16:27
Speaker 2: tell people about this. In the entertainment business, it has
16:30
Speaker 2: the most racially imbalanced format age discrimination, okay, and a
16:37
Speaker 2: gender discrimination. That's entertainment. And people have allowed this to happen.
16:42
Speaker 2: They could ask for just odd asked. The things they
16:45
Speaker 2: can do is for a black person who who don't
16:48
Speaker 2: like white people, and that's your casting description, right, and
16:51
Speaker 2: then people go, okay, fine, let's go find that person.
16:54
Speaker 2: Right and so, but when you look at the role
16:58
Speaker 2: of how people are starting to do it kind of
17:00
Speaker 2: like forcibly pull back, I will say the degree of
17:04
Speaker 2: integration even you said, Rashaan, I've been screaming.
17:09
Speaker 1: I've been hollering about this.
17:13
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17:16
Speaker 5: Money Making Conversations Masterclass. Welcome back to the Money Making
17:26
Speaker 5: Conversations Masterclass. Hosted by Rashan McDonald. Money Making Conversations Masterclass
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17:41
Speaker 1: Along the way.
17:42
Speaker 2: Have they started listening to you Ashley talk about that process?
17:47
Speaker 4: Yes, so yeah, they actually have. I mean sometimes I
17:51
Speaker 4: feel like I have probably lost clients because I you know,
17:56
Speaker 4: some people will literally come to me.
17:58
Speaker 3: And I actually just talked about this.
17:59
Speaker 4: It was a huge, huge threads conversation that blew up
18:03
Speaker 4: actually via Instagram that I posted because I said, hey,
18:07
Speaker 4: I work in production and one gal was saying, why
18:10
Speaker 4: is there only I feel like on every commercial only
18:13
Speaker 4: multi racial families. There's no just black families or just
18:17
Speaker 4: Asian or Native America. Like there's all it's either white
18:20
Speaker 4: or it's like they have to have you know, maybe
18:22
Speaker 4: one the blacks start.
18:23
Speaker 1: When did that start?
18:25
Speaker 2: It's not a commercial that runs nowadays that is black
18:29
Speaker 2: black or white white? Yeah, somebody's mixed. Who made that
18:33
Speaker 2: decision that that's the way we're going to promote commercials?
18:36
Speaker 1: Now?
18:37
Speaker 3: All right?
18:38
Speaker 4: I honestly, I feel like I've been casting a bunch
18:41
Speaker 4: of commercials for the past decade, and I feel like
18:43
Speaker 4: it started happening. Yeah, like over probably ten years ago.
18:47
Speaker 4: But also it's always in a format, always been a thing,
18:51
Speaker 4: you know, when it comes to even movies and television,
18:54
Speaker 4: you know, there's always there. I mean, colorism is a thing,
18:57
Speaker 4: and you know, you don't see too many like dark
19:00
Speaker 4: skinned you know, black men and women being able to
19:03
Speaker 4: be in those leads as much as we would like
19:05
Speaker 4: it outside of you know, specifically just black television, you know,
19:10
Speaker 4: and black films like black centric projects, and you know,
19:14
Speaker 4: you don't see like them leading in a mission impossible
19:17
Speaker 4: film or you know just even you know, psychological thrillers
19:21
Speaker 4: and horrors and stuff.
19:22
Speaker 2: Like that about elbows possibly beings exactly.
19:28
Speaker 1: He probably would look look, look, just take my name
19:31
Speaker 1: out of the.
19:31
Speaker 4: Hand right exactly. And that's crazy, you know, it's like
19:36
Speaker 4: we're in twenty twenty four. We should be in a
19:38
Speaker 4: position where that is acceptable beyond honestly, just Denzel Washington,
19:43
Speaker 4: who is you know, a dark skinned black man who
19:46
Speaker 4: was able to break through the mold and be that
19:48
Speaker 4: person that can do thrillers, can do sometimes horrors when
19:53
Speaker 4: he did when he started back in the day, and
19:55
Speaker 4: you know, dramas and pretty much anything he's one of
19:58
Speaker 4: the few that's actually mis because he's now yes exactly,
20:02
Speaker 4: he's been able to break the mold all of these years.
20:06
Speaker 4: But that's very far and few between when you compare
20:09
Speaker 4: that to our white counterparts. And I have been in
20:14
Speaker 4: these meetings where people have accepted and you know, taken
20:17
Speaker 4: a look at my suggestions of different people different casting choices,
20:23
Speaker 4: because they have brought me specs and said, oh, we
20:25
Speaker 4: went X, Y Z or we're interested in these celebrities
20:29
Speaker 4: and they've all been white for pretty much, and me
20:32
Speaker 4: being like, hey, you know, this is a horror and
20:37
Speaker 4: this actually happened. It was a horror film, a psychological horror,
20:41
Speaker 4: and you know, everyone was predominantly white at first, and
20:45
Speaker 4: I just said, hey, you know it's this was in
20:47
Speaker 4: twenty twenty three, and I was like, this, it's twenty
20:50
Speaker 4: twenty three. You know, people are looking for diversity. You know,
20:53
Speaker 4: people of my community love these movies as well, and
20:58
Speaker 4: we can have other ethnicities in these types of congress rights. Yeah,
21:07
Speaker 4: but it's like, you know, but it's like you know,
21:10
Speaker 4: we there are there is a huge following with these
21:13
Speaker 4: genres from our community. I know because I'm a part
21:16
Speaker 4: of a lot of the groups, and it's like they
21:18
Speaker 4: love thrillers, they love mysteries, they love whoores, and it's
21:22
Speaker 4: like they want to be included too. So I put
21:25
Speaker 4: I presented that to them, and they actually did take
21:28
Speaker 4: my advice and they ended up making it a pretty
21:30
Speaker 4: diverse film, which was incredible. They really did follow a
21:34
Speaker 4: lot of what I said, and they were very sensitive
21:36
Speaker 4: to certain things that needed to be changed in the script,
21:39
Speaker 4: which was great. But that doesn't happen all the time,
21:43
Speaker 4: you know. I've definitely lost clients before who One person
21:48
Speaker 4: was trying to do a Joseph movie on the story
21:50
Speaker 4: of Joseph from his perspective with having Jesus and in
21:55
Speaker 4: that whole situation and story. Cool script, interesting perspective to
22:00
Speaker 4: go from, which I was excited about. But they were
22:03
Speaker 4: looking for white people to be the lead characters.
22:07
Speaker 1: And I said, hey, I heard, yeah, I.
22:11
Speaker 4: Said, Jesus none of them were like whites. I tell you,
22:14
Speaker 4: I have to just say that straight up, like this
22:17
Speaker 4: was one. I think this was the twenty twenty twenty
22:18
Speaker 4: twenty one. I was like, this is a very sensitive time.
22:21
Speaker 4: People are looking for actual authenticity in these films. There
22:25
Speaker 4: are so many great wonderful Middle Eastern actors that I
22:29
Speaker 4: can give you a list of right now who would
22:32
Speaker 4: be phenomenal in these roles and adequate and accurate for them,
22:37
Speaker 4: and I never heard from them again.
22:39
Speaker 2: Well, you know the thing about it, That's why I
22:41
Speaker 2: wanted to bring you on my show, because you know,
22:43
Speaker 2: I talk about industry. I've never talked into the entertainment side,
22:47
Speaker 2: something that has been a major part of my life.
22:49
Speaker 1: You know, a sitcom, right. I know the power of writing.
22:52
Speaker 2: I know the power of casting because I've been fortunate
22:55
Speaker 2: to I've cast you know, Gabrielle Union have cast many,
22:59
Speaker 2: many people from from lo Lanthony, from Kim Woodley to
23:05
Speaker 2: Sherry Shepherd to Chris Spencer, all these people just the
23:10
Speaker 2: name of few.
23:11
Speaker 1: So I know the power what you can do.
23:13
Speaker 2: And when you when you're writing for stars like Monique
23:16
Speaker 2: and Robert Towns, and then Jamie Fox and Tia and
23:19
Speaker 2: Tomorrow Mari and Senior Hall and Steve Harvey, then you
23:23
Speaker 2: realize that you can position people to look look at
23:28
Speaker 2: things a certain way and feel a certain way about
23:31
Speaker 2: a particular character, and then that walks away with expectations
23:34
Speaker 2: what they think these people are on the streets.
23:38
Speaker 1: And so when I look at what you're doing, which.
23:40
Speaker 2: Is even more incredible because of the fact that it's imagery.
23:43
Speaker 2: It's imagerying what people expect in their philosophy, what they want,
23:49
Speaker 2: and then you, being strong enough to have before, say
23:54
Speaker 2: can I just say something?
23:55
Speaker 1: Now? I know raising that finger? Can I say something finger?
24:00
Speaker 1: How much courage does it take as ley the race
24:03
Speaker 1: that can I say something finger?
24:05
Speaker 2: Yes?
24:05
Speaker 4: I mean it definitely takes a lot of courage. Like
24:08
Speaker 4: I said, I've been in those meetings where you know,
24:11
Speaker 4: you know, if you do say this out loud.
24:14
Speaker 3: It's a potential that you'll lose that client.
24:16
Speaker 4: And like I said, I have lost clients before by
24:20
Speaker 4: speaking up and raising that finger. But I don't regret
24:23
Speaker 4: it because it's something that has to be done. I'm
24:26
Speaker 4: a person that's always been a person of justice and
24:32
Speaker 4: truth and that's something that I want to see ingrain
24:35
Speaker 4: more in our world, in every community and every space
24:39
Speaker 4: and every business. And I know that we have such
24:42
Speaker 4: a far away to go, and I want to be,
24:46
Speaker 4: you know, a part of leading the charge when it
24:49
Speaker 4: comes to propelling it along.
24:51
Speaker 3: A little bit faster in any way that I can.
24:55
Speaker 2: Now I get a lot of questions from people you
24:57
Speaker 2: know and running RuSHA to get into business their late
25:01
Speaker 2: thirties forties, really in the late forties. Yes, is there
25:05
Speaker 2: an opportunity for people in their late thirties or forties
25:08
Speaker 2: to get into entertainment business and be successful?
25:12
Speaker 4: Yes, and absolutely, one hundred percent is possible.
25:18
Speaker 3: I will give you my father as an example.
25:21
Speaker 4: Okay, yes, he was. He retired. Like I said, he
25:26
Speaker 4: was an educator. He worked his way from a teacher
25:28
Speaker 4: to a superintendent over thirty years. He had done like
25:31
Speaker 4: one play and one like modeling gig, random modeling gig.
25:35
Speaker 3: Oh, yeah, it actually was.
25:37
Speaker 4: It was for Texas Instruments calculators way back in the day.
25:42
Speaker 3: When he was a teacher.
25:44
Speaker 1: He got good. Yeah, I'm challenged, really, I'm jealous to
25:47
Speaker 1: the model.
25:48
Speaker 3: Yeah, he got a modeling gig. And it was like
25:50
Speaker 3: when he was a teacher.
25:51
Speaker 4: They chose them for the Texas Instruments to be on
25:55
Speaker 4: a magazine, for the actual Texas Texas Instruments magazine when
25:59
Speaker 4: they had it back in the day to go out
26:01
Speaker 4: to all the schools and I had a billboard and stuff.
26:03
Speaker 4: So that's the only thing he had ever done. And
26:07
Speaker 4: throughout the years, Like when I would he would drop
26:09
Speaker 4: me off of my agency to do a tape or
26:12
Speaker 4: something or do a go see, and he would stick around.
26:15
Speaker 4: My agent always did say she was like, your dad,
26:18
Speaker 4: I always think he's one of the models because he's
26:20
Speaker 4: just so good looking, Like he's just he should really
26:26
Speaker 4: because now, but he always thought these compliments. I mean,
26:32
Speaker 4: it was crazy. Everybody always was like, your dad really
26:35
Speaker 4: should be on TV, and you know.
26:37
Speaker 3: It was not. It was far for his lid.
26:40
Speaker 4: Yeah, well so he actually just retired. But the past
26:43
Speaker 4: six years he was very successful. And my dad is
26:47
Speaker 4: now seventy four and he got started over six years
26:51
Speaker 4: ago before I moved to New York, and he, you know,
26:53
Speaker 4: he was bored. He was getting a little depressed because
26:56
Speaker 4: he wasn't working anymore.
26:57
Speaker 3: And that's something that you.
26:59
Speaker 4: Know, I don't think it's talked about enough when people
27:01
Speaker 4: end up having to retire, that they do get depressed.
27:04
Speaker 4: They go through a withdrawal of not feeling needed in
27:08
Speaker 4: the big way that they were with their purpose. And
27:11
Speaker 4: my dad was a very inspiring educator at the school
27:14
Speaker 4: district and really really led it to be honest in
27:18
Speaker 4: many ways, and these kids, even adults to this day.
27:21
Speaker 4: He'll he'll run into them on the street and they'll
27:23
Speaker 4: be like, mister l Rod, oh my god, Like you
27:25
Speaker 4: changed my life, you know when I was a teenager,
27:28
Speaker 4: and you you know, you really whip me into shape,
27:31
Speaker 4: you know, because he was really good with the inner
27:32
Speaker 4: city kids who were coming to the suburbs because my
27:35
Speaker 4: dad grew up in the ghetto. So you know, he
27:37
Speaker 4: grew up in Kabrini Green in Chicago, and he had
27:40
Speaker 4: that vibe, right, yeah, like he grew up in the
27:43
Speaker 4: real hood, like he went.
27:44
Speaker 1: Around television hood.
27:46
Speaker 4: Yeah, like actually, and you know migrated from the you know,
27:50
Speaker 4: the depths of Mississippi to Chicago, and you know, his
27:53
Speaker 4: story is wild, but you know, he had that vibe
27:57
Speaker 4: with the kids, so he was very inspirational. And not
28:00
Speaker 4: having that need fulfilled anymore for him, you know, really
28:03
Speaker 4: kind of put him down in the dumps a little bit.
28:05
Speaker 4: So I just was like, you know what I was like, Dad,
28:09
Speaker 4: everyone keeps saying that you would be good on TV,
28:12
Speaker 4: and like you should model and everything. Why don't we
28:14
Speaker 4: just try it, Like I'll take some headshots for you.
28:17
Speaker 4: I'll submit them to a few agencies and we'll just
28:20
Speaker 4: see how it goes and at first he was very,
28:23
Speaker 4: very hesitant, and he was like, no, I don't want
28:25
Speaker 4: to do that, that's your thing. No, And then finally
28:29
Speaker 4: I broke him and I took his headshots. And then
28:33
Speaker 4: there happened to be a modeling ghostye for one of
28:36
Speaker 4: the big agencies that I knew for many years. And
28:39
Speaker 4: I was like, you should go, just go and see
28:41
Speaker 4: what she says and see what happens. Instantly she signed him,
28:45
Speaker 4: like right away on the spot. And I mean, when
28:49
Speaker 4: I tell you, this man took was booking more than
28:53
Speaker 4: I was, because I'm still acting myself, and I swear.
28:57
Speaker 3: I was like, what is happening?
28:59
Speaker 4: He was booking like multiple gigs a week, like before
29:04
Speaker 4: he graduated or graduated before he retired. He you know,
29:09
Speaker 4: got SAG after eligible. He did different multiple national commercials
29:14
Speaker 4: and had billboards.
29:16
Speaker 3: I mean, a.
29:17
Speaker 4: Wild six years, the best six years anyone could have
29:20
Speaker 4: had at that age sixty plus, right, And.
29:24
Speaker 2: So you're sat Rashwan, there's a dream for you, Yes,
29:28
Speaker 2: Like the elderly lady was in Black Panther, you know,
29:31
Speaker 2: yeah in Atlanta. You know they cast her in that role.
29:33
Speaker 2: So you know, because I always tell people that you know,
29:35
Speaker 2: never stop, never.
29:36
Speaker 1: Let age be an excuse.
29:38
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, because a lot of people get fifty sixty. Well,
29:41
Speaker 2: you know, I'm just gonna pack it in, and pack
29:43
Speaker 2: it in.
29:44
Speaker 1: Does leave.
29:44
Speaker 2: The depression does leave to a different level of stress
29:47
Speaker 2: because we're in the mental a world that just keeps
29:51
Speaker 2: evolving and information that is being pushed down our throat
29:54
Speaker 2: even if we don't want it on a daily basis
29:56
Speaker 2: through your cell phone. Used to be talking on your phone,
29:59
Speaker 2: now you're the cell phone could be a distraction with
30:02
Speaker 2: notifications and things of that nature. But I really, you know,
30:07
Speaker 2: bringing you on the show was important to me because
30:10
Speaker 2: I always want to share stories of entrepreneurship and your
30:13
Speaker 2: side of being an entertainer, your side of being having
30:16
Speaker 2: a voice, and also giving some notes of advice for
30:20
Speaker 2: people who think it's such a cool deal to be
30:23
Speaker 2: an entertainer, a deal of opportunity, and it is, but.
30:28
Speaker 1: Bod the pit palls are ugly and closing.
30:31
Speaker 2: Actually, what would you recommend or what advice would you
30:34
Speaker 2: give your Secrets to success?
30:38
Speaker 3: Secrets of success?
30:39
Speaker 4: Oh my gosh, I feel like I'm a hard on myself,
30:43
Speaker 4: so I'm always like I.
30:44
Speaker 3: There's so much more to do.
30:45
Speaker 4: But I think the biggest secrets to success is always
30:50
Speaker 4: being available and adaptable to the pivots of life. I think,
30:58
Speaker 4: especially as we continue to go throughout this crazy world
31:00
Speaker 4: that we're in, it's very important to learn to do
31:04
Speaker 4: that because you never know when the market is going
31:10
Speaker 4: to change, and you know things are going to get
31:13
Speaker 4: a little bit harder, and it's always best to understand
31:17
Speaker 4: how to pivot, but also to prepare as best as
31:20
Speaker 4: possible for those things, especially in entrepreneurship and being a creative.
31:25
Speaker 4: Something that I am working towards helping hopefully more creatives
31:30
Speaker 4: do in the next year is really learn how to
31:34
Speaker 4: be smart with your finances and to understand you know,
31:38
Speaker 4: how to form your LLCs and how that's a benefit
31:41
Speaker 4: for taxes, and being able to make sure you're keeping
31:45
Speaker 4: yourself covered and prepared for those rainy days. I think
31:49
Speaker 4: that's the biggest secret to success that will never go
31:53
Speaker 4: out of style, is being prepared and always.
31:58
Speaker 3: Learning how to lean.
31:59
Speaker 4: Into those pivots, because it's always there's always going to
32:02
Speaker 4: be a pivot. Things are always going to be changing.
32:04
Speaker 4: Who knows what the entertainment industry is going to look
32:07
Speaker 4: like in the next even two years. You know, we've
32:11
Speaker 4: seen the strikes, We've seen the detrimental effects that the
32:14
Speaker 4: strikes are still having right now, and you know, hopefully
32:18
Speaker 4: people are saying in twenty twenty five, you know, things
32:21
Speaker 4: will get a little bit better, but they're still honestly
32:25
Speaker 4: scraping the ground trying to figure out what happened. You know,
32:28
Speaker 4: these higher ups at these at these executives and you
32:30
Speaker 4: know at these at these networks. So it's always it's
32:34
Speaker 4: important for us to be able to learn how to
32:36
Speaker 4: create our own things for ourselves that we can profit
32:40
Speaker 4: off of for the foreseeable future and not rely on
32:45
Speaker 4: just pitching to these big execs and trying to work
32:47
Speaker 4: at Netflix or Paramount. But being able to actually create
32:51
Speaker 4: something for ourselves is very important, and I think that's
32:54
Speaker 4: a big secret to success.
32:55
Speaker 2: She's visionary. That's name of visionary, warm production that tieses
32:59
Speaker 2: hefing Ashley. I appreciate you coming on the show. Her
33:03
Speaker 2: real name Ashley Lauren er Rod. And you know her
33:06
Speaker 2: dad after just left Roushon in the Dust Boy Chicago,
33:12
Speaker 2: Richard Romfrey looking dude.
33:14
Speaker 1: That was a dad, looked like Richard rot.
33:16
Speaker 2: He was the everyday man Jack Beauty of the week,
33:20
Speaker 2: handsome of the week.
33:21
Speaker 1: He was making new to finding new parts out there.
33:24
Speaker 2: But again, thank you for coming on Money Making Conversation
33:26
Speaker 2: Master Class show.
33:27
Speaker 1: I appreciate you.
33:28
Speaker 3: Thank you so much. I really appreciate you as well. Resigned.
33:31
Speaker 4: Thank you.
33:32
Speaker 2: This has been another edition of Money Making Conversation Masterclass
33:35
Speaker 2: hosted by me Rushawn McDonald. Thank you to our guests
33:38
Speaker 2: on the show today and thank you listening to audience now.
33:42
Speaker 2: If you want to listen to any episode I want
33:44
Speaker 2: to be a guest on the show, visit Moneymaking Conversations
33:47
Speaker 2: dot com.
33:48
Speaker 1: Our social media handle is money Making Conversation. Join us
33:51
Speaker 1: next week and remember to always leave with your gifts.
33:54
Speaker 1: Keep winning the