Page 35 - Winter/Spring 2015 Issue

HM: We hear stories all the time of people who try for years and never make it in show business, and then we hear about those “overnight sensations”. How hard was it for you to break into Hollywood?
Though I started working in show business right after college, it took me eight years to land a job working as a television writer, which was my dream. This is a very tough business. Breaking into Hollywood will show you who you really are real fast. It will serve as a Litmus Test for your talent, your drive, your character, and everything else you think you know about yourself. It will make you or break you. That’s why you shouldn’t get into this business solely for the money. Not worth it. Go to law school. Go to medical school. You have better odds of becoming a lawyer or a doctor than a successful TV or film producer, director, writer or actor.
industry African-Americans do in the name of “making it”, in the name of being “The Only One” (as in The Only Black Person) at the company to reach the summit. I knew being this way would likely limit how high I would fly in my career. But I’m ok with that because every day, when I wake up, I want to look in the mirror and feel good about whose looking back at me before I leave my house.
HM: What advice would you give to those who dream of being in the industry?

As I said before, don’t do this for the money. If you’re really good at what you do, become a student of the industry, network, keep a positive attitude at all times, help others along the way, become enterprising, keep your eyes/ears/mind open, and pray for God’s favor-- you’ll eventually make your money. It will come. But, I repeat, DON’T GET INTO SHOW BIZ JUST FOR THE MONEY. Do it because you love it so much, it keeps you up at night. It’s also important to help others when you can as you climb and, definitely, when you arrive. If you’re only in it for yourself, it’s a tougher climb since, at some point and often more than once, we all need help scaling the wall of success. So it’s karmic that we help others along the way.
HM: What motivates you to do what you do in the entertainment industry?

I love telling stories, working with actors and seeing my ideas realized on stage or the big or small screen. I love living out my dream as a writer which, for me, is the ultimate fantasy. This is a business where you constantly have to prove yourself, even when you’ve had some success.
HM: Your accomplishments read like a video game. They’re off the charts and cover PR, print journalism, electronic journalism, publishing, theater, TV, film and the Internet. You’ve done enough for two lifetimes. What is the source of your drive and how do you stay focused?
First of all, no matter how tough things might sometimes get from time to time in such an up and down industry, I know that I’m truly blessed to make a living as a writer. That’s a huge source of my drive, always has been. My drive also comes from my parents who came to America from Africa in the ‘60s, raised four kids, went to college, worked full-time (sometimes pulling double-shifts), and bought a house -- all at the same time; never missed a parent conference meeting at the school, never too tired to cook so their kids could eat, never too tired to help you with your homework, and never too tired to beat you like a drum if you talked back or acted up (laughs). That’s an insane

But if you are fortunate enough to make it, to earn a living doing this, it’s one of the greatest jobs you can have. Anytime you can make a living doing what you love, where people describe you by your passion instead of your day job, that’s truly a privilege. I never forget that. I never forget what I saw Magic say on TV when I was 14 and he was a 19-year old rookie in the NBA. As for why some people toil and don’t achieve their goal in the industry, the easy answer is to say they did this wrong or that they didn’t network right or that they were too ambitious or not ambitious enough. Anytime you don’t make it, there’s always someone waiting to pin the blame on you.

In my 29 years working in Hollywood, I’ve known quite a few talented, worthy, hard working people who, for whatever reason, didn’t live up to their potential; didn’t reach their goal. And it wasn’t always their fault. Sometimes, it’s not in the cards. You’ve done your best, things just didn’t work out, and that’s okay. At least you took a shot. I’d rather be the guy who tried and never quite got there than the guy who played it safe his whole life and never took a chance.
HM: How do you maintain your integrity in such a competitive, at times cut throat, and sometimes unscrupulous industry?

You have to make that decision early in your climb. I made mine at 23 after reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X. I decided that I wanted to make it but not at all costs. I decided that there are things I would not do in the name of making it, in the name of becoming successful. I would not bullshit my way to the top; I would not backstab my way to the top; I would not disassociate myself from networking with or mentoring other Blacks that I meet along my journey as I have sometimes seen other ambitious

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