The AAFCA Podcast: Recent Episodes
AAFCA
The AAFCA Podcast highlights the cinematic experience through conversations with leading talent, creatives, and filmmakers, as well as leaders from the various communities, the entertainment industry, and prominent thought leaders. Hosted by Ed Adams, the podcast is produced by the African American Film Critics Association.
In this episode of the AAFCA Podcast host Ed Adams speaks with Ikem Chukumerije, one of Hollywood's top real estate agents. We discuss how he got into the business, what are some the myths surrounding the market in LA, and about his agency, The Sports Relocation Agency
In this episode of the AAFCA Podcast, Host Ed Adams chats with President and Literary Agent, Gloria Loomis of The Watkins/Loomis Agency about the role of the literary agent, and how they work with their clients to bring their works from print to film and television.
Barbie was one of the biggest movies of 2023 and in this episode, host Ed Adams speaks with fashion and toy designer, Stephen Sumner at MGA Entertainment about the toy business, intellectual properties, and what Barbie the iconic doll and the film so special.
In this episode of the AAFCA Podcast, Host Ed Adams explores the in flight entertainment and connectivity industry with Catherine McDaniel, Lead Content Curator - Movies for Delta Studio.
AAFCA celebrates the Special Achievement TV Vanguard Award winner. Host Ed Adams speaks with President and CEO of Hallmark Media, Wonya Lucas about her amazing career, lessons she's learned throughout her journey and advice she gained from her legendary father Bill Lucas and her uncle Hank Aaron.
AAFCA highlights a Special Achievement award winner. Ed Adams speaks with TriStar Television Executive Vice President, Jennifer Turner about her journey to her role, and her passion project, Mad Cool Community and Fitness.
Season 5 of the AAFCA Podcast kicks off with a discussion about 'The Black Beauty Effect'. This three-part docu-series focuses on the history and impact people of color have had on the cosmetic, hair, and skin care industry. This passion project was a collaboration of producers Andrea Lewis and CJ Faison who helm the project.
In this episode of the AAFCA Podcast, host Ed Adams speaks with former TMZ host, Van Lathan about his move from Louisiana to Los Angeles, his experiences at TMZ and the many projects he's done since leaving the show, including a new book and an Oscar and AAFCA-winning short, "Two Distant Strangers".
In this episode host Ed Adams speaks with NFL athlete turned filmmaker Matthew A. Cherry about his Academy Award-winning animated short, "Hair Love" and other film and television projects.
In this episode of the AAFCA Podcast, host Ed Adams speaks with Deon Taylor and Ephraim Salaam, two lifelong friends who charted their own, unique paths from sports into the entertainment industry. Deon, left his career in basketball to start his own production company, Hidden Empire Film Group and has written, directed, and produced several films and television shows. Ephraim left a successful career in the NFL and became a writer - working his way from the bottom up, his recent project was the hit series "Bel-Air" on Peacock.
In this episode of The AAFCA Podcast, host Ed Adams speaks with architect and designer Kulapat Yantrasast, Creative Director at WHY about the exhibit design contributions for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
To kick off season four of The AAFCA Podcast, host Ed Adams speaks with NFL great and entertainment multi-hyphenate, Michael Strahan about his career, his motivations, and his company SMAC Entertainment.
Rich Kleiman is not new to the entertainment business. He started out in the music industry working for Jay-Z and RocNation representing several artist in their portfolio and produced his first film – the concert film, “Fade to Black” in 2004. Fast forward to 2016, NBA MVP Kevin Durant and Kleiman start Thirty-Five Ventures, the umbrella company for all their business interests across sports, tech, and culture.
Thirty-Five Ventures made a splash in Hollywood with the release of their groundbreaking, award-winning documentary, “Q Ball’ in 2019. Since then, the company has released several film and television projects with more on the way including the company’s first scripted feature series, “Swagger”.
Stephen Curry may be known as the best shooter in the NBA but in Hollywood he is making headlines for his pitches. Since forming his production company Unanimous Media in 2018, Curry and his business partner Erick Peyton have blazed a path creating uplifting content in film, television, and podcasts.
Peyton has literally been creating content most of his life with several producing and directing credits to his name, the Florida native, along with his partner, Curry, have a vision with the purpose to tell unique stories and bring inspirational content to every single media channel.
Suzan-Lori Parks rose to prominence in the theatrical world when her play, Topdog Underdog won a Pulitzer Prize in 2002. She wrote her first screenplay, “Girl 6” directed by and starring Spike Lee in 1996 and has several film projects to her credit including the adaptation of Richard Wright’s “Native Son” for HBO. For her two recent projects, "Genius: Aretha" for NatGeo and "The United States vs. Billie Holiday", Suzan Lori dives deep into the lives and voices of two legendary singers.
“Genius: Aretha” is the latest addition to the Genius series by NatGeo. The eight-part series tells the story of Aretha’s rise from her gospel and jazz roots to become the legendary ‘Queen of Soul’. The series was also produced by Suzan-Lori. The series was directed by Anthony Hemingway and starts Cynthia Erivo as Aretha Franklin, Malcolm Barret, David Cross, and Courtney B Vance.
The AAFCA Award winning film "The United States vs. Billie Holiday" was directed by Lee Daniels and stars Andra Day as Holiday, Trevante Rhodes, and Garret Hedlund.
NBA phenom LeBron James and his Manager/Business partner, Maverick Carter founded SpringHill entertainment in 2007. Their first project, a documentary, “More Than a Game” in 2008 followed James and his Akron, Ohio high school teammates through the ups and downs of high school basketball, and ultimately his journey to fame. Since then, the company – now known as The SpringHill Company has grown with more than 30 projects under their belt with several more on the way.
Actors Lena Waithe and Naomi Ackie talk about the new season of Netflix's award-winning comedy series, "Master of None." The season focuses on the marriage of Denise (Waithe) and Alicia (Ackie) as their relationship takes a rollercoaster ride when the two decide to conceive. All episodes of season 3 are currently streaming on Netflix.
As Black Lives Matter stories and "Living while black" surfaced across the United States, people took to the streets in protest. And this chant was said in unison around the world.
One of the people who captured this Black Lives Matter movement in the U,K. was photographer Nisan Harriman.
Harriman’s took to the street and shared amazing images of frustration, anger, unity, and hope that went viral.
Harriman is no stranger to this. He has an eye for narrative and has been taking compelling historic photos, celebrity portraits, and magazine editorial for some time now. He’s shot such notables as Tom Cruise, Giorgio Armani, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Cate Blanchett and Olivia Colman. His photos have been featured in the pages of Vanity Fair, British GQ, Harper's Bazaar, and People magazine to name a few and he made history as the first black man to shoot the Vogue UK September issue in 2020.
Focus groups are an integral part of the studio business. Everything is tested, and I mean everything. Networks test show pilots, movies, trailers, even posters are brought before everyday Janes and Joes so executives can give the thumbs up or thumbs down on the projects in their lineup. This information helps them decide what movies we will see in theaters, what shows make the fall line up, and what commercials will air during the Superbowl.
But as the industry had to adjust its model for production and distribution during 2020, Invoke, a tech driven marketing research company, leveraged their technology to take the once in person fact finding research sessions of focus groups - and made them virtual. What Invoke is doing is groundbreaking. In these virtual focus groups participants use their phones and tablets to interact while watching content, and provide data insights in real time for studio executives, producers, and directors.
To understand all this we need to go behind the curtain and talk to the wizard herself, CEO of Invoke, Gigi Wang. Wang has helmed Invoke for over four years and has spent her career in technology, consulting and marketing research. I recently spoke the Gigi Wang to learn what drew an up-and-coming engineer to marketing research, the ins and outs of virtual focus groups, and some life lessons she’s learned along the way.
Ava Duverney’s company, ARRAY does more than just produce amazing film. In fact the company distributes independent film and is a resource collective comprised of arts advocacy organizations, volunteers, and donors from around the world with one goal: to amplify films by people of color and women of all kinds.
Since its creation in 2010, Array has elevated independent film voices distributing over thirty projects including the 2011 Sundance Award Winning KINYARWANDA, Ava Duverney’s 2012 Film, the award winning “Middle of Nowhere”, “Vaya,” the 2016 Africa Academy Award winner directed by Directed by Akin Omotoso, The Emmy Winning documentary “13th” and the revealing documentary “They’ve Gotta have Us” in 2020.
The person who has been in lock step with Ava Duverney throughout this journey from the beginning has been Tilane Jones. Jones, has been working as a producer for over a decade not only oversees the company’s many releases, but also oversees the Array Alliance, the non profit dedicated to social impact and education and the ARRAY Creative Campus that provides production support for up and coming filmmakers. We spoke to Tilane about her role at ARRAY, her journey as a producer, and what lessons learned during the Pandemic.
When it comes to capturing the black experience in film only one name comes to mind and that’s Sam Pollard.
Pollard has been telling Black and other stories for over thirty years. His first project: "Eyes On the Prize 2: America At the Racial Crossroads" won him an Emmy. Since then he’s produced, directed, and edited so many crucial stories including the Peabody award-winning I’ll Make Me a World: Stories of African-American Artists and Community" and Spike Lee’s "If God Willing and the Creek Don’t Rise" for HBO.
Sam Pollard's resume is extensive with over 100 credits as a producer, director and editor. His latest project is the film "MLK/FBI" that takes a deep dive into the contemptuous relationship between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and FBI Director J Edgar Hoover’s efforts to stop the civil rights movement.
Hair and makeup is an essential part of how we look at a film. It helps us to visually capture the character – encapsulating the overall look of them and the memorable moments that we see them in. Whether it’s a young woman going on her first date; An African king fighting to save his throne, or a family fighting to survive the unknown. We remember them from top to bottom including their hair. To help understand what goes into hairstyling for film, I only had to speak to one person Camille Friend. Camille is an award-winning hairstylist who has worked in the industry in both TV and Film for over 20 years. She has worked on some of the past decades most iconic and block buster films. Check out a few projects she has worked on. 8 Mile, Ray, Coach Carter, Dream Girls, The Help, The Hangover, Django Unchained, Black Panther, The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 1, House of Lies, Glass, The Hateful Eight, and Us - and that’s just the tip of the iceberg!
Recently I had the pleasure to chat with Camille via Skype to discuss the hair business, how she got started and what it takes to make it in the industry.
Check out Camille’s IMDB page to see her complete filmography and if you are interested in learning more about Camille’s Hair Scholars classes, visit her website at www.hairscholars.com or visit the programs' Facebook or Instagram page.
When watching a film its easy to pick out the craft of the actors, or the vision of the director. We can even deep dive into the lens of the cinematographer and music composer. But actually when we look at a film the one person we see and don’t see is the film editor. As a journalist, I know first hand how important it is to have an editor put their eyes on my work and fine tune it—and for film, this is no different.
Terilyn Shropshire is an award-winning film editor with over twenty years experience working in both film and television. She has worked on films including Eve’s Bayou, Love & Basketball, Sparkle, Beyond the Lights, and the Secret Life of Bees. She has also worked on television series Quantico, Cloak & Dagger, and most recently the award winning Netflix series, When they See Us.
I spoke with Terilyn recently via Skype to discuss her role as a film editor, her projects, and her movie making process.
Music, for most of us, it’s an integral part of our lives. Whether singing along to your favorite jams in your car; or comforting you in times of need. And for film, it’s no different. Film scoring is an integral part of the cinematic process—it’s the undertone that sets the mood and energy for both film and television. To get a good understanding of what goes into film scoring I only had to reach out to one person, the amazing Kathryn Bostic.
The award-winning composer and songwriter lends her talents to a number of films, television shows and theatrical productions over the years including the documentary Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am. Where she not only composed the score, but produced the original song – High Above the Water
I spoke with Kathryn recently via skype to understand her process, her inspirations, and her recent projects.
"Clemency" directed by Chinonye Chukwu and stars Afrie Woodard and Aldis Hodges is currently in theaters so check your local listings, and you can see "Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am" on Amazon Prime Video.
If you didn’t know, every lamp, curtain, wall color, car, and fixture is selected by the production designer and team. It can be as small as finding the right rural home in the case of Dark Waters, or building a fictional country and every single element within it in films like Black Panther. Every visual in this exercise was created by production designer Hannah Beachler.
Beachler has been building worlds like this for over a decade with movies like Creed, Moonlight, Black Panther, Beyonce’s Lemonade, and her latest film Dark Waters to her credit. Now to get an understanding the anatomy of her process and design principles I had a conversation with Hannah via Skype for this informative masterclass about her creative process and inspirations.
In the film "The Obituary of Tunde Johnson," the audience is exposed to final day in the life of a young, middle class, Nigerian American man, coping with the issues that affect his movements leading up to his death. But the film flips the script and Tunde must relive this tragedy over and over again. This "reset" theme is not uncommon in Hollywood, no. But writer Stanley Kalu's fresh approach to dealing with self acceptance and self value are a refreshing spin to the trope.
"The Obituary of Tunde Johnson" was directed by writer, director, and producer Ali LeRoi. Known best for his award-winning sitcom, "Everybody Hates Chris," LeRoi offers a surreal lens to this gripping, fantastical, coming-of-age film. "The Obituary of Tunde Johnson" stars Steven Silver, Spencer Neville, and Nicola Peltz.
When it comes to who’s who in Hollywood, there is one producer that comes to mind – Debra Martin Chase. Debra is one of the most successful producers in the business with a filmography of box office wins for over 20 years. Films like “Courage Under Fire”, “Just Wright”, and “The Princess Diaries along with TV film phenoms like “The Cheetah Girl” franchise are just a few of her projects. She talks to me about her work and her latest film, "Harriet".
Imagine if you will, you are watching kids shows on television with your children and after a while you notice something is missing. You don’t see a lot of girls in kids programming. So, you start counting, and quickly realize kids programming lacks representation. You continue your research only to discover this omission of inclusion is consistent across the spectrum in both television and film. Well that’s exactly what Academy Award-winning actress Geena Davis did. After discovering this lack of representation in kids programming, she decided to do something about it and launched the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media in 2004.
This episode of the AAFCA podcast we speak with Madeline Di Nonno, CEO of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media And leads the Institute’s strategic direction. Madeline has over 30 years of experience in media marketing and business development in non-profit, entertainment, digital media, and consumer goods. She has worked for media companies including, Anchor Bay Entertainment, Starz Media, Nielson EDI, the Hallmark Channel, Universal Studios Home Video, and ABC Television to name a few.
Madeline was the keynote speaker at AAFCA’s Celebrate Women in Media event at the Auburn Avenue Research Library in Atlanta, Georgia. The Geena Benchmark Report is available to download on the institute’s website (http://seejane.org).
“The Burial of Kojo” is an independent film that has critics buzzing around the world. It is also a New York Times critics pick, and will be available for streaming on Netflix starting March 31st. The film is a story of two Ghanaian brothers, wrapped in an intricate dance of revenge, remorse, survival, and hope. This film is a visual spectacle full of fantasy, social commentary and national pride.
This film marks the directorial debut of Samuel Blitz Bazawule a.k.a. Blitz the Ambassador, a Ghanaian artist in every sense of the word. Blitz has been speaking his truth for some time with four albums and four eps under his belt. On top of that he designs his own covers, directs his own music videos, and has created two short films: “Native Son’ in 2011 and “Diasporadical Triologia” in 2016.
To bring his vision to screens around the world, Blitz used his own money from his music career and ran a Kickstarter campaign to raise the funds to complete his film.
“The Burial of Kojo” stars Joseph Otsiman, Kobina Amissah-Sam, Joe Addo, and Ama K Abebrese .
Links:
"The Burial of Kojo" soundtrack on Soundcloud
Blitz the Ambassador on Twitter (@BlitzAmbassador)
Array Films official website
Africa Film Society website
Africa Film Society on Twitter (@AfricaFilmSoc)
When we think of silent film, it is easy to point out the works of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Erich Von Stroheim, and DW Griffith. Their collected work delighted audiences around the country and helped shape the story and spirit of America From a white male point of view that is.
In this episode we speak with producer, Bret Wood on his two collections: Pioneers in African-American Cinema, and Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers. Each collection contains over 20 hours of rare movies, film clips, interviews, and commentary about the diverse people who chronicled the history and creative spirit of Americans.
Learn more about Kino Lorber by visiting their website: http://kinolorber.com.
"What Men Want" is not a sequel but it is loosely based on the film “What Women Want” from 2000 that starred Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt. In that version, Nick, played by Gibson, is a chauvinistic ad executive who is struck by electricity and gains the ability to hear what women think. But In this smart, updated, and more diverse version, it’s the women’s turn to uncover what goes on inside a man’s head. In the film, Taraji P Henson plays Ali Davis, a winner-take-all sports agent who gains the ability to hear men’s thoughts and uses that ability to her advantage in a male-centric profession. It is not until she meets Will (Aldis Hodge) that she learns to let down her guard and listens to what they are truly saying. The film was directed by Adam Shankman who has directed romantic comedies like "The Wedding Planner" and "A Walk to Remember," but also musicals like "Rock of Ages" and "Hairspray."
"What Men Want" is another project from powerhouse producer, Will Packer. Packer is behind some of Hollywoods most successful afro-centric films to date. According to his bio, he is one of the only African-American producers to have eight film open at number one at the box office. His hits include "No Good Deed, "Takers," the "Think Like a Man" franchise, the "Ride Along" films, "Straight Out of Compton", and most recently "Girls Trip, "Night School,' and "Breaking In" just to name a few of the projects he’s brought to the big screen. On top of all that, Packer has produced television projects as well including "Truth Be Told" and the "Roots" television miniseries.
AAFCA member Justin Key had a chance to sit down with Will Packer during a recent "What Men Want" press tour and provided the interview for this episode. Enjoy!
"What Men Want” stars Taraji P. Henson, Aldis Hodge, Josh Brenner, and Richard Roundtree, and Tracy Morgan. In theaters Friday, February 8, 2019.
This episode Ed Adams wraps up the year with a discussion about the phenomenal year in film for people of color with AAFCA co-founders Gil Robertson and Shawn Edwards. We also breakdown the winners of the 10th annual AAFCA Awards celebrating the best performances and films of the year.
The AAFCA Awards gala will take place on Wednesday, February 6th at the Taglyan Complex in Los Angeles. You can find the complete list of winners on the AAFCA website.
Links:
AAFCA Awards press release and complete list:
http://www.aafca.com/pr-top-ten-2018
CNBC: "Record number of black directors among 2018's top films, earning $1.6 billion at the box office"
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/04/record-number-of-black-directors-among-2018s-top-films.html
USC Annenberg Report: Inclusion in the director's chair: Gender, race, and age of directors across 1,200 top films from 2007 to 2018
http://assets.uscannenberg.org/docs/inclusion-in-the-directors-chair-2019.pdf
Full list of Top Facebook Watch Original Shows (Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_original_programs_distributed_by_Facebook_Watch
In this episode of the AAFCA Podcast, host Ed Adams speaks with George Tillman, Jr. producer and director of the film, “The Hate U Give.” Tillman has been writing, directing, and producing stories about the black experience for over a decade. His body of work includes both film and television with notable box office hits like “Soul Food” and the “Barbershop” movies. Tillman has also directed episodes on several hit television series including “Power,” “Luke Cage,” and “This is Us.”
"The Hate U Give" is based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Angie Thomas. The film stars Amandla Stenberg, Regina Hall, Russell Hornsby, Anthony Mackie, Issa Rae, Common, Algee Smith, and Lamar Johnson.
In this episode President and co-founder of AAFCA, Gil Robertson talks to writer and director Barry Jenkins about his latest film, "If Beale Street Could Talk." Gil also talks to cast members of the film including Kiki Layne, Stephan James, Regina King, and Colman Domingo. "If Beale Street Could Talk" is an adaptation of the book of the same name by American author, James Baldwin.
In this episode Ed Adams talks to Bob Raines, executive director of the Tennessee Entertainment Commission about their office and how they entice studios to produce their projects in the Volunteer state. He also speaks with Jamal Munnerlyn, co-head of the new studio GigBox on their decision to locate their state-of-the-art facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee and what their company will mean for minorities seeking film-related jobs in the South.
Learn more about the Tennessee Entertainment Commission:
https://www.tnentertainment.com/
Watch their Create TN YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/tfemc/featured
Find film and production incentives near you by visiting the National Conference of State Legislatures:
http://www.ncsl.org/research/fiscal-policy/state-film-production-incentives-and-programs.aspx
Learn more about the tax credits, incentives, and other perks from GreenSlate:
https://gslate.com/
TenGig Festival:
https://tengigfestival.com/
In this episode of the AAFCA podcast Ed Adams wants to know if Hollywood is ready for more comic book-based franchises—only this time from Black-owned comic book creators. Comic book movies amassed a whopping $5.6 billion dollars for the industry in 2018 alone and it seems like every studio is getting into the game. To get answers Ed speaks with legendary comic book illustrator, Shawn Martinbrough and independent comic publisher, Carlton Hargro. Martinbrough has worked with Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and others. He also wrote, "How to Draw Noir Comics: The Art and Technique of Visual Storytelling." Hargro is not only a comic book publisher but a cultural icon around the south. His magazine, "Slo Mo" is an essential bible for the afro-hip and is the former editor of Creative Loafing newspapers in Atlanta and Charlotte.
Links:
Movie box-office figures: https://www.boxofficemojo.com/
2016 MPAA Theatrical Movie Statistics: https://www.mpaa.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/2016-Theatrical-Market-Statistics-Report-2.pdf
ICv2 Article: https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/38640/nycc-insider-sessions-powered-icv2-bookstores-could-surpass-comic-shops-2020
More about Shawn Martinbrough
His website: http://shawnmartinbrough.com/
TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjHwouze6_4&t=6s
More about Carlton Hargro
20th Place Media on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/20thplacemedia/
Slo Mo Media: https://slomoatl.com/
More about black comic books
Black Youth Project: 20 dopest Black Comics in 2018: http://blackyouthproject.com/heres-list-20-dopest-black-comics-set-takeover-2018-youre-welcome/
Black Enterprise: The Business of Black Comic Books: https://www.blackenterprise.com/the-business-of-black-comic-books/
Long before Oprah and Arsenio Hall there was Ellis Haizlip, host of the television show "Soul!" on public television. Ed Adams speaks with niece and film director Melissa Haizsip about her documentary "Mr. Soul!" and the legacy of her late uncle and the impact his show made in American pop culture.
AAFCA member and host, Edward Adams chats with Ronda Racha Penrice how identity is represented in the film "Nappily Ever After" currently streaming on Netflix. The film stars Sanaa Lathan as an ad executive whose life takes a turn when her perfect life and hair go off track.