October 14, 2025 • 44 mins
Ep. 237 Ep. DeVon Franklin is an award-winning Film & TV producer, best-selling author, in-demand preacher and spiritual success coach.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
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Speaker 2 (00:17):
In twenty twenty.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
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Speaker 3 (00:55):
Dot Com will lucas here at Black Tech Green Money.
So good to be with you guys today, and I've
got a special guest in the building, Divine Franklin. Mister
Devine Franklin is an award winning film and TV producer,
best selling author, and demand appreciate and spiritual success coach.
And he's got three major projects hitting the screens across
(01:18):
the country. A Soul on Fire, Ruth and Boaz, which
we'll talk about today, and Divorced Systems. Welcome to Vine.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Thanks man, it's good to see.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
It's a pleasure to be with you today. And I
want to start off here. So you've balanced spirituality with
Hollywood pragmatism, and this is a this is someplace that
most people can't figure out how to do well. And
you've you've seen to seemingly have done this well. What
daily practices help keep, you know, you from pulling apart
(01:52):
when you have these two really strong, you know forces
that you've been able to navigate.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Yeah, yeah, you know. I don't really feel that kind
of tension per se, you know, I mean, just the
the demand of the work is probably the greatest tension
that I feel. Right Like, I don't really feel like
the push between sacred and secular, I don't feel that,
(02:18):
but just like all the things that I'm blessed to do.
You know, that requires you know, time management, and that
requires you know, prioritization, and that requires like really like
being in the moment to know, Okay, here's what I
can tackle right now, and then here's where I'll tackle
after I get done with this. But you know, like
(02:39):
in terms of just the push and pull between sacred
and secular, like, I don't know, it's because to me,
it's all one life, So I I just it's just incorporated.
But you know, I mean I definitely pray. I read
the word I you know, watch YouTube videos and you know,
motivational talks. I mean, you know, just try to do
things that keep my mind right and just keep my
(03:00):
my spirit aligned.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Yeah, you just touched on how you organize your priorities
and you've often balanced multiple roles producer, author, pre sure actor.
What's your mental framework for what you say yes to
and when.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
You know, a lot of it has to do with
just like, okay, well, what's what am I what's the opportunity?
What's my you know, how do I first of all
feel about it? And and then you know, does it
align with my schedule? You know, what what is it
going to you know, what is the opportunity as it
relates to you know, my business or you know, so
(03:36):
it just really depends. I mean a lot of it
is on a case by case basis, but most of
it's a feeling. It's like Okay, well, yeah, I feel
like that's a good thing to do. I'm going to
do that, you know, or like nah, nah, I'm not
feeling that. You know, if I'm not feeling something, then
I'm definitely not gonna do it. It really just comes
down to that, like just really feeling it and then
assessing it if I have the bandwidth to do it.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
Yeah, speaking of that, like when you're you know, I'm
being a man of faith. Also, it's like when you're
ready to make a move and you feel everything's ready
to rock, or at least internally you're ready to go,
and but for whatever reason, maybe the time he may
not be right. Maybe it's a feeling, maybe is the
external things are not aligned. How have you determined whether
(04:21):
to push to make the things line up? Or you know,
have some patience and let things, you know, exercise themselves.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
You know, like I think, you know, anytime I'm find
myself pushing I try to catch myself because then I'm like, hmm,
if I'm trying to push this, maybe I'm trying to
exert too much energy, and maybe there's not a flow
or an alignment to what I'm trying to do. And so,
(04:54):
you know, most of the things that have happened for
me have been a flow. Like it's always it's happening. Now.
I still have to spend the energy to manage it
and do it well. But in the things that have
been the most successful in my life, there isn't necessarily
me pushing to make it happen. It's almost like the flow,
the current is flowing and I just have to, you know,
(05:16):
jump in the jumping the flow, jumping the current, you know,
to let it take me where I'm supposed to be.
But if I ever find myself pushing, then I say,
maybe I'm doing this in my strength and I need
to step back and say, Okay, God, like where are
you and all this and how do you want me
to move?
Speaker 3 (05:33):
That's good, that's good talking, And I would I would
love if you answered a little bit of Ruth and
Boaz on this one.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
I was talking to Roland Martin a couple of days ago,
and you know he was he was mentioning a story
and somebody talking to him about how his production or
black production might be inferior to you know, other sorts
of studios and news outlets and et cetera. And I
remember a day I'm sure you do also where faith
(06:01):
based programming didn't have the big budgets of Hollywood and
et cetera. And so I'm interested in your take on
what the future of faith based entertainment looks like and
why it's important.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Yeah, you know, well, I think that the future of
faith based entertainment is as a genre. You know, It's
like when you look at horror or comedy or superhero
movies or dramas, those genres Hollywood is accustomed to. So
you'll see movies and TV series that will be horror,
(06:36):
or they'll be comedy, or they'll be drama, you know.
But right now, with faith, you know, you get a movie,
you know, a movie or two every year, and so
I think that there's gonna be much more faith content
as the audience shows up like they've showed up for
Ruth and Boaz, as they show up for other movies
that I've been associated with, you know, and even movies
that you know, I didn't produce, but I was in
(06:58):
like a Jesus revolution. Like as the audience continues to
show up, you know, you're going to see more faith
based content as you know, just baked into the business
of Hollywood. And you know, there's a friend of mine
does the House of David Show on Prime Video, which
is great, and so I think you're going to see more.
You're going to see a proliferation of content because I
(07:19):
think the audience continues to demand more. Hollywood is paying
attention to, you know, what the audience wants, and you know,
in Hollywood, there are very few growth sectors left. And
I believe that the faith sector is still a growth
sector because we haven't even really scratched the surface of
what's possible from a mainstream standpoint. And so my thought
(07:40):
is that it will continue to grow and it will
continue to find legitimacy as a viable genre that is
capable of handling all different types of programming options, whether
it's an unscripted show, whether it's a live event, whether
it's a movie, whether it's a TV series. You know,
the faith space, I think is just beginning to scratch
(08:01):
the surface. Of what's possible.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
You just said that, you know, the the audience has
been going to the movies, just not necessarily having the
opportunity to go to see these sorts of movies, but
that's an increasing category for us to be able to consume.
And I wonder your thoughts on how the industry looks
at LL has historically looked at you know what, we're
(08:24):
not we're not paying to that right now, or we'll
give it a little bit of a you know, budget
to be able to produce these things. And what happens
now that Ruth and Boaz says this this story, Okay,
we're behind this, Like, what is happening that that this
particular story and the stories other stories that you're telling
are getting those you know, opportunities to really make something happen.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
Yeah, you know, I think it's you know one, I
think it has just a lot to do with me.
You know, I have specialized in this area for a
very long time. Uh you know, I mean I've been
in Hollywood for about thirty years, and I have specialized
in this area in terms of you know, uplifting inspirational
content for about almost twenty and so you know that
(09:12):
has given me a point of view that is trusted
and you know, my instinct on kind of the things
that I think will work. And I think the things
that I think will you know, be uplifting to an audience.
You know, because of the time that I put in
to being in Hollywood and staying the course and learning
and just growing in the business, you know, I now
(09:34):
have credibility. And so the success of Ruth and Boaz
continues to expand that credibility, which continues to I believe,
provide more opportunities for me to make, you know, more
content like this and and bring you know, stories like
this to the world. And I think it also will
open doors for other filmmakers who are like minded.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
What's a recent moment where you're lens on faith and
your business. Lens might have given you two different answers,
and how how did you navigate that?
Speaker 2 (10:09):
Hmm, that's a good question. I man, I really haven't
had that experience. If you did, I just yeah, I
just haven't had that experience. You know, I don't know.
I mean, it's it's yeah, it's it's I have not
had that experience. It's just yeah, it's not something you know,
(10:29):
in terms of like well, the business is the faith
is saying that. I don't know, maybe because I just
have organically always incorporated faith into who I am and
what I do in business. I don't know. It's like
those two seem to be very intertwined for me in
ways that are I guess unusual, you know, like uh, yeah, yeah,
(10:54):
I mean, I don't know. I mean, look at you know,
in the Bible, you know, Daniel Shadrack, me Shack of Bendigo,
you know, they were they were interns and then got
jobs in Babylon, you know. And it's interesting because in
that story, it's like outside of the moments when they
were asked to, you know, worship another God, which really weren't.
(11:17):
It really wasn't like a business thing. It was more about, hey, personally,
this is what you're going to do, and they were like, no,
we're not going to do that. You don't really see
any scripture talk about them wrestling with the sacred and secular,
you know, as it relates to being, you know, being
in power in Babylon. So I don't know, I look
at that and say, that's interesting, Like in my experience
in Hollywood, in my experience in business, I don't know
(11:40):
those two have really been symbiotic in a way that
I could I could understand is kind of unconditional, I
mean untraditional yeah yeah or non traditional.
Speaker 3 (11:50):
Yeah, that's a fair, fair response. And number one if
having you yes, fear as fear, so it makes me think,
like you know, the are part of a group of
pop well, I think about who are like celebrity faith
leaders and not to do something that they're You know,
you're not the celebrity because of the faith or faithful
because of your celebrity, but like you, you are both
(12:10):
things and we are coming. We're in a day where
that's it's increasing. I'm seeing an increasing amount of celebrity
faith leaders. How do you manage that? And how have
you seen others manage that? You know, responsibility?
Speaker 2 (12:28):
Well also sure, yeah, yeah, you know, I I think
I'd manage it just by being myself. You know, I don't.
I don't try to think of like myself as a
leader like because then I think sometimes what happens is
instead of living authentically, you know, you live by how
(12:50):
you anticipate others are going to perceive you or how
others are going to expect you to live. And I
think that kind of can put us on a very
in a authentic path versus like, hey, this is who
I am since who God called me to be. And
as I take those steps, I am aware of the
impact and the influence that God has allowed me to have.
(13:11):
And and my job as a leader is to first
leave myself and to do the things that I think
God is calling me to do. And and then I
certainly share, Okay, hey here's how I'm doing or here's
how I've done it. And if people find, you know,
something powerful or instructive about that, great, But I think
it's it's yeah, I don't really I don't really live
(13:34):
life thinking like when I'm when I go out like, oh,
I'm this leader and I need to do X, Y
or D. Like I think my lifestyle and my level
of success and just who I am as an individual
is probably leadership in and of itself, you know. And
I feel like when when you take on like the
idea like well I'm this leader, Well okay, then what
(13:57):
what what do you feel like you have to live
up to or down to or what level of you know? Well,
then I can't be my true self because people really
expect me to do this. But I'm really that, so
I'm going to present an image to do this and
and I don't know for me, I just I just don't.
I don't do that. You know. It's like what you
see in the public for the most part is really
you know who I am, uh, and I really try
(14:19):
to if I were to, you know, have a leadership thought,
it's just by example, you know, like I am about
what I say I'm about, and you know, try to
always do you know, good business, try to always be
mindful of you know, my my Christianity and and and
just live authentically, be live truthfully. I mean that's really
(14:42):
you know how it is. You know what I mean
and how I like to do it. So I really
but I don't try to like say, oh, I'm this
leader and this is how I'm gonna do this. You know.
I was like wait a minute, you know, like hold
on a second, Like it's cool that people look to
me and I will and I don't mind that, Like
that doesn't bother me at all. I love. I do
have advice. I do have a lot of success. I
do have a lot of insight, and I think that
(15:04):
what I could say to somebody will be helpful to them,
and I do it from a place of well, that's
that's authentic for me, not because I feel like I
gotta do it because this is what's expected.
Speaker 3 (15:15):
If that makes sense, makes sense, makes sense when you're
somebody like you, when you are leading, and you are
leading in this way, it's like you are when you
are blessed to have an opportunity to do what you
do at a high level. And you know, again we
talked about like the budgets fifteen years ago for these
(15:35):
sorts of works, why not the budgets like they are now?
The quality are on par with every other you know,
movie that comes out now, And so a lot rides
on people like you to be successful so that the
next person can get the shot. I don't know if
you feel that at least when I look at you,
I'm like, Okay, if Devon is winning, they will look
(15:58):
for more Devons. And and you know, so I wonder
how do you feel that at all? Do you feel
a responsibility to I gotta make this thing as big
as it can be because a whole bunch of other
people's shot is riding on my successes?
Speaker 2 (16:17):
Also, No, I don't think that way, And I'll tell
you why Because then what happens is like that's not
actually the goal, meaning, you know, Netflix gives me, you know,
millions of dollars to make Ruth and Boaz. They're giving
(16:37):
me this money to make this movie because they believe
in my ability to make a quality film. If I'm
thinking about, oh my goodness, I can't mess this up
because I got other producers coming behind me, then what
happens is I take my eye off of what it
should be on. My eye needs to be on making
a great film, doing the best I can to tell
(16:58):
a great story, doing the best I can to get
Netflix a return on their investment, because that's all that matters.
Because if I'm like trying to think like, oh my goodness,
I'm putting the pressure of like people that I don't
even know on my shoulders, then then I'm starting to
make decisions that might not even be good for the
movie but it's good, but I think it might be
good for like oh how I want to look or
(17:18):
what I think will happen. No, No, do what's best
for what you've been given. My job is to make
a great film, to go out there and publicize this
movie and let people know this movie is going to
be uplifting, It's going to be a great entertaining experience,
and then the success of that, the byproduct will be
opportunity for others. But if I try to take the
(17:41):
stress and the pressure of like, oh my goodness, if
this fails, then people behind me won't get a shot.
That's not really what the job is. You know. My
job is to make a great film, and I guarantee
that if I do that, there will be plenty of
opportunities that will get created. So not that it's not
important to me, because it certainly is, but it's not
part of my thought process. I don't even factor it in.
(18:02):
I'm like, nah, I gotta I gotta make a great movie.
This is where the money is. This is what I'm
being asked to do, and if I do it well,
then it's that's gonna speak for itself, you know. But
I think sometimes in an even in a noble way,
we can take our eye off of the ball, and
when we take our eye off of the ball, we
can miss what it is we're supposed to do. You know,
(18:24):
I don't think that Steph Curry when he goes out
to play, he's thinking, like, yo, I'm playing because I
want other players coming after me. And it's like, well, no,
that that'll be a byproduct of his success. But he's
his number one priority has to be what he does
on that court and the energy, effort and focus that
he puts into being the best basketball player that he
can be at any given moment. And then when he
(18:45):
does that, others will say, well, wait a minute, here's
a guy, you know, Steph Curry's height, who was able
to do this. Well, we're gonna give other people his
opportunities because of what he did with his So that
to me is how I look at it. It's like, Yo,
I got to do my best with the opportunity I've
been given, and if I do that, that in and
of itself will create other opportunities.
Speaker 3 (19:07):
So I was reading this story about how you reconnected
with Babyface after twenty years or so. Yeah, and he
remembered you being a young executive and you were doing
good work and etc. And you said this quote that
I want to reposition here. You said, always plant seeds
of excellence. They never grow out of style.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (19:28):
I want you to talk about that and how your
performance that twenty years ago provided an opportunity today.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
Yeah, you know, twenty years ago, baby Face and his
then wife Tracy Edmonds had hired me as a junior
executive in the film department. And you know, I was
a huge fan of his and hers. I mean, you know,
if they had just produced a soul food movie and
that was pretty big at that time, and I was
(19:59):
excited by the opportunity to work at Edmund's Entertainment. It was,
you know, at the time, one of the you know,
premier entertainment companies in Hollywood, Black or otherwise. They had filmed,
they had television, they had music, they had music management,
they had record labels. I mean, they had casting. I
mean it was it was like nothing I've ever seen
(20:20):
to date. I mean it was pretty impressive. And so,
you know, as a young executive was something to prove.
Being given a chance to be a junior exec was
something that I didn't take lightly. So you know, I
would get in early, I would stay laid. I would
you know, anything the trace he needed me to do,
I would do it. You know, I would try to
do it with excellence. I was always looking to be
(20:42):
of service and I did not realize it at the
time that having that point of view and having that
disposition was making an impression on someone like Babyface. I
didn't know that. I was just showing up doing my job.
I was raising the church, and I was taught. I
was taught, you know, being of service and excellence is important.
(21:04):
And so I just kind of applied what I learned
in the church to how I approached this job. And
I did it because, for one, it was my job,
and then two, you know, I was hungry for opportunity,
you know, especially at that time. I was hungry to
make my market in the business. I was hungry to learn.
I was hungry to you know, move forward in my career.
And so that hunger showed up in my commitment to excellence,
(21:26):
my commitment to serve, my commitment to you know, being integral,
you know, being a good character, commitment to work hard,
and so you know, I did that for about a
year and a half and then I got a job
as a as an executive for MGM. And then while
I was at MGM, I worked on a few films
before MGM got sold to Sony and then I became
(21:47):
in I became an executive there. What I did not know,
and I don't think anyone knows this. It's like you know,
you may you know, you don't realize who's watching. You know,
you don't realize the impact of of your service and
what you can do in terms of showing up, being responsible,
(22:09):
you know, being fun and great to work with. You
don't realize like those are that's planting seeds. So I
feel like you know, on your job, either you're planting
seeds or you're rooting seeds, and every day is an
opportunity to plant seeds, even when situations aren't the way
you want them to be. Don't use that as an
excuse to give less service than you're capable of, because
(22:33):
at the end of the day, that level of service
and who you are, it only accrues back to you.
So even if you're at a job they don't get you,
they don't respect you, they don't value you. That's okay,
but you value you. So you work the way that
you need to work in order to retain the value
that you see in yourself. And those seeds that you plant,
(22:54):
whether or not they grow from the place you plant
it, it doesn't matter. Those seeds are planted and what you
sow you will reap. So if you so excellence, you're
going to reap it. I didn't realize that the way
I would reap the seeds of excellence that I planted
when I worked for Babyface twenty years ago, that I
would reap those seeds in my own movie that I produced.
(23:14):
That's a miracle. That's amazing that here I am starting
to produce a film and I'm like, oh wait, this
part would be perfect for Babyface. Oh hey, man, you
want to do it? Yeah, hey, of course I want
to do it. I'm proud of you, like this is great.
Look at the man you've become. So you know, I
just would encourage anyone to plant those seeds every day,
(23:39):
you know, plant those seeds, just keep showing up and again.
You might even change jobs. I've changed jobs multiple times
before I started running my company. It's not so much
about that. It's about the mindset and it's about how
it's about the work ethic.
Speaker 3 (23:53):
If you were teaching wealth building one oh one for
black producers and black faith producers, because there's nuance there
in both those that matter, what would lesson one be?
Speaker 2 (24:07):
What would lesson one be? If I was teaching you know,
faith black faith.
Speaker 3 (24:11):
Producers wealth building one O one two black producers or
and or black faith producers.
Speaker 2 (24:21):
Hmm. I would say, you know, you have to study
to show yourself approved, you know. And I think that
that when you're talking about wealth, the financial wealth that
you might ultimately want will start because you you have
a practice of wealth in every area of your life. Yes,
(24:44):
you know, you you you really, you know, have a
passion for a wealth of knowledge. You know, like, Okay,
no matter what I'm doing, like, I'm not just gonna
do it, I'm gonna learn. I mean even now I'm learning.
I'm learning how to make better movies. I'm learning how
to make better movies more efficiently. I'm learning, so I
continue to build my wealth of knowledge. Uh So, I
(25:05):
would say if anyone's looking to build wealth financially, you know,
make sure you're building wealth and air in the in
every area of your life. Wealth of love, wealth of
you know, health, wealth of of you know, emotional stability,
you know, wealth of information, wealth of spirituality, like all
of those things matter. And so often we only think
of wealth financially. But to me, you know, when you're
(25:28):
actually wealthy financially, it's because it is because you practice
wealth as a practice period you're you're wealthy period and
and a lot of times you're wealth when you practice
being wealthy emotionally and physically and spiritually and informationally. Then
when you become wealthy financially, it's just an extension of
(25:50):
what you've already been practicing. So I would encourage, you know,
or I would say to anyone trying to build wealth,
that's where it starts. You know. The wealth that I
have and the wealth that is growing, you know, financially
in my life is directly related to the practice of
wealth that I have in every other area of my life.
Speaker 3 (26:11):
And I got a couple of phones for you. I
like to ask people, you know, what is so everybody carries,
you know, the obvious the phone, the wallet, the keys.
What are some non obvious things that are in your
everyday carry that you always keep on you?
Speaker 2 (26:28):
My uh, my lip chap my chapstick, whatevery youone call
it my lipt therapy. I can't do nothing without this.
Got that. Gotta have it in my AirPods. Those are
the two things. And my wedding ring. Now those are
the three things.
Speaker 3 (26:41):
Congrats.
Speaker 2 (26:42):
I gotta have it period. Everywhere I go, I need
my AirPods. I need a lipt therapy and I got
to have my wedding ring.
Speaker 3 (26:48):
I love it. I love it. Yeah, what's something you
bought that costs little but had a big impact?
Speaker 2 (26:57):
Oh? Man, how that costs little but I had a
big impact.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
Or you can do this one. Here's here's a here's
a beat to that is, what's the best five hundred
dollars you've ever spend on your career? So either one.
Speaker 2 (27:16):
Shoot on five hundred dollars on life coaching. That's that's
the best. I mean yeah, just you know, again, like
the greatest asset that we have is our mind. And
the thing about our mind is we take it for granted.
(27:37):
We just you know, meaning like working on our self,
working on our mindset, working on uh you know, unblocking
ourselves in certain areas, doing that internal work that's the world.
And and sometimes we overlook the work because we think
that the work is just what we do professionally. And
don't get me wrong, that works important because that work,
(27:58):
you know, certainly pays the bills. However, I've gotten so
much value out of working on myself and so spending
that five hundred dollars you know, on life coaching and
doing sessions with my life coach really really pays off,
because the more that I trained my mind, then then
I'm able to I'm able to excel, I'm able to succeed.
(28:18):
I'm able to work at levels that otherwise couldn't work.
I mean even in a moment like this, you know,
being just released a film, the Ruth and Boas Movie
on Netflix. I'm in post production on a film that
I just did for Amazon Prime called Relationship Goals with
Kelly Rowland and Meta Man. I'm in pre production on
a film that I'm getting ready to do for Netflix.
(28:41):
Have an audiobook that's getting ready to come out that
I'm promoting. I'm in a film called Soul on Fire,
which is in theaters nationwide starting October tenth, that Sony
Pictures is releasing. And I'm also in Divorce Sisters, you know,
which is on BT Plus. So and all those things
are happening all at one time.
Speaker 3 (29:00):
Now.
Speaker 2 (29:00):
If I had not spent years working on my mind, coaching,
doing the work on the inside, I would never be
able to handle all these things. These things would just
they would just be they would they would be beyond
my capacity. But because I started increasing my mental capacity
years ago. I can be in this moment and I
(29:21):
can manage these things successfully and they don't crush me.
So that's that's where the five hundred dollars, which may
seem like a lot, you know, it's like, no, I'm
gonna put that money. I'm not gonna put it on
the suit. I'm not gonna put it on no shoes.
I'm not gonna put it, you know, on you know,
an accessory for the car. I'm gonna put it into
my mind. I'm gonna put it into my own personal development.
(29:43):
And that is money that is well spent. And I
would encourage anyone uh to do it because it really
makes a big difference.
Speaker 3 (29:51):
There's another quote I found from you where you said,
who we think we are can actually work against us.
And you know, I think about ideenty the you know
that we put on ourselves and what other people think
about us can also work against us. Can you say
more about what you mean when you say that, and
how we can break free from you know, the limitations
(30:12):
or the expectations that we put on ourselves by what
we think about ourselves.
Speaker 2 (30:19):
Yeah, what we think about ourselves is important. Yet I
would also just encourage anyone to remain curious about who
you are and what's possible for you, because sometimes, you know,
don't get me wrong, finding an identity that works in
(30:39):
the world is hard, you know, finding our purpose. And
what I mean by finding an identity, it's like, you know,
if somebody says, hey, you know, I'm gonna pursue being
a teacher, and they are able to pursue that, and
that's a passion of theirs and they get compensated, you know,
getting into that place where it's like, oh, wow, I
found something that I love. That's great, there's nothing wrong
(31:00):
with that. However, what if you're also an actor, What
if you're also an author, what if you're also a dancer.
So sometimes we get so locked into that one identity
that helps basically fund our survival that we latch onto
it so hard that we never stay curious enough about
(31:22):
who we are to then explore what else may be possible.
You know. So years ago, you know, I was a
studio executive. After I left MGM, I went to Sony
Pictures Entertainment and worked on Pursuit of Happiness and Seven
Pounds and Handcock and the Karate Kid remake and Jumping
the Broom, and Heaven Is for Real and so many
(31:43):
movies in between. Now, if I had locked my identity
into being an executive, then when it was time for
me to write my first book, I would have never
been able to write it. Why because I said, well,
I would have said, well, I'm not an I'm not
an author. But when the opportunity came to write the
first book, instead of saying I'm not, I said, well
maybe I am. Let me see, let me try. Oh
(32:07):
I tried that that actually works. So I'm not just
an executive. I'm also an author. And then the opportunity
came for me to, you know, start my production company.
If I only thought of myself as an executive or
just an author, I would have never then stepped into
running my own company and became a producer. But then
I had to say, well maybe I am, and let
me go see. So then I opened myself up to that,
(32:28):
and then you know, producer starts to work and then
it's like, okay, well maybe you know when opportunity came
for me to be a TV personality and be on
TV and be a regular on Doctor Oz, at that
time like well maybe I am. And then the opportunity
comes for me to act. You know, Tyler offers me
a show like, Hey, come do Divorce Sisters, then be
you know, one of the stars of the show. I've
never done a TV series like that, but maybe I
(32:50):
have the ability. So what I say is, sometimes the
knowledge of self is the greatest barrier to the understanding
of self because we think we know who we are. Well,
I know who I am today, but let me be open.
Let me be open, because maybe there's more that wants
to get revealed to me. Maybe God wants to show me, Hey,
(33:13):
you're even more than you think you are. But if
I lock in and say no, I'm just divine the producer,
then who I really am may never see the light
of day. So that's why I would encourage anyone to
just be curious about yourself. Oh well, can I do this?
Do I have this ability? I don't know? And guess what.
(33:34):
Don't be afraid to try. Hey, the worst thing that
happens is it doesn't work out the way you may
have wanted. But then you have the experience and you
can say, wow, that was crazy. I can't believe I
try that, you know, man versus like living in the
what if? Oh man, Well, what if I had done this? Well, No,
I want to live in the I did it. And
sometimes you get to that place and you do it
well and sometimes you don't, but you grow from it.
(33:57):
And so that's what I mean by that quote. That's
what I mean.
Speaker 3 (34:00):
That's really good.
Speaker 2 (34:01):
You know.
Speaker 3 (34:01):
I think about all the positions you hold, things that
you've done. And I talked to so many people, and
I'm also a person who has like a lot of ideas.
I can do a lot of things, and I talked
to entrepreneurs who have a ton of ideas and want
to do a ton of things, and I how do
you first prioritize what you were going to when? Like,
how did you know, for instance, how did you know
(34:23):
right now was the time to do with Ruth and
bowl Ass, Because I'm sure you've got a ton of
ideas and movies, You've got a ton of scripts that
you could be producing. How did you know right now
was the time? And how did you how do you
prioritize what it should be working on right now?
Speaker 2 (34:38):
Yeah? You know, and it's divine. By the way, I'm
sorry that took it. It's okay, it's okay. Yeah. With
Ruthor bow As, I just had a feeling, you know,
I felt it. I was like, oh, I think I
think this is what it is. And then I pitched
it to a writer friend of mine and he was like,
oh yeah, I like that. And then he and his
writing partner came up with the concept in about forty
(35:01):
eight hours. And then when they sent it back to me,
I said, oh, okay, yeah, I think there's something. There's
something here, and we started working on it. And then
when I told Tyler Perry about it, and he was like, oh, yeah,
that sounds really good. And then when I told Netflix
about it, They're like, yeah, that's that sounds cool. Then
we got the script and the script was good. I
was like, oh snap, the script is good. Like it
just it was a feeling, and then I just followed
the feeling. And either you get confirmation or you don't.
(35:24):
And so at every step with the development and the
production and the release of Ruth and Bos, it's just
been a rolling set of confirmations. And it just started
with the feeling. I just said, oh, I think this
is what I'm supposed to do. I think, yeah, really,
because I was connecting to the story, I felt like,
oh yeah, there hasn't been a love story in a
long time, and this movie really is good, and oh yeah,
(35:46):
let's just do it, let's try it, and it just
it just snowballed. I mean, so that part was pretty cool.
Like so usually it always starts with the feeling, like
what am I feeling? And then and then I follow
and sometimes I'm feeling something and then it's like, ooh no,
that's not it. I could I either I hit a
roadblock or I hit a certain level of resistance that
(36:06):
I'm like, again going back to that whole pushing idea,
Uh no, I don't need to push a door door
open that God has for me. I don't see. No, no,
if God hasn't for me, then that door is going
to open. You know, I just got to be in
position for when it does. And if I'm really trying
to open a door or change a situation to my
(36:26):
will and it's not already that I got to step
away from it. So you know, it's a process. It's
a fluid process of feeling, praying, stopping, looking, you know,
getting confirmation. Years ago, I went on a whitewater rafting
trip and the guide said, you know, when I say paddle, paddle,
when I say stop, stop because you're you know, and
(36:48):
that's how we get through the rapids successfully and not
get turned over. And so there would be times when
he would tell us to paddle, where when we look
at the rapids, we think we should we should be stopping,
And there were times he would tell us to stop,
and then we look at the rapids and we would
think that we would be rowing. But he knows the
water better than we did. So that's kind of like
(37:11):
how it is with God. God knows the water better
than we do. So I got a feeling I row. Okay, God,
stead stop. I got a feeling I row. God says stop.
And then you see the momentum. You know. Can you
imagine if I'm trying to to be in that that
that that the raft and trying to go upstream, It's impossible.
(37:35):
There's a flow. So that feeling is okay, God, show
me where you're flowing. And then I do my part
and I get confirmation. Oh, confirmation means I can row again. Okay, great,
I keep rowing. I stopped to get confirmation. Okay, let
me keep rolling. Okay. Cool. So that's the process.
Speaker 3 (37:53):
I love it. Lastly, I want you to talk about
the movie and the still what can you give us
a synopsis of? Actually, I'm gonna I really want to
do two here, so forgive me. I want you to
talk about why people should watch this movie, like the
premise of Ruth and Boaz. I know the story of
you know, grew up in a church, so I know
this story. And then if you can leave our entrepreneurs
(38:14):
with a principle You've given us so much in so
many keys. I'm going to take notes from this interview
because there was so much here. Can you leave us
with some principles that we should be thinking about as
we're on our journey, maybe even from the story?
Speaker 2 (38:31):
Yeah, you know, I mean the story of Ruth and
Boaz is the movie Ruth and Boaz, which is on
Netflix now and it's doing very well. You know, we
were like in the top ten and like over sixty
countries and we're number one, the number one movie in
almost ten countries, which is amazing. And that the story
is about, you know, a young woman who is on
(38:54):
a journey trying to figure out, you know, where God
wants her to go, and that leads her to move
from Atlanta to Pegriam, Tennessee. With the woman that was
the mother of the guy she was dating, and they
both went through a tragedy. She the woman ends up
going back to her hometown of Pegham, Tennessee our you know,
(39:18):
lead Ruth follows her and when she goes out to
find work, she doesn't realize she's also going out to
find love. And she finds love in the in the
form of Boaz, who owns the vineyard where she finds
a job. And then you get a chance to see
them come together. But she has to still reckon with
her past if she wants to have a future with Boaz.
(39:41):
And so that's you know, the story, and it's inspired
by the biblical story of the same name, you know,
from the Book of Ruth. And you know for entrepreneurs,
you know, I when I went to the University of
Southern California, I had a major in business and an
emphasis in entrepreneurship. And I as part of my senior thesis,
(40:01):
as not even part of as my senior thesis, I
did a business plan for the production company that one
day that I would start. And I had that business plan.
It was a it was almost a fifty page business plan.
I had that business plan when I was twenty two.
I did not get the opportunity to start the company
until I was thirty six. So I would, you know,
(40:25):
encourage any entrepreneur to have vision and really understand the
industry that you're called to and the business you want
to start, and resist the temptation to put a demand
on the timing of that vision. Have the vision, pursue
(40:47):
it if you get the funding, great, If you don't,
don't give up on the vision, but find what you
need to do until it's time for the vision to manifest.
And so for me as an entrepreneur, you know, if
I had demanded that at twenty two that's when I
need to I have a business plan and I need
to get it funded, then I would have missed it.
(41:08):
We would even be having this conversation. So I had
to hold onto the vision. But then I had to
get a job, I had to work, I had to
commit to learning Hollywood. I had to serve somebody else's
vision before I could be in a place to execute
my own. So I would encourage, you know, anyone you
know listening, any entrepreneur listening, don't be weary and well doing,
(41:29):
don't give up on your vision yet, don't also stress
yourself out because you're trying to get the timing of
the vision to manifest before it's time. You know, if
you plan a seed in the ground, it don't matter
what you do to that seed. Some seeds just take it.
They just there's a certain amount of time. And the
more you go over and keep watering it and uprooting
(41:51):
the soil, the only thing that happens you delay it
versus saying, hey, I planted this seed, I believe this
is what I'm supposed to do. I'm going to keep
working at it and guess what, I'm gonna work at
it with joy. The dream the vision is not meant
to depress us. We sometimes have self inflicted depression because
we put a timeline on it. Well, it needs to
(42:14):
happen by this, Well, no it doesn't. No, it doesn't.
Let it happen when it's going to happen, and until
it happens, keep learning, keep growing, keep researching, so when
it does happen, you're even you're even in a better
position to handle the success of whatever vision God has
given you.
Speaker 1 (42:34):
Afrotech Conference is back when return to as Town, Houston,
Texas from October twenty seventh through thirty first, twenty twenty five,
the George R. Brown Convention Center. For years, Afrotech has
been to go to experience for black tech innovators, founders, engineers, creators, investors.
In twenty twenty five is shaping up to be the
biggest year yet. Thover forty attendees expected. This year's conference
(42:56):
will feature five days of dynamic programming across six curator stages,
from discovery to executive leadership. Join us to hear from
industry leaders at the forefront of change, learn from top
ten engineers and designers, and connect with recruiters from nearly
two hundred companies. This year, we're digging deeper into what's
next with tracks exploring AI and machine learning, mad tech
and health equity, cybersecurity, climate tech, and much more. Whether
(43:20):
you're launching your first startup, pivoting into a new role,
or scaling as an execu there's something here for you.
Take us and moving fast to keep your spot nowt
at Afrotech Conference dot com. Black Tech Green Money is
a production of Blavity afro Tech on the Black Effect
podcast Networking Night Hire Media. It's produced by Morgan Debaun
and me Well Lucas with the additional production support by
(43:40):
Kate McDonald, Sarah Ergan, and Jada McGee. Special thank you
to Michael Davis and Lovebeach. Learn more about my guessing
Other Tech the Shops an innovator. It's at afrotech dot com.
The video version of this episode will drop to Black
Tech Green Money on YouTube, so tap in enjoy your
black Tech.
Speaker 3 (43:55):
Green money shit to somebody. Go get your money and
love
Afrotech Conference is back and return to Eightstown, Houston, Texas,
from October twenty seven through thirty first, twenty twenty five
at the George R. Brown Convention Center. For years, Afrotech
has been to go to experience for black tech innovators, founders, engineers,
creators and investors.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
In twenty twenty.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Five is shaping up to be the biggest year yet though,
with forty thousand to tenees expected. This year's conference will
feature five days of dynamic programming across six curator stages
from discovery to executive leadership. Join us to hear from
industry leaders at the forefront of change, learn from top
ten engineers and designers, and connect with recruiters from nearly
two hundred companies. This year, we're digging deeper into what's
(00:38):
next with tracks exploring AI and machine learning, mad tech
and health equity, cybersecurity, climate tech, and much more. Whether
you're launching your first startup, pivoting into a new role,
or scaling as an execut there's something here for you.
Tickets are moving fast to keep your spot out at
Afrotech Conference.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Dot Com will lucas here at Black Tech Green Money.
So good to be with you guys today, and I've
got a special guest in the building, Divine Franklin. Mister
Devine Franklin is an award winning film and TV producer,
best selling author, and demand appreciate and spiritual success coach.
And he's got three major projects hitting the screens across
(01:18):
the country. A Soul on Fire, Ruth and Boaz, which
we'll talk about today, and Divorced Systems. Welcome to Vine.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Thanks man, it's good to see.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
It's a pleasure to be with you today. And I
want to start off here. So you've balanced spirituality with
Hollywood pragmatism, and this is a this is someplace that
most people can't figure out how to do well. And
you've you've seen to seemingly have done this well. What
daily practices help keep, you know, you from pulling apart
(01:52):
when you have these two really strong, you know forces
that you've been able to navigate.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Yeah, yeah, you know. I don't really feel that kind
of tension per se, you know, I mean, just the
the demand of the work is probably the greatest tension
that I feel. Right Like, I don't really feel like
the push between sacred and secular, I don't feel that,
(02:18):
but just like all the things that I'm blessed to do.
You know, that requires you know, time management, and that
requires you know, prioritization, and that requires like really like
being in the moment to know, Okay, here's what I
can tackle right now, and then here's where I'll tackle
after I get done with this. But you know, like
(02:39):
in terms of just the push and pull between sacred
and secular, like, I don't know, it's because to me,
it's all one life, So I I just it's just incorporated.
But you know, I mean I definitely pray. I read
the word I you know, watch YouTube videos and you know,
motivational talks. I mean, you know, just try to do
things that keep my mind right and just keep my
(03:00):
my spirit aligned.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Yeah, you just touched on how you organize your priorities
and you've often balanced multiple roles producer, author, pre sure actor.
What's your mental framework for what you say yes to
and when.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
You know, a lot of it has to do with
just like, okay, well, what's what am I what's the opportunity?
What's my you know, how do I first of all
feel about it? And and then you know, does it
align with my schedule? You know, what what is it
going to you know, what is the opportunity as it
relates to you know, my business or you know, so
(03:36):
it just really depends. I mean a lot of it
is on a case by case basis, but most of
it's a feeling. It's like Okay, well, yeah, I feel
like that's a good thing to do. I'm going to
do that, you know, or like nah, nah, I'm not
feeling that. You know, if I'm not feeling something, then
I'm definitely not gonna do it. It really just comes
down to that, like just really feeling it and then
assessing it if I have the bandwidth to do it.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
Yeah, speaking of that, like when you're you know, I'm
being a man of faith. Also, it's like when you're
ready to make a move and you feel everything's ready
to rock, or at least internally you're ready to go,
and but for whatever reason, maybe the time he may
not be right. Maybe it's a feeling, maybe is the
external things are not aligned. How have you determined whether
(04:21):
to push to make the things line up? Or you know,
have some patience and let things, you know, exercise themselves.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
You know, like I think, you know, anytime I'm find
myself pushing I try to catch myself because then I'm like, hmm,
if I'm trying to push this, maybe I'm trying to
exert too much energy, and maybe there's not a flow
or an alignment to what I'm trying to do. And so,
(04:54):
you know, most of the things that have happened for
me have been a flow. Like it's always it's happening. Now.
I still have to spend the energy to manage it
and do it well. But in the things that have
been the most successful in my life, there isn't necessarily
me pushing to make it happen. It's almost like the flow,
the current is flowing and I just have to, you know,
(05:16):
jump in the jumping the flow, jumping the current, you know,
to let it take me where I'm supposed to be.
But if I ever find myself pushing, then I say,
maybe I'm doing this in my strength and I need
to step back and say, Okay, God, like where are
you and all this and how do you want me
to move?
Speaker 3 (05:33):
That's good, that's good talking, And I would I would
love if you answered a little bit of Ruth and
Boaz on this one.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
I was talking to Roland Martin a couple of days ago,
and you know he was he was mentioning a story
and somebody talking to him about how his production or
black production might be inferior to you know, other sorts
of studios and news outlets and et cetera. And I
remember a day I'm sure you do also where faith
(06:01):
based programming didn't have the big budgets of Hollywood and
et cetera. And so I'm interested in your take on
what the future of faith based entertainment looks like and
why it's important.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Yeah, you know, well, I think that the future of
faith based entertainment is as a genre. You know, It's
like when you look at horror or comedy or superhero
movies or dramas, those genres Hollywood is accustomed to. So
you'll see movies and TV series that will be horror,
(06:36):
or they'll be comedy, or they'll be drama, you know.
But right now, with faith, you know, you get a movie,
you know, a movie or two every year, and so
I think that there's gonna be much more faith content
as the audience shows up like they've showed up for
Ruth and Boaz, as they show up for other movies
that I've been associated with, you know, and even movies
that you know, I didn't produce, but I was in
(06:58):
like a Jesus revolution. Like as the audience continues to
show up, you know, you're going to see more faith
based content as you know, just baked into the business
of Hollywood. And you know, there's a friend of mine
does the House of David Show on Prime Video, which
is great, and so I think you're going to see more.
You're going to see a proliferation of content because I
(07:19):
think the audience continues to demand more. Hollywood is paying
attention to, you know, what the audience wants, and you know,
in Hollywood, there are very few growth sectors left. And
I believe that the faith sector is still a growth
sector because we haven't even really scratched the surface of
what's possible from a mainstream standpoint. And so my thought
(07:40):
is that it will continue to grow and it will
continue to find legitimacy as a viable genre that is
capable of handling all different types of programming options, whether
it's an unscripted show, whether it's a live event, whether
it's a movie, whether it's a TV series. You know,
the faith space, I think is just beginning to scratch
(08:01):
the surface. Of what's possible.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
You just said that, you know, the the audience has
been going to the movies, just not necessarily having the
opportunity to go to see these sorts of movies, but
that's an increasing category for us to be able to consume.
And I wonder your thoughts on how the industry looks
at LL has historically looked at you know what, we're
(08:24):
not we're not paying to that right now, or we'll
give it a little bit of a you know, budget
to be able to produce these things. And what happens
now that Ruth and Boaz says this this story, Okay,
we're behind this, Like, what is happening that that this
particular story and the stories other stories that you're telling
are getting those you know, opportunities to really make something happen.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
Yeah, you know, I think it's you know one, I
think it has just a lot to do with me.
You know, I have specialized in this area for a
very long time. Uh you know, I mean I've been
in Hollywood for about thirty years, and I have specialized
in this area in terms of you know, uplifting inspirational
content for about almost twenty and so you know that
(09:12):
has given me a point of view that is trusted
and you know, my instinct on kind of the things
that I think will work. And I think the things
that I think will you know, be uplifting to an audience.
You know, because of the time that I put in
to being in Hollywood and staying the course and learning
and just growing in the business, you know, I now
(09:34):
have credibility. And so the success of Ruth and Boaz
continues to expand that credibility, which continues to I believe,
provide more opportunities for me to make, you know, more
content like this and and bring you know, stories like
this to the world. And I think it also will
open doors for other filmmakers who are like minded.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
What's a recent moment where you're lens on faith and
your business. Lens might have given you two different answers,
and how how did you navigate that?
Speaker 2 (10:09):
Hmm, that's a good question. I man, I really haven't
had that experience. If you did, I just yeah, I
just haven't had that experience. You know, I don't know.
I mean, it's it's yeah, it's it's I have not
had that experience. It's just yeah, it's not something you know,
(10:29):
in terms of like well, the business is the faith
is saying that. I don't know, maybe because I just
have organically always incorporated faith into who I am and
what I do in business. I don't know. It's like
those two seem to be very intertwined for me in
ways that are I guess unusual, you know, like uh, yeah, yeah,
(10:54):
I mean, I don't know. I mean, look at you know,
in the Bible, you know, Daniel Shadrack, me Shack of Bendigo,
you know, they were they were interns and then got
jobs in Babylon, you know. And it's interesting because in
that story, it's like outside of the moments when they
were asked to, you know, worship another God, which really weren't.
(11:17):
It really wasn't like a business thing. It was more about, hey, personally,
this is what you're going to do, and they were like, no,
we're not going to do that. You don't really see
any scripture talk about them wrestling with the sacred and secular,
you know, as it relates to being, you know, being
in power in Babylon. So I don't know, I look
at that and say, that's interesting, Like in my experience
in Hollywood, in my experience in business, I don't know
(11:40):
those two have really been symbiotic in a way that
I could I could understand is kind of unconditional, I
mean untraditional yeah yeah or non traditional.
Speaker 3 (11:50):
Yeah, that's a fair, fair response. And number one if
having you yes, fear as fear, so it makes me think,
like you know, the are part of a group of
pop well, I think about who are like celebrity faith
leaders and not to do something that they're You know,
you're not the celebrity because of the faith or faithful
because of your celebrity, but like you, you are both
(12:10):
things and we are coming. We're in a day where
that's it's increasing. I'm seeing an increasing amount of celebrity
faith leaders. How do you manage that? And how have
you seen others manage that? You know, responsibility?
Speaker 2 (12:28):
Well also sure, yeah, yeah, you know, I I think
I'd manage it just by being myself. You know, I don't.
I don't try to think of like myself as a
leader like because then I think sometimes what happens is
instead of living authentically, you know, you live by how
(12:50):
you anticipate others are going to perceive you or how
others are going to expect you to live. And I
think that kind of can put us on a very
in a authentic path versus like, hey, this is who
I am since who God called me to be. And
as I take those steps, I am aware of the
impact and the influence that God has allowed me to have.
(13:11):
And and my job as a leader is to first
leave myself and to do the things that I think
God is calling me to do. And and then I
certainly share, Okay, hey here's how I'm doing or here's
how I've done it. And if people find, you know,
something powerful or instructive about that, great, But I think
it's it's yeah, I don't really I don't really live
(13:34):
life thinking like when I'm when I go out like, oh,
I'm this leader and I need to do X, Y
or D. Like I think my lifestyle and my level
of success and just who I am as an individual
is probably leadership in and of itself, you know. And
I feel like when when you take on like the
idea like well I'm this leader, Well okay, then what
(13:57):
what what do you feel like you have to live
up to or down to or what level of you know? Well,
then I can't be my true self because people really
expect me to do this. But I'm really that, so
I'm going to present an image to do this and
and I don't know for me, I just I just don't.
I don't do that. You know. It's like what you
see in the public for the most part is really
you know who I am, uh, and I really try
(14:19):
to if I were to, you know, have a leadership thought,
it's just by example, you know, like I am about
what I say I'm about, and you know, try to
always do you know, good business, try to always be
mindful of you know, my my Christianity and and and
just live authentically, be live truthfully. I mean that's really
(14:42):
you know how it is. You know what I mean
and how I like to do it. So I really
but I don't try to like say, oh, I'm this
leader and this is how I'm gonna do this. You know.
I was like wait a minute, you know, like hold
on a second, Like it's cool that people look to
me and I will and I don't mind that, Like
that doesn't bother me at all. I love. I do
have advice. I do have a lot of success. I
do have a lot of insight, and I think that
(15:04):
what I could say to somebody will be helpful to them,
and I do it from a place of well, that's
that's authentic for me, not because I feel like I
gotta do it because this is what's expected.
Speaker 3 (15:15):
If that makes sense, makes sense, makes sense when you're
somebody like you, when you are leading, and you are
leading in this way, it's like you are when you
are blessed to have an opportunity to do what you
do at a high level. And you know, again we
talked about like the budgets fifteen years ago for these
(15:35):
sorts of works, why not the budgets like they are now?
The quality are on par with every other you know,
movie that comes out now, And so a lot rides
on people like you to be successful so that the
next person can get the shot. I don't know if
you feel that at least when I look at you,
I'm like, Okay, if Devon is winning, they will look
(15:58):
for more Devons. And and you know, so I wonder
how do you feel that at all? Do you feel
a responsibility to I gotta make this thing as big
as it can be because a whole bunch of other
people's shot is riding on my successes?
Speaker 2 (16:17):
Also, No, I don't think that way, And I'll tell
you why Because then what happens is like that's not
actually the goal, meaning, you know, Netflix gives me, you know,
millions of dollars to make Ruth and Boaz. They're giving
(16:37):
me this money to make this movie because they believe
in my ability to make a quality film. If I'm
thinking about, oh my goodness, I can't mess this up
because I got other producers coming behind me, then what
happens is I take my eye off of what it
should be on. My eye needs to be on making
a great film, doing the best I can to tell
(16:58):
a great story, doing the best I can to get
Netflix a return on their investment, because that's all that matters.
Because if I'm like trying to think like, oh my goodness,
I'm putting the pressure of like people that I don't
even know on my shoulders, then then I'm starting to
make decisions that might not even be good for the
movie but it's good, but I think it might be
good for like oh how I want to look or
(17:18):
what I think will happen. No, No, do what's best
for what you've been given. My job is to make
a great film, to go out there and publicize this
movie and let people know this movie is going to
be uplifting, It's going to be a great entertaining experience,
and then the success of that, the byproduct will be
opportunity for others. But if I try to take the
(17:41):
stress and the pressure of like, oh my goodness, if
this fails, then people behind me won't get a shot.
That's not really what the job is. You know. My
job is to make a great film, and I guarantee
that if I do that, there will be plenty of
opportunities that will get created. So not that it's not
important to me, because it certainly is, but it's not
part of my thought process. I don't even factor it in.
(18:02):
I'm like, nah, I gotta I gotta make a great movie.
This is where the money is. This is what I'm
being asked to do, and if I do it well,
then it's that's gonna speak for itself, you know. But
I think sometimes in an even in a noble way,
we can take our eye off of the ball, and
when we take our eye off of the ball, we
can miss what it is we're supposed to do. You know,
(18:24):
I don't think that Steph Curry when he goes out
to play, he's thinking, like, yo, I'm playing because I
want other players coming after me. And it's like, well, no,
that that'll be a byproduct of his success. But he's
his number one priority has to be what he does
on that court and the energy, effort and focus that
he puts into being the best basketball player that he
can be at any given moment. And then when he
(18:45):
does that, others will say, well, wait a minute, here's
a guy, you know, Steph Curry's height, who was able
to do this. Well, we're gonna give other people his
opportunities because of what he did with his So that
to me is how I look at it. It's like, Yo,
I got to do my best with the opportunity I've
been given, and if I do that, that in and
of itself will create other opportunities.
Speaker 3 (19:07):
So I was reading this story about how you reconnected
with Babyface after twenty years or so. Yeah, and he
remembered you being a young executive and you were doing
good work and etc. And you said this quote that
I want to reposition here. You said, always plant seeds
of excellence. They never grow out of style.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (19:28):
I want you to talk about that and how your
performance that twenty years ago provided an opportunity today.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
Yeah, you know, twenty years ago, baby Face and his
then wife Tracy Edmonds had hired me as a junior
executive in the film department. And you know, I was
a huge fan of his and hers. I mean, you know,
if they had just produced a soul food movie and
that was pretty big at that time, and I was
(19:59):
excited by the opportunity to work at Edmund's Entertainment. It was,
you know, at the time, one of the you know,
premier entertainment companies in Hollywood, Black or otherwise. They had filmed,
they had television, they had music, they had music management,
they had record labels. I mean, they had casting. I
mean it was it was like nothing I've ever seen
(20:20):
to date. I mean it was pretty impressive. And so,
you know, as a young executive was something to prove.
Being given a chance to be a junior exec was
something that I didn't take lightly. So you know, I
would get in early, I would stay laid. I would
you know, anything the trace he needed me to do,
I would do it. You know, I would try to
do it with excellence. I was always looking to be
(20:42):
of service and I did not realize it at the
time that having that point of view and having that
disposition was making an impression on someone like Babyface. I
didn't know that. I was just showing up doing my job.
I was raising the church, and I was taught. I
was taught, you know, being of service and excellence is important.
(21:04):
And so I just kind of applied what I learned
in the church to how I approached this job. And
I did it because, for one, it was my job,
and then two, you know, I was hungry for opportunity,
you know, especially at that time. I was hungry to
make my market in the business. I was hungry to learn.
I was hungry to you know, move forward in my career.
And so that hunger showed up in my commitment to excellence,
(21:26):
my commitment to serve, my commitment to you know, being integral,
you know, being a good character, commitment to work hard,
and so you know, I did that for about a
year and a half and then I got a job
as a as an executive for MGM. And then while
I was at MGM, I worked on a few films
before MGM got sold to Sony and then I became
(21:47):
in I became an executive there. What I did not know,
and I don't think anyone knows this. It's like you know,
you may you know, you don't realize who's watching. You know,
you don't realize the impact of of your service and
what you can do in terms of showing up, being responsible,
(22:09):
you know, being fun and great to work with. You
don't realize like those are that's planting seeds. So I
feel like you know, on your job, either you're planting
seeds or you're rooting seeds, and every day is an
opportunity to plant seeds, even when situations aren't the way
you want them to be. Don't use that as an
excuse to give less service than you're capable of, because
(22:33):
at the end of the day, that level of service
and who you are, it only accrues back to you.
So even if you're at a job they don't get you,
they don't respect you, they don't value you. That's okay,
but you value you. So you work the way that
you need to work in order to retain the value
that you see in yourself. And those seeds that you plant,
(22:54):
whether or not they grow from the place you plant
it, it doesn't matter. Those seeds are planted and what you
sow you will reap. So if you so excellence, you're
going to reap it. I didn't realize that the way
I would reap the seeds of excellence that I planted
when I worked for Babyface twenty years ago, that I
would reap those seeds in my own movie that I produced.
(23:14):
That's a miracle. That's amazing that here I am starting
to produce a film and I'm like, oh wait, this
part would be perfect for Babyface. Oh hey, man, you
want to do it? Yeah, hey, of course I want
to do it. I'm proud of you, like this is great.
Look at the man you've become. So you know, I
just would encourage anyone to plant those seeds every day,
(23:39):
you know, plant those seeds, just keep showing up and again.
You might even change jobs. I've changed jobs multiple times
before I started running my company. It's not so much
about that. It's about the mindset and it's about how
it's about the work ethic.
Speaker 3 (23:53):
If you were teaching wealth building one oh one for
black producers and black faith producers, because there's nuance there
in both those that matter, what would lesson one be?
Speaker 2 (24:07):
What would lesson one be? If I was teaching you know,
faith black faith.
Speaker 3 (24:11):
Producers wealth building one O one two black producers or
and or black faith producers.
Speaker 2 (24:21):
Hmm. I would say, you know, you have to study
to show yourself approved, you know. And I think that
that when you're talking about wealth, the financial wealth that
you might ultimately want will start because you you have
a practice of wealth in every area of your life. Yes,
(24:44):
you know, you you you really, you know, have a
passion for a wealth of knowledge. You know, like, Okay,
no matter what I'm doing, like, I'm not just gonna
do it, I'm gonna learn. I mean even now I'm learning.
I'm learning how to make better movies. I'm learning how
to make better movies more efficiently. I'm learning, so I
continue to build my wealth of knowledge. Uh So, I
(25:05):
would say if anyone's looking to build wealth financially, you know,
make sure you're building wealth and air in the in
every area of your life. Wealth of love, wealth of
you know, health, wealth of of you know, emotional stability,
you know, wealth of information, wealth of spirituality, like all
of those things matter. And so often we only think
of wealth financially. But to me, you know, when you're
(25:28):
actually wealthy financially, it's because it is because you practice
wealth as a practice period you're you're wealthy period and
and a lot of times you're wealth when you practice
being wealthy emotionally and physically and spiritually and informationally. Then
when you become wealthy financially, it's just an extension of
(25:50):
what you've already been practicing. So I would encourage, you know,
or I would say to anyone trying to build wealth,
that's where it starts. You know. The wealth that I
have and the wealth that is growing, you know, financially
in my life is directly related to the practice of
wealth that I have in every other area of my life.
Speaker 3 (26:11):
And I got a couple of phones for you. I
like to ask people, you know, what is so everybody carries,
you know, the obvious the phone, the wallet, the keys.
What are some non obvious things that are in your
everyday carry that you always keep on you?
Speaker 2 (26:28):
My uh, my lip chap my chapstick, whatevery youone call
it my lipt therapy. I can't do nothing without this.
Got that. Gotta have it in my AirPods. Those are
the two things. And my wedding ring. Now those are
the three things.
Speaker 3 (26:41):
Congrats.
Speaker 2 (26:42):
I gotta have it period. Everywhere I go, I need
my AirPods. I need a lipt therapy and I got
to have my wedding ring.
Speaker 3 (26:48):
I love it. I love it. Yeah, what's something you
bought that costs little but had a big impact?
Speaker 2 (26:57):
Oh? Man, how that costs little but I had a
big impact.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
Or you can do this one. Here's here's a here's
a beat to that is, what's the best five hundred
dollars you've ever spend on your career? So either one.
Speaker 2 (27:16):
Shoot on five hundred dollars on life coaching. That's that's
the best. I mean yeah, just you know, again, like
the greatest asset that we have is our mind. And
the thing about our mind is we take it for granted.
(27:37):
We just you know, meaning like working on our self,
working on our mindset, working on uh you know, unblocking
ourselves in certain areas, doing that internal work that's the world.
And and sometimes we overlook the work because we think
that the work is just what we do professionally. And
don't get me wrong, that works important because that work,
(27:58):
you know, certainly pays the bills. However, I've gotten so
much value out of working on myself and so spending
that five hundred dollars you know, on life coaching and
doing sessions with my life coach really really pays off,
because the more that I trained my mind, then then
I'm able to I'm able to excel, I'm able to succeed.
(28:18):
I'm able to work at levels that otherwise couldn't work.
I mean even in a moment like this, you know,
being just released a film, the Ruth and Boas Movie
on Netflix. I'm in post production on a film that
I just did for Amazon Prime called Relationship Goals with
Kelly Rowland and Meta Man. I'm in pre production on
a film that I'm getting ready to do for Netflix.
(28:41):
Have an audiobook that's getting ready to come out that
I'm promoting. I'm in a film called Soul on Fire,
which is in theaters nationwide starting October tenth, that Sony
Pictures is releasing. And I'm also in Divorce Sisters, you know,
which is on BT Plus. So and all those things
are happening all at one time.
Speaker 3 (29:00):
Now.
Speaker 2 (29:00):
If I had not spent years working on my mind, coaching,
doing the work on the inside, I would never be
able to handle all these things. These things would just
they would just be they would they would be beyond
my capacity. But because I started increasing my mental capacity
years ago. I can be in this moment and I
(29:21):
can manage these things successfully and they don't crush me.
So that's that's where the five hundred dollars, which may
seem like a lot, you know, it's like, no, I'm
gonna put that money. I'm not gonna put it on
the suit. I'm not gonna put it on no shoes.
I'm not gonna put it, you know, on you know,
an accessory for the car. I'm gonna put it into
my mind. I'm gonna put it into my own personal development.
(29:43):
And that is money that is well spent. And I
would encourage anyone uh to do it because it really
makes a big difference.
Speaker 3 (29:51):
There's another quote I found from you where you said,
who we think we are can actually work against us.
And you know, I think about ideenty the you know
that we put on ourselves and what other people think
about us can also work against us. Can you say
more about what you mean when you say that, and
how we can break free from you know, the limitations
(30:12):
or the expectations that we put on ourselves by what
we think about ourselves.
Speaker 2 (30:19):
Yeah, what we think about ourselves is important. Yet I
would also just encourage anyone to remain curious about who
you are and what's possible for you, because sometimes, you know,
don't get me wrong, finding an identity that works in
(30:39):
the world is hard, you know, finding our purpose. And
what I mean by finding an identity, it's like, you know,
if somebody says, hey, you know, I'm gonna pursue being
a teacher, and they are able to pursue that, and
that's a passion of theirs and they get compensated, you know,
getting into that place where it's like, oh, wow, I
found something that I love. That's great, there's nothing wrong
(31:00):
with that. However, what if you're also an actor, What
if you're also an author, what if you're also a dancer.
So sometimes we get so locked into that one identity
that helps basically fund our survival that we latch onto
it so hard that we never stay curious enough about
(31:22):
who we are to then explore what else may be possible.
You know. So years ago, you know, I was a
studio executive. After I left MGM, I went to Sony
Pictures Entertainment and worked on Pursuit of Happiness and Seven
Pounds and Handcock and the Karate Kid remake and Jumping
the Broom, and Heaven Is for Real and so many
(31:43):
movies in between. Now, if I had locked my identity
into being an executive, then when it was time for
me to write my first book, I would have never
been able to write it. Why because I said, well,
I would have said, well, I'm not an I'm not
an author. But when the opportunity came to write the
first book, instead of saying I'm not, I said, well
maybe I am. Let me see, let me try. Oh
(32:07):
I tried that that actually works. So I'm not just
an executive. I'm also an author. And then the opportunity
came for me to, you know, start my production company.
If I only thought of myself as an executive or
just an author, I would have never then stepped into
running my own company and became a producer. But then
I had to say, well maybe I am, and let
me go see. So then I opened myself up to that,
(32:28):
and then you know, producer starts to work and then
it's like, okay, well maybe you know when opportunity came
for me to be a TV personality and be on
TV and be a regular on Doctor Oz, at that
time like well maybe I am. And then the opportunity
comes for me to act. You know, Tyler offers me
a show like, Hey, come do Divorce Sisters, then be
you know, one of the stars of the show. I've
never done a TV series like that, but maybe I
(32:50):
have the ability. So what I say is, sometimes the
knowledge of self is the greatest barrier to the understanding
of self because we think we know who we are. Well,
I know who I am today, but let me be open.
Let me be open, because maybe there's more that wants
to get revealed to me. Maybe God wants to show me, Hey,
(33:13):
you're even more than you think you are. But if
I lock in and say no, I'm just divine the producer,
then who I really am may never see the light
of day. So that's why I would encourage anyone to
just be curious about yourself. Oh well, can I do this?
Do I have this ability? I don't know? And guess what.
(33:34):
Don't be afraid to try. Hey, the worst thing that
happens is it doesn't work out the way you may
have wanted. But then you have the experience and you
can say, wow, that was crazy. I can't believe I
try that, you know, man versus like living in the
what if? Oh man, Well, what if I had done this? Well, No,
I want to live in the I did it. And
sometimes you get to that place and you do it
well and sometimes you don't, but you grow from it.
(33:57):
And so that's what I mean by that quote. That's
what I mean.
Speaker 3 (34:00):
That's really good.
Speaker 2 (34:01):
You know.
Speaker 3 (34:01):
I think about all the positions you hold, things that
you've done. And I talked to so many people, and
I'm also a person who has like a lot of ideas.
I can do a lot of things, and I talked
to entrepreneurs who have a ton of ideas and want
to do a ton of things, and I how do
you first prioritize what you were going to when? Like,
how did you know, for instance, how did you know
(34:23):
right now was the time to do with Ruth and
bowl Ass, Because I'm sure you've got a ton of
ideas and movies, You've got a ton of scripts that
you could be producing. How did you know right now
was the time? And how did you how do you
prioritize what it should be working on right now?
Speaker 2 (34:38):
Yeah? You know, and it's divine. By the way, I'm
sorry that took it. It's okay, it's okay. Yeah. With
Ruthor bow As, I just had a feeling, you know,
I felt it. I was like, oh, I think I
think this is what it is. And then I pitched
it to a writer friend of mine and he was like,
oh yeah, I like that. And then he and his
writing partner came up with the concept in about forty
(35:01):
eight hours. And then when they sent it back to me,
I said, oh, okay, yeah, I think there's something. There's
something here, and we started working on it. And then
when I told Tyler Perry about it, and he was like, oh, yeah,
that sounds really good. And then when I told Netflix
about it, They're like, yeah, that's that sounds cool. Then
we got the script and the script was good. I
was like, oh snap, the script is good. Like it
just it was a feeling, and then I just followed
the feeling. And either you get confirmation or you don't.
(35:24):
And so at every step with the development and the
production and the release of Ruth and Bos, it's just
been a rolling set of confirmations. And it just started
with the feeling. I just said, oh, I think this
is what I'm supposed to do. I think, yeah, really,
because I was connecting to the story, I felt like,
oh yeah, there hasn't been a love story in a
long time, and this movie really is good, and oh yeah,
(35:46):
let's just do it, let's try it, and it just
it just snowballed. I mean, so that part was pretty cool.
Like so usually it always starts with the feeling, like
what am I feeling? And then and then I follow
and sometimes I'm feeling something and then it's like, ooh no,
that's not it. I could I either I hit a
roadblock or I hit a certain level of resistance that
(36:06):
I'm like, again going back to that whole pushing idea,
Uh no, I don't need to push a door door
open that God has for me. I don't see. No, no,
if God hasn't for me, then that door is going
to open. You know, I just got to be in
position for when it does. And if I'm really trying
to open a door or change a situation to my
(36:26):
will and it's not already that I got to step
away from it. So you know, it's a process. It's
a fluid process of feeling, praying, stopping, looking, you know,
getting confirmation. Years ago, I went on a whitewater rafting
trip and the guide said, you know, when I say paddle, paddle,
when I say stop, stop because you're you know, and
(36:48):
that's how we get through the rapids successfully and not
get turned over. And so there would be times when
he would tell us to paddle, where when we look
at the rapids, we think we should we should be stopping,
And there were times he would tell us to stop,
and then we look at the rapids and we would
think that we would be rowing. But he knows the
water better than we did. So that's kind of like
(37:11):
how it is with God. God knows the water better
than we do. So I got a feeling I row. Okay, God,
stead stop. I got a feeling I row. God says stop.
And then you see the momentum. You know. Can you
imagine if I'm trying to to be in that that
that that the raft and trying to go upstream, It's impossible.
(37:35):
There's a flow. So that feeling is okay, God, show
me where you're flowing. And then I do my part
and I get confirmation. Oh, confirmation means I can row again. Okay, great,
I keep rowing. I stopped to get confirmation. Okay, let
me keep rolling. Okay. Cool. So that's the process.
Speaker 3 (37:53):
I love it. Lastly, I want you to talk about
the movie and the still what can you give us
a synopsis of? Actually, I'm gonna I really want to
do two here, so forgive me. I want you to
talk about why people should watch this movie, like the
premise of Ruth and Boaz. I know the story of
you know, grew up in a church, so I know
this story. And then if you can leave our entrepreneurs
(38:14):
with a principle You've given us so much in so
many keys. I'm going to take notes from this interview
because there was so much here. Can you leave us
with some principles that we should be thinking about as
we're on our journey, maybe even from the story?
Speaker 2 (38:31):
Yeah, you know, I mean the story of Ruth and
Boaz is the movie Ruth and Boaz, which is on
Netflix now and it's doing very well. You know, we
were like in the top ten and like over sixty
countries and we're number one, the number one movie in
almost ten countries, which is amazing. And that the story
is about, you know, a young woman who is on
(38:54):
a journey trying to figure out, you know, where God
wants her to go, and that leads her to move
from Atlanta to Pegriam, Tennessee. With the woman that was
the mother of the guy she was dating, and they
both went through a tragedy. She the woman ends up
going back to her hometown of Pegham, Tennessee our you know,
(39:18):
lead Ruth follows her and when she goes out to
find work, she doesn't realize she's also going out to
find love. And she finds love in the in the
form of Boaz, who owns the vineyard where she finds
a job. And then you get a chance to see
them come together. But she has to still reckon with
her past if she wants to have a future with Boaz.
(39:41):
And so that's you know, the story, and it's inspired
by the biblical story of the same name, you know,
from the Book of Ruth. And you know for entrepreneurs,
you know, I when I went to the University of
Southern California, I had a major in business and an
emphasis in entrepreneurship. And I as part of my senior thesis,
(40:01):
as not even part of as my senior thesis, I
did a business plan for the production company that one
day that I would start. And I had that business plan.
It was a it was almost a fifty page business plan.
I had that business plan when I was twenty two.
I did not get the opportunity to start the company
until I was thirty six. So I would, you know,
(40:25):
encourage any entrepreneur to have vision and really understand the
industry that you're called to and the business you want
to start, and resist the temptation to put a demand
on the timing of that vision. Have the vision, pursue
(40:47):
it if you get the funding, great, If you don't,
don't give up on the vision, but find what you
need to do until it's time for the vision to manifest.
And so for me as an entrepreneur, you know, if
I had demanded that at twenty two that's when I
need to I have a business plan and I need
to get it funded, then I would have missed it.
(41:08):
We would even be having this conversation. So I had
to hold onto the vision. But then I had to
get a job, I had to work, I had to
commit to learning Hollywood. I had to serve somebody else's
vision before I could be in a place to execute
my own. So I would encourage, you know, anyone you
know listening, any entrepreneur listening, don't be weary and well doing,
(41:29):
don't give up on your vision yet, don't also stress
yourself out because you're trying to get the timing of
the vision to manifest before it's time. You know, if
you plan a seed in the ground, it don't matter
what you do to that seed. Some seeds just take it.
They just there's a certain amount of time. And the
more you go over and keep watering it and uprooting
(41:51):
the soil, the only thing that happens you delay it
versus saying, hey, I planted this seed, I believe this
is what I'm supposed to do. I'm going to keep
working at it and guess what, I'm gonna work at
it with joy. The dream the vision is not meant
to depress us. We sometimes have self inflicted depression because
we put a timeline on it. Well, it needs to
(42:14):
happen by this, Well, no it doesn't. No, it doesn't.
Let it happen when it's going to happen, and until
it happens, keep learning, keep growing, keep researching, so when
it does happen, you're even you're even in a better
position to handle the success of whatever vision God has
given you.
Speaker 1 (42:34):
Afrotech Conference is back when return to as Town, Houston,
Texas from October twenty seventh through thirty first, twenty twenty five,
the George R. Brown Convention Center. For years, Afrotech has
been to go to experience for black tech innovators, founders, engineers, creators, investors.
In twenty twenty five is shaping up to be the
biggest year yet. Thover forty attendees expected. This year's conference
(42:56):
will feature five days of dynamic programming across six curator stages,
from discovery to executive leadership. Join us to hear from
industry leaders at the forefront of change, learn from top
ten engineers and designers, and connect with recruiters from nearly
two hundred companies. This year, we're digging deeper into what's
next with tracks exploring AI and machine learning, mad tech
and health equity, cybersecurity, climate tech, and much more. Whether
(43:20):
you're launching your first startup, pivoting into a new role,
or scaling as an execu there's something here for you.
Take us and moving fast to keep your spot nowt
at Afrotech Conference dot com. Black Tech Green Money is
a production of Blavity afro Tech on the Black Effect
podcast Networking Night Hire Media. It's produced by Morgan Debaun
and me Well Lucas with the additional production support by
(43:40):
Kate McDonald, Sarah Ergan, and Jada McGee. Special thank you
to Michael Davis and Lovebeach. Learn more about my guessing
Other Tech the Shops an innovator. It's at afrotech dot com.
The video version of this episode will drop to Black
Tech Green Money on YouTube, so tap in enjoy your
black Tech.
Speaker 3 (43:55):
Green money shit to somebody. Go get your money and
love
Host
Will Lucas
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