Creating Your Own Path w/ Marco Summers

In this episode of the 'Keep It Positive Sweetie Show,' Crystal Renee Hayslett sits down with comedian Marco Summers, also known as Funny Marco, to discuss his unique approach to comedy and life. They talk about Marco's journey from DM'ing Crystal over a year ago after watching a Tyler Perry episode to finally being on the show. Marco shares insights on patience, learning from Kevin Hart, and not letting the industry's timing affect one's passion. He delves into his upbringing, the impact of his father’s street life and the mindset of his mother, and his commitment to being a different kind of dad for his children. Marco touches upon his struggle with dyslexia and how it shaped his comedic style and outlook. We also explore Marco's transition to using his real name, the importance of trusting and learning from his team, and his evolution from doing Walmart pranks to full-scale productions. He provides a candid look into his personal life, including his relationship with his children and his move from Kansas City to Atlanta. The conversation is filled with humor, wisdom, and practical advice on building a career while staying authentic.

Connect @luvCrystalRenee @MarcoSummers

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Calling all my sweeties to the forefront. I'm your host,
Christern and this is the keeping positive, Sweetish show Marco Summers.
You know him as Funny Marco. He's built one of
the most distinct voices in comedy. His timing, stillness, and
humor have made him a standout in a world that
is usually loud with his serious, open thoughts. Entering season two,

(00:24):
Marco Keys proving that being yourself is the brand sweety. Family,
please give a very warm welcome to Marco Summers, also
known as Funny Marco.

Speaker 2 (00:34):
Marco, how are you feeling?

Speaker 1 (00:38):
You have so remember you dm ME like over girl, Yeah,
and you were watching the Tyler Perry episode and You're like,
I want to come on, And I was like, is
this really funny?

Speaker 2 (00:48):
Marco?

Speaker 1 (00:49):
I was really shocked that you're a dm ME, but
I was also honored because I'm a big.

Speaker 2 (00:52):
Fan of your work.

Speaker 1 (00:53):
And then you hit me recently and you're like, I
want to come on, thrill and talk, like show the
people who I really am. So I'm excited to have
you on.

Speaker 3 (01:01):
And you know what I learned to I'm learning too,
patients is key because like even at the time when
I didn't ask you to come on like I'm in
a different world now from me, and so I feel like.

Speaker 2 (01:10):
We got to learn that.

Speaker 3 (01:11):
And sometimes in the industry, when some people don't give
you what you want, then you can develop a nasty taste. Yeah,
but sometimes you gotta understand right now, let that moment happen.
And I let that from Kevin Hart because when we
were talking and like Kevin Hart is talking to me,
He's like, one thing he told me is like have
patience and ownership, and he was just like I'm talking

(01:34):
to Kevin.

Speaker 2 (01:34):
Hart every day.

Speaker 1 (01:35):
Wow.

Speaker 2 (01:36):
And I'm like and he telling me, like all this
information and I'm like, nigga.

Speaker 3 (01:40):
Come help me, like you got like compen and I'm urgent,
like I'm sitting here, I'm recording, like you know, like
I'm in that moment, living happy, like my life about
to change. And at the time, it's just it's start developing.
And then when our interview happened, it happened at the
right time. Yes, And like when the g Herbal situation happened,
when that went crazy kept hert reached out and said,

(02:01):
let's do it now to get the spotlight off of that.
You know what I'm saying, but if I would have
got at the.

Speaker 1 (02:06):
End exactly, Yeah, Yeah, I love that. Who is Marco
Summers the father, the son, the friend and the lover.

Speaker 3 (02:20):
I like Oprah refree, Look, the father is becoming something
that you never had.

Speaker 2 (02:33):
My daddy was a street guy.

Speaker 3 (02:35):
He was known in the streets and he was real respected.
And what I learned and what I got from that
is growing up having like a daddy that's known for
what he did. All you got when he's not there
for you no more. It's people telling you he was
that nigga. But again I didn't get to see him
as a father. So it's just like it it can

(02:58):
help you and hurt you because I feel like some
people try to make their.

Speaker 2 (03:00):
Daddy legacy live on. Yeah, and you want to be like, Maam,
I want to see how he felt.

Speaker 3 (03:05):
I wanted that same type of fame and you only
know two things that come with that, and it's like
jail or dead when it comes with that street fame.
And I feel like what our legacy is no different
from big meat in them. And it's like even playing
his daddy in a role with probably can in his
mind it could traumatize him to like do I got

(03:26):
to move now like how he was.

Speaker 2 (03:27):
And again, what if we got.

Speaker 3 (03:29):
A different What if you was supposed to be the
start like the actor. What if you're supposed to be
our Michael B. Jordan's and you wouldn't supposed to be
who your daddy was, But when you're from that, people
push that narrative on you to be who your daddy was.
So me not being like a street dude, and then
people knew I was funny. It was like you ain't
like your daddy and it can hurt you, like.

Speaker 2 (03:48):
Yeah, goofy his hell.

Speaker 3 (03:52):
And you know, So just being able to create a
path for my kids to let them know that you
don't have to be where you came.

Speaker 2 (03:59):
From, develop a new you.

Speaker 3 (04:01):
So I want to show them something that I never got.
And being a father, I know my daddy really cared
because he he made money for us. But again sometimes
money in the wrong way can lead you into, you know,
bad stuff. So him passing away really like made me
want to be a better father because I knew he
wanted to be there for us, And it's like, let

(04:22):
me be.

Speaker 2 (04:22):
There for them.

Speaker 1 (04:24):
Did he pass away?

Speaker 2 (04:25):
He got set up? Yeah?

Speaker 3 (04:27):
So he's like yeah, So it was him. And that's
another thing I learned a lot from that. Like my
daddy he got he was he was, he was smart.
So the person that, like my daddy situation was he
got killed in the car and the person who did
it was somebody that he was comfortable with because my
daddy never let nobody sit behind him. So the person

(04:48):
who did it was it was him and his girlfriend
in the car. And the thing is, they said they
feel like my daddy knew it was coming because he
tried to get my girl, his girlfriend, out of the car,
and he's trying to drop problem. She's like, nah, I
want to ride with you, like I want to ride
with you while you're making place. And that person killed
both of them. And that's why I tell certain people,
even for women, you gotta watch who you date, because

(05:09):
just if she wasn't with him, she would probably probably
still be allowed to this day. So on the side,
I feel sorry for her family too, because she got
what was coming from my daddy. So you gotta watch
all you date in the world because you never know
what could come your way.

Speaker 1 (05:23):
Oh my goodness, how old were you?

Speaker 2 (05:25):
I think I was like eleven or twelve.

Speaker 1 (05:26):
How did that impact you in that moment as a child,
because you're still growing in those are formative years.

Speaker 2 (05:32):
Him, it didn't.

Speaker 3 (05:34):
It didn't impact me a lot. I don't know, it's
something to me. I'm just numb, like I got a
different time. I'm just numb to a lot of stuff.
So it just felt unreal. But I understood he was
somebody that did what happened to him.

Speaker 2 (05:48):
He was in the streets.

Speaker 1 (05:50):
And so you understood.

Speaker 3 (05:51):
Yeah, honestly, yeah, because like you know, what goes around
comes around, and it was just more of that. And
like even at the funeral, like it was funny because
my day he was like a lot of people liked him,
but he was like a sex symbol, like a lot
of people like he was buffy, had braids. And when
he came because he came to my he came to

(06:12):
one of my uh he finally got to come to
one of my parents teacher conferences. He came and all
the teachers was like, you know, like yeah, yeah, yeah yeah,
and it was white ladies, so yeah, so they're like yeah, yeah,
like he hat like he's really you know, and they
was trying to domb it down and like, oh, well,
he could do better.

Speaker 2 (06:31):
Than all this.

Speaker 3 (06:32):
So well, my daddy after I remember me leaving with him,
and he was upset about my grades, and I got
my earsperienced too.

Speaker 2 (06:40):
I had both my ear spirits.

Speaker 3 (06:41):
You know back then you can't get both your ear
spirits because they used to say it was finnamin like yeah,
And my daddy was upset, like you need one ear
like he got mad, like rough me up, took the
earring out. He's like, get your grades together. And that
was the first time I ever got you know what
I'm saying, told from a man, like get your ship together.

Speaker 2 (06:57):
So then what happened was I start working and I
don't even think, honestly, I don't.

Speaker 3 (07:04):
I still didn't have my shit together, but the teachers
liked him so much they passed me like I swould
have gotten.

Speaker 2 (07:11):
So I got good grades. So all of a sudden, I'm.

Speaker 3 (07:12):
Calling my daddy and I'm calling to tell him like
I got good grades, like when my report card came.

Speaker 2 (07:18):
And then he's like.

Speaker 3 (07:19):
You're not picking up, and I'm like, nigga, pick up,
like I'm trying to tell you, like, you know, doing good.

Speaker 2 (07:23):
So just my mama was watching the news. She always
watched the news.

Speaker 3 (07:26):
And she's seen the crime happen like right then and there,
like the crime crime scene and somebody got killed like
in the afternoon. So and then my mama got the
call from her daddy was like, yeah, like you seen
what happened on the news on such such street and
grand View, so yes, like yeah that was that was
your baby, daddy. So then my mama was like, call
your grandma. So when I called my grandma, she crying

(07:46):
and it happened. So it was just more of like
we just started getting more relationship and then boom that
happened because he was in and out of prison. Yeah,
so you know what I'm saying. So that was like
a thing. And then the funeral was crazy, Oh my gods,
like a movie because know, uh we there and then
somebody running there like all the people here that killed them,
they're about shoot it up. What And what's funny is

(08:08):
the teachers came because they came to the white ladies.

Speaker 2 (08:11):
They like they're in saying out.

Speaker 3 (08:14):
The teachers are like, oh my god, I've never been
nothing like this, and they like scared and they like they.

Speaker 2 (08:20):
Gotta shoot this bitch up.

Speaker 3 (08:21):
They're like, everybody get down, and the white teachers, and
the teachers in there are.

Speaker 2 (08:25):
Like, oh my god, this is crazy.

Speaker 3 (08:28):
And it's just like remembering that and my auntie like
we gotta get you out of here.

Speaker 2 (08:33):
And then that's why I left. I didn't even get
to see the like the you do this every time
you make everything funny.

Speaker 3 (08:44):
It was it was like your mad. The two white
ladies they come, that's their first black funeral. They was
about to get shot up.

Speaker 1 (08:50):
It's like, yes, yes, it's really you need to be
writing this down.

Speaker 2 (08:54):
What I can't write. I'm not a writer.

Speaker 1 (08:57):
You tell the story, I write it, alrite it for you.

Speaker 2 (09:01):
This is a movie that you know what's so funny?

Speaker 3 (09:04):
I wonder if like I'm gonna call as we're talking
about my auntie, she like she like, yeah, you gotta
get you up out of here, like because it's like
you can't die next because like you you like you know, uh,
And then just going through all that, it's like, damn,
life is real, Like this is real life. So I
just feel like you can't be sad about everything because

(09:24):
it'll just.

Speaker 2 (09:25):
Put a toad on you.

Speaker 3 (09:26):
Yeah, like it was just to move on and you
be able to talk about what happened. I just feel like,
you know, just those things have like seeing how where
my daddy lived, It's like I noticed the street route,
like I know what come with it, So like how
can I really chase my dreams and see that route
and let them hear my story right, and let my
kids talk about me once I'm no longer here.

Speaker 1 (09:48):
Right in a positive way? Yeah, I wanted to ask
you because you said that your dad never let anyone
sit behind him and it was somebody that was really
close to him that killed him. How did that affect
you and your friends and even trusting people.

Speaker 2 (10:02):
That's a good question.

Speaker 3 (10:04):
I never I feel like that has opened eyes, Like,
if anything, my day became one of my angels and
now he protected me through energy.

Speaker 2 (10:15):
And I was just talking to my friend about this.

Speaker 3 (10:17):
I can feel, I say, my friend, my brother, I'm
sitting here, I can feel when something's not right for me,
like and it's just I don't I don't think about it.
It's just if it hit me like the same, right,
and I pay attention to like how somebody is with
theyself before they are how.

Speaker 1 (10:34):
They are with me, yeah, that's real.

Speaker 2 (10:36):
Yeah, and how they treat their friends, you know.

Speaker 3 (10:39):
So I just feel like I'm more awareness and just
paying attention to my surroundings.

Speaker 2 (10:43):
But I want to go in loving everybody.

Speaker 1 (10:46):
Right, giving everybody a fair shot, and to prove who
they are. Yeah, yeah, that's good man. I did not
know all that.

Speaker 2 (10:53):
Yeah, it's a lot. And it's like when you see me,
you and be like, oh, yeah, he came from some ship.

Speaker 3 (10:57):
So I feel like some people, it's not good to
just joke people because you never know what they've been through.

Speaker 1 (11:01):
It's not Yes, you can't judge the book byers ever,
that's for sure. You're from Kansas City born and raised.
I actually lived in Taeka, Kansas.

Speaker 3 (11:09):
Were in Kansas, Missouri, Topeka.

Speaker 2 (11:14):
Yeah, we don't claim y'all.

Speaker 1 (11:16):
Wow, it's crazy. Who was young Marco Summers where you
said you were funny when you're young? Yeah, when did
you know you were, like, oh, I'm actually funny.

Speaker 2 (11:30):
That's a good question. I think it. Damn. That's really.

Speaker 3 (11:34):
I feel like when I wanted to defend in with
the popular kids, my personality got me in. That's why
I know I was funny because I didn't have to close.
I didn't have like the image I was funny looking
like a little bit, so I was a snagger too,
to chew on my my shirt a lot. So it

(11:56):
was like once my personality got me in, my personality
saved my life. Like who I am, like from jobs
and everything, Like I'm not good at nothing for real,
but like you know, I'm saying I'm real because I know,
like when I say not good at it, because I
have seen people be good at it, so I can say, damn,
I can't do that.

Speaker 1 (12:13):
So like, do you feel like sometimes it's self sabotage,
you kind of talking yourself out of something that you
can actually be great at.

Speaker 3 (12:20):
I mean yeah, but sometimes you got to understand that
it's just such thing as good and bad, and it's
okay to standing on the bath side sometimes, Like it's
okay to recognize like this ain't my thing. That's true, yeah,
because you can never hoop like Lebron James ever. You
can't or Age and Wilson exactly right, So you're.

Speaker 2 (12:34):
Bad at it.

Speaker 3 (12:35):
So what I'm trying to say is I feel like
people try to hide that, and it's okay to admit,
like who you are, what you stand for, and the
shit I'm good at, I'm gonna speak on it. I'm
good at that for sure.

Speaker 2 (12:46):
Yeah, so this is there's no one to use the good.

Speaker 3 (12:48):
So now did I struggle like into the day Like people,
some people are naturally born with how they brain is set,
and you can make it get better. And I feel
like my mom, she didn't force me to be better
in school. She didn't force me to graduate, she didn't
force me to do homework. So me already coming in
his life with a disability or like not really being

(13:10):
able to read or write, and my mama not trying
to help me get better with that.

Speaker 2 (13:14):
It's like my mama not making me doing this. So
I listen to you.

Speaker 3 (13:18):
Sorry for cussing, but yeah, but like to a teacher,
like a teacher like trying to help me at but
I'm like at home, my mama don't care, Like so
you're trying to like she don't.

Speaker 2 (13:29):
She ain't making me do this work. She make me
come to school because she went me at the house.

Speaker 3 (13:33):
Wow, you know, so it was school was like a
day care for me, Like it was just a way
a place.

Speaker 2 (13:39):
To get away.

Speaker 1 (13:40):
So how did that make you feel as a child
knowing I mean that's all I knew, that just set.

Speaker 3 (13:46):
Yeah, I mean I understand it once I start growing
up and thinking about my kids.

Speaker 2 (13:49):
Now I'm not thinking about that.

Speaker 3 (13:51):
Like, so, let's just go to school, like I don't
care where you go, Like go just get out of here,
like see you at three o'clock.

Speaker 2 (13:57):
So and then so.

Speaker 3 (14:00):
But I just feel like I knew I was different
in demanding because I said I'm gonna graduate, because I
I was.

Speaker 2 (14:08):
I did the same grade. When I tell you, I
got held back in first grade. While you laughing, I
see it because I was like, let me see how
she gonna take this, y'all.

Speaker 1 (14:26):
I'm not laughing at you.

Speaker 2 (14:28):
Are you laughing with me? Right?

Speaker 1 (14:30):
You're just so funny. It's what you look at me.

Speaker 2 (14:32):
Because I knew it was coming. But I got held
back in first grade, and they like what he do wrong? Right, MoMA?
Like what do you do right? So, like.

Speaker 3 (14:44):
Getting her back and stuff like that. It just it
just makes you not like school. It's just when you're
going through school and people are passing on and like teachers,
it just you develop a not like for it. So
but I also just told myself I'm gonna graduate. I
don't know why I wanted to graduate, but it was
a challenge. One thing I do like challenges. I said,
I don't know how I'm graduate, but I'm gonna do it.
Even when I graduated, I'm still like they're gonna call

(15:05):
my name. I was still nervous, but I had to
go to another school. So it was it was I
graduated because of me, because I could have dropped that
because my mama didn't care. It was like you older now,
like whatever you do is do So one thing I
do like is challenges.

Speaker 2 (15:19):
So that was the challenge that I wanted to.

Speaker 3 (15:21):
Do to get a diploma because I feel like people
think I wasn't gonna get it.

Speaker 1 (15:26):
So yeah, yeah, yeah, I want to ask you. You talked
about the disorder that you have, and it's dyslexia. How
old were you when you realize something was off, even
if you didn't have the language to figure out what
it was.

Speaker 3 (15:40):
That's a hard question because like when you when it's
having that, it's hard because you don't know.

Speaker 2 (15:47):
You don't remember numbers.

Speaker 3 (15:49):
Like I was telling my brother that I get anxiety
with words and letters. Honestly, right now, I don't know
how much money I got.

Speaker 1 (15:55):
Really, yeah, Marco.

Speaker 2 (15:57):
I don't want to know.

Speaker 3 (15:58):
Are you serious with some people like I don't know
how much money I got, Like I know I'm good,
but I don't want to know I'm not. I have
not looked at a bank account since last time I
overdrive at Bank of America.

Speaker 2 (16:10):
I was trying to get extra money. That was the
last time.

Speaker 3 (16:12):
I gotta like bank account at my brother.

Speaker 2 (16:18):
No, my brother, okay, I'm like them, I'm like, damn,
he gonna die one day. What I'm gonna do?

Speaker 3 (16:23):
So I need to just like getting I'm like by
then hopefully I have a wife.

Speaker 2 (16:26):
I don't like numbers.

Speaker 1 (16:28):
Well you need to because you're I'm fine.

Speaker 3 (16:30):
I mean cause again, I mean overall, I might be
that person to go through life to be like you
know I've been okay, or I might be the one
like THEMN my should know.

Speaker 2 (16:37):
So it's gonna be one side. I wouldn't say that.
I don't want to know. I don't know.

Speaker 1 (16:42):
I got a disagree with I really big, Like I
don't I pay all I write all the checks, everything
like nothing.

Speaker 3 (16:49):
Right, And then that's why people like you, that's why
you need people like you and all like because like
imagine just to say like oh yeah we had some
time we met somewhere and like whatever we became sister's
brother wife is like, okay, I.

Speaker 2 (17:02):
Do that now. So you got people that love to
do that.

Speaker 1 (17:06):
I just want to make sure that I know. People
like Oprah and Tyler have talked about accountants like stealing,
not in your brother.

Speaker 2 (17:13):
It happens, it happens.

Speaker 1 (17:14):
It's still from you, right on your nose and the
people that you trust. And that's why for.

Speaker 2 (17:18):
Me, it happens. It's important to know.

Speaker 3 (17:20):
I wouldn't promote with like, yeah don't know, but I'm
just being real with me. Yeah, I'm just saying you
should know. Yeah, yeah, but I don't want to know
right now.

Speaker 1 (17:28):
Okay, but you're good.

Speaker 2 (17:30):
Yeah, when you.

Speaker 1 (17:32):
Were dealing with dyslexy as a as a child, how
did you ever know children can be cruel and me
and be bullies. Was there ever a moment in your
life where you were bullied or were you kind of
like did you? Were you the kid that like I
don't ever want to read, like, don't follow me in class.

Speaker 3 (17:48):
That's what made me become like open and not be
like I know how to match the funny When people
try to pick on me, that's when I know they
get it, Like because that came from a funny family,
so you can't.

Speaker 2 (18:03):
Yeah, you can't.

Speaker 3 (18:04):
That's where it kicked in because if I got picked on,
I knew how to get under your skin, and then
you can't really you can't mess with nobody.

Speaker 2 (18:11):
That except who they are.

Speaker 3 (18:13):
I just feel like it's hard when some people didn't
denial or they don't want to face it, and then
when people pick on you.

Speaker 2 (18:18):
About it, it makes you feel bad, so.

Speaker 3 (18:20):
You want to want to wait from it. So somebody
that can't read, they want to run away from it.
But if I come to the classroom, I be the
one to come to like I can't read, don't pick me.

Speaker 2 (18:27):
I say it for everybody. Yeah, so then it's just
like oh but if.

Speaker 3 (18:34):
I don't tell him that and they picked me to read,
and it's like everybody looking like, well you take us
all long, like you know. And it was a time
where I'm like, I don't know where we're at, and
the teacher comes show me right here.

Speaker 2 (18:43):
I'm like, oh, like, why are you show me? I
just said I don't know where. I didn't say it.
I blanked it out. I liked it.

Speaker 3 (18:52):
But yeah, so yeah, it was just times where I
tried to get away from things that I was weak
at and I try to avoid it, but.

Speaker 2 (18:57):
I still have to face it.

Speaker 1 (18:59):
Absolutely.

Speaker 2 (18:59):
Yeah, got facial problems.

Speaker 1 (19:01):
I love that you even in what somebody made well,
it is a disability, but you made it a positive,
like you found a way to get ahead of it
and combat it in a different way, versus allowing people
to make you feel bad about your circumstance.

Speaker 3 (19:16):
My sister told me it's another word and it's just
such thing.

Speaker 2 (19:20):
I don't know how to.

Speaker 3 (19:21):
Say it, but I looked it up on YouTube. And
some people are to hear other people, and I wonder
I want to get help from her real quick.

Speaker 2 (19:29):
But when you.

Speaker 3 (19:30):
Hear other people that have stuff that you go through
and think how you think you be, like I'm not
the only one not yea, And it makes it makes
it makes a better feeling.

Speaker 1 (19:41):
And he's thriving. But he does conferences where he speaks
to children that are just and adults. I have a problem,
like sometimes my numbers get jumbled up, like I'll readon
like when I see it, like I had to like
really focus because like I'll start reading it backwards on numbers.
But the more like I've gotten better, like as an adult,

(20:02):
but like as a child, that was something that I
did too, so you're not alone in that.

Speaker 2 (20:06):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (20:06):
Yeah, it was one of those things where I had
to like really look at it because my brain would
be like start back here versus at the top.

Speaker 3 (20:13):
And that's why I said, I want to get my
daughter a tutor right now before she like ever needed. Yeah,
it's in getting somebody that specialized in that, and you
got money, the fact that I can afford it to
do it right now so it can help her on
top of what she already born with.

Speaker 1 (20:28):
Yeah, yeah, I love that. I love that you moved
to Atlanta. However, when you moved to Atlanta, because Kansas
City and Atlanta are two different places.

Speaker 2 (20:36):
Yeah, I don't remember.

Speaker 3 (20:38):
It's another number of things, but I know, I know
it was like probably nineteen so recently.

Speaker 1 (20:46):
Yeah, okay, what made you want to come to Atlanta?

Speaker 3 (20:49):
Because I knew I had to grow and I want
to go somewhere. I was supposed to go to San
Francisco and my cousin. It was so funny. My cousin,
like I was doing videos and he's like, yo, you
can come stay with me.

Speaker 2 (21:01):
He gave me a date.

Speaker 3 (21:02):
So now I'm like talking stuff on Facebook. Yeah, I'm
about the move, y'all. Like I'm gonna chase my dreams.
I might go to San Francisco, like yeah, quit my job.
And then when that day came, they not picking up
the phone, like they.

Speaker 2 (21:15):
Know, they're not picking up the phone.

Speaker 3 (21:17):
And now I'm like, okay, and give me a job now.

Speaker 1 (21:22):
And I quit this way.

Speaker 2 (21:23):
Yeah, but God is always working.

Speaker 3 (21:28):
Because I got a random DM and it was just
a stranger in Atlanta, and he was just like, would
you like to move to Atlanta? And I'm like yeah,
And I didn't know him, and he flew me out
here and I started working with him and just that
just energy and I didn't know him, and my family
didn't care. I was like, I'm going to Atlanta. I
took one bag and I came out here and the

(21:50):
rest is history.

Speaker 2 (21:50):
I just kept working.

Speaker 3 (21:52):
And the thing is you in life, when you gotta go,
you gotta make sure you complete it. You can get
districted because I met shout out to Ray Daniels. I
met somebody that was so successful. Ray picked me up,
Ray Daniels, Ray picked me up. And when I seen
how Ray was living, I remember the dopest thing I
seen him. We was out to dinner. He paid for
everybody dinner, and I said, I can't wait till I

(22:13):
could do that. Like I was looking like what he's
paid for everybody, I ain't used to seeing it. I
like I would have got something better, Like yeah, I
felt like I was like and when he did that,
and just overall just seeing how he moving like sprinters
and all this. And when he sent me down and
he was like, what do you want? And I said,

(22:33):
I want to work and I want to get better.
And he said what stood out for you, Mark, what
I wanted to work with you was you never mentioned money.
He's like people sitting this chair, but I need money
to get me to this level. And he was just
like the fact that you see in money before your vision. Yes,
it's hard to work with people like that. So but
when I was with Ray, I'm seeing his lifestyle, his cars,
his sprinters and now I'm like, now I'm like, I'm

(22:55):
I'm I'm like my town all year like I'm all
so now take it preictures like with his cars and
his house, he like mansion, got my own room and
he like this is the life.

Speaker 2 (23:05):
I'm like this is a life.

Speaker 3 (23:06):
But I woke up and I was like this, ain't
it like this?

Speaker 2 (23:11):
This his stuff, like you need to get your own and.

Speaker 3 (23:16):
You know, left and I randomly, I don't know how
to distance myself in a good way.

Speaker 2 (23:20):
I didn't leave the best way with me and Ray.

Speaker 3 (23:22):
I just wanted more for me and I started doing that,
and it's like I just kept and I went through
all the phases like being homeless again, being in hotels
and leaving like where I could have been at and
having this but I was just like I got to
see it and touch it, so I know I can
do it. So overall, just with me working and now

(23:44):
have my own house been from the ground.

Speaker 1 (23:45):
It's like it's beautiful.

Speaker 3 (23:47):
Yeah, but I never seen myself doing that at all,
because when you're growing up, your mama just getting apartments
and then you said I want the house, like, well you.

Speaker 2 (23:55):
Get slept in your mouth, like you ain't getting no house.

Speaker 3 (23:58):
Like so just overall seeing a vision that I never
got to see growing up. Some things don't make sense.
Life don't make sense sometimes, but you just gotta live
through it and create. So that's the best thing. I
like to create. And even with me graduating. I never
seen it happening when I did it. So you gotta
understand life. You got a blank piece of paper, just
write on it every day, right, yes, and don't stay

(24:19):
on that same paper.

Speaker 2 (24:21):
Turn it come on.

Speaker 1 (24:22):
Yes, that's good. Now that you've built your own house
from the ground up, how's your relationship with your mom?
And she proud of you?

Speaker 3 (24:31):
That's it's still hard to connect with her because my
mama was always like a person.

Speaker 2 (24:36):
It's about me.

Speaker 3 (24:37):
I grew up off a survival and I love so
my mom is a survival mode and I'll be trying
to help her now, Like like I told her, like
pack your stuff up. I got you your own apartment
like out here, and I had it front of it
and she's like, well, I just can't leave.

Speaker 2 (24:52):
I gotta I gotta do this. I gotta get this
mail JAVIIH.

Speaker 3 (24:55):
I'm like, so, it just it kind of like she's
still in that phase of my mama got to move
how she sees stuffy and sometimes it don't make sense.
I'm like, all it don't matter, Like I just sometimes
you gotta leave some things to get new things. Absolutely,
so it's hard for me to like have a relationship
with somebody that's trying to keep up with a life
that they see and sometimes life and what you see
is what you make it.

Speaker 2 (25:17):
So it's hard and it sucks.

Speaker 3 (25:19):
But I love my mama to death, but it's just
like she's in this place where it's like, I just
gotta like, honestly, I've got to make sure it's It's
like when you got a mom like that, you just
got to make sure, like her last day here, you
gotta make it the best day and make sure you
make sure that it's said because while she here, it's.

Speaker 2 (25:38):
Hard for me to bring her to this world because
she's stuck in.

Speaker 1 (25:41):
She's stuck Yeah. Literally, Yeah, I'm from a really small
town and I see it often where people just get
stuck in that mentality their life and they don't they're
really blinded to or they're not exposed. How when you
moved in with Ray, you were exposed to something different.
We were like, oh wait, I can I can do this,
I can have this, And sometimes that's all you believe it.
If they've never been exposed, they can't see past where

(26:02):
they are.

Speaker 3 (26:03):
Yeah, and it's hard, and it's a system because she
only doing what her mama did. It's the food stamps
government assistant and then it's just like food stamps get
like section eight and then when you see that, it's
like you don't see more. It's a bitious cycle and
it's like why would I move and rent thirty two dollars?
And that's one reason like me and my first child

(26:25):
mother didn't work out, because my mama was like, yo,
you can move out here, like get food stamps in
like my she gave her the plan and then she
like okay, and then I'm all right, you know, I
moved in with her. Me and my baby mama stand together,
but I'm like, all right, let's get jobs now and then.
But you can't make a certain amount of money, so
she like yeah, so she like I ain't ready to

(26:46):
get no job, so I was, so I had to
move on from that. So me and my first baby
mama didn't work out because yeah, she was you were
like this before. Yeah, I seen it's okay to like
have that an open door, but let somebody else enjoy
the food step section, like just don't yeah, just don't
sit on it, like let that be a stepping stone

(27:06):
and move on. But I feel like some people get
comfortable like me, I was working out a warehouse and
then I'm in there working with.

Speaker 2 (27:12):
He like like, yeah, you like either what you in
here for? Like what you do? I'm like nothing, I'm
just working like you ain't no feeling. I'm like no,
like nigga, you get up out of here, like these
are all feelings because we can't get jobs. So when
you grow up and you yeah, so he like yeah,
he's like, yeah, get on up out of here. I
was scared. I got to go on up out of
here too. Well. Yeah, So I'm just saying old raw.
It's like when you grow up, you just think those

(27:34):
jobs are it like they put you.

Speaker 3 (27:36):
And I ain't gonna lie. It depends where you're from too,
cause I'm from Kansas City. A lot of you know,
I've seen a lot of whites with the successful jobs
the airports and then all the black people in the
warehouses like we put up underground working. But when I
came to Atlanta, I'm like, y'all got black people at.

Speaker 2 (27:50):
The airport working. I never seen that before.

Speaker 3 (27:52):
So I never seen like so many like black people
have successful jobs because where I come from, But I've
seen out here Atlanta is so beautiful because it gives
opportunity to a lot of people.

Speaker 2 (28:02):
And it's like, we don't discriminate. This is yeah, so
but some people do.

Speaker 3 (28:06):
But it's still it'll give you more dreams and open
it up that you can do your own thing.

Speaker 1 (28:11):
That's so true. You started with doing pranks in the story.
What was that video that changed everything for you where
you're like, wait a minute, we've got something.

Speaker 3 (28:24):
When I came up with a strategy of using artist
lyrics and they started with posting it, so it was
promotion for their songs. Yes, So I started doing that
and artists were posting it.

Speaker 2 (28:37):
And then.

Speaker 3 (28:39):
Ray he's seen that and he got me a deal
with record label. So it's like, all right, a little
baby about to drop a song, go do the Walmart
video and run up on people and then drop it
at the same time to promote it. And it was
making like, you know, a Walmart video was making like
twenty thousand wow. Like each video I'm just going in
there and I'm just it's.

Speaker 2 (29:00):
Like you know, and I'm just in there working there.

Speaker 3 (29:05):
You learn, you learn the business too, because like Ray
was setting up deals in there, I'm thinking like, okay,
I got twenty thousand, and then he had to take
his percentage.

Speaker 2 (29:13):
I don't know math. I'm like, what is that?

Speaker 1 (29:14):
Right?

Speaker 2 (29:15):
And I'm like, where's the twenty thousand.

Speaker 3 (29:16):
Like my Percentagecause you know what I'm saying, he worked
and he's putting deals and taking this time.

Speaker 2 (29:20):
So that's stuff to learn that too. So I'm like,
I didn't know nothing about percentages.

Speaker 1 (29:25):
Right. That's another good question because I have a team
and that is a part of the business for their percentage,
but they're bringing so much to the table. What are
some of the lessons that you learned, even in business
and financial that as you continue to rise.

Speaker 3 (29:40):
I mean, now, let the government shutting down about to
forget how much money I got.

Speaker 1 (29:46):
Like billionaires sell asset. Something is happening. I don't know
what it is, but I'm seeing people.

Speaker 3 (29:52):
Sell stuff I learned for business, like ask for help,
and it's okay to get help and don't go looking
for it, but as ask God and he gonna send
it to you. I was asking for help and I
was looking for it, and I found some people that
I shouldn't have run into. But I started finding my
team once I started doing me and I tell like

(30:13):
my friends, I feel like a lot of people are
in the phase that I need help, But you got
to ask yourself.

Speaker 2 (30:20):
You got if you set yourself up right, people will
want to work for you.

Speaker 3 (30:24):
So I feel like you got to ask yourself, like
if I see my company where I quit my job
to go work for you, so you'll be like nah,
Because I mean I was asking for help while I
was doing Walmart videos. I'm like, well, why would somebody
quit their life and come work for me? But now
that I started adding more to my life, it's like, oh,
I love to work for you, you know. And same
thing like with ju Ski, like he has a great
program where you see how he moving and if you

(30:45):
say I need an assistance, it's like I'm ready to
work for.

Speaker 2 (30:47):
You because what he got set up.

Speaker 3 (30:49):
So I feel like sometimes people are trying to stop
what they got right now, just keep going to let
it grow and everybody you need gonna come and work
for you. It's like you gotta build your your image,
of your or your brain.

Speaker 1 (31:02):
That's so true. You built a whole style around pauses
intention Like you'll just sit there and stare like you
did earlier when you said you had to repeat the
first grade. You just when did you realize that silence
could hit harder than a punchline.

Speaker 3 (31:22):
Oh, when the teacher used to call me to read
and I just had to sit there and I look
at her.

Speaker 2 (31:30):
I was then started when she like.

Speaker 1 (31:35):
Is it crazy? Hell?

Speaker 2 (31:35):
Like yeah, and.

Speaker 3 (31:37):
Then look at her like you know, I can't. So
it started from that instilling too. I'm still in a lie.
You get caught, you just gotta look at him. So
a lot of it came from that, like cause I
ain't good at lying, So it really started from like
you know that, like all right, and when I used
to do all my videos and I say some crazy

(31:58):
stuff I knew I was saying. So I knew, I
like because I used to talk to customers normal, what
is this two paste? And it's really good for your
teeth and it's you know, it has no blah blah
blah blah blah.

Speaker 2 (32:09):
And then I'll just say a young Miami lyric and
then it's just like that said you said what so
people think.

Speaker 3 (32:20):
I was on drugs when I was doing not videos
and then I was dressing like a good Will clothes
on and everything.

Speaker 2 (32:26):
So overall, just sitting in that moment, Yeah, just sitting
in that moment something like good or bad. So that's
where it came from.

Speaker 1 (32:35):
I love it, Like, all right, no, I'm telling you.
I watch your videos and those pauses, I was just
die laughing, Like it's just it's so much that's not said.
We call it an inner monologue in acting, but it's
so much through the silence that like literally makes everybody laugh.

Speaker 2 (32:52):
Yeah, it's genius.

Speaker 1 (32:53):
I love it. Your your videos almost feel like experiments,
like how have you seen in the evolution of starting
in the stores doing pranks to where you are now
with full productions.

Speaker 3 (33:06):
I honestly just got her full production like what two
months ago?

Speaker 2 (33:12):
Yeah, with wave and but I had people helping me.

Speaker 3 (33:15):
But the thing is, when people was helping me and
they come on ideas, I wasn't listening and I wasn't
taking advice, and I was so ready to put out
content it was hurting me. And even on my podcast,
I'm shooting it, I'm dropping when we've done editing, like
I'm dropping clips.

Speaker 2 (33:31):
When I feel like it.

Speaker 3 (33:33):
I was so urgent I didn't let the build up
and let it be like, let's come up with the
proper plan, like we posted that eight o'clock you post
that three. Even when I did the Nicki Minaj interview,
she was like, all right, we did an interview. I
want to see every clip. I want to see everything.
I'm so urgent I.

Speaker 2 (33:49):
Put that reel out. Yeah, yes she did. She comment
on that.

Speaker 3 (33:56):
She was like, she was like, I didn't approve this,
and she was like, and the interview might not come
out now, like she said it on.

Speaker 2 (34:02):
There, everybody's like and I'm like, yeah, so.

Speaker 1 (34:06):
Did you take it down?

Speaker 3 (34:07):
Because her team resounds said thank god, it was a
good clip that she did, but if it was something
she didn't like, and I was just so urgent to
get it out. Is because I'm like, oh, I'm seeing
Conston that clips because she did continent right to that,
so his clips are going everywhere.

Speaker 2 (34:21):
Yeah I need to get it like yeah yeah, I'm like, yeah,
I need to get in there and get something too.

Speaker 3 (34:25):
So so over even that when you look at certain
people like don't worry about their success, like let her
be there, because you can hurt yours trying.

Speaker 2 (34:33):
To watch theirs.

Speaker 1 (34:35):
So it was the word Marco.

Speaker 3 (34:36):
Yeah, yeah, some people get you know, it's okay to
get motivated, but when you're trying to keep up with somebody.

Speaker 2 (34:42):
You can hurt.

Speaker 3 (34:42):
You just get motivated. Understand, Yes, it's stay time and
your time will come.

Speaker 2 (34:47):
And if it don't come, it don't. It didn't come.

Speaker 1 (34:50):
Exactly What did you learn in that moment with her
up and putting the video out and then Nikki going
off like what did that teacher?

Speaker 2 (34:58):
I can run relationships? Mmmm? Yeah.

Speaker 3 (35:02):
Even her saying that comment, people like, oh, I ain't
going if you don't listen. So I'm not used to
people when I do interviews. I'm not used to people
saying I need to watch it because nothing happens, or
I make sure I know what I talk about. But again,
when you are talking, you know, women are differently. I
like this angle, I like this like I don't want
to like. I don't like that under you know what
I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (35:22):
They like that shot. So I got to understand that
everything and about me and what I want.

Speaker 1 (35:26):
Wow, that's maturity and girl, I love that, and it's important,
especially in our industry. We like we have other people's
images we have to worry about. It's not it isn't
just about us. And then the professionalism, and you also
said you had a team that was giving you ideas,
but you weren't listening. Have you been able to like
get a team that you actually listen to.

Speaker 2 (35:43):
Now, I'm learning to listen. Now.

Speaker 1 (35:45):
That's good, yeah, because you are the creative, but it's
also good to like have a strong team that can
pour it to you as well, so you're not caring
the load on yourself.

Speaker 2 (35:53):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (35:54):
Yeah, that's good. I'm learning that I'm learning. He ain't
looking convincing.

Speaker 2 (36:02):
No, I'm learning. I'm learning a lot now.

Speaker 3 (36:04):
And you got to sit back and you got to
let them create and understand this is what you've been
asking for.

Speaker 2 (36:08):
And I learnt that from Steve Harvey.

Speaker 3 (36:10):
He says, sometimes people ask for a car, ask for
new things while I broke down cars in a driveway.

Speaker 2 (36:15):
Pull that out, get that garbage. I accept a new car.

Speaker 1 (36:19):
Right.

Speaker 2 (36:20):
I was asking for a lot, but I wasn't ready
to receive it.

Speaker 1 (36:23):
That's the real thing recently. I'm not gonna say what
I prayed for, but I prayed for something and then
I said, God, this is what I'm ready for if
you feel I'm ready for it. Because a lot of times,
like you said, we think we're ready for something and
then it comes and we blow it. It's like, Okay,
I wasn't ready for that, So now I'm like, if
you think and when you think I'm ready, didn't bring it.
But this is what my heart wants right now. So

(36:45):
that is so true. What is one of the biggest
lessons you learned so far that you can think of?
Besides because I feel like that was a big lesson
with Nikki, But is there anything else that stands out
that you were like that was a big lesson?

Speaker 3 (37:01):
I mean a big lesson is it's it's hard to
when you passionate about something and you feel like it
ain't going how you want it to go. But oro's
like every day matters when you putting something towards your dreams.
And that's the another thing I talked to my brother
about here designer and he got dope ideas and I

(37:21):
see the vision, like you can be the biggest but
the world got to see it.

Speaker 2 (37:26):
A lot of people work hard, but they don't show
the world that they work hard.

Speaker 3 (37:28):
And now people are coming more successful when people seeing
the work. Yeah, and they like they become the fan
and people love to be like I remember when I
was there, when.

Speaker 2 (37:37):
You was you know, you got them people.

Speaker 3 (37:41):
And you don't know how to feel sometimes because I
don't know how to take it because some people like man,
I used to watch you and what you mean while
you stop so but but again it's still like they
were part of the journey and some people just grow.

Speaker 2 (37:52):
Like you know, it's some shows you used to watch
that you don't watch no more.

Speaker 1 (37:56):
That's so true.

Speaker 3 (37:57):
Yeah, you know, I used to watch Power when they
came out, but now I'm like, now Tar watch But
he's like, why you're not.

Speaker 1 (38:04):
Watching and it's like.

Speaker 3 (38:06):
So, but it's like, it's okay because you got new
fans there too. So again, except that you're gonna lose
people in your own game people, So I got to
accept that, just understanding it's gonna be some people that
grow away from you.

Speaker 1 (38:18):
That's so true. You said the biggest part of comedy
is reading the room. What is one of the lessons
you learned just because you've been in many rooms? What
is something that you learned from people just by just
sitting and watching.

Speaker 2 (38:30):
That's a good thing.

Speaker 3 (38:33):
Reading the room is important, and sometimes you can probably
say I don't belong in this room, and sometimes you
can create a spot in that room.

Speaker 2 (38:43):
So it's up to you to like figure that out.

Speaker 3 (38:46):
In some rooms, I've been like, I need to create
a spot in here, even doing stand up DESI allow me.
He gave me a spot to open up, and that
was my no experience. It was just the fact that
I bought my ticket, I flew out there and got
my own hotel.

Speaker 2 (39:03):
If you did that, they come, and I kept telling himself,
I was I want to come.

Speaker 3 (39:06):
Yeah, And when he allowed me to go on stage
and I felt it on stage and people were excited
to see me, it was just like I need to
be in this room, like I need to create my
own room now.

Speaker 2 (39:18):
And instead of me asking Den go on.

Speaker 3 (39:20):
Tour with you, I was like, let me go create
a room and thank you for allowing me to come
to your room.

Speaker 2 (39:26):
Absolutely, It's okay to come in people room, but.

Speaker 3 (39:28):
Go create one too, exactly. And some people are not
meant to create their own room. It's okay to help
your build it too, and it's okay. That is so true.

Speaker 1 (39:37):
Yeah, that's so true. I love that you're doing your
own comedy show. Now. Did you, like you said, you
had no experience in this so when you left opening
for DESI, did you get back in there and like, Okay,
now I got to really do this. What was that
process like for you?

Speaker 3 (39:53):
It's still going. It's still going with learning comedy. You
got to learn comedy and you got to care. Every
time I get out stage, they be like, oh you
did good, and it's like I could have did something better.

Speaker 1 (40:05):
Are you like your own worst critics yourself?

Speaker 3 (40:07):
I don't like listening to my like listening to myself
over on tape.

Speaker 2 (40:11):
I don't like watching myself.

Speaker 1 (40:12):
Oh my god.

Speaker 3 (40:12):
I only watched two interviews out and done, and that
was Orlando Brown and Nikki Are you serious?

Speaker 1 (40:17):
I hate like hearing my voice. Yeah, it annoys me.

Speaker 3 (40:21):
I don't I don't do it at all. And uh
and he said, Mojo Brooks is a comedian. How they
say you gotta listen to yourself because you gotta know
what you mess up on exactly you and I talk,
if you listen to me like and but and like
and th was a gap feeling like if you pause
you talk, yes and let words come to you sound

(40:43):
something more professional. I'm like, nah, but Kevin Hart got
a good Kevin Hart can speak.

Speaker 2 (40:47):
When you listen to Kevin Heart, Yes, it's like who
raised you? Like?

Speaker 3 (40:51):
I love that like he has a great brain, like
God took his time, like it's just in him.

Speaker 2 (40:56):
Kevin Hart can speaks brilliant. He said some words and
you don't know what he talk like he can speak.

Speaker 3 (41:03):
And just watching people to know their communication level, it's
like a it's like amazing.

Speaker 1 (41:08):
I love that. That is amazing. You said that you
never chase approval, only consistency. How do you keep focused
when the algorithms and opinions of others are constantly shifting.

Speaker 2 (41:21):
Don't read, Oh, don't read because it can get to you.
And I just did.

Speaker 3 (41:26):
I did a podcast and it was a different type
of set and different type of fan base. And no
matter how much I seen good, I seen the bad,
and it's no way for you to be able to
read that. It's like sometimes if it's like okay, I
can take this and change it.

Speaker 2 (41:43):
It makes you better.

Speaker 3 (41:44):
But they were saying some stuff like I disagree with
but I was only read that and installing it to me.

Speaker 2 (41:48):
So I said, let me get out of this. You
know what I'm saying. It's already done.

Speaker 3 (41:52):
And they gonna have an opinion whatever they type, they
already say that, and they are a viewer and that's
their job to say how they feel.

Speaker 2 (41:58):
That's why comments are such thing that's.

Speaker 1 (42:01):
Real unless we open ourselves up to so we open
our mouths.

Speaker 3 (42:04):
Yeah, don't read no comments. If you start making it
and it gets you, just don't read it. Read a
little bit right when they posts. I like to read
the beginning comments because it'd be nice after a hunting
is like yeah yeah, so I like, yeah, as long
as you get five good comments I did something good.

Speaker 2 (42:20):
Yes, just read like five good ones that get out of.

Speaker 3 (42:22):
There because you'll be stuck in there and then you
start to think, you know, and then you know it
was comments. Like with my skin journey, it was like,
you know, it wasn't the best, but people made me
feel bad. And it's like, okay, I start wearing makeup.
Then I start wearing makeup. I'm covering up who I am.
It's like now he wearing makeup. So no, no matter
what they say, you try to fix it now, Like

(42:43):
even with my skin now it's like they try to like,
you know, what is he doing now?

Speaker 2 (42:48):
What is he getting surgery? Not giving?

Speaker 3 (42:50):
So no matter what, it's like, you gotta understand you
are somebody that they're gonna have a pick that's a
public figure where they gonna have good and bad things
said about you, and you just got to know who
you are, know who you are, and whatever you do,
do it for yourself.

Speaker 1 (43:02):
Because that I mean, I think all of us can
attest to that. We all have flaws and things that
we want to fix, and we hear people like for me,
even for me, like my weight fluctuates, so people are
always talking about my weight and they can't get to
you if you're reading the comments. To stay out of
those comments. Yeah, stay out of it. So I totally

(43:22):
get that, and I'll tell you, like I tell myself,
do what makes you happy, you know what I'm saying,
Whatever it is, and that's not something that you can help,
you know what I'm saying. Like your skin is not
something you can just manage. Yeah, you know, so that's
fix it.

Speaker 2 (43:36):
I can do my best.

Speaker 1 (43:37):
That's all you can do. Yeah, yeah, that's so. And
that's for somebody else who may be dealing with some
type of insecurity or something that they may want to
change or can't help. Just do what you can do
for you and not the opinions of others. For sure.
I love that you had so many opportunities and so
many deals. I'm sure, is there a deal that you
can really said no to? And it was the best

(43:58):
know that you can because you know, sometimes you like,
oh yeah, I really want to say yes.

Speaker 3 (44:03):
But it was a movie role I had and they
said the character was yeah, but we don't know. You
have no gender, you don't like nothing, you don't know
what you like. And I'm like, I'm okay, yeah, like
and overall, it's somebody out there that would love that.

Speaker 2 (44:26):
Bro.

Speaker 3 (44:27):
So now I don't want to take something for money
because I'm uncomfortable with it, but it's somebody out there
that I.

Speaker 2 (44:31):
Would love the money in that position.

Speaker 3 (44:33):
But I didn't want to lead into nothing that didn't
make me feel comfortable. And they're not wrong for offering
it to me, but give it to somebody.

Speaker 1 (44:41):
That I love it and they can commit to that.

Speaker 3 (44:43):
Yeah, But just to say, like, I'm reading the script
and I'm going in and it was like, tell me
more about this character.

Speaker 2 (44:48):
It's like, but you don't have a gender.

Speaker 3 (44:49):
You like, And I'm like, so there's people out there
that don't like anybody's fluid where you like. Yeah, I'm
just saying certain stuff can lead into something else, because.

Speaker 2 (44:59):
If it's serious, it's like okay, now you.

Speaker 3 (45:01):
Like yeah, so it's like, oh raw, It's like I
didn't want to figure out. I didn't want to find out,
you know what I'm saying, And let me do a
role that even if it's not me, Like I can
grow into that road. But that's not something I want
to grow into, but let me not stop somebody else

(45:22):
that would love that role. So I feel like sometimes
in this spotlight and who you are, they're giving stuff
away to people just because of the following. Absolutely, and
that's like no difference for people that's doing stand up.
It's people out there that's that's great comedians, but they'll
have the following. Yeah yeah, but yeah, it's like just
pray for them and I hope they get that spotlight
because they really deserve it because now they're going off

(45:43):
for your face car. Life is changing, it is, we're
telling you to be everything. Now it's just about how
much we see you.

Speaker 1 (45:49):
And how much money can you bring us. Yeah, because
they look at followers as dollars now, yeah, yeah, that
is so true. Maybe that's something that you can do
on your stand up like breaks, figure.

Speaker 3 (45:58):
Out who those I try to get people open, like
in the city I give you know, like come and
get into your time.

Speaker 2 (46:04):
Did for Yeah? Yeah, yeah, video time.

Speaker 1 (46:06):
I love that. I love that. Open Thoughts started online
as an online idea and now is in full production
with Wave. Your second season just dropped. Yeah, that's Tuesday,
October twenty first, and you have new episodes to drop
every Tuesday on YouTube and Spotify Video. That's amazing approaching
this new season. How did you approach it differently getting help?

Speaker 3 (46:30):
Now it's a team. We have team meetings.

Speaker 2 (46:34):
Now.

Speaker 3 (46:34):
I got to show up, I gotta talk, and I
got to learn to put my pride to a side
because sometimes I'm like, that's not funny, and I try
to tell them. But I gotta learn, like even take
the challenge even if I don't think it's funny. It's
my job to make it funny. And that's no difference
from Kevin Hart. They got a script before he probably,
but let me say that Kevin Hart way, yeah, and

(46:55):
now it's funny yet.

Speaker 2 (46:57):
So that's something I gotta do. And now, as you know, talking.

Speaker 3 (47:00):
To you and me saying it, I gotta stand on
that because I'd be so picky like nah nah.

Speaker 1 (47:06):
And also too. I mean, credit yourself. You are the brand,
you know, and God bless you with this gift and
talent to know what it's true to yourself. So yes,
take on ideas, but also staying true. If it doesn't
sit well, you have to say trigger who you are
because that's what people love, you know, So I get that.

Speaker 3 (47:22):
Yeah, But and also you got to accept the challenge too,
because again that thing that I thought one funny was
probably gonna be the biggest moment.

Speaker 1 (47:29):
Yeah, because people like God gives everybody different ideas. If
we all thought the same would be so boring. Yeah,
you know, yeah, because that's something that Weston is trying
to come up with that I may have not even
thought of them, Like, oh my gosh, yes, I never
thought of that, you know, and it ends up being huge.
So that's so important. I love the You're becoming a muggul.
Do you understand that? No, you really are. Yes, like

(47:52):
all the different brands, you got podcasts, you have a
tour now, like these are things that you're building brand partnerships,
having those meetings.

Speaker 2 (48:01):
And be able to get people like jobs. Yeah it
feel good, I know it does.

Speaker 1 (48:05):
Yeah, there's a lot of responsibility that comes with it,
but it is definitely rewarding.

Speaker 2 (48:09):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (48:10):
Yeah, I love that you said that every conversation teaches
you something. What is something that you've learned from someone?
I know you speak of Steve Harvey and Kevin Hart.
What is something that you've taken away from them?

Speaker 2 (48:23):
Oh, it's a lot.

Speaker 3 (48:24):
Because I listened on podcasts positive Messages and warning a lot.

Speaker 2 (48:30):
I have took it a lot.

Speaker 3 (48:31):
I also let me see, what's the best one I
can tell people like I haven't picked up but it's
so much.

Speaker 2 (48:39):
And oh, that's a good question.

Speaker 3 (48:44):
I wasn't And that's like even I got to sit
back and I watched that I think it was.

Speaker 2 (48:48):
On Huluhu and I watched the Tyler Perry story like that.

Speaker 3 (48:51):
And when I watched that, I learned so much and
it was just like from the place when you feel
like they didn't do that, like the Grind.

Speaker 2 (49:00):
The Grind is so beautiful. Yes, Like the Grind is beautiful.

Speaker 3 (49:03):
And when you get to go back and look at
it and you say, this is my documentary, it's everything.
But some people stop the documentary because that one stop.
But again, that was supposed to be a part, Like
that was the headache that people are like.

Speaker 2 (49:17):
Oh, you made it through that, yes, showing up. Yeah,
the iverson laying this on it, Like, which is everybody
talking about and what he been through? So I feel
like sometimes we got to understand that ugly.

Speaker 3 (49:29):
I appreciate the ugly to get to the good, Like
the ugliest is the best party. And just to say
I had an ugly moment I had to learn, Like
when I first started my season, I had I had
an ugly situation, but that woke me up and made
me a better person through my first season of my show,
when I started doing interviews and I needed that.

Speaker 2 (49:52):
I needed that. So now I'm moving forward.

Speaker 3 (49:56):
We're reading, reading contracts, we're doing stuff like we're not
rushing it and we getting on the same page.

Speaker 1 (50:02):
Yeah, I love it. That is so good. You recently
started using your real name, Yeah, Marco Summers. What was
the shift? What happened? Were you like, No, I need
people to know who I am. I don't want to
just be funny.

Speaker 2 (50:13):
Marco of the challenge challenge everybody is.

Speaker 3 (50:21):
When you think of comedians, you got Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle,
Kevin Hark, Bernie Mac, Yes, Jemmie Fox not his real name,
Jammi Fox, you're wrong for that, but he the only
one that's probably making it through, like Martin Lawrence. So
you think about that people known by their name. Yeah,
and then just for me to have funny in front
of it. It's like, let me let me mold and

(50:41):
get the respect that this is Marco Summers and it
ain't gonna be easy because some people, like they don't
look at my page. My engagement had went down like
it was a lot. Yeah, it was a lot, just
changing that because it's like you're so used to seeing this.

Speaker 2 (50:55):
It's no difference from bad Wall signed it changed.

Speaker 3 (50:57):
His name is Sean mal so you understand it where
I'm bigger than that, Like I'm a real life person.

Speaker 2 (51:04):
So it was that I was just.

Speaker 3 (51:08):
Letting people know, like I'm ready for that challenge because
I got to earn that respect too.

Speaker 2 (51:11):
I gotta earn it to be okay.

Speaker 3 (51:13):
It's keep going and I'm thankful to still have viral
moments and still be funny with this.

Speaker 2 (51:18):
Name carrying on.

Speaker 1 (51:19):
Right.

Speaker 2 (51:19):
Yeah, you know, and just believe in God because he's
gonna work for you as you're working.

Speaker 1 (51:24):
Come on, now, you're preaching, y'all. I love it. Now
you talk about staying grounded and protecting your peace, what
does that look like for you? Because I'm really big
on protecting my peace.

Speaker 3 (51:37):
Talking about protecting peace. My piece is unlimited. I feel
like it can't. It goes through so much. I got
one time. I feel like I got one time a
month to get upset or get mad. And I start learning, like,
don't give everybody your energy that make you upset. Just

(51:59):
imagine somebody out there that's getting upset by everything. I
went to McDonald's, they got my coffee roll, I'm driving,
they cut me off. Now I'm at work, huh, I'm
at work. I just got a call from the school.
My son acting bad, like your home.

Speaker 2 (52:13):
Huh. I gotta go to the grocery store.

Speaker 3 (52:15):
Just listen to all that, all this to one day,
and it's draining you. And sometimes you gotta accept that
we're living. So if you're living, you're gonna have to
have these moments, and it's happening to you because when
you die, you ain't experiencing nothing. So life is an experience.
So you gotta enjoy everything that you go through, and
you just can't get mad at everything. And I gotta

(52:36):
you know, I gotta save my anger for like, you know,
like gotta save it, like don't mess with my kids.
I gotta save it for them, Like I gotta save it,
reserve your anger. Sometimes I just feel like everybody give
it to you, give it out too easy. It's like
you like angry, you know, like and you just can't
be that.

Speaker 2 (52:54):
Yeah. Yeah, it's like save it, like save your energy,
because it's gonna be a time where you can have
a bad day. But if you having.

Speaker 3 (53:00):
It so easy. Yeah, like everybody getting your feelings protected.

Speaker 1 (53:06):
No, for sure. I love that you talk about your children.
You are the dad of three beautiful children, and you've
been pretty private about your private life. What has fatherhood
done for you as you continue to evolve.

Speaker 2 (53:19):
It's done a lot. I wish. I wish I could
have my.

Speaker 3 (53:22):
Kids living with me and they all in differently got
one and my son is in LA and my daughter's
in Kansas City, and I want more for them because
I have. I'm grateful to be where I'm at and
I'm like telling their moms, but I understand how women
they want their kids like this the nest, So I
got accepted it, and that's why us as man we
got to watch what we create with and be with
the parent, go through marriage, and you know it's I

(53:46):
gotta understand that I went to these places and I
created a home knowing like we might not work out together.
So I gotta understand too, like next go around, you
have another kid, make sure it's we together, because I
don't like that experience. But I can't get mad at
them because they doing what's best for them. Man, they
don't want to you know, pass it too. So sometimes
it like, you know, don't feel good because I would

(54:09):
love to get them, like putting them in school, putting
them in pipate.

Speaker 2 (54:14):
So because I can afford that, I can show them.

Speaker 3 (54:17):
I don't want my daughter growing up in Kansas City
because it ain't nothing there, like let me bring it
to Atlanta. Yes, but her mom don't see what I
see and it's not nothing to get upset with her
about because it's like she see what she sees and
she as I see what I see ye, and it's
like no seeing is wrong. But I just be like,
you know, like I can build a brand around my
daughter right now, like yeah, like let me like you

(54:37):
know so, but I don't want her growing up thinking
like getting a job, like like, if you want to
get it, fine, but I want to show you that
you can.

Speaker 2 (54:45):
Be your own person. You can be whatever you want
to be in the world.

Speaker 3 (54:48):
You got to see it because I didn't see it
growing up, right, So sometimes you next to it because
I don't think Kevin hart Son is saying I got.

Speaker 2 (54:55):
To go to Walmart. I'm gonna work at Walmart because
you see how his dad is and if he do it, cool,
exactly do it.

Speaker 3 (55:01):
But I don't think like we mold our kids to
like like this is what you can be, but do
what you want to do. Same thing with Lebron Jameson
he playing ball, you know. But sometimes when you grow up,
I just feel like when you so used to seeing
people getting jobs, I got to get a job, like
that's all.

Speaker 2 (55:18):
Yeah. So I never seen my mama or.

Speaker 3 (55:21):
Like my daddy selling drugs some people, I got to
sell drugs. So when you grow up and you see
this program, you think this is all I can do
because this is what.

Speaker 2 (55:29):
I'm seeing growing up.

Speaker 1 (55:30):
That's what it is.

Speaker 3 (55:30):
I'm in the apartment. All I can get is an apartment.
That's all I see. So everything about what you see.

Speaker 1 (55:37):
Sometimes I pray that you're able to influence your daughters
from afar. Yeah, yeah, because I know that is important
and as a parent, you want the best for them.
You want them to see all the opportunities that they have,
especially that are afforded because you are who you are,
you know, So I get that, Yeah, I get that.
Next up, you have open thoughts National, I'm excited about this.

Speaker 2 (56:02):
Yeah. Yeah, No, I'm gonna get Atlanta date.

Speaker 3 (56:05):
And that's why I had to learn too, because I
had a learner show and they gave me a theater.

Speaker 2 (56:10):
Theaters are different, so I gotta work on my promotion
because how my shows are. They are selling out last.

Speaker 3 (56:18):
Minute, so like the box the tickets are not saying
so that, but people are doing walk ups.

Speaker 2 (56:23):
So me, I'm like, I don't come into Atlanta. People
will show up.

Speaker 3 (56:26):
But when you got a business and people are opening
and they hold theater for you and they paying their employees,
you got to have a send them out. So so
I'm like, you know, Atlanta coming, They're like, oh, we
can't do Atlanta.

Speaker 2 (56:38):
Show because tickets look at time like no people gonna
pull up. Trust me.

Speaker 3 (56:41):
My cousin said he pulled a door with fifty people.
You know, his fifty people got like a girlfriend, boy,
So we're good.

Speaker 2 (56:48):
You're like, nah, so learning business.

Speaker 3 (56:50):
So I learned with the shows do promotion and do
well to understand that, like you know what I'm saying.
I needed that moment to realize, Okay, this is serious
to sell tickets, like so serious. It's like push it,
like keep it in their face. So me, I was
so used to like, I'm okay, I ain't gotta promote
because they gonna hear about it and they're gonna come, so,

(57:10):
you know, and shout out to Floyd maybe because he'd
be big on his promotions.

Speaker 2 (57:14):
Like yeah, like you know, I'm fighting, but I'm still
pushing it.

Speaker 3 (57:17):
Yes, yes, yeah, that's the thing. Don't don't become your
own enemy. And that's what I did in that part
where I like, I'm okay.

Speaker 1 (57:23):
Get too comfortable with like yeah, because that's what you feel.

Speaker 3 (57:26):
Like that, And then Kelly Kills as the comedian shout
out to her, you gotta tap in her.

Speaker 2 (57:32):
You'll love her.

Speaker 3 (57:33):
Kelly sure is somebody that's like keep going like you know,
and I got her.

Speaker 2 (57:36):
Opening up in front of me.

Speaker 3 (57:37):
Kelly is a beast that stand up and she's so good,
and some people will be like, how can you have
like open her so good coming and you still learning
compet you're not scared, And I'm like, nah, I needed
that like to put me on fire. And it was
times where people like, yeah, Marco was good, but Kelly
was a beast so overall to hear that and it
never made me feel jealous, is like get on that.

Speaker 2 (57:58):
Page, Like, get on it to have you know.

Speaker 3 (58:00):
People le your show and say the open air was
better than you. Comedians can't take that some of it for.

Speaker 1 (58:05):
Me, I'm like, I give props to Kevin Hart for that,
because a lot of people nine limb is the one
that goes on right before him. Yeah, I've heard so
many people say they love Kevin. They come for Kevin,
that's a ticket, but they love Yeah he is I mean,
I love not He's so funny. But it takes a
very confident person to let people come that are just

(58:25):
as good as you are better to come up before you.

Speaker 3 (58:28):
Yes, it ain't easy, but when it's in you, it's
in you. Like, I don't have a jealousy bone. I
want to see everybody wine and I've been seeing people
win since I was broke, so I was like, if
you got it, I got it. Come on, so like
my brother had money, I had money. My brother had clothes,
I had them. You know, they didn't want me to
he had. He got the New Jordan's I got it.
I got so me having that mentality like it helps me. Right, Monty,

(58:52):
it's okay you did.

Speaker 1 (58:56):
This silence. I gotta as that.

Speaker 3 (59:00):
You should have just told me, like, yeah, you was right.
But then even like there's allowed to be no, I didn't.
God would have said it on another plat. You can't
be killing people dreams. That's like telling somebody Santa Claus
ain't real.

Speaker 1 (59:19):
Marco, You're so funny. Really, all this is amazing. I'm
so happy we finally got to do this. Yeah, I
wish you the best with everything you have coming up.
Definitely going to get you on the road for Open
Thoughts Tour. Make sure you guys check it up. Get
your tickets now, don't wait till the day, get them
in advance, all right, we're gonna sell them out.

Speaker 3 (59:39):
Yeah, And I said, and shout out to you because
you've been doing shout out to your team.

Speaker 2 (59:43):
This is amazing.

Speaker 3 (59:44):
List Like I'm in La right, now it's something feel
like we like you know, that had that vib different
because Atlanta's Atlanta.

Speaker 1 (59:51):
Atlanta's at Bay l l A.

Speaker 3 (59:53):
But when you go to la you feel like like
even New York.

Speaker 2 (59:56):
I was just in New York and it makes you
feel in work mode. Like I say that all the time.
New York is like work like la.

Speaker 3 (01:00:02):
Is feels like Miami too, So like Atlanta just feels
so comfortable, Like it's so to come in here and
feel the energy of.

Speaker 2 (01:00:09):
Your team and work. It's like they ain't playing.

Speaker 3 (01:00:11):
It makes you be like okay, and it's good, like it.

Speaker 2 (01:00:15):
Matters because you know, it pass home and when your name.

Speaker 3 (01:00:18):
Get brought up and we credit a moment because then life,
you know, life is short, so now it's done.

Speaker 2 (01:00:23):
So it's it's just a moment to be able to
go back and look at something.

Speaker 1 (01:00:26):
Thank you so much. I appreciate that because we work
really hard. I have all these big dreams and visions
like you as well, and it's my team that helps
it come to life. You know, so many things I
want to do and I want to do it excellent,
you know, because like you said, the name and there
I am losing the word reputation precedes itself, So I

(01:00:48):
want to make sure that everything I do is top tier.
You know, when you come in here, you got Wardy,
a ginger, whatever you need, we got you.

Speaker 2 (01:00:55):
You know, I want you to.

Speaker 1 (01:00:56):
Feel at home because I start this in my house
and then it got too big because you can't everybody
in your space. But I still want people to feel
safe when they get.

Speaker 3 (01:01:03):
In here and everybody you know in a room. Your
spot is a place for a reason. And understand that
your role is important. And it's like, you know, the
game no going without no referees, like the game no
going without a basketball, you know what I'm saying, like
as well, the game going without Lebron James. So and
I might not be Lebron James, but that ball is

(01:01:24):
important too. So I understand that your spot is important
no matter what you're doing, and show up and do
the best. And I told my brother camera man that
I always know somebody would love to have your spot.
And all you can do is perform well and do
your thing. You know at what you got for sure,
whatever you're doing, if you the moper, be the best moppers,

(01:01:45):
and then you'll be able to learn it and you
know it's not. I don't look at people at positions
that they in. I look at how they care they person.
That's what I said, And I go to I go
to McDonald's. I try to make them feel, you know,
like I'm with like you still somebody in uniform like
you were for a coman, but you're a real life
person outside of that. So I'm not gonna treat you
wrong because you know, I know you got a job.

Speaker 2 (01:02:07):
I'm not gonna talk crazy.

Speaker 3 (01:02:08):
I don't agree with people that do that because again
it's yeah, before I think who said it was somebody
that said that, like if we took money away from everybody.

Speaker 2 (01:02:16):
Then what then what? Yeah? Exactly, that's all it is.

Speaker 3 (01:02:21):
Those things are powerful when you realize that we all
wanted just appreciate good people because you know, it's it's
some people out there that's bad, So we just got
to appreciate the good people. Be part of that good people. Yeah,
you're not bigger than the program.

Speaker 1 (01:02:36):
That's it. That is it. Kid's family. Please give it
up for Marco Summers. Marco, please tell the people where
we can find you. You change your name on Instagram,
We need to let them know.

Speaker 3 (01:02:47):
Yeah, overall, just uh, I'll be at home, so it's
gonna be hard to find me. I'll be at home
with my kids, so I'll be at Target too. It's
okay to say that.

Speaker 2 (01:03:02):
Oh okay, we'll be at Walmart. Well, okay, t J
Max is he a black man?

Speaker 1 (01:03:13):
I have no idea who TJ is.

Speaker 3 (01:03:15):
TJ Max and Marshall sound like two guys, two black men.

Speaker 1 (01:03:19):
Yeah, I didn't even think about that.

Speaker 2 (01:03:21):
Can't they cheap to you going there? It's like in
like TJ. Max is not.

Speaker 3 (01:03:25):
It's somewhere you gotta work on, Like you'll get a
shirt today, probably get a pants next year.

Speaker 2 (01:03:30):
So it's like it's like black people, so like it's.

Speaker 3 (01:03:33):
Like you ain't gonna get anything right now. You gotta
work with me. Yeah, it's like might not be gonna
be on Saturday, fight them all? So yeah, it's so sill.

Speaker 1 (01:03:46):
What you do? Instagram?

Speaker 2 (01:03:48):
Yeah, summers and yeah and YouTube is it on mar YouTube? Yeah?
Open Thoughts. You go to Open.

Speaker 1 (01:03:55):
Thoughts, tap in, subscribe and go get your tickets for
the Open Thoughts National Time.

Speaker 3 (01:04:01):
And if you watch the episode this long, she's giving
away a thousand dollars.

Speaker 2 (01:04:05):
So thank you for watching.

Speaker 3 (01:04:06):
All you gotta do is d m her and send
her why you need a thousand dollars and.

Speaker 2 (01:04:11):
It gotta be good.

Speaker 3 (01:04:12):
I will read it and it might take some time,
so I take a little bit to read, so we'll
get back to you in.

Speaker 2 (01:04:17):
A couple of months.

Speaker 1 (01:04:19):
I love that.

Speaker 2 (01:04:20):
Yeah, so it could you could be lucky.

Speaker 1 (01:04:22):
You could be Yeah, watch it all the way through.

Speaker 2 (01:04:27):
Number of social kurity number two.

Speaker 1 (01:04:29):
We need everything.

Speaker 2 (01:04:29):
Yeah, you did in your bank card so we can
send it over some money. Yeah, that's it. Well, thank
you guys for Twitter. Man.

Speaker 3 (01:04:38):
Yes, and we're here with the one and only Mac
No you you said your name Crystal.

Speaker 1 (01:04:44):
That was so good.

Speaker 2 (01:04:45):
That was it?

Speaker 1 (01:04:46):
Okay, that's it again.

Speaker 2 (01:04:46):
All right, we're here with the one and only and
shout out to the TA team. Make some noise. It's
realite people out there.

Speaker 1 (01:04:55):
We got a lot of studio it is.

Speaker 2 (01:04:57):
This is rich back to.

Speaker 1 (01:05:03):
Oh my goodness, that was such a dope conversation with
Funny Marco also reminded that being different isn't something you
have to fix, it's something to master. Thank you for
tuning in to another episode of The Keep It Positive
Sweetie Show. Don't forget to subscribe, Leave a review, and
share this episode with someone who could use a little
light today. As always, stay blessed and encouraged, and remember

(01:05:25):
to keep it positive. Sweetie, I'll see y'all next time, right,