February 12, 2020 • 34 mins
Appearing on this episode of Money Making Conversations is James Lopez, President of Will Packer Productions, and Producer of new Universal Pictures Film “The Photograph.”
Each Money Making Conversations show hosted by Rushion McDonald is about entrepreneurship and entertainment. We provide the consumer and business owner access to Celebrities, CEOs, Entrepreneurs and Industry Decision Makers. They in turn deliver information about career planning, motivation, financial literacy and how they lead a balanced life.
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The Money Making Conversations radio talk show shares the “Secrets To Success” experienced firsthand by marketing and branding expert Rushion McDonald. Mr. McDonald is a brand guru and has been a marketer for major national and global brands like State Farm, Ford and Home Depot. He has worked with Kevin Hart, Stephen A. Smith, Jamie Foxx and most notably, Steve Harvey and will provide access to women and multicultural markets to expand the reach of your brand. The show features one-on-one career advice to callers, contributions from corporate leaders, successful entrepreneurs, celebrity interviews regarding their business ventures, social media branding, financial planning and information to empower small businesses to a path of success!
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Each Money Making Conversations show hosted by Rushion McDonald is about entrepreneurship and entertainment. We provide the consumer and business owner access to Celebrities, CEOs, Entrepreneurs and Industry Decision Makers. They in turn deliver information about career planning, motivation, financial literacy and how they lead a balanced life.
Don’t miss Money Making Conversations with host Rushion McDonald anytime through our iHeartRadio Podcast, which can be found under the Business/Finance Section, Fridays at 10AM ET on SiriusXM Channel 141: H.U.R. Voices and Fridays at 7PM ET on SiriusXM Channel 142: HBCU. We want to keep you Winning with your Career and your Life! #AskMMC
The Money Making Conversations radio talk show shares the “Secrets To Success” experienced firsthand by marketing and branding expert Rushion McDonald. Mr. McDonald is a brand guru and has been a marketer for major national and global brands like State Farm, Ford and Home Depot. He has worked with Kevin Hart, Stephen A. Smith, Jamie Foxx and most notably, Steve Harvey and will provide access to women and multicultural markets to expand the reach of your brand. The show features one-on-one career advice to callers, contributions from corporate leaders, successful entrepreneurs, celebrity interviews regarding their business ventures, social media branding, financial planning and information to empower small businesses to a path of success!
“The Kind of Talk that Inspires Change.”
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
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(01:02):
Another great show another great day. That's what life is about,
experiencing different opportunities. Welcome to Money Making Conversation. That's right,
I'm your host, Rashaan McDonald. Each Money Making Conversation talk
shows about entrepreneurship and entertainment. I provide the consumer and
business owner access to celebrities, CEOs, entrepreneurs and industry decision makers.
(01:22):
It is important to understand that everybody travels a different
path to success. That's because your brand is different. The
challenges you face in your life are different. So stop
reading other people's success stories and start writing your own.
I'm telling you the truth. Now. You can be motivated
by their success because their stories can offer direction and
help you reach your goals through your planning and committed effort.
(01:43):
And effort has to be number one. My guests the
Money Making Conversations have that same passion and they share
their information when we talk about their career motivation, what
they are promoting, how they live a balance life, and
their secrets to success. The show is for you, about you,
and will help you. My next guest is a longtime
(02:04):
relationship back in the Los Angeles. My next test is
a former senior vice president marketing for Atlantic Records. Now
he is the president of Will Packer Productions and is
responsible for developing and overseeing productions on all film projects
through the company's first Look deal with Universal as a
producer his films that grows more than eight hundred million
(02:26):
dollars at the box office. Today, he's on the show
to Day to talk about his career and his new movie,
The Photograph. Please welcome the money making conversations, my man,
James Lopez Rashan. Thanks for having me, brother, Well, well,
thank you. I know you're busy because this promotion week,
another movie, another another line of promotion. This is great.
(02:50):
Got no wheels out there, so I see you getting
out there a lot more promoting projects. Is that part
of the growth of James Lopez. Yeah. You know, I've
been told several times in the past that I need
to get out there a little bit more, you know.
You know me, brother, I'm I'm when it comes to
promoting and publicity and doing the press. I like to
(03:10):
stay behind the scenes and be quiet. But I've been
told that I need to let the people know what
I do and and uh that I definitely have an
inspiring story to tell and that uh, you know that
I provided an example for some folks, so I kind
of have decided not to be as selfish. They talk
(03:32):
about my story a little bit because it might be helpful.
It really is helpful. That's what the format of money
making Conversation is all about. I started in twenty seventeen,
uh and it was supposed to only last six weeks.
And then I realized that through the conversations and bringing
a different type of people I had on the show
and version was just people I know, And then all
of a sudden, now it's just individuals in the industry
(03:52):
to realize I have such a positive, uh you know,
format that allow them to tell their story. And also
it's really about helping people. And when we talk about
helping people, you know, I have to talk about my
relationship with you, and you know you you and when
I was with Steve Harvey, you know, you broke it
our first ring tone deal. And I gotta say that
because you know that that was a skill that you
(04:14):
have and had, you know, because I didn't know you,
but you had a lickability and use a professional And
I remember when Steve said, should be signed this deal?
I said, yeah, yeah, James, things a little I trust
him and for me to say that, it's a lot
because that means that you understand the value of communicating
the honesty of the deal and also the value of
(04:35):
a relationship. I'm sure you've been told that a lot
over the years, correct, James, Yeah, you know. I I've
been told that that. I'm a kind of a no
nonsense type of guy. And I think a lot of
people take my load to me. My my, y'all's quiet.
(04:58):
They take my quiet demeanor as a sign that maybe
that I might be angry or maybe I'm not really
trying to mess with folks. It's not that at all.
It's it's that I'm constantly thinking. I'm constantly observing the room.
And you know, I believe that if you don't have
something additive to say in the moment, just don't say it.
(05:19):
But when you do have something to say, it carries
more weight. So that's just the way I operate in life. Um,
And I'm you know, I admitted Rashan, I'm a little
bit socially awkward to you. That's why I quiet. Well,
I would tell you something, man, you know, I've been
around your lot, you know. And and then because you know,
it was in the music business, so yet always are artist.
(05:40):
That's how we connected. And uh, and that's what you
told me A Rashan t I making a lot of
money on these rain tones. Y'all probably want to look
into that. And so you understood that that rain tongs
are popular back there, there was a lot of way
that it was a quick way just using your voice
and ring tones and people are buying them. And then
but of course all things change, and all things you
have to make a transition. And at the time he
(06:01):
was the senior vice president marketing for Atlantic Records. What
did that job entail? Well, back then, you know, I
was largely responsible for the urban roster of artists signed
to Atlantic Records. So artists like t I, Fat Joe, Fabulous, Trick,
Daddy Trenim, M c Elliott, Sean, Paul Naview's little brother,
(06:23):
and the list goes on and on. So I was
responsible for the imaging, packaging and bringing to market those artists,
whether it be album packaging, whether it be promotional touring,
put it together their stage show, award show performances, all
the way up to like you know, music video production.
I was kind of like, um, what a quarterback into
(06:47):
a football team. Is what I was in the building
Atlantic Records when it came to that particular artists, kind
of like an in house manager. I wasn't the artist manager,
but I was the person mostly all in their life
and in that project within the company, um and kind
of like leading the company's charged to bring that album
(07:10):
or that artist to the marketplace. That's what I was
absolutely So then in your intro, I make this statement
as a producer. As a producer, his films about his career.
During his career have exceeded eight hundred million dollars at
the box office. Now, that's from music to film, which
(07:30):
we know. I can't say they're similar because they're different
because once visual you know though you might say music
videos or visual, but that's not a movie or a film.
That's a beginning, middle of the end. That's casting, that's
being at the right publicity, being at the right moment.
How did you make that transition, because I remember you
made it. I told Steve at the time, I said,
my boy doing films now. And I really was happy
(07:52):
because I know that that that you know, music was changing,
you know, record stores were dying out, you know, a
lot more into pinion thought process was being put into
how you released labels. Did you make a decision looking
at the industry, or you said, hey, I really want
to do film. It was it was a combination of both.
To be honest with you, I'd always had the passion
(08:14):
for film and television, To be honest with you, Rashaan,
early on in my life in my career, I just
didn't think it was possible for brothers to be honest,
you know, like coming I'm a boy from Houston, Texas
and so like to be involved in film intelligence. There
was no examples for us going up in Houston. There
(08:35):
was no one I could point to and said you
could do that. Like I knew obviously we all know
of actors and directors, um you know, like the Spike
Leaves and John Singleton's and you know, being in college
and watching those guys do their things. But I knew
I wasn't gonna be bad. I had no idea what
the producer did. I didn't know that there were people
behind the scenes, predominantly caucases, that were behind you movies.
(09:00):
So I just took the natural route into music because
there were several examples uh that that we as black
man could point to and say Okay, well Russell Simmons
did it, and this one did it and that one
did it. I could do that, I could be that.
But once I got into the music business and got
in and was more immersed in the culture of entertainment
(09:23):
and meeting different types of executives and then getting involved
in soundtracks. In the music business, I started interacting with
studio executives and producers, and then I started to get
exposed to the possibilities of where where I wanted my
life to go. So it was it was in the
mid two thousands, I would say two thousand and four,
(09:45):
two thousand and five when I consciously made the decisions
that this is what I want to do next, and
I'm gonna work my tail off to get there. Let
me in there. I remember you start telling me you
were writing scripts at that time. Well, I was coming
up with pitchers and decks for ideas and when I
(10:06):
look when I look back at them, they were terrible.
But you had You had energy. Had I had the
energy and what I was doing with conceptualizing projects as well.
And that's that's where my strength lies, is coming up
with concepts or or discussing with other creatives, concepts, concepts
(10:30):
for movies and then bringing them to the marketplace, figuring
it out, you know, finding writers. I think it directed
starting starting projects from scratch. But yeah, I made that
decision in two thousand five, and it took me five years.
It took me five years of networking, of reading tons
and tons of scripts and kind of building up my
(10:54):
chops so that when I got the opportunity, I was
reading and until five years later. Correct, correct, Yeah, I
was hired by gentleman name Quinn Colepepper who gave me
a shot. I had done a soundtrack at Screen James
when I was in Atlantic, and that's how I built
my relationship with him. And then I got even closer
(11:18):
to him on the set of Takers. Uh p. I
introduced me to Quint again on the set of Takers.
And that is the evening that I'm at will for
the first time. My mouth producing party. Now eight hundred
million dollars When I say that, what runs through your mind?
At the box office? Um? Eight million dollars. Now here's
(11:47):
a lesson for your listening audience. Box office numbers are
great if you have a piece of ownership. I don't
have a piece of ownership at any of that eight
million dollars. That's what my movies made. I didn't own
those movies, and studios owners movies. When you've got brothers
(12:11):
like Tyler who owned their films and they get a
majority of that dollar that comes back for every single
dollar that goes out, he's getting a large percent of
that money coming back to me. And that's what we
got to strive as people to work towards. As the ownership.
We are formidable, we are peace when it comes to
(12:35):
creating content and in providing entertainment for the audiences, we
create culture. But we have to start having a stake
and ownership in that culture. And right now that is
what Will and I are striving towards is more ownership
of our catalogs um but you know none. Nevertheless, it
(12:57):
is impressive that so many people haven't enjoyed our films,
but we and well you know where the company is headed.
And building up that library of titles. Ownership or that
library is a goal and also diversifying what we do.
Um the movie that's coming out this weekend, it is
(13:20):
our first drama. Like it is a romance drama, It's
not a romantic comedy. It's not a comedy, it's not
a thriller. Is a straight up adult black love romance.
And that's something new for us as a company. And
we're working hard to make sure that we diversify the
types of movies that we're making so that we're not
just eating off of comedy, but off of everything. Right,
(13:44):
I tell you, I'm talking to James Lopez. He's the
president of Will Packer Production. Has a new movie out
this weekend called The Photograph. We'll come back. We're getting
more details because and had a movie out here like this,
like this Love Jones, Bart Lorenz, Tayne alone. That's what
he's talking about. My main conversation, be right back. We'll
be right back with more from McDonald and money making conversations.
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Money Making Conversations continues online at www dot money Making
Conversations dot com and follow money making conversations on Facebook, Twitter,
and Instagram. Ladies and gentlemen, it's time you stop thinking
(16:17):
about your dreams and put some plans into action. All
Just Rashan McDonald, you're listening to money Making Conversations. I'm
talking to James Lopez, long time, long time gentlemen. Met
him when he was senior vice president of marketing for
Atlantic Records. Now he's um breaking down information about my listeners,
about about the art of the deal and being a
bigger player in the deal. More importantly, he's on the
(16:40):
show to day to talk about his new movie. Like
he told before we went to break he said, they've
diversifying the portfolio, moving out of the comedy laden drama
where they've had so much success into a romantic drama.
What really pushed this envelope beside a great script and
opportunity to diverse diversify your portfolio, I think the reason
(17:02):
why we sparked to the photograph. First of all, I
started off, yes, with a great script, like Sella McGee
wrote a beautiful project. Um, she is also a director
of This is a very personal project for her, and
we wanted to jump on board and help her fulfill
her vision and bring this screen. So we're very proud
(17:23):
of being a part of this. But um, we just
felt like it's been such a long time since the
core African American audience has received a love story. Um,
and you mentioned Love Jones. You know, that was twenty
plus years ago. So we love Okay, Sven and you know,
(17:47):
we we just felt like it was time to make
another black love story that wasn't based around trauma. You know. Unfortunately, Um,
you know, there's a lot of great films that are
created and cater to the African American audience, but when
it comes to love, there's always a betrayal or out
of wed like child or somebody got killed, stalker. And
(18:15):
you know this is straight just two black folks loving
each other or trying to figure out love, iould say,
But it also is about generations. It's about UM gets
to raise character who has just lost her mother and
through a series of letters, is finding out more about
(18:35):
the woman her mother was and the mistakes and love
that her mother may have made, and to make sure
that she's not going to repeat the same mistakes her
mother made. So we are watching When you watch the film,
you're watching two stories separated by thirty years. So it's
about generational love as well. And it's very movie and touching.
(18:59):
UM And and you know, I think, uh, I think
folks will enjoy it. It's a great date night. It's
a perfect perfect date that the movie is coming out
on Valentine's Day. It's a long weekend, so you know,
everyone listening to take your special someone to go check
this out because you're gonna love it. And the music
is phenomenal. Absolutely, um, it has to be another another
(19:21):
fellow Houston native Robert glasper uh the score awesome, congratulations,
you know were getting out that spread that way you
know the beauty of listening to you talk, James. First
of all, you sound just the same, You sound just
as uh, you know, you give our information. Uh. That's
what always impressed me about you is that you're informative
(19:42):
and you and you really know how to hit all
of the right deal points of the conversation. But one
thing I always liked abuy Will because when I did
the first movie with him, Think like a Man, he
always knew how to select talent that was on the
rise about the pop. He was always good at that.
You look at this movies, he always gets that talent
(20:02):
right when he's about to because he does that really well.
And like in that case it was it was Kevin Hard.
I knew about Kevin Hard, and I know when we
sold the movie Steve and Steve Harming. I sold the
movie to screen James with just Clint and he was
because I told Will Know. At first I said, no, Will, Am,
I gonna do the movie with you? And then he
brought in Clinton. Then they came down to Dallas and
(20:23):
we rode around on Steve's property. Convinced me and hey,
this is the right people. We got the right idea.
We will we will make this, make this be a
winning And then he said, I said, who goes? Who's
gonna do the lead? He said Karen Hard. I said
Kevin Hard. He said, he's he's about to break. Man,
He's he's about to break. He's about to do that.
(20:43):
And so I turned on. I look over the two
stars that are at the top of your list. Here
he'sa Ray and the key Stanfield. Yeah, okay, now Stanford,
let's could it go back a little bit the Atlantic series. Okay,
that's when I first discovered him, and I went and
I was telling my friend right here, this dude is talented.
D Yeah. I mean, you know mckith thought, you know,
(21:08):
he wasn't get out as well. Um, he was in
Uncut Gems with Adam Sandler that that had a nice
run a couple of months ago. Keith been mckith has
been working. He's been working. He has been working, I mean,
but but all platforms, all platforms. Oh yes, yes, he
(21:28):
has been working. And obviously you know he's used to
used to raise the queen, like you know, creating the
show Insecure for HBO and all the things that she's
been doing. Um, but we yeah, we we take pride
on on you know, making sure that in every one
of our movies we have, um, people who are about
(21:49):
the pop or or or or have have recently come
on the scene. In this particular one, I think you
guys are gonna really enjoy an actress by the name
of Schante Adams. She played Ray's mother in the past
thirty years in the past. And when I tell you
(22:10):
this girl put his work, her performance is amazing. Um,
your listeners may or may not know her from a
Netflix movie on the rapper Rocksman Shante. It was a
Netflix movie called Roxman Roxton. Remember that played the Roxanne
in that movie in our Netflix Um, and she is
(22:33):
just an incredible performer and she does such a beautiful
job of racing this in this song. So let me
ask you this. Let me ask you this because your
producer on the movie. What exactly does a producer do
on this especialist particular movie with the photograph? Well, I'll
tell you my role in this one. Um. When when
(22:53):
Will and I first started producing together, Um, before I
joined the company, he took the meet it was star
regarding this particular project. She had not written it yet,
it was just a treatment. And UM, when I joined
the company, which was like a year later. She had
(23:15):
written the script and it was floating around town and uh,
I've read it. And I was like, oh man, we
need to be doing this movie. This this could be
this generation. And I said, word for it. This could
be this generations love Jones. We should be making this movie.
So I go to Will. I'm like, I read the photographs.
(23:35):
I know you took a meeting with her about a
year ago, but you should read this script. It's really good.
He read it. He was like, I agree. I said,
we need to take this into universal and fright for
it and set it up. So we did. They brought
the script and we spent the next year and alfter
two years developing it from several drafts and got it
(23:57):
to the point where we got the student of the
dream like this now. Um. So, during that process and
producer and working with the writer to hone in on
the script, get it to the you know, get it,
get it, addressing notes, getting it ready to share with cast.
We talked about cast, who's available in the time frame
(24:20):
that we want to shoot the film. You know, who
who do we think would have the best chemistry. You
go through that process, you know, I'm you know, I'm
hiring a line producer who comes up with the schedule
and budget. We're making decisions about where we're going to
shoot the film. You know, the New York plays a
character in the film, so we you know that it
(24:41):
was a filmmaker's vision to shoot the film in New
York and not a lot of films shoots here. Um,
and you know, so we we won that battle. Then
then it's about putting the crew together. You know who's
going to be the director of photography, is going to
be the cost and designer. You know who's going to
(25:03):
be the production designer, who's gonna help cast the movie?
The casting right there, so we you know, you put
all those people together, get them approved, get them on
on the team, and you start building your crew to
execute this script all the time while you're sharing the
script with agents and managers to get the casting want.
(25:28):
Once you get through all that, you go into pre production.
Pre production on this film was eight weeks and in
that eight week time period, you're scouting your building sets
if you needed. You know, the cost and designer is
showing options for the characters. You have your director photography,
(25:49):
who's building their crew their camera operators with the lighting
is gonna look like your story boarding, shot listing. So
much goes into it before you start, and then you're
on set. We shot this movie over seven weeks six
which we're in uh New York in one week and
(26:11):
muse in and then you go into post production, which
is a twenty two week period where you're editing your
sound mixing. During that time period, our director, she has expressed, um,
the desire to have Robert Glass for score the film.
(26:31):
So without her knowing, I went off and got Robert Glass.
You know, I got ahold of them. We had a meeting.
I'm like, look with you ashtown boys, let's do this.
I took him to the studio. Robert had never scored
a movie. Um, So I convinced the studio, hey, give
this brother shot. Um, he's the world over now, jazz musicians,
(26:55):
you could scored it. He could scored his music. He
could score this film with his eyes. Um. And then
I know want the studio approved. And then I haven't
sit down with Sella and they worked out the vision
for what she wanted the sound to be in this movie. Um,
and now we're here. That is producing, my man, that's
(27:17):
a journey. A lot of people needed to hear for
the first time on my show because the shooting period
is just seven weeks. You know, pre was a and
post pre was eight and then post was twenty two.
That was thirty weeks, and then there was almost two
and a half years to get it approved. And when
you first when you first walked was introduced to it.
(27:40):
She didn't even have a script. She said, she had
her treatment our concept. So so there's a lot of
trust in that process to get to the point that
we see the movie photograph. But I don't want to
link on the process. There's a couple of there's more
people in this movie. My Man coortinately advances in this
movie where I love even though there was a drama,
you got my Man, A Little Real who everybody old
some get out. One of the funniest comics. One of
(28:03):
the has a specialized last November that was outstanding called
Little Real Man. He plays mckith brother in this movie.
And then uh, and then and LOOKI he's funny too.
And so then you have Issa Ray, who I saw
a little and I became a bigger fan. I actually
became a bigger fan of her in the movie Little
that you guys also did and did very well at
(28:23):
the box office. I think last May and uh, and
it's playing right now. If you don't know, it just
goes it's it's on pay per view. Is also view
video on the Man yet to HBO. Little And So
when you when you see a movie like this being
put out there, you still have a little touch of
(28:43):
I think that you know you can you can bring
You're not trying to do a comedy movie, but you
do have guys who can bring that comedy moment just
to break the ice. Correct, Yeah, correct, there's moments where
you know, the audience, we break the ices. It's not
a drama all the way through. Um. So every every
once in a while you'll get a chuckle, you'll get
(29:03):
a laugh in the right places. Um. But it does
tug at the heart string. There's another actor I want
to bring up who's in there. There's two of them actually, Um,
Calvin Harris Jr. Who the audience may not be familiar
with the name, but you are familiar with his face.
He this young brother is I see, I feel it
(29:23):
is going to be up for Academy Award one day.
He is. He's done phenomenal work in so many other
movies this past two years. But he's working literally nonstuff.
I believe the photograph whether it's fifth movie that he
shot in twenty twenty nineteen. Sorry, Um, he did five
(29:43):
movies last year. Um. He's in a movie called Ways,
He's in another movie called Rise, He's in a movie
called Loose opposite. Uh, I'll tell miss Spencer. But he's
just a phenomenal young actor. He's in the movie Jasmin
sepas Jones within the movie, and so is my boy
(30:06):
Rob Morgan. Right, I don't know if I don't know
if you've seen Just Mercy, but Rob, if y'all seen it, Robbert,
the one that went to the electric chair. Oh yeah,
oh yeah, when they when when you were planing all
the the let him know that they were with him,
let him know he wasn't he was not down there
by himself. It's a very good movie. There was a
(30:26):
powerful moment that movie. Yeah, that brother has some powerful
moments in our movie. Um read emotional uh moment. Well,
you know my biggest takeaway when I listened to your
projects and watch your project again, congratulations graduations, Will and
Will know I've been a fan before he brought any
movie project to him, to me, to Steve and all
just start promoting on our radio show for mat And
(30:49):
that's why I kind of I built this format to
be able to have power, to be able to put
another layer of information, not only about the people who
are who are starting in front of the cameras behind
the camera, but you guys all have stories, you know, Sam,
Let's say with Sammy State University is proud of what
you're doing. Four years playing football over there before you
roll out to l A, had realized that you can
(31:10):
your dreams can't be possible. And then this movie again,
the photograph. I want to call my friend because of
the fact that I trusted him and we've we've known
each other over years and I followed him and he's
followed by my success. And we were on the phone
that they just talk about another great moment, a great
moment in our lives where we're about to, you know,
set a different pattern for what the movie could be.
(31:31):
I know that they always project have they put a
projection on what the box office? Maybe this weekend? Yeah,
I don't even like to talk about it. Now, don't
talk about, don't talk about don't talk about this. Don't talk,
don't all. I don't wanted to do well, and I
want I want our folks to come out and support
and really talk about this film. And I want them
(31:51):
walking out with a greater sense of love for who
they're with, who they want to be with. But also
I think a lesson that's learned from this film is
we learned how to love from our parents. And when
you watch the film and you're watching the Parallel Stories
thirty years apart um, you know, we pick up a
(32:13):
lot of positive things from our parents as well as negative.
And we learned how to love because we've watched them love,
and that's what this movie is talking about. That's a
beautiful to statement again starting the East Array or man
uh Keith Stanfield. It's called the Photograph. It's coming out
this weekend for all you couples out there, for all
you people who want to sit down and hold hands
(32:35):
as we can. This is the movie to watch. James Lopez,
thanks for coming to much show, talking about your talking
about your pass and talking about your future. My friend,
eight hundred million dollars in counting, because they're gonna start
counting this weekend. Man again, money making Conversations dot com.
That's right, I'm Rushan McDonald. I'm your host. In this
(32:55):
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(01:02):
Another great show another great day. That's what life is about,
experiencing different opportunities. Welcome to Money Making Conversation. That's right,
I'm your host, Rashaan McDonald. Each Money Making Conversation talk
shows about entrepreneurship and entertainment. I provide the consumer and
business owner access to celebrities, CEOs, entrepreneurs and industry decision makers.
(01:22):
It is important to understand that everybody travels a different
path to success. That's because your brand is different. The
challenges you face in your life are different. So stop
reading other people's success stories and start writing your own.
I'm telling you the truth. Now. You can be motivated
by their success because their stories can offer direction and
help you reach your goals through your planning and committed effort.
(01:43):
And effort has to be number one. My guests the
Money Making Conversations have that same passion and they share
their information when we talk about their career motivation, what
they are promoting, how they live a balance life, and
their secrets to success. The show is for you, about you,
and will help you. My next guest is a longtime
(02:04):
relationship back in the Los Angeles. My next test is
a former senior vice president marketing for Atlantic Records. Now
he is the president of Will Packer Productions and is
responsible for developing and overseeing productions on all film projects
through the company's first Look deal with Universal as a
producer his films that grows more than eight hundred million
(02:26):
dollars at the box office. Today, he's on the show
to Day to talk about his career and his new movie,
The Photograph. Please welcome the money making conversations, my man,
James Lopez Rashan. Thanks for having me, brother, Well, well,
thank you. I know you're busy because this promotion week,
another movie, another another line of promotion. This is great.
(02:50):
Got no wheels out there, so I see you getting
out there a lot more promoting projects. Is that part
of the growth of James Lopez. Yeah. You know, I've
been told several times in the past that I need
to get out there a little bit more, you know.
You know me, brother, I'm I'm when it comes to
promoting and publicity and doing the press. I like to
(03:10):
stay behind the scenes and be quiet. But I've been
told that I need to let the people know what
I do and and uh that I definitely have an
inspiring story to tell and that uh, you know that
I provided an example for some folks, so I kind
of have decided not to be as selfish. They talk
(03:32):
about my story a little bit because it might be helpful.
It really is helpful. That's what the format of money
making Conversation is all about. I started in twenty seventeen,
uh and it was supposed to only last six weeks.
And then I realized that through the conversations and bringing
a different type of people I had on the show
and version was just people I know, And then all
of a sudden, now it's just individuals in the industry
(03:52):
to realize I have such a positive, uh you know,
format that allow them to tell their story. And also
it's really about helping people. And when we talk about
helping people, you know, I have to talk about my
relationship with you, and you know you you and when
I was with Steve Harvey, you know, you broke it
our first ring tone deal. And I gotta say that
because you know that that was a skill that you
(04:14):
have and had, you know, because I didn't know you,
but you had a lickability and use a professional And
I remember when Steve said, should be signed this deal?
I said, yeah, yeah, James, things a little I trust
him and for me to say that, it's a lot
because that means that you understand the value of communicating
the honesty of the deal and also the value of
(04:35):
a relationship. I'm sure you've been told that a lot
over the years, correct, James, Yeah, you know. I I've
been told that that. I'm a kind of a no
nonsense type of guy. And I think a lot of
people take my load to me. My my, y'all's quiet.
(04:58):
They take my quiet demeanor as a sign that maybe
that I might be angry or maybe I'm not really
trying to mess with folks. It's not that at all.
It's it's that I'm constantly thinking. I'm constantly observing the room.
And you know, I believe that if you don't have
something additive to say in the moment, just don't say it.
(05:19):
But when you do have something to say, it carries
more weight. So that's just the way I operate in life. Um,
And I'm you know, I admitted Rashan, I'm a little
bit socially awkward to you. That's why I quiet. Well,
I would tell you something, man, you know, I've been
around your lot, you know. And and then because you know,
it was in the music business, so yet always are artist.
(05:40):
That's how we connected. And uh, and that's what you
told me A Rashan t I making a lot of
money on these rain tones. Y'all probably want to look
into that. And so you understood that that rain tongs
are popular back there, there was a lot of way
that it was a quick way just using your voice
and ring tones and people are buying them. And then
but of course all things change, and all things you
have to make a transition. And at the time he
(06:01):
was the senior vice president marketing for Atlantic Records. What
did that job entail? Well, back then, you know, I
was largely responsible for the urban roster of artists signed
to Atlantic Records. So artists like t I, Fat Joe, Fabulous, Trick,
Daddy Trenim, M c Elliott, Sean, Paul Naview's little brother,
(06:23):
and the list goes on and on. So I was
responsible for the imaging, packaging and bringing to market those artists,
whether it be album packaging, whether it be promotional touring,
put it together their stage show, award show performances, all
the way up to like you know, music video production.
I was kind of like, um, what a quarterback into
(06:47):
a football team. Is what I was in the building
Atlantic Records when it came to that particular artists, kind
of like an in house manager. I wasn't the artist manager,
but I was the person mostly all in their life
and in that project within the company, um and kind
of like leading the company's charged to bring that album
(07:10):
or that artist to the marketplace. That's what I was
absolutely So then in your intro, I make this statement
as a producer. As a producer, his films about his career.
During his career have exceeded eight hundred million dollars at
the box office. Now, that's from music to film, which
(07:30):
we know. I can't say they're similar because they're different
because once visual you know though you might say music
videos or visual, but that's not a movie or a film.
That's a beginning, middle of the end. That's casting, that's
being at the right publicity, being at the right moment.
How did you make that transition, because I remember you
made it. I told Steve at the time, I said,
my boy doing films now. And I really was happy
(07:52):
because I know that that that you know, music was changing,
you know, record stores were dying out, you know, a
lot more into pinion thought process was being put into
how you released labels. Did you make a decision looking
at the industry, or you said, hey, I really want
to do film. It was it was a combination of both.
To be honest with you, I'd always had the passion
(08:14):
for film and television, To be honest with you, Rashaan,
early on in my life in my career, I just
didn't think it was possible for brothers to be honest,
you know, like coming I'm a boy from Houston, Texas
and so like to be involved in film intelligence. There
was no examples for us going up in Houston. There
(08:35):
was no one I could point to and said you
could do that. Like I knew obviously we all know
of actors and directors, um you know, like the Spike
Leaves and John Singleton's and you know, being in college
and watching those guys do their things. But I knew
I wasn't gonna be bad. I had no idea what
the producer did. I didn't know that there were people
behind the scenes, predominantly caucases, that were behind you movies.
(09:00):
So I just took the natural route into music because
there were several examples uh that that we as black
man could point to and say Okay, well Russell Simmons
did it, and this one did it and that one
did it. I could do that, I could be that.
But once I got into the music business and got
in and was more immersed in the culture of entertainment
(09:23):
and meeting different types of executives and then getting involved
in soundtracks. In the music business, I started interacting with
studio executives and producers, and then I started to get
exposed to the possibilities of where where I wanted my
life to go. So it was it was in the
mid two thousands, I would say two thousand and four,
(09:45):
two thousand and five when I consciously made the decisions
that this is what I want to do next, and
I'm gonna work my tail off to get there. Let
me in there. I remember you start telling me you
were writing scripts at that time. Well, I was coming
up with pitchers and decks for ideas and when I
(10:06):
look when I look back at them, they were terrible.
But you had You had energy. Had I had the
energy and what I was doing with conceptualizing projects as well.
And that's that's where my strength lies, is coming up
with concepts or or discussing with other creatives, concepts, concepts
(10:30):
for movies and then bringing them to the marketplace, figuring
it out, you know, finding writers. I think it directed
starting starting projects from scratch. But yeah, I made that
decision in two thousand five, and it took me five years.
It took me five years of networking, of reading tons
and tons of scripts and kind of building up my
(10:54):
chops so that when I got the opportunity, I was
reading and until five years later. Correct, correct, Yeah, I
was hired by gentleman name Quinn Colepepper who gave me
a shot. I had done a soundtrack at Screen James
when I was in Atlantic, and that's how I built
my relationship with him. And then I got even closer
(11:18):
to him on the set of Takers. Uh p. I
introduced me to Quint again on the set of Takers.
And that is the evening that I'm at will for
the first time. My mouth producing party. Now eight hundred
million dollars When I say that, what runs through your mind?
At the box office? Um? Eight million dollars. Now here's
(11:47):
a lesson for your listening audience. Box office numbers are
great if you have a piece of ownership. I don't
have a piece of ownership at any of that eight
million dollars. That's what my movies made. I didn't own
those movies, and studios owners movies. When you've got brothers
(12:11):
like Tyler who owned their films and they get a
majority of that dollar that comes back for every single
dollar that goes out, he's getting a large percent of
that money coming back to me. And that's what we
got to strive as people to work towards. As the ownership.
We are formidable, we are peace when it comes to
(12:35):
creating content and in providing entertainment for the audiences, we
create culture. But we have to start having a stake
and ownership in that culture. And right now that is
what Will and I are striving towards is more ownership
of our catalogs um but you know none. Nevertheless, it
(12:57):
is impressive that so many people haven't enjoyed our films,
but we and well you know where the company is headed.
And building up that library of titles. Ownership or that
library is a goal and also diversifying what we do.
Um the movie that's coming out this weekend, it is
(13:20):
our first drama. Like it is a romance drama, It's
not a romantic comedy. It's not a comedy, it's not
a thriller. Is a straight up adult black love romance.
And that's something new for us as a company. And
we're working hard to make sure that we diversify the
types of movies that we're making so that we're not
just eating off of comedy, but off of everything. Right,
(13:44):
I tell you, I'm talking to James Lopez. He's the
president of Will Packer Production. Has a new movie out
this weekend called The Photograph. We'll come back. We're getting
more details because and had a movie out here like this,
like this Love Jones, Bart Lorenz, Tayne alone. That's what
he's talking about. My main conversation, be right back. We'll
be right back with more from McDonald and money making conversations.
(14:06):
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That's O T T E R dot ai. Don't touch that.
Money Making Conversations continues online at www dot money Making
Conversations dot com and follow money making conversations on Facebook, Twitter,
and Instagram. Ladies and gentlemen, it's time you stop thinking
(16:17):
about your dreams and put some plans into action. All
Just Rashan McDonald, you're listening to money Making Conversations. I'm
talking to James Lopez, long time, long time gentlemen. Met
him when he was senior vice president of marketing for
Atlantic Records. Now he's um breaking down information about my listeners,
about about the art of the deal and being a
bigger player in the deal. More importantly, he's on the
(16:40):
show to day to talk about his new movie. Like
he told before we went to break he said, they've
diversifying the portfolio, moving out of the comedy laden drama
where they've had so much success into a romantic drama.
What really pushed this envelope beside a great script and
opportunity to diverse diversify your portfolio, I think the reason
(17:02):
why we sparked to the photograph. First of all, I
started off, yes, with a great script, like Sella McGee
wrote a beautiful project. Um, she is also a director
of This is a very personal project for her, and
we wanted to jump on board and help her fulfill
her vision and bring this screen. So we're very proud
(17:23):
of being a part of this. But um, we just
felt like it's been such a long time since the
core African American audience has received a love story. Um,
and you mentioned Love Jones. You know, that was twenty
plus years ago. So we love Okay, Sven and you know,
(17:47):
we we just felt like it was time to make
another black love story that wasn't based around trauma. You know. Unfortunately, Um,
you know, there's a lot of great films that are
created and cater to the African American audience, but when
it comes to love, there's always a betrayal or out
of wed like child or somebody got killed, stalker. And
(18:15):
you know this is straight just two black folks loving
each other or trying to figure out love, iould say,
But it also is about generations. It's about UM gets
to raise character who has just lost her mother and
through a series of letters, is finding out more about
(18:35):
the woman her mother was and the mistakes and love
that her mother may have made, and to make sure
that she's not going to repeat the same mistakes her
mother made. So we are watching When you watch the film,
you're watching two stories separated by thirty years. So it's
about generational love as well. And it's very movie and touching.
(18:59):
UM And and you know, I think, uh, I think
folks will enjoy it. It's a great date night. It's
a perfect perfect date that the movie is coming out
on Valentine's Day. It's a long weekend, so you know,
everyone listening to take your special someone to go check
this out because you're gonna love it. And the music
is phenomenal. Absolutely, um, it has to be another another
(19:21):
fellow Houston native Robert glasper uh the score awesome, congratulations,
you know were getting out that spread that way you
know the beauty of listening to you talk, James. First
of all, you sound just the same, You sound just
as uh, you know, you give our information. Uh. That's
what always impressed me about you is that you're informative
(19:42):
and you and you really know how to hit all
of the right deal points of the conversation. But one
thing I always liked abuy Will because when I did
the first movie with him, Think like a Man, he
always knew how to select talent that was on the
rise about the pop. He was always good at that.
You look at this movies, he always gets that talent
(20:02):
right when he's about to because he does that really well.
And like in that case it was it was Kevin Hard.
I knew about Kevin Hard, and I know when we
sold the movie Steve and Steve Harming. I sold the
movie to screen James with just Clint and he was
because I told Will Know. At first I said, no, Will, Am,
I gonna do the movie with you? And then he
brought in Clinton. Then they came down to Dallas and
(20:23):
we rode around on Steve's property. Convinced me and hey,
this is the right people. We got the right idea.
We will we will make this, make this be a
winning And then he said, I said, who goes? Who's
gonna do the lead? He said Karen Hard. I said
Kevin Hard. He said, he's he's about to break. Man,
He's he's about to break. He's about to do that.
(20:43):
And so I turned on. I look over the two
stars that are at the top of your list. Here
he'sa Ray and the key Stanfield. Yeah, okay, now Stanford,
let's could it go back a little bit the Atlantic series. Okay,
that's when I first discovered him, and I went and
I was telling my friend right here, this dude is talented.
D Yeah. I mean, you know mckith thought, you know,
(21:08):
he wasn't get out as well. Um, he was in
Uncut Gems with Adam Sandler that that had a nice
run a couple of months ago. Keith been mckith has
been working. He's been working. He has been working, I mean,
but but all platforms, all platforms. Oh yes, yes, he
(21:28):
has been working. And obviously you know he's used to
used to raise the queen, like you know, creating the
show Insecure for HBO and all the things that she's
been doing. Um, but we yeah, we we take pride
on on you know, making sure that in every one
of our movies we have, um, people who are about
(21:49):
the pop or or or or have have recently come
on the scene. In this particular one, I think you
guys are gonna really enjoy an actress by the name
of Schante Adams. She played Ray's mother in the past
thirty years in the past. And when I tell you
(22:10):
this girl put his work, her performance is amazing. Um,
your listeners may or may not know her from a
Netflix movie on the rapper Rocksman Shante. It was a
Netflix movie called Roxman Roxton. Remember that played the Roxanne
in that movie in our Netflix Um, and she is
(22:33):
just an incredible performer and she does such a beautiful
job of racing this in this song. So let me
ask you this. Let me ask you this because your
producer on the movie. What exactly does a producer do
on this especialist particular movie with the photograph? Well, I'll
tell you my role in this one. Um. When when
(22:53):
Will and I first started producing together, Um, before I
joined the company, he took the meet it was star
regarding this particular project. She had not written it yet,
it was just a treatment. And UM, when I joined
the company, which was like a year later. She had
(23:15):
written the script and it was floating around town and uh,
I've read it. And I was like, oh man, we
need to be doing this movie. This this could be
this generation. And I said, word for it. This could
be this generations love Jones. We should be making this movie.
So I go to Will. I'm like, I read the photographs.
(23:35):
I know you took a meeting with her about a
year ago, but you should read this script. It's really good.
He read it. He was like, I agree. I said,
we need to take this into universal and fright for
it and set it up. So we did. They brought
the script and we spent the next year and alfter
two years developing it from several drafts and got it
(23:57):
to the point where we got the student of the
dream like this now. Um. So, during that process and
producer and working with the writer to hone in on
the script, get it to the you know, get it,
get it, addressing notes, getting it ready to share with cast.
We talked about cast, who's available in the time frame
(24:20):
that we want to shoot the film. You know, who
who do we think would have the best chemistry. You
go through that process, you know, I'm you know, I'm
hiring a line producer who comes up with the schedule
and budget. We're making decisions about where we're going to
shoot the film. You know, the New York plays a
character in the film, so we you know that it
(24:41):
was a filmmaker's vision to shoot the film in New
York and not a lot of films shoots here. Um,
and you know, so we we won that battle. Then
then it's about putting the crew together. You know who's
going to be the director of photography, is going to
be the cost and designer. You know who's going to
(25:03):
be the production designer, who's gonna help cast the movie?
The casting right there, so we you know, you put
all those people together, get them approved, get them on
on the team, and you start building your crew to
execute this script all the time while you're sharing the
script with agents and managers to get the casting want.
(25:28):
Once you get through all that, you go into pre production.
Pre production on this film was eight weeks and in
that eight week time period, you're scouting your building sets
if you needed. You know, the cost and designer is
showing options for the characters. You have your director photography,
(25:49):
who's building their crew their camera operators with the lighting
is gonna look like your story boarding, shot listing. So
much goes into it before you start, and then you're
on set. We shot this movie over seven weeks six
which we're in uh New York in one week and
(26:11):
muse in and then you go into post production, which
is a twenty two week period where you're editing your
sound mixing. During that time period, our director, she has expressed, um,
the desire to have Robert Glass for score the film.
(26:31):
So without her knowing, I went off and got Robert Glass.
You know, I got ahold of them. We had a meeting.
I'm like, look with you ashtown boys, let's do this.
I took him to the studio. Robert had never scored
a movie. Um, So I convinced the studio, hey, give
this brother shot. Um, he's the world over now, jazz musicians,
(26:55):
you could scored it. He could scored his music. He
could score this film with his eyes. Um. And then
I know want the studio approved. And then I haven't
sit down with Sella and they worked out the vision
for what she wanted the sound to be in this movie. Um,
and now we're here. That is producing, my man, that's
(27:17):
a journey. A lot of people needed to hear for
the first time on my show because the shooting period
is just seven weeks. You know, pre was a and
post pre was eight and then post was twenty two.
That was thirty weeks, and then there was almost two
and a half years to get it approved. And when
you first when you first walked was introduced to it.
(27:40):
She didn't even have a script. She said, she had
her treatment our concept. So so there's a lot of
trust in that process to get to the point that
we see the movie photograph. But I don't want to
link on the process. There's a couple of there's more
people in this movie. My Man coortinately advances in this
movie where I love even though there was a drama,
you got my Man, A Little Real who everybody old
some get out. One of the funniest comics. One of
(28:03):
the has a specialized last November that was outstanding called
Little Real Man. He plays mckith brother in this movie.
And then uh, and then and LOOKI he's funny too.
And so then you have Issa Ray, who I saw
a little and I became a bigger fan. I actually
became a bigger fan of her in the movie Little
that you guys also did and did very well at
(28:23):
the box office. I think last May and uh, and
it's playing right now. If you don't know, it just
goes it's it's on pay per view. Is also view
video on the Man yet to HBO. Little And So
when you when you see a movie like this being
put out there, you still have a little touch of
(28:43):
I think that you know you can you can bring
You're not trying to do a comedy movie, but you
do have guys who can bring that comedy moment just
to break the ice. Correct, Yeah, correct, there's moments where
you know, the audience, we break the ices. It's not
a drama all the way through. Um. So every every
once in a while you'll get a chuckle, you'll get
(29:03):
a laugh in the right places. Um. But it does
tug at the heart string. There's another actor I want
to bring up who's in there. There's two of them actually, Um,
Calvin Harris Jr. Who the audience may not be familiar
with the name, but you are familiar with his face.
He this young brother is I see, I feel it
(29:23):
is going to be up for Academy Award one day.
He is. He's done phenomenal work in so many other
movies this past two years. But he's working literally nonstuff.
I believe the photograph whether it's fifth movie that he
shot in twenty twenty nineteen. Sorry, Um, he did five
(29:43):
movies last year. Um. He's in a movie called Ways,
He's in another movie called Rise, He's in a movie
called Loose opposite. Uh, I'll tell miss Spencer. But he's
just a phenomenal young actor. He's in the movie Jasmin
sepas Jones within the movie, and so is my boy
(30:06):
Rob Morgan. Right, I don't know if I don't know
if you've seen Just Mercy, but Rob, if y'all seen it, Robbert,
the one that went to the electric chair. Oh yeah,
oh yeah, when they when when you were planing all
the the let him know that they were with him,
let him know he wasn't he was not down there
by himself. It's a very good movie. There was a
(30:26):
powerful moment that movie. Yeah, that brother has some powerful
moments in our movie. Um read emotional uh moment. Well,
you know my biggest takeaway when I listened to your
projects and watch your project again, congratulations graduations, Will and
Will know I've been a fan before he brought any
movie project to him, to me, to Steve and all
just start promoting on our radio show for mat And
(30:49):
that's why I kind of I built this format to
be able to have power, to be able to put
another layer of information, not only about the people who
are who are starting in front of the cameras behind
the camera, but you guys all have stories, you know, Sam,
Let's say with Sammy State University is proud of what
you're doing. Four years playing football over there before you
roll out to l A, had realized that you can
(31:10):
your dreams can't be possible. And then this movie again,
the photograph. I want to call my friend because of
the fact that I trusted him and we've we've known
each other over years and I followed him and he's
followed by my success. And we were on the phone
that they just talk about another great moment, a great
moment in our lives where we're about to, you know,
set a different pattern for what the movie could be.
(31:31):
I know that they always project have they put a
projection on what the box office? Maybe this weekend? Yeah,
I don't even like to talk about it. Now, don't
talk about, don't talk about don't talk about this. Don't talk,
don't all. I don't wanted to do well, and I
want I want our folks to come out and support
and really talk about this film. And I want them
(31:51):
walking out with a greater sense of love for who
they're with, who they want to be with. But also
I think a lesson that's learned from this film is
we learned how to love from our parents. And when
you watch the film and you're watching the Parallel Stories
thirty years apart um, you know, we pick up a
(32:13):
lot of positive things from our parents as well as negative.
And we learned how to love because we've watched them love,
and that's what this movie is talking about. That's a
beautiful to statement again starting the East Array or man
uh Keith Stanfield. It's called the Photograph. It's coming out
this weekend for all you couples out there, for all
you people who want to sit down and hold hands
(32:35):
as we can. This is the movie to watch. James Lopez,
thanks for coming to much show, talking about your talking
about your pass and talking about your future. My friend,
eight hundred million dollars in counting, because they're gonna start
counting this weekend. Man again, money making Conversations dot com.
That's right, I'm Rushan McDonald. I'm your host. In this
(32:55):
season of giving, Cools has gifts for all your loved ones.
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Host
Rushion McDonald
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