October 13, 2023 • 44 mins
In the captivating third episode of the Money Moves Podcast, we're joined by the multifaceted writer and producer, Tash Gray. Tash sheds light on the inner workings of the entertainment industry, providing us with a comprehensive overview of the 2023 writers' strike and the essential demands of writers. Through her personal journey and unwavering commitment to her craft, Tash reveals the power of authenticity and genuine dedication to your work, emphasizing that these qualities can be the key to unlocking new opportunities. Additionally, she touches on the importance of recognizing your true value, both in terms of skills and financial worth. Beyond her remarkable career, Tash is also the driving force behind the inspiring organization "Black Women Save the World" and is set to launch an educational YouTube platform aimed at helping aspiring TV writers turn their dreams into reality. Host IG:@itstanyatime
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is full circle.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
Those witnesses about me knowing my worth, demanding my worth
because I say I have to be valued in the
stories that I'm a tell and how you're going to
pay me monetarily. If you don't value my perspective and
you don't, you don't want to hear me.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
I don't need to work with you.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
You don't value me enough to pay me what I'm worth,
I don't need to work with you.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
You're listening to Money Moves powered by Greenwood, a finance
podcast dedicated to dropping all the knowledge and gems from
the world's leading celebrities, entrepreneurs and experts, and tech, business
and more. I'm your host, angel investor, technology enthusiast and
media personality Tanya Sam. Each week, we talk with guests
who are making significant strides in their fields and learn
(00:41):
how they are making their money mood. If you're someone
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us in because this podcast will give you the keys
to the kingdom of financial stability, wealth and abundance you
so rightly deserve. Before we start the episode, I'd like
to remind you to check us out at Gogreenwood dot
com and follow us on social media at Greenwood and
(01:05):
me on all things social at It's Tanya. Time to
stay locked in too, new episode, Welcome back Money Movers.
In our previous segment, we dived into the incredible journey
of Tash Gray, a writer who made the remarkable transition
from being a dedicated teacher to a successful writer for
huge productions like Harlem, Pee Valley and more. Now we're
(01:26):
continuing our conversation with the multi talented Tash Gray, so
tune in. So you've got all these beautiful people in
your corner. You've made some connections. Now I want to
go deeper into like the writing and producing piece. You
know you talked about Snowfall, some other stories.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Tell how tell me.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
How you really sort of evolved your career in this
like tough and fickle industry is.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
So so it's very difficult. The tide is always turning
waves is always a waven. So you have to, you know,
figure out what you're gonna do and how you're gonna
do it. I think my claim to fame, and not
that I'm famous, but to success, has always been to
be true to who I am. Unapologetically. You know, I
(02:14):
don't code switch. I'm always the same person you meet
in the front and in the back of the room,
like it doesn't really matter. And as a result, people
started to really know who I was and what I
could do, and so things really started to come to me.
And I know, I know that sounds like such like
(02:34):
people say that and people like things just don't they do.
When you do the work, stuff actually comes to you.
I mean, from Unsolved pe Valley, Raising Cainaan, Reasonable Doubt, Harlem.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Literally, I'm doing the work.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
I'm continuing to be the best version that I possibly
can of myself, and things started to come to me.
And so that's why I did that mission State, because
some of the things that came to me, I didn't
know if that's what I was supposed to do or
if I was supposed to do this other thing. Like
even for instance, I worked on Unsolved the Murders of
(03:10):
Biggie and Tupac, which I wanted to do that, right,
I wanted to do that show. I had met someone,
you know, a couple of years before when I was
a comedy writer, and she remembered me, and she was
just like, oh, yeah, you know, Danielle. She was like,
I like Cash's voice, Like she's very like specific, she's funny,
but she's so authentically herself. I know we could use
her for this project. I wanna make sure she gets
(03:32):
this meeting, you know, between her and another woman, and
both of them black women, because black women save the
world that you do as we do. And so I
got this meeting, I got this job. You know, a
brother and their my friend Jamie, who's gonna be my
friend for life. He can't get rid of me. He
solved all the work that I was doing. And I
(03:54):
was very lower level because I went when going from
comedy to drama. They made me start over. Reason to
it other than she can't do both. It's like I've
just been on three comedy shows, but you want me
to come in drama and start all over. So I
started all over, which was fine. I started all over
with John Nas for Snowball Fall before another show called
(04:15):
Rebel that was on BT, and so I was like, Okay,
now I'm here. And I was doing all of this work.
And because it was a true crime and I was,
you know, a kid Tupac and Biggie, I did this
very intricate timeline because it's true crime and I love
true crime. I have this poster war becuse teacher and.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
I had did this skill was coming here and saying
you do the work. It all comes together and all
goes back at.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
This whole timeline, and my colleague Jamie came in and he.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
Was like damn. And I was like, oh, it's a timeline.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
So I had it in colors because you know, kinetic learners,
they need different colors. So I had like two pacas
one color, Bickie was another. Then I had like the detective.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
Work was another.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
And he was just like, you have to take this
into the writer's room tomorrow. And it was like a
room of seven writers working on this show and I'm
the lowest on the total part as far as hierarchy
and our levels. And I was like, Jamie, that ain't happening.
He was like, tomorrow morning, you're taking that in the
room and you're showing everyone. And the next morning he
(05:26):
was sitting at my office door like went get it.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Let's go. Let me help you put it up.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
And I did, and the boss, the showrunner of the show,
was just like, oh my god, Tash is running the
room because she's going to go through this timeline, and
he literally sat down and I became a professor once again,
and I went through this timeline and it helped to
shape the story for the season because.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
He was like, of course, this is what we need,
you know.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
And it was the organization of a professor a teacher,
and it became like, oh, I'm really good at story
and I recognize that superpower. And after that, everybody in
that room they told other people. They became the witnesses
that I needed, that I didn't know I needed. Oh,
but they were my witnesses and then witnesses to what
(06:20):
I do this. This woman I used to write educational
content for Charmaine McClary. She told me, you always need
witnesses because they will speak higher of you than you
will of yourself. Because we are taught not to brag,
you know, not to boast, and you know humility can
get in a way.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
Especially as women, but especially as women.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
This is why I love sharing these stories because you know,
oftentimes I still have to pull it out of people.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
They have to feel comfortable. I don't want to.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
I want to feel like I'm humble to get ahead. No,
So I love this. I love these witnesses that are
telling your story.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
So they're out there telling me it's you know, Tash
really good. Tash is a story whiz. Tash like her story,
And so then I started to just believe it. I
already knew it, but now like it's out there. And
so then those people are like, oh, you know, my
job on raising Kanaan a part of the power verse.
(07:17):
It came because that showrunner went and told that showrunner,
if you could get Tash, that would be great, and
they came to me. Pe Valley was the same thing.
Another writer who I hadn't even worked with, but I
helped on her project just out of love for helping
other people, told Katori, I, you know, I can't work
(07:38):
with you, but if you want somebody it's good or
better than me, you should call Tash.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
And she gave her my work.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
Oh and that's how that happened. It was not Harlem,
same thing. A friend of mine. She was like, uh,
you want to come over here? I was like sure, girl,
And reason was out somebody I started with. You know,
when I did that ABC program, I met Ramla. She
was in the program and I was like, should I
do this program? She was like, yeah, girl, I said,
(08:04):
I'm gonna do it and get in next year. She
was like, you know, like three thousand people apply, but
I think you go get in. And I was like,
oh I am, and I did, and I know, I
just decided that's what was going to happen. And her
and I I main't connected even though I was comedy
and she was drama.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
We were main connected.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
And then she saw and heard about how good I
was with story, and then she started seeing like my
work on TV and was like, so when she got
her show green lit, she was like, you want to
come over here.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
I got the here, I got my number two. You
want to love about this too?
Speaker 3 (08:41):
Like, you know, I feel like people always say, Hollywood,
the entertainment industry is cutthroat, and you know, women in particular,
we don't support each other. And yes, that surely happens,
for sure, but I do also appreciate the stories of it.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
It's like an Instagram meme.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
Like you know, find people that will mention your name
and rooms that you're not in right that will say, hey, listen,
I can't do this, but let me picture somebody else.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
So y'all if you're listening, like it's those little things
in life.
Speaker 3 (09:10):
And I feel like when you do that for other people,
it always comes back ten hundred.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
It comes back if you're all weird, if you're genuine
about what you're doing it, you're not doing it to
get something back, but you're doing it because it's the
right thing to do, to sew that good seed. It's
gonna come back to you. And I say one hundred,
it's gonna hundred, it's gonna come up.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
And also learn how to make a picture esque timeline
breakdown color coded, especially if you're working in true crime,
because I am a crime story watcher and you just
got to know that visually if you are either going
to be the killer or the not killer, you need
all those pieces tied with string.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
Like I love that you made that just for yourself,
and I.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
Made it from my office for me because I am
to a true crime just geek.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
I do podcast documentaries.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
I don't care something about watching the timeline and the
danger and.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
It's crazy.
Speaker 4 (10:07):
I love it, yes, yes, like honestly it's funny, like
I've had to like wean myself. I actually I'm like
a law and order junkie to be on I've watched
all twenty three seasons.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
Like I'm up to date. I'm just waiting for it
to come back.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
But uh, like, I get it and the best, but
I can't really I don't like the killing part and
I can't watch grotesquely horror things. But I like the intricacies.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
Of like right, investigating journalism of it. Yeah, yeah yeah,
And it's learning the people, the characters because everybody has
a role, and yeah, I love this.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
I love this.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
Okay, guys, I've digressed so much because I got so
excited by all this. But okay, so let's get back.
Let's bring it back on talk. Let's tie the string
back here. So you've now made quite a name for yourself.
Could tell us about some of the latest projects you're
working on or that.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
Oh I sorry, I can't say that. I mean I
can tell you.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
I can tell you what I was working on pre
the Writer's Guild strike.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
Yes, I want to hear about that.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
And then I want you to school us all on
the Writer's Guild. So let's talk about some of some
of your most proudest moments.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
I want to get into that looks big. Oh my
proudest moments.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
I have to say that every project has given me
a proud moment. I like coming into new situations and
helping them become great. So I worked on a lot
of first season shows as a result of me wanting
to be with something from concept to completion, and so
(11:42):
I'm very proud of For instance, i was only on
season one of Pea Valley, but I'm very proud of
that time one because I had to move to New
York in a.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
Winter and I'm from LA so I deserve all kind.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
Of Nobel prizes, we understand, and so I was born
into it. I live in the South now, and I
want to move to LA because I just don't need
winter in my life at all.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
Untar who signs up for that? I don't want to
do it.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
And I always thought I wanted to be Bicoastal and
I was like, no, I just want to visit them
because I lived there eight months and was like, I'm
going home.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
I don't know what y'all talking about. I'm going home.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
But I appreciate it being a part of the beginning
of that because it started off as a play, and
you know, I had value to add because I'm like,
I can help you translate that into TV and I'm
very proud of that and very proud of that very
non traditional story and how it's out there. I'm proud
of the black women voices that I'm often given an
(12:43):
opportunity to embolde in and get perspective and layers to
you know, from Rock on Raising Canaan to the women,
the ladies on Harlem and how you get to see
like real people, like real Black.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
Women, and it's.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
A Harlem good. It's such a great show. Reasonable, It's
such a.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
Great show, all of them, pe Valley, Snowfall, They're great.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Yeah, we have these people, and I don't want us
to be are. We're not a monolith as a people,
and it's important that we have different careers, want to
see outside the fox, to be able to just create
a vision for somebody else to look and see themselves
or see a version of themselves and be you know,
(13:28):
inspired by that, given a leg up to say, oh
I can do that or better.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
Oh I love that, you know.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
And it's funny something I really appreciate a little bit
more having sort of made the transition to reality TV myself,
and just it's one of those things where you just
got to be yourself, Like I also.
Speaker 1 (13:46):
I'm not good at being anything other.
Speaker 3 (13:48):
Than that, but having people write in and be like, hey,
thanks for being this however they want to describe me
quirky Canadian black girl in Atlanta, Da da da da
dad like that. Appreciation of being able to see yourself
on TV, see pieces of yourself in other characters on
TV is so important because we just know how much
(14:09):
representation matters. So we appreciate your being able to be
bring these diverse voices to life.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
I'm hoping somebody out there is looking and saying, oh,
I didn't know that.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
Was that was an option? You can do that? Yeah?
I didn't know that much an option?
Speaker 2 (14:27):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (14:28):
Absolutely absolutely.
Speaker 3 (14:30):
So we pets off to you, sis, okay now, because
we'd be remiss if we didn't talk about money and
all the money moves you make. I want to know
if you could talk about what it's like to be
a writer in this industry and how you make money,
Like when you look back at it, were there mistakes
that you would have made? Was it contractually? Was it
going into negotiating a deal? You know, oftentimes when you're
(14:53):
starting out, you know you like you say, you're you
got to make concessions that you might not make ten
years later. But for up and coming writers, tell me
a little bit more about like what you would say
to yourself in the early days.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
In my early days, I was so excited to be
doing something that I wanted to do that I almost
was like, pay me whatever.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
I mean.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
I wasn't that naive, but I was a little naive
about the money aspects of it. And so what helped
me was asking people who were already in it.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
One of the.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
Things I learned that, you know, especially with black people,
we think it's such a taboo is to discuss.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
How much you make. But that was a price.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
I'm literally like, senior hall clopping you, we have to
ask you.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
Just remember, because we have to.
Speaker 2 (15:46):
Ask, you have to ask. I asked my colleague how
much he was making. He was a level above me,
he told me, and I was just like, Okay, how
do I get to that? And then he just was like, oh,
I had asked so and so and so. I'm a
part of this group called Black Women's Brunches, a bunch
of black writers started off as I think it was
(16:08):
like eight of us. I was one of the original eight.
And now we're like sixty seventy. But we started talking
about money in one of those first meetings because what
was happening is we were not making what our counterparts
was making. Like my colleague just a mediocre white guy.
I say that with love he was making He was
(16:29):
making probably thirty percent more than me, and I had
more experience. I was also white, writing a story that
was authentic to me. And once I found that out,
then I was like, okay, I have to one talk
about money too. I have to understand these contracts, which
I didn't. So I got an attorney early. You know
(16:51):
a lot of people didn't don't get attorneys until they
start selling projects. Well, I started selling early too, but
I had an attorney pretty early because they read those
contracts more than agent does. They know those people. They
talked that language, and I was, you give away five percent,
but I was like five percent, and he making thirty
(17:13):
percent more than me. That's just twenty five I can
do that math. That's right, not mathing. So let me
just go ahead and get this five percent so I
can make another twenty five percent. He gonna earn his key,
and he did, and I learned that. I also learned
that having more than one offer. We talked about options
(17:33):
earlier in this and I made it a point to
have more than one offer all the time. There were
there were times where I was like, I don't think
I want to work on the show because of my mission,
but I'm gonna go ahead and meet for it. I'm
always take the meeting and then I'm gonna get the
offer and then this other job that I want to do.
(17:54):
They gonna have to know that I got options. Now
you don't want to pay me, they gonna pay me.
The competitive bidding has begun. And that started, like really
probably my second year into drama. I was able to
negotiate more money. I was able to like skip levels
in the whole structure of writing. You know, I was like,
(18:19):
I don't think I need to do that, because you know,
they made me start it over from comedy. They were
like okay, and plus at this point, I have another offer,
so they're like, you know, so that's something one thing
I'm so glad I didn't learn right away, but I
learned early enough on that I could kind of change
the trajectory of what that is. So now now I
(18:41):
know my worth and you know, it was a nice
lady who wanted to hire me for this show, but
she couldn't afford me. And she was literally like, oh,
I can't afford her because she met with me thinking
that I was that gonna be thirty percent off, which
is what happens with a lot of brown yep. And
(19:02):
I was like, no, ma'am, I'm just as expensive as
that mediocre white guy that used to work with me.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
So the pale mail, yes, and I have the.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
Audacity of him, So you're gonna You're gonna pay me
just as much. And she was like, oh, I can't
afford you. But the funny thing she couldn't afford me,
she called her old show that she left to go
run a new show and said I can't afford her.
But y'all should get hurt because she is amazing. And
all of a sudden, this whole other job came my
way to make another because I met with that show too.
(19:34):
So those witnesses, this is full circle, those witnesses about
me knowing my worth, demanding my worth because I say
I have to be valued in the stories that I'm
gonna tell, and how you're gonna be monetarily if you
don't value my perspective and you don't. You don't want
to hear me. I don't need to work with you.
You don't value me enough to pay me what I'm worth.
(19:54):
I don't need to work with you. So I learned
those lessons kind of early in my career, one at
a time, but they've come together and worked very well
for me.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
Oh that's beautiful because it's also you know, there's there's
and this again I think comes back to your mission statement.
You can sometimes get paid the big bucks to sit
there and be voiceless, and that is not alignment either, right,
So I love that you are consistent and you come
back to like what's important to you.
Speaker 2 (20:24):
Yeah, And that's that's what's going on now with the
Writer's Guild and why we're on strike, you know, is
that we're we're realizing like we're being undervalued or devalued monetarily,
but also that we're just being taken advantage of and
ripped golf. And you know, we're on strike. And people think, well,
writers have money, they have a lot of money. No, no, no, no, no,
(20:45):
A small person, ye, a small person. That's the same
is true for SAG, for the Screen Actors Guild, a
small percent make a good living. Most people can't make
a living wage because it's become a gig economy where
you work one once, it's only ten episodes. You're getting
paid the minimum, not your work, just the minimum what
(21:06):
they have to pay you. And then you're expected to
sit on this show for a whole year, and that's
that's not economically viable. You can't sustain. So it's now like, okay,
look this model is broken. You're now creating an industry
that can't survive as a as a as a career.
It becomes a job where you need another job. Right, So,
(21:29):
while we're asking for three percent of the profits, and
they're sitting over there with their mouths out poked out
and making CEOs, making four hundred million dollars and has
never created a thing in their life, and they don't
want to give us what we deserve, what we've earned,
not what we're you know, asking begging for, Like we've
(21:51):
already earned this, we've earned this. You have nothing without writers, literally,
there were no TV shows, There will be no movies,
there will be no commercials, nothing, There wouldn't even be
reality TV because those producers right still start with the creation,
which is always with the word. And so the fact
(22:11):
that we're standing here and we're going, all right, look,
we're demanding that you recognize that there's nothing without us.
But we're being reasonable and saying we want three percent
three percent, And that's that's crazy.
Speaker 1 (22:25):
That's that's not as stacy because I.
Speaker 3 (22:28):
Think also what you know, people don't understand this is
a triple billion dollar industry and the discrepancy you know,
between what the writers are making that fuel this industry.
And you know, however many studio heads project leads at
the top, like the discrepancy between what they're making and
(22:48):
taking home is so vast it's just sickening.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
It is truly sickening. So this three percent is a.
Speaker 3 (22:56):
Very I mean, I almost think, I don't know how
you would phrase it, but I just feel like it's
almost it's meager.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
It is more than fair. It is more than fair
at this time.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
It is I mean, that's true of the workforce all over,
you know, which is why you had so many disrupting
forces with unions and compass and corporations, because the people
at that top, that one percent is making six hundred
percent more than the average worker six hundred plus. I'm
(23:31):
sure I don't know the exact number, but it's over
six hundred, not sixty, not six hundred, six times as much.
So yeah, that's insane. That's unconscionable that people who work
for a living can't make a living, can't survive. So
I think it's it's it's it's bad, and you know
(23:56):
it's why you have the nurses going on to strike, teachers,
ups workers, pilots like, and everybody's like, wait, why is
there such an uproar?
Speaker 5 (24:05):
Because it's enough is enough? It's too much? Tush break
this down for me, right, so, and you can make
up some numbers here.
Speaker 3 (24:15):
So let's say you get contracted, if that's the right word,
hired to be a writer on a TV series. Let's
just say one series. So season one it's gonna be
ten episodes. How much work does it go? Like, tell
me how that works. To give me a number of
like how much you might hypothetically get paid, and then
talk about the residuals et cetera, as compared to this
(24:39):
TV show now becomes a hit, it's making hundreds of
millions of dollars, Like, break it down for us in
our heads, like what it actually looks like in real life,
because I.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
Don't okayple get that.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
Yeah, I don't think they get it. I'm just going
to use round numbers. And these are paid up numbers.
So for instance, say it's ten episodes, right, and I
am contracted because I am I work for myself. I
lend myself out to these various studios, networks, productions, and
I write for them. So if they say, okay, we're
going to pay you for ten episodes, let's say ten
(25:12):
thousand dollars per episode, right, So that means you're going
to get one hundred thousand dollars for the ten episodes,
and then you're going to work from start to finish
because remember it starts with the writing.
Speaker 1 (25:26):
That doesn't mean production, right.
Speaker 2 (25:28):
So it will take probably ten to sixteen months.
Speaker 1 (25:34):
Whoa, it's a long time.
Speaker 2 (25:37):
To produce the ten episodes. So now divide that one
hundred thousand dollars by sixteen and that's how much money.
And you've been working that entire time. So that's where
it is. Now, how much money is that show going
to make? On the first run, it's not going to make.
It's probably going to zero out. But on the second run,
(25:58):
it's going to be pure profit, which means that show
to make upwards of fifty million dollars its first season,
and they've paid everybody with the first run, so that's
all their money. So then we get a percent of that,
but we get a small percent of the original amount
we were paid, so that ten thousand, we get a
(26:22):
percent of that for when that episode airs again, not
of that fifty million, which is peanuts.
Speaker 1 (26:29):
This is the point.
Speaker 3 (26:30):
It is peanuts when it triples, when it dribbles down,
and you know, guys like I get a one hundred thousand dollars,
y'all are listening like that's a lot of money, But
one hundred thousand dollars sixteen months the effort that you
put into putting the first like tea on the page,
edits revisions, it's.
Speaker 1 (26:47):
Ours of work and input. The writers stay with.
Speaker 2 (26:52):
TV all the way to the end, so we write
the scripts, we go to production, we help edit. It
is all the way. We're really from concept to completion.
So it's not like, you know, oh, we work three months,
because if we work three months, we wouldn't be saying
nothing because then we can almost go and move to
the next job. But if we're working twelve to sixteen months.
(27:16):
Then now we're making six sixty two fifty a month.
Yea in La also think of that. You gotta think
in order to work in this industry, you have to
live in LA. So if I could work in this
industry with my sixty two point fifty and go in Idaho,
(27:37):
I'm straight, were good, But I have to live here
where the average one bedroom is twenty four hundred.
Speaker 1 (27:45):
My gosh, not to mention gas all of it. Here's
the thing.
Speaker 3 (27:50):
It comes back to fair and equality, right, everybody wants
to live comfortably. You don't need five roommates living in
your one bedroom apartment. You did that, you live in
New York. We get it. It's just fair.
Speaker 1 (28:03):
And maybe that was me, that was my own trauma
coming into.
Speaker 2 (28:05):
This, Like did you do that too? Oh my god,
I don't know how people survive in New York.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
I tell you it's not.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
But again it brings us back to it's just fair
and like, what we're asking for is fairness.
Speaker 1 (28:21):
Fairness.
Speaker 3 (28:21):
Yeah, okay, So tell me a little bit about some
of like the the top tenants of what the Writer's
Guild of America is asking for, apart from the three percent.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
We talked a bit about that.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
So, yeah, we're asking for an increased increase in our
just are our wages so basically so that we can
be at you know, a living wage. You have to
go with the cost of living, and so we're acting
for that over three years, and we negotiate to three years, right, so,
and the guild just gives like, this is the minimum
you have to pay these writers. You can negotiate above that.
(28:55):
But these studios networks say, fine, loophole's just getting a
bare minimum. So their cost of living increase is one
of the things we're asking for. We're also asking for
more residuals. We're also asking for streaming, which came in
and our strike on in two thousand and eight, two
thousand and seven, two thousand and eight was to get
jurisdiction over the Internet. And back then they were saying
(29:19):
that's not a thing, like we don't know what the
internet is going to be. As soon as we went
off strike, Hulu launched, so clearly it was a thing
and became a thing. So streamers need to now have
more parody with networks that they make just as much money.
Streamers make just as much money as networks do, and
(29:40):
they're getting this discount, and we're like, you don't need
a discount, You're making enough money ted in them, so
saying us too. They also don't tell us how much
they make there, so there's no transparency. So another ten
is we need to know how much you make because
you want to you know, putend you're not making any
(30:01):
money and then you're going up on the streaming monthly
memberships you know, every other you know day now you know, and.
Speaker 1 (30:11):
Kicking us all off. Shared costs words I mean.
Speaker 2 (30:13):
Currently because I was I was kind of worried about
them because I was like, I had enough to account ever,
like I've been sharing for alone.
Speaker 1 (30:20):
I just got one, So I'm right, And.
Speaker 3 (30:22):
They're expensive because I know, you know between let's call Netflix,
show time this, like you.
Speaker 1 (30:28):
One hundred dollars a month just on that.
Speaker 2 (30:31):
And so the transparency and that we're also dealing with
something with artificial intelligence with AI, how they are basically
trying to legally plagiarize writers work and we're like, no,
because that is our you know, living, that's the thing
we make a living. You can't have it without paying
(30:53):
for it. No, So that's something that screen actors are
really going to have to deal with too, because these
debates is real. So AI is another issue that we're
dealing with where we're like, no, you are not going
to usurf us.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
Oh okay.
Speaker 3 (31:11):
So Tasha, I feel like it's funny because I knew,
you know, I in the tech industry as well, So
I've messed around with all the chatch EBTs and all
the other tools. So what's interesting to me is I
feel like, and this is my naive narrative. I thought
it was going to be more that studios were just
going to go to AI to write stuff and sort
(31:32):
of push the writers out. But the issue is actually
that they're using and scraping the content that you have
already created and put on the internet. And oh, of
course learns from what it is from your work for
human words.
Speaker 2 (31:49):
Yes, so you want to feed the human words, give
it to AI, and then you think a portion of it, Tanya,
I think you're very intuitive about this. A portion of
is they do want to minimize they have to pay writers.
So if an AI does the beginning, they would still
need writers to make it make sense. Even the technology
that we haven't seen, because you know they're showing us
(32:11):
chat GBT, there's something else that they.
Speaker 1 (32:14):
Got, you know that made that quick Google.
Speaker 2 (32:17):
He didn't quit Google for chat GBT, he quit right
whatever that technology is that they're kind of, you know,
keeping away from the general public. It still has to
learn from us, and they want to use that and
then take Instead of like the seven writers working for
a show, it would just be two. So then you
(32:38):
wipe out a whole industry by going from you know,
seven to two, because then those other five people can't work.
So I'm I'm sacrificing, not just for myself, mostly for
the next generations because I will probably be fine. I
will be fine. I've come to a certain level. I've
(32:59):
already have a name for myself.
Speaker 1 (33:01):
I will be fine.
Speaker 2 (33:01):
I will be one of the two writers they hire.
But what about the next generation my you know, nieces
and nephews and little kids that want to be writers,
Like there will be nothing left for them in twenty
years because we didn't stand up for ourselves.
Speaker 1 (33:16):
Now, Oh I love that. Look at you, the Rosa
parks of writers. I'm trying.
Speaker 2 (33:23):
I'm not.
Speaker 1 (33:25):
You're not gonna just get rid of us? Yes, Oh
I love this.
Speaker 3 (33:29):
Okay, A couple last questions as we wrap up, because
you know, there's also this issue of writers not always
receiving proper credits. You know, is there gonna pull stuff
from the internet? Is there a way or have you
figured out how writers can actually protect their financial interests
and ensure they're getting the recognition they deserve and the
credit that they deserve. Is that one of the paramount
(33:50):
issues as well.
Speaker 2 (33:51):
It absolutely is. Fortunately for us, one of the court's
appellates and one of the appellate courts ruled that you
can't AI can't be copywritten it it's not a real source.
So therefore they can't say, oh, we can copyright with
the AI produced because they're like, no, it's not a
(34:12):
real source.
Speaker 1 (34:13):
So that works in our favor. So we already know
that they.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
Can't copyright you know, AI writing, So as a result,
that means we're sort of protected there. But that's the
thing that's in our new contracts is like, real want
to make sure that if you are part of something
that the writer that did anything, that's their work, you
can't give some.
Speaker 1 (34:37):
Of it to a AI. It's like, no, it's solely there.
Speaker 2 (34:40):
So that's one way to do it, and I think
that's really the only way we can really move from
is that we can't allow AI to be a copyrightable
piece of work because then it will just will It's
true for not just writers of TV. It's also true
for you. It is true for art, It's true for
(35:03):
so many things. So that I think that's why our
strike is really at the center of a lot of people's,
you know, issues, because they're like, we need to see
what the writers do because this is affecting us too,
you know. Snoop like canceled his his Hoighwood Vogue platforms
because he was like, Yo, this is crazy because you
know that this I think I saw. I don't know
(35:24):
if this to be true, so you have to fact
check it. But I saw that some AI song with
Drake and yes, yes, and.
Speaker 1 (35:35):
What's his name Drake, and I don't.
Speaker 2 (35:38):
Know a weekend that they they submitted it for a Grammy,
and I'm like, what is that?
Speaker 1 (35:45):
It is?
Speaker 3 (35:46):
What I mean, the technology is really really leaps and
bounds ahead of us. Like that's the thing about it.
It is amazing and so it is completely effective. I
saw that too, and when you listen to it, I mean,
it's funny because there was a bit of this when
Auto tune came in when people are like, well is
it really you know, you're starting to go, well, what's authentic?
Speaker 1 (36:06):
Yeah, what's real?
Speaker 3 (36:07):
But they're able to make songs that you know, write
me a song, make it sound like this, and how
do you know? How do you know what you're buying?
So it is it's a real thing that like right now,
people like you that are literally on the front lines
are you know, protecting the space for people to come.
Speaker 1 (36:23):
It's we're grateful, thank you.
Speaker 2 (36:26):
I mean, I think it's important that we are. You know,
we stay one to two steps ahead because you know,
I remember my grandmother used to tell me the rich
get richer, and of course stay four facts, and so
you have to be one step ahead. And while I
do have several degrees, I can't tell you that I
learned any financial literacy while in college, and I went
(36:47):
to what a top university, I went to UCA, Like,
they didn't teach me how to be financially fiscally responsible
or to know any of that.
Speaker 1 (36:54):
So I always say, you know, you have to.
Speaker 2 (36:56):
I started, me and a friend started a women's investment
club so that we can teach each other what we knew.
You know, we made sure we all had trusts. We
made sure we all had you know, four ones.
Speaker 1 (37:08):
And is this black women save the world.
Speaker 2 (37:11):
No, oh, black women save the world.
Speaker 1 (37:14):
It's not that.
Speaker 2 (37:15):
That's my okay, black women save the world.
Speaker 1 (37:18):
I'll come back to it. I'll come back to it.
Keep going on this intment, which was not my idea.
I didn't I didn't come up with it.
Speaker 2 (37:24):
Black women have been doing it for a time and
they you know, it's like a sousuit, which is you know,
you give money any Yeah, so look that up. Google it, guys.
So we started an investment.
Speaker 1 (37:38):
Might not be knowing what a susu is.
Speaker 2 (37:41):
But black women we started this investment club because like
I knew about crypto, and then my friend she knew
about you know, S and P five hundreds and so
then another friend was like, have you you guys know
about t BS and we were like, what the hell
is the TV? So all of that stuff and we
just brought this information and then we would bring in
speakers and we only meet like every other month. But
(38:04):
the point was we didn't learn this and Adams, we
didn't start this scoop until I was like thirty one.
So all of this you get money and you don't know,
you don't make the money work for you. You have
to figure out if it's watching documentaries, are listening to
our audiobook, are finding other people who have the information.
(38:24):
If you make fifty thousand dollars a year, it doesn't
mean you can't be wealthy or have a sense of wealth, right,
You just have to find what's going to work for
that fifty thousand dollars.
Speaker 1 (38:36):
And I think I love that.
Speaker 3 (38:38):
And and like you said, and have a sense of
wealth in that because oftentimes, like we're so tied to
other people's goals and dreams of what wealth is that
you know, it feels unattainable, but it's also that inner
sense of where of like where wealth comes from for you?
What is wealth for you in your life? And I
think that's a beautiful thing.
Speaker 1 (39:00):
Hey, I'm gonna.
Speaker 3 (39:00):
Wrap us up here, but I do want you to
tell me, tell us a little bit about Black Women
Save the World platform we as we conclude our time,
because I'd be remiss if we didn't share this as well.
Speaker 1 (39:10):
Yeah, So I a quick little backstory.
Speaker 2 (39:14):
I was in a room, a comedy room, and was
mostly white guys and me, And comedy is a lot
of white guys.
Speaker 1 (39:21):
That's just how it is.
Speaker 2 (39:22):
And so one of the characters we were creating, she
was she was going to be a black woman, and
I was like, oh, well, you know, she'll have a
degree and you know, and she'll da da da, and
I'm giving backstory to this new character. And one of
my colleagues was like, well, why would she have a degree.
I was like, but she's a black woman. And he
was like and I was like, well, black women are
(39:42):
the most educated subgroup in America, and he said that
can't be true. Own yeah, And I was like what.
He's like, that can't possibly be true. He's like, you
made that up. And one of the writers, who is
also a white guy, he looked it up and was like,
it absolutely is true.
Speaker 1 (40:02):
And he was like, well where is that from.
Speaker 2 (40:03):
He's like the US News and it's here.
Speaker 1 (40:05):
Is here? Oh? He still went hard trying to do yeah.
Speaker 2 (40:09):
And so when he was like taking it back, he said, oh,
my bad, I'm.
Speaker 1 (40:16):
Sorry, and I was like, it's fine.
Speaker 2 (40:17):
I mean, if you don't understand that black women save
the world.
Speaker 1 (40:22):
That was the first time I uttered it.
Speaker 2 (40:24):
I said, we literally saved the world in every field
you can think of. And he was just and then
I just started naming things in technology and science. I
just started naming all these black women and he was
just like.
Speaker 1 (40:38):
I was like, we.
Speaker 2 (40:40):
Even saved us from Trump and he was like what.
I was like, yes, we saved the world. And after that,
I said, there needs to be some type of organization
to give black women their flowers. And I started and
I want to recognize black women in all like fastest
of life life, from the nurses to the bus driver,
(41:04):
you know, like even to that nanny's to the housekeeper,
to the CEO.
Speaker 1 (41:10):
The CEOs.
Speaker 2 (41:11):
Right, for instance, the one of the major researchers for
the COVID vaccine is a black woman and she found
the marker and people don't even know her name, and
so I'm like, we should know her name. And so
I want to just like, you know, have this organization,
and I feel like anybody can nominate someone and we
just send them something and eventually hopefully have like a
(41:35):
conference where black women can come together and just really love,
you know, embody, what they've done in their different walks
of life and how they can, you know, hold each
other up. So I started this organization, and you know,
I've honored a few people, you know, I'll send them
a gift card or T shirts. It's very small now,
(41:55):
but I'm going to make it big one day, and
so this organization.
Speaker 1 (41:59):
Would be well.
Speaker 3 (42:00):
I love it because truly you saved. So let us
know how we can help.
Speaker 1 (42:05):
Thank you so much, Thank you so much for your time.
Speaker 3 (42:09):
I appreciate it so much. And money Movers. That is
all the time we have for today. But Tash, please
tell us where we can find you on social media
where we can follow Black Women Save the World all
of it.
Speaker 1 (42:20):
We want all the deeps, all the deeds.
Speaker 2 (42:22):
Okay, So on Instagram I'm tash Manian, which is t
A s h M A N I A N on
as well as on X I Hate Call on Twitter
X my my call name is Natasha Tash Gray. And
Black Women Save the World is Black Women Save the
(42:44):
World dot org. It's literally all my word and you
can find us there and as well Black Women Save
the World on Instagram and on Twitter or x whatever.
And I also am starting a new platform called because
I'm a TV writer.
Speaker 1 (43:00):
While I'll be doing the.
Speaker 2 (43:01):
Short segments and it's free, I'm going to just put
it on YouTube and it'll just be like giving you
five minute segments on how you can break into TV,
explaining some of the intricacies that you need to know
as a beginner. I just want the next generation to
have a resource and yeah, like that's the way to
keep being a professor.
Speaker 1 (43:24):
But I'm fum like literally, this was not a masterclass.
Speaker 3 (43:27):
In like comedy. This the hooks coming back, like the callback.
Speaker 1 (43:33):
Call back.
Speaker 3 (43:33):
I don't even know what it is, but I recognize
it when I see you.
Speaker 1 (43:38):
So good. Thank you so much, you guys. Make sure
you follow her on tash Manion.
Speaker 3 (43:44):
If there's no humor in that, we would not be
talking to this talented writer. Follow all her platforms, and
thank you so much for your time, your voice and
sharing our stories.
Speaker 1 (43:51):
Reappreciate you.
Speaker 2 (43:53):
Oh yeah, that was so much fun. You're great to
talk to. You're a mate.
Speaker 1 (43:57):
I don't know how you are.
Speaker 2 (43:58):
It's a nurse but at home, I was a great nurse.
Speaker 1 (44:03):
Like I loved it.
Speaker 3 (44:04):
Thanks for listening to today's episode. If we help you
make your money move, please share it with your community.
Subscribe and leave us a review on iHeartRadio and Apple Podcasts.
Follow us on social media at Greenwood, and visit us
at Gogreenwood dot com for more financial tips and remember
money movers. If this were easy, everyone would do it.
So take the lessons you've learned from this episode and
(44:26):
apply it to your life. Money Moves is an iHeartRadio
podcast powered by Greenwood Executive produced by Sunwise Media, Inc.
For more podcasts on iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you get your podcasts from.
Speaker 1 (44:41):
Make sure to.
Speaker 3 (44:42):
Tune in Monday, Wednesday and Friday and subscribe to the
Money Moves podcast powered by Greenwood, so that you too
can have the keys to financial freedom you so rightly deserve.
Speaker 1 (44:52):
Until next time,
This is full circle.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
Those witnesses about me knowing my worth, demanding my worth
because I say I have to be valued in the
stories that I'm a tell and how you're going to
pay me monetarily. If you don't value my perspective and
you don't, you don't want to hear me.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
I don't need to work with you.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
You don't value me enough to pay me what I'm worth,
I don't need to work with you.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
You're listening to Money Moves powered by Greenwood, a finance
podcast dedicated to dropping all the knowledge and gems from
the world's leading celebrities, entrepreneurs and experts, and tech, business
and more. I'm your host, angel investor, technology enthusiast and
media personality Tanya Sam. Each week, we talk with guests
who are making significant strides in their fields and learn
(00:41):
how they are making their money mood. If you're someone
who's looking to make your money move, you're in the
right place. So open up your notes app and lock
us in because this podcast will give you the keys
to the kingdom of financial stability, wealth and abundance you
so rightly deserve. Before we start the episode, I'd like
to remind you to check us out at Gogreenwood dot
com and follow us on social media at Greenwood and
(01:05):
me on all things social at It's Tanya. Time to
stay locked in too, new episode, Welcome back Money Movers.
In our previous segment, we dived into the incredible journey
of Tash Gray, a writer who made the remarkable transition
from being a dedicated teacher to a successful writer for
huge productions like Harlem, Pee Valley and more. Now we're
(01:26):
continuing our conversation with the multi talented Tash Gray, so
tune in. So you've got all these beautiful people in
your corner. You've made some connections. Now I want to
go deeper into like the writing and producing piece. You
know you talked about Snowfall, some other stories.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Tell how tell me.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
How you really sort of evolved your career in this
like tough and fickle industry is.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
So so it's very difficult. The tide is always turning
waves is always a waven. So you have to, you know,
figure out what you're gonna do and how you're gonna
do it. I think my claim to fame, and not
that I'm famous, but to success, has always been to
be true to who I am. Unapologetically. You know, I
(02:14):
don't code switch. I'm always the same person you meet
in the front and in the back of the room,
like it doesn't really matter. And as a result, people
started to really know who I was and what I
could do, and so things really started to come to me.
And I know, I know that sounds like such like
(02:34):
people say that and people like things just don't they do.
When you do the work, stuff actually comes to you.
I mean, from Unsolved pe Valley, Raising Cainaan, Reasonable Doubt, Harlem.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Literally, I'm doing the work.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
I'm continuing to be the best version that I possibly
can of myself, and things started to come to me.
And so that's why I did that mission State, because
some of the things that came to me, I didn't
know if that's what I was supposed to do or
if I was supposed to do this other thing. Like
even for instance, I worked on Unsolved the Murders of
(03:10):
Biggie and Tupac, which I wanted to do that, right,
I wanted to do that show. I had met someone,
you know, a couple of years before when I was
a comedy writer, and she remembered me, and she was
just like, oh, yeah, you know, Danielle. She was like,
I like Cash's voice, Like she's very like specific, she's funny,
but she's so authentically herself. I know we could use
her for this project. I wanna make sure she gets
(03:32):
this meeting, you know, between her and another woman, and
both of them black women, because black women save the
world that you do as we do. And so I
got this meeting, I got this job. You know, a
brother and their my friend Jamie, who's gonna be my
friend for life. He can't get rid of me. He
solved all the work that I was doing. And I
(03:54):
was very lower level because I went when going from
comedy to drama. They made me start over. Reason to
it other than she can't do both. It's like I've
just been on three comedy shows, but you want me
to come in drama and start all over. So I
started all over, which was fine. I started all over
with John Nas for Snowball Fall before another show called
(04:15):
Rebel that was on BT, and so I was like, Okay,
now I'm here. And I was doing all of this work.
And because it was a true crime and I was,
you know, a kid Tupac and Biggie, I did this
very intricate timeline because it's true crime and I love
true crime. I have this poster war becuse teacher and.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
I had did this skill was coming here and saying
you do the work. It all comes together and all
goes back at.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
This whole timeline, and my colleague Jamie came in and he.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
Was like damn. And I was like, oh, it's a timeline.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
So I had it in colors because you know, kinetic learners,
they need different colors. So I had like two pacas
one color, Bickie was another. Then I had like the detective.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
Work was another.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
And he was just like, you have to take this
into the writer's room tomorrow. And it was like a
room of seven writers working on this show and I'm
the lowest on the total part as far as hierarchy
and our levels. And I was like, Jamie, that ain't happening.
He was like, tomorrow morning, you're taking that in the
room and you're showing everyone. And the next morning he
(05:26):
was sitting at my office door like went get it.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Let's go. Let me help you put it up.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
And I did, and the boss, the showrunner of the show,
was just like, oh my god, Tash is running the
room because she's going to go through this timeline, and
he literally sat down and I became a professor once again,
and I went through this timeline and it helped to
shape the story for the season because.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
He was like, of course, this is what we need,
you know.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
And it was the organization of a professor a teacher,
and it became like, oh, I'm really good at story
and I recognize that superpower. And after that, everybody in
that room they told other people. They became the witnesses
that I needed, that I didn't know I needed. Oh,
but they were my witnesses and then witnesses to what
(06:20):
I do this. This woman I used to write educational
content for Charmaine McClary. She told me, you always need
witnesses because they will speak higher of you than you
will of yourself. Because we are taught not to brag,
you know, not to boast, and you know humility can
get in a way.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
Especially as women, but especially as women.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
This is why I love sharing these stories because you know,
oftentimes I still have to pull it out of people.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
They have to feel comfortable. I don't want to.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
I want to feel like I'm humble to get ahead. No,
So I love this. I love these witnesses that are
telling your story.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
So they're out there telling me it's you know, Tash
really good. Tash is a story whiz. Tash like her story,
And so then I started to just believe it. I
already knew it, but now like it's out there. And
so then those people are like, oh, you know, my
job on raising Kanaan a part of the power verse.
(07:17):
It came because that showrunner went and told that showrunner,
if you could get Tash, that would be great, and
they came to me. Pe Valley was the same thing.
Another writer who I hadn't even worked with, but I
helped on her project just out of love for helping
other people, told Katori, I, you know, I can't work
(07:38):
with you, but if you want somebody it's good or
better than me, you should call Tash.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
And she gave her my work.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
Oh and that's how that happened. It was not Harlem,
same thing. A friend of mine. She was like, uh,
you want to come over here? I was like sure, girl,
And reason was out somebody I started with. You know,
when I did that ABC program, I met Ramla. She
was in the program and I was like, should I
do this program? She was like, yeah, girl, I said,
(08:04):
I'm gonna do it and get in next year. She
was like, you know, like three thousand people apply, but
I think you go get in. And I was like,
oh I am, and I did, and I know, I
just decided that's what was going to happen. And her
and I I main't connected even though I was comedy
and she was drama.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
We were main connected.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
And then she saw and heard about how good I
was with story, and then she started seeing like my
work on TV and was like, so when she got
her show green lit, she was like, you want to
come over here.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
I got the here, I got my number two. You
want to love about this too?
Speaker 3 (08:41):
Like, you know, I feel like people always say, Hollywood,
the entertainment industry is cutthroat, and you know, women in particular,
we don't support each other. And yes, that surely happens,
for sure, but I do also appreciate the stories of it.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
It's like an Instagram meme.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
Like you know, find people that will mention your name
and rooms that you're not in right that will say, hey, listen,
I can't do this, but let me picture somebody else.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
So y'all if you're listening, like it's those little things
in life.
Speaker 3 (09:10):
And I feel like when you do that for other people,
it always comes back ten hundred.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
It comes back if you're all weird, if you're genuine
about what you're doing it, you're not doing it to
get something back, but you're doing it because it's the
right thing to do, to sew that good seed. It's
gonna come back to you. And I say one hundred,
it's gonna hundred, it's gonna come up.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
And also learn how to make a picture esque timeline
breakdown color coded, especially if you're working in true crime,
because I am a crime story watcher and you just
got to know that visually if you are either going
to be the killer or the not killer, you need
all those pieces tied with string.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
Like I love that you made that just for yourself,
and I.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
Made it from my office for me because I am
to a true crime just geek.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
I do podcast documentaries.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
I don't care something about watching the timeline and the
danger and.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
It's crazy.
Speaker 4 (10:07):
I love it, yes, yes, like honestly it's funny, like
I've had to like wean myself. I actually I'm like
a law and order junkie to be on I've watched
all twenty three seasons.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
Like I'm up to date. I'm just waiting for it
to come back.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
But uh, like, I get it and the best, but
I can't really I don't like the killing part and
I can't watch grotesquely horror things. But I like the intricacies.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
Of like right, investigating journalism of it. Yeah, yeah yeah,
And it's learning the people, the characters because everybody has
a role, and yeah, I love this.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
I love this.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
Okay, guys, I've digressed so much because I got so
excited by all this. But okay, so let's get back.
Let's bring it back on talk. Let's tie the string
back here. So you've now made quite a name for yourself.
Could tell us about some of the latest projects you're
working on or that.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
Oh I sorry, I can't say that. I mean I
can tell you.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
I can tell you what I was working on pre
the Writer's Guild strike.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
Yes, I want to hear about that.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
And then I want you to school us all on
the Writer's Guild. So let's talk about some of some
of your most proudest moments.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
I want to get into that looks big. Oh my
proudest moments.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
I have to say that every project has given me
a proud moment. I like coming into new situations and
helping them become great. So I worked on a lot
of first season shows as a result of me wanting
to be with something from concept to completion, and so
(11:42):
I'm very proud of For instance, i was only on
season one of Pea Valley, but I'm very proud of
that time one because I had to move to New
York in a.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
Winter and I'm from LA so I deserve all kind.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
Of Nobel prizes, we understand, and so I was born
into it. I live in the South now, and I
want to move to LA because I just don't need
winter in my life at all.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
Untar who signs up for that? I don't want to
do it.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
And I always thought I wanted to be Bicoastal and
I was like, no, I just want to visit them
because I lived there eight months and was like, I'm
going home.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
I don't know what y'all talking about. I'm going home.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
But I appreciate it being a part of the beginning
of that because it started off as a play, and
you know, I had value to add because I'm like,
I can help you translate that into TV and I'm
very proud of that and very proud of that very
non traditional story and how it's out there. I'm proud
of the black women voices that I'm often given an
(12:43):
opportunity to embolde in and get perspective and layers to
you know, from Rock on Raising Canaan to the women,
the ladies on Harlem and how you get to see
like real people, like real Black.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
Women, and it's.
Speaker 2 (13:00):
A Harlem good. It's such a great show. Reasonable, It's
such a.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
Great show, all of them, pe Valley, Snowfall, They're great.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Yeah, we have these people, and I don't want us
to be are. We're not a monolith as a people,
and it's important that we have different careers, want to
see outside the fox, to be able to just create
a vision for somebody else to look and see themselves
or see a version of themselves and be you know,
(13:28):
inspired by that, given a leg up to say, oh
I can do that or better.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
Oh I love that, you know.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
And it's funny something I really appreciate a little bit
more having sort of made the transition to reality TV myself,
and just it's one of those things where you just
got to be yourself, Like I also.
Speaker 1 (13:46):
I'm not good at being anything other.
Speaker 3 (13:48):
Than that, but having people write in and be like, hey,
thanks for being this however they want to describe me
quirky Canadian black girl in Atlanta, Da da da da
dad like that. Appreciation of being able to see yourself
on TV, see pieces of yourself in other characters on
TV is so important because we just know how much
(14:09):
representation matters. So we appreciate your being able to be
bring these diverse voices to life.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
I'm hoping somebody out there is looking and saying, oh,
I didn't know that.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
Was that was an option? You can do that? Yeah?
I didn't know that much an option?
Speaker 2 (14:27):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (14:28):
Absolutely absolutely.
Speaker 3 (14:30):
So we pets off to you, sis, okay now, because
we'd be remiss if we didn't talk about money and
all the money moves you make. I want to know
if you could talk about what it's like to be
a writer in this industry and how you make money,
Like when you look back at it, were there mistakes
that you would have made? Was it contractually? Was it
going into negotiating a deal? You know, oftentimes when you're
(14:53):
starting out, you know you like you say, you're you
got to make concessions that you might not make ten
years later. But for up and coming writers, tell me
a little bit more about like what you would say
to yourself in the early days.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
In my early days, I was so excited to be
doing something that I wanted to do that I almost
was like, pay me whatever.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
I mean.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
I wasn't that naive, but I was a little naive
about the money aspects of it. And so what helped
me was asking people who were already in it.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
One of the.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
Things I learned that, you know, especially with black people,
we think it's such a taboo is to discuss.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
How much you make. But that was a price.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
I'm literally like, senior hall clopping you, we have to
ask you.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
Just remember, because we have to.
Speaker 2 (15:46):
Ask, you have to ask. I asked my colleague how
much he was making. He was a level above me,
he told me, and I was just like, Okay, how
do I get to that? And then he just was like, oh,
I had asked so and so and so. I'm a
part of this group called Black Women's Brunches, a bunch
of black writers started off as I think it was
(16:08):
like eight of us. I was one of the original eight.
And now we're like sixty seventy. But we started talking
about money in one of those first meetings because what
was happening is we were not making what our counterparts
was making. Like my colleague just a mediocre white guy.
I say that with love he was making He was
(16:29):
making probably thirty percent more than me, and I had
more experience. I was also white, writing a story that
was authentic to me. And once I found that out,
then I was like, okay, I have to one talk
about money too. I have to understand these contracts, which
I didn't. So I got an attorney early. You know
(16:51):
a lot of people didn't don't get attorneys until they
start selling projects. Well, I started selling early too, but
I had an attorney pretty early because they read those
contracts more than agent does. They know those people. They
talked that language, and I was, you give away five percent,
but I was like five percent, and he making thirty
(17:13):
percent more than me. That's just twenty five I can
do that math. That's right, not mathing. So let me
just go ahead and get this five percent so I
can make another twenty five percent. He gonna earn his key,
and he did, and I learned that. I also learned
that having more than one offer. We talked about options
(17:33):
earlier in this and I made it a point to
have more than one offer all the time. There were
there were times where I was like, I don't think
I want to work on the show because of my mission,
but I'm gonna go ahead and meet for it. I'm
always take the meeting and then I'm gonna get the
offer and then this other job that I want to do.
(17:54):
They gonna have to know that I got options. Now
you don't want to pay me, they gonna pay me.
The competitive bidding has begun. And that started, like really
probably my second year into drama. I was able to
negotiate more money. I was able to like skip levels
in the whole structure of writing. You know, I was like,
(18:19):
I don't think I need to do that, because you know,
they made me start it over from comedy. They were
like okay, and plus at this point, I have another offer,
so they're like, you know, so that's something one thing
I'm so glad I didn't learn right away, but I
learned early enough on that I could kind of change
the trajectory of what that is. So now now I
(18:41):
know my worth and you know, it was a nice
lady who wanted to hire me for this show, but
she couldn't afford me. And she was literally like, oh,
I can't afford her because she met with me thinking
that I was that gonna be thirty percent off, which
is what happens with a lot of brown yep. And
(19:02):
I was like, no, ma'am, I'm just as expensive as
that mediocre white guy that used to work with me.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
So the pale mail, yes, and I have the.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
Audacity of him, So you're gonna You're gonna pay me
just as much. And she was like, oh, I can't
afford you. But the funny thing she couldn't afford me,
she called her old show that she left to go
run a new show and said I can't afford her.
But y'all should get hurt because she is amazing. And
all of a sudden, this whole other job came my
way to make another because I met with that show too.
(19:34):
So those witnesses, this is full circle, those witnesses about
me knowing my worth, demanding my worth because I say
I have to be valued in the stories that I'm
gonna tell, and how you're gonna be monetarily if you
don't value my perspective and you don't. You don't want
to hear me. I don't need to work with you.
You don't value me enough to pay me what I'm worth.
(19:54):
I don't need to work with you. So I learned
those lessons kind of early in my career, one at
a time, but they've come together and worked very well
for me.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
Oh that's beautiful because it's also you know, there's there's
and this again I think comes back to your mission statement.
You can sometimes get paid the big bucks to sit
there and be voiceless, and that is not alignment either, right,
So I love that you are consistent and you come
back to like what's important to you.
Speaker 2 (20:24):
Yeah, And that's that's what's going on now with the
Writer's Guild and why we're on strike, you know, is
that we're we're realizing like we're being undervalued or devalued monetarily,
but also that we're just being taken advantage of and
ripped golf. And you know, we're on strike. And people think, well,
writers have money, they have a lot of money. No, no, no, no, no,
(20:45):
A small person, ye, a small person. That's the same
is true for SAG, for the Screen Actors Guild, a
small percent make a good living. Most people can't make
a living wage because it's become a gig economy where
you work one once, it's only ten episodes. You're getting
paid the minimum, not your work, just the minimum what
(21:06):
they have to pay you. And then you're expected to
sit on this show for a whole year, and that's
that's not economically viable. You can't sustain. So it's now like, okay,
look this model is broken. You're now creating an industry
that can't survive as a as a as a career.
It becomes a job where you need another job. Right, So,
(21:29):
while we're asking for three percent of the profits, and
they're sitting over there with their mouths out poked out
and making CEOs, making four hundred million dollars and has
never created a thing in their life, and they don't
want to give us what we deserve, what we've earned,
not what we're you know, asking begging for, Like we've
(21:51):
already earned this, we've earned this. You have nothing without writers, literally,
there were no TV shows, There will be no movies,
there will be no commercials, nothing, There wouldn't even be
reality TV because those producers right still start with the creation,
which is always with the word. And so the fact
(22:11):
that we're standing here and we're going, all right, look,
we're demanding that you recognize that there's nothing without us.
But we're being reasonable and saying we want three percent
three percent, And that's that's crazy.
Speaker 1 (22:25):
That's that's not as stacy because I.
Speaker 3 (22:28):
Think also what you know, people don't understand this is
a triple billion dollar industry and the discrepancy you know,
between what the writers are making that fuel this industry.
And you know, however many studio heads project leads at
the top, like the discrepancy between what they're making and
(22:48):
taking home is so vast it's just sickening.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
It is truly sickening. So this three percent is a.
Speaker 3 (22:56):
Very I mean, I almost think, I don't know how
you would phrase it, but I just feel like it's
almost it's meager.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
It is more than fair. It is more than fair
at this time.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
It is I mean, that's true of the workforce all over,
you know, which is why you had so many disrupting
forces with unions and compass and corporations, because the people
at that top, that one percent is making six hundred
percent more than the average worker six hundred plus. I'm
(23:31):
sure I don't know the exact number, but it's over
six hundred, not sixty, not six hundred, six times as much.
So yeah, that's insane. That's unconscionable that people who work
for a living can't make a living, can't survive. So
I think it's it's it's it's bad, and you know
(23:56):
it's why you have the nurses going on to strike, teachers,
ups workers, pilots like, and everybody's like, wait, why is
there such an uproar?
Speaker 5 (24:05):
Because it's enough is enough? It's too much? Tush break
this down for me, right, so, and you can make
up some numbers here.
Speaker 3 (24:15):
So let's say you get contracted, if that's the right word,
hired to be a writer on a TV series. Let's
just say one series. So season one it's gonna be
ten episodes. How much work does it go? Like, tell
me how that works. To give me a number of
like how much you might hypothetically get paid, and then
talk about the residuals et cetera, as compared to this
(24:39):
TV show now becomes a hit, it's making hundreds of
millions of dollars, Like, break it down for us in
our heads, like what it actually looks like in real life,
because I.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
Don't okayple get that.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
Yeah, I don't think they get it. I'm just going
to use round numbers. And these are paid up numbers.
So for instance, say it's ten episodes, right, and I
am contracted because I am I work for myself. I
lend myself out to these various studios, networks, productions, and
I write for them. So if they say, okay, we're
going to pay you for ten episodes, let's say ten
(25:12):
thousand dollars per episode, right, So that means you're going
to get one hundred thousand dollars for the ten episodes,
and then you're going to work from start to finish
because remember it starts with the writing.
Speaker 1 (25:26):
That doesn't mean production, right.
Speaker 2 (25:28):
So it will take probably ten to sixteen months.
Speaker 1 (25:34):
Whoa, it's a long time.
Speaker 2 (25:37):
To produce the ten episodes. So now divide that one
hundred thousand dollars by sixteen and that's how much money.
And you've been working that entire time. So that's where
it is. Now, how much money is that show going
to make? On the first run, it's not going to make.
It's probably going to zero out. But on the second run,
(25:58):
it's going to be pure profit, which means that show
to make upwards of fifty million dollars its first season,
and they've paid everybody with the first run, so that's
all their money. So then we get a percent of that,
but we get a small percent of the original amount
we were paid, so that ten thousand, we get a
(26:22):
percent of that for when that episode airs again, not
of that fifty million, which is peanuts.
Speaker 1 (26:29):
This is the point.
Speaker 3 (26:30):
It is peanuts when it triples, when it dribbles down,
and you know, guys like I get a one hundred thousand dollars,
y'all are listening like that's a lot of money, But
one hundred thousand dollars sixteen months the effort that you
put into putting the first like tea on the page,
edits revisions, it's.
Speaker 1 (26:47):
Ours of work and input. The writers stay with.
Speaker 2 (26:52):
TV all the way to the end, so we write
the scripts, we go to production, we help edit. It
is all the way. We're really from concept to completion.
So it's not like, you know, oh, we work three months,
because if we work three months, we wouldn't be saying
nothing because then we can almost go and move to
the next job. But if we're working twelve to sixteen months.
(27:16):
Then now we're making six sixty two fifty a month.
Yea in La also think of that. You gotta think
in order to work in this industry, you have to
live in LA. So if I could work in this
industry with my sixty two point fifty and go in Idaho,
(27:37):
I'm straight, were good, But I have to live here
where the average one bedroom is twenty four hundred.
Speaker 1 (27:45):
My gosh, not to mention gas all of it. Here's
the thing.
Speaker 3 (27:50):
It comes back to fair and equality, right, everybody wants
to live comfortably. You don't need five roommates living in
your one bedroom apartment. You did that, you live in
New York. We get it. It's just fair.
Speaker 1 (28:03):
And maybe that was me, that was my own trauma
coming into.
Speaker 2 (28:05):
This, Like did you do that too? Oh my god,
I don't know how people survive in New York.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
I tell you it's not.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
But again it brings us back to it's just fair
and like, what we're asking for is fairness.
Speaker 1 (28:21):
Fairness.
Speaker 3 (28:21):
Yeah, okay, So tell me a little bit about some
of like the the top tenants of what the Writer's
Guild of America is asking for, apart from the three percent.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
We talked a bit about that.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
So, yeah, we're asking for an increased increase in our
just are our wages so basically so that we can
be at you know, a living wage. You have to
go with the cost of living, and so we're acting
for that over three years, and we negotiate to three years, right, so,
and the guild just gives like, this is the minimum
you have to pay these writers. You can negotiate above that.
(28:55):
But these studios networks say, fine, loophole's just getting a
bare minimum. So their cost of living increase is one
of the things we're asking for. We're also asking for
more residuals. We're also asking for streaming, which came in
and our strike on in two thousand and eight, two
thousand and seven, two thousand and eight was to get
jurisdiction over the Internet. And back then they were saying
(29:19):
that's not a thing, like we don't know what the
internet is going to be. As soon as we went
off strike, Hulu launched, so clearly it was a thing
and became a thing. So streamers need to now have
more parody with networks that they make just as much money.
Streamers make just as much money as networks do, and
(29:40):
they're getting this discount, and we're like, you don't need
a discount, You're making enough money ted in them, so
saying us too. They also don't tell us how much
they make there, so there's no transparency. So another ten
is we need to know how much you make because
you want to you know, putend you're not making any
(30:01):
money and then you're going up on the streaming monthly
memberships you know, every other you know day now you know, and.
Speaker 1 (30:11):
Kicking us all off. Shared costs words I mean.
Speaker 2 (30:13):
Currently because I was I was kind of worried about
them because I was like, I had enough to account ever,
like I've been sharing for alone.
Speaker 1 (30:20):
I just got one, So I'm right, And.
Speaker 3 (30:22):
They're expensive because I know, you know between let's call Netflix,
show time this, like you.
Speaker 1 (30:28):
One hundred dollars a month just on that.
Speaker 2 (30:31):
And so the transparency and that we're also dealing with
something with artificial intelligence with AI, how they are basically
trying to legally plagiarize writers work and we're like, no,
because that is our you know, living, that's the thing
we make a living. You can't have it without paying
(30:53):
for it. No, So that's something that screen actors are
really going to have to deal with too, because these
debates is real. So AI is another issue that we're
dealing with where we're like, no, you are not going
to usurf us.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
Oh okay.
Speaker 3 (31:11):
So Tasha, I feel like it's funny because I knew,
you know, I in the tech industry as well, So
I've messed around with all the chatch EBTs and all
the other tools. So what's interesting to me is I
feel like, and this is my naive narrative. I thought
it was going to be more that studios were just
going to go to AI to write stuff and sort
(31:32):
of push the writers out. But the issue is actually
that they're using and scraping the content that you have
already created and put on the internet. And oh, of
course learns from what it is from your work for
human words.
Speaker 2 (31:49):
Yes, so you want to feed the human words, give
it to AI, and then you think a portion of it, Tanya,
I think you're very intuitive about this. A portion of
is they do want to minimize they have to pay writers.
So if an AI does the beginning, they would still
need writers to make it make sense. Even the technology
that we haven't seen, because you know they're showing us
(32:11):
chat GBT, there's something else that they.
Speaker 1 (32:14):
Got, you know that made that quick Google.
Speaker 2 (32:17):
He didn't quit Google for chat GBT, he quit right
whatever that technology is that they're kind of, you know,
keeping away from the general public. It still has to
learn from us, and they want to use that and
then take Instead of like the seven writers working for
a show, it would just be two. So then you
(32:38):
wipe out a whole industry by going from you know,
seven to two, because then those other five people can't work.
So I'm I'm sacrificing, not just for myself, mostly for
the next generations because I will probably be fine. I
will be fine. I've come to a certain level. I've
(32:59):
already have a name for myself.
Speaker 1 (33:01):
I will be fine.
Speaker 2 (33:01):
I will be one of the two writers they hire.
But what about the next generation my you know, nieces
and nephews and little kids that want to be writers,
Like there will be nothing left for them in twenty
years because we didn't stand up for ourselves.
Speaker 1 (33:16):
Now, Oh I love that. Look at you, the Rosa
parks of writers. I'm trying.
Speaker 2 (33:23):
I'm not.
Speaker 1 (33:25):
You're not gonna just get rid of us? Yes, Oh
I love this.
Speaker 3 (33:29):
Okay, A couple last questions as we wrap up, because
you know, there's also this issue of writers not always
receiving proper credits. You know, is there gonna pull stuff
from the internet? Is there a way or have you
figured out how writers can actually protect their financial interests
and ensure they're getting the recognition they deserve and the
credit that they deserve. Is that one of the paramount
(33:50):
issues as well.
Speaker 2 (33:51):
It absolutely is. Fortunately for us, one of the court's
appellates and one of the appellate courts ruled that you
can't AI can't be copywritten it it's not a real source.
So therefore they can't say, oh, we can copyright with
the AI produced because they're like, no, it's not a
(34:12):
real source.
Speaker 1 (34:13):
So that works in our favor. So we already know
that they.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
Can't copyright you know, AI writing, So as a result,
that means we're sort of protected there. But that's the
thing that's in our new contracts is like, real want
to make sure that if you are part of something
that the writer that did anything, that's their work, you
can't give some.
Speaker 1 (34:37):
Of it to a AI. It's like, no, it's solely there.
Speaker 2 (34:40):
So that's one way to do it, and I think
that's really the only way we can really move from
is that we can't allow AI to be a copyrightable
piece of work because then it will just will It's
true for not just writers of TV. It's also true
for you. It is true for art, It's true for
(35:03):
so many things. So that I think that's why our
strike is really at the center of a lot of people's,
you know, issues, because they're like, we need to see
what the writers do because this is affecting us too,
you know. Snoop like canceled his his Hoighwood Vogue platforms
because he was like, Yo, this is crazy because you
know that this I think I saw. I don't know
(35:24):
if this to be true, so you have to fact
check it. But I saw that some AI song with
Drake and yes, yes, and.
Speaker 1 (35:35):
What's his name Drake, and I don't.
Speaker 2 (35:38):
Know a weekend that they they submitted it for a Grammy,
and I'm like, what is that?
Speaker 1 (35:45):
It is?
Speaker 3 (35:46):
What I mean, the technology is really really leaps and
bounds ahead of us. Like that's the thing about it.
It is amazing and so it is completely effective. I
saw that too, and when you listen to it, I mean,
it's funny because there was a bit of this when
Auto tune came in when people are like, well is
it really you know, you're starting to go, well, what's authentic?
Speaker 1 (36:06):
Yeah, what's real?
Speaker 3 (36:07):
But they're able to make songs that you know, write
me a song, make it sound like this, and how
do you know? How do you know what you're buying?
So it is it's a real thing that like right now,
people like you that are literally on the front lines
are you know, protecting the space for people to come.
Speaker 1 (36:23):
It's we're grateful, thank you.
Speaker 2 (36:26):
I mean, I think it's important that we are. You know,
we stay one to two steps ahead because you know,
I remember my grandmother used to tell me the rich
get richer, and of course stay four facts, and so
you have to be one step ahead. And while I
do have several degrees, I can't tell you that I
learned any financial literacy while in college, and I went
(36:47):
to what a top university, I went to UCA, Like,
they didn't teach me how to be financially fiscally responsible
or to know any of that.
Speaker 1 (36:54):
So I always say, you know, you have to.
Speaker 2 (36:56):
I started, me and a friend started a women's investment
club so that we can teach each other what we knew.
You know, we made sure we all had trusts. We
made sure we all had you know, four ones.
Speaker 1 (37:08):
And is this black women save the world.
Speaker 2 (37:11):
No, oh, black women save the world.
Speaker 1 (37:14):
It's not that.
Speaker 2 (37:15):
That's my okay, black women save the world.
Speaker 1 (37:18):
I'll come back to it. I'll come back to it.
Keep going on this intment, which was not my idea.
I didn't I didn't come up with it.
Speaker 2 (37:24):
Black women have been doing it for a time and
they you know, it's like a sousuit, which is you know,
you give money any Yeah, so look that up. Google it, guys.
So we started an investment.
Speaker 1 (37:38):
Might not be knowing what a susu is.
Speaker 2 (37:41):
But black women we started this investment club because like
I knew about crypto, and then my friend she knew
about you know, S and P five hundreds and so
then another friend was like, have you you guys know
about t BS and we were like, what the hell
is the TV? So all of that stuff and we
just brought this information and then we would bring in
speakers and we only meet like every other month. But
(38:04):
the point was we didn't learn this and Adams, we
didn't start this scoop until I was like thirty one.
So all of this you get money and you don't know,
you don't make the money work for you. You have
to figure out if it's watching documentaries, are listening to
our audiobook, are finding other people who have the information.
(38:24):
If you make fifty thousand dollars a year, it doesn't
mean you can't be wealthy or have a sense of wealth, right,
You just have to find what's going to work for
that fifty thousand dollars.
Speaker 1 (38:36):
And I think I love that.
Speaker 3 (38:38):
And and like you said, and have a sense of
wealth in that because oftentimes, like we're so tied to
other people's goals and dreams of what wealth is that
you know, it feels unattainable, but it's also that inner
sense of where of like where wealth comes from for you?
What is wealth for you in your life? And I
think that's a beautiful thing.
Speaker 1 (39:00):
Hey, I'm gonna.
Speaker 3 (39:00):
Wrap us up here, but I do want you to
tell me, tell us a little bit about Black Women
Save the World platform we as we conclude our time,
because I'd be remiss if we didn't share this as well.
Speaker 1 (39:10):
Yeah, So I a quick little backstory.
Speaker 2 (39:14):
I was in a room, a comedy room, and was
mostly white guys and me, And comedy is a lot
of white guys.
Speaker 1 (39:21):
That's just how it is.
Speaker 2 (39:22):
And so one of the characters we were creating, she
was she was going to be a black woman, and
I was like, oh, well, you know, she'll have a
degree and you know, and she'll da da da, and
I'm giving backstory to this new character. And one of
my colleagues was like, well, why would she have a degree.
I was like, but she's a black woman. And he
was like and I was like, well, black women are
(39:42):
the most educated subgroup in America, and he said that
can't be true. Own yeah, And I was like what.
He's like, that can't possibly be true. He's like, you
made that up. And one of the writers, who is
also a white guy, he looked it up and was like,
it absolutely is true.
Speaker 1 (40:02):
And he was like, well where is that from.
Speaker 2 (40:03):
He's like the US News and it's here.
Speaker 1 (40:05):
Is here? Oh? He still went hard trying to do yeah.
Speaker 2 (40:09):
And so when he was like taking it back, he said, oh,
my bad, I'm.
Speaker 1 (40:16):
Sorry, and I was like, it's fine.
Speaker 2 (40:17):
I mean, if you don't understand that black women save
the world.
Speaker 1 (40:22):
That was the first time I uttered it.
Speaker 2 (40:24):
I said, we literally saved the world in every field
you can think of. And he was just and then
I just started naming things in technology and science. I
just started naming all these black women and he was
just like.
Speaker 1 (40:38):
I was like, we.
Speaker 2 (40:40):
Even saved us from Trump and he was like what.
I was like, yes, we saved the world. And after that,
I said, there needs to be some type of organization
to give black women their flowers. And I started and
I want to recognize black women in all like fastest
of life life, from the nurses to the bus driver,
(41:04):
you know, like even to that nanny's to the housekeeper,
to the CEO.
Speaker 1 (41:10):
The CEOs.
Speaker 2 (41:11):
Right, for instance, the one of the major researchers for
the COVID vaccine is a black woman and she found
the marker and people don't even know her name, and
so I'm like, we should know her name. And so
I want to just like, you know, have this organization,
and I feel like anybody can nominate someone and we
just send them something and eventually hopefully have like a
(41:35):
conference where black women can come together and just really love,
you know, embody, what they've done in their different walks
of life and how they can, you know, hold each
other up. So I started this organization, and you know,
I've honored a few people, you know, I'll send them
a gift card or T shirts. It's very small now,
(41:55):
but I'm going to make it big one day, and
so this organization.
Speaker 1 (41:59):
Would be well.
Speaker 3 (42:00):
I love it because truly you saved. So let us
know how we can help.
Speaker 1 (42:05):
Thank you so much, Thank you so much for your time.
Speaker 3 (42:09):
I appreciate it so much. And money Movers. That is
all the time we have for today. But Tash, please
tell us where we can find you on social media
where we can follow Black Women Save the World all
of it.
Speaker 1 (42:20):
We want all the deeps, all the deeds.
Speaker 2 (42:22):
Okay, So on Instagram I'm tash Manian, which is t
A s h M A N I A N on
as well as on X I Hate Call on Twitter
X my my call name is Natasha Tash Gray. And
Black Women Save the World is Black Women Save the
(42:44):
World dot org. It's literally all my word and you
can find us there and as well Black Women Save
the World on Instagram and on Twitter or x whatever.
And I also am starting a new platform called because
I'm a TV writer.
Speaker 1 (43:00):
While I'll be doing the.
Speaker 2 (43:01):
Short segments and it's free, I'm going to just put
it on YouTube and it'll just be like giving you
five minute segments on how you can break into TV,
explaining some of the intricacies that you need to know
as a beginner. I just want the next generation to
have a resource and yeah, like that's the way to
keep being a professor.
Speaker 1 (43:24):
But I'm fum like literally, this was not a masterclass.
Speaker 3 (43:27):
In like comedy. This the hooks coming back, like the callback.
Speaker 1 (43:33):
Call back.
Speaker 3 (43:33):
I don't even know what it is, but I recognize
it when I see you.
Speaker 1 (43:38):
So good. Thank you so much, you guys. Make sure
you follow her on tash Manion.
Speaker 3 (43:44):
If there's no humor in that, we would not be
talking to this talented writer. Follow all her platforms, and
thank you so much for your time, your voice and
sharing our stories.
Speaker 1 (43:51):
Reappreciate you.
Speaker 2 (43:53):
Oh yeah, that was so much fun. You're great to
talk to. You're a mate.
Speaker 1 (43:57):
I don't know how you are.
Speaker 2 (43:58):
It's a nurse but at home, I was a great nurse.
Speaker 1 (44:03):
Like I loved it.
Speaker 3 (44:04):
Thanks for listening to today's episode. If we help you
make your money move, please share it with your community.
Subscribe and leave us a review on iHeartRadio and Apple Podcasts.
Follow us on social media at Greenwood, and visit us
at Gogreenwood dot com for more financial tips and remember
money movers. If this were easy, everyone would do it.
So take the lessons you've learned from this episode and
(44:26):
apply it to your life. Money Moves is an iHeartRadio
podcast powered by Greenwood Executive produced by Sunwise Media, Inc.
For more podcasts on iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you get your podcasts from.
Speaker 1 (44:41):
Make sure to.
Speaker 3 (44:42):
Tune in Monday, Wednesday and Friday and subscribe to the
Money Moves podcast powered by Greenwood, so that you too
can have the keys to financial freedom you so rightly deserve.
Speaker 1 (44:52):
Until next time,
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