The Spirited Actor - DJ Suss One

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Oh, actors want to get the job. I get that,
but being remembered by a casting director that is powerful.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
And now it's time for meditation of the day. When
I was growing up in San Francisco, I went to
a church called Third Baptists. And at Third Baptist Church,
I was really young when I started going there, maybe
like eleven twelve. And one of the things that always
stood out because in the summers, I would go to Portland,
Oregon and visit my grandmother and she would make me

(00:30):
go to revivals all summer long. I was in a revival.

Speaker 3 (00:34):
Okay.

Speaker 2 (00:35):
The one thing that always stuck out was how people
would shot and get excited and praise God and start
doing the Holy Dance and all that. And I questioned,
what's wrong with me? Because I never felt like that.
I never felt in that spirit where you know, I
was jumping and rejoicing and full of you know, tears.
And then one day I came to church and I

(00:58):
just remember there was none on my mind. I didn't
have any problems in middle school, My parents and everybody
was getting along, and then all of a sudden, I
just started feeling like the beginning of tears where your
throat starts to you know, you start to feel that
little and I started to just be in this place

(01:20):
of gratitude and happiness, and I said to myself, it
must be when you are in a place of calm
and peace and surrender, where your spirit just gets overwhelmed
and you can't contain it anymore, and that's when you
start to shout, and that's when you start to rejoice.

(01:40):
That was my connection. And when I was shouting, I
wasn't asking God for everything and perfection, was just living
in the state of gratitude of where I was today.
I will be grateful every minute of the day knowing

(02:00):
that God is by my side. Before we get started,
I'd like to remind everyone to look out for my
new show, Inside the Black Box. I'll be co hosting
with the great Joe Morton. We'll be on Crackle Network
real soon. I'll keep you posted. Welcome to the Spirited
Actor Podcast with me Tracy Moore, and we have an

(02:24):
incredible treat today. You guys, we all are still going
through the strike and I just want to send some
positive words out there to everyone. But we have a
dynamic guest, legendary guest today and I'm so excited because
I want to flip this conversation because I'm so excited
to share some stuff with you, ladies and gentlemen. You

(02:47):
have seen him on the Wendy Williams Show, you have
seen him on the Sherry Shepherd Show, and I'm sure
you've seen him in clubs and concerts. Put your hands
together for legendary, dynamic, powerful DJ suf.

Speaker 4 (03:00):
Wow, Yo, what's up?

Speaker 2 (03:06):
Thank you for coming on. I truly am grateful to
have you on.

Speaker 4 (03:10):
I appreciate you guys. Talk to me. What's going on?

Speaker 2 (03:13):
Okay, So, while this is why I want to flip it,
DJ says, I absolutely positively loved the title of your
production company, the Featured Presentation. Brilliant, brilliant. Oh my god,
So I want to I want to talk about you,

(03:35):
and I don't know if this is you transitioning, you
know what I mean? I don't. I feel like you've
been in an entertainment business all your life. But what
made you decide to create the Featured Presentation production company?

Speaker 4 (03:50):
That was crazy?

Speaker 5 (03:50):
I always had an interest in movies. The way the
name came about, I used to it's crazy. My dream
was always to have a nice house, right, what the
movie did in it. I have a nice house right now,
but I don't have a movie did any yet. But
used to be this website that you would go on

(04:11):
and there was a company that would build your home theater.
And I used to just go on there and everything
and see it. And then one day I went to
the website to show somebody and it was available. It
said that the it wasn't there anymore. And I thought
that was a great name because I would always make
a movie on radio and say that we're about to

(04:32):
make a movie, you know, blah blah blah.

Speaker 4 (04:33):
And then it is like the feature presentation.

Speaker 5 (04:35):
So I actually bought the website, saw saw that it
was available, and I bought it, and I was like wow.
And then I actually got the trademark, and I was
like wow, how the hell that's such a common name.

Speaker 4 (04:45):
And I was able to get it.

Speaker 5 (04:47):
Yeah, And it started from there, and it's not just
its not just movies. I also wanted to create music also.
We put out music under the future condition.

Speaker 2 (05:00):
And so because I'm so excited for you, and I
said to Spruce, where do I put, you know, turning
my resume to you, because I think that this is
such an amazing opportunity. That is another avenue that you're offering.
You know artists out here, also actors, because you know

(05:22):
we have a slut of actors. And are there any
specific types of genres? Are you open to all genres?

Speaker 4 (05:31):
I'm still building in a movie world.

Speaker 5 (05:34):
I got one one leggedted and I always i'm I'm
open to all genres. I love all genres of film.
But I wanted to start off doing horror movies. And
the reason I wanted to start off doing that is
for two reasons. One, they're more affordable. Movies that have
cold following who wrong of the story is good to create,
and you don't need super aightless celebrities all the time.

Speaker 4 (05:56):
So that's number one and number two.

Speaker 5 (06:00):
Line Cinema, which is a very very very big movie studio,
was built off of a horrible with franchise that I
was in love with in the nineteen eighties, A Nightmare
and I'm Free with Freddy Krueger, right, And I used
to watch that in the nineteen eighties, and I learned
that that company was nothing until that franchise was built.
That franchise, and that that whole entire brand built, the

(06:22):
whole company and create and generated multimillions and millions and millions.

Speaker 4 (06:25):
Of dollars to where they were able to compete with
bigger companies.

Speaker 5 (06:29):
And started creating legendary movies like Lord of the Rings
and a whole bunch of you know, is one of
the biggest companies out there. So that was another reason,
because I used to look up to New Line Cinema
and Bob Shay and those guys who created that whole franchise,
Wes Craven.

Speaker 2 (06:45):
So I come from the independent world. My first film
that I cast was just Another Girl on Irt and
so I can't yeah remember Princeville. I was such a
young casting director at that time and still trusting my instincts.
But independent film it was such a great time. Like

(07:08):
you know, when I think about how we hustled right
music videos at that time because I was casting them
as well. They were million dollar music videos with Lionel
Martin and the Hype Williams and the Exes, all of
these cats, right, And one of the things that I
really really appreciated about the independent world was the community

(07:31):
that we created. You know, we all came up at
the same time, the Spikes, the Robert Townsend, the Keenan I,
you know, weigh ins and stuff, and so I feel
like that's what we're missing, and especially with Hollywood, because
they're so disconnected with the real world and the actors
in their lives that I read an article the other

(07:51):
day where Mark Ruffalo was saying that we should go
back to the independent structure and create a new Hollywood
structure because us. You know, when you think about it,
actors are really not getting paid like you know most
people think they are, So there has to be some
other form of of you know. I love the fact

(08:13):
that you have a production company. Tyler Perry has a
production company, Queenland, you know, like we're creating.

Speaker 4 (08:19):
Our own at least Tyler and Queen.

Speaker 5 (08:21):
Those are my heroes, Like those are the people I'm
trying to strive to be. Like I'm not there yet,
but you know, but.

Speaker 2 (08:27):
When I think that when you when you when you
take a hold of your your your career in the
sense that you're you're going to own your stuff, you
know what I mean, Like it's going to be a difference.
I think that that is the direction that you're doing.

Speaker 5 (08:40):
Yeah, that is the direction I'm going. I've always been
a person to do it yourself like that. That's that's
the definition to me about being a boss. You and
then you could partner up with these guys and don't
sign a deal that doesn't make sense for you when
you're your entire company and your investment, right, But do
it yourself. Yeah, and it takes a lot, you know,
you got to come up with your own money. Sometimes

(09:02):
people are basically selling their own blood just to get
just to get get the funds.

Speaker 4 (09:07):
But yeah, it always pays off in the long.

Speaker 2 (09:09):
Run, always, always, And I think what's brilliant about starting
with horror is inclusive of what you were saying, Horror
is a very short film. So horrors can be anywhere
from like eighty five to let's say one hundred pages,
and so in terms of shooting wise, your schedule is shorter,
you know, depending how your locations blah blah blah. But horror,

(09:30):
I think is oh my god, when you think about
the Blair Witch Project, when you think about.

Speaker 4 (09:36):
Yeah, it was a very deeply done movie.

Speaker 5 (09:38):
But yeah, I just I just I like the roller
coak the ride of horror movies. I like, I like
the fact that they're not as expensive as transformers in
those type of movies, right right. I like the fact
that you don't necessarily have to have an a less celebrity.
You know, you got to find good, good talent. It's
more about the story, mythology and how you really put

(10:00):
it together, you know.

Speaker 2 (10:02):
But I would say, yes, huge, And I would also
think that because of your relationships in the industry, you know,
like that's where your superpowers are too, you know. And
even if it's like I agree, in a horror film
you don't need marquee names, but how fly would it
be to have one of your friends as a cameo

(10:24):
and doesn't and no one knows, right. I did this
film Finding Forrester that I coached Buster in and Sean
Connery was in it. I didn't know until the premiere
that Matt Damon was in the film, had no because
Gus Van's aunt was the director who also directed Goodwill
Hunting and so that's his boy. So at the end

(10:46):
when Rob, when Rob Brown was going to Sean Conrie's
character passed and he was going to the lawyer, the
lawyer was Matt Damon. I thought that was so fly.
And although like sixteen minutes of work.

Speaker 5 (10:59):
Nice, you know, you never know, and he became a
big star after that, this is what I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (11:04):
And then and then you also have the other end
of a film, which is the soundtrack.

Speaker 4 (11:10):
So yeah, that's that's like, that's easy for me as long.
You know.

Speaker 5 (11:15):
The only different part about that for me is if
you're trying to get other artists to participate, you have
to find the capitol once again to get there. But
that's easy for me. I have producers that have a team.
I have an ear for that stuff. I'm in the clubs,
I'm a DJ. Yeah, and with horror movies, it doesn't
necessarily have to be that. A lot of it is,
you know, not not necessarily soundtrack. It's more the theme

(11:37):
of the movie and you know that type of stuff.

Speaker 4 (11:40):
So I have guys for that too.

Speaker 2 (11:42):
I'm not That's what I'm saying. Like, you know, I
know that it's a process. I know it's a journey,
but it's like I see the destination. I see you know,
the people that you are looking up to, those you
know they've created this path.

Speaker 4 (11:58):
I actually want to bring that back.

Speaker 5 (11:59):
I feel like today horror movies don't have I feel
like movies in general don't have the themes that I
grew up listening to that made the movie even more
iconic right then, Like when John Williams used to do
your score like Hans Zimber today is great. John Carpenter
when he did the Halloween movie, he was the one
who created the Halloween memorable theme night malt like, they

(12:23):
had memorable, memorable, memorable themes. And I feel like today's generation,
at least I'm not. I haven't heard it that. I
think they have memorable things, but I want to bring
that back.

Speaker 2 (12:33):
Yeah, I think that would be great. I think that
in terms of you know, it's interesting because this generation
they always go back to our stuff. You know. I
was talking to a young person and they're like, oh
my god, I just discovered Johnny Depp's movie where he
was doing cocaine, and I was like, wow, that was like,

(12:53):
you know what.

Speaker 5 (12:54):
Johnny Depp. I'm sorry to interrupt, you know what Johnny Depp.
First he was m oh My Daughter a Nightmare and
Street Freddy Krueger. Wow, the movie the first movie to
help create the success of New line cinema. That was
Johnny Depp's first films.

Speaker 2 (13:13):
And would you say new line cinema like back in
the independent day, I spent a lot of time at
seven seven, seven seventh Avenue.

Speaker 4 (13:20):
That's where they used to That's where they worked. I
didn't know how.

Speaker 5 (13:23):
I was a kid watching this, so I didn't know
where they were, but I know that they were a
company that didn't have much money in no just like.

Speaker 2 (13:31):
Man Max, you know, just another girl on the irt.
I remember being, you know, at the event, the premiere
with Harvey Weinstein, his brother, and Leslie Harris, the director
on stage, you know, And that was the part all
of those companies were tapping into the independent world at
that time, sex lives and videotapes, you know, all of
the you know, all of that, and then you know,

(13:53):
Hollywood tapped into it because when they saw the money,
then it's like, Okay, we're going to offer you a deal.
Let's give you a production deal and cypher off with
some of your funds. But I'm from the independent world.
I say, do it yourself. I say, especially in twenty
twenty three, how do.

Speaker 5 (14:08):
You feel about the independent world in today's generation as
far as streaming goes.

Speaker 2 (14:14):
Well, we're talking about like Toby's to be you know.

Speaker 4 (14:18):
It's the funny. I've been watching some Tooby movies lately.

Speaker 5 (14:20):
Obviously they have a lot of not great movies, right,
but some of them are actually d thing.

Speaker 4 (14:25):
I watched one. Yeah, so you just have.

Speaker 2 (14:29):
To you know, shift through it. I think that I
think that the younger generation, in my experience, is looking
for immediate gratification and they don't understand the process. People
are not teaching the process and the journey and the protocol.
You know, you can't just wing stuff. You want to

(14:51):
stand on a solid foundation. You want to know. And
we were just having this conversation without scriptwriters because I
don't think that people are going to school and learning
scriptwriting when you see some of these movies that are
out here, and so I think it pays to understand
the structure, respect the structure, and to you know, get

(15:11):
as much education as you can to create some of
these great scripts out here. But I am also all
black BT plus I've coached from Vanessa Simmons to Notori
Not recently on some BT films, and you know, I
just think the quality is starting to get better and
you know, the production value, but it always it starts

(15:33):
with the script.

Speaker 5 (15:35):
That's gratification mentality. I don't even understand that instant gratification
just means you want fame and money quickly.

Speaker 4 (15:42):
But yeah, what the what about the actual love for
the craft or what about.

Speaker 2 (15:48):
Just respecting the shoulders you're standing on. You know, I'm
very blessed to have a show inside the Black Box
that I stand next to Joe Morton co starring. And
when Joe talks about the work, it's like like, you know,
there's a commitment, discipline, and consistency that you have to
succeed in anything. And I think because we live in
this world where everything is fast. You know, I grew

(16:09):
up with a typewriter, so you know, people younger generations.

Speaker 4 (16:14):
Not only is everything fast, it goes away fast.

Speaker 2 (16:17):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (16:18):
So that's what I'm trying to say is I feel
like it's common sense, at least for me, that if
you don't have a strong foundation and learn how to
actually run a business, learn how to you know, do
something correctly, learn, you know, respect the craft, respect you know,
of course where things come from, it's going to go
away fast.

Speaker 2 (16:36):
It is because it's built on Quicksand.

Speaker 5 (16:39):
Yeah, that's why I don't I've never understood the instant graph,
but you know that's the that's the that's the world
of social media that we live in. That they I
don't think a lot of people even understand that. But
it's like here today, gone today, Like that's not what I'm.

Speaker 4 (16:54):
Trying to build. I'm trying to build longevity.

Speaker 5 (16:56):
I'm trying to build movies and music that people would
want to listen to generations from now. I'm trying to
be in love with what I'm creating and not one
hundred percent for the money. Of course, we all want
to make money, but that's not exactly everything I'm.

Speaker 4 (17:11):
In it for now.

Speaker 2 (17:13):
I think that, you know, you have to have some
stamina and stability in this I've been blessed to be
working in this industry for over forty years, and I've
been independent freelance for forty years. I've never belonged to anyone,
even when I work with Spike Lee on his commercials.
You know, I was freelancing with him for seven years.

(17:33):
I think I love what I do. I don't go
to work. I tell people I go to fun. Every morning.
I get up and I go to fun. And you
have to have that love. I also, you know, I
had my show for eighteen years, The Idea for eighteen
years before we sold it in twenty twenty. So there's
a certain amount of patience because the truth for me
is that the joy is in the journey. You know,

(17:54):
you're going to get to the destination. You know that
you're a visionary, so you know that, and I also
believe that the work that you're going to create is
not only going to be, you know, work that we're
all going to support, but it's inspiring, you know, it
really inspiring. Yeah, because you know, you see a void,
you can fill it right, and you're going to have
I'm just putting this out there for you. You're going

(18:16):
to have tremendous financial success over these horror films. And
then I see the transition and the opening of you know,
the dramas and the action, and you know, because by
then you'll have people who know you created a track record,
they want to partner up with you, or maybe a
studio wants to give you a deal. That's that's the goal,

(18:36):
that's the vision. But for me and my experience, this
younger generation, just trying to get them to hold on
to the vision is challenging because of social media and
and YouTube. You know, everybody is an influencer. You know,
everybody you know, it's a journalist.

Speaker 4 (18:54):
You know, if you're only.

Speaker 5 (18:58):
If your only goal is to make money or to
be famous, then you're willing to do anything it takes
to do that. And you don't have a street, you
don't have a direction. So it's like today, there'll be
on YouTube doing this. Today, I'm a podcast. Tomorrow I'm
doing this, Tomorrow, I'm doing that. So it's just a
weird generation. Everybody just wants to views and likes. Yeah,

(19:18):
but you know, there are great things about the generation
because before yeah, you had to be in the theaters
and then it comes to TVD or VHS now because
the streaming services, your movie is always in the theaters
because at the theater it's always there, but it's way
more nonsense to go through just to be able to
find your movie.

Speaker 4 (19:37):
So it's different marketing.

Speaker 2 (19:40):
Well, and you know now I mean in terms of AI,
what is your takeaway with AI because as a casting director,
I just read an article last week where they said
they're going to get AIS to replace casting directors because
casting directors are just intermediaries. So that's a concern. I

(20:02):
don't cast full time, but I think of my friends
who cast full time and now their jobs are in jeopardy.
How do you feel about that?

Speaker 4 (20:14):
I think it's horrible. I think it's horrible. I don't know.
I don't understand.

Speaker 5 (20:18):
Look, I understand everybody wants to take the easy way
out and the fast way out. But you're not respecting
there's so many things wrong with that man, like not
respecting just the human race altogether. In my opinion, you
know what I'm saying, Well, and what kind of love
and creative is that?

Speaker 4 (20:38):
Just what ai doing? That?

Speaker 5 (20:39):
Just what you're just trusting a computer to do. That's
that's people who only care about money.

Speaker 2 (20:46):
Yeah, absolutely, there's no.

Speaker 5 (20:48):
Art, what's the what's the experience with that? Where's the
love of actually creative and like that? Those are people
who could care less about creativity, could care less about humans,
could care less or anything.

Speaker 4 (21:01):
They just want to flip a dollar to another dollar.

Speaker 2 (21:04):
Yeah. Well, I mean if it's.

Speaker 4 (21:07):
Dangerous for a period in general, you know, I think.

Speaker 2 (21:11):
It's dangerous too. I keep thinking of Eye Robot. There's
a lot of stuff in that film that was ahead
of its time.

Speaker 4 (21:18):
I got to rewatch that film.

Speaker 2 (21:19):
Actually, Oh brother, I watched it.

Speaker 5 (21:22):
I remember thinking it was great and Will Smith killed
it and I remember thinking this could be a reality
one day. But now I feel like we're closer to
that being possible. So I got to rewatch that movie.

Speaker 2 (21:32):
There was also a TV show. I don't know the
name of it, but maybe it'll come up in my chat,
but there's there was this TV show about this woman
who was an Ai. But the challenge was she started
to get feelings and that was like the premise of
the show. She started to feel which she you know,
you're not supposed to have started crossing.

Speaker 6 (21:53):
I can't remember this is a movie, but there's a
million movies based on machines taking over and you know,
like Terminator and Matrix and that they've been putting in
movies for a long time, but now it seems like
they're trying to put it in reality.

Speaker 2 (22:06):
So yeah, dangerous out there, It is dangerous. And I
think that when we stay firm with our roots and
when we stay firm with our truths, that you know,
there's power in that, you know, because an Ai, it's
an Ai is an Ai and AI has no compassion,
no feeling, no you know, and you can't replace human

(22:27):
connection with that. I so, and that's what we go to,
you know, films for we want to cry, we want
to celebrate, we want to be scared, you know. So
I think that that's something that we can always stand
on and prayerfully hold on to as far as this generation,
do you have for those who are listening and maybe

(22:51):
you know Irise Elbows started out as a DJ and
now I remember I used to go to Bowery because
people were like, is this DJ in the Bowery of
I was like, okay, and then I met him as
a DJ and now one of the most you know,
dynamic actors you know in our time. Do you have

(23:11):
any advice to this younger generation in terms of, you know,
how they should approach their business and their artistry as
musical artists and also people were thinking about you know,
going in actors and producers and things like that. Any
advice on.

Speaker 4 (23:29):
Yeah, it's the same thing I was saying earlier. Be
serious about your craft.

Speaker 5 (23:32):
Don't be in it for fame, likes, views, and popularity,
and that's I don't even know what that's about. If
that's what you're in it for, then you'll do anything
to be popular and do anything find out what it
is that matches your soul and what you love and
work hard towards it and stop looking for fifteen minutes
of fame.

Speaker 4 (23:49):
You know what I'm saying. Work hards to your craft.

Speaker 5 (23:51):
Study study people who open the doors for you before
that came before. You, respect the craft, respect where it
came from and where you could take it, you know
what I'm saying. And don't let anybody tell you that
you can't do it. You know, because people are always
basing their opinions on their on their feelings and their reality,
which is not reality.

Speaker 2 (24:11):
Right, you know if you listen to noise.

Speaker 5 (24:15):
Yeah, exactly just said find out you need direction, find
out what it is that you actually love and want
to be creative doing, and go after it, and don't
do it. You know, we're all look, we all have
bills to pay, I get it. We all want to
make money. That the money will come. As long as
you want something that you love and and staying at
it and being true to it and respect who came
before you, figure out how you could do differently and

(24:37):
and don't quit.

Speaker 2 (24:39):
Excellent advice, advice that everybody should listen to, and that
you need to be in this business. And just I
want to go back a bit to you being a DJ.
How did you get started as a DJ? And oh
my god, you had to have love for music, that's
the first.

Speaker 4 (24:56):
Yeah. I always love I always love music.

Speaker 5 (24:59):
My uncle, who I just left actually dealing with the
real estate here, he used to give me mixtapes back
in the day, mixed cassette tapes when they were actually
mixtapes because today's generation the mixtape is just like an
album before the album. But it came from mix tapes
where DJ's or would record their mixes on actual cassette tapes,

(25:20):
whether it be from the club or in their crib
or whatever. And I used to listen to Ky Capri,
ron G, you know what I'm saying, and all these guys.
Of course DJ Clue who used to do mixtapes.

Speaker 4 (25:31):
Back in the day.

Speaker 5 (25:32):
I used to listen to Red Alert on the radio.
I used to listen to Funk Flex on the radio.
I used to listen to so many different mixtape DJ
Shot the Dog Time. Ron G was probably the mixtape
DJ I used to listen to the most, and.

Speaker 4 (25:45):
It made me want of DJ. I always loved music.

Speaker 5 (25:48):
You know, my family has embarrassing videos of me dancing
music when I was a kid.

Speaker 4 (25:53):
But let's pull up.

Speaker 5 (25:55):
You know, but this is my love for listening to
other DJ I used to watch Kick Capri at the
end of Deaf Comedy and just killing a DJing scratching
back and forth as the dancers DJ. I used to
wait for the new rawn G mixtape to come out,
or the new S and S or the new DJ
Juice or the new Dog Time or the new DJ
Clue or whoever the mixtape DJ was popped at the time,
and it just made me want to DJ.

Speaker 4 (26:16):
And I convinced my father to get me some turntables.

Speaker 5 (26:19):
I started on belt drive turntables, which anybody who's a
DJ knows that's not what you should have had back
in the day.

Speaker 4 (26:26):
And then I finally ended up.

Speaker 5 (26:27):
Getting twelve hundred direct drive turntables techning twelve hundreds took
time because I didn't have the money to get the
proper equipment at first, Right, I think practiced every day.
See now, you know, now it's just different now on
YouTube videos and try to learn you might know, yeah,
or tutorials or they.

Speaker 4 (26:47):
Try to, you know, they try to. You know, they
have things where you could sink the music and it
mixes it in perfect for you.

Speaker 5 (26:55):
I didn't come from that. I came from DJ with
the vinyl and I had to whatever. I had to
practice and mimic, you know, whatever I heard on mixtapes
or on the radio. And I used to just practice
in my room every day. I didn't have tutorials, there
was no such thing. Yeah, and I just practiced every day,
third day, and I sucked and then I got good,
and then I got better, and then then I finagled

(27:18):
that into doing height you know, parties in my high
school very little bit. Then I finagled that into doing
parties in the industry because I had. I had for
a while. For a few years, I interned for Sony
Music Epic Colombia, interned for a Cornerstone promotion which is
now called the Fader magazine. I was there for the

(27:38):
first Fader magazine and I just interned and I started
DJing for free a lot.

Speaker 4 (27:45):
I opened up for the Opener.

Speaker 5 (27:46):
I opened up for the Opener DJ like, I just
did whatever I had to get on.

Speaker 4 (27:50):
Right, and you know, it just it was a long journey. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (27:57):
I just think your whole life is so ex because
it's just not limited to being in a club. You
could be we could see you at a concert. We
could see you. You know, you spent years on the
Wendy Williams Show, and you used to love I used
to watch the show because I wanted to see what
tennis shoes. You were wearing sneakers every show. I want
to see a seekers shoe because that became the thing,

(28:21):
right Yeah.

Speaker 5 (28:23):
Yeah, I was saying the sneakers that. Yeah, I used
to wear rock. She used to show my sneakers all
the time, and I said shot to Wendy. Wendy was
the first person to ever put me consistently on TV.
I had guests appearances like on Rap City back in
the day or one or six apart, but I was never.

Speaker 4 (28:37):
Consistently consistently on TV.

Speaker 5 (28:40):
Wendy put me on TV consistently, and then when she
didn't return to her show, Sherry. Sherry got the show
and Sherry's been incredible. She has some of the best
energy I've ever experienced in the industry. Sherry is one
of the most positive people in the industry and she
loves helping people both so and shout to Sherry man,

(29:01):
I love I love being a part of the Sherry Show.

Speaker 2 (29:04):
Yeah, And I have to say our world's crossed several
times because I used to coach Roxy and Terrence from
day one into.

Speaker 4 (29:13):
My friend I Love, Yeah.

Speaker 2 (29:16):
I coached and then back in the day Big Tigger
Rap City. So you know, yeah, all of our our
paths across this has been really great and the time
has flew by, and now we are done with our interview.
It has been amazing. I feel like I could talk

(29:38):
to you all day.

Speaker 4 (29:39):
Thank you. I appreciate the interview.

Speaker 2 (29:41):
Yeah, let me seriously.

Speaker 4 (29:46):
I will call and I want to say something in closing.

Speaker 5 (29:48):
Guys, It's been a long journey from being a DJ
to a radio you know, radio d a DJ, to
being a club DJ and a mixtape DJ, to a
concert DJ DJing festivals and being on radio and now
TV and now I'm trying to do movies and everything's
been a long journey. Please follow me at DJSLUS one

(30:09):
on all platforms, follow me at DJSUS one on all platforms,
and follow at the feature presentation and follow my journey.

Speaker 2 (30:17):
Please, yes, we are definitely following. And again, congratulations on
the future presentation and all the endeavors that you pursue,
because you know, again, it's about discipline, It's about commitment.
And passion, and you know, I love the fact that
I used to say this, but I had to stop

(30:38):
saying this because I was putting the energy in the universe.
But I love what I do so much. When I
first started casting, I was like, I do it for free.
I do it for free, and then all these free
jobs started coming. I was like, wait a minute, some
point I gotta get paid. So but I do I
respect the craft in that way that I too. I
love it. The money is always going to be there.
It's about you know, It's about the heart and the

(31:00):
soul of the project. So thank you. Everybody, put your
hands together, please for the dynasmic powerful, powerful, and definitely
it's going to be a major force with the feature presentation.
I feel it in every aspect. Please I do. Everybody
put your hands together. Day one and now we got

(31:24):
two questions for you before you leave us. Okay, so
else is going to introduce the the two actors that
have a question for you.

Speaker 4 (31:33):
Can you hear me?

Speaker 2 (31:34):
Yes, we can? We can you?

Speaker 4 (31:39):
People kept calling my phone.

Speaker 5 (31:41):
Ont know why it disappeared, because it says my videos
up quick click, click.

Speaker 7 (31:45):
On and off and I'll come back on for the video.

Speaker 2 (31:49):
See, thank you, m Jay.

Speaker 7 (31:52):
I need a job.

Speaker 2 (31:53):
I need a job. Our technogy gave me a job.

Speaker 7 (32:00):
I have a question for you. So you said you
love horror movies.

Speaker 5 (32:05):
Yeah, yeah, by the way, because I tend to say
I tend to like the the slasher films. I don't
really like the demonic films like that. I mean, you know,
there's a couple of plays that's not my vibe, all.

Speaker 7 (32:22):
Right, So that segues into my question.

Speaker 8 (32:24):
My next question, well, you know, what is your top
three horror movies?

Speaker 7 (32:30):
And I'm going to share my.

Speaker 5 (32:33):
So my, it's hard to say because I've watched so
many of them, and I really favor the eighties and
me too nineties more than anything. But Street one in
part one and a part three for sure, hm hmm,
Child's Play one h And by the way, I'm thinking
off the top of the head because I think I

(32:54):
would really have to brainstorm to see what's really my
favorite night Street one and three for sure, Child's Play
was a big part of my childhood. Deer, you know,
until he became a comedy Chuck. He became a comedy later,
but Child's somebody said Dream Warriors, nice yead was a
dream Warriors, Child's Play one one of the Halloween movies.

(33:16):
I'm not sure which one I think was the best.
It's probably the Halloween one though, Yeah, yes, you know,
but there's so many. There's so many. I like the
Scream series, it's still going on to this day. Not
all of them were great, but the first one was amazing.

Speaker 2 (33:30):
Mhm.

Speaker 5 (33:31):
But why, what were your favorite hormones? Then there's crazy
ones like that are more demonic. But it's hard for
me to say my my favorite. But like Laurence Fishburn
had a movie called Event Horizon which was crazy.

Speaker 2 (33:43):
Yeah, I don't know that.

Speaker 4 (33:45):
I don't know if Jews would be considered horror, but
that's up there.

Speaker 3 (33:50):
It's hard for me.

Speaker 5 (33:54):
And Jews was in the seventies. Yeah, you know, it
goes back to Alfred Hitchcock films. But that wasn't really
a bird. No, psychle was a classic. The Bird was
a classic, But that's that's not really my era.

Speaker 2 (34:06):
That was that was my era. That's when they had
Blackyllar and you could see the Blacks Dream and the
Bat and then like the Bat Movie and they had
the Pole.

Speaker 4 (34:17):
You can see all that stuff exactly.

Speaker 2 (34:21):
So what's your zip Jay? What are your top three?

Speaker 7 (34:24):
It was Interview with a vampire.

Speaker 5 (34:28):
Carrie what Tom Cruise Carrie was scary? Carry was late
seventies and they remain the original.

Speaker 7 (34:34):
No, the original.

Speaker 8 (34:35):
I watched it when my grandmother was in the eighties,
Like it came on Channel five on a Saturday, and
that was scary. And so it's interview with a vampire
carry and pet.

Speaker 4 (34:48):
Cemetery, pet cemetery, pet.

Speaker 7 (34:52):
That was that.

Speaker 8 (34:53):
Yeah, I love it.

Speaker 4 (34:57):
Yes, that cemetery scared me so much when I was
a kid.

Speaker 7 (35:00):
Oh.

Speaker 2 (35:01):
Yeah, I don't watch scary movies. I just have to
be honest. I'm scary. I worked on Halloween H two
oh with Buster, but.

Speaker 4 (35:14):
Was Reurrection H two O? Why do I?

Speaker 2 (35:18):
That's good? Thank you for the reference. So when I
did the one, I don't even know what it was.
I was terrified. But we would be on the set
and Jason would just kind of walk up and like
my back like okay him, see, I don't care. I
was terrified, and Buster's eyebrow would go up like he
saw somebody. I would go, is that who is it?
He's like, Tracy, it's a movie. It's a movie. And

(35:40):
then he made me coach Radigga on thirteen Ghosts. I
was terrified, terrified on that you were.

Speaker 4 (35:47):
Really You're not scared of the movie, you were really
scared of Buster.

Speaker 2 (35:57):
Yeah, yeah, twenty six. Cheers man. We started out of
the Steve Harvey and it was amazing ninety seven.

Speaker 4 (36:05):
It's good, good choice, good choices.

Speaker 5 (36:07):
I should have I should have said that cemetery because
that definitely was that scared me.

Speaker 4 (36:11):
Carrie carries legendary.

Speaker 2 (36:14):
What about final destination? That didn't scare you?

Speaker 4 (36:17):
No, that didn't really scare me. I mean, that might
be scared the fly, but I don't. I don't.

Speaker 5 (36:21):
I don't think I'm gonna go outside and things of
wires and starting killing me instead of.

Speaker 4 (36:26):
That yet, Harry, movies that really make.

Speaker 5 (36:29):
You, really make you like not want to go to
sleep at night by yourself. Oh I'm older now, so
the only thing that really scares me now is bills.
But when I was, when I was a teenager and
a young kid, a lot of things scared me.

Speaker 2 (36:47):
So yeah, that's great, great questions. Thank you so much
of day. Who's next, Elsa?

Speaker 7 (36:54):
Next up, we have mister Lamar b Slaughter.

Speaker 3 (36:57):
Welcome Lamar, thank you, thank you have me DJ, sus,
what's going on?

Speaker 4 (37:02):
What's that? Brother? Hey, So.

Speaker 3 (37:05):
You've had a prominent career as a DJ, and now.

Speaker 9 (37:09):
I see you're really good at interviews and you're into
the move the film industry as well. When did you
feel that it was your time to cross over into
the film industry and feel like you can be as effective.

Speaker 5 (37:21):
I'm still crossing over to beyonest with you, I always
knew I wanted to do it in the back of
my head, but I wanted to get to a certain
place in music.

Speaker 4 (37:28):
But I always wanted to make horror movies. Bro. That's
always just because of my love for eighties horror. So
I always wanted to do it.

Speaker 5 (37:35):
So right before the pandemic, you know, I have group
text with me and my boys that were always showing
each other new movie trailers that's coming out for different
movies and stuff because.

Speaker 4 (37:45):
We all we all like movies.

Speaker 5 (37:47):
And then I just figured out a way to create
an event that I could actually profit off of where
I could just invite friends to the movies, which is
called dinner a Movie with DJ. Thus one Wow, I
started inviting my friends, celebrity friends, just to create create
a vibe, and I partnered with def jam my relationships
for music, and it became a thing like me just

(38:08):
inviting my friends to the movies that you know, and
now the studios are actually hiring me to to do that.
So that was really my aunt dealing with the movie studios.
And now you know, I've put the energy out there
that I'm creating films. So we're gonna, like I said,
I'm still transitioning.

Speaker 2 (38:29):
They used to do that back in the day, Lamar
in the independent film what what is brilliant about the
partnership with the studios. Back in the day, they didn't
know how to promote black films. So the studios hired
this woman Jackie. Oh my god, I'm gonna I don't
know her last I do know her last name. I

(38:50):
know Elsa's going to put it out, but Jackie. Based
on Jackie, what she used to do is she was
the point person for studios to get the black films
and urban films out in the market. And so for
you partnering up, that gives us studios an opportunity to
put in films that they necessarily would not die exactly.

Speaker 4 (39:10):
They want me.

Speaker 5 (39:11):
They placed me in the category of multicultural they want
and they they you know, that's beautiful. They're using my
likeness to promote their movie to certain you know, it
is what it is. But that's I get to my
friends the movies and we get to enjoy early screenings
of movies that haven't come out yet.

Speaker 2 (39:30):
I think that's brilliant, you know what I'm saying. And
then as I mean, as you build with these studios,
you know, it's it's just a way of getting you know,
back in the day when Robert Townsend and Keen and
Ivan weighing like, we didn't have distribution, we didn't have.
It literally was word of mouth, and we used to say,
go the first weekend, that's when the numbers count. Go

(39:50):
the first weekend us. It was like a group of
us like going in the communities and urging people. That's
where the dollars and the money is going to count. Right.
So so I just think that you're providing an opportunity
that maybe people would not necessarily have. But it's just
a brilliant idea to keep partnering up with these entities
that are going to be able to give you a

(40:12):
bigger landscape, you know, and a broader because they're still global.
I got connections in Africa and Amsterdam. They're still talking
about it. Yeah, I just got off some phone with
South Africa. I'm just saying so I think it's great.
I really do. Lamar and MJ thank you so much.

(40:32):
Thank you, Elsa. Your questions were amazing.

Speaker 4 (40:35):
Thank you you.

Speaker 2 (40:37):
Guys put your hands together, stand up for one.

Speaker 4 (40:43):
To stand up anyway.

Speaker 2 (40:46):
Okay.

Speaker 5 (40:49):
I appreciate you guys. I appreciate you guys, and I
appreciate the interview.

Speaker 2 (40:52):
I do too. It was great, just so much fun,
and thank you spir Se. Welcome back to the Spirited
Actor Podcast with me Tracy Moore. And today we are
at Class in Session and I'm gonna have Elsa Lathon
introduce our Spirited Actors and we're gonna jump into a scene.
I'm gonna give them some notes.

Speaker 7 (41:13):
Yes, hello, hello everyone. So today on Class in Session
we have missus M Jason.

Speaker 2 (41:19):
I'm Jack h MJ. And we have mister Lamar B. Slaughter. Yeah,
thank you, Alvar, thank you.

Speaker 4 (41:32):
So.

Speaker 2 (41:33):
Our scene today is Love and Produce written by Reggie Pittman.
Interior grocery store produce section. A young man Brandon is
roaming around the produce section of a local grocery store.
He stops by the broccoli and picks up a big
stock of broccoli and waives it in his hand. Just then,

(41:55):
a young woman, Jessica approaches and taps him on the shoulder.

Speaker 7 (42:00):
Hey, you know, I doubt you'll get the right weight
of the broccoli that.

Speaker 2 (42:04):
Way, Brandon speaks, while turning around.

Speaker 3 (42:07):
Well, actually, my hands worked just like the skills.

Speaker 2 (42:10):
Brandon's face lights have been surprise.

Speaker 3 (42:14):
Oh wow, don't I know you?

Speaker 8 (42:18):
Well, yes and no. Explain Well, we went to the
same high school and middle school.

Speaker 10 (42:29):
And elementary school. Yea, how could I forget? You should
cheato be a fourth grade man.

Speaker 8 (42:38):
Barely You should try to hide your paper from me,
mister stingy, you know they had just taught us sharing
is caring.

Speaker 2 (42:46):
They both laughed.

Speaker 10 (42:49):
What's even crazier is that you ended up graduating with
a full point oh and went to Iguay school.

Speaker 3 (42:57):
I guess you're telling you old all of me.

Speaker 7 (42:59):
Huh yeah, maybe they'll give you a scholarship too.

Speaker 2 (43:05):
Jessica slaps Brandon on the arm playfully.

Speaker 7 (43:09):
So how's that old girlfriend of yours?

Speaker 2 (43:13):
Jessica looks up at Brandon smyley, Well.

Speaker 3 (43:17):
She's dead.

Speaker 7 (43:18):
Oh my God, I'm so sorry.

Speaker 2 (43:22):
To me, she's dead to me, Brandon laps and touches
Jessica's arm to comfort her.

Speaker 3 (43:30):
Yeah, she's alive and mary to my old best friend.

Speaker 7 (43:34):
Oh wow, that's rough.

Speaker 2 (43:36):
Jessica's smile fades and she looks off in the distance.

Speaker 7 (43:41):
Well, my love life sucks too, so.

Speaker 2 (43:44):
Brandon smiles but attempts to hide you. Oh, I'm so sorry,
Jessica notices his smile.

Speaker 7 (43:54):
Or really, it doesn't look like it.

Speaker 2 (43:56):
Brandon's smile fades and he grabs Jessica's hands off.

Speaker 3 (44:02):
Listen, something I have to tell you, Jessica.

Speaker 2 (44:06):
Llen's in.

Speaker 7 (44:08):
There's something I have to tell you too.

Speaker 3 (44:11):
I need first. I've had a question for a very
long time.

Speaker 4 (44:21):
Stop.

Speaker 8 (44:22):
I had a question on you since like elementary school,
which is crazy, right, it's not crazy.

Speaker 11 (44:31):
I used to watch your snapshot, your snapchat all the
time in college because I just never had that. I
never had the courage to go see you.

Speaker 7 (44:47):
Ah, that's creepy. I mean, if I wasn't madly in
love with you, it would be super creepy.

Speaker 3 (44:59):
In line between stalker and romantica.

Speaker 7 (45:01):
I guess, well, you know, I can't even judge.

Speaker 8 (45:05):
I used to go through your old Instagram pictures and
like them, unlike them, you know, just hoping that you
would think of me.

Speaker 2 (45:14):
Brandon let's go of Jessica's hand and pretends to be
upset chokingly.

Speaker 3 (45:20):
Wow, and I thought my phone was glittened for like
a month.

Speaker 2 (45:26):
Jessica and Brandon giggle, then touch hands. They gaze into
each other's eyes, and then kiss.

Speaker 3 (45:31):
The end.

Speaker 2 (45:32):
All right, it's good job you guys. The first thing
I have to say is that both of you are
reading on your downtime, your off time. It just feels
like you guys are definitely excuse me using, you know,
working on that because reading is also an art, right,

(45:54):
so that's always important. So that when you get these
sides is a script that it's not jarring, it's not
broken up, it's you know, it flowed very nicely. I
have to stress again, you guys have got to read
the action. You can't read over it, you can't read
through it. You're not going to understand the scene without

(46:14):
reading the action. And the big thing for you guys
as actors, the action is like a really clear giveaway
onto what you should be doing. If there's a reaction
that an action says, then you know that you have
to move in that direction or whatever the situation is.
So that's a pery read the action, do not go

(46:36):
through the action. The thing that I immediately was taken
back to was the fact that both of you had
such a great relationship with each other, even on zoom,
it felt very real. What I would do is MJ,
I would find a place where because it sounds like

(47:00):
both of you really liked each other, never got a
chance to be together because maybe you were with somebody,
he was with somebody. It was always the wrong time.
But now it's the right time. So what does that
feel like? What does it feel like to know that
there's a possibility that the two of you guys can
get together. That's that kind of energy where you know,

(47:22):
if you've ever seen Cheers, right, the two characters and
Cheers Ted Danson and Thing with Sherry Cheryl the other
actors who played the bartender, the Thing, and you know,
it was a constant theme in the like late eighties
and nineties where people were attracted to each other but

(47:42):
they never got together. So we were watching thirteen episodes
of them trying to get together, maybe ignoring each other,
just like Steve Harvey show. Wendy Raquel did the same thing,
and her and Steve Harvey we don't like each other,
but we do like each other. So that gave us
the incentive to watch the season to see how are
they going to get together? So I'm saying that to say,
with you and Lamar, that's the kind of energy you

(48:04):
guys find a moment in those sides where it's you
have that type of energy where we Shelley Long, thank
you Elsa, Shelley Long, where there's that attraction but maybe
not but there's but we know at the end of
the scene, you guys kiss, so there's something something happens.
You just don't kiss on anybody, well you can, but

(48:25):
I'm just saying, so just find a way before the
moment of kissing, before the touching, where we the audience
where like they like ea to me, oh we want
them to get together, Oh kiss or huger hand, you
know that sort of thing. But I'm really impressed with
the reading and very happy that you guys were present
and just Lamar, same thing with you. I love the

(48:48):
fact that you started off with turn to the side
and you watch yourself in that works so well. It's
little details like that that really bring you know, and
you just have this naturalness about you. It's a little
flirtatious MJ. It's cute, it's innocent, it's not it's not obvious.
I'm just saying your eyes, you know, just the smile.

(49:08):
It's little things that you do, so be conscious of
that as well. Yes, okay, great job, So thank the takeaway.
You're welcome. The takeaway, ladies and gentlemen, is always read.
Everyday actors read aloud, read, pick up a newspaper, a
fairy tale, I don't care, but just read. Reading is
ninety nine point nine percent of your gig. Okay, all right,

(49:31):
thank you, Elsa. And now we're gonna leave the Spirited
Actor Podcast with me Tracy Moore, and then we're gonna
come back and I'm gonna give you out a little
bit of love, maybe a lot of love. I do too.
It was great, just so much fun. And thank you Spirus,
and we'll be back on the Spirited Actor Podcast with
me Tracy Moore. And I think I'm gonna give you

(49:51):
guys some love. I think I's fuming to give you love,
and now it's time to give love. So I have
this producer on my podcast, Spruce Henry. That keeps us
laughing all the time. I don't think I've ever been
around Spruce in a bad mood, bad attitude. And even
when things because he's my producer on Inside the Black Box,

(50:15):
even when things go away, I can look at on
the stage and see Spruce tucked in a quarter laughing,
Play it jokes, tell it jokes. It is a blessing
enough to be around someone who enjoys life period. He

(50:36):
doesn't need anything, he doesn't ask for anything. He's just happy, period,
consistently happy. We have to live in joy. Human beings
think that we have twenty four hours in a day,
but on a spiritual plane, instantaneous. So when I think,

(50:57):
and this is a true story, when I think of
Sruce Henry, I think of two things. I think about
getting your mind right. You got to get your by right.
That's what Spruce says. You got to get your mind right,
all right. That's one thing that I think when I
think of s Bruce. And the other thing I think
about Spruce. It always starts out being a good idea.

(51:20):
It always starts up being a good idea, and then
something goes away. I'm saying that to say that when
you can think of a person and just laugh, you
are living in the state of joy. Continue, be consistent,
be grateful to wake up every morning and every single
time I call him, he says Spruce Henry, gentleman of

(51:45):
the International Man of Leisure. If you don't laugh, that
that something's wrong with you today. Laugh, just laugh, be
in joy. Don't forget to look out for us on
our new show, Inside the Black Box. My co host
will be Joe the Legend Morton. It's going to be
the Spirited Actor Podcast on Steroids. We'll be streaming on

(52:07):
the Crackle network. I'll keep you posted.

Speaker 1 (52:10):
Thank you for joining us on the Spirited Actor Podcast
with me Tracy Moore. I look forward to our next
Spirited Podcast.

Speaker 2 (52:18):
Thank you.