Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Courtney Glaudé.
📝 Summary of the Interview
Courtney Glaudé, an award-winning filmmaker, writer, and director from Houston, Texas, joined Rushion McDonald to discuss his creative journey, his role in Tyler Perry’s production universe, and his passion for storytelling. Glaudé is the writer, director, and producer for Season 4 of Zatima on BET+, and he holds an overall deal with Tyler Perry Studios, a rare and powerful endorsement of his talent. The conversation explored his roots, creative process, mentorship under Tyler Perry, and his commitment to emotionally gripping narratives that tackle complex social issues.
🔑 Key Takeaways 1. Tyler Perry’s Mentorship & Overall Deal
- Glaudé was entrusted with writing, directing, and producing Season 4 of Zatima.
- Tyler Perry gave him full creative control, saying: “You like Zatima? It’s yours.”
- The overall deal means Perry funds Glaudé’s projects and helps pitch them to major streaming platforms.
2. Creative Process & Directing Style
- Glaudé writes with the shot in mind, visualizing scenes as he scripts.
- He adapts creatively when budget or location constraints arise.
- His style is thriller-driven, even when tackling emotional or social themes like dementia.
3. Zatima Season 4
- The show centers on Zach and Fatima’s relationship, exploring real-life romantic challenges.
- Glaudé brings a new emotional depth and rollercoaster storytelling to the series.
- He collaborates closely with the cast, who help maintain character authenticity.
4. Houston Roots & Hustle Mentality
- Raised in Fifth Ward, Houston, with Louisiana family roots.
- Self-taught filmmaker: learned through books, Google, and observing professionals.
- Hustle and persistence were key: “If someone told me no, I figured out how to do it myself.”
5. Breakthrough with Monique
- His indie thriller The Reading, starring Monique, became the #1 film on BET+.
- This success led to his introduction to Tyler Perry and the overall deal.
6. Legacy & Motivation
- Glaudé is driven by creating a legacy for his daughter.
- He wants to build a self-sustaining empire she can inherit.
- “I don’t feel like I work. I’m creating stories from my head.”
7. Social Impact Storytelling
- Tackles topics like mental health, trauma, and dementia through compelling narratives.
- Upcoming feature film Old Gray Mare explores dementia in a thriller format.
8. Tyler Perry Studios Experience
- Described as a “Disneyland for creators” with 12 sound stages and versatile sets.
- Efficient production model with on-site housing, catering, and rapid turnaround.
- Studios are rented by major productions like Black Panther and Coming to America.
💬 Notable Quotes
- “Just because God told it to me doesn’t mean He told it to everybody else.”
- “If you believe it, I’m not dreaming big enough.”
- “Tyler Perry Studios is like boot camp for creators.”
- “I want my films to make people feel something.”
- “I’m the person they tone down.” (on his intense storytelling style)
#SHMS #STRAW #BEST
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, I'm Rashan McDonald host the weekly Money Making Conversation
Masterclass show. The interviews and information that this show provides
off for everyone. It's time to stop reading other people's
success stories and start living your own. If you want
to be a guest on my show, Money Making Conversation Masterclass,
please visit our website, Moneymaking Conversations dot com and click
(00:21):
to be a guest button. If you're a small business owner, entrepreneur,
motivational speaker, influencer, or nonprofit I want you on my show.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Now, let's get started.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
My guest is the writer, director, and producer for the
fourth season of Tyler Perry's Satima, premiering on BT Plus.
He's an award winning filmmaker, writer and director for My Own,
My Own Down Houston, Texas, renowned for his emotionally gripping
narratives the tackle complex social issues. Please welcome the Money
Making Conversations Masterclass. Courtney Glaude, How you doing, sir? Got
(00:55):
to see right now? G got to make Louisiana Louisa boy.
Louise had a boy. Tell me Louis I had a background.
You're in Houston, Texas. Tell me a little bit about yourself.
Are we get started, Claude.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
So, I was born in I was born in Houston,
but my grandmother from Louisiana.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
They moved.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
We're part of louis Ava lat Okay. Yeah, I tend yeah, absolutely.
So my family was raised and born in Lafayette. My
grandmother moved to Houston, So my mom and everybody was
born in Houston, and I've been raised in Houston.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Fifth Ward. I was born in fourth Forward.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
So no, no, no, it was just it's just it's
been the journey and just the cultures, you know, coming
together created this, okay, which.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Is really great.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
And congratulations on being a director, writer, producer for the
fourth season of Teamer which is on BT Plus. Now
this was always hurt. Tyler Perry writes all his content,
He directs all his content. He doesn't let anybody do anything.
And then I heard about you. Is this a rumor
or he's allowed other creative sources to come in and
(01:57):
produce and extend his projects.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Tell me about that.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
Yeah, he's absolutely opening up. He was building a foundation.
And I don't think Tyler was doing it because he
wanted to. I think he was doing it because he
had to. At that particular time, and then once you
get used to doing something, you're not like, you're gonna
keep doing it as long as you can. And now
his brand and his his reach is so big. Now
he's opening it up for other creators like myself to
(02:21):
come in.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
And take that torch and move it forward.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
Right now, I have uh he's leanned over Tatima, his
show Sisters and also the show Ruthless. So we were
over there running on top of coming and supporting the
projects that I'm doing over there.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Okay, let's go to the team. Yeah, okay, now it's
a teama. And one thing I noticed right out the
lead is full fit. Now let's go to stereotypes. I
did Monique and I one of the the Monique sitcom,
and I know you did some work with Monique as well.
That really was your breakthrough project. But Monique, I really
loved doing that show because the first time where black
(03:02):
women who were full figured weren't made and they were
about they looked good, they felt good, they dressed good.
You know, it really was a pro positive for overweight women.
And so I've always had that. I grew up with
six sisters, so always been a person who felt offended
when women who were full figured got stereotyped. They were
(03:25):
the butt of the jokes or they was always ride
with their attractive check and they got they looked over.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
There they was with nobody.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
And when I saw this series, which is, like you said,
going into the fourth seasons, I was really impressed that
they chose that direction because I believe it's been successful.
This is just my thought because of the lead being
full figured, your thoughts crystal itself.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
You know, in spite of what the figure like, she's
a very relatable person. She is a magnet of people
her personality. She has a show called Keep It Positive like,
so she is a light to every room. So I
believe I don't even think that was the initial top
thought of Taler. I think that he saw the talent
in her and there driving her, and he wanted to
(04:08):
he wanted to push forward in general with that because
of how talented she genuinely was from the beginning. And
I don't even think people haven't even really seen how
talented she is. But again, I think those stereotypes are
something that's that's dead at this point. And what am
I t wasn't Queen Latifa on Living single right, What.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Was you talking about mind, I'm talking about ninety nine. Okay, Okay.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
When I was I was writing, directing, doing sitcoms, and
and the butt of the jokes were she came from
a comedic background. Monique yeah, Monique yeah, and so and
so that was the whole thing. I used to always
fight for jokes that I felt we were tied to
her weight because I thought it wasn't fair. That's that's
the easy way out. That's right to her strip, which
(04:54):
is a talent that successful articuling and smart black woman.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
And so when I look at a team, tell my
my audience, what is the show and what excites you
about the show.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
So the show is about a character named Zach and
his girlfriend named Satima.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
I know, Fatima, Fatima Zach for lack of a better words,
is uh.
Speaker 4 (05:20):
Yeah, yeah, a little bit out of it, a little
bit out of that, but yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah he is.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
He's a little crash out, but but he loves it.
He loves this girl. So it's it's about Fatima and
Zach and they just collabored the name with Zatima for
for the show's sake. But it's about their relationship and
their hardships that come out and the things that they
deal with within their relationship. And it's so relatable because
it actually tackles real problems that go on within a relationship.
(05:51):
But it showed how strong a relationship can be and
go that that third line of what love looks like
nowaday and age and it just really I think it's
relatable to a lot of people.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Can let me ask you you this is a romantic show.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
It's is seriously about Zach, who is a little a
little he's very funny, but it very talented comedy character
as a team of kind.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Of like is that that's that? That that rock of Gibraltar?
Speaker 1 (06:15):
You know, she's everything steady because you can't have too
crazy people, for sure, otherwise it's not relatable. Hues the
sincerity of the series because this is all about you know,
because we all.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
Have a Zach and our family for sure for sure.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
And that's what it is, okay, And we always say,
how does that guy get a woman?
Speaker 2 (06:33):
How does he work well? Because he has her in
his life a little it keeps it focused.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
Talk about your background that Tyler Perry has given you
the tools to the car to be the writer, director,
producer of the fourth seasons.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Talk to me.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
Well, the one thing that he does is Tyler equips
you with like so when Tyler brought me in, he'll
throw you in the fire like, hey, you like the team,
get in there, show go ahead. But he also gives
you the two said. He teaches you about how does
he shoot at his speed? He Tyler is the type
of creator that shoots for the edit. So he he
actually told me, hey, here are all the tools that
(07:10):
you need. Now I'm gonna put you in a position
and he walks you through that process like he didn't.
It wasn't just like oh, day one, it's time to go.
He actually it's like Tyler Pierce Studios is like the
boot camp for creators. He gives you the ground and
it's the sandbox. But you just got to play with
the tooths that he gather and you got to learn
what what what to use and those nature.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Okay, let mesku you this cording.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
So Tyler Perry got One of my clients is Sherri Shepard. Yeah,
and she says, Tyler is the Queen of King, the
Queen I apologize the King of one. Take yes, yes,
say I got it. Let's go, Let's go let's go.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, you the king of one tape.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
No, No, I haven't learned that trick.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
Yeah yeah, I haven't learned that one. Yeah, that's his trick.
I haven't learned that trick.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
Yeah, I know he wants me to because that trick
save a lot of money.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Right right.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
I ain't learned that trick. I just told him that
the other day, like I ain't quite learned that.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
About two three of my me so so talk about
a producer and how Tyler Perry is producing things at
a very high level.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
Absolutely, and how you said a shot, I have learned
that trick. Isn't that so much a trick? It comes
from experience, Yes, And.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
I love little confidence that I got the shot.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
And I know from a stand point of being a
writer and a producer is visually seeing the moment and
then being able to capture that m walk us through
the steps of how you set up a scene. That's
a director because you've carried a lot of hats. You
produce it, you write, and you direct it. Walkers through
the steps.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
So for me, when I'm writing, it's a blessing to
be a writer producer because when I'm writing, I know
the shot already because I'm telling the story already in
my head. It's just really that the other part is
figuring out if the room that you're actually going to
end up in has the things that you need in
that room to get whatever shot. Because just because you
(09:03):
thought you was gonna blow a car up don't mean
you're gonna get the budget to blow no car up.
So then you got to get creative to figure out
what's generally next. The figuring out the shot is really,
realistically like the easiest part of it. But when you
don't have the ability or you don't have the things
in that room that you need, that's when the creativity
comes in to start creating a moment with the things
(09:24):
that you have on their palette at that point.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Right, I'm talking to coordinate Claude Yes four season, the
writer for season he's proud of that fact being brought
on board. Yes. In the Tyler Perry.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
Empire University, you have a deal overall this Yes what tomorrow?
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Audience? What does that mean? To have the words overall
deal don't mean?
Speaker 3 (09:45):
What it means is Tyler has saw something in me
to say, Hey, I'm gonna pay for all your projects
whatever project you want to do. I'm going to fund
the project and then we're gonna take it out to
streaming and go sell it to a dream or whether
it's Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, bet.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
Plus all of that.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
So he found something in me to say, hey, I
believe in you so much, I'll put the money behind you,
which is really really rare, and it's the first time
he's done it, you know what.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
I'm so, it's a blessing to me.
Speaker 3 (10:13):
It coming thank you to come in this position, to
be a to have somebody with that experience that has
been doing it for so long to see something in
me to start off the next generation of these filmmakers
that he wants to be behind.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
Okay, so that's an overall deal, yep. I'm just you
don't have to answer. Now, Can you do other project
outside of the overall deal when you have that overall deal?
Speaker 3 (10:33):
No, not unless you talk to the studio behind.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
It's a lot of money going over.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Ma man just said he made millionaires the last year,
right right with like contested that I might be one
of them. And I'm not denine or agreeing. I'm just
now it's it's one of those things. It's a commitment.
If he's going to commit to putting up the money,
just commit to the overall deal for a certain amount
of time and then you already But that's the goal
to get the money behind your project.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
According to go Richard Brown, the party, Yeah, don't mess
with my money.
Speaker 5 (11:08):
I'm happy with Dasy.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
You know Houston, Texas. I wanted to raise there. And
when you start these dreams, I'm a lot older than you.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
And I started out. I left I be in to
be a stand up comic and my family. First of all,
I have a degree in mathematics, and so my whole
family and everybody.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
Who knew me when uh how what uh?
Speaker 1 (11:33):
That doesn't seem possible talk to us about because we're
all because I always talking about people that are people
doing jobs that they don't want to do, but they're
afraid to make a commitment to pursue their dreams. And
when you're saying this is a dream, and it's a
dream that very few people achieve, because we're talking about
the overall deal with the most powerful black producer and
(11:56):
creative creator of content in Hollywood. Yeah, so let's talk
about that journey in the early years when you wanted
to have this dream and other people looked at you
kind of like really.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
So the thing.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
That I've always had is I've had an an amazing
relationship with God, and I've always said, just because God
told it to me, he might not tell us to
everybody else. So I've always stood on I'm going to
do what God wants me to do. If God gave
me this vision, I'm going to make sure I do
my best at achieving that vision. So I've never been
(12:31):
I've also had an understanding that everybody doesn't have the
entrepreneur mind. You have some people that need the nine
to five structure mind, and I don't blame or have
I'm not offended that you can't see it. And I've
also had this start process to where if you believe it,
(12:51):
I'm not dreaming big enough. So if I tell you
something and you can believe that it can happen immediately,
I need to increase what I'm dreaming for because it
should be unbelievable. In Houston, there aren't opportunities for us,
so you have to go out and make it. I've
always been my goal is always be grateful to where
I am. If I'm always grateful to where I am
(13:12):
God will always provide the next step.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
I've also, I've always lived in this moment.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
So when I say yes, I've had I've had the
thoughts of working with Tyler a long time ago. But
if I don't, then I'm grateful for the position and
the stories that God is allowing me to tell. Right now,
this is where He won't me. So now I'm not
looking at that over there. I'm looking at that next step.
And honestly, me looking at that next step helped me
(13:39):
get there faster because I'm able to choose whatever that
next step is faster versus looking over there, and then
I trip on something right here because I'm not looking
at what's in front of me.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
Which is really important. But there's also the naysayer, Yeah
they were out there, you know more really the really
people you know, because I had to give us your
educational background and then your.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
How did you did you intern?
Speaker 1 (14:06):
Did you the mentorship that got you to this there
because a lot of people want to be sitting in
this interview right now, but you sitting in this interview
and talk to us.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
That is wow.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
I don't really have conversation with people about where I'm going.
That's a conversation between me and God. Honestly, so I
never really had the naysayers because I was already doing
it by the time you saw it. I don't have
to have that conversation to ask your opinion about something
you've never done. So for me, I didn't go to
college for this. After I graduated high school, I didn't
(14:40):
know storytelling and all of that was really a job.
I knew about filmmaking, but not that. So coming up
in Houston, I would always write stories, figured out how
to write scripts, and then honestly, it went from that
point on to where every time I found out what
I needed next, I went to There was this guy
named boom Town. He used to do music videos in Houston.
(15:03):
I went sat and watched him direct for all the
while I'm like, oh, that's what the director does. Oh
y'all just telling them, Oh yeah, let me learn how
to do that for my scripts. Then you learn how
to do that, then you figure out, oh no, you
need a producer. Okay, So the producer is a person
that just put everything together. Let me go network and
talk to everybody and find the means to get what
(15:24):
I need. So everything that I've done, I've never did
internships or anything. It was really googling, reading books and
figuring out how to get it. And there's one thing
I always say, you're from Houston, you have a hustle mentality.
The hustle is what got me far because I was
the person that would never let somebody tell me no.
(15:45):
I was just like, oh, it's just not for you,
So let me go figure.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Out how to do it myself.
Speaker 3 (15:49):
And then you eventually just keep taking those steps up
so now people know that you do this.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
Now the phone calls start for you to do that,
at least in Houston.
Speaker 3 (15:58):
Then when you go from Houston, then it grows and
now you're known in Texas, and then all of the
things just come. It keeps a it's a ripple effect
after that point.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
That's the beauty of success for sure, and the reality
of the pressure of keeping it up.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
Please don't go anywhere.
Speaker 6 (16:15):
We'll be right back with more Money Making Conversations master Class.
Welcome back to Money Making Conversation master Class with me
Rashaun McDonald.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
A lot of people because you're an entrepreneur, you know,
let's say it as it is. That means that when
I say the word entrepreneur, that means that he's not
tied to a consistent forty hour week check. And he
has an overall deal here now, but he has to
work that overall deal to make sure he's delivering content
to keep that overall deal because that could be taken
away for sure.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
And so so that means he's an entrepreneur.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
And so because he's an entrepreneur, that means that that's
a certain mindset. You have to wake up every day
what according to what is that mindset? You wake up
every day knowing you have an opportunity to direct the
four season as a team, but which is going to
be airing on BT plus?
Speaker 2 (17:03):
What drives you? I have a daughter, so I don't.
I don't.
Speaker 3 (17:08):
I can be okay, she won't and even with I
have to do as much as I possibly can because
maybe she doesn't know how to run a film business.
So I have to create a legacy so big that
it doesn't it runs by itself. She can just live
life comfortably. And I don't know what that mark is.
And honestly, I love it, like living being in your
(17:30):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
So I don't. I don't feel like I work. I'm enjoying.
Speaker 3 (17:35):
I'm writing like stories like I'm creating whatever I want
out my head putting it on paper, so it doesn't
feel like work. So every day I'm excited to get
up to go because and then I know God has
a purpose for me in it. It's not it ain't
rocket science for me.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
Now in this in your introduction, as I read the
ward winding filmmaker, writer and director from our home down Houston, Texas.
Renowned for it's emotionally for your emostally gripping narratives to
tackle complex social issue, break that down.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
To me and my listeners.
Speaker 3 (18:10):
Okay, So we just did a short film that will
now be turned into a feature film at the top
of the year called Old Gray Mayre. Old Gray Mayor
is a short thirty minute film that we just went
on a film festival run. We went to Martha's Vineyard
and ABFF, the Atlanta Film Festival, and that topic is
(18:31):
about dementia. So the bottom line of it is about dementia,
but in my style of shooting, and I shoot in
the style of like thrillers, So you're it feels like
you're watching a horror movie or like a thriller, but
you're not. You're this is about dementia. It just feels
like that, and those are the topics I like to tackle.
(18:51):
I think mental health in our community is really buried
and we don't talk about it enough. So I just
honestly just use the stories that I tell to have
an underlying dynamic of something that we as a culture
probably need to talk about. But I feel it in
an entertaining way.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
Entertainment is the key, absolutely so when I when I
look at because I don't want to get so deep
in this interview that we forget why you shitting on
this show? Sure you sitting on this show to talk
about the fourth season of A Team? Okay again, this
was a production that was started by Tyler Pett for sure,
tell us about the teama.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
What you bring it to the table?
Speaker 1 (19:29):
Yeah, and we know it's already on their is premiered, Yes,
BT Plus talk to us.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
So what I'm bringing to the Tyler already created a blueprint.
Let me not take let me not the blueprint was
there he already came to That's his show.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
I just want to his shop.
Speaker 3 (19:45):
He created this, But I definitely take it on a
totally different roller coaster ride.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
It says a lot of.
Speaker 3 (19:51):
Ups and downs, that comes this season, and even that's
possibly coming in the future. And that's the greatest thing
about the team. And he has built this machine that
the characters are already, even the cast. I don't have
to go on this show and direct. They know the
characters already. Sometimes they have to correct me, like, ah,
(20:12):
Zach wouldn't say that, he would say this, like, oh,
that's true, there's a team. I mean, Fatima wouldn't say this,
And it's so it's a dance between us. But it's
definitely a show that shows you might.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
Things like that.
Speaker 3 (20:28):
And also like, you know, the team is I think
based in Atlanta when I'm from Houston, so I'm playing
it is different. I might write it and they'd be like, hey,
we don't, we don't use it.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
We don't know what that means, you know.
Speaker 3 (20:42):
So that's it's always fun to go back and forth
with them. But he's just created something that's so solid.
It's honestly just taking the pieces and putting it on
a different board and just playing the same type of
game with them. It's just that I'm a very thriller,
heart trenching kind of director, and right, so it's a
lot of things that I don't think the audience is
(21:03):
used to but I definitely think that they'll enjoy it.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
Let's talk about how the process works, because it's great
to having a guy with as many hats as you have. Courtney.
How many episodes did you take that?
Speaker 2 (21:16):
All right?
Speaker 1 (21:16):
No, no, for this particular twenty twenty twenty? How does
that work? Do you do an outline of all of them?
Do you do a storyboard walk us through the steps?
You have twenty episodes? Do you present that Tyler Perry?
How does that work with this? Tyler trusted me?
Speaker 3 (21:34):
So he was like he called me and literally was
like you like jam I was like yeah, yeah, I
like he was like alrighty, sures go ahead, So like right.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
Now, okay, yeah, what did you say to yourself?
Speaker 2 (21:48):
Because I love it? Now that's that's a big moment.
I got it, But you didn't really get it. No,
I didn't want to do it.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
First, was like and I had never done TV, so
I'm like, hello, but dis Courtney, you called Maybe he
called the wrong maybe he dont the wrong number, and
I'm like hello. So then he when he got I
was like all right cool. So then my first thing
was I went back and watched the episodes to see
how it's formatted and see how it's done. Then I
(22:19):
definitely do an outline that goes to the producers because
they also there's a team of people that know this
story even still better than I do, because they've been
there from the beginning, so they know what Tyler's intent.
Tyler ain't fit to sit on the phone with me
for two hours talking.
Speaker 2 (22:34):
He's not fit to do that. Yea, I'm gonna get
five minutes, and that's the movement. I'm gonna get five minutes.
Speaker 3 (22:41):
So I talked back and forth with the production team,
and I also get approval from some things, like some
things I think I'm taking it too far. I'll be like,
what's your thing about this? And then he'll let me
know his thoughts on all of that. But then yet
absolutely you come up with a skeleton of what the
season is gonna be, and then you got to take
keep in mind what is each character are going to do.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
It is a.
Speaker 3 (23:02):
Twenty episode season, so you need to have something big
around episode ten because that carries everybody to twenty and
it's just you create these pivotal points for each character.
Now every episode, the same character doesn't have to have
this cliffhanger, but you have so many characters that he's
built you can kind of sprinkle who's dealing with what
(23:22):
within those and then honestly you start, you know, writing
it one by one.
Speaker 1 (23:27):
Well, I'm gonna tell you, I'm a fan of Tyler Perry.
Nothing can get more crazy than the Oval.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
The Oval is like lord and throw your hands up.
You want to bet that.
Speaker 3 (23:47):
I don't know if you want to put no money
lunch for the team to bet that.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
I love it.
Speaker 3 (23:54):
I love we will see he does. He has take it.
I'm the person that they toned down.
Speaker 2 (24:00):
I love it.
Speaker 3 (24:01):
I have set tylers and stuff to make him be
like what.
Speaker 1 (24:05):
No, No, let's talk about the compound.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
Okay. I go to the airport. I see Tyler Perry's studio. Yes, exit,
that's our biggest guy in Atlanta. Uh, describe to us.
I've never been.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
On the compound, Okay, so your description to me of
what it is is going to be new to me.
But I know when COVID was happening here. He was
one of the first production companies to turn around Pride
for sure. And he does it really fast. I mean
he does a b a c shifts. You know, the
actors can come in, they be a project. It might
take six weeks, might take a week. With the way
(24:41):
he does that, how does it work? And describe to
us the compound of what Tyler Perrys studios looks like
and the experience.
Speaker 3 (24:49):
So Tyler think of Disneyland for creators. That's honestly how
big it is and what's interesting about the It's probably
not where the actual studio sits. There's the studio probably
sits on a third of what's actually how much land
he actually has, and it's just continuing to build for
(25:12):
other creators. But it's like a Disneyland for creators. There's
every turn in every corner you turn, there is somewhere
to be productive. Back he has twelve studios that get
rented out by Marvel. I think they shot some of
Black Panther there. They shot some of Coming to America there,
(25:33):
I believe, So it's it's one of those.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
Believe I think they were this Will Smith over there,
but I wasn't. Yeah, what's that Bad Boys that they
that was over there?
Speaker 3 (25:44):
Yes, I think it was around the same time coming
to America with filming, But they come and rent out
the studio, so then you have that portion, and then
you have his legacy portion, which is Maxineville, which is
where the media house is and there's a teams and
the things, so it's all it's like a it's like
a fairy land for filmmakers to where every corner there
(26:04):
is something else that you could be shooting. There's this
really cool spot that he has. It's a mansion, but
it's so each side of the hot on the lot,
there's a mansion with four different entrances, so every side
of the mansion looks like a totally different place. So
there's no back door, it's another entrance, another entrance. That's
(26:26):
so efficient because I can shoot in four different locations
in the matter of one like house, you know. So
that's how he thinks, and that's basically the compound is
where you can be really really it's a place to
be efficient, you know what I mean, it's it, but
it's it's incredible.
Speaker 2 (26:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:47):
Now I'm not gonna understand it because to my understanding,
there are sleeping corners there, yep. To understanding catering, yep,
it's fully twenty four hour foods available there.
Speaker 2 (26:59):
Talk about that experience.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
Yeah, it's a it's it's there for the creators. He
has everything that you need and honestly, he makes sure
that you're taking up and then the historic district. He's
taking care of the historic district. I don't think that
he can change the historic I'm not sure how that is,
but yeah, it's.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
A word that he is trying to build.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
Kind of like if you've ever been to Tourist Park in Atlanta,
you know, restaurants and all. Like you said, you use
the word Disney as an example. Yes, Like, as I've
been fortunate, I worked on Paramount Warner Brother lots and
you are driving these lots and you see homes, You'll
see streams that you'll see like you know, just like
blocks and it's like, okay, you can shoot on these
(27:39):
blocks and it looks like you're on a city street.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
Are you in New York right? Or in Paris?
Speaker 3 (27:44):
Right? That's all of those things to where he has
all the environments that you could possibly think of in
walking distance.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
Okay, now let me ask you this because I know
I want to definitely give credit about when you work
with Monique, which was the which was the moment in
your career.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
Here they really put you on the map? Correct about that?
So that was my first project.
Speaker 3 (28:06):
It was an indie film, but Monique blessed me to
be a part of the project and it came out
on BT Plus and it was the number one film
on BT Plus and I actually think it still is
as of right now. I don't think it's done numbers
like I think it's The project was. It was called
movie called The Reading starring Monique. It was a thriller
(28:27):
and it Yeah, I think it came out like a
two years ago and it's still killing the streaming side.
So it did good. It honestly launched me off to
be introduced to Tyler in their nature because it was
on the streaming platform.
Speaker 2 (28:43):
And yeah, we've been rocking ever since.
Speaker 1 (28:45):
That that that's that's that's the when I look at
you as a young town and I look at the
creative and you got at energy about you. Energy I
believe I was you float? You float in the room.
Your goals and what's your future? What are you trying
to do in this business?
Speaker 3 (29:02):
I honestly want to tell the stories that make people
talk after like.
Speaker 2 (29:07):
I don't, I don't.
Speaker 3 (29:08):
We want to get I want to get to those
when I first saw Boys in the Hood. I think
me and my mom talked about that, like all the
way home. I like those stories.
Speaker 5 (29:16):
I think movies, so I.
Speaker 3 (29:27):
Want to I'm in this industry. I just want to
do compelling things. And I mean that word specifically because
I want people. I want my films to make people
feel something. Again, I think we've got into the mold
to where people are trying to make people laugh, trying
to make people scared, but not make people feel anything anymore.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
I like that.
Speaker 3 (29:46):
I want people to feel something, as if they feel
personally attached to the story that's being told. That's my
goal as a storyteller.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
And you're from Houston, Texas.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
Yes, you know we talked about the journey and the skepticism.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
What is it now? My brother, oh you know, he
said love.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
You ain't o you ain't always love everywhere you go.
That in Houston is growing. So even this project I'm doing,
I'm shooting my first feature off of my overall deal
this October and so I'm taking it.
Speaker 2 (30:20):
Back to Houston. Congratulations.
Speaker 3 (30:22):
You know that we just got the Texas got the
film incentives.
Speaker 2 (30:26):
From fifty million to three hundred million.
Speaker 1 (30:28):
Yes, he's talking about which is inviting movie projects, and
I just Enchorge your own now going to Texas as well.
I think they changed that same in the California. A
lot of the studios are now going back to California,
and George is being impacted by that. But the impact
of what you making is an industry cannot be denied.
Speaker 2 (30:49):
My brother, Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
You got the like you said earlier, you got the
thirty minute project which tied to Dementia, that's going to
become a full lengthyvie feature.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
That you're going to start production in January.
Speaker 3 (31:00):
That's the one that'll probably be next summer. But the
one that we're doing, I have one before that.
Speaker 2 (31:07):
Yeah, that's the one that's going. Okay, casting, how did
you handle casting?
Speaker 3 (31:11):
So I have a casting director, Clive Davis, and we
go through casting directors. But a lot of times, like
I'm still, I cast on my social media. Sometimes I
will post social media it is my name.
Speaker 2 (31:26):
Courtney glauda everywhere that keep it simple, not Courtney dot dynamic,
the name Courtney Glad.
Speaker 3 (31:35):
But I go through. I post a lot of my
auditions because I don't think Houston is also used to
seeing it. So I just make sure that I get
the word out that way. But even through the studio,
we cast through like the normal sight.
Speaker 1 (31:47):
For another title casting director, you know, picking my own people,
my man. Fourth season of A Team Yes is a
right now, twenty episodes.
Speaker 2 (31:57):
You put your stamp on it.
Speaker 1 (31:59):
Overall deal, Tyler Peri Steels. Thank you for coming on
money Making Conversations master.
Speaker 2 (32:04):
Thank you, thank you, thank you for having me.
Speaker 6 (32:06):
This has been money Making Conversations Masterclass with me Rashaun McDonald.
Thanks to our guests and our audience. Visit Moneymakingconversations dot
com to listen or register to be a guest on
my show. Keep leading with your gifts, keep winning,
Hi, I'm Rashan McDonald host the weekly Money Making Conversation
Masterclass show. The interviews and information that this show provides
off for everyone. It's time to stop reading other people's
success stories and start living your own. If you want
to be a guest on my show, Money Making Conversation Masterclass,
please visit our website, Moneymaking Conversations dot com and click
(00:21):
to be a guest button. If you're a small business owner, entrepreneur,
motivational speaker, influencer, or nonprofit I want you on my show.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Now, let's get started.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
My guest is the writer, director, and producer for the
fourth season of Tyler Perry's Satima, premiering on BT Plus.
He's an award winning filmmaker, writer and director for My Own,
My Own Down Houston, Texas, renowned for his emotionally gripping
narratives the tackle complex social issues. Please welcome the Money
Making Conversations Masterclass. Courtney Glaude, How you doing, sir? Got
(00:55):
to see right now? G got to make Louisiana Louisa boy.
Louise had a boy. Tell me Louis I had a background.
You're in Houston, Texas. Tell me a little bit about yourself.
Are we get started, Claude.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
So, I was born in I was born in Houston,
but my grandmother from Louisiana.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
They moved.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
We're part of louis Ava lat Okay. Yeah, I tend yeah, absolutely.
So my family was raised and born in Lafayette. My
grandmother moved to Houston, So my mom and everybody was
born in Houston, and I've been raised in Houston.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Fifth Ward. I was born in fourth Forward.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
So no, no, no, it was just it's just it's
been the journey and just the cultures, you know, coming
together created this, okay, which.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Is really great.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
And congratulations on being a director, writer, producer for the
fourth season of Teamer which is on BT Plus. Now
this was always hurt. Tyler Perry writes all his content,
He directs all his content. He doesn't let anybody do anything.
And then I heard about you. Is this a rumor
or he's allowed other creative sources to come in and
(01:57):
produce and extend his projects.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Tell me about that.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
Yeah, he's absolutely opening up. He was building a foundation.
And I don't think Tyler was doing it because he
wanted to. I think he was doing it because he
had to. At that particular time, and then once you
get used to doing something, you're not like, you're gonna
keep doing it as long as you can. And now
his brand and his his reach is so big. Now
he's opening it up for other creators like myself to
(02:21):
come in.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
And take that torch and move it forward.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
Right now, I have uh he's leanned over Tatima, his
show Sisters and also the show Ruthless. So we were
over there running on top of coming and supporting the
projects that I'm doing over there.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Okay, let's go to the team. Yeah, okay, now it's
a teama. And one thing I noticed right out the
lead is full fit. Now let's go to stereotypes. I
did Monique and I one of the the Monique sitcom,
and I know you did some work with Monique as well.
That really was your breakthrough project. But Monique, I really
loved doing that show because the first time where black
(03:02):
women who were full figured weren't made and they were
about they looked good, they felt good, they dressed good.
You know, it really was a pro positive for overweight women.
And so I've always had that. I grew up with
six sisters, so always been a person who felt offended
when women who were full figured got stereotyped. They were
(03:25):
the butt of the jokes or they was always ride
with their attractive check and they got they looked over.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
There they was with nobody.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
And when I saw this series, which is, like you said,
going into the fourth seasons, I was really impressed that
they chose that direction because I believe it's been successful.
This is just my thought because of the lead being
full figured, your thoughts crystal itself.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
You know, in spite of what the figure like, she's
a very relatable person. She is a magnet of people
her personality. She has a show called Keep It Positive like,
so she is a light to every room. So I
believe I don't even think that was the initial top
thought of Taler. I think that he saw the talent
in her and there driving her, and he wanted to
(04:08):
he wanted to push forward in general with that because
of how talented she genuinely was from the beginning. And
I don't even think people haven't even really seen how
talented she is. But again, I think those stereotypes are
something that's that's dead at this point. And what am
I t wasn't Queen Latifa on Living single right, What.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Was you talking about mind, I'm talking about ninety nine. Okay, Okay.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
When I was I was writing, directing, doing sitcoms, and
and the butt of the jokes were she came from
a comedic background. Monique yeah, Monique yeah, and so and
so that was the whole thing. I used to always
fight for jokes that I felt we were tied to
her weight because I thought it wasn't fair. That's that's
the easy way out. That's right to her strip, which
(04:54):
is a talent that successful articuling and smart black woman.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
And so when I look at a team, tell my
my audience, what is the show and what excites you
about the show.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
So the show is about a character named Zach and
his girlfriend named Satima.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
I know, Fatima, Fatima Zach for lack of a better words,
is uh.
Speaker 4 (05:20):
Yeah, yeah, a little bit out of it, a little
bit out of that, but yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah he is.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
He's a little crash out, but but he loves it.
He loves this girl. So it's it's about Fatima and
Zach and they just collabored the name with Zatima for
for the show's sake. But it's about their relationship and
their hardships that come out and the things that they
deal with within their relationship. And it's so relatable because
it actually tackles real problems that go on within a relationship.
(05:51):
But it showed how strong a relationship can be and
go that that third line of what love looks like
nowaday and age and it just really I think it's
relatable to a lot of people.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Can let me ask you you this is a romantic show.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
It's is seriously about Zach, who is a little a
little he's very funny, but it very talented comedy character
as a team of kind.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Of like is that that's that? That that rock of Gibraltar?
Speaker 1 (06:15):
You know, she's everything steady because you can't have too
crazy people, for sure, otherwise it's not relatable. Hues the
sincerity of the series because this is all about you know,
because we all.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
Have a Zach and our family for sure for sure.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
And that's what it is, okay, And we always say,
how does that guy get a woman?
Speaker 2 (06:33):
How does he work well? Because he has her in
his life a little it keeps it focused.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
Talk about your background that Tyler Perry has given you
the tools to the car to be the writer, director,
producer of the fourth seasons.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Talk to me.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
Well, the one thing that he does is Tyler equips
you with like so when Tyler brought me in, he'll
throw you in the fire like, hey, you like the team,
get in there, show go ahead. But he also gives
you the two said. He teaches you about how does
he shoot at his speed? He Tyler is the type
of creator that shoots for the edit. So he he
actually told me, hey, here are all the tools that
(07:10):
you need. Now I'm gonna put you in a position
and he walks you through that process like he didn't.
It wasn't just like oh, day one, it's time to go.
He actually it's like Tyler Pierce Studios is like the
boot camp for creators. He gives you the ground and
it's the sandbox. But you just got to play with
the tooths that he gather and you got to learn
what what what to use and those nature.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Okay, let mesku you this cording.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
So Tyler Perry got One of my clients is Sherri Shepard. Yeah,
and she says, Tyler is the Queen of King, the
Queen I apologize the King of one. Take yes, yes,
say I got it. Let's go, Let's go let's go.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, you the king of one tape.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
No, No, I haven't learned that trick.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
Yeah yeah, I haven't learned that one. Yeah, that's his trick.
I haven't learned that trick.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
Yeah, I know he wants me to because that trick
save a lot of money.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Right right.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
I ain't learned that trick. I just told him that
the other day, like I ain't quite learned that.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
About two three of my me so so talk about
a producer and how Tyler Perry is producing things at
a very high level.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
Absolutely, and how you said a shot, I have learned
that trick. Isn't that so much a trick? It comes
from experience, Yes, And.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
I love little confidence that I got the shot.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
And I know from a stand point of being a
writer and a producer is visually seeing the moment and
then being able to capture that m walk us through
the steps of how you set up a scene. That's
a director because you've carried a lot of hats. You
produce it, you write, and you direct it. Walkers through
the steps.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
So for me, when I'm writing, it's a blessing to
be a writer producer because when I'm writing, I know
the shot already because I'm telling the story already in
my head. It's just really that the other part is
figuring out if the room that you're actually going to
end up in has the things that you need in
that room to get whatever shot. Because just because you
(09:03):
thought you was gonna blow a car up don't mean
you're gonna get the budget to blow no car up.
So then you got to get creative to figure out
what's generally next. The figuring out the shot is really,
realistically like the easiest part of it. But when you
don't have the ability or you don't have the things
in that room that you need, that's when the creativity
comes in to start creating a moment with the things
(09:24):
that you have on their palette at that point.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Right, I'm talking to coordinate Claude Yes four season, the
writer for season he's proud of that fact being brought
on board. Yes. In the Tyler Perry.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
Empire University, you have a deal overall this Yes what tomorrow?
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Audience? What does that mean? To have the words overall
deal don't mean?
Speaker 3 (09:45):
What it means is Tyler has saw something in me
to say, Hey, I'm gonna pay for all your projects
whatever project you want to do. I'm going to fund
the project and then we're gonna take it out to
streaming and go sell it to a dream or whether
it's Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, bet.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
Plus all of that.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
So he found something in me to say, hey, I
believe in you so much, I'll put the money behind you,
which is really really rare, and it's the first time
he's done it, you know what.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
I'm so, it's a blessing to me.
Speaker 3 (10:13):
It coming thank you to come in this position, to
be a to have somebody with that experience that has
been doing it for so long to see something in
me to start off the next generation of these filmmakers
that he wants to be behind.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
Okay, so that's an overall deal, yep. I'm just you
don't have to answer. Now, Can you do other project
outside of the overall deal when you have that overall deal?
Speaker 3 (10:33):
No, not unless you talk to the studio behind.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
It's a lot of money going over.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Ma man just said he made millionaires the last year,
right right with like contested that I might be one
of them. And I'm not denine or agreeing. I'm just
now it's it's one of those things. It's a commitment.
If he's going to commit to putting up the money,
just commit to the overall deal for a certain amount
of time and then you already But that's the goal
to get the money behind your project.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
According to go Richard Brown, the party, Yeah, don't mess
with my money.
Speaker 5 (11:08):
I'm happy with Dasy.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
You know Houston, Texas. I wanted to raise there. And
when you start these dreams, I'm a lot older than you.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
And I started out. I left I be in to
be a stand up comic and my family. First of all,
I have a degree in mathematics, and so my whole
family and everybody.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
Who knew me when uh how what uh?
Speaker 1 (11:33):
That doesn't seem possible talk to us about because we're
all because I always talking about people that are people
doing jobs that they don't want to do, but they're
afraid to make a commitment to pursue their dreams. And
when you're saying this is a dream, and it's a
dream that very few people achieve, because we're talking about
the overall deal with the most powerful black producer and
(11:56):
creative creator of content in Hollywood. Yeah, so let's talk
about that journey in the early years when you wanted
to have this dream and other people looked at you
kind of like really.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
So the thing.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
That I've always had is I've had an an amazing
relationship with God, and I've always said, just because God
told it to me, he might not tell us to
everybody else. So I've always stood on I'm going to
do what God wants me to do. If God gave
me this vision, I'm going to make sure I do
my best at achieving that vision. So I've never been
(12:31):
I've also had an understanding that everybody doesn't have the
entrepreneur mind. You have some people that need the nine
to five structure mind, and I don't blame or have
I'm not offended that you can't see it. And I've
also had this start process to where if you believe it,
(12:51):
I'm not dreaming big enough. So if I tell you
something and you can believe that it can happen immediately,
I need to increase what I'm dreaming for because it
should be unbelievable. In Houston, there aren't opportunities for us,
so you have to go out and make it. I've
always been my goal is always be grateful to where
I am. If I'm always grateful to where I am
(13:12):
God will always provide the next step.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
I've also, I've always lived in this moment.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
So when I say yes, I've had I've had the
thoughts of working with Tyler a long time ago. But
if I don't, then I'm grateful for the position and
the stories that God is allowing me to tell. Right now,
this is where He won't me. So now I'm not
looking at that over there. I'm looking at that next step.
And honestly, me looking at that next step helped me
(13:39):
get there faster because I'm able to choose whatever that
next step is faster versus looking over there, and then
I trip on something right here because I'm not looking
at what's in front of me.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
Which is really important. But there's also the naysayer, Yeah
they were out there, you know more really the really
people you know, because I had to give us your
educational background and then your.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
How did you did you intern?
Speaker 1 (14:06):
Did you the mentorship that got you to this there
because a lot of people want to be sitting in
this interview right now, but you sitting in this interview
and talk to us.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
That is wow.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
I don't really have conversation with people about where I'm going.
That's a conversation between me and God. Honestly, so I
never really had the naysayers because I was already doing
it by the time you saw it. I don't have
to have that conversation to ask your opinion about something
you've never done. So for me, I didn't go to
college for this. After I graduated high school, I didn't
(14:40):
know storytelling and all of that was really a job.
I knew about filmmaking, but not that. So coming up
in Houston, I would always write stories, figured out how
to write scripts, and then honestly, it went from that
point on to where every time I found out what
I needed next, I went to There was this guy
named boom Town. He used to do music videos in Houston.
(15:03):
I went sat and watched him direct for all the
while I'm like, oh, that's what the director does. Oh
y'all just telling them, Oh yeah, let me learn how
to do that for my scripts. Then you learn how
to do that, then you figure out, oh no, you
need a producer. Okay, So the producer is a person
that just put everything together. Let me go network and
talk to everybody and find the means to get what
(15:24):
I need. So everything that I've done, I've never did
internships or anything. It was really googling, reading books and
figuring out how to get it. And there's one thing
I always say, you're from Houston, you have a hustle mentality.
The hustle is what got me far because I was
the person that would never let somebody tell me no.
(15:45):
I was just like, oh, it's just not for you,
So let me go figure.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Out how to do it myself.
Speaker 3 (15:49):
And then you eventually just keep taking those steps up
so now people know that you do this.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
Now the phone calls start for you to do that,
at least in Houston.
Speaker 3 (15:58):
Then when you go from Houston, then it grows and
now you're known in Texas, and then all of the
things just come. It keeps a it's a ripple effect
after that point.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
That's the beauty of success for sure, and the reality
of the pressure of keeping it up.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
Please don't go anywhere.
Speaker 6 (16:15):
We'll be right back with more Money Making Conversations master Class.
Welcome back to Money Making Conversation master Class with me
Rashaun McDonald.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
A lot of people because you're an entrepreneur, you know,
let's say it as it is. That means that when
I say the word entrepreneur, that means that he's not
tied to a consistent forty hour week check. And he
has an overall deal here now, but he has to
work that overall deal to make sure he's delivering content
to keep that overall deal because that could be taken
away for sure.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
And so so that means he's an entrepreneur.
Speaker 1 (16:49):
And so because he's an entrepreneur, that means that that's
a certain mindset. You have to wake up every day
what according to what is that mindset? You wake up
every day knowing you have an opportunity to direct the
four season as a team, but which is going to
be airing on BT plus?
Speaker 2 (17:03):
What drives you? I have a daughter, so I don't.
I don't.
Speaker 3 (17:08):
I can be okay, she won't and even with I
have to do as much as I possibly can because
maybe she doesn't know how to run a film business.
So I have to create a legacy so big that
it doesn't it runs by itself. She can just live
life comfortably. And I don't know what that mark is.
And honestly, I love it, like living being in your
(17:30):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
So I don't. I don't feel like I work. I'm enjoying.
Speaker 3 (17:35):
I'm writing like stories like I'm creating whatever I want
out my head putting it on paper, so it doesn't
feel like work. So every day I'm excited to get
up to go because and then I know God has
a purpose for me in it. It's not it ain't
rocket science for me.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
Now in this in your introduction, as I read the
ward winding filmmaker, writer and director from our home down Houston, Texas.
Renowned for it's emotionally for your emostally gripping narratives to
tackle complex social issue, break that down.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
To me and my listeners.
Speaker 3 (18:10):
Okay, So we just did a short film that will
now be turned into a feature film at the top
of the year called Old Gray Mayre. Old Gray Mayor
is a short thirty minute film that we just went
on a film festival run. We went to Martha's Vineyard
and ABFF, the Atlanta Film Festival, and that topic is
(18:31):
about dementia. So the bottom line of it is about dementia,
but in my style of shooting, and I shoot in
the style of like thrillers, So you're it feels like
you're watching a horror movie or like a thriller, but
you're not. You're this is about dementia. It just feels
like that, and those are the topics I like to tackle.
(18:51):
I think mental health in our community is really buried
and we don't talk about it enough. So I just
honestly just use the stories that I tell to have
an underlying dynamic of something that we as a culture
probably need to talk about. But I feel it in
an entertaining way.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
Entertainment is the key, absolutely so when I when I
look at because I don't want to get so deep
in this interview that we forget why you shitting on
this show? Sure you sitting on this show to talk
about the fourth season of A Team? Okay again, this
was a production that was started by Tyler Pett for sure,
tell us about the teama.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
What you bring it to the table?
Speaker 1 (19:29):
Yeah, and we know it's already on their is premiered, Yes,
BT Plus talk to us.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
So what I'm bringing to the Tyler already created a blueprint.
Let me not take let me not the blueprint was
there he already came to That's his show.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
I just want to his shop.
Speaker 3 (19:45):
He created this, But I definitely take it on a
totally different roller coaster ride.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
It says a lot of.
Speaker 3 (19:51):
Ups and downs, that comes this season, and even that's
possibly coming in the future. And that's the greatest thing
about the team. And he has built this machine that
the characters are already, even the cast. I don't have
to go on this show and direct. They know the
characters already. Sometimes they have to correct me, like, ah,
(20:12):
Zach wouldn't say that, he would say this, like, oh,
that's true, there's a team. I mean, Fatima wouldn't say this,
And it's so it's a dance between us. But it's
definitely a show that shows you might.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
Things like that.
Speaker 3 (20:28):
And also like, you know, the team is I think
based in Atlanta when I'm from Houston, so I'm playing
it is different. I might write it and they'd be like, hey,
we don't, we don't use it.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
We don't know what that means, you know.
Speaker 3 (20:42):
So that's it's always fun to go back and forth
with them. But he's just created something that's so solid.
It's honestly just taking the pieces and putting it on
a different board and just playing the same type of
game with them. It's just that I'm a very thriller,
heart trenching kind of director, and right, so it's a
lot of things that I don't think the audience is
(21:03):
used to but I definitely think that they'll enjoy it.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
Let's talk about how the process works, because it's great
to having a guy with as many hats as you have. Courtney.
How many episodes did you take that?
Speaker 2 (21:16):
All right?
Speaker 1 (21:16):
No, no, for this particular twenty twenty twenty? How does
that work? Do you do an outline of all of them?
Do you do a storyboard walk us through the steps?
You have twenty episodes? Do you present that Tyler Perry?
How does that work with this? Tyler trusted me?
Speaker 3 (21:34):
So he was like he called me and literally was
like you like jam I was like yeah, yeah, I
like he was like alrighty, sures go ahead, So like right.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
Now, okay, yeah, what did you say to yourself?
Speaker 2 (21:48):
Because I love it? Now that's that's a big moment.
I got it, But you didn't really get it. No,
I didn't want to do it.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
First, was like and I had never done TV, so
I'm like, hello, but dis Courtney, you called Maybe he
called the wrong maybe he dont the wrong number, and
I'm like hello. So then he when he got I
was like all right cool. So then my first thing
was I went back and watched the episodes to see
how it's formatted and see how it's done. Then I
(22:19):
definitely do an outline that goes to the producers because
they also there's a team of people that know this
story even still better than I do, because they've been
there from the beginning, so they know what Tyler's intent.
Tyler ain't fit to sit on the phone with me
for two hours talking.
Speaker 2 (22:34):
He's not fit to do that. Yea, I'm gonna get
five minutes, and that's the movement. I'm gonna get five minutes.
Speaker 3 (22:41):
So I talked back and forth with the production team,
and I also get approval from some things, like some
things I think I'm taking it too far. I'll be like,
what's your thing about this? And then he'll let me
know his thoughts on all of that. But then yet
absolutely you come up with a skeleton of what the
season is gonna be, and then you got to take
keep in mind what is each character are going to do.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
It is a.
Speaker 3 (23:02):
Twenty episode season, so you need to have something big
around episode ten because that carries everybody to twenty and
it's just you create these pivotal points for each character.
Now every episode, the same character doesn't have to have
this cliffhanger, but you have so many characters that he's
built you can kind of sprinkle who's dealing with what
(23:22):
within those and then honestly you start, you know, writing
it one by one.
Speaker 1 (23:27):
Well, I'm gonna tell you, I'm a fan of Tyler Perry.
Nothing can get more crazy than the Oval.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
The Oval is like lord and throw your hands up.
You want to bet that.
Speaker 3 (23:47):
I don't know if you want to put no money
lunch for the team to bet that.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
I love it.
Speaker 3 (23:54):
I love we will see he does. He has take it.
I'm the person that they toned down.
Speaker 2 (24:00):
I love it.
Speaker 3 (24:01):
I have set tylers and stuff to make him be
like what.
Speaker 1 (24:05):
No, No, let's talk about the compound.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
Okay. I go to the airport. I see Tyler Perry's studio. Yes, exit,
that's our biggest guy in Atlanta. Uh, describe to us.
I've never been.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
On the compound, Okay, so your description to me of
what it is is going to be new to me.
But I know when COVID was happening here. He was
one of the first production companies to turn around Pride
for sure. And he does it really fast. I mean
he does a b a c shifts. You know, the
actors can come in, they be a project. It might
take six weeks, might take a week. With the way
(24:41):
he does that, how does it work? And describe to
us the compound of what Tyler Perrys studios looks like
and the experience.
Speaker 3 (24:49):
So Tyler think of Disneyland for creators. That's honestly how
big it is and what's interesting about the It's probably
not where the actual studio sits. There's the studio probably
sits on a third of what's actually how much land
he actually has, and it's just continuing to build for
(25:12):
other creators. But it's like a Disneyland for creators. There's
every turn in every corner you turn, there is somewhere
to be productive. Back he has twelve studios that get
rented out by Marvel. I think they shot some of
Black Panther there. They shot some of Coming to America there,
(25:33):
I believe, So it's it's one of those.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
Believe I think they were this Will Smith over there,
but I wasn't. Yeah, what's that Bad Boys that they
that was over there?
Speaker 3 (25:44):
Yes, I think it was around the same time coming
to America with filming, But they come and rent out
the studio, so then you have that portion, and then
you have his legacy portion, which is Maxineville, which is
where the media house is and there's a teams and
the things, so it's all it's like a it's like
a fairy land for filmmakers to where every corner there
(26:04):
is something else that you could be shooting. There's this
really cool spot that he has. It's a mansion, but
it's so each side of the hot on the lot,
there's a mansion with four different entrances, so every side
of the mansion looks like a totally different place. So
there's no back door, it's another entrance, another entrance. That's
(26:26):
so efficient because I can shoot in four different locations
in the matter of one like house, you know. So
that's how he thinks, and that's basically the compound is
where you can be really really it's a place to
be efficient, you know what I mean, it's it, but
it's it's incredible.
Speaker 2 (26:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:47):
Now I'm not gonna understand it because to my understanding,
there are sleeping corners there, yep. To understanding catering, yep,
it's fully twenty four hour foods available there.
Speaker 2 (26:59):
Talk about that experience.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
Yeah, it's a it's it's there for the creators. He
has everything that you need and honestly, he makes sure
that you're taking up and then the historic district. He's
taking care of the historic district. I don't think that
he can change the historic I'm not sure how that is,
but yeah, it's.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
A word that he is trying to build.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
Kind of like if you've ever been to Tourist Park in Atlanta,
you know, restaurants and all. Like you said, you use
the word Disney as an example. Yes, Like, as I've
been fortunate, I worked on Paramount Warner Brother lots and
you are driving these lots and you see homes, You'll
see streams that you'll see like you know, just like
blocks and it's like, okay, you can shoot on these
(27:39):
blocks and it looks like you're on a city street.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
Are you in New York right? Or in Paris?
Speaker 3 (27:44):
Right? That's all of those things to where he has
all the environments that you could possibly think of in
walking distance.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
Okay, now let me ask you this because I know
I want to definitely give credit about when you work
with Monique, which was the which was the moment in
your career.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
Here they really put you on the map? Correct about that?
So that was my first project.
Speaker 3 (28:06):
It was an indie film, but Monique blessed me to
be a part of the project and it came out
on BT Plus and it was the number one film
on BT Plus and I actually think it still is
as of right now. I don't think it's done numbers
like I think it's The project was. It was called
movie called The Reading starring Monique. It was a thriller
(28:27):
and it Yeah, I think it came out like a
two years ago and it's still killing the streaming side.
So it did good. It honestly launched me off to
be introduced to Tyler in their nature because it was
on the streaming platform.
Speaker 2 (28:43):
And yeah, we've been rocking ever since.
Speaker 1 (28:45):
That that that's that's that's the when I look at
you as a young town and I look at the
creative and you got at energy about you. Energy I
believe I was you float? You float in the room.
Your goals and what's your future? What are you trying
to do in this business?
Speaker 3 (29:02):
I honestly want to tell the stories that make people
talk after like.
Speaker 2 (29:07):
I don't, I don't.
Speaker 3 (29:08):
We want to get I want to get to those
when I first saw Boys in the Hood. I think
me and my mom talked about that, like all the
way home. I like those stories.
Speaker 5 (29:16):
I think movies, so I.
Speaker 3 (29:27):
Want to I'm in this industry. I just want to
do compelling things. And I mean that word specifically because
I want people. I want my films to make people
feel something. Again, I think we've got into the mold
to where people are trying to make people laugh, trying
to make people scared, but not make people feel anything anymore.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
I like that.
Speaker 3 (29:46):
I want people to feel something, as if they feel
personally attached to the story that's being told. That's my
goal as a storyteller.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
And you're from Houston, Texas.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
Yes, you know we talked about the journey and the skepticism.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
What is it now? My brother, oh you know, he
said love.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
You ain't o you ain't always love everywhere you go.
That in Houston is growing. So even this project I'm doing,
I'm shooting my first feature off of my overall deal
this October and so I'm taking it.
Speaker 2 (30:20):
Back to Houston. Congratulations.
Speaker 3 (30:22):
You know that we just got the Texas got the
film incentives.
Speaker 2 (30:26):
From fifty million to three hundred million.
Speaker 1 (30:28):
Yes, he's talking about which is inviting movie projects, and
I just Enchorge your own now going to Texas as well.
I think they changed that same in the California. A
lot of the studios are now going back to California,
and George is being impacted by that. But the impact
of what you making is an industry cannot be denied.
Speaker 2 (30:49):
My brother, Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
You got the like you said earlier, you got the
thirty minute project which tied to Dementia, that's going to
become a full lengthyvie feature.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
That you're going to start production in January.
Speaker 3 (31:00):
That's the one that'll probably be next summer. But the
one that we're doing, I have one before that.
Speaker 2 (31:07):
Yeah, that's the one that's going. Okay, casting, how did
you handle casting?
Speaker 3 (31:11):
So I have a casting director, Clive Davis, and we
go through casting directors. But a lot of times, like
I'm still, I cast on my social media. Sometimes I
will post social media it is my name.
Speaker 2 (31:26):
Courtney glauda everywhere that keep it simple, not Courtney dot dynamic,
the name Courtney Glad.
Speaker 3 (31:35):
But I go through. I post a lot of my
auditions because I don't think Houston is also used to
seeing it. So I just make sure that I get
the word out that way. But even through the studio,
we cast through like the normal sight.
Speaker 1 (31:47):
For another title casting director, you know, picking my own people,
my man. Fourth season of A Team Yes is a
right now, twenty episodes.
Speaker 2 (31:57):
You put your stamp on it.
Speaker 1 (31:59):
Overall deal, Tyler Peri Steels. Thank you for coming on
money Making Conversations master.
Speaker 2 (32:04):
Thank you, thank you, thank you for having me.
Speaker 6 (32:06):
This has been money Making Conversations Masterclass with me Rashaun McDonald.
Thanks to our guests and our audience. Visit Moneymakingconversations dot
com to listen or register to be a guest on
my show. Keep leading with your gifts, keep winning,
Hosts And Creators
Steve Harvey
Shirley Strawberry
Thomas "Nephew Tommy" Miles
Carla Ferrell
Kier "Junior" Spates
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