December 11, 2024 • 30 mins
In this bonus episode of the Entrusted to Lead podcast, Danita sits down with Akiva McClam, playwright, CEO, and creative visionary behind the debut stage play I'll Be Home for Christmas: A Season of Transformation. Launching December 14th in Orlando, Florida, this heartwarming production explores themes of forgiveness, family, and faith during the holiday season.
Akiva shares his inspiring journey from a military career to becoming a playwright, the challenges of leadership in creative spaces, and how faith has guided his path. Whether you're in the arts, a leader in your field, or someone seeking hope and inspiration, this episode will encourage you to pursue your calling and embrace the power of storytelling.
Episode Highlights:
- The story behind I'll Be Home for Christmas and its transformative message.
- Akiva’s unconventional journey from sociology major to creative playwright.
- Leadership lessons from the military applied to the arts.
- How faith and community fuel creativity and growth.
- The future vision for I'll Be Home for Christmas and its national tour.
Don't miss this uplifting conversation packed with wisdom, humor, and heartfelt moments.
Links & Resources:
- Get your tickets for I'll Be Home for Christmas here.
- Show details: December 14th, 2 PM & 6 PM at Kingdom Baptist Church, Orlando, Florida.
- ✨ Follow Akiva McClam's journey on https://www.mcclamenterpriseproductions.com/
How are you enjoying this episode? Send us a note!
✨ Thanks for Listening! ✨
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Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Danita (00:06):
Hey friends, welcome to today's bonus episode.
As I sit down with my goodfriend Akiva McClam, and we talk
about his debut play, I'll BeHome for Christmas.
That's launching in Orlando thisSaturday, December 14.
He shares his heart for thegospel, how he became a creative
playwright, and his love forhelping communities grow.
So grab your cup of coffee, andlet's get started.
(00:32):
Well, hey friends, welcome tothe Entrusted to Lead podcast.
I'm Dadida, and I am joinedtoday by my friend, Akiva
McClam.
He is the Playwright and CEO andthat trend, and I'll let him
explain all those amazing thingsand how that journey transpired.
But he is here to talk about hisamazing play that's being
released, one of the new ones.
(00:53):
So I'm super excited, invitedhim to come on the show and tell
his amazing journey and shareall of his lessons of leadership
and faith and, and all theamazing things that's happened
in his life.
So thanks friend for joining metoday.
How are you?
Oh, I'm great.
And thank you for having me ontoday.
I'm excited.
Good to see you.
It's so good to see you.
I know this is so crazy.
(01:13):
I love this podcast.
I love how God's like, here, usesomething like a podcast.
And you know, and I get to meetamazing people that I haven't
seen in forever.
So do you want to tell everybodya little bit about where you're
at today and, and what's goingon in your life?
Cause it's a busy week for you.
It is a very busy week.
Uh, we just finished one doing aproduction.
Um, it's a stage play calledI'll be home for Christmas, you
(01:36):
know, right.
Doing this season time, all theChristmas stories comes out, the
movies, the plays.
Um, and I'm doing a play andit's called, I'll be home for
Christmas, a season oftransformation.
And I put that in, inparentheses because that season
of transformation is, it talksabout the family, uh, going
through some unforgiveness inthe family.
And I think it's a time rightnow that a life we live in a lot
(01:58):
of family to come together a lotmore, not just on Christmas, but
just we got to bring those tiesof strong family ties together.
So that's what I'm doing now.
We just finished a zoomrehearsal last week and this
week coming Monday.
All the cast could be flying ininto Florida.
Wow.
And we're in Florida.
We're in Florida.
Are you guys at?
(02:18):
It's going to be, yeah, it'sgoing to be Orlando, Florida.
In Orlando.
Okay.
So I knew you maybe 20 yearsago, maybe.
Are we sharing our age?
Yeah.
You know what?
It's funny.
Somebody asked me, um, I wastrying to use my military
discount and they asked me whatyear I retired.
And I looked at the year and Icould not believe it.
(02:40):
You know, what year was that?
It was actually it was 2008because I got out medical
discharge.
Yeah.
So, so they retired me, youknow, Air Force, you know, God
was good.
I got a medical retirement and,that was back in 2008 off
November the first.
Wow.
You have obviously playwrightand you've started and created
this amazing company and broughtall these people from all over,
who have a passion and a faithfor art, in theater.
(03:03):
And.
And when we were in themilitary, we were not art and
theater majors.
We were radio operators doingnational command authority,
nuclear C3 stuff, which I tellpeople is super boring, but how
do you tell us a little bitabout that journey?
Like I have a thousandquestions, but how did you end
up where you are today?
Well, you know, uh, it'sactually started when I was a
(03:25):
little kid.
I had a robust imagination.
I used to play my littlementors, you know, the, the GI
Joes and all that type of stuff.
And I would sit at the table andI just go and lose myself into
this world I created.
Right.
And, um, and I didn't thinkabout this until later when
people would say, how do you getinto writing?
And I had to really think aboutit.
I remember I already startedhaving these thoughts in my
(03:48):
mind, these big imagination andbig ideas.
And, um, actually when I got incollege.
did the same thing.
I used to jot some stuff down.
But honestly, when I got in themilitary, it's like that just
went away.
I ain't think about it.
Um, until one day, I wasattending a church in, in
Waldorf, Maryland.
And they asked like, Hey, cansomeone write us a Christian
(04:09):
production?
We never had a play.
And I was asked for, to, write aplay.
And I'm like, why you guyschoose me?
Why me?
I don't write plays.
I wasn't thinking about writingplays.
In college at Bethune CommunityUniversity, I graduated from in
96.
I majored in sociology, so I gota BS, a BS degree in sociology.
I didn't go to school forcommunication or, or anything in
(04:32):
theater.
I wasn't doing that at all.
But the faith part come in, whenyou mentioned that, it's when I
say yes to God, that I would doit.
No lie.
I sat at the table and I startedgetting all these ideas coming
to me and I can see the wordsflowing around me.
I grabbed my laptop and I juststarted typing, I started
typing, what I was seeingfloating around and coming to my
(04:52):
spirit.
And I was just typing this day.
No, I wrote my first Christianproduction in seven days.
Wow.
In seven days.
Yeah.
That's and how long, what's theaverage that it normally takes,
I guess something like that.
Ooh.
After that.
After that, my second play tookme about six or seven months to
write.
And then now it's like, he's outof, cause maybe because I do
(05:14):
this part time, you know, now,if I had, if I really had time
to do this full time, um, Iprobably can write a play within
six months.
On average.
Gotcha.
But now, um, working full time,being a family person, all that
type of stuff, but my full timejob though is what took a lot.
I can, um, I had to have, Iwrote this play in a year, you
know, about a year time frame toreally get things moving, get
(05:37):
all the production together.
Takes about a good year ofeverything.
Yeah.
And do you think like on thatmoment where you said, you said
yes to God, but you weren'tqualified.
No.
Right.
You didn't feel like you werelike, I got this.
I know this.
Like I've been to school.
I have papers.
I have letters after my name.
Remember that moment where youjust decided like, what was it
(05:57):
inside of you that finally said,It was this year after, after 10
years, after 10 years of doingit, it was this year.
You know why I was this year wasmost key for me to say that what
you just said, just forget aboutit.
I didn't go to school for this.
Forget it.
I didn't, you know, get amaster's degree.
I don't know anything about the,how to format the script.
Forget about it.
Right.
Until I started working withcelebrities in my play, it took
(06:20):
me about 10, almost going 11years.
Now they have major, you know,Stars coming in my play now,
right?
And I was saying how they gonnareceive me a person that went to
school from this these guys I'mbeing on TV shows I'm being on
HBO series You know, they make amovie.
They don't do all that stuff Howthey gonna receive me giving
them direction and the personain't got no degree Guess what?
(06:42):
You know what came to my spirit?
No, God told me it said Mosesdidn't have the experience of
bringing the Israelites to theRed Sea.
That's right.
You know what I'm saying?
Yeah.
And he, and he led them there.
And when they got to the pointwhere he felt that as a Red Sea
in front of them, they, whereare they going to go?
Where are they going to go?
He said, as like, I commandedMoses to pick up his staff and
(07:03):
raise that, um, raise the staffand, and command.
He told me the same thing aslong as they connected to him.
And when I get to that point,when I feel like I'm, Come
across the Red Sea, just raisemy style and just listen to God
and God gonna, gonna, gonna parkthat seat for me.
That's right.
And because I keep thatattitude, these guys, I went
through a whole trend ofrehearsal with these guys, these
(07:25):
celebrities, the great talentthat, um, who's working to be,
you know, in that celebritystatus in the local area, they
all said, man, Akiva, You know,even though you didn't go to
school for this, but it comesnatural to you.
This one lady who, uh, startedwork, played with Jennifer Lopez
in the TV series before.
And she told me this afterrehearsal, she said, Kiva,
(07:46):
people, directors like you go toschool and they basically pay
hundreds of thousands of dollarsto get what you're doing
naturally.
And when she told me that, it'sbecause I raised the staff and
God just dumped everything tome.
I just follow his command andinstruction.
I'm okay.
I'm okay.
Yeah, I think that's a beautifulthing.
It's interesting because I wasjust having a conversation with
(08:08):
somebody earlier today and we'retalking about faith.
Sometimes faith is when, Godcalled Moses and he had a staff
in his hand, right?
And, and then God said, raisethe staff and then the sea will
part and you can see the dryland.
And then walk.
So Moses, his faith was like,all I need you to do is lift the
stick, you know, just raise thestick.
(08:29):
But sometimes faith is like,there is no stick.
And God's like, Hey, I need youto put your foot in the raging
river.
It's going to part.
I promise.
But, but I think that's theother thing too.
I I'm learning in this season ofmy life is like.
Sometimes faith is a stick andyou can see it in your hand and
you touch it.
And you're like, Oh, this isn't,I can do this.
But then it's, it's okay if it'snot a stick.
(08:50):
And you're like, God is askingyou like Joshua to put your foot
in the raging water and youdon't know how deep it is.
And you don't know what's on theother side, you know?
And, and in that scenario foryou, you didn't know, cause you
didn't have any frame ofreference.
You didn't have school.
What was community like for you?
So, um, at the time I wasmarried, you know, um, so that's
(09:11):
one of, you know, um, uh, youknow, as wife, I don't want to
call it as wife because we'restill friends today, you know
what I'm saying?
But she believed in me at anearly stage to remember that she
the one who say, won't you writethe play for the church?
And I'm asking why me?
And she reminded me back inthose days in college.
That I used to, she used to, youknow, but he used to watch me,
you know, do that.
So I had her support at a time.
(09:33):
Then I had the church supportthat I was going to.
And then God was introduced meto a lot of people, the local
playwrights, the local actors.
So I, he surrounded me aroundpeople that I can connect to and
network with.
Right.
The key thing I began tonetwork.
about, uh, what I'm doing is theability to network with people
and talk, you know, don't beafraid to talk to people.
(09:56):
Um, and also giving people anopportunity.
So I got onto YouTube, I gotonto social media, all the type
of stuff, Instagram, and Irecruited because I was a past
football player back in the day.
I utilize the same tactic ofrecruiting the key.
People in the play by recruitingthem like a, uh, a college
recruiter, you know, the samemethodology of looking and
(10:20):
studying.
I was studying people for aboutsix months to a year before I
approached them about a play.
But what were you looking for asyou were watching them?
Yep.
Yeah.
No, I mean, it's not like that.
I don't mean it to sound creepy.
Right.
People are like, why are youwatching?
No, I don't know.
It's a disclaimer.
We're not stalkers.
Yeah.
But the thing is though, um,when I was watching a lot of
(10:43):
things, one, do they have it?
You know, I can see if they gotit, meaning they're not shy.
They, they bold about whatthey're doing.
They got showmanship.
And two, I'm trying to see wherethey fit the personality of this
character I'm writing, you know,cause I already don't wrote the
script.
I already have a script in mymind and now I'm out there going
to look and recruit.
(11:03):
And God, every time.
Now, honestly, I don't do much,auditions.
Wow.
I really don't.
I really, I sit back and I justsit back and watch people.
God lead me to those rightpeople.
And I sit back and watch them.
The only time I do auditions iswhen people say, well, you know,
other people may want to getinvolved.
You're not, you're leaving themout.
So I would do it just to getsome supporting actors.
(11:25):
You know, but those main, thosemain characters, God lead me to
those people.
I know nothing about the actingworld, I'm sure performance is a
piece of it, but you're lookingat the values that that person
has.
Is that right?
So you're looking at not justtheir performance ability to put
on a show or to assume theidentity of a character, but are
(11:45):
you also looking at a deeperlevel because you have a faith
is that what seems to come asyou're looking at people?
Well, yes and no, because, um,when I write these plays, I
believe in writing with, um,people who's non believers or
believers.
Sure.
I have no problem with thatpreference because in this life,
we live in this world, you know,but God just tell us we don't
have to be a part of this world,but we live in this world.
(12:07):
So to be able to reach out themasses that really don't, don't
really believe in God, I have toutilize them.
You know, God could use a rock,God uses a donkey, whatever.
I can use those non believers aswell.
I can use atheists.
Yeah.
Just play his part.
Yeah.
But guess what?
As soon as he done working withme and with my play, my passion,
my, my love for God.
Cause I don't change mypersonality because you're
(12:28):
atheist.
I'm going to be remain who I am.
Then at the end of the day, theywere like, Hey, um, I'm going
through some, all my mother'sgoing through some, can you pray
for me?
You know?
And I was like, yeah, okay.
I'm willing you in there, youknow, but you know, because I
refuse to change, but answeryour question.
Um, Yes.
And no, I do look foreverything.
Um, if I have a seriouscharacter that is connected to
(12:51):
God and I really need them toreally display that.
Sure.
I try not just use a, a personwho's not of the spirit, you
know, who don't believe, youknow, because there's an element
in a time in a play that I'mgoing to have to push them.
They can be acting to a certainextent, but to, but to deliver
what I'm looking for.
Okay.
To deliver what I'm reallytrying to display in that
(13:14):
character about belief in thatspirit, that person got to be
connected to God and got to be,um, have the Holy Spirit.
They follow the Holy Spiritguidance.
So, um, I would definitelychoose a person for that, for
that role.
Yeah.
Anybody else, you know, withregular role, yes, I choose them
for that.
But they, if it's a spiritualrole that that person got to
just Come to the point wherehe's dealing with something and
(13:36):
he cries out to God and he knowshow to cry out to God or receive
it.
That person got to have anunderstanding or belief, uh,
spiritual connection with God.
That makes sense.
And do you see, have you seenin, in your, um, Playwright
journey, these transformationsin your actors.
I mean, you're saying like theperson who's like, doesn't have
a faith and they come throughand then they're like, I
(13:57):
believe, or can you pray orwhatever, but in the form of the
play, have you seen the playbecome that conduit for some of
these people to work out theirfaith in action?
Oh, yeah.
Matter of fact, a lot of theseseasonal actors that act for
other, directors, other network,other production company, they
come to me and I like, I getthis a lot.
(14:18):
They say, Kiva, I truly feellike a fresh breath air or, feel
good that I can come and work ata production.
That I can really relax, and bemyself and stretch my faith out.
You know, I get that with someof the actors because a lot of
time they got to get closed inAnd become that character what
that director that writer toldme to do Um, and and they box
(14:38):
them in when I write I am alwaysgoing to write with a message.
I'm always going to write aboutreality stuff comedy Um drama,
you know, I don't write to thepoint where I allow nobody to
put me in a box Because I alwaysgo back to training day.
And when Denzel said this, hesaid, in order to catch a fox,
(14:59):
you got to be a fox.
So there's going to be somewriting that, um, I'm a writer,
maybe a fan, somebody whotraditionally go to church.
But in order for me to connectto that person, their
communication, their languageand everything, I have to study
the different cultures.
Right.
You know, I just can't write andjust put something out there.
That's when a lot of the churchplays fail.
(15:20):
Yeah.
You know, cause I don't want tobe labeled as a church play.
I'm a writer, you know, becausenow they put me in a box and I
don't want those actors to beput in a box too.
So when they come work with me,I let them be themselves.
But at the same time, I let themstay in the content.
But the answer to your questionagain, is that they really feel
comfortable and well, reallycomfortable to come work with
(15:41):
me, you know?
Yeah.
Yeah.
And I think that's the beauty ofart and writing because it has
been a form of, changingcultural norms and addressing
the thing that's like right infront of you, right?
The elephant in the room that wedon't know how to say out loud
or socially we don't have, it'snot acceptable or whatever.
And so I think it's a beautifulthing that you're like, Hey,
(16:03):
this is reality or here are realthings that we're working on and
just being transparent becausethat's How life is transparent,
right?
I think that's when, that's whenart I think is really powerful
to writing or art or pictures ormusic or whatever.
It's cause it, it touches aplace of you that's really real.
Like it's really vulnerable,like Hamilton, like that, you
know, that was a, a hugeconflict, you know, a different,
(16:24):
but there was, there's valid,conversation, like it is a
mechanism to have aconversation, a necessary
conversation.
I agree.
Yeah.
So I love that, that that's yourmedium.
So we talk,, on the podcastabout leadership, you're my
friend and I'm super excited foryou and I just, I'm so proud of
you.
How has your leadership lenschanged from then to now as you
(16:46):
lead these teams every day.
Well, um, it don't, it haven'tturned off leaving the military.
It really happened because a lotof people like, have you used to
be the military?
I said, yeah, it's hard for meto deny because I use that way.
Um, in my, my leadership, um, Igo, I can go from being a coach,
(17:08):
a mentor, um, a manager, um, youknow, a leader.
in the Airman Leadership School.
Remember that?
Um, as you know, Air Force, Idon't know what the Army and
Marines guys do in the Navy, butyou know, we have, we call it
ALS.
But, um, I remember, I rememberthey were teaching about
management, from being a managerand a leader.
Yeah.
(17:28):
And, um, and they said a managersometimes could be a leader, a
leader can sometimes be amanager, you know, but I think
those, Two, two's are variedskills to have as leadership or
just basically govern a group ofpeople.
And I use that in my acting, youknow, directing.
I have to be, um, at time I gotto be a mentor, you know, at
(17:49):
time I got to, um, um, be a proproject manager.
Right.
With, uh, managing all myschedule and my time, like
today, we had a meeting todaywith you at 2 30.
Then after this, today at fouro'clock, I had another one.
Then after this one, I have afive o'clock one.
So it was back to back to back.
Now, I got to make sure myproject manager hat is on and
cover all that.
You know, even coming up withthe rehearsal schedule, coming
(18:11):
up with the itinerary when theycome in.
And I'm thinking now thatrehearsal is over, the Zoom
rehearsal, they flying in onMonday.
Now I got to get the itineraryready for Monday through Friday.
Yeah.
You know, so it's many hats thatI'm wearing, but the leadership
and the skills, the militarytaught me those years I've been
in the military really preparedme for what I'm doing today.
(18:31):
You know, it really does help mein my nine to five job as well.
And at times, you know, and Idon't know if you have that
issue or your husband had theissue, my good friend, Mark, you
know, uh, sometimes we don'tknow how to, I don't know how to
turn it off sometime.
I got to resist, turn it off,relax, and no, no thinking, you
know what I'm saying and becalm, you know, cool.
(18:52):
That's exactly right.
It is hard.
Yeah, we, I am finding in thisseason, I like to sit in the
living room with nothing on andour kids are big now, you know,
so most of them are out of thehouse.
We have one more here at home.
He's a senior, but everyone elsehas grown and big in the world
and it's just exhausting.
I am the same to you.
Um, but I think the two Elementsof leadership or the value
(19:14):
system or principles ofleadership that you're talking
about that.
I think, I think about when youspeak as like one clarity,
you're bringing clarity to abunch of people, you know, even
as something as like logisticsand schedules and making sure
everyone is on time sometimes Ithink we, yeah.
Overlook how important clarityis from a leadership
perspective.
Cause you're really casting thevision as a visionary leader.
(19:36):
Like you created this play,right?
Like you wrote it, so it's yourvision, but then you have to
then take that vision and thenyou have to put it in a way that
other people can understand.
Underneath it and then actuallylike live that out.
So are there any tools ortechniques that you have found
that help you do that?
Well, Or,, lessons you'velearned along the way of taking
(19:57):
this idea and putting it intoreality.
Um, a lot of people tell me Ihave a great way of explaining
things.
I'm a good storyteller.
So what I do based upon, um, Ijust be myself and not really,
even though I got, like you say,go back to that time where
people went to school and it,like, I just, I use my
personality and who I am and Ithink how My sociology degree
(20:20):
comes into as well.
Um, because I studied people.
I studied a personality.
I know how they are,, if I knowthey serious, I'm going to come
them directly about the play.
No joking, because I know theyjust really, really serious.
But if I know somebodypersonality relax, I can joke
about certain things as I'mexplaining it to them, made them
feel relaxed.
So I look at people nonverbalsigns.
(20:41):
And, and fill them out as Iexplain it to them, you know,,
and been helping me out thatbeen helping me out a lot too,
as well.
And also, uh, my approach, likeI said, approach is very,, it's
very important to as well.
Um, yeah, so that's why I justdon't want to be that strict
director because I haven't hearda lot of those New York
directors, LA directors, youknow, they can be strong, they
(21:02):
can be strong.
You know, you know, what I hear,they blast them.
You know what I'm saying?
I'm the director.
If you don't like it, you'regonna walk out that door.
Power, right?
I don't wanna deal with thatlike that.
I don't talk to people likethat, you know?
Yeah, I thought that when yousaid mentor, which comes to mind
empathy, which I think is such apowerful tool in leadership that
we Kind of step over.
(21:23):
Sometimes I just did a podcastyesterday about gratitude, but
gratitude from the position oftrust, right?
So it sounds like to me of avery grateful heart, one to God
for, this journey that he'staken you on and to the people
who are giving their talents andhelping this vision come to life
and that, that heart leadership.
Just it, it's like energy, itradiates in a room, right?
(21:45):
But I think the other powerfultool that you have in your
toolkit is the empathy tool,because you are meeting people
where they are and you're givingthem the space.
That doesn't mean that it's freerange.
I'm sure everyone's not runningaround on this stage, like just
making their characters up.
Like there's, there's clarity.
Like you're like, no, we'regoing this way.
Stop.
Put that down.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
(22:05):
I, yeah, I had to stop a few ofthem when I give them what I do.
I write everything in content.
I tell them this is thetemplate, right?
I want you to make it morecomfortable to you how you say
it.
I may say it this way, but makeit more you.
Make it more, well, how peopleare talking today.
So they're changing around, butstay in the content of where
we're going.
If I feel like they are goingout, I will put them back in
(22:27):
immediately.
Because once again, it's takingaway from the vision what God
gave me.
You know?
Yeah.
And I got to stay on thatvision.
I got to stay on that task.
I can't let them just change it.
Honestly, think about it.
That's what Satan doing today.
God would give us somethingright.
And he'll come in and want tochange it around and make it
perverted, whatever, and take itaway from whatever God really
tried to give that person.
(22:48):
And that's why I refuse to letSatan doing these plays.
Wow.
That is so powerful.
That's the statement rightthere.
You're right.
I'm sitting and just in thisplace of identity, right?
And our identity and him thatGod gave us when we were, you
like, There's so much power, butthen the enemy comes and takes
all those little pieces of ouridentity and chips away at them
(23:08):
one at a time.
And that's the most powerfulthing is being known and being
seen by the creator.
Like once you know that, I thinkfrom a faith perspective, and
this year has been a really bigjourney with me, with being seen
by God, like seeing God in thesacrifice that Jesus made and
that reverence is one element, Ithink, but then when we are
(23:30):
seen.
When we are fully seen by a HolyGod and, and we stand before him
for as much as we can, this sideof earth.
That changes us to the core ofwho we are.
And once you're seen, you can'tbe unseen by him ever.
I don't, I don't think the enemycan ever, like, I'm just in this
(23:50):
place of like taking back whatthe enemy stole.
Like, I'm so incredibly like,no, that was a lie.
Like the enemy tried to takeyour identity in him.
They stole it, you know, and weneed to get it back.
So that's my little.
That's my little rant where I'mat right now.
Oh, no, I love it.
I love it.
Yeah.
So let's talk about your visionfor this play and if you could
(24:12):
wave a magic wand, where wouldyou be?
Where would it be?
5, 10 years from now?
Oh, good question.
Um, I would say next year.
There we go.
Okay.
We're claiming it.
Yeah.
45 days.
You put that, you put thatproject manager on that right
there.
45 days.
(24:33):
And plus 45.
There we go.
That's exactly right.
Yeah.
So, um, actually I wanted, Iwant to take this play.
No, actually I'm doing, I'm oncourse with what I wanted to do.
I told the people I've beenworking with each year, I want
to do this play and build uponit.
I want the different seniors tocome in from different
locations.
I want to go from different fromstate to state because it
(24:54):
started in the DC area.
Right.
But you know, but nobody don'tknow about that play, but the DC
area, and I only did a few timesthere.
So my goal is I wanted to takeit out of DC.
So I'm on, I'm on my pathway ofwhat I'm wanting to do.
But now what I want to do is Iwant to introduce it back to my
home state where I was born,Florida.
Right.
Yeah.
That's where I'm excited.
(25:14):
But following that next year, Iwant to go to the East.
These states.
I want to come back here inFlorida and do it in my city.
I was born in Fort Lauderdale,Florida.
Come back to Orlando.
All right.
Then we go to North Carolina andthen to the DMV, back to the
DMV, to those listeners who Iwas on the DC, Maryland,
Virginia area.
And then actually one more, uh,I got some connection in Detroit
(25:37):
and we finally finished inDetroit Motown.
Oh my gosh.
You know, and I have a greattime.
I can, we can have a great timein Motown with the different
singers and all can't imagine.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So that's, that's my goal fornext year.
All right.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And I already been planning inmy mind already.
I already talked to my team assoon as this play is done next
week.
I said, Hey, let's meetimmediately for a post, um,
(26:00):
meeting, production post.
Yeah, the post productionmeeting.
And then we go ahead and startplanning.
Cause we got main thing isgetting those, um, the years,
um, what do you call it?
Security deposit to lock thosedates in.
Okay.
And once we get our dates in,boom, we know now we can start
recruiting.
Um, I'd like to keep this cast,but I like to recruit into
different local talent in thosedifferent cities, bringing in
(26:23):
some more new singers here andthere and go from there.
So it's a plan already.
That is so exciting.
Do you know where in NorthCarolina you want to go?
So, uh, my executive producersand from, um, Roxbury, North
Carolina, but I think Raleighwill be the ideal place.
For that area for that play inRaleigh, North Carolina.
It's a bigger city and I give alot of people from Roxbury to
(26:45):
come there.
Drive out that way.
Um, people from Charlotte, ifthey want to come, you know,
it's drivable.
Yeah.
Oh, it's super exciting.
Okay, so say it again.
Let everybody know when the showis and when it's coming, what
it's about.
Okay.
The show is December 14th.
Um, or we got, what, seven days,almost seven, eight days left.
And It's called, I'll be homefor Christmas, a season of
(27:07):
transformation.
And basically, if you thinkabout you had, did you have a
good Thanksgiving, like all thefamily gathering?
We did.
Did you have that?
For the kids, they came.
Yeah.
For the kids.
Yeah.
You know, so just imagine you,now you flip that into Christmas
and this family was known forthe Christmas celebration, the
community like to come to thisfamily and it did a lot of
(27:28):
eating together, a lot ofsinging, just a base of the
place to be because they madeeveryone feel.
Comfort and love.
But this for the last five, sixyears, there's been a
transformation, a change in hisfamily.
The kids don't come homeanymore.
They are adult kids now becauseof some past hurts that happened
in the family.
Yeah.
Everybody refused to come backhome.
(27:50):
Right.
So mom, so dad have died off.
Mom's been about home by herselffor five to six years by
herself.
But this Season.
She decided I'm going to ask mykids to come back home and let's
try to see if we can bring thisChristmas celebration back.
And so this whole thing is they,she wrote this letter to them
and they all accept it.
So one by one, they come home,but before they can get to where
(28:12):
they used to be known for inthat community, got in with the
light.
Yeah.
In a, in that community.
Wow.
You know, but before they canget to it, they got to have
those tough conversations, toughthings that happened in the past
to be able to forgive, to getback to the celebration of
Christ's birthday.
That's powerful stuff rightthere.
You know?
So yeah, so it's, I'll be homefor Christmas, a season of
(28:34):
transformation.
Oh, friend.
I'm so excited for you.
Oh my gosh.
And is that, is that the KingdomBaptist Church in Orlando,
Florida?
And, um, you can go to them awebsite at www.
It's a long website.
Y'all is www.
macleanenterpriseproductions.
com.
So you can go there for ticketsand on December 14th, we're
(28:56):
doing two shows at 2 PM and at 6PM, Orlando, Florida.
All right.
I'll put all the links in theshow notes.
We're going to definitely flipthis episode really fast so we
can get it out.
I'm so proud of you, friend.
I appreciate that.
No, I'm proud of you guys toobecause of, you know, your
books, you coming out with thedifferent books and everything.
(29:17):
I'm definitely going to supportyou cause I want to read your
books and everything.
Thanks.
Yeah.
Well the audio book will comeout in a couple of weeks before
Christmas.
So you can listen to it whileyou're driving up and down the
East coast.
How's that?
Awesome.
This has been awesome.
Yes.
It was so good.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you for coming.
Hey everybody.
Thanks for listening to theentrusted to lead podcast today.
(29:39):
I hope you enjoyed theconversation with my friend
Akiva and if you're in Orlando,pop over to the show, grab a
ticket, and if not keep tabs onhis website and social media as
they continue to travel aroundthe country, sharing their love
and hope with the world.
If you're not already subscribedto the entrusted to lead
newsletter, pop over I hope thatyou have an amazing day.
(30:05):
Keep showing up every day, evenwhen it hurts because you
matter.
I'll see you later.
Hey friends, welcome to today's bonus episode.
As I sit down with my goodfriend Akiva McClam, and we talk
about his debut play, I'll BeHome for Christmas.
That's launching in Orlando thisSaturday, December 14.
He shares his heart for thegospel, how he became a creative
playwright, and his love forhelping communities grow.
So grab your cup of coffee, andlet's get started.
(00:32):
Well, hey friends, welcome tothe Entrusted to Lead podcast.
I'm Dadida, and I am joinedtoday by my friend, Akiva
McClam.
He is the Playwright and CEO andthat trend, and I'll let him
explain all those amazing thingsand how that journey transpired.
But he is here to talk about hisamazing play that's being
released, one of the new ones.
(00:53):
So I'm super excited, invitedhim to come on the show and tell
his amazing journey and shareall of his lessons of leadership
and faith and, and all theamazing things that's happened
in his life.
So thanks friend for joining metoday.
How are you?
Oh, I'm great.
And thank you for having me ontoday.
I'm excited.
Good to see you.
It's so good to see you.
I know this is so crazy.
(01:13):
I love this podcast.
I love how God's like, here, usesomething like a podcast.
And you know, and I get to meetamazing people that I haven't
seen in forever.
So do you want to tell everybodya little bit about where you're
at today and, and what's goingon in your life?
Cause it's a busy week for you.
It is a very busy week.
Uh, we just finished one doing aproduction.
Um, it's a stage play calledI'll be home for Christmas, you
(01:36):
know, right.
Doing this season time, all theChristmas stories comes out, the
movies, the plays.
Um, and I'm doing a play andit's called, I'll be home for
Christmas, a season oftransformation.
And I put that in, inparentheses because that season
of transformation is, it talksabout the family, uh, going
through some unforgiveness inthe family.
And I think it's a time rightnow that a life we live in a lot
(01:58):
of family to come together a lotmore, not just on Christmas, but
just we got to bring those tiesof strong family ties together.
So that's what I'm doing now.
We just finished a zoomrehearsal last week and this
week coming Monday.
All the cast could be flying ininto Florida.
Wow.
And we're in Florida.
We're in Florida.
Are you guys at?
(02:18):
It's going to be, yeah, it'sgoing to be Orlando, Florida.
In Orlando.
Okay.
So I knew you maybe 20 yearsago, maybe.
Are we sharing our age?
Yeah.
You know what?
It's funny.
Somebody asked me, um, I wastrying to use my military
discount and they asked me whatyear I retired.
And I looked at the year and Icould not believe it.
(02:40):
You know, what year was that?
It was actually it was 2008because I got out medical
discharge.
Yeah.
So, so they retired me, youknow, Air Force, you know, God
was good.
I got a medical retirement and,that was back in 2008 off
November the first.
Wow.
You have obviously playwrightand you've started and created
this amazing company and broughtall these people from all over,
who have a passion and a faithfor art, in theater.
(03:03):
And.
And when we were in themilitary, we were not art and
theater majors.
We were radio operators doingnational command authority,
nuclear C3 stuff, which I tellpeople is super boring, but how
do you tell us a little bitabout that journey?
Like I have a thousandquestions, but how did you end
up where you are today?
Well, you know, uh, it'sactually started when I was a
(03:25):
little kid.
I had a robust imagination.
I used to play my littlementors, you know, the, the GI
Joes and all that type of stuff.
And I would sit at the table andI just go and lose myself into
this world I created.
Right.
And, um, and I didn't thinkabout this until later when
people would say, how do you getinto writing?
And I had to really think aboutit.
I remember I already startedhaving these thoughts in my
(03:48):
mind, these big imagination andbig ideas.
And, um, actually when I got incollege.
did the same thing.
I used to jot some stuff down.
But honestly, when I got in themilitary, it's like that just
went away.
I ain't think about it.
Um, until one day, I wasattending a church in, in
Waldorf, Maryland.
And they asked like, Hey, cansomeone write us a Christian
(04:09):
production?
We never had a play.
And I was asked for, to, write aplay.
And I'm like, why you guyschoose me?
Why me?
I don't write plays.
I wasn't thinking about writingplays.
In college at Bethune CommunityUniversity, I graduated from in
96.
I majored in sociology, so I gota BS, a BS degree in sociology.
I didn't go to school forcommunication or, or anything in
(04:32):
theater.
I wasn't doing that at all.
But the faith part come in, whenyou mentioned that, it's when I
say yes to God, that I would doit.
No lie.
I sat at the table and I startedgetting all these ideas coming
to me and I can see the wordsflowing around me.
I grabbed my laptop and I juststarted typing, I started
typing, what I was seeingfloating around and coming to my
(04:52):
spirit.
And I was just typing this day.
No, I wrote my first Christianproduction in seven days.
Wow.
In seven days.
Yeah.
That's and how long, what's theaverage that it normally takes,
I guess something like that.
Ooh.
After that.
After that, my second play tookme about six or seven months to
write.
And then now it's like, he's outof, cause maybe because I do
(05:14):
this part time, you know, now,if I had, if I really had time
to do this full time, um, Iprobably can write a play within
six months.
On average.
Gotcha.
But now, um, working full time,being a family person, all that
type of stuff, but my full timejob though is what took a lot.
I can, um, I had to have, Iwrote this play in a year, you
know, about a year time frame toreally get things moving, get
(05:37):
all the production together.
Takes about a good year ofeverything.
Yeah.
And do you think like on thatmoment where you said, you said
yes to God, but you weren'tqualified.
No.
Right.
You didn't feel like you werelike, I got this.
I know this.
Like I've been to school.
I have papers.
I have letters after my name.
Remember that moment where youjust decided like, what was it
(05:57):
inside of you that finally said,It was this year after, after 10
years, after 10 years of doingit, it was this year.
You know why I was this year wasmost key for me to say that what
you just said, just forget aboutit.
I didn't go to school for this.
Forget it.
I didn't, you know, get amaster's degree.
I don't know anything about the,how to format the script.
Forget about it.
Right.
Until I started working withcelebrities in my play, it took
(06:20):
me about 10, almost going 11years.
Now they have major, you know,Stars coming in my play now,
right?
And I was saying how they gonnareceive me a person that went to
school from this these guys I'mbeing on TV shows I'm being on
HBO series You know, they make amovie.
They don't do all that stuff Howthey gonna receive me giving
them direction and the personain't got no degree Guess what?
(06:42):
You know what came to my spirit?
No, God told me it said Mosesdidn't have the experience of
bringing the Israelites to theRed Sea.
That's right.
You know what I'm saying?
Yeah.
And he, and he led them there.
And when they got to the pointwhere he felt that as a Red Sea
in front of them, they, whereare they going to go?
Where are they going to go?
He said, as like, I commandedMoses to pick up his staff and
(07:03):
raise that, um, raise the staffand, and command.
He told me the same thing aslong as they connected to him.
And when I get to that point,when I feel like I'm, Come
across the Red Sea, just raisemy style and just listen to God
and God gonna, gonna, gonna parkthat seat for me.
That's right.
And because I keep thatattitude, these guys, I went
through a whole trend ofrehearsal with these guys, these
(07:25):
celebrities, the great talentthat, um, who's working to be,
you know, in that celebritystatus in the local area, they
all said, man, Akiva, You know,even though you didn't go to
school for this, but it comesnatural to you.
This one lady who, uh, startedwork, played with Jennifer Lopez
in the TV series before.
And she told me this afterrehearsal, she said, Kiva,
(07:46):
people, directors like you go toschool and they basically pay
hundreds of thousands of dollarsto get what you're doing
naturally.
And when she told me that, it'sbecause I raised the staff and
God just dumped everything tome.
I just follow his command andinstruction.
I'm okay.
I'm okay.
Yeah, I think that's a beautifulthing.
It's interesting because I wasjust having a conversation with
(08:08):
somebody earlier today and we'retalking about faith.
Sometimes faith is when, Godcalled Moses and he had a staff
in his hand, right?
And, and then God said, raisethe staff and then the sea will
part and you can see the dryland.
And then walk.
So Moses, his faith was like,all I need you to do is lift the
stick, you know, just raise thestick.
(08:29):
But sometimes faith is like,there is no stick.
And God's like, Hey, I need youto put your foot in the raging
river.
It's going to part.
I promise.
But, but I think that's theother thing too.
I I'm learning in this season ofmy life is like.
Sometimes faith is a stick andyou can see it in your hand and
you touch it.
And you're like, Oh, this isn't,I can do this.
But then it's, it's okay if it'snot a stick.
(08:50):
And you're like, God is askingyou like Joshua to put your foot
in the raging water and youdon't know how deep it is.
And you don't know what's on theother side, you know?
And, and in that scenario foryou, you didn't know, cause you
didn't have any frame ofreference.
You didn't have school.
What was community like for you?
So, um, at the time I wasmarried, you know, um, so that's
(09:11):
one of, you know, um, uh, youknow, as wife, I don't want to
call it as wife because we'restill friends today, you know
what I'm saying?
But she believed in me at anearly stage to remember that she
the one who say, won't you writethe play for the church?
And I'm asking why me?
And she reminded me back inthose days in college.
That I used to, she used to, youknow, but he used to watch me,
you know, do that.
So I had her support at a time.
(09:33):
Then I had the church supportthat I was going to.
And then God was introduced meto a lot of people, the local
playwrights, the local actors.
So I, he surrounded me aroundpeople that I can connect to and
network with.
Right.
The key thing I began tonetwork.
about, uh, what I'm doing is theability to network with people
and talk, you know, don't beafraid to talk to people.
(09:56):
Um, and also giving people anopportunity.
So I got onto YouTube, I gotonto social media, all the type
of stuff, Instagram, and Irecruited because I was a past
football player back in the day.
I utilize the same tactic ofrecruiting the key.
People in the play by recruitingthem like a, uh, a college
recruiter, you know, the samemethodology of looking and
(10:20):
studying.
I was studying people for aboutsix months to a year before I
approached them about a play.
But what were you looking for asyou were watching them?
Yep.
Yeah.
No, I mean, it's not like that.
I don't mean it to sound creepy.
Right.
People are like, why are youwatching?
No, I don't know.
It's a disclaimer.
We're not stalkers.
Yeah.
But the thing is though, um,when I was watching a lot of
(10:43):
things, one, do they have it?
You know, I can see if they gotit, meaning they're not shy.
They, they bold about whatthey're doing.
They got showmanship.
And two, I'm trying to see wherethey fit the personality of this
character I'm writing, you know,cause I already don't wrote the
script.
I already have a script in mymind and now I'm out there going
to look and recruit.
(11:03):
And God, every time.
Now, honestly, I don't do much,auditions.
Wow.
I really don't.
I really, I sit back and I justsit back and watch people.
God lead me to those rightpeople.
And I sit back and watch them.
The only time I do auditions iswhen people say, well, you know,
other people may want to getinvolved.
You're not, you're leaving themout.
So I would do it just to getsome supporting actors.
(11:25):
You know, but those main, thosemain characters, God lead me to
those people.
I know nothing about the actingworld, I'm sure performance is a
piece of it, but you're lookingat the values that that person
has.
Is that right?
So you're looking at not justtheir performance ability to put
on a show or to assume theidentity of a character, but are
(11:45):
you also looking at a deeperlevel because you have a faith
is that what seems to come asyou're looking at people?
Well, yes and no, because, um,when I write these plays, I
believe in writing with, um,people who's non believers or
believers.
Sure.
I have no problem with thatpreference because in this life,
we live in this world, you know,but God just tell us we don't
have to be a part of this world,but we live in this world.
(12:07):
So to be able to reach out themasses that really don't, don't
really believe in God, I have toutilize them.
You know, God could use a rock,God uses a donkey, whatever.
I can use those non believers aswell.
I can use atheists.
Yeah.
Just play his part.
Yeah.
But guess what?
As soon as he done working withme and with my play, my passion,
my, my love for God.
Cause I don't change mypersonality because you're
(12:28):
atheist.
I'm going to be remain who I am.
Then at the end of the day, theywere like, Hey, um, I'm going
through some, all my mother'sgoing through some, can you pray
for me?
You know?
And I was like, yeah, okay.
I'm willing you in there, youknow, but you know, because I
refuse to change, but answeryour question.
Um, Yes.
And no, I do look foreverything.
Um, if I have a seriouscharacter that is connected to
(12:51):
God and I really need them toreally display that.
Sure.
I try not just use a, a personwho's not of the spirit, you
know, who don't believe, youknow, because there's an element
in a time in a play that I'mgoing to have to push them.
They can be acting to a certainextent, but to, but to deliver
what I'm looking for.
Okay.
To deliver what I'm reallytrying to display in that
(13:14):
character about belief in thatspirit, that person got to be
connected to God and got to be,um, have the Holy Spirit.
They follow the Holy Spiritguidance.
So, um, I would definitelychoose a person for that, for
that role.
Yeah.
Anybody else, you know, withregular role, yes, I choose them
for that.
But they, if it's a spiritualrole that that person got to
just Come to the point wherehe's dealing with something and
(13:36):
he cries out to God and he knowshow to cry out to God or receive
it.
That person got to have anunderstanding or belief, uh,
spiritual connection with God.
That makes sense.
And do you see, have you seenin, in your, um, Playwright
journey, these transformationsin your actors.
I mean, you're saying like theperson who's like, doesn't have
a faith and they come throughand then they're like, I
(13:57):
believe, or can you pray orwhatever, but in the form of the
play, have you seen the playbecome that conduit for some of
these people to work out theirfaith in action?
Oh, yeah.
Matter of fact, a lot of theseseasonal actors that act for
other, directors, other network,other production company, they
come to me and I like, I getthis a lot.
(14:18):
They say, Kiva, I truly feellike a fresh breath air or, feel
good that I can come and work ata production.
That I can really relax, and bemyself and stretch my faith out.
You know, I get that with someof the actors because a lot of
time they got to get closed inAnd become that character what
that director that writer toldme to do Um, and and they box
(14:38):
them in when I write I am alwaysgoing to write with a message.
I'm always going to write aboutreality stuff comedy Um drama,
you know, I don't write to thepoint where I allow nobody to
put me in a box Because I alwaysgo back to training day.
And when Denzel said this, hesaid, in order to catch a fox,
(14:59):
you got to be a fox.
So there's going to be somewriting that, um, I'm a writer,
maybe a fan, somebody whotraditionally go to church.
But in order for me to connectto that person, their
communication, their languageand everything, I have to study
the different cultures.
Right.
You know, I just can't write andjust put something out there.
That's when a lot of the churchplays fail.
(15:20):
Yeah.
You know, cause I don't want tobe labeled as a church play.
I'm a writer, you know, becausenow they put me in a box and I
don't want those actors to beput in a box too.
So when they come work with me,I let them be themselves.
But at the same time, I let themstay in the content.
But the answer to your questionagain, is that they really feel
comfortable and well, reallycomfortable to come work with
(15:41):
me, you know?
Yeah.
Yeah.
And I think that's the beauty ofart and writing because it has
been a form of, changingcultural norms and addressing
the thing that's like right infront of you, right?
The elephant in the room that wedon't know how to say out loud
or socially we don't have, it'snot acceptable or whatever.
And so I think it's a beautifulthing that you're like, Hey,
(16:03):
this is reality or here are realthings that we're working on and
just being transparent becausethat's How life is transparent,
right?
I think that's when, that's whenart I think is really powerful
to writing or art or pictures ormusic or whatever.
It's cause it, it touches aplace of you that's really real.
Like it's really vulnerable,like Hamilton, like that, you
know, that was a, a hugeconflict, you know, a different,
(16:24):
but there was, there's valid,conversation, like it is a
mechanism to have aconversation, a necessary
conversation.
I agree.
Yeah.
So I love that, that that's yourmedium.
So we talk,, on the podcastabout leadership, you're my
friend and I'm super excited foryou and I just, I'm so proud of
you.
How has your leadership lenschanged from then to now as you
(16:46):
lead these teams every day.
Well, um, it don't, it haven'tturned off leaving the military.
It really happened because a lotof people like, have you used to
be the military?
I said, yeah, it's hard for meto deny because I use that way.
Um, in my, my leadership, um, Igo, I can go from being a coach,
(17:08):
a mentor, um, a manager, um, youknow, a leader.
in the Airman Leadership School.
Remember that?
Um, as you know, Air Force, Idon't know what the Army and
Marines guys do in the Navy, butyou know, we have, we call it
ALS.
But, um, I remember, I rememberthey were teaching about
management, from being a managerand a leader.
Yeah.
(17:28):
And, um, and they said a managersometimes could be a leader, a
leader can sometimes be amanager, you know, but I think
those, Two, two's are variedskills to have as leadership or
just basically govern a group ofpeople.
And I use that in my acting, youknow, directing.
I have to be, um, at time I gotto be a mentor, you know, at
(17:49):
time I got to, um, um, be a proproject manager.
Right.
With, uh, managing all myschedule and my time, like
today, we had a meeting todaywith you at 2 30.
Then after this, today at fouro'clock, I had another one.
Then after this one, I have afive o'clock one.
So it was back to back to back.
Now, I got to make sure myproject manager hat is on and
cover all that.
You know, even coming up withthe rehearsal schedule, coming
(18:11):
up with the itinerary when theycome in.
And I'm thinking now thatrehearsal is over, the Zoom
rehearsal, they flying in onMonday.
Now I got to get the itineraryready for Monday through Friday.
Yeah.
You know, so it's many hats thatI'm wearing, but the leadership
and the skills, the militarytaught me those years I've been
in the military really preparedme for what I'm doing today.
(18:31):
You know, it really does help mein my nine to five job as well.
And at times, you know, and Idon't know if you have that
issue or your husband had theissue, my good friend, Mark, you
know, uh, sometimes we don'tknow how to, I don't know how to
turn it off sometime.
I got to resist, turn it off,relax, and no, no thinking, you
know what I'm saying and becalm, you know, cool.
(18:52):
That's exactly right.
It is hard.
Yeah, we, I am finding in thisseason, I like to sit in the
living room with nothing on andour kids are big now, you know,
so most of them are out of thehouse.
We have one more here at home.
He's a senior, but everyone elsehas grown and big in the world
and it's just exhausting.
I am the same to you.
Um, but I think the two Elementsof leadership or the value
(19:14):
system or principles ofleadership that you're talking
about that.
I think, I think about when youspeak as like one clarity,
you're bringing clarity to abunch of people, you know, even
as something as like logisticsand schedules and making sure
everyone is on time sometimes Ithink we, yeah.
Overlook how important clarityis from a leadership
perspective.
Cause you're really casting thevision as a visionary leader.
(19:36):
Like you created this play,right?
Like you wrote it, so it's yourvision, but then you have to
then take that vision and thenyou have to put it in a way that
other people can understand.
Underneath it and then actuallylike live that out.
So are there any tools ortechniques that you have found
that help you do that?
Well, Or,, lessons you'velearned along the way of taking
(19:57):
this idea and putting it intoreality.
Um, a lot of people tell me Ihave a great way of explaining
things.
I'm a good storyteller.
So what I do based upon, um, Ijust be myself and not really,
even though I got, like you say,go back to that time where
people went to school and it,like, I just, I use my
personality and who I am and Ithink how My sociology degree
(20:20):
comes into as well.
Um, because I studied people.
I studied a personality.
I know how they are,, if I knowthey serious, I'm going to come
them directly about the play.
No joking, because I know theyjust really, really serious.
But if I know somebodypersonality relax, I can joke
about certain things as I'mexplaining it to them, made them
feel relaxed.
So I look at people nonverbalsigns.
(20:41):
And, and fill them out as Iexplain it to them, you know,,
and been helping me out thatbeen helping me out a lot too,
as well.
And also, uh, my approach, likeI said, approach is very,, it's
very important to as well.
Um, yeah, so that's why I justdon't want to be that strict
director because I haven't hearda lot of those New York
directors, LA directors, youknow, they can be strong, they
(21:02):
can be strong.
You know, you know, what I hear,they blast them.
You know what I'm saying?
I'm the director.
If you don't like it, you'regonna walk out that door.
Power, right?
I don't wanna deal with thatlike that.
I don't talk to people likethat, you know?
Yeah, I thought that when yousaid mentor, which comes to mind
empathy, which I think is such apowerful tool in leadership that
we Kind of step over.
(21:23):
Sometimes I just did a podcastyesterday about gratitude, but
gratitude from the position oftrust, right?
So it sounds like to me of avery grateful heart, one to God
for, this journey that he'staken you on and to the people
who are giving their talents andhelping this vision come to life
and that, that heart leadership.
Just it, it's like energy, itradiates in a room, right?
(21:45):
But I think the other powerfultool that you have in your
toolkit is the empathy tool,because you are meeting people
where they are and you're givingthem the space.
That doesn't mean that it's freerange.
I'm sure everyone's not runningaround on this stage, like just
making their characters up.
Like there's, there's clarity.
Like you're like, no, we'regoing this way.
Stop.
Put that down.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
(22:05):
I, yeah, I had to stop a few ofthem when I give them what I do.
I write everything in content.
I tell them this is thetemplate, right?
I want you to make it morecomfortable to you how you say
it.
I may say it this way, but makeit more you.
Make it more, well, how peopleare talking today.
So they're changing around, butstay in the content of where
we're going.
If I feel like they are goingout, I will put them back in
(22:27):
immediately.
Because once again, it's takingaway from the vision what God
gave me.
You know?
Yeah.
And I got to stay on thatvision.
I got to stay on that task.
I can't let them just change it.
Honestly, think about it.
That's what Satan doing today.
God would give us somethingright.
And he'll come in and want tochange it around and make it
perverted, whatever, and take itaway from whatever God really
tried to give that person.
(22:48):
And that's why I refuse to letSatan doing these plays.
Wow.
That is so powerful.
That's the statement rightthere.
You're right.
I'm sitting and just in thisplace of identity, right?
And our identity and him thatGod gave us when we were, you
like, There's so much power, butthen the enemy comes and takes
all those little pieces of ouridentity and chips away at them
(23:08):
one at a time.
And that's the most powerfulthing is being known and being
seen by the creator.
Like once you know that, I thinkfrom a faith perspective, and
this year has been a really bigjourney with me, with being seen
by God, like seeing God in thesacrifice that Jesus made and
that reverence is one element, Ithink, but then when we are
(23:30):
seen.
When we are fully seen by a HolyGod and, and we stand before him
for as much as we can, this sideof earth.
That changes us to the core ofwho we are.
And once you're seen, you can'tbe unseen by him ever.
I don't, I don't think the enemycan ever, like, I'm just in this
(23:50):
place of like taking back whatthe enemy stole.
Like, I'm so incredibly like,no, that was a lie.
Like the enemy tried to takeyour identity in him.
They stole it, you know, and weneed to get it back.
So that's my little.
That's my little rant where I'mat right now.
Oh, no, I love it.
I love it.
Yeah.
So let's talk about your visionfor this play and if you could
(24:12):
wave a magic wand, where wouldyou be?
Where would it be?
5, 10 years from now?
Oh, good question.
Um, I would say next year.
There we go.
Okay.
We're claiming it.
Yeah.
45 days.
You put that, you put thatproject manager on that right
there.
45 days.
(24:33):
And plus 45.
There we go.
That's exactly right.
Yeah.
So, um, actually I wanted, Iwant to take this play.
No, actually I'm doing, I'm oncourse with what I wanted to do.
I told the people I've beenworking with each year, I want
to do this play and build uponit.
I want the different seniors tocome in from different
locations.
I want to go from different fromstate to state because it
(24:54):
started in the DC area.
Right.
But you know, but nobody don'tknow about that play, but the DC
area, and I only did a few timesthere.
So my goal is I wanted to takeit out of DC.
So I'm on, I'm on my pathway ofwhat I'm wanting to do.
But now what I want to do is Iwant to introduce it back to my
home state where I was born,Florida.
Right.
Yeah.
That's where I'm excited.
(25:14):
But following that next year, Iwant to go to the East.
These states.
I want to come back here inFlorida and do it in my city.
I was born in Fort Lauderdale,Florida.
Come back to Orlando.
All right.
Then we go to North Carolina andthen to the DMV, back to the
DMV, to those listeners who Iwas on the DC, Maryland,
Virginia area.
And then actually one more, uh,I got some connection in Detroit
(25:37):
and we finally finished inDetroit Motown.
Oh my gosh.
You know, and I have a greattime.
I can, we can have a great timein Motown with the different
singers and all can't imagine.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So that's, that's my goal fornext year.
All right.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And I already been planning inmy mind already.
I already talked to my team assoon as this play is done next
week.
I said, Hey, let's meetimmediately for a post, um,
(26:00):
meeting, production post.
Yeah, the post productionmeeting.
And then we go ahead and startplanning.
Cause we got main thing isgetting those, um, the years,
um, what do you call it?
Security deposit to lock thosedates in.
Okay.
And once we get our dates in,boom, we know now we can start
recruiting.
Um, I'd like to keep this cast,but I like to recruit into
different local talent in thosedifferent cities, bringing in
(26:23):
some more new singers here andthere and go from there.
So it's a plan already.
That is so exciting.
Do you know where in NorthCarolina you want to go?
So, uh, my executive producersand from, um, Roxbury, North
Carolina, but I think Raleighwill be the ideal place.
For that area for that play inRaleigh, North Carolina.
It's a bigger city and I give alot of people from Roxbury to
(26:45):
come there.
Drive out that way.
Um, people from Charlotte, ifthey want to come, you know,
it's drivable.
Yeah.
Oh, it's super exciting.
Okay, so say it again.
Let everybody know when the showis and when it's coming, what
it's about.
Okay.
The show is December 14th.
Um, or we got, what, seven days,almost seven, eight days left.
And It's called, I'll be homefor Christmas, a season of
(27:07):
transformation.
And basically, if you thinkabout you had, did you have a
good Thanksgiving, like all thefamily gathering?
We did.
Did you have that?
For the kids, they came.
Yeah.
For the kids.
Yeah.
You know, so just imagine you,now you flip that into Christmas
and this family was known forthe Christmas celebration, the
community like to come to thisfamily and it did a lot of
(27:28):
eating together, a lot ofsinging, just a base of the
place to be because they madeeveryone feel.
Comfort and love.
But this for the last five, sixyears, there's been a
transformation, a change in hisfamily.
The kids don't come homeanymore.
They are adult kids now becauseof some past hurts that happened
in the family.
Yeah.
Everybody refused to come backhome.
(27:50):
Right.
So mom, so dad have died off.
Mom's been about home by herselffor five to six years by
herself.
But this Season.
She decided I'm going to ask mykids to come back home and let's
try to see if we can bring thisChristmas celebration back.
And so this whole thing is they,she wrote this letter to them
and they all accept it.
So one by one, they come home,but before they can get to where
(28:12):
they used to be known for inthat community, got in with the
light.
Yeah.
In a, in that community.
Wow.
You know, but before they canget to it, they got to have
those tough conversations, toughthings that happened in the past
to be able to forgive, to getback to the celebration of
Christ's birthday.
That's powerful stuff rightthere.
You know?
So yeah, so it's, I'll be homefor Christmas, a season of
(28:34):
transformation.
Oh, friend.
I'm so excited for you.
Oh my gosh.
And is that, is that the KingdomBaptist Church in Orlando,
Florida?
And, um, you can go to them awebsite at www.
It's a long website.
Y'all is www.
macleanenterpriseproductions.
com.
So you can go there for ticketsand on December 14th, we're
(28:56):
doing two shows at 2 PM and at 6PM, Orlando, Florida.
All right.
I'll put all the links in theshow notes.
We're going to definitely flipthis episode really fast so we
can get it out.
I'm so proud of you, friend.
I appreciate that.
No, I'm proud of you guys toobecause of, you know, your
books, you coming out with thedifferent books and everything.
(29:17):
I'm definitely going to supportyou cause I want to read your
books and everything.
Thanks.
Yeah.
Well the audio book will comeout in a couple of weeks before
Christmas.
So you can listen to it whileyou're driving up and down the
East coast.
How's that?
Awesome.
This has been awesome.
Yes.
It was so good.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you for coming.
Hey everybody.
Thanks for listening to theentrusted to lead podcast today.
(29:39):
I hope you enjoyed theconversation with my friend
Akiva and if you're in Orlando,pop over to the show, grab a
ticket, and if not keep tabs onhis website and social media as
they continue to travel aroundthe country, sharing their love
and hope with the world.
If you're not already subscribedto the entrusted to lead
newsletter, pop over I hope thatyou have an amazing day.
(30:05):
Keep showing up every day, evenwhen it hurts because you
matter.
I'll see you later.
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