TT the Artist: The Evolution of a Multimedia Creator

Grab your red hat and buckle up, because we’re diving headfirst into the unstoppable universe of TT the Artist—a visionary multimedia maestro who’s danced her way through both music and film with fearless creativity. In this episode, TT spills the tea on a life-changing mishap (because who hasn’t accidentally lost priceless footage?) that ended up fueling her drive instead of derailing her dreams.

We’ll learn how community and camaraderie are her secret sauce, offering not just moral support but also fresh chances for collaboration in an industry that changes faster than your favorite streaming queue. TT also gives us a behind-the-scenes look at her Netflix doc, Dark City Beneath the Beat, highlighting Baltimore’s electrifying music scene and reminding us how powerful real-life stories and representation can be.

And just when you think it can’t get better, TT dishes about her new project, Denim, where she’s shining a spotlight on LGBTQIA+ creatives and championing inclusivity in the arts. Throughout our chat, you’ll find loads of inspiration to keep pushing forward, discover your own artistic flair, and form those all-important creative alliances.

So, hit subscribe, and join us as we celebrate creativity, resilience, and empowerment. Because if TT can spin a near-catastrophe into a catalyst for success, just imagine what you can do!

"Unglossy: Decoding Brand in Culture," is produced and distributed by Merrick Studio and hosted by Merrick Chief Creative Officer, Tom Frank, hip hop artist and founder of Pendulum Ink, Mickey Factz, and music industry veteran, Jeffrey Sledge. Tune in to hear this thought-provoking discussion on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you catch your podcasts. Follow us on Instagram @UnglossyPod to join the conversation and support the show at https://unglossypod.buzzsprout.com/

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This week on Unglossy .

Speaker 2 (00:02):
I'm carrying these hard drives to work and we were
like in the middle of somedeadline, of turning some grant
at work.
So I'm like, okay, I didn'thave the money to just have hard
drives for separate things.
Man, I got up out of my deskand the cord from the hard drive
was wrapped around me and thehard drive was flying smack dab
to the floor, all my footagegone.

Speaker 1 (00:30):
From the top yeah.

Speaker 3 (00:31):
I'm Tom Frank.

Speaker 1 (00:36):
I'm Mickey Fax and I'm Jeffrey Sledge.
Welcome to Unglossy decodingbrand and culture.
I'm Tom Frank, partner andchief creative officer at Merit
Creative.
This is Mickey Fax, hip hopartist and founder and CEO of
Pendulum Inc.
And that is Jeffrey Sledge, aseasoned music industry veteran
who has worked with some of thebiggest artists in the business.
We're here to explore themoments of vulnerability,
pivotal decisions and creativesparks that fuel the
relationship between brand andculture.
Get ready for thought provokingjourney into the heart and soul

(00:58):
of branding the unscripted,unfiltered and truly unglossy
truth.

Speaker 4 (01:05):
Yeah, I mean today is like.
It's like red hat day today.
Where's?

Speaker 3 (01:08):
your red hat.
Yeah, tom, you slacking man,you slacking, I mean nobody told
me about the red hat in advance.
I don't know if I own a red hat.

Speaker 1 (01:16):
It's a feeling you gotta go cop one.

Speaker 3 (01:18):
It's a feeling, it's a vibe, it must be a feeling.

Speaker 4 (01:22):
It's a vibe.
It's a vibe.

Speaker 2 (01:24):
You just got to know, you just got to know to put it
on.

Speaker 4 (01:26):
You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 1 (01:28):
I hear you.
Well, we certainly had a vibegoing today with our guest TT
the Artist.
What did you guys think of that?

Speaker 3 (01:36):
She's amazing, smart, creative, beautiful spirit.

Speaker 4 (01:42):
I liked her a lot.
Yeah, that's the homie I reallyenjoyed.
You know her, her drive.
I think it's important just forartists to hear her story and
and and how she's able tosustain a living in this space.
I think it's especially as ablack woman.
I think it's just very, veryimportant for people to kind of
know that there's no excuse.
It's really literally no excuse.
You can make it happen, youjust got to do it.

Speaker 3 (02:05):
It's about the drive and the consistency.
You just got to keep going.
She talks about that.
You got to keep going.

Speaker 1 (02:13):
And going for it right.

Speaker 3 (02:16):
Keep going for it.
If you're doing somethingworthwhile and you know it's
worthwhile, something willhappen eventually.
But you can't stop, kind ofstops, starts, stops.
You just got to keep going,keep going and it'll connect at
some point.

Speaker 1 (02:32):
Mickey, something I wanted to ask you when we were
interviewing her is you know shevery much is an independent
artist and I know you've talkeda lot about that.
Is there an advantage?
I mean, there's independentartists, but at some point you
do need some kind of help, right?
Whether that's a publicist,whether that's marketing,
whether that's a label or what.
What are your thoughts on that?

Speaker 4 (02:52):
I mean, I think you know help is absolutely
necessary.
I you know I find it compellingto to hear that she's doing it
all on her own.
But I think a lot of the theissues that she's probably
coming across is that she's awoman and there's probably some
trust issues going on there andshe knows that she has to take
care of what she has to takecare of.
And you know, to get apublicist, to get a manager like

(03:15):
people don't want to work forfree and a lot of times for
independent artists, you knowwe're making enough money to
take care of ourselves.
Sometimes you can pay peopleyou know, depending on the deals
money to take care of ourselves.
Sometimes you can pay people,you know, depending on the deals
that are structured, and thenyou can break them off some
money.
But if it's not from aconsistent standpoint, if we're
not constantly hitting the road,if we're not putting a project
out every two, three months,it's difficult for the people

(03:37):
that you know you want to workfor you, to constantly work for
you.
So you have to kind of adaptand adopt more of these typical,
you know job titles that younormally wouldn't.
It's interesting, right, and Iknow this is just our intro, but
when you think about artists ofthe past, if a record stopped

(03:58):
moving and that was it, that wasit, you know, like an artist
from the seventies, if theydidn't have like a catalog, they
would have to kind of go intothe workforce or they could hit
the ch didn't exist.
So you know, I think now youknow it's this opportunity to
connect with different peopledue to the internet.

(04:32):
We can kind of like that personshe talked about, kira lehman,
like he is a one of the thebiggest music supervisors in
hollywood, like for her to getthat email from him and then
building a relationship.
That would not have happened 20, 30 years ago.

Speaker 1 (04:46):
Yeah, that's true?

Speaker 4 (04:46):
No, no, no, yeah.
So I think it's going to beinteresting for people to kind
of hear her story.
From the very beginning there'sa lot of similarities.
I was a church kid too, so Ithink it's just going to be
really, really dope for peopleto hear her story.
I can't wait for people to seewhat she had to say, you know.

Speaker 1 (05:05):
I agree, she's genuine, she's authentic and and
, and you know what, ever sinceI met her, I just I liked her.
She, she's a good person, andso this is a great interview and
let's dive in.
Let's go.
Tt the artist Unglossy isbrought to you by Merrick
Creative, looking to skyrocketyour business's visibility and
drive growth.
At Merit Creative, we solveyour brand and marketing woes

(05:29):
With big ideas, decades ofexperience and innovative
solutions.
We'll draw in your targetaudience and keep them hooked.
Remember, creativity is key tosuccess.
Partner with Merit Creative andunlock your brand's potential.
Learn more at meritcreativecom.
And now back to the show.
Today we are thrilled tocelebrate the unstoppable force

(05:51):
that is TT the Artist, thevisionary multimedia creative
who effuses both beats,kaleidoscopic visuals and
fearless storytelling to empowercommunities and amplify
unrepresented voices.
Mickey and I first crossedpaths with TT the Artist while
working on Uncharted, adocumentary spotlighting
emerging talents, taking part inAlicia Keys' transformative

(06:12):
songwriting camp through herorganization Sia's the Music.
Hailing from Florida and rootedin Baltimore's vibrant club
culture and now I find out youwere in LA.
And now back to New York, andTT the Artist has channeled her
passion in the music, filmperformance and visual art, most
notably through her acclaimedNetflix documentary Dark City.
Beneath the Beat, she continuesto push creative boundaries as

(06:35):
a cultural creator, creativecoach and movement builder.
Her latest project, thegroundbreaking film Denim, will
premiere at South by Southwestin Austin in March, promising
another exhilarating chapter inher ever-evolving body of work.
Hello, tt the Artist.

Speaker 2 (06:50):
Hello nice to be with you all.

Speaker 3 (06:54):
Wait, can I?
Ask you what TT stands for, oris that?

Speaker 2 (06:57):
private.
Nah well, my real name is Tidra, which actually I recently did
a little bit of rebranding formy film directing.
So it's now tdra, most notableas tt the artist, because tt the
artist still exists in my musicspace, um, but yeah, I just you
know, it's a nickname.
I had the nickname tt when Iwas in college and I went to art

(07:19):
school, so I always told peopleI wanted them to know me as an
artist, first and foremost, evenwhen I started to do music.
So that's basically how I cameup with TT the Artist.
Okay, okay.

Speaker 1 (07:31):
Okay, so should we go with Tidra then?

Speaker 2 (07:34):
Tidra TT.
Most of my friends call me TT Ifeel like I got to call you TT.
Yeah, tt is cool.

Speaker 1 (07:41):
I know you as TT.

Speaker 2 (07:42):
Yeah, but you know it's elevation Before we get
into how we know you, right?

Speaker 1 (07:48):
I do want to start with now.
You were born in Florida, right?
I originally thought you wereborn in Baltimore, but you have
Florida roots.

Speaker 2 (07:55):
Yep.

Speaker 1 (07:55):
But then you've gotten deep into Baltimore club
culture.
Absolutely, tell a little bitabout your upbringing and how
you got into this area.

Speaker 2 (08:06):
Well, my upbringing was pretty crazy.
I feel like you know, in myolder self, just looking back in
my upbringing, I grew up inFort Lauderdale, florida.
I believe Florida can tend tofeel like a gas chamber where
it's kind of like south.
There's some areas that arevery progressive, there's some
areas that are not.
But even in the moreprogressive areas, like where I

(08:27):
grew up Fort Lauderdale is stillis very much country and I grew
up very sheltered, you know,from like a very Pentecostal
Christian home.
I wasn't allowed to wear pants.
It was like a cult, like Iwasn't allowed to wear pants or
hang around with like the kidsoutside of school, you know.

(08:48):
So I was always at church orhome or at a family member's
house, but I was very sheltered,I wasn't allowed to do anything
.
So I used to tell people.
I felt like my life reallybegan once my mom left that
church and I was like enteringhigh school and I attended the
Dillard School of Arts.
I was in a magnet program forvisual arts and I just like, for

(09:09):
the first time I was able towear pants openly, freely, and I
just like felt so muchliberation and I started doing
everything.
I was in a marching band.
A lot of people you know downSouth marching bands are like
like it's the, it's the cultureyou know familyAMU Home.
Cookman, hbcus and things likethat.
So I was actually.
I made her story at my schoolbecause we had one of the most

(09:32):
well-known bands, most popularbands.
Like everybody wanted to be ourband, the Marching Panthers and
I was the first ever in thehistory of the school to go from
being a dancer to being a drummajor.
Like it had never happenedbefore, I'd never played
instruments before.
But if you know Southern bandculture, it's about showmanship,

(09:55):
it's about performing.
So I, you know, there was threedrum majors.
I made the third cut.
The auditions were crazybecause people were like picking
on me because I'm like super,just the girly girl.
All my dance girls are rootingfor me, because they're like we
need somebody to advocate for us.
You know, because the drummajors role is usually

(10:16):
predominantly a male, you know,given role, yeah.
So yeah, people were the kidswho have been the band since
birth.
They're like, oh, like,thinking I'm not going to make
it.
And then we do the auditions, Ikill it, and then they announce
it's like a movie.
They announce who won.
So I got the third pick andfrom there I honestly feel like

(10:36):
that's what gave me my musicaljourney, inspiration on
performing.
We used to have to perform for,like, nfl games and big college
stadium games.
So imagine just being on thisbig field and having to perform
in front of hundreds ofthousands of people.
And then, at the same time I wasstarting, you know, my journey

(10:57):
into hip hop, my friend Kamisha,who reminded me of the brat
then she was the first person Iencountered that was a rapper
and she could freestyle.
I mean she used to battle allthe boys at lunch and I just was
like I want to be cool, likethat.
I was like I want to be knownfor my voice and not just how I
look as a woman and that's whatwalked me into wanting to do

(11:20):
music.
Like she got so much respectwhenever she walked in a room
just because she knew how tofreestyle and battle and so she
helped basically show me how towrite a 16 bar rap.
We used to I was probablywhacking shit at the time, but
we used to go to the cafeteria,beat on the tables and exchange
like notebook pages of likeverses that I had wrote and

(11:41):
verses that she had wrote.
So shout out to kamisha.
We actually just recentlyreconnected, actually in our
adult years.

Speaker 1 (11:47):
What is she doing now ?
Is she still rapping?

Speaker 2 (11:52):
I think she still writes.
She was always a poet, so shestill writes.
We haven't linked up yet, so wejust fish fresh.
We just reconnected, maybe lastweek, via Instagram.
So it's pretty cool.
We're going to, we're settingup a time to actually meet in
person now and I'm thinking Imight bring her in on some of

(12:13):
the new music I'm working on,because I think that's kind of
cool, Like take it back.
She actually put a fire in methat you know.
Sometimes we would just calleach other on the phone and we
would go back and forth and justspit verses Like let me.
At that time I felt like itkept me so fresh and just
committed to the craft and theartsmanship of just like writing

(12:35):
music, you know.
So that I say you know, Istarted out in a very
fundamental side of hip hopbefore I started to transition
to Baltimore and go to collegeand get into the dance music.

Speaker 4 (12:48):
Yeah, so you know, listening, listening to this
story, right, and we know thatyou know you're from Fort
Lauderdale, but we can hear the,we can hear the, the, ooh.

Speaker 1 (12:58):
Oh yeah.

Speaker 3 (13:00):
So, we know your Baltimore accent.

Speaker 4 (13:01):
Yeah, that Baltimore accent is strong, so talk to us
how you got into that.
If you worked with anybody, youknow my mom, my homegirl Rara,
you know she's, you know she'sout there in Baltimore and that
sound has always been a greatsound.
So talk to us how you got intothat sound.
You know in Baltimore.

Speaker 2 (13:19):
To be honest, it was so organic because first of all,
I started out, like I said,doing hip hop, but I was very
heavily influenced by 90s dancemusic Uncle Luke 2, live Crew,
miami Bass I grew up around that, so that was the culture that
you know connected me to musicright and I didn't realize me to

(13:42):
music right and I didn'trealize, wow, how similar
Baltimore Club was to, you know,genres like Miami bass.
So when I was a college studentI first heard Baltimore Club
music, I thought my radio wasbroken because it was just like
looping and looping and loopingand I was like what is this?
And then I started a lot ofpeople don't know before I

(14:03):
started doing music, um, moreseriously, I was pursuing a
career in dance.
So when I was in college, I wasworking, I was a go-go dancer
at this like one night clubcalled club one in Baltimore.
Then I would go to this clubcalled paradox, which was where
the, the culture was.
That was where you would go tosee the Baltimore club.
That's where I got introducedto ballroom and vogue dance

(14:25):
styles and music and that'swhere I feel like the beginning,
the seed was really plantedduring my freshman year,
sophomore year of college whereI was just like full-time
student but also working hellapart-time jobs.
So I'm over there dancing atthe club from 10 to 12.
Then I'm leaving, I'm going toParadox and that was like a late
night after hour, so the clubwould literally close at like

(14:46):
five in the morning.
So, um damn, I was in the bestshape of my life around that
time.
But uh, then I met a producer atthe time His name was Murder
Mark, but when we rebranded henow goes by Mighty Mark, and so
that actually was one of thefirst Baltimore club producers
that I work with, and he had agroup called the Yo Boys and

(15:07):
they had did some work withAaron Lecrae, who is definitely
representing for the Baltimoreculture in a global way.
And I also met Kay Swift, theDJ Kay Swift at the Paradox.
She was doing the BaltimoreClub mixtapes, the Club Queen,
club Queen mixtapes, withshowing the culture, showing the
new artists and producers thatwere representing for Baltimore

(15:30):
Club.
But it was really when I metMighty Mark and then from there
me and him just had this greatworking relationship.
He respected me always as anartist, as a woman, as a just on
the same level as a partnerwhen it comes to our business
and we've just made so many, somany moves together that you

(15:51):
know I literally owe him so much.
But yeah, it was Mighty Markthat was who.
And you mentioned Rai Rai, but alot of people don't know is
when Rai Rai's stuff was goingon.
I was around during that time Iwas Rai Rai's stuff was going
on.
I was around during that time Iwas, I was in her life, like I
helped decorate her baby shower.
I was, you know, doingdifferent things.
I saw everybody's grind and sowhile she was on her thing with

(16:21):
Black Star, the producer, blackStar because they were kind of
like a duo Mark and I were justin our own space and what we
were doing in our space wascultivating the culture a bit
more in different ways byintroducing media.
We were actually opening studios, starting record labels, taking
dancers on the road with us ontour, doing the, hosting

(16:43):
Baltimore Club dance classes andmaking films.
As you can see, you mentionedearlier my film that was on
Netflix, dark City Beneath theBeat.
So I feel like what we did waswe learned how to brand and
market Baltimore Club music.
So it became a thing where alot of the press that then
started coming into Baltimore.
They would go to Me and MightyMark when Red Bull would come to

(17:06):
town, when Fader would come totown, when Vice would come to
town.
They would hit up me and MightyMark and be like, who do we
need to connect with?
So a lot of people don't knowand that's why I always tell
people to think about therelationships you build, because
you never know who put in agood word for you for to even
have that opportunity.
And I'm one of those people thatI don't brag about it, but I

(17:27):
know that I'm so responsible forwhy club music has become a
phenomena on the global musicworld platform.
I know this to be true and it'sinteresting to see it all
because if you really go backand do your deep dive, you'll
see, like the steps that werebeing made to expand, and not

(17:48):
just in Baltimore, but withartists like Unique and people
coming out of Jersey, dj Slankjust really big DJs and
producers who are also makingways and taking the music out of
the city and doing things withthe music, like creating their
own festivals and touring ineurope and playing the sound.
So there's a core group ofpeople.

(18:08):
I feel a part of the generationthat I came in that have really
shaped and mold this sound tobe what it is today it's
interesting because I went tomorgan, morgan state and years,
years ago, um, it was more.

Speaker 3 (18:23):
boston has always been like a, it was like a real
kind of R&B side, but then itwas always really a club side.
Back then it was more clubmusic, it was like Odell's and
those places.
So it's always had this clubmusic energy that DC, which is,
you know, not too far away,absolutely does not have.

Speaker 4 (18:40):
DC does not have that at all, yeah, but there's no.

Speaker 3 (18:45):
I dc does not have that at all.
Yeah, yeah, but there's no,there's like there.
I tell people that likecomparing baltimore to dc is
like comparing like it's I don'tknow like new york and
philadelphia.
There's nothing alike there.
Then there's absolutely nocommon thread besides geography.
They're two totally differentcities in all ways.
You know dc is very, you know,buttoned up and conservative and
government, city, governmentrun, and baltimore is kind of
ways, you know dc's very, youknow, buttoned up and
conservative and government,city, government run, and

(19:06):
baltimore's kind of like, youknow, based on history, based on
the docs and people kind ofworking from that, and so it's a
whole different kind of thing.
But I remember the club musicscene was really big there.
So it's interesting to see whatit's morphed into um to the
baltimore club scene.
It's really, it's really, it's,it's dope, it's super dope.
You know, I always saw it where, where would go?

Speaker 2 (19:30):
yeah, and dc has its own thing.
They have go go.
Yeah, that's so.
Their club sound is the go-gosound you know what I'm saying
and um beat your feet yeah andit's cool because when I did my
poke and beans yeah, when I didmy film because I just wanted to
open a window to baltimore clubculture.

(19:52):
I've now expanded to uh.
Now I'm developing a doc serieswhere we will go to other
cities to highlight other blackand brown communities and their
music and subcultures.
So um similar to how we did withdark cities, because I feel
like if we don't really documentthese histories and her stories

(20:14):
, they will be forgotten or, aswe are seeing, a lot of music
waves that black people start,as this has been happening
throughout history.

Speaker 3 (20:25):
Um gets appropriated well I gotta correct you, don't,
I gotta correct you, I gottacorrect you.
Not a lot of waves, all thewaves all the ways.

Speaker 2 (20:34):
Like you know, I have to do this.
This is just sidebar.
You know, beyonce just won um,the best album with cowboy
carter, and um, I think she sayssomething along the lines of
thank you for allowing me inhere to the country music
community.
I'm like girl, you are thecountry music community.
It started with black people.

(20:55):
You don't have to say thank youfor allowing me here.
No, you were here.
You grew up in Texas, it's inyour bloodlines in your roots.
You ain't got gotta say thankyou for allowing me here into my
own house.
No, make your art, make yourmusic, but always stand on like
there.
This came from somewhere and wehave to sometimes remind people

(21:17):
where things come fromabsolutely, and that don't mean
what.

Speaker 3 (21:19):
That what people are doing now is not dope, but just
know what, just know where itstarted, you know in.
In show respect to that, youknow, I want to ask you how did
the, how did the um, the netflixthing come about?

Speaker 1 (21:30):
yeah, I want to hear more about the making of that
and what that did to help propel.

Speaker 2 (21:35):
Yeah, you are probably a different stage I say
that that was probably one ofthe most um, challenging
journeys because, if you thinkabout it, I was in college.
I was a freshman in collegearound no, I graduated from
college 2006.
So in 2006 you go to school.
I went to the marylandinstitute college of art okay,
so I have a bachelor's in finearts.

(21:56):
Um, so in 2006, that's when Ireally was like getting into the
music scene and, um, I was likeno one's documented this.
Why, why isn't no one talkingabout this more?
Why isn't it being documentedin high quality?
And I was one of the firstpeople, to be honest, in the
city that started moving aroundwith a HD camera capturing the

(22:20):
culture in a in a way, you knowwhat I mean, besides the blogs
and stuff like, I was thatperson.
But, yeah, I started to see theparallels between the music and
also the need for resources inBaltimore City and how, like,
you reach a ceiling when you'rethere.
There's not a lot of mediathere, there's not a lot of
press, and so that's when Istarted the journey.

(22:44):
It was like 2006.
I had the idea.
But then, from 2006 to 2011,that's when I was really
thinking about man, it keptcoming back to me like do this
film, do this film?
And then, of course, I didn'tgo to film school, so I didn't
have any idea on how to makefilms at all, but I did take a
video production class when Iwas in college, so I learned how

(23:04):
to edit and shoot.
Do simple stuff like the basicstuff, right?
Like the basic stuff right.
Um 2011, I've applied for afellowship.
I got a chance to rent gear andgo out and shoot like a short
version of the film that I hadoriginally had an idea of, um,
and you're going out, you, yourent this equipment.

Speaker 1 (23:25):
You have no formal training in essence yeah you're
out there just documenting, yeah, everything that you're seeing,
guerrilla style, guerrillastyle, yeah.

Speaker 2 (23:32):
Yeah, it wasn't no shot list, it wasn't no location
scout, and it was like hey, I'mshooting a movie, can I come
and film and do an interviewwith you?
And the crazy thing iseverything that could go wrong
went wrong.
I had got to a point where Ihad this was 2011.
I had these like clips.
I started clipping them up,doing teasers, dropping them on

(23:54):
youtube.
That it started to kind of goviral a little bit before viral,
viral was a thing, and peoplefrom france were reaching out
like, hey, can we stream yourmovie, screen your movie when
it's done for this festival?
Like festivals were reachingout to me, um, and with 30
seconds of an edit.
So I was like, oh, okay, I mustreally have something here.
So, at the same time, I'mworking this nine to five at a
non-profit and I'm like themedia specialist at this

(24:16):
non-profit, so I'm carrying myhard drives with me and this is
when hard drives are like thisbig yeah, you can have an.
SD or nothing.
I'm carrying these hard drivesto work and we were like in the
middle of some deadline, ofturning some grant at work.
So I'm like, okay, I didn'thave the money to just have hard
drives for separate things yeahman, I got up out of my desk

(24:38):
and the cord from the hard drivewas wrapped around me and the
hard drive goes flying smack dabto the floor.
All my footage gone, damn,except the stuff that I had put
online, so all my footage wasgone.
I went to look about that,looking to data recovery.
I was scammed so I ended uppaying like $500 for some data
recovery.
They said it was 99.9%recoverable.

(25:01):
I nail in the hard drive, thenthey disappear and take my money
, and so that's when it allstarted to like same thing
happened to me.

Speaker 4 (25:11):
I gonna do this same thing happened to me.

Speaker 3 (25:13):
Same thing happened to me, literally yes yep yeah so
really it was.

Speaker 2 (25:17):
It was so crazy because it's not like now.
We didn't have the cloud andall of that like it wasn't, like
you could just go to dropbox.
So now we're at the checkpoint.
So this is 2011.
All this happened.
So then I decided to do akickstarter and I was like if I
could just raise maybe forty,five hundred dollars or four
thousand dollars, I can get acamera, my own dslr um, a new

(25:39):
computer and I can handle therest from there.
I was just really thinkingambitiously because I'm like in
my mind, I'm resourceful, so Icould shoot a feature film for
four thousand dollars.
But you see how ridiculous thatsounds like now that I've
actually done films.
So do a kickstarter.
I get in my fundraising bag, Iend up I'm like two days away

(26:00):
and fifteen hundred dollarsshort from reaching my goal and
a rep from live nation calls meout of nowhere.
It's like, hey, I talked to mybosses and we just want to give
you the rest of the money forthe kickstarter so you achieve
your goal.
Boom Made that.
Get back in motion and guesswhat happens.
We're shooting our location atsome like hipster co-op living

(26:22):
space called a Copycat inBaltimore.
We shoot and we move in gear.
Come back, whole bag of geargone.
They done stole my shit and itwasn't even mine.
It was like gear it was likegear I rented from a friend, so
I had to take my kickstartermoney and cover those costs.

Speaker 3 (26:39):
So now I'm back at square one again.
Jesus at this point.

Speaker 2 (26:42):
People in my kickstarter are leaving comments
like is this ever gonna getdone?
You might as well give this topb yet, because is it ever gonna
get done?
And I would keep everybodyupdated on Kickstarter, like the
people who donated and stuff.
And then finally it happened.
So I'm going to tell you this.
It was like a gap between 2011and 2016.

Speaker 1 (27:05):
Resilient.
I can't believe you kept going.

Speaker 2 (27:08):
Yeah, I was like I felt like a failure.
At first I was like I don'tthink this gonna happen.
But then something tapped myshoulder and was like nah,
everything that happenedhappened for a reason.
The way you were telling thestory is not the way it's
supposed to be told.
We've seen that.
We've seen talking heads.

(27:29):
We've seen kids dancing in thestreet.
We've seen that We've seentalking heads.
We've seen kids dancing in thestreet.
We've seen all that Right.
Also, throughout that time spanI actually had more time to
build organic relationships withthe community, with the people.
That became.
I'm going to make a musical doc, like a real musical doc.
Like we're going to create anall original soundtrack with

(27:57):
Baltimore Club music byBaltimore Club artists and we're
going to use the soundtrack tocreate and imagine the scenes
and then I'm going to sprinklein the stories in between.
That which is a different wayto do documentary, because
usually it's so story driven,it's more about the characters
and this and that.
But I was like, if I could opena window and I don't have a lot

(28:20):
of time to keep your attentionand just show you Baltimore and
how I've experienced it, this isthe approach I would take, and
that's when everything pivoted.
I started to learn how to writegrants and there were some
grants that became available.
So I ended up getting twogrants and the second grant I
got, which was called Saw'sDance it was a local grant for
Baltimore artists ended upcovering all of the production

(28:43):
for the feature.
So I had to become a resource.
I had to learn how to colorgrade.
I had to learn how to do a lotof things to work within that
budget.
So when you're watching darkcity, that's all like I edited
it, I did the color grading.
I was doing all on my macbookand like I didn't even have like
a stable living environment atthat time I had an ex-girlfriend
.
I was living with her parentand her mother's and

(29:04):
grandmother's house in one housein a room with a chair, fold-up
chair with pillow on the back,not even a proper like ergonomic
uh chair, and you know it was areal community effort, a labor
of love.
And then at the same time mymusic career locally was doing
this thing and I was starting toget more music placements.
So I started getting placementson the show insecure.

(29:25):
I started to build with isa,isa ray how'd that happen?

Speaker 3 (29:30):
how'd you link up with isa?

Speaker 2 (29:32):
it's so crazy because how it all happened was before
insecure came out.
I got an email from the musicsupervisor, his name's care, and
it was just a general emaillike hey, ttrs are interested in
licensing one of your songscalled lavish um for this new
show that's coming to HBO Max.
And nobody really knew about it.

(29:52):
And then they sent links tolike her series on YouTube.
Awkward black girl.
I'm like oh this lady is funny,um, and so I was like, of course
you know after I read what theshow is going to be about.
I'm like, yes, sign me up.
But I was like, if you likethis, you should check out the
catalog.
You know, just trying to makeanother opportunity yeah and
they ended up sinking two of myrecords that first season.

(30:14):
And so from there I started toreach out to the music
supervisor once I knew everyseason was coming and I would
send them demos.
I sent them like eight to tendemos, unreleased songs that I
feel like fit the vibe of theshow, now that I had seen the
seasons, and then, on by thethird season, I actually had a
record that was a collaborationwith Issa, where they sampled
her one of her songs it's calledHope For it, but it's me,

(30:38):
dreezy and these amazing twinrappers, cam and Chyna, with
Issa Rae on the hook.
And before that I went onTwitter and I DM'd Issa like hey
, I just wanted to introducemyself to you and say thank you
for thinking of me, and that'swhen we actually was able to
connect the first time, justlike introduce each other.
And then, once I was in there,it was like I was going back and

(31:02):
forth from Baltimore to LA.
I was like building this bridgein some way.
So I'm back and forth BaltimoreLA and I met Prentice Penny,
who was the showrunner forinsecure and um, he saw my
trailer for dark city.
He was like are you interestedin shadow directing?
Potentially, like you know,even though I had done music on

(31:22):
the show, I hadn't been thatclose, you know, with actual
staff and crew, with insecure,until I was shadow directed.
And so for two weeks I shadowdirected.
And so for two weeks I shadowdirected during season four.

Speaker 1 (31:33):
What does that mean?
Explain to me what that meansshadow director.

Speaker 2 (31:36):
So basically, the way Insecure was filmed is they
might have different directorsdirecting different episodes.
So there's a director namedTimmy Banks black woman and she
had an episode for season fourand so basically, when you're a
shadow director, your job isjust to watch like a fly on the
wall.

(31:56):
You're invisible, you're justwatching and you get to be the
director shadow.
So wherever they go, you get tobe right there.
So I was in the sprinters withIssa and the executives, like
when I'm on set.
And that was like when I alsomet a woman named Denise Davis
who was like a really bigproducer out there in Hollywood

(32:17):
doing her thing, woman of coloralso.
Um, I saw Denise.
She would always be on thephone just doing deals, deals,
deals, blocking deals.
She on the phone with Max, sheon the phone with Netflix.
She's she.
I was like she's a shark.
I want to be like that.
Um, and what ended up happeningis denise heard about the
trailer that princess saw.
She was like I would like tocheck it out, I'm gonna show isa

(32:39):
.
And then they saw the trailer.
And then they was like, can yousend us a screener to the film?
And once I saw it, once theysaw the screener within 24 hours
.
She hit me back like isa, sayswhat do we got to do to get this
across the finish line?
wow and at that time they werestarting color creative, her
management company, and theywere bringing on new talent.
So I was one of the firsttalent they brought on to manage
and, um, we were able they wereable to set me up with a sales

(33:03):
rep who was then able to pitchthe film.
A lot of people don't know, youknow a lot of these companies
don't take unsolicited work, soyou either need an entertainment
lawyer, a inside connection, oryou need to be popular enough
that they see your work andreach out to you, or you need a
sales rep who is with, like anagency like UTA or CAA and then
they'll walk your films throughthe door.

(33:24):
So we had pitched it and Netflixwas like it was right around
the time George Floyd happened.
Netflix came back like, hey, weto.
We see the relevance here andthe connection and we feel like
this is something that's neededand that's how I got to Netflix.

Speaker 1 (33:39):
In short.

Speaker 2 (33:40):
I mean it was a lot more.
This is like not a quick itwasn't a quick process.
I mean, from the time I did thefilm and met Issa and all that,
it was probably like two, threeyears until the Netflix thing
came.
So we were still.
You know, I did a festival run,so the film streamed in like 40
film festivals globally.
I did all those things first,before I even got to Netflix,

(34:02):
and we'll be right back.

Speaker 4 (34:06):
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Speaker 1 (34:25):
How is that change with netflix?
Is that because it's not reallythe case today the way that you
probably did it back?

Speaker 2 (34:42):
then, is that?
Is that true?
I mean it's still, it's stilltoday, the way that you probably
did it back then.
Is that true person at Netflixwho's in charge of acquisitions
and like distribution deals?
Then you can build thatrelationship and be able to send
them stuff directly.
But I believe I can't verifythat because I had a sales rep.

(35:03):
But a lot of times when you'redoing film festivals, like if
you are a filmmaker, you want toget connected with more people
that are making the decisions inthese.
To get connected with morepeople that are making the
decisions in these businesseslike Netflix, these streaming
sites like you know, hulu andAmazon you can actually attend
film festivals.

(35:23):
Even if you don't are not afilmmaker, you know you can go
to film festivals and networkwith these people, like because
film festivals is where thebuyers go before it hits a lot
of the streaming sites Likethat's why Sundance is such a
big deal, because if your moviepremieres at Sundance and you
haven't already locked in adistributor or did a deal
whatever, those people will bethere and be like hey, love it.

(35:46):
They see, like, what type ofnoise it's making at the
festival and then they're likeOK, we want this on our platform
.

Speaker 1 (35:51):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (35:52):
So it's a bit of a.

Speaker 1 (35:53):
It is a bit of a process, but I always tell
people like the film festivalsis definitely how you get the
networking side out of thefilmmaking process well,
speaking of those, I mean, thatis kind of how we first met and
I I kind of want to know alittle bit of behind the scenes,
right?
So yeah, uncharted was, was a,was a documentary.
Alicia keys was behind it, was.

(36:14):
She is the music.
We had the great opportunity tointerview you at that point,
also got to meet you at the atthe premiere, um, which was a
thing I I have to say.
One quick story about you.
Um, I knew you were somethingthe minute I saw you at
rehearsal, because I had neverbeen.
I was at the rehearsal and Iremember you taking the stage

(36:36):
and this is no insulting anybodyelse, it was in the film, but
you shined like I had never seenbefore.
You clearly knew how to work anaudience, you knew how to be on
stage.
Like your presence on thatstage, even at rehearsal, just
blew me away and at that momentI was like I got to figure this
person out, because I didn'tknow a lot about you at that
point.

(36:56):
That's when I started to lookinto your films and some of your
other stuff and it was that.
It was just that moment.
You know, you were on stage andeverybody at that rehearsal it
was a rehearsal but you tookover and it was awesome and so
if I never told you that, Iwanted to tell you that today
that I would just I would blowit away.

Speaker 2 (37:15):
Yeah, thank you.
I think you know thatexperience was very unique and I
was the oldest in the room.
So, yeah, I'll just start there.
When it comes to performanceand stuff, I probably have had
the most experience than a lotof the girls, because you know
great performers.
But that might just.
It's just.
I'm so familiar with the stageof all, just all type.

(37:35):
I don't did Coachella, I don'tdid I've headlined Europe Pride.
So for me, just getting on stageto do a Tribeca post
performance is like eatingcookies, like that's easy to me,
and sometimes I almost feltlike you know, it's so
interesting when you're aroundpeople because a lot of people
don't really take the time toget to know you in these spaces

(37:57):
unless you're like super popular.
Yeah, and that's what I feltlike with some people, with some
artists.
They don't take the time to getto know you if you're not lit
enough in their eyes, um, orcan't use something or provide
something from them.
But I'd probably say I'm one ofthe most, I was one of the more

(38:17):
.
Well, I won't say more, but Iwas definitely right up there
with the credible artists in theroom in terms of, like,
reputation and things that Ihave going on outside of music
also.
So I just we usually justobserve, you know, um, I think,
with the age being different too, I kind of at times felt like a

(38:40):
little bit isolated, you know,um, and I don't I don't, I'm not
as hyper, although when I'm inthose rooms I know how to like
connect with people, and that'swhy I think a lot of people
forget to connect in a way whereyou know it's not just about,

(39:01):
oh, you know you, just just youlit, like I want to connect with
you because you lit.
I want to connect with youbecause you lit, but actually
connecting with people becauseof who they are and what they do
outside of themselves and howthey care for others.
So it was cool to be a part ofthe experience because I got to
meet so many new talents.
I keep in touch with a lot ofthe girls, so I'm just enjoying

(39:25):
seeing the process.
They filmed a lot more of mystory at first, but in the
editing room they ended up kindof focusing on three of the
artists, which a part of meenjoyed that, but at the same
time I feel like that's aproblem with the industry
because I do feel like I'm anolder artist and my story is

(39:46):
valid too, and I think that weshould talk about that more,
because in the industry, onceyou cross that 30 threshold,
people look at you as used goodslike what can you know?
I mean, if you're not sellingsex and popping pussy like you
know you're used goods.
You know if you can't beappealing.
But I think it's the exactopposite.

(40:06):
My swag has never been better.
My image, the way I feel aboutmyself, has never been better,
and my music has never beenbetter than now and my
confidence.
So I think I feel like when youget older and you're a woman in
the music industry, you juststand on business a little more,
you're more sure of yourself.
So that's cooler to me.
I'm not looking for validationfrom this person or that person.

(40:29):
I don't need your feature.
My music plays overseas honey.
I get syncs.
I'm actually made a sustainablecareer, so I don't have to
chase a record label to give mean advance just so I could do my
next project.
I know how to write grants andhow to pitch, make pitch decks
and do things like that.
I know how to pitch, make pitchdecks and do things like that.

(40:49):
So you know, I just thinkartists need to get out of that
mindset, whatever that mindset,whoever created that mindset.
The industry needs to evolve ina different way because there's
so many artists that just getanxiety for no fucking reason,
about nothing.
You're not even like, nobodyeven barely knows you.
Even if you have had a viralmoment, moment like, you haven't

(41:10):
even figured out how tomonetize that moment.
So now you're online crashingout about how you ain't make.
You ain't making no money.
Fuck the industry.
I hate this here like I deletedmy twitter for my own personal
reasons, but um y'all get whatI'm saying yeah, and I hear what
you're saying.

Speaker 4 (41:29):
I mean, I think it's important as artists to you know
, uh, realize and recognize howto pivot right, like pivoting
when things don't go wrong.
I think throughout thisconversation that's what we've
been hearing.
If, uh, one tribulation happens, it's like okay, I just keep
going, I gotta do it this way.
If I don't have the budget tomake this happen, let me learn

(41:51):
it it, let me figure it out,because, at the end of the day,
we are our own responsibilities.
We have our own bills to takecare of, our own health
insurance to take care of, ourown future to take care of.
And if we aren't the ones thatare setting the precedent and
figuring out ways to get abudget or figuring out ways to
raise the capital or figuringout ways to make money outside

(42:13):
of the normal streamingplatforms, we literally have to
make it happen ourselves.
And I'm just listening to thisfrom someone such as yourself,
being in the space that you arein, knowing that from Uncharted
you were the oldest there.
You know, that means there wassome seasoning in there.

(42:33):
Right, there was a little bitof maturity there.
So a lot of artists even myselfway, way back in the days
wanted to lean on the label,wanted to lean on my name and

(42:58):
just have all of the things cometo me at that particular time,
not knowing that at some pointthose emails will stop, those
text messages will stop.

Speaker 2 (43:08):
And that's when you really have to do the work.
You know the inner work and theoutward work, like I'm.
I'm there right now, where Icame from, you know, having a
management situation to all of asudden I don't have that
situation, because that's howquick things change in Hollywood
, right, right, um.

(43:32):
So imagine how.
You know you have some sort ofa direct link and then all of a
sudden that link changes and nowyou're back to just being you
right.
So even with, like, wementioned the south by southwest
thing that we're going to talkabout, I'm literally working as
my own agent, manager, pr.
And that can mentally take atoll on you, especially if
you've been in the industry thislong and you're like, why is a
person as talented as me justnot have agents knocking down my

(43:56):
door with all of theseaccolades?
And I meant to add to theUncharted.
I got to Uncharted becausebefore that I directed a doc
series for Alicia Keys andco-executive produced a doc
series for Alicia Keys incollaboration with YouTube
Originals and Westbrook, whichis Will Smith's production
company, and that was how I metAlicia and how I found out about

(44:18):
she Is the Music and became apart of Uncharted.
So I had a relationship withAlicia.
We worked together very closely, like I was in her home.
I had to meet her children.
I created like a four episodedoc series that's streaming on
YouTube and it did very, verywell.
And then from there, that'swhen I met her engineer, ann,
and Ann was like hey, we'redoing a writer's camp in LA, you

(44:40):
should come and be a part of it.
And that's how all of that kindof transpired, prior to me
actually being featured inUncharted, prior to me actually
being featured in Uncharted.
And I was just happy for theopportunity, because you know
some girls who definitely hadmore stories too and some were
not so happy about not being asincluded in the project.
Some were happy they got to beincluded.

(45:01):
So I would always say, with mylittle 15 minutes of fame in the
movie, just take it and runwith it, because it's not always
about you, it's not alwaysabout, it's about just the
bigger picture.
Um, because you still get thosecredits, you still get that
imdb note you know and you stillget, even if it's three seconds

(45:24):
.
You create the narrative and howyou want to promote that.
You know what I'm saying like.
You create the narrative andhow you want to promote that.
You know what I'm saying Like.
So I think that come.
That came with my maturity.
You know what I'm saying.
That came with me understandingthis isn't about me Actually,
it never was about me.
It's supposed to be about awriter's camp with talented
women.
So whether I'm in this moviefor five seconds or 20 minutes,

(45:48):
I'm happy to be able to one havebeen in the movie but also be
able to have performed attribeca, which is a very
reputable film festival, that'snot a normal thing.
You don't always get to do thatand a lot of people don't think
you've understood that.
You know, it's just like youknow, when you're young and
you're just out here doing it,you're you rather like they

(46:08):
would probably think it's morecooler to be on stage with you
know, somebody that's viral thanTribeca Film Festival.
So it's different levels tothings.
But I always do encourageartists to just always think
about the bigger picture andjust how you want to represent
yourself.
You know what I'm saying andit's so crazy because sometimes

(46:31):
it's a mental struggle forartists too.
Even like myself is a lot oftimes it's the artists that do
the least that get the mostopportunities right.
Sometimes it's the artists withthe least talent.
They get the most opportunitiesbecause they've garnered such a
fan base and brands want that,you know.
But I feel like that's more ofa short term game.
I'm 15 plus years in now and Ifeel like I've never been so

(46:53):
sharp, you know.
So if a brand works with me,you're going to get some really
premium quality stuff.
So, yeah, that is always goodto think about.
The bigger picture, you know,basically is what I'm saying
yeah and that was a very uniquething.

Speaker 1 (47:11):
Try back it to me, because not only did you have a
film, but to have the peoplethat were in the film come out
and perform.
Yeah, it was kind of yeah, itwas.
It was a really it was a greatnight.
Mickey and I were both thereand um I really enjoyed it, it
was, it was yeah, and we got toperform with alicia keys like
come on man I was like I waslike this is really surreal.

Speaker 2 (47:28):
And to perform with Alicia Keys Like come on man, I
was like this is really surreal.
And to perform on in New Yorkand do like a free, just remix
it on the spot Like come on man,that was cool, that was fun.
And one thing about Aliciashe's really about she walks the
walk and talks the talk Likeshe talks the talk and she walks
it.

(47:48):
And I'll just say that I've metdifferent celebrities in
different spaces.
She is about that work andshe's the best representation of
a woman in music industry,using her platform to platform
others and support other women.

Speaker 1 (48:03):
You know what I mean I remember I'm gonna tell one
last story about that, but therehearsal I will never forget
this was standing there.
I was kind of in awe because Ijust happened to walk in, I was
delivering stuff and I got towatch it and somebody's standing
next to me and she, and shesays to me what do you think?
And I was like, and that's whenI said I was like man, that
girl was good.
And then I look and see who itwas, and it was Alicia.

(48:24):
And I'm like I'm that she'sasking me you know she and she
put all the work into that, Imean she was.
He wanted that thing to beperfect and it did come across
absolutely perfect.
So, all right, we need to diveinto your next film, that's
coming up.
Denim.
It's going to be premiering atSouth by Southwest.

(48:44):
Yep, tell us, tell us a littlebit about it.

Speaker 2 (48:47):
So Denim is a fantastical doc series that
celebrates the artistry ofLGBTQIA plus creatives in
different worlds like fashion,music, film, dance, and what
we're premiering at South by isthe pilot episode, is the pilot
episode.
So, essentially, you're goingto see this proof of concept

(49:09):
pilot episode and the goal wouldbe to connect with producing
partners, get financing or getsome sort of production deal
where we can actually shoot afull season of this and take you
really into the world ofLGBTQIA plus and their brilliant
minds, because in Hollywood,oftentimes when you're seeing
stories around LGBT, it's justso centered around sexuality or

(49:33):
trauma, and I feel like there'sa big gap there, because there's
so many brilliant creatives inthe community who are
influential, they're gamechangers, they're innovators,
they're pioneers, and most ofthem are behind some of the
biggest artists that people love.

(49:54):
Right, they're creativedirectors, but a lot of times
they just don't get the sameattention, all because they
might identify as LGBTQ plus Q+,and I just wanted to create
something that felt colorful,that felt just genre-defying,

(50:19):
where we're blending genres, soit almost feels like a series of
short stories where we focus onthe character and they tell
their story and then we buildtheir world.
Right, so we have this artistnamed Kid Ken, who's a really
dope queer rapper.
He has records with like SaucySantana.
He's like really been doing histhing, but he's out there.
He's out there and sometimes itcan be with hip hop.

(50:43):
You know, there's a lot ofthings that people don't want to
get behind.
Like it's okay for a girl towear a thong, show her ass, clap
her cheeks, shake them titties,but God forbid a queer male who
presents more feminine.
But he's kind of got thisduality going too.
He's cute, he's fly, he styleshimself, does makeup, changes

(51:05):
his hair.
Like he's like Nicki Minaj onsteroids you know what I'm
saying and he's talented, heactually has bars, but he gets
overlooked because of thepresentation.
That's why I always find itfunny when they talk about oh,
there's a gay agenda.
I don't believe that, becauseif there was a gay agenda in the
industry, wouldn't more peoplebe out?

(51:27):
Wouldn't more rappers be okaywith just being like I'm gay,
hey, like no.
The moment a rapper comes outand says they're gay, all of a
sudden they have to worry abouttheir fan base.
They got to worry about if theycan make the record sell,
because don't nobody want tohear a male rapper talk about
how he want to, you know, dowhat he do with another boy.

(51:48):
So that's why I don't believe inthat, because people don't
realize we're living at a timewhere now people are able to
feel somewhat safe to be whothey are.
So it may feel like oh my god,everybody's gay.
I want to turn on tv.
There's gay stuff.
Why are they trying to promoteand push this?
No, no, when you turn on TVit's still 99.9 percent

(52:09):
heteronormative period.
So I don't see anything wrongwith us being progressive as a
society, because gay people havebeen around since the beginning
of time, let's be clear.
And in the earlier times peoplewere not safe.
You literally could getarrested for being a mask

(52:31):
presenting woman just going tothe bar and having a drink.
People had to like hide.
There were underground clubsunder, like it was underground
Right.
That's why it's so crazy to me.
I just think people need toeducate themselves more on
really where we are as a society, and I am a person that feels

(52:54):
like I was brought to Hollywoodto present new ideas and to show
it in a way, and if, even if Igot to start in the most
stripped down way and build itup, I'm willing to do that work,
because it's quite boring to meright now.
It's like if the movie industry, they're only putting the big
dollars behind major blockbusterfilms.
So if you are a blackindependent filmmaker, you are

(53:18):
still left to kind of fend foryourself and figure it out
period.
And I'm talking to people whoare, who have done it in
Hollywood also, who areencountering the same issue, who
have done it in Hollywood also,who are encountering the same
issue now that things have dieddown when they had their last
big hit show.
They're like I'm right whereyou're at TT, because the

(53:39):
budgets are not budgeting.
They, they don't want to take,uh, things from black creators
that are left like um, sci-fi,fantasy, things that may not,
musicals, like things that maynot be like, oh, this is
something we can instantly makemoney with.
Like, black people are not justin a box when it comes to making

(54:00):
films, and that's kind of whatI feel like my place in this
film world is.
It's like when I grew up, I waswatching stuff like the
labyrinth and dark crystal andthese weird dem hints and tim
burton like edward scissorhands,stuff like that.
That is like a world that Ilove and I was like I don't feel

(54:20):
like we see it enough in themainstream space.
So with denim I'm playingaround.
I'm like not only are we goingto share the stories, but we're
also going to try to like, twistpeople's mind, make it fun so
you could be watching and thenyou you're watching the
character, but then you might goto the next story and it's a
whole different approach to the,the cinematically to it.
Oh, now we're watching ananimation where we're talking

(54:42):
about sexual reassignment,surgery, what.
But we've created thisanimation to help you understand
why a person who feels likethey want to make this type of
decision.
This is the process and this iswhat they go through.
And this is what a transwoman's experience, lived
experience, is.
And if you can't understand it,you can at least look at the

(55:04):
art and you can at least be like, wow, I never really saw it
like that.
So I wanted to create a serieswhere we are really showcasing
how queer people, specificallyqueer people of color, you know
are really shifting,shape-shifting the industry
right before our very own eyes.
But they don't get the sameplatforms as more

(55:28):
hyper-masculine or morehyper-sexual male and female
characters get.
And I'm really excited about itbecause, you know, with my
first film took about 15 yearsto get from idea to reality.
This took about two, and I wasable to get a grant to make this

(55:49):
proof of concept through thisorganization called Becoming
America Pop CollaborativeCulture, and it's great because
it's like, as long as I can findthe funding, I can get these
ideas out.
I'm not going to wait.
I'm not going to wait forsomebody to say it's a good idea
, because that's not how thisshit works.
You got to keep doing it untilsomething clicks, until somebody

(56:11):
like I thought you know, I wason netflix and I thought my life
was gonna change, like afternetflix.
It didn't, because I'm stillindependent, I don't have a
publicist, I don't have somebodythat like says, oh hey, let me
tap, let me tap a deadlinehollywood reporter's shoulder
and be like you need to watchthis film and you need to do a

(56:32):
review for tt the artist and youneed to interview her.
Like I don't have that.
So even now I've re-released myfirst film, dark city beneath
the beat, and I actually learnedhow to self-distribute and
invested in that because, yeah,watch, it's on tv on tubi.

Speaker 3 (56:47):
Now right, yeah, you can watch on amazoni Amazon.

Speaker 2 (56:50):
Apple TV.
So I've unlocked a whole newcode.
Like I don't, even if I can'tget a distributor to say we want
to, you know, give you a dealon your next project or whatever
I've now unlocked the spacewhere I could just put it out
myself self-distribution.
And it costs money to do it.
You got to have some coupleracks, you got to have a few
racks ready, but guess what?

(57:12):
You can do it.
And now I'm on this kick whereit's like more power to the
independent, because you'regoing to be independent until
the right people align with you.
So instead of gettingfrustrated about it, be
empowered, be fueled, be charged, because there's nothing that
can stop you except you now.

(57:33):
But denim is definitely one ofthose projects.
I had the idea years ago, likemaybe when I first moved to
Hollywood.
Six years ago is when I firstgot the idea, and then it took
me some while to just get to theright source of funding.
Once I got the funding, I justknocked that thing out.
I said let's go next.

(57:53):
And so now we're here and I'mexcited about South by.
I'm hoping that I can attend inperson, but it is super
expensive.
So I definitely launched atravel fund, because that's
another thing.
I don't know what we're doingwith social media.
Sometimes I'm like we're soconcerned about how many views

(58:15):
something gets, but a lot oftimes things are not monetizing
where you are able to sustainoff of it, right?
So if I have 33, if I have 33000 followers and like even if%
of my followers gave me a dollartowards my fundraising efforts,
towards my filmmaking efforts,and then maybe even if 20% gave

(58:38):
it to me, I would actually havesome money to continue to funnel
into my efforts of you know,promoting my work and stuff.
But I'm putting it out to mycommunity like we have to really
think harder about how toengage our audience and how to
make people feel like they wantto support us where we're just
not a picture that you justswipe, swipe like oh what did

(59:02):
you post today?
oh, you, outside standing infront of a mercedes, uh, tesla,
whatever like oh, mercedes orTesla or whatever Club At brunch
.
Oh, she just took a picture withBeyonce.
I don't know why I keepbringing up Beyonce, because
that's my version of this.
I love Beyonce, I love Beyonce.
But you know we swiping like oh, they was lit.
They was just at the event withLena Waithe and Issa Rae, like

(59:24):
you know what I mean.
Right, oh, they was just and wejust doing all that, but we
ain't clicking on the links tosupport the artists.
So I'm now using my platform.
I started doing this liveseries called Cashing In On
Creativity, where I go live andI just talk to people and try to
help and give back in that way.
You know, like I can't go intoall the details, but I can give

(59:46):
people a blueprint, I can givethem some advice on you know
what, what we're really doing,what you're trying to do and how
you have to, like, steer thatwheel.
You got to take ownership ofthe stuff you're doing, because
otherwise you're just gonna sit,sit, sit, sit and wait for
somebody to come do it for you,and most people in hollywood are

(01:00:06):
not gonna come to you.
You gotta, you gotta make somemotion for yourself.
That's just how it works.
So, um, yeah, south by Southwestis is exciting.
This is my first time actuallybeing a part of the official
film festival, so I'm excitedabout that and you know I'm
really looking forward to beingable to take advantage of like

(01:00:27):
the networking and pressopportunities because it's been
a while since all that sinceCOVID, since the writer's strike
and now the LA fires where I'veactually been able to be around
a community of like film people, so I'm really excited about it
.

Speaker 3 (01:00:42):
We got to make sure you get there.
Yeah, that's going to be good,that's going to be good.

Speaker 2 (01:00:46):
Yep, we are.
We don't get there.
I got to get there.
Actually, I've sent out aboutlike 30 emails to businesses
that I've either been affiliatedwith companies, sponsors
Because I guess I'm such a bigthinker in my mind I don't even
think like I need a whole bunchof people to give me money.
I'll be thinking like I needmaybe two or three people to

(01:01:09):
bust this budget down.
If I get $2,000 from thisperson, $2,000 from that person,
or if I get the full amountfrom one person, one company,
I'm good.
That's how I think you know,like I manifest and
intentionally set that, and thenanybody else that donates,
that's just extra cushion.

Speaker 1 (01:01:29):
But I don't know, I feel like what's your ideal
brand partner in this, like ifyou could have any brand come in
and say we want to be part ofthis.
Why would they do it and whowould that be?

Speaker 2 (01:01:43):
I think for this, one of the companies that I just
you know I've always, has alwayssupported me has been red bull,
and one thing about red bull isthey put their money where
their mouth is.
They actually help support darkcity.
So, because I have a goodrelationship with them, I've
reached out to them.
I'm actually just waiting tohear back from them, but they're

(01:02:04):
, to me, an ideal partnerbecause they do have this
connection with media andbranding and um, they really do
and music and the arts, likethey just really about the work,
um, and I've been a part of thered bull community since like
2015.
They've just always supported me.
So I definitely think red bull.

(01:02:24):
But also, like I've reached outto a few uh, media outlets like
gay center media outlets likeglad out out magazine, um, so I
feel like maybe a media sponsortoo, you know, would be great,
because I really want to makesure I'm amplifying what I'm

(01:02:45):
doing.
But I gotta see y'all, I gottasee.
I don't know if I sent you ascreener of the actual episode
you did, you did, I watched it.
Yeah, yeah, yeah but, um, andthat's just like a a piece of
what the bigger idea would be.
You know, I'm saying becauseonce you get a budget, you know
that show goes from 10 minutesto like 30 minutes or an hour if
we want, and we just get tohave more exposition and

(01:03:07):
actually go into people's liveseven more.
Um, but like the, the pilot, Imean we shot that in like a
weekend.
We had to get, you know, doeverything tight because, well,
you don't have a big budget.
It's like you got a plan aroundpeople's schedules.
So if you just set the time of,like how you want to shoot and
just knock it all out, thenyou're done and you can just go

(01:03:29):
right into your post-production.

Speaker 1 (01:03:31):
So but yeah, this is exciting stuff.
All right, so tell everybodywhere they could find you online
and get involved.

Speaker 2 (01:03:41):
You can find me online on Instagram TT the
Artist T-T-T-H-E Artist.
Also, you can find me onThreads, facebook, youtube
Definitely go over to theYouTube page.
I'll be sharing my journey toSouth by Southwest on my YouTube
page as like its own miniseries, so you know.
If you've ever wondered how youknow this works, you can

(01:04:04):
actually come along with me onthe journey.
I want to shout out everybodywho has been so supportive.
I've been getting a lot ofdirect love, which has been
really great and keeping me in apositive mind state that I will
and achieve the things that Ineed to achieve.
And yeah, that's where y'allcan find me TT the artist dot
com.

(01:04:25):
All of that.
I love it.
All right, folks, I love it too.

(01:04:52):
This is TT.
All of that own record label.
Um, if you need to go tap inand listen to some good music, I
do have a woman focused recordlabel club, queen records, and
we are always dropping music.
We turned seven years old thisyear wow, you know woman focused
.
Congratulations, thank you.
We were woman focused before itbecame a quick catch word.
So, 2018, it wasn't really nowoman-focused labels or nothing

(01:05:12):
happened, and that's when itstarted, especially Black-owned
woman-focused.
You know we got Black womenexecutives, but we are just
starting to see more of a risein Black women-led labels.
But Club Queen was definitelyone of the premier ones, because
I did my own research.
I looked up black record labels,black owned record labels, and

(01:05:35):
I got this list of all thethroughout the history of
different record labels thatwere black owned.
I think one was called BlackSwan and most of them either
most most of them either wentunder because they just couldn't
afford it or got bought out bymajors.
So but when I typed in womanfocused, woman led specifically

(01:05:56):
women of color like recordlabels.
It just wasn't a thing.
So it's a very niche lanebecause we are woman focused,
but it's a specifically premierplatform for women of color Star
Woman Focus but it's aspecifically premier platform
for women of color and it wasbuilt off of the roots of dance
music and now we have pop, r&band other stuff, but dance music
is at its core of Club QueenRecords and the women pioneering

(01:06:20):
and trailblazing in that space.

Speaker 3 (01:06:23):
OK, so yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:06:25):
I like it there.
It is, there it is.
Thank you, thank you.

Speaker 3 (01:06:26):
Thank you, thank like it.
There it is there it is.
Thank you, thank you.
Good luck, thank you, thank you.

Speaker 2 (01:06:32):
Thank you, guys, it was great to talk to you Keep up
.

Speaker 1 (01:06:35):
Great to talk to you.

Speaker 2 (01:06:36):
Anytime.

Speaker 1 (01:06:38):
All right, we will.

Speaker 2 (01:06:39):
Post interview once I post up.

Speaker 1 (01:06:42):
Yeah, that would be good to hear.
All right, folks, that's ourshow.
Tune in to Unglossy, the codingbrand and culture, on Apple
Podcasts, spotify or YouTube,and follow us on Instagram at
UnglossyPod, to join theconversation.
Until next time, I'm Tom Frank.

Speaker 3 (01:07:02):
I'm Jeffrey.

Speaker 2 (01:07:03):
Sledge.

Speaker 4 (01:07:04):
Smicky, smicky.

Speaker 1 (01:07:06):
That was good.