“What’s On Your Mind”: #TrayvonMartin
What’s On Your Mind”: Don’t Re-Nig 2012 Bumper Sticker
The idea came from the darnedest of places. I was auditioning to be a panel member for some new show possibly featured on the OWN Network. If you’ve never been to one of these auditions, they always have three or so pages of these random questions. “If you woke up in the morning and had to choose a sock color that wasn’t white or black what would it be and how does that affect your views on whether or not they should pray at public schools.” I made that up..but its pretty close.
Anywho..
There was one question that they asked while I was in the interview room. “If you could walk up to a stranger and ask them anything, knowing you would get an honest answer, what would it be?” I probably though it over for about 3 minuets before I said, “I would ask them what’s on their mind..like right now.” Without hesitation, the guy said, “that sound like a web series”
INCEPTION!!!
That was about a month ago. After going to this Christian Fellowship event, getting the good word about being motivated to do what you feel inside and all also talking to “Cousin Vinny” I was inspired to start said web series.
TA DA!
So I set out with my iPhone (you see if you hold it sideways you can get “regular looking video”) on the streets of Toluca Lake, CA (made famous in Pulp Fiction..it’s where Quentin Tarantino’s character lived). I walked up and down the street asking people what they though about Trayvon Martin, Sean Payton Being Fired, and The “Don’t Re-Nig in 2012” Bumper Sticker.
*2 of the 3 videos can be seen below. For the sake of not having all of New Orleans fly to Toluca Lake and do what I wanted to do, I will not be releasing the “What’s On Your Mind”: Sean Payton video.*
Enjoy and please share. If enough people show interest, who knows where it could go..I AM in Hollywood afterall!!
Peace and God Bless,
JD
Last time most of us talked I was happily on my way to being a TMZer. The trip lasted about two weeks. Without going into the details, I just didn’t think it was a good representation of who I am and what I’m about. I’m just sayin’ I can do better..#drizzyvoice. Sorry.
So since then I have been sending out resumes left and right. I would land an interview here and there, but all of them went a little something like this..”You have good stuff on your resume, but I just don’t think you’re what we are looking for.” Hear that about five times in a row and you can start to get a little down on yourself.
One cool thing did happen though. I joined this group called M.O.C.I.T.I. an acronym for Men of Color in the Industry. It’s a networking group for well..men of color in the industry.
I digress..
So while at one of the meetings James Avery, aka Uncle Phil, after I had asked him a question, in a room full of people, told me to i would be stupid if I didn’t get a voice over agent. A task I am currently working on.
Homesickness has come and gone like that seasonal allergy sniffle that just won’t go away. I miss each and every one of the people that CALL ME friend back home in New Orleans. It’s tough not having all of you there with me on the battle lines. I had no idea WTF I was in for. But you all supported my choice to do this. You have no idea how much that means to me. It’s one of the things that keeps me going.
To much of your delight, if nothing else this has been a humbling experience thus far. Sorry if I annoy you with my constant blabbing on and on and on and onness via twitter. One day it will all make sense I hope. If not I am surely wasting my time. (follow me @jd2cent)
And so you know I’m not just wasting away doing nothing. I am now working with a church in Santa Monica A.C.T.S. (A Church That Studies) doing a weekly Sunday Review you can check it out here on their YouTube page. I figure if nothing else, it’s helping to spread the word to people who might have ever heard it. I call it Digital Evangelism.
Until we chat again,
Peace and Gog Bless
JD
As I sit here reflecting on the best first day at work anyone could ever have, I cant help but to think where I was less than a month ago. I was sitting in a room at my dad’s house. Christmas is a couple of days away and I asked God to keep me safe and guide me on the journey I was getting ready to embark on. I was sitting there thinking about a month before that when my life was changed.
Kelzz and myself were shooting the Bayou Classic Thanksgiving Day Parade. I, like always, had my camera all up in some body grill. Little did I know there was somebody above me keeping a watchful eye on my movements. This time it wasn’t God. It was an angel by the name of Gisele Moncure aka G$. It wasn’t until later that night, on Bourbon St of all places we ran into each other. The connection was instantaneous. We exchanged information on the spot.
I called her up a couple of days later, thanking her for visiting the city (as I always do when I meet people from out of town), and we got to chatting. Come to find out she is one of the top recruiters in the Los Angeles area. I also sent her all of my work and resume. The way she tells it, “the spirit” moved her to take action. She offered me an opportunity. She said, “for somebody like you, L.A. has plenty to offer.” Like I said at the time I was damn near homeless and barely surviving of money my social networking company had made. So after a long night of insobriety and talking it over with my most trusted advisers, I took that leap of faith.
The road was tough at first, more mentally than anything else. I miss EVERYBODY from home. EVERYBODY! I went on about 4 interviews before I got any kind of call. The last interview I went on was with TMZ. It was less than 24 hours from interview to the “you got the job” call. WHAT A BLEEPING RELIEF!!!!
SO now a new journey begins, a journey that will not only lead me to the top, but one I hope inspires an entire legion of talented people. Till next time..
#StayTuned
The epic story of the Tuskegee airmen will FINALLY be told. “Red Tails” explores the heroism of the African American fighter pilots who put their lives at risk for their country during World War II. However for us Black Folk (yea I said it) this movie is much more important than 2 hour of entertainment. Here’s why..
SAY WHAT HOLLYWOOD?!?!?!!?
George Lucas has gone on record many times saying Hollywood wouldn’t touch this movie because of its all black male leading roles. In the words of Kanye West “racism still alive they just be concealing it.” According to Lucas Hollywood Execs said they didn’t know how to market this movie. That’s not that much of a shock. Andrew Weaver of the Indiana University Department of Telecommunications explored how the racial makeup of the cast impacts the preferences of white filmgoers. The study showed that white participants were more interested in seeing films with white actors than movies with black actors.
“WHATS THAT GOT TO DO WITH ME”
EVERYTHING!!!! Besides the ALL-STAR cast line-up, the movie sports a $58 million dollar budget. In perspective Tyler Perry (who I will talk about in a second) movies top out around a $25 million dollar budget. Added to this is Black Director Anthony Hemmingway (The Wire, Ali) who gets his first shot at directing a big budget movie. If this movie flops in the box office, we will have to wait another 30 years to get another shot like this.
BLACK EXCELLENCE OF PATRIOTIC PROPORTIONS!!
The only other time we get to see an all black cast, one of them has to run around cooin’ up the screen in a old woman suit, while everybody else is singing a Kanye West remix to a gospel hymn. George Lucas himself said he made the movie for young black teenagers. He wanted OUR youth to know that they have heroes not named Frank Lucas or Dwayne Carter. I have long said I was boycotting the movies because I was tired of all these epic stories about white people #NoRacism. I mean “they” even made a movie about War Horses.
So yea folk, please do me and the rest of the future of Black Hollywood a chance to make our blockbuster and go check out Red Tails.
“That’s my 2cent”
It’s New Years eve, the first day I was here in Los Angeles. I walked into a McLaren car dealership on Wilshire in Beverly Hills. I took a picture on my phone to post to Facebook. I put my phone up..did my #birdmanhandrub and posted up*. The dealer walked up to me and said “can I help you sir”. I look down at my hands (still rubbing) look at the McLaren “How much?” “300”..”Thousand,” he said. I nodded my head and walk smooth out that thing. It was a little weird. I had never seen a $300,000 car in real life. Growing up in New Orleans, you don’t see too many McLarens driving around.
Much like New Orleans and Bourbon Street, Beverly Hills has a famous street of its own…Rodeo Dr. With my handy dandy smart phone I typed in “Rodeo Dr.” and I was about 30 min walking distance away. When I got there, I took about a minute to take it all in. It took about 30 seconds for my initial feeling to set in. “Man I’m poor”. There was the biggest of every high end brand store on that street. Halfway down, I saw a black and yellow Bugatti.
Within the next 48 hours I would see just about every major studio, go to the Santa Monica Pier, and see Katt Williams Live at the Nokia Theater in Downtown, L.A. This mixed in with a cornucopia of random restaurants and sites, I was on a major high. After this killer 1st weekend I’m pretty much all alone the whole next week (G$ was away on business that week.) Naturally, homesickness began to set in.
However, there was one bright spot of that week. I had an interview at a major film studio. I was super excited. I didn’t think the ball was going to get rolling this fast. I was nervous (for no reason). The position was for a job that I “could do” but wasn’t really what I wanted. I didn’t care, I had my interview.
Lets just say it didn’t go as well as I expected. The guy was a bit unprofessional, but he made a couple of good points none the less. I walked out a little deflated. G$ told me don’t trip about it, we would get more interviews.
*posted up is when you stand with your leg shoulder length apart in a “leaned back” a bit
I would like to acknowledge a couple a people who inspired this blog.
Gisele Moncure— aka G$—I will do a whole post about her. Lets just say I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for her
Fatima Arabi—She told me to do it today.
Nicole Hardesty—Author of Written By Nicole You should go check her blog..it’s pretty good.
#StayTuned
