# Follow Your Passion: They have built a successful animation company and creates culturally authentic stories.

An episode of [Money Making Conversations Master Class](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1264705641), 26 Oct 2026, 29 min.

Audio: https://podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/b1db7263-d1a3-4d00-8976-af62012aab44/aeab416d-82e4-434e-85b3-b4e801611060/audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=35a10561-3e1b-4d05-a529-af62012aab6a

Listen and subscribe to Money Making Conversations on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, www.moneymakingconversations.com/subscribe/ or wherever you listen to podcasts. New Money Making Conversations episodes drop daily. I want to alert you, so you don’t miss out on expert analysis and insider perspectives from my guests who provide tips that can help you uplift the community, improve your financial planning, motivation, or advice on how to be a successful entrepreneur. Keep winning! Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Carl Jones and Love Jones, co-founders of the Black-owned animation studio Martian Blueberry, discuss their journey in animation, entrepreneurship, storytelling, talent development, and their mission to create opportunities for underrepresented voices in entertainment. The conversation explores their professional accomplishments, creative philosophy, and commitment to building a more inclusive animation industry. Purpose of the Interview The purpose of the interview was to showcase how Carl Jones and Love Jones have built a successful animation company while using their platform to create culturally authentic stories and expand opportunities for diverse creators in the entertainment industry. The discussion also highlighted the importance of entrepreneurship, creativity, mentorship, and representation. Key Takeaways Building a Vision Through Partnership • The couple combined their individual talents in storytelling, production, casting, business development, and entrepreneurship to launch Martian Blueberry. • Their shared values and long-term vision became the foundation of both their business and personal relationship. Creating Authentic Stories Matters • Carl Jones emphasized that regardless of industry changes, successful content begins with authentic characters and meaningful stories that reflect real experiences. • He believes storytelling should address culture, politics, and social issues through a truthful lens. Representation Creates Opportunity • Love Jones discussed the importance of increasing opportunities for women and people of color both in front of and behind the camera. • Their company intentionally seeks diverse talent while maintaining high professional standards. Social Media Is the New Talent Pipeline • Emerging actors, voice performers, and creators should actively showcase their talents online. • Social media has become one of the most effective ways for casting professionals to discover new talent. Creativity Will Always Outperform AI • Both guests emphasized that originality, personality, and unexpected creative choices are what make performers memorable. • While AI can replicate patterns, it cannot recreate the unique human experiences that drive authentic storytelling. Opening Doors for the Next Generation • The founders are committed to identifying, mentoring, and creating opportunities for aspiring writers, voice actors, animators, and creators. • They view community building and talent development as a responsibility that comes with success. Navigating an Evolving Entertainment Industry • The guests acknowledged major changes in Hollywood, including shorter seasons, fewer episodes, and the impact of streaming platforms. • Despite these shifts, they believe strong storytelling remains the key to lasting success. Memorable Quotes “The format is going to always change, but if you're not telling stories with really good characters, it just won't last.” – Carl Jones “Don't be afraid to be cringey. Don't always try to be cool. Take some risks.” – Love Jones “AI can mimic, but it doesn't know how to create.” – Love Jones “You want to stand out. You want to be memorable.” – Carl Jones “The biggest responsibility we feel is opening doors for people.” – Love Jones “Story can inspire people to have more empathy.” – Carl Jones Conclusion The interview highlights how Carl Jones and Love…

## Transcript

[0:00] Speaker 1: Welcome to the show.
[0:02] Speaker 2: I'm Rashawn McDonald, the host of Money Making Conversations Masterclass,
[0:05] Speaker 2: where we encourage people to stop reading other people's success
[0:08] Speaker 2: stories and start planning their own. Now, you don't want
[0:11] Speaker 2: to miss an episode of Money Making Conversations Masterclass.
[0:14] Speaker 1: So right now, follow or subscribe to Money Making Conversations.
[0:18] Speaker 2: It's free and you can find it on the iHeartRadio app, Spotify,
[0:23] Speaker 2: Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.
[0:26] Speaker 1: Now, sit back and listen.
[0:28] Speaker 2: As we unlock the secrets to their success on Money
[0:31] Speaker 2: Making Conversations Masterclass. My guests are the founders of Martian Blueberry,
[0:36] Speaker 2: an award-winning Black-owned animation studio co-founded by husband and wife
[0:41] Speaker 2: team Carl Jones and Love Jones. whose creative partnership is
[0:44] Speaker 2: driving a new era of culturally resonant animation and inspired storytelling.
[0:50] Speaker 2: Carl Jones is the creative force behind acclaimed animated series
[0:54] Speaker 2: such as The Boondocks, Black Dynamite, Jellies, Laser Wolf, HBO Max,
[0:59] Speaker 2: Young Love, inspired by the Academy Award winning short film
[1:04] Speaker 2: Hair Love, and TNT's They Go There Too, Not Just Animation,
[1:08] Speaker 2: The Last OG's, both distinguished leaders in the animation industry.
[1:12] Speaker 2: Have their own right. Miss Love Jones launched her casting agency. OK,
[1:16] Speaker 2: you know, y'all need to listen up. Everybody trying to
[1:19] Speaker 2: get in is called Much Love Production. At just 70
[1:22] Speaker 2: years old, landed foundation for a career spanning talent, casting, production,
[1:26] Speaker 2: business development and entrepreneurship. Please welcome to Money Making Conversations Masterclass,
[1:32] Speaker 2: Carl Jones and Love Jones. Welcome to my show team. Now,
[1:38] Speaker 2: I'm going to just tell you, Carl and Love, I
[1:40] Speaker 2: really don't do long.
[1:41] Speaker 1: Intros like that. But you guys got so much going on.
[1:45] Speaker 2: And I didn't want to, like, you know, just say, here,
[1:49] Speaker 2: Carl and Love Jones, because we're talking about decades, man.
[1:52] Speaker 2: We're talking about longevity. We're talking about careers. I'm going
[1:55] Speaker 2: to start with you, Carl. Being a black man, okay,
[1:59] Speaker 2: in the industry of animation, we know that, you know,
[2:03] Speaker 2: I'm older than you guys. I've been a Spider-Man fan.
[2:08] Speaker 2: I've been a Daredevil fan, Fantastic Four. So when I
[2:12] Speaker 2: see these Marvel movies coming out now, it's basically part
[2:15] Speaker 2: of my history. What introduced you into animation?
[2:19] Speaker 3: Well, you know, growing up, just as a kid, I was,
[2:23] Speaker 3: you know, I was one of those kids that was
[2:25] Speaker 3: sitting in front of the TV on Saturday morning watching
[2:27] Speaker 3: cartoons like everybody else. You know, I was really inspired by,
[2:30] Speaker 3: you know, Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck and Road Runner
[2:37] Speaker 3: and Coyote, you know, Wile E. Coyote, you know, that
[2:40] Speaker 3: kind of stuff. The Flintstones.
[2:43] Speaker 4: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. You know what I mean?
[2:46] Speaker 3: So I think, you know, at a very young age,
[2:49] Speaker 3: I knew I was just, there was something about cartoons
[2:51] Speaker 3: and animation that just really, like, captivated me. And so
[2:54] Speaker 3: I started drawing my own characters and creating my own,
[2:57] Speaker 3: you know, storylines and things like that at a really
[2:59] Speaker 3: early age. Before I even started school, I was, you know,
[3:01] Speaker 3: I was like, you know, going through stacks and stacks
[3:04] Speaker 3: of paper, just drawing characters and creating, you know, whatever
[3:08] Speaker 3: I could trying to, you know, and also trying, you know,
[3:12] Speaker 3: creating cartoon characters that look more like the people I
[3:15] Speaker 3: saw in my neighborhood.
[3:17] Speaker 1: And what neighborhood was that?
[3:20] Speaker 4: So I grew up in Fayetteville, North Carolina, also known
[3:23] Speaker 4: as Fayette-Nam.
[3:24] Speaker 1: Absolutely.
[3:25] Speaker 2: I know exactly. I did stand-up comedy. I actually told
[3:27] Speaker 2: some jokes in that city. You know, it was a
[3:29] Speaker 2: military town.
[3:32] Speaker 1: Now, let me talk to you, Ms. Love Jones. Animation
[3:36] Speaker 1: usually doesn't go that way to a female.
[3:39] Speaker 2: You know, I'm just being serious. It's a white world
[3:42] Speaker 2: that we live in. How did you kind of like
[3:46] Speaker 2: push your way in? Because that's what you did. You
[3:48] Speaker 2: pushed your way in to be recognized as a talented animator.
[3:53] Speaker 5: No, actually, that's a big thing because, honestly, I didn't
[3:58] Speaker 5: see an avenue for me in that world.
[4:00] Speaker 4: Mm-hmm.
[4:02] Speaker 5: I loved it so much. I loved gaming. I, you know,
[4:06] Speaker 5: I loved animation. I was a big Marvel fan as well.
[4:09] Speaker 5: You know, the superheroes, I would gravitate to any black
[4:13] Speaker 5: women superheroes I could find, which was very few. Like
[4:18] Speaker 5: I have, I have like a collection of like old school,
[4:21] Speaker 5: like I have Bumblebee back there. Cause you know, this
[4:23] Speaker 5: like old school superhero comic book superheroes that they used
[4:26] Speaker 5: to do Nivea. So it was something I always gravitated
[4:29] Speaker 5: to and loved, but I didn't see an avenue for me.
[4:32] Speaker 5: So I actually started also in the music business and
[4:34] Speaker 5: casting and doing different things in that arena. It wasn't until,
[4:38] Speaker 5: you know, me and Carl got together when he was like,
[4:41] Speaker 5: you're the biggest nerd I know. Why aren't you in animation?
[4:44] Speaker 2: Okay, when he says nerd to you, what does he call,
[4:48] Speaker 2: when you look at her, what did she do that
[4:51] Speaker 2: made you say nerd?
[4:53] Speaker 3: Well, I mean, if you look around our office, it's
[4:56] Speaker 3: flooded with nerddom. You know what I'm saying? You know, toys,
[5:01] Speaker 3: Storm characters, you know. I mean, she also has, like, collectibles. Like,
[5:05] Speaker 3: you see the Michael Jackson figure right there. But even
[5:08] Speaker 3: on the walls, you know, it's just superheroes. And, you know,
[5:11] Speaker 3: she's an avid video game player. But not only that,
[5:14] Speaker 3: you know, she kind of downplays a lot of her
[5:18] Speaker 3: skill sets. Because when I met her, she was also
[5:21] Speaker 3: producing her own projects. You know, doing some independent projects. um, productions,
[5:27] Speaker 3: but also she was developing her own toys. She was
[5:29] Speaker 3: developing her own series, you know, and, and she also
[5:34] Speaker 3: started her own business, her own tech company. So like
[5:37] Speaker 3: she has a lot of business savvy and at the
[5:39] Speaker 3: same time, she's a, she's a huge nerd and she,
[5:42] Speaker 3: she just never really, um, I guess actually put all
[5:46] Speaker 3: of those skills together to actually like, you know, move
[5:48] Speaker 3: it in one direction. So when I told her about
[5:51] Speaker 3: my dream of starting an animation company, You know, we
[5:53] Speaker 3: just kind of put all of our resources and skills together.
[5:56] Speaker 2: You know, how did the two of you guys come together?
[5:59] Speaker 2: You know, like I said, I, you know, he called
[6:02] Speaker 2: you a nerd. But what was the timeline of the
[6:04] Speaker 2: years when you guys creatively met each other? And then,
[6:07] Speaker 2: of course, you know, eventually became a couple. But when
[6:10] Speaker 2: what was that timeline?
[6:12] Speaker 4: Well, we met. on MySpace.
[6:16] Speaker 1: That's a long time ago, brother.
[6:19] Speaker 4: That's a long time ago.
[6:19] Speaker 1: Why are you dating us? Oh, yeah. Y'all look young.
[6:25] Speaker 1: He just said MySpace. That way, okay, brother.
[6:27] Speaker 4: Okay, dad. We met on MySpace, but it was nothing.
[6:32] Speaker 1: Well, it was, yeah. Wasn't no eHarmony, none of that stuff.
[6:37] Speaker 4: Back in MySpace. I mean, I could have said Black Plants. Yeah, yeah. So,
[6:42] Speaker 4: you know. Nah, but we met on MySpace. Nothing romantic
[6:47] Speaker 4: at all. Right.
[6:48] Speaker 3: You know what I mean? It was honestly like she
[6:51] Speaker 3: had this... Well, she had a toy that she was
[6:54] Speaker 3: trying to get made, but she also had a whole series,
[6:58] Speaker 3: an animated series that was tied to the toy that
[7:00] Speaker 3: she wanted to produce. So we started working together developing that.
[7:04] Speaker 3: And over the years, we just kind of kept in touch.
[7:07] Speaker 3: And I would say like, you know, with the... I
[7:10] Speaker 3: don't know, I was about to say with the invention
[7:12] Speaker 3: of Instagram, but no, we understand and touch with each
[7:17] Speaker 3: other just through social media and we would talk from
[7:19] Speaker 3: time to time. And then there was a moment, I
[7:24] Speaker 3: guess like what's been like almost six years now. Seven, yeah.
[7:30] Speaker 3: There was a moment where we were talking and still
[7:34] Speaker 3: talking about a lot of nerdy stuff.
[7:36] Speaker 2: Right.
[7:37] Speaker 4: Movies, scripts.
[7:39] Speaker 3: She had a couple of scripts that she was trying
[7:40] Speaker 3: to get made. And, you know, and we spent a
[7:44] Speaker 3: lot more time talking about nerdy stuff. And then eventually,
[7:47] Speaker 3: I think it just kind of developed into something.
[7:49] Speaker 4: More than that. You know what I mean?
[7:50] Speaker 3: And then, you know, a lot of our goals and
[7:53] Speaker 3: our dreams aligned, you know, big picture wise. And then
[7:57] Speaker 3: I think we started getting more into, you know, exactly
[8:01] Speaker 3: like what this company could look like and how we
[8:03] Speaker 3: could do something very different than it's out there right
[8:06] Speaker 3: now and how we can afford opportunities for our people.
[8:09] Speaker 3: And that's, those values that we share were more important
[8:12] Speaker 3: than even just the business side of it.
[8:14] Speaker 2: So tell me about Hair Love then. How did that
[8:17] Speaker 2: come about? The Academy Award winning short, Hair Love.
[8:22] Speaker 4: Yeah.
[8:23] Speaker 3: So Matthew Cherry was the director and creator of Hair Love,
[8:28] Speaker 3: the short film. But I met Matthew actually at Monkey
[8:32] Speaker 3: Paul because he was working at, he was an executive
[8:34] Speaker 3: at Monkey Paul.
[8:35] Speaker 2: Yeah, I interviewed him. I interviewed Matthew at that time.
[8:39] Speaker 2: So I'm very familiar with him.
[8:41] Speaker 3: So the reason, so I met him when he was
[8:43] Speaker 3: working at Monkey Paul. I think we just, we did
[8:47] Speaker 3: like a general, it was a general meeting, but at
[8:50] Speaker 3: the time they were looking for a new showrunner for
[8:52] Speaker 3: Last OG, which at the time I didn't know. I
[8:54] Speaker 3: was just doing a general meeting at Jordan, you know,
[8:56] Speaker 3: with Jordan Peele's company, but Quietly, I think they were
[8:59] Speaker 3: actually screening me and trying to see if I could
[9:01] Speaker 3: possibly fit this role. He called me back shortly after
[9:06] Speaker 3: that and was like, bro, I think you're a perfect
[9:11] Speaker 3: fit for Lasso G. We started going through the process
[9:15] Speaker 3: of interviewing with TBS and Jordan Peele and all these
[9:19] Speaker 3: different people. In the midst of that, He told me
[9:22] Speaker 3: about Hair Love and he said that he was setting
[9:24] Speaker 3: it up with Sony Animation as a TV series. And
[9:28] Speaker 3: he would love to get me involved with that as well.
[9:30] Speaker 4: Right. So. So, yeah.
[9:32] Speaker 3: So as I was working on Last OG, on the side,
[9:36] Speaker 3: I was helping Matthew develop this series, which later was
[9:40] Speaker 3: called Young Love, not Hair Love.
[9:42] Speaker 1: Please don't go anywhere.
[9:44] Speaker 2: We'll be right back with more Money Making Conversations Masterclass.
[9:47] Speaker 1: Now I need for you to do me a favor.
[9:50] Speaker 2: Right now, to follow or subscribe to Money Making Conversation,
[9:53] Speaker 2: it's free. And you can find it on the iHeartRadio app, Spotify,
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[10:00] Speaker 2: your podcasts. Please do me a favor. Follow or subscribe
[10:05] Speaker 2: Money Making Conversations. Welcome back to Money Making Conversations Masterclass
[10:11] Speaker 2: with me, Rashawn McDonald. With that being said, okay, which
[10:15] Speaker 2: is great. Now, what I don't want to do is
[10:17] Speaker 2: forget the fact that you said In my intro, love
[10:21] Speaker 2: about casting. And off air, I told you that the
[10:27] Speaker 2: reason I'm behind camera, I got frustrated with the whole
[10:29] Speaker 2: audition process. And then you get older, if you don't
[10:33] Speaker 2: have a resume, then they kick you to the curb.
[10:36] Speaker 1: You know, when you're young, you know, you can be
[10:38] Speaker 1: a high school student.
[10:39] Speaker 2: When you get older, you're the cop or, you know,
[10:42] Speaker 2: you're the principal, you know, which means that those roles
[10:44] Speaker 2: are even more competitive because there's not a lot of opportunity.
[10:47] Speaker 2: Why casting and what do you look for when you
[10:51] Speaker 2: are taking submissions?
[10:54] Speaker 5: Casting, you know, it was just something natural for me.
[10:57] Speaker 5: I didn't seek it out. It just naturally happened. progressed
[11:03] Speaker 5: for me because it was just something I really enjoyed doing.
[11:06] Speaker 5: Because at first, because I'm the type, I am not
[11:11] Speaker 5: a gatekeeper. I love to, like, if I don't think
[11:14] Speaker 5: I'm good for the role, I'm always telling somebody else, like,
[11:17] Speaker 5: you would be perfect for this role.
[11:18] Speaker 4: You need to go home.
[11:19] Speaker 5: So, you know, it just kind of dawned on me, like,
[11:22] Speaker 5: I'm more productive behind the scenes and I love looking
[11:27] Speaker 5: for talent. Like, I've always said that I have a
[11:30] Speaker 5: certain eye that I could see when I'm like, gosh,
[11:33] Speaker 5: that person has this je ne sais quoi. They have
[11:36] Speaker 5: this certain thing that I think, you know, would be
[11:40] Speaker 5: good for this role or, or to do this. So
[11:43] Speaker 5: it was just something very natural for me. And I
[11:46] Speaker 5: started very young, you know, I was still somewhat in
[11:50] Speaker 5: high school and I started with videos and then I
[11:53] Speaker 5: went to movies and then I went, you know, very,
[11:56] Speaker 5: very young. And it was just something very natural for
[11:58] Speaker 5: me because I, I loved, I love seeing other people progress.
[12:05] Speaker 5: I love seeing other people's dreams come true. It's not
[12:07] Speaker 5: something that I'm not the type to want to hold
[12:09] Speaker 5: anybody back or, oh, no, no, this part's for me. No,
[12:12] Speaker 5: if I'm not right for it, I think you are.
[12:14] Speaker 5: So that that was just something natural that came to me.
[12:17] Speaker 5: And I was just like, OK, this is a this
[12:20] Speaker 5: is something I feel more passionate about than actually being
[12:23] Speaker 5: in front of the camera.
[12:24] Speaker 2: I'm speaking to the founders of Martian Blueberry Award winning
[12:27] Speaker 2: black owned animation studio co-founded by husband and wife team
[12:31] Speaker 2: Carl Jones and Love Jones.
[12:33] Speaker 1: I want to stay on.
[12:34] Speaker 2: That casting because of the fact that what tips would
[12:39] Speaker 2: you give people love about the opportunities when they submit photos?
[12:45] Speaker 2: You know, times have changed when I was out there,
[12:47] Speaker 2: you know, you know, Z cards and, you know, you're
[12:51] Speaker 2: trying to stay young and you're not young. You're trying
[12:53] Speaker 2: to stay in that little window and you're not really
[12:55] Speaker 2: in that window and you don't look like your headshots anymore,
[12:58] Speaker 2: but you're still submitting them. So what advice would you
[13:02] Speaker 2: give to stay competitive? Or you received this information. What
[13:07] Speaker 2: taps you and go, I want to contact this person.
[13:09] Speaker 2: I'm going to keep this person on file, he or she.
[13:13] Speaker 5: I would say the biggest thing, especially for now, be
[13:18] Speaker 5: very proactive on social media. Oh, okay. I think that's
[13:23] Speaker 5: a really, because honestly, that's where we find a lot
[13:26] Speaker 5: of talent. You know, now it's like when you're proactive
[13:29] Speaker 5: on social media and you do certain things and, you know,
[13:33] Speaker 5: that's the best way to market yourself. That's the best
[13:36] Speaker 5: way to show your talent. And don't be afraid to
[13:40] Speaker 5: be cringy. You know, don't always try to be cool.
[13:43] Speaker 5: You know, like I think some people try to like
[13:46] Speaker 5: stay in this, in this, you know, are always scared
[13:49] Speaker 5: to step out the box, always scared to, you know, just,
[13:53] Speaker 5: especially for animation, you know, now understanding what we need
[13:56] Speaker 5: for animation, you know, people are afraid to just kind
[14:00] Speaker 5: of find the weird, find the, find the, what word
[14:06] Speaker 5: am I looking at? You know, just, you know, like,
[14:08] Speaker 5: like I said, just don't be afraid to be cringy.
[14:10] Speaker 5: Don't be afraid to be a little weird.
[14:13] Speaker 4: Take some risk. Yeah.
[14:17] Speaker 5: Because being that, especially with AI can now do voices
[14:22] Speaker 5: and do different things, you know, the one thing they
[14:25] Speaker 5: can't do is truly understand who we are and our
[14:29] Speaker 5: unexpected moments and how we'll say something weird or how
[14:34] Speaker 5: we'll say, you know, they know how to just mimic,
[14:37] Speaker 5: but they don't know how to create. So now it's
[14:39] Speaker 5: more important for us to know how to... Create a
[14:45] Speaker 5: weird moment, a weird thing, a weird saying. Just be
[14:48] Speaker 5: out the box.
[14:50] Speaker 4: Can I add something?
[14:51] Speaker 2: I know you're going to because I'm about to slide
[14:53] Speaker 2: over to you because you're a different role. She puts
[14:56] Speaker 2: them in front of you and you audition. And that's
[15:00] Speaker 2: a different take now. I was coming, you called, but
[15:02] Speaker 2: speak what you got to say because I got some
[15:04] Speaker 2: more questions for you.
[15:07] Speaker 4: Okay, okay.
[15:08] Speaker 3: No, just to add to what Love was saying, I
[15:11] Speaker 3: just recently saw an interview with Jeffrey Kassenberg, and they
[15:14] Speaker 3: were talking about AI, and he was saying that. That
[15:18] Speaker 3: scene in Shrek where, I don't know if you remember this,
[15:21] Speaker 3: but Eddie Murphy played Donkey, right?
[15:24] Speaker 1: Absolutely.
[15:25] Speaker 3: And Donkey was at the door and he was like, Shrek,
[15:27] Speaker 3: please open the door, please, please, please open the door, please, please, right?
[15:30] Speaker 3: So Shrek opens the door, Donkey comes inside and he
[15:33] Speaker 3: sits on the couch and he's like, I can't wait
[15:34] Speaker 3: to wake up in the morning and talk about man
[15:36] Speaker 3: stuff and make waffles, right?
[15:38] Speaker 4: Yeah. And so Jeffrey was saying that was not scripted. No,
[15:42] Speaker 4: it wasn't.
[15:42] Speaker 3: And there's no way in hell AI would have ever
[15:45] Speaker 3: came up with that. You know what I'm saying? That's
[15:47] Speaker 3: an Eddie Murphy-ism that only could come from Eddie Murphy.
[15:50] Speaker 3: And it was gold. And it was the most memorable
[15:53] Speaker 3: moment in the film. So to Love's point, I think
[15:57] Speaker 3: taking those big swings, taking those risks, even if... I
[16:00] Speaker 3: know some directors don't want you to go too far
[16:03] Speaker 3: off page.
[16:04] Speaker 4: Right. So you do have to be respectful. But in
[16:06] Speaker 4: terms of finding your own pockets.
[16:09] Speaker 3: within the limitations of the character, you should definitely go
[16:13] Speaker 3: for it.
[16:14] Speaker 4: You know what I'm saying? Because you want to stand out.
[16:16] Speaker 3: And there's a lot of people submitting auditions and voiceover reels.
[16:22] Speaker 4: So you want to be memorable.
[16:25] Speaker 1: Please don't go anywhere.
[16:27] Speaker 2: We'll be right back with more Money Making Conversations Masterclass.
[16:35] Speaker 2: Welcome back to Money Making Conversations Masterclass. Hosted by me,
[16:38] Speaker 2: Rashawn McDonald. Let's get back into it.
[16:42] Speaker 1: You know, it's really.
[16:42] Speaker 2: Interesting because I'm talking to you guys are sandwiched between
[16:47] Speaker 2: my life. You know what I'm saying? Because in the 90s,
[16:49] Speaker 2: I was this sitcom. I'd like to say I was
[16:53] Speaker 2: the top of my game. I went from Sister Sister,
[16:56] Speaker 2: Jamie Foxx Show, The Parkers, Steve Harvey, all these projects
[17:01] Speaker 2: that really still resonate within our community of people.
[17:04] Speaker 1: And one of the things I always.
[17:07] Speaker 2: Was magical to me was the power of writing, the
[17:11] Speaker 2: power of creation, because I always told my friends that
[17:14] Speaker 2: if I could convince somebody to come back at the
[17:16] Speaker 2: same time every day, that means there's a responsibility that
[17:22] Speaker 2: I need to have content that resonates. You guys have
[17:24] Speaker 2: been involved with content that has been resonating for years.
[17:27] Speaker 2: On camera, I was joking about Black Dynamite. I can
[17:30] Speaker 2: quote scenes, you know, the boondocks.
[17:32] Speaker 1: I can quote scenes, you know.
[17:34] Speaker 2: And then what happens when you get to that point
[17:37] Speaker 2: where you create that level of content, you know, Academy
[17:41] Speaker 2: Award winning content, it puts pressure on you, call and love.
[17:46] Speaker 1: How do you.
[17:46] Speaker 2: Maintain the elevation that I can go to the next
[17:49] Speaker 2: step or keep maintaining this level of integrity as well
[17:53] Speaker 2: as creative success?
[17:56] Speaker 3: Man, I mean, that's a good question. I, It is
[18:01] Speaker 3: a lot of pressure. And I will even say when
[18:03] Speaker 3: we were doing Boondocks and Black Dynamite, the animated series,
[18:07] Speaker 3: we were doing these 22-minute movies. If you notice, a
[18:11] Speaker 3: lot of our episodes weren't traditional sitcom episodes. We would
[18:14] Speaker 3: go really, really big with the storylines. And they were
[18:18] Speaker 3: always very, very high concept. So I was a little
[18:22] Speaker 3: nervous about going that route, especially with Black Dynamite, because
[18:27] Speaker 3: I didn't want to paint ourselves into a corner where
[18:29] Speaker 3: there was nowhere else to go. And you know, as
[18:30] Speaker 3: a writer, you know what I'm saying? Especially if you
[18:35] Speaker 3: come out the gate strong, you got to stay consistent.
[18:37] Speaker 3: You got to consistently deliver each episode at that same
[18:41] Speaker 3: bar or higher. And so that is always a concern
[18:44] Speaker 3: of mine, even to this day. And the thing that
[18:47] Speaker 3: I would just say is, I always, at the end
[18:50] Speaker 3: of the day, right, outside of like the concept, the
[18:53] Speaker 3: story ideas and the concepts itself, I just try to
[18:56] Speaker 3: make sure that I can hang my hat on the
[18:59] Speaker 3: truth of the episode, right? Like really speaking to people
[19:02] Speaker 3: in a true and honest way. Because I feel like
[19:05] Speaker 3: all the other stuff, you know, you know, like you
[19:08] Speaker 3: can paint, you can paint the car many different ways,
[19:10] Speaker 3: but the engine is how you are, how you're connecting
[19:13] Speaker 3: these characters and these stories to people and our experience
[19:17] Speaker 3: right now, being able to contextualize what we are experiencing
[19:22] Speaker 3: as black people, but the world too, you know, right now.
[19:25] Speaker 3: So that that's, I always start with that inspiration. Like,
[19:29] Speaker 3: what do I want to say? What I want to
[19:30] Speaker 3: say about politics or what I want to say about
[19:33] Speaker 3: you know, culture right now. Like, and then it start
[19:36] Speaker 3: building the car around that, you know?
[19:38] Speaker 1: You know, it's really- I'd like to.
[19:40] Speaker 5: Add to that.
[19:40] Speaker 1: Okay.
[19:41] Speaker 5: I'd like to add, Carl, like, I think you were
[19:43] Speaker 5: ahead of your time in how you write.
[19:46] Speaker 1: Special on boondocks. Special on boondocks.
[19:51] Speaker 5: But now, it's because of how low... People's attention span
[19:57] Speaker 5: is very different now. We don't have the luxury of
[20:00] Speaker 5: building a season to the next season, to the episode.
[20:05] Speaker 5: You have to get their attention right out the back.
[20:09] Speaker 5: You know, like, so you have to go big or
[20:11] Speaker 5: go home now because they don't give people multiple seasons
[20:15] Speaker 5: to grow anymore. Like, I don't know, you know, like before,
[20:18] Speaker 5: you know, when we used to watch television, the first season,
[20:22] Speaker 5: they were still trying to find their voice. They were
[20:24] Speaker 5: still trying to figure out what path. And, you know,
[20:27] Speaker 5: and a lot of times they were slower than the
[20:30] Speaker 5: next season and then the next season, you know, but.
[20:34] Speaker 5: But you don't have that luxury to do a pilot
[20:36] Speaker 5: that's like, I just want to introduce everybody to the world. No,
[20:40] Speaker 5: you got to like come out, you know.
[20:43] Speaker 1: Full throttle.
[20:46] Speaker 2: Well, you know, the thing about it is that I
[20:48] Speaker 2: don't really know how the, you know, the writers and
[20:52] Speaker 2: actors can make a living. with the series, you know,
[20:55] Speaker 2: micro shorts out now. Who can make money off that
[20:57] Speaker 2: and live? You know, the sitcoms, when I was coming out,
[21:01] Speaker 2: they were all to 24. So I would, June, we
[21:04] Speaker 2: started with going to, you know, the studio, started outlining
[21:09] Speaker 2: the stories. They started distributing the scripts like in July,
[21:12] Speaker 2: returned back in August.
[21:14] Speaker 1: And we'd probably rap about late February, maybe early March.
[21:18] Speaker 2: So that was really a run of where I was
[21:20] Speaker 2: getting a check from June to February. And then all
[21:24] Speaker 2: of a sudden, streaming cut out the residuals. And then
[21:27] Speaker 2: all of a sudden, they're ordering eight episodes. They're ordering
[21:30] Speaker 2: 10 episodes. And like I just said, these micro series,
[21:33] Speaker 2: you know, you've seen that change right before us.
[21:38] Speaker 1: What are your thoughts about it, Carl?
[21:40] Speaker 2: I know it frustrates me because I know that as a,
[21:43] Speaker 2: as an artist, you know, you hear the word starving
[21:45] Speaker 2: artists some ways that's what's happening to us all now.
[21:50] Speaker 5: Yeah.
[21:51] Speaker 4: Yeah.
[21:52] Speaker 3: I mean, it's, you're right. I mean, the industry is
[21:54] Speaker 3: really changing. It's shifting really, really fast for a number
[21:57] Speaker 3: of different reasons. Um, And so we are in a
[22:00] Speaker 3: really unique time period. You know, Hollywood is contracting in
[22:09] Speaker 3: a way that it never has before. Right. There's always
[22:10] Speaker 3: been a, you know, there's always been, you know, you
[22:13] Speaker 3: find those bottleneck moments in history of Hollywood or whatever,
[22:18] Speaker 3: but it's never been like this. Like, this is more transformational,
[22:21] Speaker 3: what's happening, I think, you know, because, well, I mean,
[22:25] Speaker 3: we can get into all the reasons why, but to
[22:27] Speaker 3: answer your question, Like, again, at the end of the day,
[22:31] Speaker 3: I just try to look at things like this.
[22:34] Speaker 4: The format is going to always change.
[22:36] Speaker 1: That's true.
[22:36] Speaker 3: There might be small, you know, micro series versus, you know,
[22:41] Speaker 3: long form, half hour series and long form films. But
[22:46] Speaker 3: at the end of the day, you know, if you're
[22:49] Speaker 3: not telling stories with really good characters, right, it just
[22:53] Speaker 3: won't last. And so I try to focus less on on,
[22:58] Speaker 3: I guess the framing devices and focus in the, in
[23:01] Speaker 3: the format and focus more on, you know, let's do
[23:05] Speaker 3: something that people that will resonate with people in a
[23:07] Speaker 3: real unique, authentic way.
[23:10] Speaker 4: You know what I mean? Yes.
[23:12] Speaker 1: And when you have what, basically who you are, you
[23:14] Speaker 1: know what I'm saying?
[23:15] Speaker 2: Because I guess, you know, when I look at back
[23:18] Speaker 2: in my life, I was just, uh, I grew up
[23:21] Speaker 2: in a two bedroom shotgun house, you know, father had
[23:24] Speaker 2: a third grade education and, and, They just told me
[23:27] Speaker 2: I was going to stay in the hood, okay?
[23:29] Speaker 1: And I didn't.
[23:31] Speaker 2: And I came out, and I believe I've changed the
[23:33] Speaker 2: world in so many different ways. The things I've done
[23:35] Speaker 2: with Steve Harvey, the things I do now, Stephen A. Smith,
[23:38] Speaker 2: the things I've done with other very talented people over
[23:41] Speaker 2: the years, Jamie Foxx, you know, the twin sisters shaping
[23:46] Speaker 2: teenage minds when I was doing that sitcom, when I
[23:49] Speaker 2: was working with Monique, you know, full-figured women. I was
[23:52] Speaker 2: intentional in my writing style. not to make fun of
[23:56] Speaker 2: four-figure women, but to empower four-figure women that they look good.
[24:00] Speaker 2: So a lot of my actions were all very intentional
[24:04] Speaker 2: because I knew I had a responsibility. And with you
[24:06] Speaker 2: being a female in this industry, I'm sure somewhere along
[24:11] Speaker 2: the line you said.
[24:11] Speaker 1: I have a responsibility. And that's all I was asking.
[24:15] Speaker 5: Yeah. My responsibility that I hold, and Carl knows this,
[24:22] Speaker 5: is just put more women first. especially women of color
[24:25] Speaker 5: voices out there, you know, like not only in front
[24:28] Speaker 5: of the camera, but behind the camera, you know, we
[24:31] Speaker 5: hire a lot of, you know, of us to be behind,
[24:36] Speaker 5: you know, if you look at our animation company, when
[24:39] Speaker 5: we say Black-owned, it's Black-owned and operated, you know? And
[24:44] Speaker 5: it's all very like, you know, but we're all very,
[24:47] Speaker 5: everybody's very talented in their own right. They're not just
[24:50] Speaker 5: hired because, you know, they're hired because they deserve to
[24:53] Speaker 5: be in that position and they earn to be in
[24:55] Speaker 5: that position. But a lot of times they get overlooked.
[25:00] Speaker 5: So that is a huge responsibility, I feel, to open
[25:04] Speaker 5: doors for us, for more people that don't get these
[25:09] Speaker 5: doors so easily opened or don't even know how to
[25:12] Speaker 5: get to the door in the first place. There's an
[25:14] Speaker 5: animation convention for Blurreds called DreamCon.
[25:22] Speaker 1: I know exactly about that.
[25:24] Speaker 5: It's huge. It's in Texas, Houston, Texas. I don't know
[25:29] Speaker 5: if they're doing it this year in Houston, Texas. They
[25:30] Speaker 5: haven't mentioned it, but, and we did a voiceover competition for,
[25:36] Speaker 5: and we, you know, did a search for new and
[25:39] Speaker 5: upcoming voiceover competitions. And we're always kind of thinking out
[25:42] Speaker 5: the box, like how can we find writers? How can
[25:44] Speaker 5: we find people that have stories? You know, we do
[25:47] Speaker 5: want to start accepting people, Soon, but not now. So
[25:53] Speaker 5: I don't want to get flooded with my DM. But
[25:58] Speaker 5: we want to start hearing people's pitches and trying to
[26:01] Speaker 5: make that come into fruition and start animating people's ideas
[26:07] Speaker 5: and just helping artists that would never know how to
[26:11] Speaker 5: work in this industry. So we're constantly, that's the biggest
[26:15] Speaker 5: responsibility that we both feel is just opening new doors.
[26:18] Speaker 4: Right.
[26:19] Speaker 5: Opening doors for people. Cause I mean, it happened for us, Carl, he,
[26:23] Speaker 5: you know, you know, somebody took a chance on him.
[26:26] Speaker 5: Carl took a chance on my, you know, me, you know, doing,
[26:31] Speaker 5: you know, working with animation and working with everything. So,
[26:34] Speaker 5: you know, that's, that's the biggest.
[26:36] Speaker 2: Biggest responsibility no no you know carl i asked to
[26:39] Speaker 2: talk about did she go slide into your world you
[26:41] Speaker 2: know she should go start bringing your name up in
[26:43] Speaker 2: the conversation you know like i wasn't gonna come to
[26:45] Speaker 2: you now you know.
[26:47] Speaker 1: You know but you know you know you know i you.
[26:51] Speaker 2: Know i i sit up here and i and i
[26:53] Speaker 2: stutter and i because i feel blessed man when i
[26:57] Speaker 2: talk to um people who are making a difference in
[27:00] Speaker 2: the community of entertainment, because I.
[27:02] Speaker 1: Know how hard it is. I really do know how
[27:04] Speaker 1: hard it is. I know how hard it.
[27:05] Speaker 2: Is for people of color to just maintain sustainability in
[27:10] Speaker 2: it and relevancy in it.
[27:12] Speaker 1: And because we're not in the position to make the decisions.
[27:15] Speaker 1: We're just not. I'm sorry. It's not enough of us.
[27:19] Speaker 2: And so when I look at you, Carl, and I
[27:20] Speaker 2: look at your resume and I look at the fact
[27:22] Speaker 2: that You know, you have projects of relevancy that's moving forward.
[27:27] Speaker 2: What's the next step for you as an individual? I
[27:29] Speaker 2: know you have the company. I know you have a
[27:31] Speaker 2: relationship with love. But what is you? What is your
[27:35] Speaker 2: expectations for Carl?
[27:37] Speaker 3: Well, the main reason I got inspired to be a
[27:43] Speaker 3: storyteller was seeing how how impactful story can be, right?
[27:50] Speaker 2: Right.
[27:50] Speaker 3: Like you can, you, you definitely can inspire people to
[27:53] Speaker 3: have more empathy, which I feel like is always at
[27:56] Speaker 3: the root of most of our problems in the world.
[27:59] Speaker 4: It's a lack of empathy.
[28:00] Speaker 2: Well, brother, both you and love are doing that Martian blueberry. I,
[28:04] Speaker 2: I normally don't speak this long, but, uh, And I'm
[28:08] Speaker 2: going to be honest with you because you guys are great.
[28:10] Speaker 2: You know, you're great individually. You're great as a couple.
[28:12] Speaker 2: And thank you for coming on the show, y'all. Y'all
[28:15] Speaker 2: be special.
[28:15] Speaker 1: I appreciate it. Bye bye. Thank you for listening to
[28:20] Speaker 1: this episode.
[28:21] Speaker 2: Now I need for you to do me a favor
[28:23] Speaker 2: right now to follow or subscribe to Money Making Conversation.
[28:27] Speaker 1: It's free and you can find it on the.
[28:29] Speaker 2: iHeartRadio app, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
[28:35] Speaker 2: Please do me that favor. Follow or subscribe Money Making Conversations.
[28:40] Speaker 2: Keep winning.

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