# Brand Building: They discuss the cultural legacy of Martin TV show and the changing entertainment industry.

An episode of [Money Making Conversations Master Class](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1264705641), 20 Aug 2026, 28 min.

Audio: https://podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/b1db7263-d1a3-4d00-8976-af62012aab44/561332cb-20dc-4ef9-bc10-b4ad00a7c404/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 veteran Hollywood writers and producers Sherri McCovey and Kevin G. Boyd. About their careers, the development of The Varnell Hill Show, and the significance of creating the first-ever spin-off from the iconic Martin television series. The discussion explores perseverance in Hollywood, the cultural legacy of Martin, the changing entertainment industry, mentorship, and the importance of continuing to create opportunities for Black storytellers and creatives. Purpose of the Interview The interview was designed to: • Promote and introduce The Varnell Hill Show. • Share the behind-the-scenes journey of bringing the project to television. • Explain why Martin remains one of the most influential sitcoms in Black television history. • Discuss the realities of building a career in Hollywood. • Highlight the importance of mentorship, networking, and professional relationships. • Encourage future creators to remain persistent in pursuing their goals. Key Takeaways 1. Great Projects Often Require Long-Term Persistence McCovey and Boyd revealed that the show was initially sold in March 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down much of the entertainment industry. Despite years of delays, redevelopment, and shifting priorities, they remained committed to bringing the project to life. Lesson: Success often comes to those who stay committed through setbacks and uncertainty. 2. The Cultural Impact of Martin Still Resonates Boyd explained that Martin succeeded because viewers connected with its authentic portrayal of friendship, humor, relationships, and Black culture. The show's characters became part of everyday conversation and continue to resonate with audiences today. Lesson: Authentic stories create lasting cultural relevance. 3. Nostalgia Can Create New Opportunities The success of reboots, revivals, and spin-offs has helped networks recognize the value of beloved franchises. This trend helped create momentum for The Varnell Hill Show. Lesson: Strong intellectual property can provide opportunities to introduce classic characters to new generations. 4. Memorable Characters Can Have Lasting Influence Although Varnell Hill appeared in only two episodes of Martin, the character became a fan favorite. His popularity endured for decades, eventually inspiring an entire television series. Lesson: Impact matters more than screen time. 5. Mentorship Is a Critical Part of Career Success Throughout the conversation, the guests emphasized how mentors and advocates helped shape their careers. They credited industry leaders who recognized their potential and opened doors for new opportunities. Lesson: Relationships and mentorship often play a major role in professional growth. 6. The Entertainment Industry Continues to Evolve Boyd discussed how streaming has changed the economics of television, requiring creators to continually adapt and think strategically about their next opportunities. Lesson: Lasting success requires constant adaptation and innovation. 7. Black Storytelling Must Continue Expanding McCovey expressed hope that the success of projects like The Varnell Hill Show will encourage more Black-centered stories and create opportunities for emerging writers, producers, and creators. Lesson: Representation and diverse storytelling remain essential to the future of entertainment. Notable Quotes Kevin G. Boyd on…

## Transcript

[0:00] Speaker 1: Welcome to the show. I'm Rashan McDonald, the host of
[0:03] Speaker 1: money Making Conversations Masterclass, where we encourage people to stop
[0:06] Speaker 1: reading other people's success stories and start planning their own. Now,
[0:11] Speaker 1: you don't want to miss an episode of Money Making
[0:13] Speaker 1: Conversations Masterclass, So right now follow a subscribe to Money
[0:17] Speaker 1: Making Conversations. It's free and you can find it on
[0:20] Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio app, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get
[0:25] Speaker 1: your podcasts. Now, sit back and listen as we unlock
[0:28] Speaker 1: the secrets to their success on Money Making Conversations Masterclass.
[0:34] Speaker 1: My two guests have veteran Hollywood writers who writing and
[0:37] Speaker 1: producing talents have been tied to Comedy Central's Heart of
[0:41] Speaker 1: the City Producing hosted by Kevin Hart, BT's Sunday Best
[0:44] Speaker 1: hosted by Kurt Franklin, and The Monique Show, The Jamie
[0:49] Speaker 1: Fox Show, Girlfriends and One on One, just to name
[0:52] Speaker 1: a few. But most importantly the reason they are here,
[0:55] Speaker 1: they're the co creators and executive producers of The Vaughn
[0:59] Speaker 1: Nail Held Show. Now, if you are Martin Lawrence fan,
[1:04] Speaker 1: this is the first ever spin off of The Martin Show.
[1:07] Speaker 1: A premiere September one on Paramount plus it stars Tommy Davison, Mygirl,
[1:13] Speaker 1: Wendy McCarroll Robinson and mcgirl Kim Widley, who I discovered
[1:18] Speaker 1: on The Parkers Wendy Caroll Robinson. We go all the
[1:20] Speaker 1: way back to ninety three on The Me and the
[1:23] Speaker 1: Boys Show, starring Steve Harvey. So a lot of great
[1:28] Speaker 1: names on this show, a lot of great history. Tommy Davison,
[1:32] Speaker 1: what can I say? Me and Tommy Davidson, We've been
[1:34] Speaker 1: in some situations. We're hacking with Tommy Davison. You need
[1:37] Speaker 1: to see out in that corner. Time out, time out, time out.
[1:41] Speaker 1: Please welcome to money making Conversations massic lasts two great people,
[1:44] Speaker 1: Sharon McCovey and Kevin G Boyd. How you doing, Kevin?
[1:48] Speaker 2: I am fantastic man. It's a pleasure to be here
[1:52] Speaker 2: with you and Sherry today.
[1:55] Speaker 3: Hey, god brother, how you doing?
[1:56] Speaker 1: First of all, I got to loosen Kevin though, because
[1:59] Speaker 1: you see she said, this is not the first radio
[2:02] Speaker 1: interview I've done with Camray. He was, no, no, no, no,
[2:05] Speaker 1: he was. He came on a Steve Harry money show.
[2:06] Speaker 1: He came on the Steve Harmoney Show when he was
[2:09] Speaker 1: going around the country, go around the country selling expensive water.
[2:13] Speaker 3: Oh yeah, baby.
[2:15] Speaker 1: Oh yeah, I remember the days I was there.
[2:19] Speaker 2: I was in New York. He said they should have
[2:20] Speaker 2: get over here and talking about this whole crazy water
[2:23] Speaker 2: you telling.
[2:25] Speaker 1: I heard that, you know, and Kevin, you're a nice
[2:28] Speaker 1: looking guy, articulate, and boy, that's up to you sell
[2:31] Speaker 1: somebody water. I said, boy, you're selling water. It's water
[2:34] Speaker 1: shot and they buying it?
[2:37] Speaker 3: Is that marketing mouse coming?
[2:39] Speaker 2: Tell you something? That water took me all over the
[2:42] Speaker 2: world somebody else's first. It was beautiful.
[2:48] Speaker 1: Well, let's let's get back to why I got you
[2:50] Speaker 1: guys on the show, because we have a lot of
[2:51] Speaker 1: history together. And uh and I was when this shows
[2:56] Speaker 1: an hour Kevin and off air, I was telling share it.
[3:00] Speaker 1: In August of twenty twenty two, she sent me a
[3:04] Speaker 1: script that said the Varnelle Hills Show, and I went, wow, Okay,
[3:10] Speaker 1: today is two thousand and seven, of two thousand and six,
[3:13] Speaker 1: that's almost.
[3:14] Speaker 3: Twenty twenty six.
[3:15] Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, how long have you guys been working on
[3:17] Speaker 1: the problems? Starting with you share it? Then we'll come
[3:19] Speaker 1: to you, Kevin.
[3:19] Speaker 4: So we sold the project March third, twenty twenty in
[3:27] Speaker 4: the room with Martin Lawrence at beet with Martin and
[3:30] Speaker 4: Tommy in the room. Ten days later, the world's shut
[3:34] Speaker 4: down for the pandemic on March thirteenth, and from then
[3:41] Speaker 4: until now, the project has been in development, in development
[3:47] Speaker 4: and just different iterations of it to what you see now.
[3:53] Speaker 4: And I'll Kevin you can chime in here.
[3:57] Speaker 2: Listen. It has been quite a journey, like she said
[4:00] Speaker 2: it was. It was literally just before the world shut down.
[4:05] Speaker 2: I remember we were joking about it in the room
[4:10] Speaker 2: and we were literally kicking feet instead of shaking laughing,
[4:15] Speaker 2: instead of oh, nobody wants touch anybody's hands, and you know,
[4:17] Speaker 2: we were kicking feet because it was like, oh, here's
[4:21] Speaker 2: an elbow, here's an arbowl, not knowing that the world
[4:23] Speaker 2: was going to shut down, but honestly journey when things
[4:28] Speaker 2: shut down, I think we eventually kind of fired things
[4:31] Speaker 2: back up. Almost about nine months later we were able
[4:35] Speaker 2: to kind of finally ink the deal and move forward
[4:39] Speaker 2: with the development. And it has just been a project.
[4:43] Speaker 2: It's been close, and it sat and it kind of
[4:47] Speaker 2: went away and was resuscitated and revised again and killed
[4:52] Speaker 2: off and ultimately I really think what happened with the
[4:56] Speaker 2: show is the time's kind of changed and and and
[5:00] Speaker 2: shows that had an IP behind them just became something
[5:06] Speaker 2: that was a safer play for the network to be.
[5:09] Speaker 2: We knew we had talent, we knew we had a
[5:12] Speaker 2: good story to tell, and uh, the industry just being
[5:17] Speaker 2: you know what it was. It took six years for
[5:19] Speaker 2: the timing to be absolutely right.
[5:22] Speaker 3: And a lot of.
[5:23] Speaker 4: Yeah, a lot of people too, a lot of spin offs,
[5:26] Speaker 4: like the nostalgia of old souls being brought back, you know,
[5:31] Speaker 4: was exciting. I think I feel like networks different worlds.
[5:35] Speaker 2: Yeah, it's all really the lair trying to jump bel air.
[5:38] Speaker 4: Yeah, and those shows found new life and people were
[5:42] Speaker 4: watching them for a new generation, like even like for
[5:44] Speaker 4: my son. So I think networks felt more comfortable with
[5:48] Speaker 4: shows that were proven to spin them off.
[5:52] Speaker 1: Well, let's let's talk about Mark show. Mark. You know I,
[5:57] Speaker 1: you know Martin, My relationship goes all the way back
[6:01] Speaker 1: to Deaf Comedy Jam when he introduced me on Deaf
[6:03] Speaker 1: Comedy Jam, and then I got to see his you know,
[6:08] Speaker 1: his comedy special, which I still say is one of
[6:10] Speaker 1: the funniest comedy specials I've ever seen in my life
[6:13] Speaker 1: on HBO, which got him the opportunity to host Deaf
[6:17] Speaker 1: comedy Jam. Please don't go anywhere. We'll be right back
[6:21] Speaker 1: with more money Making Conversations Masterclass. No, I need for
[6:24] Speaker 1: you to do me a favor right now to follow
[6:27] Speaker 1: or subscribe to Money Making Conversation. It's free and you
[6:31] Speaker 1: can find it on the iHeartRadio app, Spotify, Apple Podcasts,
[6:35] Speaker 1: or wherever you get your podcasts. Please do me that favor,
[6:39] Speaker 1: follow or subscribe money Making Conversations. Welcome back to Money
[6:46] Speaker 1: Making Conversations Masterclass with me Rashaun McDonald And this question
[6:50] Speaker 1: I'm gonna start with you, Kevin. The whole concept of Martin.
[6:56] Speaker 1: You know, why is it still popular? Yavin?
[7:01] Speaker 2: It is. It's amazing, it is. It's truly amazing how
[7:07] Speaker 2: this show has just had a rebirth. Tell you we
[7:11] Speaker 2: make not even a rebirth. It's like it never went away, right.
[7:15] Speaker 2: There was this genuine sort of thing, you know, we
[7:19] Speaker 2: had never really seen this big head air again. You know,
[7:25] Speaker 2: a little dude, you know, with all this ego that
[7:28] Speaker 2: was just a sucker, just stone cold in love with
[7:33] Speaker 2: his woman. We saw black love in a way that
[7:37] Speaker 2: we had not really seen it on television, and everybody
[7:41] Speaker 2: could relate to a little bit of this. You know
[7:44] Speaker 2: his friend group. You know, their dynamics were defined. Each
[7:48] Speaker 2: character was completely different and you related to one of
[7:52] Speaker 2: those three or four or five characters there. Chemistry with
[7:56] Speaker 2: the girls was amazing, their relationship, it just had a
[7:59] Speaker 2: special place. And then it was smart and it did
[8:02] Speaker 2: something that was really successful obviously with the living colors,
[8:08] Speaker 2: with these characters, and he was able to kind of
[8:11] Speaker 2: merge a little bit of that into the show also
[8:14] Speaker 2: and just show all of his talents. We just never
[8:18] Speaker 2: seen that of the characters.
[8:19] Speaker 4: He played, the characters those were and even it even
[8:24] Speaker 4: launched a lot of people's careers, even like the Parkers did.
[8:27] Speaker 4: Like you look back on some of those shows now
[8:29] Speaker 4: and you see people who are big stars, Like we're
[8:32] Speaker 4: back on those shows, you know, and you can relate
[8:35] Speaker 4: to that.
[8:37] Speaker 1: Campbell came off of that show. But you know, interesting
[8:40] Speaker 1: thing about I'm talking to Kevin Boyd and I'm talking
[8:43] Speaker 1: to Shery McCovey. They had the cold creators and the
[8:46] Speaker 1: executive producers of the Von L. Hills Show. Now, I'm
[8:49] Speaker 1: gonna tell you this about me. Now, when when Martin
[8:53] Speaker 1: was in this heyday, I was on the road, Okay,
[8:56] Speaker 1: telling jokes, you know, trying to trying to be Martin. Okay,
[8:59] Speaker 1: So I didn't see that much. But I was a
[9:02] Speaker 1: fan of Martin's show, okay, because I left ID of
[9:05] Speaker 1: An eighty six, and so I was on the road
[9:07] Speaker 1: telling jokes that Oround moved to New York, moved to
[9:09] Speaker 1: New York in eighty eight. Then I moved to la
[9:11] Speaker 1: in nineteen ninety and so my focus was just Berouchamp.
[9:16] Speaker 1: But I always knew Martin was sitting out there. Now,
[9:19] Speaker 1: tell us Kevin about the Varnale Hill show. Was it
[9:22] Speaker 1: a one off in the Martin series? Was it several
[9:25] Speaker 1: episodes that were featured in the Martin series. Talk to
[9:28] Speaker 1: us about that.
[9:30] Speaker 2: So here's here's the crazy thing. Right. When Sherry said, Hey, Kevin,
[9:33] Speaker 2: I think there's an opportunity for us to to create
[9:37] Speaker 2: a show for the Varney Hill character or Martin, I
[9:40] Speaker 2: was like, no way, this It was my favorite episode.
[9:45] Speaker 2: It was two episodes. Originally that character was supposed to
[9:48] Speaker 2: be It's sound like a spin off of Our Senior Hall,
[9:51] Speaker 2: and they won on our Senior Hall for the park,
[9:53] Speaker 2: but our Senior whatever reason was it available, it didn't happen.
[9:57] Speaker 2: So Timy Tortoist part us right, But it was so
[10:03] Speaker 2: impactful those two episodes. The two episodes are the reason
[10:08] Speaker 2: it was my favorite was because it did something to
[10:13] Speaker 2: me that no other episodes did. It made me feel uncomfortable.
[10:19] Speaker 2: When he traveled to Los Angeles and he was clowning
[10:24] Speaker 2: in the audience with his friends, I felt like I
[10:27] Speaker 2: was sitting there with him and I just was embarrassed,
[10:32] Speaker 2: and it just was such a real moment for me.
[10:36] Speaker 2: It was like the most impactful episode ever, and I
[10:39] Speaker 2: was like, yo, the writing, the writing is brilliant. The
[10:42] Speaker 2: writing is brilliant on this not knowing that Martin and
[10:45] Speaker 2: Tommy was straight freestyling on that part, but I think
[10:50] Speaker 2: that's it. And for whatever reason it has had this
[10:53] Speaker 2: life on the internet, it meaned it and just the
[10:58] Speaker 2: different things that came from it are as impactful as
[11:03] Speaker 2: I mean, I can't think any other characters that were
[11:06] Speaker 2: not like really part of the show. Were you take
[11:09] Speaker 2: an outside character and you're able to spin them off
[11:13] Speaker 2: and have this much excitement about it. So I don't know,
[11:17] Speaker 2: it just captured. It just captures something.
[11:19] Speaker 1: Two episodes, yeah, two episode arcs. Yeah.
[11:22] Speaker 2: Wow.
[11:23] Speaker 1: Let me go to you, Sherry. You send me a
[11:26] Speaker 1: link of entertainment tonight, you know, and the buzz. First
[11:31] Speaker 1: of all, are you what is the reaction to you?
[11:37] Speaker 1: Did you expect this amount of energy for the return
[11:40] Speaker 1: of The Varnelle Hill Show, which will premiere on Paramount
[11:43] Speaker 1: Plus September.
[11:44] Speaker 4: First, I knew that people were excited about it. Some
[11:52] Speaker 4: of the sayings that Varnell Hill, Tommy Davidson, who plays
[11:56] Speaker 4: Varnell Hill, says, are like black cultural catchphrases, did you
[12:02] Speaker 4: miss me?
[12:04] Speaker 3: Catfish? Are delicious?
[12:05] Speaker 4: Like all these little funny things that Martin and Tommy
[12:10] Speaker 4: were bantering back and forth. And what a lot of
[12:12] Speaker 4: people don't know is in that scene in a radio
[12:14] Speaker 4: station that looks a lot like this that we're in,
[12:19] Speaker 4: they were just going back and forth and you can
[12:22] Speaker 4: hear there are clips online of Tommy explaining that Martin.
[12:28] Speaker 4: Basically it was like who's gonna break first, who's gonna
[12:30] Speaker 4: laugh first? And that goes back to their deaf jam days.
[12:33] Speaker 4: I mean, you can relate to that with Sean and
[12:35] Speaker 4: so I knew that there was an excitement for it,
[12:39] Speaker 4: But I just I didn't expect so many people to
[12:41] Speaker 4: be like, we can't wait, so we're excited that everyone
[12:46] Speaker 4: is excited to see it.
[12:47] Speaker 1: Because it's gonna be the von el Hill Show. Yes again,
[12:52] Speaker 1: Paramount plus, Yes September one.
[12:55] Speaker 3: Yes.
[12:55] Speaker 1: Now we're going to talk about this some more. But
[12:58] Speaker 1: I gotta tell you how.
[13:00] Speaker 3: Met could we plan get into that?
[13:02] Speaker 1: Ye gotta tell your ma And I gotta tell you
[13:05] Speaker 1: how I met. You know, she had comfort and I
[13:08] Speaker 1: would tell you I always have it before we go
[13:10] Speaker 1: to break. I always have this image of Kevin, you know,
[13:12] Speaker 1: because I made him. I'm just there right now. Of
[13:14] Speaker 1: course that can producer to the Jamie Fox Show. And
[13:17] Speaker 1: Kevin was young and hot, okay, and I always remember him.
[13:21] Speaker 1: He had a convertible Jaguar. You couldn't tell him there,
[13:26] Speaker 1: guess rightfully.
[13:27] Speaker 2: So he was.
[13:28] Speaker 1: He was right on the Jammy Fox Show.
[13:30] Speaker 5: How this show in Hollywood, and he was young and
[13:34] Speaker 5: he had a convertible Jaguar. And after this day, I
[13:37] Speaker 5: always remember him pull it out of that parking lot
[13:40] Speaker 5: with that CONVERTIONI.
[13:42] Speaker 1: Boy, that's the life we've been right back bore. Money
[13:47] Speaker 1: Making Comforties Master Pass, don't go.
[13:50] Speaker 3: Stay with us.
[13:51] Speaker 1: More Money Making Conversation Masterclass coming up next. Welcome back
[13:58] Speaker 1: to Money Making Conversation Master Class hosted by me Rashawn McDonald.
[14:02] Speaker 1: Let's get back into it. Well, this is Rashaan McDonald.
[14:05] Speaker 1: I got to give a compliment to John, who is
[14:08] Speaker 1: Sherry's son, my wife. You know, she critiques everything I do.
[14:11] Speaker 1: You slurring the word you're talking to fan? I get text,
[14:14] Speaker 1: you know, I get she produces me via text. Yeah,
[14:18] Speaker 1: and she said, please tell Sharry and John he was awesome.
[14:21] Speaker 1: Congratulations hands down on the phone. I have my man,
[14:27] Speaker 1: Kevin boyd uh. And then in the studio, I have
[14:30] Speaker 1: Sherry McCovey, two individuals I've known a long time, you know.
[14:35] Speaker 1: And when you start talking about black Hollywood, black Hollywood writings,
[14:39] Speaker 1: you know, when you back in the day when you
[14:41] Speaker 1: did twenty two and twenty four episodes of the season,
[14:43] Speaker 1: when you actually live off of sitcom career, Okay, today
[14:48] Speaker 1: you can't do that. And I still, let me tell
[14:52] Speaker 1: you something, Hollywood is if you get in is the
[14:56] Speaker 1: is the beautiful thing. I still get residual checks to
[14:58] Speaker 1: this day. They little bit, but to let you know
[15:02] Speaker 1: that that's how the system is. You know, there's a
[15:05] Speaker 1: lot of people make a lot of money, a lot
[15:07] Speaker 1: of products being streamed on various various different platforms against
[15:10] Speaker 1: what somebody's writing a check for it, and that's a
[15:12] Speaker 1: beautiful thing. Then when I when I look at I
[15:15] Speaker 1: look at you Kevin, and look at you share you know.
[15:19] Speaker 1: I met you on the Monique Show part which is
[15:23] Speaker 1: Monique Star Monique. I always say the Monique Show because
[15:25] Speaker 1: Monique's Nick Star. And then Kevin I met Kevin. I
[15:30] Speaker 1: was co executive Bentley Evans, who created the Martin series,
[15:34] Speaker 1: who's also the director and also executive producer.
[15:38] Speaker 4: So he created Fox. He created was not created by Bentley,
[15:43] Speaker 4: but he was executive producer of Martin.
[15:46] Speaker 1: Okay, he didn't create.
[15:47] Speaker 3: He started off as a writer. Oh okay.
[15:50] Speaker 4: So yeah, So what happened when Bentley was Bentley was
[15:54] Speaker 4: supposed to come to We all grew up with Bentley
[15:57] Speaker 4: and I love Bentley. He he was the on from
[16:00] Speaker 4: the neighborhood who ended up going into into entertainment. Kevin
[16:05] Speaker 4: and I were leaving to come down here to go
[16:07] Speaker 4: to Spelman and Morehouse. Bentley was coming to Morehouse and
[16:11] Speaker 4: he said, his father said, are you trying to chase
[16:13] Speaker 4: your dreams or your friends? And so the rest is history.
[16:17] Speaker 4: And so he stayed in LA and got into entertainment,
[16:21] Speaker 4: and and and went started out as an actor and
[16:25] Speaker 4: he would audition and run into Martin on all these auditions,
[16:30] Speaker 4: and so that's how they became known to each other
[16:33] Speaker 4: and became friends. And so after Martin went off and
[16:37] Speaker 4: did all his stuff and got the Martin, Bentley ended
[16:40] Speaker 4: up going into writing. So he transitioned from acting to
[16:44] Speaker 4: writing Bentley Evans and so he had been doing spec
[16:48] Speaker 4: scripts for people who know what that means, your sample script.
[16:52] Speaker 4: He sent it to Martin when Martin got the Martin Show,
[16:55] Speaker 4: and Martin didn't know that he had become a writer,
[16:59] Speaker 4: and Martin fought for him to become a writer on
[17:02] Speaker 4: that show, and he elevated from writer on that show
[17:06] Speaker 4: all the.
[17:07] Speaker 3: Way up to executive producer. And so that's how that happened.
[17:10] Speaker 3: But then he did create.
[17:12] Speaker 1: That's what Steve Harvey did for me. Steve Harvey, you know,
[17:15] Speaker 1: he fought for me to be on his first ABC
[17:17] Speaker 1: television show, Me and the Boys, because they didn't want me, right,
[17:21] Speaker 1: you know, and he just said, and I literally will
[17:23] Speaker 1: tell you the truth. He said, if ra Sean McDonald
[17:26] Speaker 1: cannot be on this show, there will be no show.
[17:28] Speaker 3: Well, and that's what Martin said for Bentley.
[17:31] Speaker 1: And you know, I say these things just to let
[17:34] Speaker 1: people know there's always great history, there are people laying
[17:37] Speaker 1: down or potential opportunity to give you an opportunity.
[17:41] Speaker 4: And then Bentley did that for Kevin, for you, right,
[17:43] Speaker 4: Kevin on Jamie Fox.
[17:46] Speaker 2: She really did. I mean, he was. That was the
[17:48] Speaker 2: first show that I worked on. And it's kind of
[17:51] Speaker 2: a really interesting story as to how this came about.
[17:55] Speaker 2: I was working in sales and at the time I
[17:57] Speaker 2: was working the next till I was out in the field.
[17:59] Speaker 2: I was one of the first ten representatives for next
[18:03] Speaker 2: to in the Country, right, And we were going out
[18:06] Speaker 2: making these presentations and meanwhile, you know, my boy, you know,
[18:10] Speaker 2: he's he's riding on the on the on the Martin Show,
[18:13] Speaker 2: and you know, he's making big checks and he's laughing
[18:17] Speaker 2: and having fun on his job, and you know, we're
[18:21] Speaker 2: our whole crew is jokes and clowning and The Martin
[18:25] Speaker 2: Show honestly is a mirror of the relationships that we had.
[18:31] Speaker 2: And he took a lot of that in helping to
[18:33] Speaker 2: develop that show. Right in the writer's room, but he
[18:37] Speaker 2: called me one day he knew I wanted to be
[18:38] Speaker 2: a writer. He called me one day and I was
[18:42] Speaker 2: on a sales car. I was preparing for a presentation.
[18:44] Speaker 2: I was in the lobby and he said, Hey, Cavin, Man,
[18:49] Speaker 2: what's something What's something your role would say? Like, you know,
[18:53] Speaker 2: if he saw you know, you know, a little a
[18:56] Speaker 2: little a little hot dining piece or something. He was
[18:58] Speaker 2: trying to back to, you know, what's something to say?
[19:00] Speaker 2: I said, what do you mean? Like, you know, your
[19:02] Speaker 2: name must be canned to cut. Your looks so sweet,
[19:08] Speaker 2: you know, And I heard all of this laughter. It
[19:12] Speaker 2: wasn't just him laughing. He called me from the writer's
[19:15] Speaker 2: room and I got validation from the writers this negro
[19:20] Speaker 2: might be Smith, and I swear I don't even think
[19:24] Speaker 2: I made it into that appointment. I was like, I'm done.
[19:26] Speaker 2: This is it. That's the life. That's the life for me.
[19:29] Speaker 1: And so that's where I met him. Man. That writing
[19:33] Speaker 1: staff was Marl Brocker Kill creating girlfriends. I'm brilliant talent.
[19:42] Speaker 1: And then we had wasn't John John Smith, right was it?
[19:45] Speaker 1: Wh Smith was Kenny Smith, who became the executive producer
[19:48] Speaker 1: of Black Black, Blackish, Blackish Black you know, as you
[19:53] Speaker 1: know Kevin Gibo co executives. I mean the Executiveroducer created
[20:00] Speaker 1: the showing many other contents and things like that. When
[20:04] Speaker 1: you Sherman in that room, Yes, yes, yes, you know
[20:09] Speaker 1: it was. It was really interesting. You also uh uh
[20:13] Speaker 1: uh my boy wilding out? Uh Nick Cannon, Nick Cannon
[20:20] Speaker 1: did walm up. Oh wow, yeah. Nick Cannon was the
[20:24] Speaker 1: warm up guy on that, on that on the on
[20:26] Speaker 1: the on the Jamie Fox Comedians. You know you think
[20:32] Speaker 1: of uh one of the brilliant directors today. Uh, Sally Uh,
[20:39] Speaker 1: Sally Richardson, she played she There's so many people play cameos.
[20:43] Speaker 1: Let me stop. Yeah, run Chris Spencer, but Cas Spencer,
[20:51] Speaker 1: Sherri Shepherd, all that whole crew. Uh that that that
[20:56] Speaker 1: that came on the show that was that was that
[20:58] Speaker 1: was my first season on that when we transitioned him
[21:01] Speaker 1: from the from the hotel to a to a jingle singer.
[21:06] Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, yeah right right. But you know, I don't
[21:13] Speaker 1: what I I don't want to remember this too much
[21:15] Speaker 1: because the importance of this conversation is about what you
[21:19] Speaker 1: guys are accomplishing today. And we'll go back a little bit.
[21:22] Speaker 1: Because of the fact that Hollywood only shows you the
[21:26] Speaker 1: finished product, right, They don't always show you the journey.
[21:31] Speaker 1: But the reason being is that you know, and it's
[21:35] Speaker 1: important that they are on this show. And I told them, hey,
[21:38] Speaker 1: I want to make sure I help you guys get
[21:40] Speaker 1: the right conversations, the right attention, the right note, the
[21:45] Speaker 1: rioty because in the end, you're just a name on
[21:48] Speaker 1: the screen and as quickly as this energy can come
[21:51] Speaker 1: to you, it can go away. And so with that
[21:55] Speaker 1: being said, what is the goal? I'm gonna come to
[21:58] Speaker 1: you sharing what is the goal? Right now? The Vaughn
[22:01] Speaker 1: Hill Show is coming as as premiering on September one
[22:05] Speaker 1: on the Paramount Plus channel streaming channel. By the way,
[22:09] Speaker 1: what is your goals for this show?
[22:10] Speaker 4: And you, Kevin, I'll start by saying, oh you said
[22:15] Speaker 4: Kevin first, Okay, Okay, Well.
[22:18] Speaker 2: I'll say first and foremost, I really want to see
[22:21] Speaker 2: this show be successful, you know. I hope that what
[22:24] Speaker 2: we've been able to get on the screen people appreciate
[22:27] Speaker 2: and can really just have feel good moments for years
[22:33] Speaker 2: to come off of this show, you know. But at
[22:36] Speaker 2: the same time, it's a business, and as you stated, Rashan,
[22:42] Speaker 2: in the end, it's just your name on the screen.
[22:46] Speaker 2: Now that created by name is the ultimate name that
[22:48] Speaker 2: you want to see up Pom Collar for that, right.
[22:53] Speaker 2: But the bottom line is you got to parlay it
[22:56] Speaker 2: because as you mentioned before, you know, with streaming, it's
[23:01] Speaker 2: not the same as the old syndication game, right you know,
[23:04] Speaker 2: So it's so it's different and you have to understand
[23:07] Speaker 2: the business aspect of it and the where the money
[23:11] Speaker 2: is and where the money used to be, and you
[23:15] Speaker 2: really have to realign yourself for that. So it's really
[23:18] Speaker 2: to me, like I say, in this moment, I want this,
[23:23] Speaker 2: it's my focus. I want this to be my thing.
[23:25] Speaker 2: I want this to do well. But it's all about
[23:27] Speaker 2: the parlay. It's about what's next. Can I get people?
[23:32] Speaker 2: Can I get networks? Can I get studios? Can I
[23:34] Speaker 2: get talent interested in my next project, my Zati project,
[23:38] Speaker 2: which is my passion project. You know. So it's about
[23:42] Speaker 2: what's next if you want to stand still in this game,
[23:46] Speaker 2: and this game is going to pass you by because
[23:49] Speaker 2: it's constantly moving, it's constantly changing, and you have to
[23:52] Speaker 2: evolve with it.
[23:54] Speaker 4: Yeah, sure, true, absolutely, you know, most immediately I hope
[23:59] Speaker 4: for a season, two, three, four, however long it's it
[24:04] Speaker 4: wants to go. But like Kevin said, also, you know,
[24:09] Speaker 4: just keep pushing, keep meeting people, and just ride on
[24:14] Speaker 4: the momentum of what this moment means because and I
[24:17] Speaker 4: hope that it also reinvigorates more black storytelling. You know,
[24:22] Speaker 4: this whole resurgence of black comedies like and even the Different.
[24:26] Speaker 3: Worlds, and you know all these other things.
[24:29] Speaker 4: I'm just excited for for more content.
[24:32] Speaker 1: Well, you know, first of all, this is one of
[24:35] Speaker 1: several interviews will be doing to Canther, okay, but more
[24:39] Speaker 1: importantly just just talking to Kevin. I'm telling you some
[24:42] Speaker 1: right now. When I see Kevin is in a convertible
[24:45] Speaker 1: jag or driving off there bing a brother lot, I
[24:48] Speaker 1: always looking at it go because I had I had
[24:50] Speaker 1: an office and I can look down into the parking
[24:52] Speaker 1: lot and he hopping that car where I go. That's
[24:55] Speaker 1: the life.
[24:56] Speaker 2: You know what I say.
[24:58] Speaker 4: You can tell a more house man. I you can't
[24:59] Speaker 4: tell the monch and he definitely embodies.
[25:07] Speaker 3: I'll tell you.
[25:09] Speaker 4: But again, yes, you know, I will not let you
[25:15] Speaker 4: leave this show without giving you your flowers because you
[25:21] Speaker 4: you are my mentor, Rashaan, and you have been for
[25:24] Speaker 4: ever since I met you on the Parkers, when you
[25:26] Speaker 4: sat in the writer's room every day with a suit on,
[25:29] Speaker 4: and I specifically remember asking you, so, what's the color
[25:33] Speaker 4: of the day. That's how I'm That's how I started
[25:36] Speaker 4: with you. There was always something about you that was
[25:39] Speaker 4: so unique, and we developed a friendship and probably fifty
[25:46] Speaker 4: to sixty percent, if not more, of the projects that
[25:48] Speaker 4: I have done are because of you, and I will
[25:52] Speaker 4: always appreciate and love you for that.
[25:55] Speaker 2: You know.
[25:56] Speaker 3: From the Neighborhood Award started as the Hoodies. We was
[26:00] Speaker 3: at the Forum.
[26:02] Speaker 4: It was it was a long time coming before we
[26:04] Speaker 4: got to Vegas and it became the phenomenon that it was.
[26:08] Speaker 4: But a lot of people in this business have gotten
[26:14] Speaker 4: places because of you, and and so I want to
[26:17] Speaker 4: publicly say.
[26:18] Speaker 3: That to you and to thank you, my brother.
[26:20] Speaker 2: You and I need to piggyback on that because people
[26:23] Speaker 2: when people ask me, they asked me something, they say, hey,
[26:27] Speaker 2: what's if there's one piece of advice you' I'm a writer.
[26:30] Speaker 2: If there's one piece of advice that you have for me,
[26:32] Speaker 2: you know what would it be? And I tell everybody
[26:35] Speaker 2: Rashau McDonald, hold me in the writer's room. We will
[26:41] Speaker 2: be working on something. We would have it. It was brilliant.
[26:45] Speaker 2: We were yo, that's it. Let's keep going. He would
[26:48] Speaker 2: be like, no, we have that. If we got that,
[26:55] Speaker 2: what's next? What what's better than that? If we already
[26:59] Speaker 2: have If you when you think you have it, that's
[27:04] Speaker 2: when your work begins. Yeah, thank you, brother, And that's
[27:08] Speaker 2: what I'll always tell people. You got it. You feel
[27:10] Speaker 2: good about what you have. Now, how do you make
[27:13] Speaker 2: this better than what you thought was the best thing
[27:18] Speaker 2: that you could come up with? So I always challenge
[27:21] Speaker 2: myself and I always challenge younger writers also when they
[27:25] Speaker 2: hand me something and I attribute that to you.
[27:28] Speaker 1: Yeah, I appreciate that. We passed the hour Spelman Morehouse. Uh,
[27:34] Speaker 1: you know you guys are special to me. John, Thank
[27:36] Speaker 1: you for coming in and sitting in and we were
[27:39] Speaker 1: talk soon again. September one, The Vonndale Hill Show, Paramount Plus.
[27:44] Speaker 1: Don't miss it. Ladies and gentlemen, be a part of history.
[27:46] Speaker 1: The Martin's been out first in history. This is U
[27:49] Speaker 1: Sean McDonald Money Making Conversation, Master Clift. We talked soon.
[27:53] Speaker 1: Bye bye. Thank you for listening to this episode. No,
[27:56] Speaker 1: I need for you to do me a favor right now.
[28:00] Speaker 1: Subscribe to Money Making Conversations. It's free and you can
[28:04] Speaker 1: find it on the iHeartRadio, app, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or
[28:08] Speaker 1: wherever you get your podcasts. Please do me that favor,
[28:12] Speaker 1: follow or subscribe, money making conversations, keep winning

Shows are listed from Apple Podcasts' charts and directory, and Podcast Index where it is used. Every show and episode belongs to its publisher and plays from the publisher's own feed; this site hosts none of them.