Latest / NAACP+ Inside The Industry / From TikTok to Ryan Coogler's Red Carpet — Film Critic & Creator Juju Green (Straw Hat Goofy)

Transcript

From TikTok to Ryan Coogler's Red Carpet — Film Critic & Creator Juju Green (Straw Hat Goofy) · NAACP+ Inside The Industry

• 0:00
  Speaker A: If you're chasing the bag, then nine times out of 10 is not going to be super beneficial for you. Integrity is very important to me and it's, it's really cool and it's very validating. When someone like Ryan Coogler or someone like Steven Spielberg, they'll say like, hey, if I make some something trash, I'm trusting you to like, call it out. I'm trusting you to say something like that. The reason why I'm at where I'm at right now is because I'm just talking about what I love and I need to continue following that versus following the algorithm.
• 0:30
  Speaker B: Every generation has an iconic and relatable movie critic that ushers people to the box office in droves. This generation's breakout critic broke through to the masses on TikTok. Juju Green, also known as Straw Hat Goofy, aka your movie guy, wasn't trying to become an Internet star. He was working a steady job in advertising and writing copy for a living. Until one night, a movie review video he had made about a superhero movie went viral. Suddenly, the guy who had always been the friend everyone asked about movies had an audience of millions waiting for him to share his passionate thoughts about the movies he loved. From there, it snowballed. Red carpet studio partnerships with names like Disney, Marvel and Pixar. Juju had a seat at the table with the exact industry he used to comment on from the outside. And then the moment that changed everything. Juju wasn't just reviewing animated films anymore. He was starring in one, lending his voice to a character on the big screen that he used to critique from his bedroom. Today we hear Juju talk about how he's turned his passion and following into a lasting career and what his journey says about the new ways people are finding their way into entertainment. One phone camera and genuine love for movies at a time. I'm your host, Ariana Drummond with. Welcome to NACP Inside the industry. Gigi, welcome to NACP Inside the industry. How are you feeling today?
• 1:56
  Speaker A: I'm feeling great.
• 1:57
  Speaker B: I'm here, so I know most people know you as straw hat Goofy. I'm sure there's a whole story there. Tell me how you came up with that name.
• 2:04
  Speaker A: There is a story and it's not as miraculous as you think. 1. My best friend gave it to me.
• 2:09
  Speaker B: Oh, nice.
• 2:09
  Speaker A: His name is Ryan. Shout out to Ryan.
• 2:11
  Speaker B: Okay, Ryan. He.
• 2:12
  Speaker A: He and I have been best friends since ninth grade. He knows me inside and out. Like he knows everything that I love. Two of the things that I love are a goofy movie. Shout out and one piece, which. The main character's name is Straw Hat Luffy. So while I was binging that, he. We were just kind of, like, hanging out. And in jest, he just said, whatever. Straw hat Goofy. Combining the two things. That is so adorable, though. And I was in the market for a new handle because the one that I had was terrible. It was like, Mr. Quote 1, 2, 3. Because I like quoting movies a lot, but I hated it. And so I said, I heard that. I went, say that again, Ryan Hicks. And he was like, what? Straw hat goofy. I went, changing that right now look,
• 2:50
  Speaker B: right now, right now, right now. And I saw your, like, one piece tattoo. Do you have a goofy one too?
• 2:54
  Speaker A: Oh, yeah, yeah. So I actually combined both of those together. So I have the Jolly Roger here.
• 2:59
  Speaker B: Oh, I love that.
• 3:01
  Speaker A: So, yeah, I actually wrote this on a napkin after a premiere one time, and it was like, maybe like, midnight. And I said, I wanna get this tattooed. Because I said the fact that you're, like, effing and just, why not, right? I was like, it's my own Jolly Roger. As you can see, I have a bunch of Jolly Rogers for all straw hats. I got these later to fill it out, but I said, let's combine the power line logo with the straw hat Jolly Roger and just.
• 3:22
  Speaker B: That's. That's cool.
• 3:23
  Speaker A: Yeah, so I do that one.
• 3:24
  Speaker B: You built an online platform with over half a million followers. You've been on red carpets all around the world. You're a podcaster interviewing the likes of Ryan Coogler and Halle Berry. When you posted your first TikTok video, did you ever imagine your life would look like this right now?
• 3:36
  Speaker A: Not at all. Like, not at all. I only posted that TikTok because for me, two things. For me, I love talking about movies. I can do it with anybody at any time, anywhere. I can honestly do this job for free, and I will love it in a lot of cases. I do do it for free. Yeah, you don't always get paid for this job. Right. And I'm happy with that. Like, I'm very fulfilled in that. But I was working in advertising for about five years. About year three and a half. Year four, we were doing social media campaigns, and one of our clients just said, put it on social media. We don't care where. That's how I discovered TikTok. I was like, oh, this TikTok is doing some really interesting things. So we started making TikToks for them. It's like proof of concepts. And again, it was only a matter of Time before I started putting my movie opinions online. And so I think the first video that I did was pointing out that Tom Holland broke character in Avengers Endgame, and it went viral within a day. And I said, I got many opinions like that. So I just started doing it. Cause it was fun, right? I was like, oh, like, I get to talk to a whole bunch of people about this one thing that I love. I don't have to bug my family anymore, because they were like, shut the hell up.
• 4:41
  Speaker B: But it's really cool that your job even allows you to do that in the first place. Like, hey, taking a run.
• 4:45
  Speaker A: And that's the best part about it. It's just, like, building that community of, like, movie people that you can, like, always talk to, always go to. So. But I had no idea it would turn into that. Like, I don't think a lot of people search that out. I'm happy to say that I didn't. And, you know, success came out of it. But I'm very happy with what came out of it because I do genuinely love this. And I think that's the best advice I can give someone is start with what you love, and then it just becomes. It is not even a job at that point, you know?
• 5:10
  Speaker B: That's true. True. So beyond just TikTok Videos, who is Juju Green? Like, what. What made you fall in love with film?
• 5:18
  Speaker A: Oh, bullying. It was bullying.
• 5:21
  Speaker B: Are you serious?
• 5:22
  Speaker A: Oh, I'm so sorry. No, it's fine. Like, kids are mean. Kids are rude.
• 5:25
  Speaker B: Yeah, kids are mean as hell.
• 5:27
  Speaker A: I have a daughter now, and I see it, like, as a parent, and it gets me. But, you know, back in the day, I grew up in Compton, so, like, and those are a particularly type of mean type of kid, you know, so survival is, like, you know, who can, like, bag on each other the worst and, like, you know, can you survive? Can you, like, stand up for yourself? And so I grew up not really having a lot of interest, like, in things that will connect me with other people. And they used to, you know, bully me for my skin tone. They used to say a lot of mean things. And I used to be thinking to myself, like, where do they even get these insults from? What's happening? And the only thing that I could relate to people with was film, right? So I literally would go home, watch tons and tons of tv, tons and tons of movies. Like, I called them, like, my only friends. The people on the screen were my only friends. And I would. I had this talent where I could watch a movie all the way through and it would just stick up here and I could recite the whole movie back to you after, like, one watch.
• 6:20
  Speaker B: That's crazy.
• 6:21
  Speaker A: So that was my way of, like, going back to school and like, the first thing, hey, did you watch. Did you watch this? Did you watch that? And so that was just my only way of, like, connecting with people. Right? And so that's where kind of like that love for film came, because it almost gave me stories that I can, like, either put myself into or at least wish I was in. And then again, it was my only way of, like, actually bridging the gap to, like, not be bullied all the time.
• 6:43
  Speaker B: I'm so sorry that you experienced, but I mean, to your point, kids are mean, but, like, I'm sorry you experienced that. That's crazy.
• 6:47
  Speaker A: Once I started playing basketball, things and my gross fur hit, things started to change, but I still kept the movie lover in me. So I was just the guy on the. Even on my basketball team. I would, like, come in, do the work, and then go home and watch the.
• 6:57
  Speaker B: So wait, wait. Top three movies.
• 6:58
  Speaker A: Oh, easy. So I got her. That's my all time favorite movie of all time. I saw Spike Jonze yesterday at the Jackass. Prem.
• 7:05
  Speaker B: That is incredible.
• 7:06
  Speaker A: Oh, my God. That was. That was a moment. That was a moment for me. E.T. shawshank Redemption. And I'm gonna give you one more because I have four movies I consider perfect.
• 7:13
  Speaker B: Make it five.
• 7:14
  Speaker A: I'll give you five, but I only have four I consider perfect. So starting from the top, her your name. E.T. shawshank Redemption. Those are four. Then I got Spider Man 2.
• 7:24
  Speaker B: Oh, really?
• 7:25
  Speaker A: Spider Man 2? Yes.
• 7:26
  Speaker B: Okay, well, look, we won't go into that a little bit later, but we
• 7:29
  Speaker A: can't wait to listen. That's a whole podcast if you want to do that.
• 7:31
  Speaker B: Okay. Okay. But I loved again, how you turn your love for movies into an actual career. And a lot of people, listen, are trying to figure out how to turn their content into a real career. So what do you think helped, like, bridge that gap for you?
• 7:44
  Speaker A: Getting a team together, to be honest, like, finding people that you trust, finding people that you can call your friends. I know they say, don't mix like friends and work all together, but for me, it's actually been, like, very, very helpful because we know what we want for each other. Like, we genuinely care about each other and we're actually good to each other outside of the work. Right. So which then informs the work on the inside. So, you know, it was for me doing it all myself, it Was co. I would not be nowhere near where I am without the people that reach out their hand and say, like, hey, I can help you with this. I can help you with that. That doesn't mean, like, you gotta go crazy and, like, just hire any old body. Like, I have a really, like, small, nimble team, people that I trust, you know? And I feel like that has been, like, the biggest revelation is, like, not being afraid to, like, pass off something, to allow yourself to be greater and free up your mind for other things.
• 8:32
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 8:33
  Speaker A: Because I knew I would. I would not have the time to do certain things if I'm just editing all day. I wouldn't have time to do certain things if I'm just booking interviews and I don't start editing. Right. So it's just. Knowing how to delegate is, like, the biggest piece of advice, but also just being authentic. Like, for me, I feel like my biggest superpower is that whenever I talk about a movie, it's, like, all off the top of the dome. It's not scripted, it's not rehearsed. I would. I want people to feel like, you met me on the street. When he's, like, talking about, like, and
• 9:00
  Speaker B: you give that vibe, you're so warm and friendly all the time. I'm like, he's such a nice guy.
• 9:04
  Speaker A: Thank you. Yeah.
• 9:05
  Speaker B: But really quick, talking about your team, I know you recently signed a caa, which is amazing. Congratulations. Talk a little bit about how that happened, why it's so important for you to have, like, that professional support system behind you.
• 9:16
  Speaker A: Yeah, no, it's so funny. It's like. It's like getting picked up. It's like playing in the G League in the NBA and then getting picked up to the NBA, so to speak.
• 9:24
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 9:24
  Speaker A: Because, you know, for a long time, I feel like we're just kind of, like, flying by the seat of our pants, like, you know, running and running. But then, you know, you get, like, a great agency, like, CAA behind you and those amazing people behind that. Like, now you feel like you got a legit army behind you who's going to fight for you, who's going to pitch you, who's going to, you know, put your best foot forward, even if you don't know, like, where the path is. Right. So it was really cool to, like, get that. And now, like, in the moment, I was feeling, like, so invincible. I was like, oh, yeah, I can. I can do anything. But also, I'm just very grateful that my work spoke for itself to where they wanted me. Just as bad as Like, I wanted to work with them. I love that, you know, so it's nice to feel wanted in that way
• 10:03
  Speaker B: for your work and really quick. So for people that are like independent black creators right now, specifically, what's some. Or what's a piece of advice that you wish someone had given you about just like, dealing with management, picking and choosing your teams? Like, what advice would you give to somebody kind of just starting out or like somebody in the game who maybe doesn't know what to do or doesn't know where to go, et cetera, et cetera.
• 10:27
  Speaker A: Don't rush. Don't rush into it. I feel like a lot of. I know a lot of people who rushed into getting management because they feel like, oh, that's what I have to do. And they know that, oh, if I get a manager, they're going to give me the bag and they're going to do this. And if you're chasing the bag, then nine times out of 10, it's not going to be super beneficial for you, like, you want to chase. For me, I like to chase relationships. And I ask the people closest to me, like, hey, I'm in search of a manager. Do you have somebody you could put me in touch with? They give me somebody. And then, you know, we. We spent a fair bit of time talking, like, there was no rush. I wanted to know that this person I'm going to be getting in bed with is nice. Like, you know, got my best interest at heart. And, you know, it's not always going to be gravy. Like, it's a relationship.
• 11:09
  Speaker B: Right.
• 11:09
  Speaker A: And any relationship takes work. Like any relationships, you're going to butt heads and stuff like that. But, like, I will go to war with people, like, nine times out of ten. And I'm happy that I took my time in doing that because, you know, I feel safe with them, I feel cool with them. So I feel like a lot of people when they start, don't rush into it.
• 11:25
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 11:25
  Speaker A: Know who you are as a creator. So that way when someone's giving you, like, their side of how they're going to help you, you can say, oh, well, I'm not really looking to be that. Right. So, you know, I. I've seen a lot of people get in bed with people and then realize this isn't the right relationship with them.
• 11:39
  Speaker B: And then to your point, like, I feel like you just touched on something, like knowing enough about yourself and maybe what you envision for your brand too. So you're not just like, oh, yeah, yeah, sure, sure, sure.
• 11:49
  Speaker A: Saying yes to everything is never the answer.
• 11:50
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 11:50
  Speaker A: It's never. Like, for me, Like, I know that I just want to talk about movies until the day I die. Like, and what. And pitch me something that fits into that mold, whether that's like hosting, podcasting, you know, making appearances, like, on carpets or whatever. Like, that all serves that goal. Yeah. You can pitch me something that, like, I didn't know that I could be good at, and then I'll try it for sure. But I've. I've seen, like, a manager, like, talk to a close friend, and they said, like, oh, I imagine you being, like, it was one of my really, really close friends. And she asked her manager, like, what do you see me doing in, like, five years? And he says something along the lines of, like, Kelly Clarkson. And she said, hell, no. Like, we love Kelly, but I'm not Kelly. I'm not trying to be Kelly, you know? Yeah, I guess, you know, she as. She knew that that's not what she was, and she had the power to do that.
• 12:38
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 12:38
  Speaker A: And she had the power to say, if that's what you saw me as and that's what you've been working towards, I don't think we can really, like, continue this relationship. Because she would be very clear on what she wanted to do. Right. She was like, I want to. Like, I want to hype up women. I want to talk more about, like, women in the industry. I want to be live voice for Kelly Clarkson does that. But, like, I'm not trying to be, like, a talking head. I'm not that type of person.
• 13:03
  Speaker B: Got it.
• 13:04
  Speaker A: I'm not a host. It's her whole thing. Right. I'm more introspective. I'm more to myself. Like, if anything, I might have a podcast that's more intimate. That's not what Kelly does, and she knew that about herself. So, you know, much respect. Shout out to Megan J. Stoobs.
• 13:17
  Speaker B: Okay. Shout out, Megan. So I feel like your content lives at an intersection of fandom, criticism, and entertainment. How do you decide what conversations deserve your energy? How much of it is, like, algorithm driven or passion driven?
• 13:31
  Speaker A: You know, this is a really good question. Algorithms are so tricky, so finicky, and they're always changing. And I feel like we're always, especially when I started, always chasing the algorithm, and, like, how do. How do we feed it and how do we do that? And that's, like, the quickest way to become, like, a slave to it for me. I've always fought, like, even from the beginning, like, I never want to get caught up doing the same thing, right? Like, I know there's some creators who like have this like, kind of formula and they like keep doing the formula and it works and it gives them the followers and it gives them the opportunities. And that's cool. For me, like, as a man who just loves like all type of film, I don't want to get stuck on just talking about one type of film, right? I mean, I made my bones talking a lot about Marvel and because, you know, I love Marvel. I read the comics, I love the shows, I love the movies. And then I thought like to myself, like, I want to talk more about like the smaller films. I want to talk more about action. I want to talk about coming of age, which is my favorite type of film. I want to show what I can do in all these different type of respects. So I remember there was a time I was going super viral for my spider verse content. I was like pointing out details and Easter eggs and those and it was a lot of fun to make. And I made maybe like 10 videos and people were begging for more, begging for more. And I was like, I kind of want to talk about Shawshank Redemption a little bit. Like, I kind of want to talk about, you know, Saint Street a little bit. Like, you know, so this is going to be the last one. And I knew if I would have kept that up, I could have like gained like another mil. But I was just kind of like, I was like. That didn't fulfill me though, you know, like I. The reason why I'm at where I'm at right now is because I'm just talking about what I love and I need to continue following that versus following the algorithm. Right? Because then the people who are watching know that like you have some type of integrity versus like just like chasing the same thing over and over again. And it's allowed me to like branch out beyond kind of like the tick tock space. Because now I'm like, I want to do more interview content. And that's what I've been really hitting on right now. Because I love interviewing, I love hosting, I love being me with people that make the things that I love. And that's what I'm chasing now. And it's almost like I'm starting over, so to speak. Yeah, the views are great. Not as good as like when I would used to do those breakdowns and. But I'm so fulfilled and like people can see that. And so I'm just grateful to like have a community that is following me everywhere. Where I go on that in that respect.
• 15:43
  Speaker B: And I feel like when people see your work, they don't understand like the work and preparation it takes into building a video. Like I did something recently and I mean it's just me, but I was like, damn, this is taking forever to make. You gotta put the music behind it. You gotta do this, you gotta do that. Can you talk to us a little
• 15:57
  Speaker A: bit about the music is a hard thing.
• 16:01
  Speaker B: And then just like picking, picking what videos and the photos and all that crap. Cap videos. I'm like, that's a lot.
• 16:07
  Speaker A: Hardest part. And I hate it where it's like cuz and I grew and I came up in advertising, right? And I was a copywriter. So all my stuff was like putting references index and being like, oh, what's a good reference to really get the idea across. Let me Google the hell out of this. Let me Pinterest the hell out of this. And so now I, when I left I was like, I'm not gonna be doing that as much.
• 16:26
  Speaker B: I'm not doing this no more.
• 16:28
  Speaker A: I'm doing it more.
• 16:30
  Speaker B: Look, the irony, the irony.
• 16:32
  Speaker A: And then it's like, it's like there's like, if you're talking about one movie, there's limited images for the movie. So now it's like dam. I got to use this one image three times through the video. I want it to be more like. And then also you got to like, like record footage and then choose the right part of the footage and the right part. I'm like, it's a lot. And I'm so happy when I get to pass things off to my editor. I'll be like, yo bro, you take care of that. That is hard though. It's a lot. It's research that goes into talking about because people in the comment section will like call you out like. And they'll call you out like in a like holier than thou way too. Like you'll get, you'll get one syllable, the name wrong. Well actually, well actually there was this one guy. Oh my God, it was this one guy. I remember I made a joke, I was making a light hearted joke because Gladiator 2 had just came out and it was Paul Mesco and Pedro Pascal. And I know their last syllable is spelled the same way.
• 17:24
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 17:24
  Speaker A: So I was making a joke and I said, it's the Scow Brothers. Like, you know, I've seen that movie with the Scout brothers. Like it's. I call them the Scout brothers. This sanctimonious douche just was like, I would expect someone like you to know that it's Mescal and Pascal. That is so stupid that you couldn't do that. I was just like, like, get out
• 17:43
  Speaker B: of my face right now.
• 17:44
  Speaker A: Calm down.
• 17:45
  Speaker B: Do you, Are you the type to read comments?
• 17:47
  Speaker A: Like, I, I, I stopped recently. Like, I'll read the first, like, 20, maybe. I'll probably go as far as like 50. I might respond to a couple because, like, engagement is like, I like to communicate with my people. Yeah, but once you reach a certain threshold, you start to see some nasty stuff. Yeah. And I'm the type of person, I see one and I'm just, I need to.
• 18:10
  Speaker B: Oh, oh, you're a responder.
• 18:12
  Speaker A: I used to be a responder, but, like, if I see one, I gotta, like, it's a huge urge to fight it. Sometimes I lose, sometimes I win, sometimes I lose. But I know, but I put a rule in for myself. If I respond to a bad one, I gotta respond to a kind one.
• 18:26
  Speaker B: Good.
• 18:27
  Speaker A: That's like, that's how I balance out the scale.
• 18:29
  Speaker B: There we go. I like that balance because the first
• 18:30
  Speaker A: one I will respond to is the bad one. I was like, man, you don't know what you're talking about, bro. Thank you so much.
• 18:36
  Speaker B: No, but that's good to have that, like, self control too. To be like, nope, I'm not gonna, like, delve. And then also, it's just like seeing those negative stuff. You just, I don't know if you're the type person, like, getting your head about it or if you're just like, whatever.
• 18:47
  Speaker A: If you get a hundred nice ones, that one negative one would just stick with you all day, you know? And then you see a couple of those, and then when it gets really bad and you get a whole comment section full of it, you're just like. And honestly, like, sometimes the video would just hit the wrong side of TikTok. Like, if it would have been on any other day, at any other time, under any other circumstance, you would have been getting praised. And what was a video that I made? And I was shocked. I was like, what? It was a goofy movie. I was talking about the goofy movie. And I was like, getting on Roxanne.
• 19:15
  Speaker B: I like Roxanne. I thought she was.
• 19:16
  Speaker A: I love Roxanne. Don't get me wrong, I love Roxanne. But I was getting on her low key because I didn't like the fact that, like, when Max told her that she couldn't go to the party, immediately she was like, I'll just go with someone else. I was like, girl, dang. Like, why'd you tell that to his face like that? I was like, girl, like he had plans. Like he wanted to set up another date. Or, like, whatever. She didn't know this, but she didn't. And she didn't know this, but it was like the quick. Like, if you. Like, if we were dating, right? And I said, like, oh, sorry, I can't do this thing. And you straight up told me. I'll just. What if I told you? I'll just go with somebody else. It's all good.
• 19:47
  Speaker B: I'll be back. But also, you'd be mad, right? Yeah, I'd be pissed in your face. But they weren't together.
• 19:52
  Speaker A: They weren't together. But I still think that's kind of foul.
• 19:55
  Speaker B: No, I mean.
• 19:56
  Speaker A: And I get it. She's 14. I get it. She's 14.
• 19:58
  Speaker B: She's 14.
• 19:59
  Speaker A: I get It. But I watched Degrassi. That was 14, too. And I used to.
• 20:02
  Speaker B: That's a whole nother thing.
• 20:03
  Speaker A: That's a whole nother. I could get on Degrassi for a whole soapbox for a whole hour. Okay? So I put. I'm giving Roxanne the same grace I would give Emma from Degrassi or Daddy from Degrassi.
• 20:15
  Speaker B: Oh, Jesus.
• 20:16
  Speaker A: But again, it was a lighthearted thing. Yeah, it was a really light nose.
• 20:18
  Speaker B: And people were going in.
• 20:19
  Speaker A: They were going in. It was like, bro, crazy over some. She don't know. She was hurt.
• 20:24
  Speaker B: What are you.
• 20:25
  Speaker A: What are you gonna do?
• 20:26
  Speaker B: The fact that people spend their time to do that, though, I'm like, bro, y' all ain't got nothing better to do.
• 20:29
  Speaker A: I said, bro, chill. It's a goofy movie.
• 20:31
  Speaker B: It's a goofy movie. It's a 35. It came out 1990. Whatever.
• 20:35
  Speaker A: Five years old.
• 20:36
  Speaker B: Like, that's crazy.
• 20:37
  Speaker A: Yeah. People take things too seriously all day.
• 20:39
  Speaker B: They do. They do. They do. What I love about you is I feel like you've never been afraid to share your honest opinions, even when they aren't the popular ones. So how has navigating those conversations shaped the way you use your opinion platform now and then? The responsibility that comes with that.
• 20:56
  Speaker A: Oh, my gosh. Yeah. Number one, integrity. It's all about, like, Integrity is very important to me, and it's really cool, and it's very validating. When someone like Ryan Coogler or someone like Steven Spielberg, they'll say, like, hey, if I make something trash, I'm trusting you to call it out. I'm trusting you to say something like that. Like, I was at a studio the other day, and they told me, like, hey, we got this movie. Movie for you to watch. Don't be kind about it. Like, if it's something, like, we're trusting you, right? And so for me, that is super important for me, because then my audience knows that whatever I'm about to say, like, it's going to be. It's going to be real. Like, obviously there's, like, that pocket that go, oh, he's paid. Like, you know, it's just haters who want to be where you're at, right? But for me, like, navigating those things and, like, being on the unpopular side of things, like, I stay ten toes down on everything that I say. That doesn't mean that I'm not open to learning and thinking, like, oh, maybe I was looking at this wrong because I like convincing people, like, hey, you're looking at this whole thing wrong. Like, we talked about Toy Story 4. And over there, I'll be like, hey, this is where I'm coming from, and I want to hear your side. So for me, it's coming at it in a way that's not an asshole. I feel like there's a lot of assholes online that are so excited to come out and say, this movie's trash. It's awful. What are they doing? Whereas for me, like, I like to say, this didn't work for me. I know it works for a lot of people, but for me personally and my sensibilities and the way that I came up in the world and the way I see things, it didn't rock with me. And I want people to understand that it's subjective. So I kind of wince when people say, I only watch movies. When you say it's good, I'm like, don't do that.
• 22:34
  Speaker B: Yeah, be open.
• 22:35
  Speaker A: Be open. Because I want you to come out of that and maybe say, oh, it was actually bad. And then we could get into a dialogue about it.
• 22:42
  Speaker B: I want to touch on something that you said earlier. I feel like there's been this ongoing debate in the industry over whether creat belong in spaces traditionally reserved for critics and journalists. So, for example, on the red carpets or Q&As or junkets. And clearly you've been in the middle of that conversation. How did you find yourself transitioning to that lane? And then where do you stand on that?
• 23:05
  Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, no, I am firmly in the middle of this. I love this conversation so much because now I feel like currently where I am, I feel like I now have, like, the respect of Critics and press and journalists and all those things. Like, they see me as their equal and I'm very blessed to be in that position, especially considering where I came from, TikTok and social media and things like that. And I never take that for granted. But I also am aware, highly aware, of what it took for me to get there. Yeah, right. Like, I always knew that I could be in this space, in this position with this platform, but I had to go through some growing pains to do it. And I feel like with whatever job that you have, it's going to take some growing pains. You're going to mess up. You're going to like mess up big. And I've made mistakes trying to figure out how to crack this thing. Excuse me. Without the training that journalists have and things of that sort. So, you know, being this, this whole conversation of whether or not creators deserve to be in these spots, I think it's a twofold problem. I think that is on the creators. We go back to what we talked about, like saying yes to everything.
• 24:12
  Speaker B: Yeah, yeah.
• 24:13
  Speaker A: Don't say yes to something you're not prepared to do the work for. You know what I'm saying?
• 24:17
  Speaker B: Yeah. That's 100.
• 24:18
  Speaker A: Get an opportunity. Like going on the red carpet and talking to celebrities. Don't say yes because you just want to talk to celebrities.
• 24:24
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 24:25
  Speaker A: Say yes because you're passionate about one, learning from those celebrities. And two, you got to be prepared to do the work.
• 24:30
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 24:31
  Speaker A: You got to like be up days before doing the research, rehearsing your questions. You gotta be prepared for like the things that are like getting thrown your way randomly. Cuz those carpets be crazy.
• 24:41
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 24:41
  Speaker A: You know, those, we know like those, like it's a lot of, it's overwhelming for a lot of people. And imagine like you got like somebody in your ear telling you to move on. You got like, you know, one person you want to talk to, but you're in the middle of this other person who's in this long winded discussion and you don't want to cut them off. But then the person's at least like, there's a. You saw what happened to Baby Face.
• 25:00
  Speaker B: Yeah, baby, we talked about that, you
• 25:03
  Speaker A: know, like you and I. And like, from that perspective, I understood what was happening. You still don't do that. Right. Like, you let Babyface finish and then you ask if they could bring chaperone later.
• 25:14
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 25:15
  Speaker A: You know what I'm saying? Like, and they've been doing that for a while. That's a seasoned, like press person. A lot of people Thought that was an influencer. Right. So it can happen to anybody, and I come with that awareness of it. But yeah, no, I feel like it's on the creators to not say yes to just everything. Be prepared to do the work. But then it's also on whoever hires them to, like. Yeah, like, really look at who you're hiring. Right. Like, if you're gonna. Because I know there's multiple calls that you guys hop on before you put them on the carpet.
• 25:45
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 25:45
  Speaker A: You got to make sure. Are you prepared? Like, do you have your questions? Like, let's see your questions. Have you done interviews before? Like, how did those go? Like, you have experience. Like, if you don't have experience, like, what would you do in this situation? Like, there has to be a screening process for that. So it's. It's definitely on both parties to make sure you get the right influencers on it, because that's an opportunity that could give us one of the great interviewers that we've ever had. That. Right. So, you know, I mean, look at, like, when you want to talk about, like, the directors right now. Curry Barker, who's, like, kicking it off with, like, obsession right now. The Filippo Brothers, who did talk to me. Right. Like, all these YouTubers turned directors who are killing it in the box office. They started off as, like, small YouTubers with their phones.
• 26:28
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 26:28
  Speaker A: And now they're making super premium work that's at $400 million at the box office. Imagine that. There was a conversation of, oh, do that. Do these YouTubers deserve to be in these spaces with. To make movies over other directors who've been putting. But everybody deserves a shot.
• 26:43
  Speaker B: Yeah, yeah.
• 26:44
  Speaker A: But those same people have to be ready for the opportunity. Right. They have to put in the work to be in that space. If you're not gonna put in the work, don't be there. Right.
• 26:54
  Speaker B: That's 100% real.
• 26:55
  Speaker A: Even when you put in the work, you're probably gonna mess up. It's just. It's all part of the process.
• 27:00
  Speaker B: I wanna pivot for a second to your first film role. Oh, go ahead.
• 27:03
  Speaker A: Oh, first film role.
• 27:04
  Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, you went on from reviewing Pixar movies to voicing a character in Ruby Gilman Teenage Trajectory. Can you talk to us a little bit about the experience of finding out about the role, auditioning and then how your journey unfolded?
• 27:19
  Speaker A: Yeah, so that one. So I never had any designs on acting before. Like, I've acted in, like, you know, some plays in school, but it was, like, mostly for fun. And I was close with like the directors at school. So that was just kind of like, yeah, sure, I'll help out here. But for that particular one. So that happened because, you know, I do a lot of hosting and I do a lot of Q&As and stuff like that. And I remember I was doing a Q and A with the director, Joel Crawford, who is one of the directors for Puss in the Last Wish. Fire movie.
• 27:46
  Speaker B: Yes, right. Fire movie.
• 27:48
  Speaker A: So we were doing a Q and A. He and I got really close because of that. Me and the people at dreamworks got really close doing that. And Dominic. Guys, I'm gonna. I don't know why I'm gonna mess up his name. The director of Ruby, Gimme a Teenage Crack. And I'm sorry I'm forgetting your name right now, bro. But he hit me up. Cause he was in the crowd and he said, like, dude, like, love the Q and A. Like, you know, the people at DreamWorks love you.
• 28:09
  Speaker B: You.
• 28:10
  Speaker A: How would you feel? Like you like, got a role and like our next movie. And you know, you hear that, you're
• 28:16
  Speaker B: like, sure, yeah, sure, absolutely.
• 28:19
  Speaker A: So they said, yeah, just come like, like a week from now. Like, we'll show you around the campus and we'll put you in the booth and like, you know, we'll show you the character and everything. So this character, I believe, was already, like pre made. Okay, right. He was already, but he just didn't have a voice actor yet. And it was the character of. He was just gym teacher.
• 28:34
  Speaker B: That was his name.
• 28:35
  Speaker A: Just gym teacher. But they said it was pre made. But then he could look like me. He looked like black dude. He just had pink hair.
• 28:44
  Speaker B: Oh, my gosh.
• 28:45
  Speaker A: And they just said it was a one line thing. And the line was, he's a legend, followed by because he gets hit with the dodgeball and there's a little. Ooh, he makes a little sound. So I just have to say the one line and then make a sound and make it sound like I got hit by a dodgeball.
• 29:01
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 29:01
  Speaker A: So I'm in the booth, I say the same line. Like probably like over 45 minutes.
• 29:06
  Speaker B: Like, wait, 45 times or 45, 45 minutes doing that same line? That's crazy.
• 29:11
  Speaker A: I wanted to give them a good take.
• 29:12
  Speaker B: Yeah. You know, I wanted to wait, was that your choice or their choice?
• 29:15
  Speaker A: It was. It was kind of both.
• 29:16
  Speaker B: Okay.
• 29:16
  Speaker A: Like, I kind of wanted to. Kept saying, I want to try that again. I was. I was gonna milk this. It was one lie. Okay. I wanted to milk this. I wanted to, like, live in this experience. So, you know, I said like a bunch of times and they gave me direction. They said, okay, can you say it like you're in disbelief? Like, he's a legend. Can you say it like you're in awe? He's a legend. Like, you know, like, can you give us a pause here? And so I'm doing this. I'm doing this. And then the Next, like, last 10 minutes was just me making weird sounds or just me, like, just like little. And that was. That was the funnest part.
• 29:48
  Speaker B: Have you ever done that before? You literally were just like making up sounds.
• 29:52
  Speaker A: So I've never done that part before where I'm just making up sounds. Like I didn't know how many sounds I had in me. I was like, ooh, ahuh. I put in a hyuck in there. At one point I was hoping that they would choose the hyuk. And I think Disney might have shut them down.
• 30:07
  Speaker B: I don't know.
• 30:08
  Speaker A: But I snuck a yuk like in there. I really wanted them to choose that one. But like, you know, I've done voice work before. Cause I worked in advertising and for some reason my job really liked my voice.
• 30:22
  Speaker B: You have a nice voice.
• 30:23
  Speaker A: Well, thank you. Like, it works for the podcast and I did a lot of scratch VO for, like, ads that we were doing. And every now and then, if we got. Got really lucky and we like, presented to the client and like, the talent's voice wasn't working, they would say, well, what about this guy? He can. So every now and then they'll say, yeah, so I've been in like, maybe like, make them Coins two or three commercials. I didn't get paid, but I got paid in my regular salary from my advertising.
• 30:45
  Speaker B: Oh, that's messed up.
• 30:47
  Speaker A: People would say like, yo, you didn't get. You didn't get paid for that? I'm like, nah. I. Fun fact. I played Von Miller in a Call of Duty app.
• 30:54
  Speaker B: Are you serious?
• 30:55
  Speaker A: And it was approved. Approved by Von Miller. So Von Miller approved me to be him. Oh, yeah. So. And I did get paid for it.
• 31:01
  Speaker B: That's crazy. But also, you could use it for your real. I guess if you.
• 31:05
  Speaker A: I guess if I wanted to. If I wanted to. But I did recently do like a, like, like the open casting audition that Disney like, did just for fun. Like my. My manager said like, hey, you should try this thing. And I was like, yeah, it was fun last time. Might as well do it. But yeah, but for the Ruby Gilman teenage cracking thing, I really milked that experience for Every bit. That was worth. Like, at the red carpet, you know, I go to the red carpet and, you know, you have Jane Fonda was there. We had the whole cast there. And they took their, like, cast photo. I'm the gym teacher with one line. Like, nobody remembers this guy. And so. But I was like, can I get the full cast photo? They were like, yeah, sure. So I got the cast photo and I was like, guys, I'm in a movie with Jane Fonda.
• 31:48
  Speaker B: I'm a milk this baby.
• 31:49
  Speaker A: I called my grandmother. I said, you know, Jane Fonda, whom you love, she's my cousin, co star.
• 31:54
  Speaker B: I love that.
• 31:55
  Speaker A: So, yeah, it was great. That's dope.
• 31:56
  Speaker B: That's super dope. So I want to pivot for a second because I feel like creators can spend their whole life building on maybe one specific audience. And I. I think you talked a little bit about this earlier, but only for, like, the industry. The. The platforms are always changing. So how do you future proof your career in an industry that's always evolving? Like, I know that you, you know, got your. I don't want to say got your start, but, like, you do a lot of your work on TikTok, but, like, if TikTok changes, how are you doing it so that, like, your audience follows you?
• 32:28
  Speaker A: Yeah. So it's always adapting to the new thing.
• 32:30
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 32:30
  Speaker A: Right. Like, you know, I don't want to get too much into the conversation of AI because, like, I don't really 100 understand everything that's going on with it. But, you know, people are afraid of it. Right. And so, you know, there's people saying, like, oh, we don't want to do that. Leave it. Leave it behind. But it's like, it's the new thing now.
• 32:48
  Speaker B: Yeah. Right.
• 32:49
  Speaker A: And this isn't me, like, saying, like, oh, yeah, like, trust AI. Like, use it, do for the whole thing. But you got to learn to partner with platforms. Right? Like, imagine all the people who are on YouTube but didn't get on TikTok. Right. They could kill on TikTok, and that's a whole new audience. Right. That's a whole new ecosystem. Some people are only on TikTok. Right. So imagine like, celebrities who don't want to do TikTok, but they would kill on TikTok as well. TikTok is such a great platform that, like, could be used for so many different things. Yeah. Especially, like, the virality of, like, movies. You saw how it did from the Minecraft movie. Billion dollars. Right. The chicken jockey things was everywhere. Right. The obsession conversation is Everywh the sinner's conversation was everywhere. Yeah, right. Like, and you could find these things on YouTube. And yeah, these videos can have like hundreds of thousands of views there, but there's almost an interconnectivity of Tick Tock that's there. So I feel like to leave something like that on the table. Like, if you're like saying like, oh, no, TikTok is just for like, dancers and stuff like that. No, you gotta learn. So for me, and even with me saying that, like, TikTok isn't the only place to grow, I'm on Tick Tock a lot. But I'm also hitting really hard on Instagram right now and Facebook right now. So I've been like, kind of putting a lot of, like, emphasis on that. I'm really putting like, some like, push behind my YouTube channel as well. But I've always said that I just don't want to be a Tick Tocker. Right. We've had literally three scares where Tick Tock would like, get banned or bought out.
• 34:13
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 34:14
  Speaker A: And, you know, we saw what happened with Vine.
• 34:15
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 34:16
  Speaker A: You know, so it's like I have a full awareness that these can all go away one day. Day. And so I always try to, like, place myself in different circumstances and try to exist beyond these different ecosystems, which is why I have my podcast. Because I wanted something that belongs to me, something that can exist outside of me.
• 34:34
  Speaker B: Okay.
• 34:35
  Speaker A: You know what I'm saying? So now it's like. And I told people, hey, if Tik Tok does go away, you still got me on Instagram, you still got my podcast, you still got the YouTube, you still got all these other things. And now, thanks to iHeartMedia, like, I got more staying power because I can appear in other ways. Like the Elvis Duran show that I do every Thursday. I appear on Ryan Seacrest's show every now and again. So I've. I've always wanted to create a space that does give staying power, but that's because I'm always open to those opportunities. So I think it's just adapting to the new thing and knowing when to adapt. I'm gonna tell you something, because this actually just happened. This actually just happened. I'm not gonna say no names, but I was recently on a trip in a different country that I was in for the first time, and they invited some influencers and they invited some press. And this one person, you could tell, she was like, you know, doing this press thing for maybe like 20, 30 years or something like that. And then she's looking at me. And she's just kind of like, what do you do? And so now it's like one of those things where I'm used to it now. So.
• 35:32
  Speaker B: So looking or did she, like, say something?
• 35:34
  Speaker A: She says something.
• 35:35
  Speaker B: Okay.
• 35:35
  Speaker A: She said something.
• 35:36
  Speaker B: Oh, Lord Jesus.
• 35:37
  Speaker A: Yeah. She literally looked at me in my face and said, what do you do? Mind you, she has this other guy who's been impressed. I think he's a writer for Esquire. He's real chill guy, too. And I'm gonna tell you what he said. Cause his response was great. So she was like, what do you do? And I said, oh, you know, I talk about movies. Like, I also do a lot of hosting, podcasting. Like, red carpet hosting. Da, da, da. And she goes, okay, but, like, how much have you, like, gotten paid to, like, host a gig with your little tiktoky thing? And I was like, now my cheeky side came out, and I decided to say the highest amount that I was paid. And so I gave her the price. And her eyes got big, and she looked at me and said, for you. And I said, wow. Yeah. And then she was like, they paid you all that money to host on a red carpet? And then I was like, yep. And then she goes to the guy and says, what the do we gotta do to get that job? And I was like, be better. I don't know. Ooh.
• 36:38
  Speaker B: Did you say that out loud?
• 36:39
  Speaker A: I did. And she was like. And then she kind of, like, felt that I was kind of like, oh, no, it's not like that. Like, congratulations. Congratulations on your little gig. It's just that for us, like, we actually have to be smart with what we do.
• 36:53
  Speaker B: Jesus.
• 36:53
  Speaker A: And that's what he goes. He goes, I'm actually doing just fine. Like, so now he's, like, icing her out. He was like, I'm actually doing just fine. Congratulations, dude. And then she goes like, no, it's just. And now she's, like, trying to backtrack and everything. And I said. I just went, no, I just go to these carpets with no research. And I just talk from my butt.
• 37:12
  Speaker B: Oh, you were just laying it out, baby.
• 37:13
  Speaker A: I was just laying it out. And you could tell she just felt some type of way about it. And she ended up leaving. And he literally goes, I ain't rocking with that at all. He said, congratulations.
• 37:23
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 37:23
  Speaker A: Now he said the funniest thing. Cause we had just got done watching a documentary, and in this documentary, it had a hyena that was, like, chasing flamingos. And he's like, chasing flamingos and missing and missing and missing. And then eventually, the narrator says, now he has to adapt to go diagonally and not straight. And when he does that, the hyena catches the flamingo and he's able to eat. The guy literally looks at her and says, we just watched a whole documentary about a hyena adapting to get a flamingo. Instead of complaining about this guy. Yeah, why don't you catch a flamingo?
• 37:53
  Speaker B: Oh, wow. Oh, my God. I was like, bro. But the fact that she just had the audacity to just go there is crazy.
• 38:01
  Speaker A: It was the audacity, right?
• 38:02
  Speaker B: That's insane.
• 38:03
  Speaker A: And so, you know, for me, like, I'm happy to be where I am because, like, people do have preconceived notions about where I came from, how I got there. But it's because, like, you know, I had that openness to, like, seize these opportunities, and now I have staying power. So, yeah, I'm sitting in this room where I'm like, no, we're all in the same space. But you don't see that I deserve this, right? Yeah. So I just.
• 38:25
  Speaker B: You know, I ain't gonna lie, though. Y' all be. Influencers, be getting paid. I'm like, damn.
• 38:29
  Speaker A: I was like, look, Begin.
• 38:31
  Speaker B: And I. Yeah, I mean, like, I think we. There needs to be a broader conversation because I. I was talking. Do you know Tony? What's his. Tony Weaver? No, Tony Neville. Hey, Tony. TV or something. Yeah, yeah, we had a conversation just about, like, you know, the discrepancies between, you know, a people of color and then others and then the paid disparities between them. But, like, I mean, but y' all be getting, I mean, like, I guess in comparison to, like. Like, yeah, let me get a little quick bag for doing something for 10 minutes.
• 39:04
  Speaker A: So. So here's. Here's my response to that, right? Because I worked in advertising, so I worked on the side while being, like, an influencer and recruiting influencers and seeing the budgets and everything and being like. And I've heard the conversations of, oh, we'll give this person this much, and we'll give this person this much. I've seen the whole rigmarole, right? So quickly, like. Like, pivoting and going back to, like, the voice acting thing. Remember how I told you I, like, have been in commercials and put my voice in there, didn't get paid for them. They would just pay me my salary because they're like, oh, this is your job.
• 39:32
  Speaker B: This.
• 39:32
  Speaker A: This comes with it, right? But then I see a voice actor come in. They literally Hand him a bag of money. And it's a lot of money. It's a bag. Right, It's a bag. Because that is like considered in the budget. Right. And so I know that this is a budget they allocated for like okay, voice actor is going to cost this much. D d d the way influencers are seen and the reason why they get the bag and get a big ass bag bag is because they're just seen as a point in the budget. Right. It just says influencer X amount of dollars from here to here. Right.
• 40:01
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 40:01
  Speaker A: Which is where the negotiations come in already. Right. So and it's almost dehumanizing in a way because they just say like, oh, this is just a number.
• 40:08
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 40:09
  Speaker A: This isn't a person, this is a number. And we're just going to give this number which is the view count and the followers, we're just going to give them a dollar amount assigned to whatever they are. They even like categorize them as micro influencers, mid level and then like your big ones like a Charlie d' Amelio or whatever.
• 40:23
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 40:23
  Speaker A: So when people say like, oh yeah, influencers get the bag, it's like. Yeah. Because they don't see them as like people.
• 40:29
  Speaker B: No. It's just a check mark on the campaign.
• 40:31
  Speaker A: And honestly they don't care. I don't want to say they don't care, but it's not even a guarantee that the ad's gonna do numbers.
• 40:37
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 40:37
  Speaker A: It's just, oh, they have this many followers. We got a good chance of getting this many views.
• 40:42
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 40:43
  Speaker A: Henceforth this much exposure. So we're gonna throw this bag at them in hopes that the number is going to like pay dividends. It's almost like putting a budget into a movie and then hoping people see it.
• 40:52
  Speaker B: Right. Yeah.
• 40:52
  Speaker A: So like, and then, so and then on the flip side where you have like somebody who is like a journalist or a host or something like that, like say like they work for like ABC or something. They're not going to get an extra bag for working that job. They're going to get the salary that they've got all year.
• 41:06
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 41:06
  Speaker A: Whereas like if they hire outside and this is where the real issue comes in, they hire outside and they say, oh, we'll just give them 20k to do a hosting thing. Whereas like we don't have to pay like our in house people. Right. So it's all, it's all tied into the money game. So it's, it's, it's a lot of
• 41:24
  Speaker B: things going on, baby. That's A. Yeah, that's another conversation for a different day. But that's a long conversation. Look, look, look. You gonna have to come back and talk about that.
• 41:32
  Speaker A: So I got you. I live close by.
• 41:38
  Speaker B: I do wanna pivot to your podcast, which you mentioned. Talk to us about Getreg. So what's something that you've learned when doing this podcast?
• 41:47
  Speaker A: Something I learned about myself. It's so funny because I feel like I'm always learning about people when I'm in the podcast. But, you know, something I learned about myself, I feel like it's something I'm constantly learning about myself, which is I love love connecting with people. Like, I really, really do. Like, I love. Like, I could. I'm. I'm a problem for my friends, right? Especially when we're, like, out and about. I will find a stranger.
• 42:10
  Speaker B: You're one of those.
• 42:11
  Speaker A: And I'm one of those. Like, we'll be best friends for 10 minutes. We're high five. Kiki, I don't even know your name, but we talking about Goofy movie. We talking about Spider Man. We talking about all these type of things. Hey, I saw this movie. Oh, real time. Hey, who's your friend? What's your name? You know, like, I'm that guy and it's that. On steroids when I'm talking to, like, my followers out in person. Because I want to give everybody, like, a necessary amount of time so I don't give them the feeling like, oh, he's just an influencer that just sees us as, like, numbers.
• 42:38
  Speaker B: Do you feel obligated to do that?
• 42:39
  Speaker A: I don't want to say I feel obligated, but, like, for me, I've been on the side of, like, I see somebody and they just kind of, like, treat you like, don't meet your heroes. It's like a don't meet your heroes type of thing. And so for me, especially since, like, again, I love connecting with people and those type of things, whenever I see somebody out in person, like, I want to kind of get to know them. Because for me, it's an opportunity to put a face to the number, right? It's hard to quantify 3.4 million3. It's hard to quantify that in your head. So, like, you're the person who's watching. It's an opportunity to know. Like, oh, what do you like? Like, you know, like, what. What was something that you really did? Like, let's learn about each other right now. And so I love to talk to people. So in my podcast, you know, the thing that I learned about myself is just. I just love, like, being in a room like this right here, what we're doing.
• 43:24
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 43:24
  Speaker A: I'm having fun.
• 43:25
  Speaker B: Yeah. I'm Kiki.
• 43:26
  Speaker A: This is it right here. You know what I'm saying? That's not a mic. There's no cameras. Like, I'm just, like, here with you.
• 43:31
  Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah.
• 43:32
  Speaker A: And I. And I. I've always wanted that. You know, like, I told. Going back to the bully thing, like, I spent a lot of time being by myself. I have brothers, but those brothers had. So I'd be in that tv, you know? So, like, for me, like, the thing that I learned about myself is, like, just connection is, like, kind of like my superpower there.
• 43:49
  Speaker B: I love that. And it is. I mean, like, again, I've. I met you in several spaces, but you've always just been so warm and talkative and just charismatic. So I love that about you.
• 43:57
  Speaker A: I'm happy I didn't annoy you yet.
• 43:58
  Speaker B: No, no, no. So who has been your favorite guest so far?
• 44:01
  Speaker A: Oh, my gosh. So I got to. I got to say this. I am so sorry, Ryan. I am so sorry. Because a lot of people assume it's Ryan Coogler.
• 44:08
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 44:09
  Speaker A: Because for up until a month ago, Hayley Kiyoko was my favorite guest so far. And I've had so many guests where, like, we walk out and I'll be like, tight, tight. That's one of my favorite ones ever. But I'm gonna say Haley Kiyoko, number one, Ryan Coogler, number two. Hayley Kiyoko is one of the realest women, one of the realest women that you'll ever meet. She literally walked in 10 minutes late, was real as hell, and said, look, I'm sorry I'm late. I did a whole junket. I needed a snack, so I got these Fritos, and in that same breath, she dropped the frito. I literally count. Saw her count two Mississippi's picked it up. It was like I sat back down. Hi. I directed Girls Like Girls, but I
• 44:51
  Speaker B: mean, that just speaks to, like, the realness and personality she has. So that's.
• 44:58
  Speaker A: It feels like we've been friends for a long time. Like, we were literally talking about, like, our love lives and stuff like that. And it just felt like we were just too two friends on a couch with wine, being like, yeah. So, like, what happened today? Like, let's.
• 45:09
  Speaker B: That's what we need up in here.
• 45:10
  Speaker A: Just like a cool little cat. So wise. Get, like, Club Shay going. Get some Club Shay.
• 45:15
  Speaker B: Not him. We want Him.
• 45:17
  Speaker A: Not him. Not him.
• 45:18
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 45:20
  Speaker A: LeBron James. Mind the game. He has. He has the wine. It's a lot better. A lot better.
• 45:24
  Speaker B: But, oh, my gosh, that is hilarious.
• 45:27
  Speaker A: I do have to say, though, Ryan Coogler is, like, one of the biggest, best people to talk.
• 45:30
  Speaker B: Yeah, he's. He's phenomenal. He was at Image Awards, and I got a chance to, like, just bump into him, and I was just like, you know, thank you for everything that you do for the culture, for the community. Like, you know, and he's just real. Like, I love people who are just like. That's just who they are. Like, it's not a facade. It's just like, yo, I can come up to you, talk to you when you're just chill. Like, it's not this whole.
• 45:48
  Speaker A: People don't understand, though. Like, I. I really want to, like, take a moment right now to, like, really try to get people to understand that Ryan Coogler is, like, like, one of one human being, like, on the planet. Right. Kind.
• 46:01
  Speaker B: Yeah.
• 46:01
  Speaker A: He's attentive. He listens. Right. He's interested in you. No matter who he's talking about, he's interested in you. Like, and he's just. He has this calm demeanor that, like, it feels like still water where, like, you're looking at. You're looking at him, but you're also, like, being reflected in a weird way. And he takes his time with everything that he says. He doesn't rush himself.
• 46:21
  Speaker B: No, he doesn't.
• 46:21
  Speaker A: You know what I'm saying? And I'm trying to do that a lot more because I feel like I just say the first thing that comes to my mind.
• 46:25
  Speaker B: Mine, but not you. But I'm the same way. Like, 80.
• 46:29
  Speaker A: It's probably ADHD. He ain't got a house of ADHD. He ain't got an ounce of it. You could tell. There's not a single drop of it in him.
• 46:38
  Speaker B: Okay, so when the algorithm is acting up and things aren't going your way and you're just, like, over it, what keeps you going? Like, what keeps you wanting to continue to pursue the avenue that you're in?
• 46:48
  Speaker A: I would say what keeps me going is my friends. Like, my day one A ones. I'm talking, like, Mike and Ryan again, ninth grade, still running to this freaking day. Right? Chris, Cap, and Foxy, we all worked at Disneyland together. Still tight to this day. Like, you know, Alex and Isabella, like, all these are my best friends in, like, the entire world. They tell me all the time, people, like, I'll take them Places and people say, oh, it must be cool that, like, your friend is like, doing all these type of things.
• 47:17
  Speaker B: Things.
• 47:17
  Speaker A: They all say the same thing. They all say he's just doing what he always did. Like, you guys are just seeing it now. We've been getting this for damn near 20 years now, you know, so. Oh. Got me emotional right now. But it's. It's those people that, like, keep my boots on the ground. They keep me grounded. Like. Like I try to tell them every single day just like how much they mean to me. Like my family. I tell them like my daughter too. You know what I'm saying? Like, I. I have perspective. Yeah, right. I. Those, all those people just. They're my wings.
• 47:46
  Speaker B: I love that. Real quick, we gotta play a game.
• 47:49
  Speaker A: Ooh, I love grabs.
• 47:50
  Speaker B: So it's called inside your industry bag. It's not a bag. It is a cup. To your left hand side. If you could kindly pick out a prompt, read the question and answer it. Feel free to pick another. I'm gonna go with you if you want something else.
• 48:01
  Speaker A: If it's too personal.
• 48:02
  Speaker B: Another.
• 48:03
  Speaker A: I hope it's like super personal.
• 48:05
  Speaker B: Oh, we don't see.
• 48:06
  Speaker A: I'm an open book.
• 48:07
  Speaker B: Oh, we gonna see.
• 48:08
  Speaker A: I'm an open book. Okay.
• 48:10
  Speaker B: All right. Right.
• 48:11
  Speaker A: What's a no? That ended up being a blessing. A no. That ended up being a blessing.
• 48:18
  Speaker B: Cr, Please.
• 48:20
  Speaker A: Trying to think. A no. That ended up being a blessing. Closing my eyes. Like, it's just going to pop up.
• 48:26
  Speaker B: Look, Ryan Coogler. You better.
• 48:28
  Speaker A: I'm going get in my Ryan Coogler process right now. Give me a second. A no. That ended up being a blessing. I mean, a lot of no's. Like, I don't really like go like, woo, dodge that one, but I was asked to host at the BET Awards one time and I never had been to the BET Awards.
• 48:51
  Speaker B: No.
• 48:51
  Speaker A: But I said no because I'm not the biggest. I'm not knowledgeable when it comes to the world of music. Right? So I'm not gonna go up there and pretend that, like, I know everybody comes in. My toxic trait is that I will listen to songs whole albums will not know. The person's name will not know what they look like. You want to know something funny is that I didn't know that Childish Gambino and Donald Glover were the same person up until 2017.
• 49:17
  Speaker B: That's crazy.
• 49:18
  Speaker A: I literally like saw the 2005 music video. I saw Donald Glover and the first thing I said was, oh, wow. Like Childish Gambino got Donald Glover to act in his video. That's really cool. They looked at me and said, you do know that that's the same.
• 49:32
  Speaker B: That's crazy.
• 49:32
  Speaker A: Same guy. I was like, I don't know. I just heard the music. I didn't know that was his. What? He sounds good, right? So that's my. I was like, let me not go there. Cause I know I would have made a fool of myself if I was there. I know I would have. And in front of my people.
• 49:45
  Speaker B: Yeah, in front of my people.
• 49:47
  Speaker A: Yeah.
• 49:47
  Speaker B: They gonna be like, why is he here?
• 49:49
  Speaker A: Exactly. And I don't want them doing that. Like, they'll never invite me ever again. I'll never be invited back. It's a be black and not invited to the cookout.
• 49:57
  Speaker B: Cookout. I was gonna say that. I'm like, that's his own.
• 50:01
  Speaker A: What you say? That's his own hell.
• 50:03
  Speaker B: We will debrief after this. So thank you again so much for stopping by. You gotta come back and see me, because this was a time and I absolutely loved it. I hope you enjoyed today's episode. No matter where you are in your journey, we're here to be a resource. If this conversation sparks something special for you, make sure to, like, subscribe and share and drop a comment letting us know what conversations you'd like to see next. I'm your host, Ariana Drummond. See you inside the industry.