SCENES FROM MY LIFE: THE HATE YOU GIVE LITTLE INFANTS F*&^S EVERYBODY… AND POSSIBLY A NEW SERIES
Okay, so growing up in the Tupac/Biggie era you would think I knew what T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E. meant until the film THE HATE U GIVE debuted… right? Weeeelllllll… no! I know, I know… take my black card away! But I was more of a Biggie fan than a Tupac one, so I wasn’t as fully invested in learning the meaning at that time. But sitting across the espresso wood conference room table listening to Fern talk about the promotion on the table, I felt it was my duty as a black woman to explain why naming the green lit series, THUG LIFE… was not a good idea! And why I shouldn’t… WOULDN’T be a part of it!
“BET isn’t sold on the name either, so right now it’s just a ‘working title’,” Fern explained in his pitch. Trust me it isn’t just the name! “I mean, don’t get me wrong… I wasn’t sold on the whole idea of a series profiling famous African-American gangsters either, especially considering what I initially pitched to them.” Fern exclaimed. “What did you initially pitch to them?” Carly another associate producer in the meeting inquired. “Well… I initially pitched the idea of a documentary series entitled MY FATHER about African-American dads. After the success of the Walter Payton episode of BEYOND THE GLORY, I was inspired that his son Jarrett voiced that episode telling his fathers’ story since Walter is no longer with us and I thought… what if we had a whole series about African-American children telling their father’s story from celebrities to those who’s dad worked as a mailman his entire career. African-American men are depicted so negatively as fathers in the mainstream media, that I thought it would be inspiring to see a series where you hear and see children speak about the impact their dad had on their lives and others.”
“Wow!” I said shocked, “That’s a great idea.” “Yeah, it really is,” Carly agreed. I have to admit I was a bit surprised. At this point the contact that I had with Fern was minimal, except for meetings where he complimented my work and tried to keep me regularly employed with the company, so that I wouldn’t start to look elsewhere. Oh, a freelancers life! I knew Fern was an executive at the company, but I wasn’t really sure what was his exact title, because there was a Head of Development (who seemed to never really sell any series at that time), and the company itself was owned by Al Michaels’ son and his partner Erol. I knew Fern was behind the anchor series at the company — BEYOND THE GLORY (which was a successful Fox Sports Net series that ran from 2001–2006 that featured some of the top athletes, sporting events and sports rivalries of all time in an hour-length documentary format), but until this meeting, I wasn’t aware that he was still pitching series on the company’s behalf.
“So, what did they say about the MY FATHER series?” I inquired. “They said they weren’t interested in going in that direction at this time and pitched THUG LIFE to me.” Fern explained. “Nice!” Carly said sarcastically. Carly, a blonde-haired liberal from Washington State, had been with the company since late Fall and was becoming one of my favorite people. I didn’t know it then, but she would go on to become one of my life-long friends whom I also consider family!
“Leave it to BET to not be interested in a series that highlighted African-American men in a positive light,” I added VERY sarcastically. “Well, I’m not very happy with the direction that they’ve decided to go in, but no good documentary is made without telling both sides. The good and the bad. With the subjects, family members, law enforcement and those effected by their indiscretions, maybe, just maybe we can show the downside of their actions and save some young people who might be headed down that same path!”
Magic words! As a storyteller, it’s your dream to not only create series and films that tell awe-inspiring stories, but if you can galvanize and motivate your audience to live their best life… well, that’s beyond what you could ever imagine!
“I look at it as Beyond The Glory meets Dateline,” Fern continued, “They’re cautionary tales of those who wanted a better life for their family and friends, even if it meant it’d be to the detriment of others and as a result of their decisions they ended up not just ruining their lives but those who they were trying to help in the first place.” “I think it sounds awesome!” Carly responded with excitement. “But… I really hope they change the name, considering it was synonymous with Tupac!” Man, Carly never disappoints! She knows… you don’t mess with Tupac!
“Cali*?” Fern looked at me for assurance that going down this road was a good idea, because I’d be giving it the black nod that a) this series wouldn’t offend other black people because one black person gave it the sign off and b) Sherry (the production supervisor whom I worked under directly) told me that Fern really wanted me to work on this project. Sherry had remained relatively quiet during this meeting, which was rare, but I could tell her silence and observation was her way of saying, ‘Hear Fern out and really take everything in before you make your decision.’
“You don’t have to make your decision right now,” Fern assured, “Regis Herring and Nate Gregory are still working with us on the schedule and budgets, so we have at least a week or so before we really need to seriously start staffing!”
Wait… did he just say Regis Herring and Nate Gregory?! Regis who’s behind some of the biggest black films of a generation and Nate Gregory, a famous writer who’s worked with comedians like Chris Rock?! Ummmm…
“I’m in!” “Wow! That didn’t take too long,” Sherry said through a laugh as she finally gave her input. “Yeah, sorry… all I needed to hear was Regis Herring and Nate Gregory! It’s always been my dream to work with both of them!” I explained! “Man, I should have led with that,” Fern said laughing about my immediate response. “Yes… but… I’m still not sold on the name though!” I added. “Yes, we’re working on that,” Fern continued, “The name that Nate has proposed is AMERICAN GANGSTER, since Regis is now the president of BET, I’m hoping that will be the name we’ll go with.” “Yeah, me too! Thank you, Fern… Thank you Sherry!” “No, thank you,” Fern said appreciatively, “Man, that smile can light up the world!” “Oh yeah it can,” Sherry added.
I didn’t know what I was getting ready to embark upon and if it was going to be what I anticipated, but I was excited and ready for the challenge. Plus, this series involved stories about my people, and I felt it was a duty I had to ensure that cautionary tales about African-Americans were being told with care and love that they deserved. But was I mentally and emotionally prepared for this new challenge?! Only time would tell…
TO BE CONTINUED…
*This series is based on true stories from a variety of women who work in television production. Names have been changed to protect the privacy of those within these stories. Cali is not based on one person, but a collection of women who have struggled with mental illness and want to share their journey with the hope that they can help those whom are battling themselves.
