I had a wild ride this weekend in NYC, during which I shot my first TV pilot. The show is called Yin and Yang, co-hosted with my good friend Dara Cook from BET/MTV. I agreed to do the pilot because I know that Dara doesn't half step on projects, she's good. Many people don't understand that to be serious about "your scratch", your words and your actions have to move in the same direction. Most people are all talk, but Dara is not one of those people.
Some other high action figures who participated in the show were Marc Lamont Hill (my brother who I respect tremendously), Lady Drama (AllHipHop.com and YourBlackWorld Celebrity Gossip Blogger), Cora Daniels (author of Ghettonation and Black Power, Inc.), Johnny Nunez (a well known celebrity photographer who broke down the paparazzi for us, and shocked us with how much freakin money they make!), Tia Brown from In-Touch Magazine, Jasmine from WBLS in NYC, and many others.
The spot was packed, and I'll admit that I was pretty damn impressed with how professional everyone was. All of the shooters were from major networks, so they knew what they were doing. The office in which we shot everything was in Harlem, a place I love to visit. The day was fun and productive. I had a really good time.
I spent Friday in the media a bit promoting the pilot, along with our new financial program
Financial Lipo. I find that alot of people are tired of having financial problems, so I enjoy helping them with what I know. I spent the morning being interviewed by "Free", the woman who hosted BET's 106 & Park. She is a very friendly and beautiful woman in person. I was impressed with her straight forward and down-to-earth demeanor. She repeatedly stated that she wants to write a financial book with me. While I don't usually believe something until someone does it, she did seem pretty sincere. Who knows? I can only say that she was smart and cute, a great combination for a woman.
I also spent time with Wendy Williams at WBLS, one of the best hosts I know. There are others I work with regularly who are very good (George Kilpatrick, Mark Thompson, etc.), and Wendy is right there with the greatest. I must confess that not every host on every network shows the kind of professionalism that Wendy, Mark and George show.
I had a funny moment watching Lady Drama and Wendy interact. Lady Drama loves Wendy, since she is her very reason for being as a Celeb Gossip guru. I thought she was going to pass out and cry as she sat in Wendy's famous "Pink Room" and then met Wendy herself. I was happy for her. I respect Lady Drama for the fact that she sets goals, sticks to them and pushes hard even when there are no rewards for doing so. That is what is going to make her great.
All in all, the trip to NYC was productive. What's crazy though is that I have to go back in 3 days. Also, I just got a phone call from another TV exec who wants to "explore opportunities". I guess we'll see what that's all about, huh?
It's early in the morning, I'm going back to bed!
