In this episode of The Legalitea we examine something new: how to make, market and distribute short films and web series. With the plethora of content platforms available, it seems like everyone is looking for content. But what makes for good online content and how do you make money off your subject matter?

Our guest this week is Caralene Robinson, a former marketing executive who has worked for some of the world’s biggest brands including Coca Cola and Sprint. In these roles Caralene oversaw campaigns, working with a range of directors such as Francis Lewis, Spike Lee and Errol Morris. Most recently she was head of marketing at VH1 and Logo, where she was tasked with launching all series, original movies and documentaries.

Several years ago while working full-time Caralene decide to expand her career in marketing, and tried her hand at producing a documentary "Versailles ’73: American Runway Revolution". After the success of this documentary, Caralene decided to pursue her passion full-time time, beginning with scripted short "The Bill,” which premiered at more than a dozen festivals, won 3 awards and is available on Prime Video and Kweli.tv. Caralene’s recent projects include producing digital series "Sauce" and "King Ester", and directing shorts "DisordHer" and "Lifeline". "King Ester" screened at 15 festivals, has been short listed for Emmy consideration and recently premiered on Issa Rae Presents Youtube Channel. "DisordHer" launches on Prime Video next month and "Lifeline" is in the festival submission phase. "Sauce" premieres on BRIC TV this month. Caralene has also produced, written and directed spots for Dove, AARP and Corcoran, so our guest is the perfect one to tell us what these platforms are looking for and how to market and monetize your short form content.

You’re in the entertainment business, so that means your image is equally as important as your intellectual property Meaning, your image is all about you and your assets. How you pull these together is imperative in putting your best self forward, yet many people (including me) don’t understand the nuts and bolts of how to brand yourself so you, your products and services can get noticed.. Enter Nick Nelson to help us understand what do do and how to do it.

Nick F. Nelson is an award-winning brand strategist, creative executive, and CEO of BRANDPRENUER, the nation’s leading brand development, image development and executive presence firm for the digital age.

BRANDPRENUER helps remarkable people who show up well in person, show up equally as well online by developing brand strategies, creating assets (photography, videography graphic design, web design) in support of that strategy and teaching clients how to get noticed by creating custom content across social media themselves.

Nelson is an innovative force in brand marketing and throughout his nearly two decade-long career has produced targeted marketing and communications strategies for leading consumer products, and entertainment brands, including Disney, HBO, NBC, STARZ, Warner Bros. Pictures, and Walmart.

Lisa and Nick chat about the how to’s of branding, what makes a good brand, how you brand yourself, and the importance of using digital media to help expand your presence. Nick charges for his expertise, but of course, he’s spilling the Tea, right here to our listeners on how to get yourself noticed. Don’t miss this episode.

Lisa's guest this week is Tabetha Plummer, Esq. Tabetha is another esteemed entertainment lawyer and have we got a gift for our aspiring musical artists! I realize that we have a lot of listeners who are trying to get some answers on how to get a recording deal, and what to expect once you get that deal. Lisa and Tabetha talk about how the best ways to get your music noticed, what record deals look like in 2019 (oh how times have changed) and the basics of a co-publishing deal. This podcast serves as a primer for all the aspiring music artists on the fundamentals of the business and legal pitfalls and suggestions to help you on your road to becoming a recording artist.

Some people break in the face of adversity, while others stare adversity down, and figure out a way to win! Ros Gold-Onwude is the “gold” standard of the latter.

Ros, one of the few female national sports broadcasters and analysts, graduated from Stanford University with 2 national championships under her belt and was named the Pac 10 Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2010, and ended career at Stanford as the all time leader in games played, along with 2 degrees from the esteemed institution.

At the time of her graduation from Stanford, it appeared that Ros was sitting on top of the world, only to have her broadcast dream delayed. Ros learned that her mother was now homeless, had been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimers, unable to care for herself and her sister was suffering from mental illness.

Suddenly Ros had to sink or swim. She had big dreams of broadcasting, but was faced with being the bread winner and supporting her family while trying to figure it all out.

And figure it out she did! Ros’ story is one of resilience, determination, hard work and never giving up. She took a job at Tesla, began making videos out of her apartment after hours, which led to various opportunities in broadcasting. Not all were paid, and not all were glamourous. Ros continued to hone her craft, followed her passion and eventually landed a job as a sideline reporter with the Golden State Warriors during their NBA Championship runs, winning an Emmy in that capacity.

Ros has continued to soar in the world of journalism, scoring a coveted role with Turner calling games for the NBA during regular and playoff season. Ros recently joined ESPN’s First Take holding her own with the hosts of the popular sports show. Never one to rest on her laurels, Ros is hosting her own sports debate show on Twitter in conjunction the Player’s Tribune called Don’t @ Me, which debuted to nearly 1 million viewers on Twitter. She does all this while giving back to girls in Africa, sprinkling that Ros fairy dust along the way.

Ros Gold-Onwude is the gold standard of Black Girl Magic, a word so overused but definitely befitting of Ros. Take a listen, and I’m sure you’ll agree with me.

Kendis Gibson is one of the fortunate few. He won’t tell you that, but I will.

Landing significant assignments and face time as a Black journalist is tough in an industry that sometimes marginalizes us, but Kendis kept working and paying his dues. He ascended through the journalism ranks of local and national networks as field reporter, correspondent, and anchor to land the coveted spot of hosting his own show on MSNBC, which airs on weekends from 2-4pm ET. .

Prior to MSNBC, Kendis worked as a correspondent at ABC, covering everything from the Obama presidency to natural disasters. This self described operational insomniac was then named the co-anchor of ABC’s "America This Morning" and "World News Now," ABC’s overnight/early morning newscast which delivered a unique mix of the latest headlines and quirky, one-of-a-kind signature segments which quickly became a fan favorite.

As any veteran news reporter will tell you, life as a journalist isn’t as glamorous as “lights, camera, action.” It takes its toll on your life, and the assignments aren’t always fascinating. Kendis has covered multiple severe storms, the Santa Barbara oil spill, the shooting of an unarmed black man by a white police officer in South Carolina.

Kendis spills the TEA about the highs and lows of his career, the importance of people of color having a seat at the table in order to set the media agenda, maintaining his integrity in this 24 hour news cycle and fake news when so many seem to have lost their way, keeping his sanity when traveling from city to city to further his career, challenging bigots on air, and how he couldn’t outrun or meditate his way out of depression. .

He keeps it real and you don’t want to miss this edition of TheLegaliTEA podcast

Being the first anything is never an easy task. Especially if you’re young, gifted and black.

Meet Chaédria LaBouvier. She is a writer, a curator and Basquiat scholar. And she’s a first. At 34, Chaédria is the first Black woman to curate an exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum in Manhattan, the first Black curator of a solo exhibition and the first Black author of a Guggenheim catalogue. It’s astounding that a museum of the caliber of the Guggenheim has never, in its 80 year history, had a solo Black curator, ever; let alone a Black female solo curator. Enter Chaédria.

The exhibition, “Basquiat’s Defacement: The Untold Story” is arguably Basquiat’s most personal painting, one that has rarely been seen in public. Defacement is Basquiat’s reaction to a death of Michael Stewart, a contemporary artist, at the hands of the New York City Transit police in 1983. Stewart was beaten by the police, hogtied and put into a chokehold, handcuffed to his bed while comatose and died thirteen days later from cardiac arrest at Belluvue Hospital.

Originally painted on the wall of Keith Haring’s studio as Basquiat’s reaction within a week of Stewart’s death, this painting was Basquiat’s grief stricken artistic response to this horrific tragedy. Centered around The Death of Michael Stewart, this exhibition explores Basquiat’s examination of police brutality and black identity through various other paintings rarely exhibited in public.

Chaédria, like most female badasses of her generation didn’t follow a traditional path; she didn’t ascend through the traditional curatorial Art History ranks, and that’s ruffled more than a feathers. But Chaédria is no less a scholar; she comes with receipts: she holds a degree a B.A. in History and Art Studio from Williams College and an MFA in Screenwriting from UCLA. Chaédria is as well versed as anyone to examine Basquiat and police brutality. Chaédria is the founder of Mother’s Against Police Brutality and has been published in a number of leading publications including Harper’s Bazaar, New York Magazine, Dazed and Elle.com, focusing on politics, art, fashion and culture. Her most recent media coverage, however, was a feature on Chaédria in the New York Times’ Art section last week: Behind Basquiat’s ‘Defacement’: Reframing a Tragedy.”

I sit down with Chaédria to chat about her path to the present, how she slayed Goliath at the Guggenheim, detracting the naysayers, how she “died on the cross” for a Polaroid, and her “moral responsibility” to leave the ladder down for others as the first Black solo curator at the Guggenheim.

Darren Grant is an award winning director with an extensive career spanning music videos, commercials, TV and feature film. After graduating film school, Grant took the industry by storm, with his meteoric rise in directing award winning music videos, for artists such as Destiny’s Child, TI, Common, Jay Z, Aaliyah, Jewel and Mary Mary. Darren won videos in every genre of music before moving into directing feature films.

His first feature film, Tyler Perry’s ”Diary of A Mad Black Woman" (Lions Gate) debuted at #1, grossed over $75 million. Although a commercial success, the filmmaking experience left Darren drained, and questioning his love for the art of film making. His second movie "Make it Happen,” a dance film set in the world of modern burlesque, was a mashup of his director repertoire of his love of music videos and feature film. Although widely acclaimed it struggled to garner mass appeal. It was after that Darren then began to flounder personally and professionally.

In this raw and candid interview, Darren lays it all on the table regarding his upbringing, his struggle to get into film school, his keen eye that landed him a coveted film school spot, his tremendous successes that quickly followed graduation, and the road to self destruction that left him broken personally, professionally and financially.

But it’s his comeback story that is even more impressive. Darren’s is a redemption story, a testament to self discovery, doing the work, and the humility to start over after an award winning career that crashed and burned.

Darren Grant is back on top and is once again one of the most sought after television directors, regularly directing episodes of such critically acclaimed television series as Suits, Empire, Queen of the South, The Chi and God Friended Me. Lisa and Darren sat down in Los Angeles shortly after Darren returned from location scouting in Paris for CBS’ God Friended Me.

You don’t want to miss this episode!

Mathew Knowles knows music. The author, professor, lecturer, public speaker, entrepreneur, music executive, artist manager and founder of Music World Entertainment is the creative and business mind behind some of the world’s biggest musical acts. Mathew, a graduate of Fisk University, ascended to the top ranks of music managers after a 20-year career in as the leading medical sales representative for Xerox Medical Systems, but not before returning to college to learn the business of music. Mathew, armed with his tenacity as a top salesperson, his knowledge of the music business and passion for entertainment, Mathew established Music World as one of the world’s leading music and entertainment conglomerates, with over 450 million records sold and countless Grammy and industry awards. Mathew has worked with Chaka Khan, Earth Wind & Fire, The O’Jays, and of course, Destiny’s Child, Solange, and Beyoncé.

Mathew and Lisa talk about his career in sales and how that led to his success in the music business. Spotting and honing talent, what it takes to make it as a music manager, the importance of branding, retaining copyright to ensure success and what’s next for Music World. Mathew even spilled some tea on the recent heat he took about colorism comments and some insights into some memorable moments with Destiny’s Child. Tune in and please be sure to leave a comment.

Tonya Lewis Lee is a true renaissance woman. A graduate of University of Virginia Law School, Tonya practiced corporate law in Washington D.C. prior to leaving law to pursue her passion of storytelling and producing television and films.

In this week’s podcast, Lisa and Tonya have a candid discussion about lessons from law and law school and how that prepared her for her life in entertainment, Tonya’s career in television and film, which spans over 20 years including such classics as The Watson’s Go to Birmingham and Miracle’s Boys. Tonya talks frankly about her newest series She’s Gotta Have It, and lessons working with her Oscar winning husband Spike Lee on the Netflix series (which returns for its second season on May 24.). We also discuss Tonya’s latest project All Rise (formerly Monster), which was the most talked about film at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, and lands in theaters in September 2019.

In this week’s podcast, Lisa has an in-depth conversation with Deborah Mannis-Gardner, of DMG Clearances. Deborah is arguably the leading expert in the industry for music rights and clearances. Deborah clears samples for musical recordings, film, television, and video games.

Sampling has become a multi-billion dollar industry for the underlying copyright owners. Many music artists and producers simply don’t understand the business of music sampling: what constitutes a sample, how to clear samples and what happens if you fail to clear a sample. Lisa has a frank conversation with Deborah, the music clearance guru who has cleared music for every genre and nearly every artist in the music industry, including such legends as Prince, Led Zepplin, U2, as well as today’s superstars such as Drake, Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, DJ Khaled, John Legend, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Mariah Carey, and Beyoncé.

Lisa and Deborah review the basics of copyright and dive into what a sample is, how that differs from an interpolation, how the rights holders get paid, and what that means for the producer and the artist in terms of their share of ownership and the bottom line financially before moving into discussing synchronization licensing and master use rights and licenses.

If you are in the business of music, this episode of The LegaliTea is tailor-made for you.

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