International Movie Conference Was A 2016 Highlight

Looking back on the highlights of 2016, attending the American Film Market (AFM) and Conference in Los Angeles this fall was definitely one of them.

View From The Top - A bird's-eye view from inside
the Loews Hotel during the conference.

The week-long, annual conference helps independent movies reach audiences who will appreciate them. The event also helps filmmakers connect with producers and network other filmmakers who can help them get their projects off the ground.

This was my first time attending AFM, which was held during the first week of November, and it was a really cool experience. My purpose in attending the conference was to make contacts and generate buzz about the documentary I made and plan to release in 2017, "Lady Wrestler: The Amazing, Untold Story of African-American Women in the Ring." (Click here for more information about "Lady Wrestler.")

Throughout AFM, film and television distribution companies from around the world set up shop in suites at the Loews Hotel in Santa Monica. Prior to the start of the conference, independent filmmakers and producers can make appointments with the distribution companies and then meet face to face at the Loews and other locations in the immediate vicinity.

The overall goal is for filmmakers and producers to secure funding for movies they're trying to get made and/or strike deals to distribute movies they've already made.

During the conference, I attended a couple of very interesting panel discussions with industry leaders. In one panel discussion, African-American filmmaker Tina Mabry spoke about how making her acclaimed 2009 independent film "Mississippi Damned" eventually led to her being recruited by "Selma" director Ava DuVernay to direct episodes of "Queen Sugar" on Oprah's OWN cable channel. 

During the same panel discussion, "Dallas Buyers Club" producer Cassian Elwes shared how he raised the money for that Oscar-nominated indie movie in an astounding three days. To read the in-depth article in which he describes the process, click here. 

AFM also functions as a film festival, with screenings taking place at Santa Monica's AMC theater. I caught one very interesting Irish movie about two young men who become unlikely friends while attending boarding school. 

A fringe benefit of the conference is hitting the
beach and soaking up the California sun.

An added plus of the AFM is that it takes place in a beautiful area of L.A. near Venice Beach and the Pacific Ocean. One of the coolest experiences I had was attending a reception on the Santa Monica Piers, hobnobbing with other filmmakers from all over the world as the sun set over the Pacific Ocean.

Industry types networked against the backdrop
of this beautiful beach setting.

Throughout the conference, I met people from all walks of life - from an African-American filmmaker from Pam Grier's hometown of Denver, Colo., to a producer from Tokyo, Japan. I would recommend attending the AFM, not only for anyone interested in making and distributing movies, but for those who simply love the art of cinema. For more information, visit Americanfilmmarket.com.

My Top 10 'Non-Holiday' Holiday Playlist

This is that time of year when you can't avoid Christmas music. Some radio stations switch their entire format to holiday songs starting in mid-November. And it's nearly impossible to enter any store without hearing seasonal classics - some of which generate warm memories, while others are so overplayed they make you want to scream and pull out every hair on your head.

There are several songs that always remind me of Christmas, no matter the time of year. The following is my top 10 list of my favorite "non-holiday" holiday songs - tunes that weren't specifically recorded as Christmas music, but have that seasonal feel to them:

"Diamonds and Pearls" by Prince - This song from Prince's 1991 album of the same name was, appropriately, released during Thanksgiving week of that year (according to Wikipedia). The lyrics are representative of the holiday spirit: "If I gave you diamonds and pearls/would you be a happy boy or a girl?/If I could I would give you the world/But all I can do is just offer you my love."

This song easily could have been used in a Christmas commercial for a high-end jeweler, if Prince hadn't been so opposed to his music being used for advertising. Even the instrumentation on this heartfelt ballad sounds like it could have been the background music for a Christmas tune.

"Diamonds and Pearls," like all of Prince's music, has taken on a special significance since his untimely death on April 21.

"Peace and Joy" by The E Family and Earth, Wind & Fire - Since I'm a lifelong Prince fan, it's no surprise that a song by one of his closest collaborators - Sheila E. - made this list. Judging from the title, "Peace and Joy" could absolutely be a Christmas song. But it's actually a funky tune about world harmony from the 2011 album "Now & Forever" by Sheila E. and her equally awesome percussionist father Pete and brothers Juan and Peter Michael, with a special guest appearance by EWF. 

While "Peace and Joy" wasn't officially released as a single, the lyrics' sentiments calling for global harmony make it ideal to include on a playlist for a holiday party.

"Oh People" by Patti LaBelle - The legendary R&B diva released this song six months before Christmas in June of 1986, but it definitely captures the spirt of the holiday season. The lyrics are all about world peace and people coming together as one - a message that seems even more relevant 30 years later with all the division and conflict in America and the world at large.

"Love Makes Things Happen" by Pebbles and Babyface - This smooth duet by R&B star Perri "Pebbles" Reid and superstar musician/producer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds was released in November of the first year of the last decade of the 20th century. It makes perfect sense that this beautiful ballad came out during 1990's holiday season, since it's all about finding love in unexpected places, and the power of love to transform lives.

"That's What Love Is For" by Amy Grant - No surprise that this number one '91 pop hit sounds like a Christmas song, since Grant was a superstar Christian recording artist before she crossed over to the secular world.

"River" by Herbie Hancock and Corrine Bailey Rae - I'm not sure if the title song to Hancock's Grammy-winning 2007 tribute to Joni Mitchell qualifies as a Christmas song since it mentions the holiday in the lyrics. But it's certainly more forlorn and introspective than most holiday tunes.

"The Gift of Love" by Bette Midler - This ballad from Midler's smash '90 album "Some People's Lives" is yet another song that technically isn't a Christmas song. But, like Prince's "Diamonds and Pearls," this sentimental tune sounds like it could be the background music for a jewelry commercial that runs during the holiday season or Valentine's Day.

As an interesting aside, in researching this blog post, I discovered that "The Gift of Love" was co-written by Susanna Hoffs, lead singer of The Bangles.

"Celebrate Me Home" by Kenny Loggins - This 1977 soft-rock hit could be the theme song for the millions of people who travel great distances to see family and friends during the holidays. I must admit that I didn't think of this one on my own, since jazz star Dave Koz used this song for years as the finale for his annual Christmas tour.  

"Seasons Change" by Exposé - This '87 pop ballad by female trio Exposé is definitely not a Christmas song. But the melancholy lyrics convey how many of us feel this time of year, when we reflect on friends and loved ones who have passed away and relationships that came to an end like the changing seasons. 

"The Closing of the Year" by Wendy and Lisa - I'm topping off this list with yet another nod to Prince  and his peeps. Anyone who has seen "Purple Rain" knows that Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman were two of Prince's closest musical confidantes during the height of his commercial success in the '80s.

Wendy and Lisa's "The Closing of the Year" is sort of a Christmas song, since it actually refers to the holiday in the lyrics. However, the song did not appear on a Christmas album, but rather the soundtrack to the 1992 Robin Williams movie "Toys." 

Featuring a guest appearance by pop star Seal, "The Closing of the Year" is one of the most beautiful Christmas songs I've ever heard. Wendy croons lead vocals in an angelic voice that sounds like she should be the soloist for a celestial choir. 

Like much of Wendy and Lisa's post-Prince music, this song is extremely underrated. This tune is a little-known gem that should be as ubiquitous on radio station holiday playlists and retail store Muzak as anything by Mariah Carey or Celine Dion.

Lincoln Theatre Helping Artists Reach Their Full Potential

Me and my fellow Lincoln Theatre Artist Incubation Program graduates.

I'm honored to be a graduate of the 2016 Lincoln Theatre Artist Incubation Program.  Now in its third year, the program helps artists from all different genres in my hometown of Columbus, Ohio, to hone our creativity and learn about the business side of show business.

Me and my fellow graduates celebrated with a Dec. 8 ceremony in the Lincoln Theatre's ballroom. Larry James, president of the Lincoln Theatre Association Board, and Greater Columbus Arts Council President and CEO Tom Katzenmeyer gave inspiring "commencement" speeches, encouraging us artists to keep pursuing our dreams. 

Over the course of the year-long incubation program, a subject-matter expert presented on a particular topic during each monthly session. Topics included:

Maximizing production value (ensuring your production is of the highest quality, even with limited resources).

Insurance (such as purchasing single-event insurance coverage to make sure all performers and equipment are covered in case any mishap occurs during a concert, play or other performance).

Copyright and trademark law (making sure your own work is protected and ensuring that you don't infringe on anyone else's copyrighted material).

Grants (how to identify individuals and organizations who support the arts and tailor your application to their criteria).

One of the most helpful sessions  was conducted by Lincoln Theatre General Manager Suzan Bradford, who is also artistic director of the Thiossane West African Dance Institute. Suzan walked us through how to accurately value our services so that we are compensated accordingly. 

The program also included Mentor Talks with working artists such as drummer Reggie Jackson, who has toured and recorded with major artists in all musical genres and performed at festivals around the world.  Reggie offered advice on how to build a career and establish mutually beneficial relationships in the entertainment industry, and stressed the importance of being professional, showing up on time and constantly perfecting your skills. 

I will apply what I learned from the Lincoln Theatre Artist Incubation Program in every facet of my work. Completing the program was like earning an advanced degree, and being armed with this knowledge is invaluable.

Comic Book Expo United Black, Brown Artists

A panel discussion featured artists and writers J. Alonzo (left),
Vicko Alvarez, Ricardo Padilla, Terreece Clarke,
Hector Rodriguez and Bill Campbell.  

The second annual Black and Brown Comic Book Expo brought together dozens of African-American and Latino comic-book artists and fans from around the country to my hometown of Columbus, Ohio Oct. 13-16. Also known as "Sol-Con," the event was held at The Ohio State University's Hale Hall and the Columbus Metropolitan Library's Main Branch downtown.

The event included a grand expo where artists showcased their work, workshops for middle and high school students on how to create comic books, and panel discussions about diversity in the media.

Events like Sol-Con provide an opportunity for black and Latino artists to exchange ideas and collaborate, Mexican-American comic book entrepreneur Ricardo Padilla said during an Oct. 16 panel discussion.

"That's the great thing about the expos," he said. "We can do things on our own. We don't have to ask for handouts."

African-American writer Terreece Clark said art can take the form of as a bumper sticker with a catchy design and a powerful message that can provoke thought and conversation.

"I'm seeing that individuals who are not writers, but they just have a story to tell, they're reaching their friends, their family... their church members," she said. "It's that individual expression that is allowing people to have these conversations."

African-American comic book publisher Bill Campbell said his company, Rosarium Publishing, still encounters resistance to distributors agreeing to carry African-American titles.

"It's a constant struggle to convince distributors and stores that your product is actually something that people want," he said. "It's hard to fight an enemy whose best weapon is to do nothing. It's hard to get people to stop doing nothing."

Rosarium and other minority publishers have found creative ways to get past obstacles, Campbell added, such as using a network called Biblio to provide digital content to public libraries around the country.

"There's walls," he said, "but there's always breaches."

(This is an expanded version of an article that originally appeared in the Call and Post Newspaper.)

 

 

 

 

 

What Makes Chicago So Great?

Congrats to the Chicago Cubs for winning their first World Series since 1908.

 

As a native Ohioan (I grew up in capital city Columbus), I was rooting for the Cleveland Indians. It certainly would have been a big plus for the city to boast winning the World Series and the NBA championship in the same year. But I also feel simpatico for the Chicago Cubs, having spent time in the Windy City in the past couple years as Raymond Lambert and I co-wrote the book "All Jokes Aside: Comedy Is a Phunny Business."

The book tells Raymond's amazing life story, including founding the legendary Chicago comedy club All Jokes Aside. The club helped launch the careers of superstars such as Steve Harvey, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, D.L. Hughley, Carlos Mencia and Oscar winner Mo'Nique, just to name a few.

These kings and queens of comedy are only a small sample of the successful men and women in all industries who got their start in Chicago. The following sequence is an excerpt of a chapter that ultimately didn't make the final published version of the "All Jokes Aside" book.

This sequence offers a glimpse of why Chicago tends to produce shining stars, especially ambitious African-American entrepreneurs like Raymond and his college buddy and former business partner James Alexander, who co-founded All Jokes Aside. Here's an excerpt that describes Chicago's history as an incubator for African-American talent from all walks of life:

It's no surprise that the nation's first black president has roots in Chicago. The Windy City has a long and storied history as a breeding ground for black leadership, beginning with its founding by Haitian fur trader Jean Point du Sable in the 1780s.

Since Point du Sable became Chicago's first permanent resident when he built a settlement at the mouth of the Chicago River, the city has, over the centuries, churned out countless African-American inventers, innovators and entrepreneurs who have gone on to national and even global success.

Like Point du Sable, many of the African Americans who rose to fame in Chicago were transplants from other regions: Barack Obama from Hawaii. Ebony Magazine founder John H. Johnson from Arkansas City, Ark. Michael Jordan from Brooklyn, N.Y.

And news anchor-turned-talk show host/global media icon Oprah Winfrey from a small, segregated southern town called Kosciusko, Miss.

It was on Chicago's fertile soil, fortified with generations of black history and black entrepreneurial success, that another transplanted African American - Raymond Lambert of Wilmington, Del. - sought to stake his claim in the late 1980s.

To read the full story of how Raymond rose from a working-class upbringing, raised by teen parents, to become a successful investment banker and, ultimately, the founder of one of the most influential institutions in the history of comedy, pick up a copy of "All Jokes Aside." The book is available on Amazon by clicking this link.

And if you do get the book on Amazon, please be kind enough to leave a review, as it will help other readers discover this must-read chapter of African-American history.

 

7 Things I Learned From Listening To Prince's Albums Back To Back

Since Prince's sudden death on April 21, fans like myself around the world have been remembering him by listening to his music. Over the past few months, I decided to revisit all that he's meant to me by listening to 30 of his albums in the order in which they were released, starting with his very first album, 1978's "For You."

A stack of Prince CDs and an album by his sister,
Tyka Nelson, sit next to my boombox 
on my kitchen table. 

In this blog post, I'll share insights on what I learned from this purple musical odyssey. These insights are not new, per se, but listening to these albums with the knowledge that Prince isn't around anymore reinforced the lasting impact he made on the world.

Here are 7 things I learned (did you catch the reference to his '93 hit, "7"?):

1 - Prince Made The Avant Garde Commercial

There's nothing conventional about Prince's music. He had a one-of-a-kind ability to create avant garde, abstract music and make it commercial, appealing to a large, diverse fan base around the world. Even on his first couple of albums when he was in his late teens and early 20s, he "colored outside the lines," mixing R&B with rock and folk.

Prince went even further into experimentation on his third and fourth albums, 1980's "Dirty Mind" and 1981's "Controversy." It's hard to imagine these experimental albums being released on a major label today.

Prince went in a more commercial direction with 1982's "1999," spawning huge radio hits such as the title track and "Little Red Corvette." And I noticed an even more pronounced difference from his earlier, more experimental work when I put on "Purple Rain." It was obvious that Prince was really going for the big time and shooting for a mainstream crossover audience.

2 - His Music Defies Categories

Prince is truly his own genre. He has a song in nearly every style of music: 

Blues - "Another Lonely Christmas," an excellent B-side from the '84 "Purple Rain" era.

Disco - "I Wanna Be Your Lover" from his '79 self-titled second album.

Reggae - "Blue Light" from '92's "The Love Symbol Album."

Classical - "Venus de Milo" from the '86 "Parade" album.

Techno - "Loose!" from the '94 "Come" album.

Jazz - 2002's Grammy-nominated instrumental "N.E.W.S." album. 

Country (yes, country!) -  "Right the Wrong" from '96's "Chaos and Disorder."

Another track from "Chaos and Disorder," "I Like It There," would sound at home on alt-rock radio. The mellow "June" from his 2015 "Hit n Run Phase One" album could easily have been recorded by a neo-soul artist like Jill Scott or Musiq Soulchild.

3 - He's A Master Balladeer

For as much as Prince is known as a rock god and one of the best guitar players of all time, he is equally adept at the soulful "midnight storm" ballad. His ballads range from the famous falsetto of "Do Me Baby" to his deep, almost baritone vocals on "Call My Name" from 2004's "Musicology."

There are several power ballads that are similar to "Purple Rain," such as "The Ladder" from '85's "Around the World in a Day" and "The Morning Papers" from "The Love Symbol Album." "Diamonds and Pearls," the title track from his '91 album, was perhaps the only Prince ballad to reach comparable success as "Purple Rain."

4 - Hidden 'Diamonds and Pearls'

There are some real gems hidden in Prince's indie releases: "Crucial" is a mid-tempo love song from 1997's "Crystal Ball" that rivals anything on his studio albums and sounds like an outtake from "Sign o the Times."

The sweet, sincere ballad "She Loves Me 4 Me" from 2001's "The Rainbow Children" should have been a big radio hit. And the funky jam "1+1+1 Is 3" from that same album is as danceable as "1999."

5 - He Boldly Tackled Social Issues

For most of Prince's adult life, he took a strong stance against recreational drug use and became a Jehovah's Witness in mid-life, around the time he turned 40 in 1998. For these reasons, Prince is sometimes misunderstood as a closet conservative.

But Prince took a left-leaning stance on most of the social issues he addressed in his music. For example, he recorded the song "Baltimore" about the Freddie Gray case and demonstrated his support for the Black Lives Matter movement. 

In a more obscure song, "Animal Kingdom" from the '97 acoustic indie release "The Truth," Prince sings about being a vegan and his perhaps little-known advocacy for animal rights: "No member of the animal kingdom ever did a thing to me/That's why I don't eat red meat or white fish/Don't give me no bleu cheese/We're all members of the animal kingdom/Leave your brothers and sisters in the sea."

6 - His Creativity Was Fueled By Faith

In the book "I Would Die 4 U: Why Prince Became an Icon," cultural commentator Toure  explains that Prince was raised in the Seventh Day Adventist denomination and embedded Christian messages in his music throughout his career. From reciting the Lord's Prayer in "Controversy" to the straight-out gospel of "God," the B-side of the "Purple Rain" single, Prince's faith was central to his creativity.

There are numerous examples in which, despite his reputation for being lewd, Prince often referred to his devout faith. In "I Wish U Heaven" from the '88 "Lovesexy" album, he espouses the Christian principle of turning the other cheek: "If I see 11/u can say it's 7/still I wish u Heaven."

7 - Did He Foreshadow His Own Death?

There are several songs that seem weirdly prophetic in which Prince seems to predict his own death: from the eerily prescient elevator reference in "Let's Go Crazy," to the somber lyrics of "Sometimes It Snows In April," about mourning the death of a close friend.

A particularly unsettling song is "My Little Pill" from "The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale," a 1999 anthology of previously unreleased material.  "All my cares and troubles dive right off my window sill when I pop my little pill," Prince half-sings, half-raps in this odd little tune.

Was this Prince confessing his addiction to prescription painkillers, which eventually claimed his life? Who knows.

There are many songs in which Prince sings about how precious life is and the importance of making your mark on the world. Consider these lyrics from the song "Last December" from "Rainbow Children": "In your life, did you just give a little or did you give all that you had?/Were you just somewhere in the middle, not too good, not too bad?"

Conclusion: Prince's Legacy Lives On Through His Music

Unfortunately, the phenomenal quality of Prince's work often gets lost in the sheer volume of it. There are so many great songs that get overlooked - even by super-fans like myself.

Before Prince died, I must admit that I ignored several of his lesser-known albums, listening to them only a few times before leaving them on my CD tower to collect dust. Part of the reason is that Prince released so much music that it was hard to keep up.

Plus, Prince seldom performed his more obscure songs in concert. In live performances, he'd often ignore an entire album he just released in favor of giving the fans the big hits they wanted to hear - like the world-class entertainer he was.

It's a shame that it took Prince's death for me and other fans to rediscover these musical "diamonds and pearls." But his legacy will live on for generations to come in his music, his movies and his messages.

Sheila E. Brings Her Prince Tribute To My Home State

Sheila E. chose Ohio, my home state, to perform her first official, public tribute to Prince since  her amazing performance on the BET Awards telecast in June. "Purple Rain: A Tribute," featuring Sheila E. and Morris Day and The Time, came to Cleveland's I-X Center on Oct. 15.

 

Morris Day also performed at the Official Prince Tribute concert held in Prince's hometown of Minneapolis/St. Paul on Oct. 13. I didn't make it out to that show, and neither did Sheila. So in this blog post, I'll focus on Sheila's moving tribute to Prince in Cleveland.

 

Clad in an all white with Prince's iconic symbol emblazoned on her blouse, Sheila opened with "When Doves Cry," then took to the drums for "Housequake" and segued into "Erotic City."

 

"Thank you for coming out and celebrating someone we all loved," she told the multiracial, multigenerational audience - many of whom wore purple (myself included).

Similar to her performance at the BET Awards, Sheila performed a sample from the chorus of "Let's Work," followed by "A Love Bizarre." In concert, she gave "A Love Bizarre" the full treatment, which makes sense, since Prince provided distinctive vocals on the '85 hit. She then took to the timbales for a low-key, jazzy instrumental.

 

Sheila E. brought her Prince tribute to Cleveland on Oct. 15.

- "Music is a gift from God, and it feeds my soul every day." - Sheila E.

As Sheila and her band grooved and scatted their way through the instrumental number, she asked, "Do you mind if we take our time?" The audience responded with hoots of approval. The segment also included a jazzy rendition of "One Nation Under a Groove," sung by Sheila's manager and collaborator Lynn Mabry, a former background singer for George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic.

 

At one point during the jazz segment, Sheila stepped away from the timbales and delivered a slowed-down version of her famous "transmississippi" rap from Prince's "Its Gonna Be a Beautiful Night" (the"Sign o' the Times" album).

The great thing about Sheila's Prince tribute is that in addition to providing an opportunity for his fans to witness one of his closest confidantes performing his hits, it also gave Sheila's fans an opportunity to see her perform songs from her most recent studio album, 2014's stellar "Icon."

 

"This is the last song Prince and I wrote together," Sheila announced before launching into the salsa-flavored "Leader of the Band" from "Icon."

 

Sheila also tackled Prince's popular B-side "17 Days," sang "Alphabet Street" and led the crowd in a sing-along of the chorus of "Raspberry Beret."

Showing her versatility, Sheila returned to the timbales for the Latin dance track "Mona Lisa" from "Icon" and brought audience members onstage to dance to her upbeat new single, "Bailar."

At one point, Sheila momentarily set aside her "queen of percussion" persona and became a rock goddess, picking up a guitar and coming out in the crowd to sing "Rockstar" from "Icon." The song about the lonely life of a touring musician is the type of arena-rock anthem that begs to be performed Tina Turner-style on a cherry picker suspended above the crowd.

At the end of "Rockstar," Sheila returned to the stage and strummed the melody from "Purple Rain," with the crowd joining in with Prince's familiar vocal riffs. If I'm not mistaken, the guitar she played was one of Prince's, the same one she played during the BET Awards.

Throughout the show, Sheila alternated between her trademark high-energy performance style and intimate moments in which she addressed the crowd and told them how much she misses Prince. One of the most touching moments was when Sheila asked for the stage lights to be dimmed and she sang her power ballad "Girl Meets Boy," which expresses her grief over losing Prince.

 

Several times during the song, Sheila's voice broke with emotion.

"I've been through a lot of stuff in my life, but this has been so hard," she told the audience about mourning Prince.

But she was quick to add that, like the legions of Prince's fans around the world, she takes comfort in music.

"Music is love," she said. "Music is a gift from God, and it feeds my soul every day."

She resumed the uptempo vibe again with Prince's "America" and "Baby, I'm a Star." She closed her set with "The Glamorous Life." As a longtime fan, I've seen Sheila perform her Prince-penned signature song many times, and I can say in all honesty that this was the best, most spirited rendition I've ever seen. She really seemed to be channeling Prince's essence as she banged on the timbales. She transported the audience back to 1985, when she opened for Prince and The Revolution on the "Purple Rain" tour.

The Prince tributes by Sheila E. and Morris Day and The Time in Cleveland, as well as the performances by Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan and all of the artists who took part in the Minneapolis/St. Paul concert will go a long way in helping all of us who loved Prince to heal.

I've been reflecting on Prince's legacy in my own way in the months since he passed away. On Wednesday (Oct. 19), I'll post a new blog entry about what I learned from the experience of listening to 30 of Prince's albums in the order in which they were released.