00:00We've still got Missy Elliott and Megan Thee Stallion highlighting tonight and tomorrow.
00:06Okay, so, but before then, lined up for this afternoon, we have three amazing panels.
00:11First up, we're talking all about how important it is to have creators of the culture and for the culture.
00:19You know what that means, how important that is to create engaging stories that can help us all binge when we need something to watch.
00:26So, welcome to Hulu's Black Stories Always panel.
00:30It is my pleasure to kick things off this amazing Hulu and Essence collab.
00:35So, let's take a look at the amazing content available right now on Hulu's Black Stories Always hub.
00:42Oh, hello.
00:43We're all just our ancestors' dreams.
00:46We some legends, we some legends, history say we are.
00:49I met this girl when I was 10 years old.
00:52And what I love most, she has so much soul.
00:55Cause we black people, and we some legends, we some legends, we some legends, history say we are.
01:03Surprise.
01:04This is history on the plane.
01:05We some legends, we some legends, history say we are.
01:08Cause we black people, yeah, and we some legends.
01:13Okay, I had to put down that other mic.
01:15I had two mics on me.
01:16But I don't know if you guys know, but watching on Hulu, having that Black Stories Always hubs, it means we have a direct place to find our stories by people who look like us, for us.
01:28It is an amazing place to tune in, catch up, so much to look forward to.
01:33So as we just saw, Hulu and their Black Stories Always platform is truly dedicated to supporting black creators and making sure that black storytelling is executed in a truly authentic and relatable way.
01:45From action-packed adventures like Justified, City, Primeval, and Snowfall, to compelling docu-style series like In the Black, Hulu does an outstanding job in providing representation of all aspects of the black experience.
02:01So, I want you guys to welcome our guest who we've got here, Eamon Joseph of Snowfall, yeah!
02:09Welcome, welcome!
02:26Yeah!
02:31Oh my gosh!
02:32You should see how big some of these ladies are smiling over here.
02:35They are excited to see you!
02:39Alright, so we adore him as Uncle Jerome on Snowfall, but you've got a new show premiering this month on FX, Justified, City, Primeval.
02:48First off, you told me you've been to Essence Fest a number of times. How is it this year so far?
02:53Look at this, all these beautiful people. It's nothing like seeing our culture in person. Essence Fest does it like no other.
03:03This is the culture. This is American culture. This is American history, and I love it every time I'm here.
03:10Yeah. So you started in front of the camera playing fan favorite Uncle Jerome and transitioned to behind the camera, even directed Season 6, Episode 8 of Snowfall.
03:21What was that transition like, and to use both of those skill sets?
03:26First of all, I have to give respect to everyone at FX for giving a pathway for creatives like me to be in front of the camera, and then go behind the camera, live out the fruition of my dreams of really being a full-body storyteller.
03:42And big shout out to John Singleton that passed, the late, great John Singleton that was a steward of my talents that helped me develop them.
03:53Good on you for giving all of those props. You know, before you made it to Snowfall, what was your career like, just being a black man in the industry?
04:03You know what? I'm an actor. I'm an artist. I have so much fun delving into a character that has specificity about the way we came up.
04:17And I've been doing that in my career. I've been very intentional about the characters that I play and putting my heart, my soul into them with this craft.
04:30So, to me, Snowfall is just a continuation of that. Justified is just a continuation of that. Every character that you see, I put that same type of passion and intention into.
04:42Yeah. All right, now we know that Unc is truly one of a kind. Let's take a look at Eamon's iconic role on Snowfall.
04:51Searching blind ain't smart.
04:52Yeah, well, I can't sit around doing nothing no more. And y'all two, y'all been with him for weeks. Where the f... was he going?
04:58He mostly been holed up here. We're all doing business.
05:13Jerome... Saint!
05:16Whoops. Guess you gotta put that on our tab.
05:20You know what? I'm not doing this with you. You can't even barely stand up. We'll talk tomorrow.
05:27Talk tomorrow ain't gonna work for me. I'm gonna be going. Going to Jamaica. Getting on planes.
05:33What?
05:34Yeah. Gonna pack my bags. Go to the airport. Get a ticket to Kingston. Sit back real easy. Free.
05:43Okay, Jerome. Fine. No. I think you're looking for a fight. And I ain't biting.
05:52I ain't looking for no. But I'm telling you, I'm done. I'm done selling crack. I'm done getting shot at. I'm done trying to kill my family.
06:01Okay, fine. What the f... am I supposed to do with that?
06:05Maybe you're supposed to acknowledge the f... sanity. The money ain't worth this sh... Lou.
06:11No matter how f... wrong this sh... is, ain't nothing gonna make it right. Or maybe...
06:16Maybe you stop this sh... cause you love me. Hmm? I know I stayed in this sh... with you. Right?
06:26Cause if I left your sh... be dead. I know it ain't your fault. You just... Yeah. You don't got no way to be happy.
06:39It's my fault for trying to fix you. But I'm done. All right. It ain't my problem no more. I'm free of this sh...
06:49You don't need this. It's the realest thing I ever f... for you.
07:01All right. Now I know we've got... Yes. Thank you. Give it up for that.
07:06We... I know we've got people coming and going. But for anyone who is just joining us...
07:09We've got Eamon Joseph, the man behind the character of Uncle Jerome, a fan favorite on Snowfall.
07:14That scene... that... that is heavy there. But it was raw and real.
07:18What did it mean to have black creators, black writers, a showrunner, black producers behind the scenes...
07:25to really help with that explosive success of such a character that everyone loved?
07:30For six, seven years, we had one of the most diverse cast and crews on television.
07:36Wow. That's what... that was intentional by John Singleton, John Landgraf, the people at FX and Hulu.
07:45And to... to have that type of... First of all, you gotta give a big shout out to Angela Lewis.
07:50She's not with us. She's pregnant right now, due any day.
07:54But she was doing that scene while pregnant, a phenomenal actress.
07:59But it just is empowering to work with creatives that look like you, that know the story, that have a personal investment in it.
08:08That's great.
08:09And to have those black creators behind the scenes empower you, how do you envision platforms like Hulu and other allies supporting the future of black content creators in Hollywood?
08:22Because we need spaces like the Black Stories Always platform.
08:26Well, first of all, if it wasn't for Hulu, I feel like during the pandemic, one of the great things that came out of it as far as Snowfall is that people were able to binge Snowfall.
08:37And we got a new sort of audience with that.
08:42And the show really, to me, you know, reached the tipping point of an audience embracing the show.
08:47So to me, to have a platform like Black Stories that gives us our own lane so that you can see different content throughout the diaspora.
09:00And that is, to me, it's forward-thinking, it's inclusive, and it's been a pleasure to be on Hulu, work with FX, Disney overall.
09:12And it has been a pleasure for us to get to see you, obviously, again, seeing you in front of and behind the camera in Snowfall.
09:19Now you've got Justified City Primeval premiering this month.
09:23I mean, you've still got a long way to go, but looking ahead, what is the legacy that you want to leave behind on the industry?
09:31I'm about being in the moment. This is legacy right here. This is a dream come true to be in front of my people and to share my art and to do that with people that love what we are doing.
09:46I'm just going to continue keeping my head down, doing the work, and entertaining audiences.
09:52Oh, keeping your head down and doing the work. We hear that a lot.
09:56All right, we're not just dropping gems here, but we are giving flowers.
10:01The Hulu Giving Flowers campaign, thank you so much, ma'am, is all about celebrating Black stories, such as In the Black, Justified City, Primeval, and Snowfall.
10:12You grew up watching other Black icons, and today you serve as one of so many beautiful role models for future Black storytellers.
10:19And on behalf of that, we want to honor you, all of the work that you have put in, give you your flowers and personalized note as a token of appreciation for your creative courage,
10:28immensely talented contributions to our community and industry. So thank you. Give it up for Amy and Joseph one more time.
10:37Wait, go ahead and open it up. Read it.
10:39Oh, I got to read it in front of you, huh?
10:41See what we talking about.
10:44Amy and Joseph, thank you for shining so bright and showing up as your authentic self on screen. Thank you.
10:53There you go. So we're giving flowers.
10:54It means a lot to be embraced by your own people. It means a lot to be seen. And I really appreciate everyone that's clam out,
11:02everyone that has supported Snowfall and art period by Black creatives.
11:08So we're not only giving flowers to our panelists, but now it's time to continue with giving away one lucky audience member.
11:16So let's draw our number. Where'd we draw the number? Somebody's drawing a number. 219. Look under your seat. 219. Oh, the back of your seat. The back of your seat.
11:31Raise your hand if you're in seat number 219. Woo. We got it over here. You have won two floor seats for tonight's Essence Festival concert, ma'am. Yeah.
11:43For the Superdome. Let's give it up for our winner. And for those that may not have tickets to tonight's concert.
11:49Again, a reminder you can catch this evening's Superdome performances and more streaming live on Essence Fest primetime only on Hulu starting at 7 p.m. Central.
11:59Amen, thank you so much for being with us today. You were fantastic. All right. And you all, give it up for Amen one more time.
12:08All right. I know we've got people coming and going, but hang in your seat. We've got two more incredible panels coming up.
12:23And we want to make sure that you see all of that. Our next panel up is searching for soul food. Chefs Alisa Reynolds is coming up, so you don't want to miss that.
12:32But first, let's check out this Wonder Years commercial. I don't know if you guys have seen the Wonder Years on ABC. Now in season two, we had Sekhan Seglo on GMA this morning.
12:42Incredible. She's coming up on our third panel, leading ladies. But first, check out this commercial.
12:48This is the greatest night of my life.
12:51The summer of 69 was the best summer ever.
12:56My family had a special connection.
12:58Well, what do we do first?
12:59Oh, Tico. Now.
13:00Set over the bathroom.
13:03I don't want you to cramp my style.
13:05I can't have you cramp my style.
13:08You were the best.
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