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00:02Hello, hello, everyone, and good afternoon. Welcome to SCAD TV Fest 2026. Yes.
00:12My name is Tiffany Denise Hobbs, and I am a professor of acting here at SCAD in Atlanta.
00:24And let's just go ahead and get into it. Let's be real. Abbott Elementary is quite possibly the funniest comedy
00:31on television.
00:32Right? Yes. There are so many reasons why, but most importantly, it's because all of us were once those same
00:41elementary school children.
00:43We all remember that group of teachers that took very good care of us. My mom was one of those.
00:49That mysterious principal who ruled the halls. Beverly J. Barnhart, we love you. Yes.
00:56And those staff who always looked after us like second families.
01:00But with shows like Abbott, we remember that all of those incredible people who seemed flawless at the time are
01:06all so very, very real.
01:10Ask any educator at any grade level, and they will agree. Abbott tells it like it is in the best
01:16ways possible.
01:16It's the show that you laugh along to, you nod along to, and everyone on its creative team deserves the
01:23highest praise.
01:24And today, there is something extra special we have for you all. To present Quinta Brunson, her Variety Showrunner Award,
01:33please welcome Ms. Barbara Howard herself. Cheryl Lee Robb.
02:11Wow. Thank you. Thank you all very much. I appreciate that because as I stand here, I can honestly say
02:21to you, I love SCAD.
02:28I went down to the Savannah campus, and I said, yeah, I was down there. I spoke, and Leslie Odom
02:37said, oh, you gotta go, you gotta go.
02:39Lisa Ann Walter said, you gotta go, you gotta go. Now I meet so many arts students, and I'm like,
02:46you gotta go.
02:47Oh, SCAD, I love you. So today, thank you. And thank you very much for that long walk across.
02:58Followed by applause, yes. So anyway, you know, they said, there's no teleprompter. Speak from your heart.
03:05And I love that. And I love that. But now that I have become known for giving these speeches, I
03:12have learned to write them down and put them in my phone.
03:17I'm so proud of myself.
03:22So when I get to talk about Quinta, Quinta Brunson, Quinta Brunson for me is literally a dream come true.
03:35My children and I were looking through papers, and they found my SAG card.
03:40And my son was like, oh my God, Mommy, you've been doing this forever.
03:45And I was like, yeah, since I was 19. Yes.
03:52Like 50 years. I love that you thought that was a joke.
03:59And I thought about when I first started, how when I got to sets, when I got to stage, I
04:06was usually the only one.
04:08The only one that looked like me. The only one that was a woman. A girl. The only one.
04:20So my dream was that one day things would be different.
04:25So here I am at this point in my career. And I get to work with, for somebody, half my
04:36age, who is literally my dream come true.
04:48There are a lot of people in the industry. A lot of talented people in the industry.
04:56She is talented. There are a lot of gifted people in the industry. Quinta is gifted.
05:03There are a lot of people that have magic. She's got magic and a bit of sorcery, too.
05:11But Quinta is also something that we don't often find. She is rare.
05:20And for me to witness her rise, you have no idea how I feel every time she wins an award.
05:30Oh, my God. Every time I see her picture, I'm like, yes, baby. Yes. Yes.
05:40And I have two children of my own, but that's my child right there. Look at my daughter.
05:45Oh, she's doing it. I get to work alongside Quinta and she shows up with vision.
05:52She shows up with generosity. She shows up with something that a lot of people are not.
06:00She is authentic. And Quinta has earned every bit of this moment.
06:16Every bit of it. And as you study, you should work towards being exactly what she is.
06:24The kind of a leader that, I'm telling you, everything trickles down from the top.
06:30If you got a bad set, it's because you got a strange director.
06:36You got a weird producer.
06:40But for us, with our TV show, and as you can tell, I did not read anything on my phone.
06:49With our show, the reason five years into it, we still laugh and talk together, all of us as a
06:59cast.
07:00Some of us even spend time together on the weekend. Not a whole lot, but enough.
07:06You know, the fact that we eat together, sometimes it's because it starts at the top.
07:16You can applaud that.
07:24And I could go on, but they said one to two minutes.
07:28And I do know that I am a preacher. I will be short for as long as it takes.
07:34So, my cue, let's take a look.
07:45We are family.
07:49I got all my sisters with me.
07:53We are family.
07:57Get up everybody and sing.
08:02We are family.
08:06We are family.
08:07I got all my sisters with me.
08:10We are family.
08:13Hi, everyone. I just wanted to say thank you so much.
08:16This is such a warm experience.
08:18And like Cheryl said, this is my first time at SCAD, but I love SCAD.
08:25It gifted me one of my favorite people.
08:27One of my writers, Chad Morton, who is here today.
08:30One of my favorite people.
08:31I love Chad so much.
08:33I call him my son.
08:34He's not my son.
08:35I didn't give birth to him.
08:38But he's one of my favorite people in the world.
08:40And I'm so happy to see where he came from, where the education he got is.
08:44Because this is just a lovely experience.
08:46I won't say too much because I'm going to talk a little bit later.
08:49But I wanted to say thank you for your support.
08:51Thank you for your support of my show.
08:53I wanted to thank Cheryl for that incredible, incredible, incredible intro.
08:58Cheryl, I love you so much.
08:59Thank you for coming.
09:00Thank you for leaving Jamaica and coming here to do this for me.
09:03She loves Jamaica so much.
09:04Whenever we're not filming, she's in Jamaica.
09:07And I thank you for coming down.
09:10Seriously, I love you.
09:11And I just, what else?
09:14I didn't, she said something earlier.
09:15I want to clarify I'm not a witch.
09:17She said something about sorcery.
09:18Just want to make that clear.
09:21And as I was watching the highlight reel, it's kind of funny because some of that was
09:25so long ago.
09:26And this has been a very blurring experience for us when you're doing a sitcom like this.
09:31It just all starts to roll together.
09:33So looking at the pilot again, I just want to encourage you guys to focus on your crafts.
09:40If you're a writer, focus on writing.
09:42You have the voice.
09:43Focus on the structure.
09:44Focus on what it is that you love to do because the Abbott pilot is a result of me focusing
09:49on my craft.
09:50And without doing that, that show wouldn't be here today.
09:54Yes, I was inspired by my mother's story, by the educators I knew.
09:57But if I didn't sit there and learn how to properly write a pilot, how to do a three-act
10:02structure,
10:03none of this would have happened.
10:04No flowers for Cheryl, no flowers for myself, no flowers for the people who feel represented
10:10by me and my show.
10:11So please, please, craft is important.
10:14I know there are so many other ways to make it big and get famous and blah, blah, blah.
10:18But man, that craft will gift you all of this.
10:21So I encourage all you students of craft to keep at it.
10:25Thank you guys so much.
10:29Hi, everyone.
10:31I'm Emily Longoretta, the director of features at Variety, and I am so, so excited.
10:37Of course, we are honoring the amazing Quinta Brunson today.
10:40So I don't want to waste any time.
10:42Let's bring out Quinta Brunson and the amazing Sherily Ralph.
10:57How are we doing, guys?
10:59We're doing great.
11:01I'm so happy because I didn't know that I was doing this panel with Cheryl.
11:06So I'm excited because as you see, she brings the energy.
11:10She brings in the noise.
11:11I bring in the funk, I think is a good way to put it.
11:14It's a really good collaboration.
11:15I feel like it's really fun.
11:19We're in season five of this show.
11:20When you came up with this idea, did you ever think five seasons in what you would be?
11:25I did.
11:26You did.
11:26I'm very intentional, which I think more people should openly be.
11:31It's one of those things that, you know, we're made to feel shame about if you're like, yeah, this show's
11:38going to be five seasons and over.
11:40But I think it's good to write with that in mind, write with longevity in mind and to have a
11:47plan, you know, to have a North Star, what you're working towards.
11:50And when you start a show, you want it to be built so that it can withstand whatever it is
11:58you see for it.
11:59So some people make miniseries, you know, like limited series.
12:02I think it's good to build with that in mind to say I'd like for this to have a one
12:06season beginning, middle and end or three season beginning, middle and end.
12:09So, yeah.
12:10She knew exactly that it was five years.
12:13When we talked the first time, she said, oh, no, I know where this show starts and I know where
12:19it ends at five years.
12:20And I said, five years.
12:21Girl, this show's going for 10 years.
12:24And then she laughed out loud.
12:27Yes.
12:29Yes.
12:32On the actor side, as an actor, do you like to know things ahead of time?
12:37Do you like to know the storylines that are coming ahead of time when it's something that you aren't in
12:41charge of that?
12:41I mean, for both of you.
12:42That's a good question.
12:43Because every actor has a different answer to that.
12:45Some people like to know, some people don't.
12:46What do you think, Cheryl?
12:47I feel like that might be more a question for you at this time.
12:50I think it really is about, from an actor's point of view, it's sometimes you want to know where you're
12:57going.
12:57You know, it's like you want to know and understand the arc of your character.
13:02You absolutely want to know what it is they think, they feel, but also you want to know what you
13:10don't know about the character.
13:13You know, so there are so many variables to that.
13:17Sometimes you're just happy to be there and have words.
13:20Yeah, I was about to say that.
13:23It's such a toss up for actor friends.
13:26I have friends who, they are working because they are acting workers and because they have to.
13:31They don't get the privilege of choice or to even be on a show that, you know, in our situation
13:38we're very, I'd say, comfortable is the word to use.
13:42We feel that we're going to be here for a while, we hope, and so there's a comfort there.
13:48But many actors for hire, like, I don't know, you're going to audition, maybe you get that commercial.
13:53Maybe you get that movie and you need to take that role.
13:56So it's a privilege to get to know where your character is going, I think.
14:00Yeah, absolutely.
14:01Quinta, you obviously wear so many hats on this show.
14:04Can you talk a little about your process of balancing that, of, you know, when, are you, do you have
14:09to turn something off in your brain when you are in front of the camera versus when you're in the
14:13editing room or when you're in the writer's room?
14:15It's evolved over the years.
14:16When I first started Abbott, I was happy and capable of doing every single thing.
14:24And that has changed over the years.
14:26I think many factors come into play.
14:29I wanted to be a part of every nerve of the body when we first began.
14:34And that was, once again, intention so that later I could pull back.
14:39I feel like everyone understands and is a part of the DNA.
14:42But that was because of being so involved in the first season and second season.
14:46And because of the way things have gone, the third season is where I would have hoped to maybe pull
14:51back a bit.
14:52But I had to get I had to stay just as involved because we were recovering from the worker strikes
14:59that had happened.
15:00So it was like rebuilding the ship all over again.
15:04We went back to 13 episodes or 14 and having to come back strong.
15:10And then we went to 22 again with season four.
15:14So it was getting back in that groove.
15:15This is the first season where I fully feel I can relax in some areas.
15:21But I do.
15:22When I'm on set, I love when I have those days where I can just act.
15:27And that is very rare.
15:29Yeah.
15:30Very rare.
15:31It might have happened one time this season.
15:33We've been shooting since July.
15:37But that's the way it is.
15:39You know, that's that's just the way it is when you do this kind of this kind of job.
15:43But I still remain very involved even while here.
15:47I am silently freaking out about a casting email situation that is happening because I'm still at work right now.
15:55It is.
15:56Is it Thursday?
15:57Friday?
15:58It's a work day is all I know.
16:00And I have to help keep things moving back in production because we go back to we're on hiatus from
16:06filming right now.
16:07But the show itself is not on hiatus.
16:10Therefore, I'm not on hiatus.
16:11But we go back to filming on Monday.
16:13So getting stuff ready for next week.
16:15Yeah.
16:16Great.
16:17You know what's funny?
16:19What's funny is to be on set with her as an actress.
16:24And then the writer creeps up and she will laugh at a line.
16:29And she said, I knew it was funny.
16:31I knew that.
16:32Girl, the camera's rolling.
16:34What?
16:35That is so funny.
16:37Or the flip side will be when you do it one way and then she'll say, but wait, maybe try
16:44it this way because she heard it in her head.
16:46And that's when I say to myself, she's working on becoming a director.
16:53What is this director thing everyone keeps bringing up?
16:56I just.
16:58I'm not alone.
16:59I know what I see.
17:01Uh huh.
17:02Do you want another job?
17:04See, that's what I'm talking about.
17:07Taking out another role.
17:08You know what's funny though?
17:10To Cheryl's point, you know, it gets brought up a lot on Abbott to do it.
17:14And everyone is like the natural next step.
17:17You know, people are like, well, you got to direct.
17:19You got to direct.
17:19And I think the beauty of building, you know, relationships and work relationships with the people around you is I
17:29don't I can't do that job right now.
17:31That was something that I would not be able to give 100 percent to is so involved.
17:37I'm sure there are potential directors in the room.
17:39It's so involved.
17:40And I would probably do a bad job, not because I'm bad at it, but because I can't dedicate my
17:46space to it.
17:48It will look on our show.
17:50It's a week of prep beforehand.
17:54It's meetings before that week of prep is so involved.
17:57And then you have to do it.
17:58Then you have to edit it and turn in your director's cut when we have writers do it.
18:04We lose them in the room for like four weeks and it hurts.
18:07And I hate it.
18:07But I also love that writers are getting the opportunity to direct when we have Tyler do it on the
18:12show.
18:12Tyler has to be written light one.
18:15He has to be written light one week so that he can't he can be in the meetings he needs
18:19to be in.
18:20And then he has to be written light the week after so that he can do his director's cut.
18:24So I don't I can't do that.
18:27I can't afford to lose me in the room.
18:30I can't.
18:31So I just don't now.
18:33But I have directors I love and trust so much.
18:36And it's been so wonderful to give new directors experiences.
18:39I think that's one of the things that's been the most rewarding is to give people the experience to direct
18:45who may not get it otherwise.
18:47Yeah.
18:47Yeah, for sure.
18:48Something I wanted to bring up is the kids on the show.
18:51I mean, five years watching a group of teachers and professionals and adults is one thing.
18:56But we've also watched this group of kids grow up.
18:58Have you guys been watching?
18:59How has that been for you guys on set?
19:01I think for me, it is so rewarding to see them in the classroom and they are literally learning in
19:13the classroom about the industry.
19:16When you hear a child say, what's cut?
19:21Yeah.
19:23Or when they start asking questions.
19:26You remember that day when one of the girls said, I'm a producer.
19:29Yeah.
19:30Yes.
19:30And we were like, OK.
19:33You know, I didn't know if it would be followed by.
19:36Now, what does a producer do?
19:38Yeah.
19:38But the fact that they're calling it out loud and understanding the industry from so many different areas.
19:46They understand the director.
19:48They're understanding the producer.
19:50And it's starting in the kindergarten, which is weird for me.
19:54Yeah.
19:54Yeah.
19:55So we're we're very thankful for that.
19:57It's been great to see them.
19:59So it's crazy because we have kids who have been with us since the pilot.
20:03Yes.
20:04Kindergarteners that were in her class.
20:07And it's like it's just mind blowing.
20:10We have kids to, you know, representation is great.
20:14Right.
20:14We all know that it's deeper when you see kids be be on a set.
20:19Watch it work and go.
20:21They look at TV and they go, oh, my God.
20:23Actor.
20:24That's what you can be.
20:24But now we have kids who are like, I want to be a script coordinator.
20:28What?
20:29Wow.
20:31A boring.
20:32But B that's so that's so beautiful to see a little kid understand that there are so many different parts
20:42of this world.
20:44And some of them have been with us so long that they understand the prop master.
20:49They understand that team and they understand when someone's using a different method for keeping props in place.
20:55They are picking up so much.
20:56It makes me tear up daily because you can't bottle that up.
21:03I didn't expect that.
21:04Right.
21:04You know, make a whatever.
21:06You're just making a show.
21:07That's it.
21:07You're just making a pilot, a comedy pilot.
21:09And then you get to see things like this daily.
21:11And it is it's really emotional.
21:15And you just said the word team, which is is so important to what you were just saying, because it
21:20also shows those kids that this isn't just the people you see on TV.
21:24It takes a whole army of people making this work from from many, many months before to many, many weeks
21:31later of one episode for one episode.
21:32You have no idea.
21:33And then there are us there play teachers.
21:36And then there are studio teachers who are there real teachers.
21:39There are a D's who without those a D's, we cannot do this job.
21:44Shout out to Ricky and Jasmine, who are two people and grace who manage these kids with such love and
21:50care and tenderness.
21:51And they are members of this industry who are also doing this job of managing children with just so much
21:58grace.
21:59You know, guys, the patience it takes for them to do this for us to have the working show that
22:03you see.
22:04Oh, man, it's it's incredible.
22:07Yeah, absolutely.
22:08Yeah.
22:08Something the sitcom does that is so when it's done well and it's not always done well, but for you
22:14guys, it is when it's done well is finding this balance of the humor and the heart.
22:18And that it may make you laugh out loud.
22:21But the reason you say is because you fall in love with these characters and you care so much about
22:25who they are as people.
22:26How do you guys go about continuing that season after season and making sure that there's that balance between that
22:32humor and heart with the characters?
22:35A lot of it comes from the scripts that we get.
22:38Yeah, a lot of it comes from.
22:40Let's say you see.
22:42OK, the last episode, I said I questioned a line and I said, do you think that it would be
22:49it would be this?
22:50Do you think this would be it?
22:51And Quinto immediately said, give me five minutes.
22:55OK, so maybe it was six o'clock in the morning.
22:57Exactly.
22:59Because we literally if your call time is at five thirty, you're going to have usually possibly a 12 hour
23:07day.
23:08So you start your call times five thirty.
23:10Your off time is five thirty.
23:11Anything after five thirty is overtime.
23:14So we work long.
23:15So I'm calling her 30 minutes after being there.
23:19Do you think?
23:20Give me five.
23:22Take 15.
23:23Comes back, but solves it.
23:26So it's being able to work like that.
23:31And that was a question where Cheryl had, you know, Cheryl is wonderful.
23:35She will respectfully say and do what is written.
23:38But she's been sitting with Barbara Howard so long that I trust her opinions on if words are going to
23:44come right coming out of Barbara Howard's mouth.
23:46And sometimes when we're writing jokes, we're like, just that'll be funny.
23:49That'll be funny.
23:50And then it'll happen when I'm on set where I'm like, I don't like that coming out of your mouth.
23:55And I wasn't on set with Cheryl at that moment.
23:56But she texted me and I said, yeah, you have a point.
23:58Let me modify that and make sure it sounds right coming from this character.
24:02And we try to make it so that that doesn't doesn't happen a lot.
24:05Right.
24:05And it does about hearing it.
24:07And as far as heart and humor, I think the episode you guys just watched was like a really good
24:11example of it,
24:12where it's just a balancing act from episode to episode, from scene to scene, from line to line.
24:20I want to make you fall in love with the characters just as much as I want you to laugh
24:25with them.
24:26So that's really important.
24:28And I think that that episode was a great example of that balance.
24:32But I think it has to be there from the beginning in some way or shape or form.
24:38I think it's heart.
24:39And guess what?
24:39Some comedies.
24:40Some of my favorite comedies have absolutely no heart.
24:4430 Rock is like heartless.
24:46And it is.
24:47And it's super funny.
24:49Family Guy is heartless.
24:51Always Sunny is heartless.
24:52So it doesn't have to have.
24:54I guess you're right.
24:55It is a different a different kind of sitcom.
24:57Yeah.
24:57A different kind of comedy.
24:58It doesn't have to have it.
24:59But if you if you can do it and that that's what the importance of voice.
25:03What is your what do you what kind of comedy do you want to make?
25:06What kind of story do you want to tell?
25:08Because I don't some of the best comedies in the world.
25:11Absolutely nothing warm about them.
25:13They're just funny, which is worth something in my book.
25:16Absolutely.
25:17Absolutely.
25:17And we need that.
25:19The world needs that.
25:20Something that you guys just touched on, like, you know, having that collaboration on set.
25:24Has that changed from season one to now of that relationship?
25:28Or was that always the case with people kind of coming to you and helping?
25:31Because some sets, some people aren't open to that.
25:34Some showrunners aren't as involved like that.
25:36Yeah.
25:36But what do you think, Cheryl?
25:37I honestly think it started from the very top.
25:40I think so, too.
25:41Absolutely.
25:41From the very beginning.
25:43This was.
25:46This was a good gig.
25:50I was.
25:51Because before that I had been on a gig and I was like, this is not a good gig.
25:57I said I have to save her.
25:59And she did, thank God.
26:01But from the very beginning.
26:04You know, and sometimes, you know, as an actor, sometimes you have a little bit of angst about this.
26:09Or why isn't this happening?
26:11Why isn't that happening?
26:12And then you wait.
26:13And then it all comes together.
26:15And you're like, oh, I see.
26:17Oh, I get it.
26:19And it's just like, it's okay, baby.
26:21It's okay.
26:22You know, when you talk to the actor in the mirror.
26:25Yeah, it's like, it's fine.
26:27You're in the absolute right place with the right thing.
26:29And it's happened.
26:30It started at the beginning.
26:32And that's why I say, we all still get along.
26:36We all still are able to talk with each other.
26:39And we're still able to talk with Quinta.
26:43You know, and sometimes you're on some shows.
26:45You don't talk to anybody because nobody's talking to you.
26:48Right.
26:49And then you get on the set and you're like, I can't say this with attitude.
26:54Instead of being able to say, tell me what you think about this.
26:58Yeah.
26:58You know, it's different.
27:00And I had been on sets prior to this where I was like, oh, I don't want my set to
27:05run
27:06that way.
27:06And then I was on a set where I was like, this is how I want my set to run.
27:12That was a show called Miracle Workers.
27:15That was so, it was this little small show, so silly, with like Daniel Radcliffe and Steve
27:21Buscemi.
27:21But that set was run with such love and care and openness.
27:25It was my show right before Abbott, right?
27:27I left that show on Friday and the Abbott pilot started filming on Monday.
27:31And I said, this is what I want to take with me.
27:34And a lot of my ethos, I met someone outside who also worked at Apple.
27:37A lot of my ethos came from working at the Apple store.
27:41And like, it did, you know, the environment was very, if you have a question you ask,
27:46you go, I don't know, let's find out.
27:48It was a really, at that time, very, you know, creative and beautiful environment.
27:53And I said, I think I can apply that to a set.
27:56And so I did.
27:57And it is, I didn't know how much it would be appreciated.
28:01We have people who come to our show who have been in the industry for years.
28:05And they come and they go, no, no, no, I don't think you get it.
28:07We've never seen anything like this, which is very rewarding.
28:11Absolutely, of course.
28:12And they love coming up to our show.
28:14Yeah.
28:14I mean, when we have guest stars, they're always, they will always say to me, girl, oh, my God, aren't
28:22you loving this?
28:23And I'm like, uh-huh, uh-huh.
28:27And that's proof in how incredible the guest stars you get are.
28:30So that's, it makes sense that they just want to keep coming.
28:34Something, I mean, a lot of people obviously in here are creatives who are wanting to dive into this industry
28:39or who are already in this industry.
28:40What advice do you say when there is that difficult set that maybe the person isn't as, as, you know,
28:46helpful when it comes to, you know, being welcoming to comments and questions and things like that?
28:50How do you end up still delivering those lines or still writing an episode that, you know, resonates?
28:58Go ahead.
29:01I think you just don't, you don't lose yourself.
29:08There are going to be assholes.
29:09There are going to be mean people.
29:10There are going to be people who run their sets the way they do for the reason that they do.
29:17That's really not your problem.
29:19I think your job in that moment, and no one wants to hear it, but I think it's important for
29:24you guys to hear it, is to survive.
29:26Like, don't lose yourself and survive.
29:29Don't turn into the monster.
29:31Just survive.
29:31Just get through it.
29:33And I think because you get through it and you establish, when you remain intact, that sends a signal to
29:40the world of what kind of person you are.
29:42And something will come to you because you have told the world who you are.
29:47That's right.
29:48Something will come to you to meet you at that place, you know.
29:51And I think that starts early on for me in college.
29:54It's little tiny choices every day.
29:59I don't want to be around that.
30:00I don't want to do that.
30:02I don't want to go to that party.
30:03I don't know.
30:04That's not a representation of what I want to do.
30:07That's not where I want to be.
30:09There are pieces of this here that are a representation of what I want to do.
30:12I remember I did stuff like little, something people don't know is like I was a PA for a really
30:18long time.
30:19I was a PA and a styling assistant.
30:21And when I was a PA, I did, one of the first things I was a PA on was Donald
30:27Glover's Heartbeat music video.
30:30And I was just, all I knew is I will be on a set.
30:38That's my goal right now.
30:39I want to be on a set.
30:41I didn't see any, you know what I mean, like nothing.
30:45It was just like I want to be on a set.
30:47That's my goal.
30:47I want to know how a set works.
30:49And that turned into such a rewarding experience.
30:52And then I got to PA on Key & Peele for a day.
30:55This was the first episode actually, the pilot.
30:57Then you got to hire one of them.
30:59I did.
31:00No, seriously.
31:01And so I took the jobs that helped me get here today, I think, even though it wasn't always.
31:11When I was a styling assistant for fashion, despite my Mugler outfit, I don't care about fashion that much.
31:16I don't.
31:17I don't.
31:18But you know, but at the time I was like, yeah, man, I want to know how sets work.
31:21How does a photo shoot work?
31:22And that that led to one of the most beautiful relationships I've had with my.
31:26Her name's Samir Nasir.
31:28She runs Harper's Bazaar.
31:29But she's always been in my corner and just a person who became a mentor, even though fashion is not
31:36my forte.
31:37But, you know, that's what I mean.
31:38You just do some jobs.
31:40You'll make some connections and don't lose yourself.
31:42Yeah.
31:43Was that?
31:44That was very good.
31:45Okay.
31:46I try to say things.
31:47That's very good.
31:48I should have said it like you.
31:49When you went.
31:50I said next time you present me something, I'm going to go get the award first and then
31:55you can present afterwards.
31:57Because I don't.
31:58You talking first, it really sets me up for.
32:00Because I'm not.
32:01No, it doesn't.
32:02It does.
32:03I can't bring the energy.
32:04Yes, you can.
32:04Just now I should have said that.
32:06You were perfect with what you just said.
32:07I should have.
32:08You were perfect.
32:09Let's try to bring it up.
32:11I'm trying to.
32:12There you go.
32:13Trying to get more energy going.
32:14But I think you need to lean into what she said.
32:17Yeah.
32:18When this is a rough business, this is, it is far more difficult than you can imagine.
32:30So, it would behoove you to, like she said earlier, lean into your craft.
32:40Because your craft will carry you.
32:45A lot of people think you just roll out of bed and do this.
32:51No, you don't.
32:52It is your craft that will carry you.
32:57I should have said that.
32:59That's really good.
33:01That's so good.
33:03I moved and I kind of was saying the same thing, but now I believe it.
33:07It's really good.
33:08Yeah.
33:09And you must know, it really helps coming to the industry knowing who you are.
33:16Yeah.
33:17Because there's a lot out there in the industry to break you down.
33:22You audition and you hear no after no after no after no.
33:29You worry about, am I doing this self-tape properly?
33:33I'm so glad I don't have to do self-tapes.
33:37But you worry about these things.
33:40You have to learn more than we had to learn because you've got to light yourself, mic yourself, stage yourself.
33:48You've got to do it all.
33:49And they watch those things.
33:52There have been people on our show, they get hired from self-tapes.
33:59Don't forget who you are.
34:04Know your bottom line.
34:08Because as you were seeing, folks can go real low in this industry.
34:14It's a truth.
34:15It is.
34:15Oh, I've seen it.
34:17Cheryl, I'm cutting you off.
34:18And I had to walk away.
34:19I'm cutting you off.
34:20Right?
34:21Yes.
34:21I've had to walk away.
34:23Yes.
34:24Absolutely.
34:25Because I know who Cheryl Lee Ralph is.
34:27Woo!
34:33God, so good.
34:35So good.
34:35I think the secret is to get two people like this to be in your corner, I feel like.
34:39Because if we walk up to that every day, I'd be like, we can all do it.
34:43We are going to, I want to just have a few more minutes.
34:45So I want to take like one or two questions from the audience.
34:47I think we're going to have someone coming around with a mic.
34:50I know.
34:51I think right up here was the first one I saw.
34:52If we want to grab that one.
34:53I know.
34:53There's way more people in here than I thought.
34:55Oh!
34:57We couldn't see anything.
34:59I had no idea.
35:00Wow.
35:01Sorry.
35:02Yeah.
35:02Can we do this?
35:03He put his hand up first.
35:04If we could just give his...
35:05I was so fast.
35:07Hi, Quinita.
35:08Hi, Cheryl.
35:09I'm Marcus Brown.
35:10Marcus Brown?
35:11No, what do you call me?
35:13Quinita.
35:13Quinta.
35:14My bad.
35:14It's okay, Sierra.
35:15It's fine.
35:17Thank you both for being here.
35:19I love you since the popcorn video you made, Quinta.
35:22He got money.
35:28I'm an acting major in Savannah campus.
35:30I'm dabbling in writing.
35:32And I'd like to know, as an actor and a writer, I also saw in the recent interview Chris had
35:37that you talked about how you made the character and stuff for Jacob and stuff.
35:42So I want to know, how do you write characters and make stories for them and arcs for them and
35:47that type of thing and how you grow?
35:50Yeah.
35:51Yeah.
35:51So for the characters in the show, they're just very well formed.
35:56I know who they are.
35:58They are in my brains 24-7.
36:01Same thing with the writer's room.
36:02We know these characters to the point where we speak in their mannerisms and everything.
36:09You should hear the Justin Halpern.
36:11Justin Halpern is a bald white man who does a mean Barbara Howard because we just know these characters so
36:18well.
36:19And so we speak like them.
36:21We feel them.
36:22They're in our bodies.
36:23And if you can put that character in your body, you know what's next move.
36:26Larry Wilmore taught me one of my favorite things.
36:28If you put $5 down, you should know how to pick.
36:32Each character should pick those $5 up different and do something different with it.
36:35And if you don't know that about your characters, then you might want to go back to the drawing board.
36:39That's great.
36:40Great.
36:40Thank you for the question.
36:42Next one.
36:46Hello.
36:47Hi.
36:47Thank you so much for being here.
36:48You guys look so beautiful.
36:50So do you.
36:50Oh my God.
36:52Stop.
36:53My name is Madison Nicole.
36:56I'm a senior acting major here at the Atlanta campus.
36:59Thank you so much.
37:00Yeah.
37:01Yeah.
37:01Yeah.
37:02Yeah.
37:02I am also a dramatic writing minor.
37:04And I'm just so in awe of you and your body of work.
37:08And I really wanted to ask, how did you pitch yourself?
37:10Not only as the show runner, one of the lead writers, but as the lead.
37:13I'm so curious as those steps.
37:15That's a good question.
37:15I love this question.
37:17Yes.
37:17Please.
37:17Tell me.
37:17Because I get to say something that people don't know.
37:19I did not pitch myself as the lead of this show.
37:22Wow.
37:22Oh wow.
37:23Who was, no one was here from original, from OG pitch days.
37:27I actually, now I love, she's a friend.
37:30So I actually had Kiersey Clemons.
37:32Do you know her?
37:32Oh yes.
37:33So I had Kiersey.
37:35I had Kiersey.
37:36I did not.
37:37I intended fully to sit down and just write this show.
37:40That was the mission.
37:41And then it was a, a mix of Warner Brothers and ABC that kind of came to me and was
37:48like,
37:48did you think we were picking this up?
37:49And you weren't going to be in it.
37:52And so, and that was that.
37:54And it was a battle I wasn't willing to fight, kind of.
37:57Because, yeah.
37:58I mean, I like who I, yeah.
37:59And then also there were, there were other battles to fight, but I, at that time I really
38:03thought I wanted to just focus on writing the show.
38:05But, um, so I didn't really pitch myself as far as writing.
38:09Like I said, you guys, you, a good, a good, well written thing goes a long way.
38:13I know you may think that there are other people who, um, are, you know, more visible
38:19than you, especially with like social media and stuff.
38:21And, and, and guess what?
38:23If they're not good, their pilot's going to suck and they're going to fail.
38:27It doesn't matter how many followers, how many, you know, fans, it doesn't matter.
38:32You know, it has to be good.
38:35So I've written, or sorry, I've read, I read movies, pilots from people all the time.
38:40Some of them are unknowns and it's the best writing.
38:43There's a girl I'm so excited about right now that none of you in this room know.
38:46And I think she is an excellent writer and that, so just be good at what you do.
38:52I feel like that's getting thrown out the window.
38:54That's why I'm putting so much emphasis on it.
38:56You know, it's just starting to get thrown out.
38:58And no, especially for, and by all of us, right.
39:03But especially marginalized communities.
39:06I get it.
39:07You know, for a while they were just letting us in.
39:09Cause they're like, you're black.
39:10We love black.
39:11We want to also be very good.
39:15Not because we need to be undeniable.
39:17But because we have to make things that stand the test of time.
39:20We want to make good art.
39:21So that's my response there.
39:28We probably have time for one more over on this side.
39:30We got a question right here.
39:34Hi.
39:35Oh my God.
39:36This is so crazy.
39:36I look up to you guys so much.
39:39I'm Christian Webb.
39:40I'm a sound design major.
39:40And as a black woman.
39:42Oh, what major?
39:43Yes.
39:44Oh, I love that.
39:47As a black woman who has won an Emmy award for lead actress in a TV series or comedy in
39:52a really long time.
39:54I just want to know, do you have any inspiration for us black women who are in the industry?
39:59It's not easy and staying true to ourselves.
40:02Like what should we, how should we go about doing this?
40:06This is very difficult.
40:13I want to give this thought.
40:16I want to say, oh man.
40:19I want to give this thought.
40:21Okay.
40:22I think, oh baby.
40:25I think community is important.
40:27I think, I think, I think good foundation for yourself.
40:35So if you have some good friends, one of my very good friends is here today, Lana, who just can't,
40:39she lives, sorry, I'm not going to put all your business out there.
40:41But she has been a part of my foundation since college.
40:44And there is no me without the support of her.
40:47She's part of the reason I graduated college.
40:49I didn't go to class.
40:51Lana, Lana, you know, she would call me and go, class is now, you know, you should be in class.
40:56And she's part of what helped me graduate.
40:58And she, she, she, we feed into each other as women and as black women.
41:02So that's important, you know, so, so you can stay grounded, I think.
41:07And then as far as the industry, it's hard, man.
41:11Cheryl has been saying it, you know, Cheryl is someone I looked at where day one, she can attest to
41:18this.
41:18I said to her, because I knew I could, I was like, I'm going to get you an Emmy, because
41:24I knew that I could.
41:26But that is what I mean about intention, you know, from, that was intention.
41:33And every small choice from that moment on was intentional to do that.
41:38So I think making sure you have community around you that will be there, big or small, rise or fall,
41:48because the truth is you cannot control a lot of what is going to happen.
41:53But you need people who value you for what you are.
41:56Sometimes I think about the moment, you know, whatever, different opinions on it.
42:00But like when Angela Bassett didn't get, like, the Oscar and everyone was really mad.
42:04But you know what I think in my mind?
42:06She already has an Oscar to me.
42:07I treat her as a, you know, she is everything to me.
42:13Cheryl is royalty to me.
42:15These people are royal to me.
42:18And I think having that mind state is so helpful.
42:22When I came here today and saw all these beautiful people, and especially all these beautiful black girls.
42:28Like, you know, I, you know, like, an Emmy is great, but that is what is invaluable to me.
42:35You know what I mean?
42:36So I think just remembering that that is most important.
42:39Doing your work, doing it well, and being, you know, part of a community.
42:45Yeah.
42:52If you think this is difficult, if you think this is hard, please,
43:05please find another occupation.
43:10Please do something else.
43:15None of what we do is for the faint of heart.
43:19It is very difficult exposing your raw feelings and talent, your art to people to have it rejected.
43:29Over and over and over and over again.
43:34It is hard when you deliver your best work and someone says, I don't like her, she looks like my
43:41ex-wife.
43:45It's true.
43:46It could be for nothing.
43:47Like, you know, just people just don't like you for no good reason.
43:52It's true.
43:52As much as people love Abbott and everything and, you know, and love us and we receive that love, we
43:57be getting our ass beat, too.
43:58We do.
43:59We do.
43:59We really, you know, you deal with a lot every day.
44:02It's just as much bad as it is good.
44:04I didn't mean to interrupt.
44:05You were doing a good job.
44:06No, that's good to add on to what I'm saying.
44:07Yeah.
44:07Because you better know who you are.
44:11You think that I did not start out at 18, 19 when I got my union card feeling that I
44:19was the best thing since sliced bread?
44:23You think I didn't know that?
44:25You think I didn't go for it?
44:27You think I didn't find my way to Warner Brothers Studio to meet Mr. Poitier one day in L.A.?
44:38Girl, if you're questioning who you are and how hard it is, just stop.
44:45Because this business will take a nice bite out of you.
44:52Chew you up.
44:55Maybe lean back, put some salt and pepper on you and decide I don't like it.
45:04That's showbiz.
45:07That's showbiz.
45:09So I'm going to say it one more time.
45:12Lean in to your craft.
45:30I can't think of a better way to end on.
45:34Thank you all so much for coming.
45:35Please give it up.
45:36Thank you guys.
45:37Thanks for the presentation and share a leave.
45:38All right.
45:39Bye.
45:39Bye.
45:39Bye.
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