A "Problem" for Monie Love

Let me start by bringing you up to speed on a recent situation.

While driving the other day I heard the Ed Lover Show team discussing Classic Hip Hop Christmas Songs. I heard them deem Run DMC, Kurtis Blow, TLC (up for debate) as well as DMX’s latest effort as hip-hop Christmas classics.

I did not hear them mention others because I moved on with my day before the segment ended. Later in the day I thought about the conversation again and sent a tweet tagging the show and Monie Love saying, “so disappointed that no one mentioned 95 south (which was a mistake, it was the 69 Boys) and OutKast as #ClassicHipHopChristmasSongs especially for the south. #dobetter (You are welcome to see the tweets on my twitter feed @MsJurena).

Long story short Monie Love and I had a short exchange on twitter about it later that evening before I called it a night. I woke up the next morning to find that I had been blocked. Then while driving the next morning, I hear that Monie Love had a problem on twitter. She and Ed Lover then proceeded to have a short discussion about my tweet, call me out and tell me to watch my mouth. It was then brought to my attention that more tweets had been sent to me accusing me of a couple things after I was blocked. When I got to review those tweets Monie Love basically spoke of, not knowing anything of those songs, so do she couldn’t do better. She proceeded to tell me how she wouldn’t front for me or anyone else about knowing them. She said she wouldn’t accept my “do better” because it was rude, impolite and uncalled for. She then went into how I must have “brought out the concept for coming at people any old kinda way on social media” and said I felt like I knew her to tell her to do any “damn” thing. NOPE & Peace and bye!”

Here is my response to all of that...

I never said or asked her to front, my words weren’t harsh, and my tone wasn’t rude, but I see they were received them that way. The bottom line is we are here as grown women because of a “problem on twitter” over Christmas songs. I heard the explanation for why they weren’t included so ok, even though I feel like the criteria was bogus, but that’s another discussion. I don’t have a problem with Monie Love or the songs named but yeah, I did feel some kinda way when it seemed that an ongoing problem in hip hop was coming to light again, discounting contributions made outside of the mecca. Think about it like this, how would you feel if it seemed someone came into your backyard and failed to, at least mention relevant contribution based on questionable criteria or limited knowledge? Ignorance is not an excuse. You are held to a higher standard in hip hop because you are Monie Love and Ed Lover. So yeah, it remains a #dobetter now because she allowed a “problem” on the internet to bother her.

Maybe I could have worded my tweet better, but I didn’t. Did I disrespect her? No, she got emotional. I stand by what I said and in turn ask that the next time she and Ed Lover are discussing something like this that they stop to think or have someone on staff to research if there are other songs that can be included. Stop to think about your listeners in all markets who maybe offended because of your perception. Atlanta is your largest market, four of the seven are in the south and to a lot of people those songs are classics.  Instead of perceiving things as an attack and going Love and Hip Hop style on social media, let’ have a healthy conversation and turn situations like this into teachable moments where the culture is celebrated. I will not “watch my mouth” as Ed Lover suggested because just like you, I am hip hop too. I credit you both with contributing to that. There are a lot of perceptions that need to be discussed or clarified and honestly at our age in hip hop, that’s what we should be discussing, not screaming (or typing in all caps) and blocking people on social media.  So yeah it’s still a #dobetter.

@MsJurena

What's UP with Industry Life?

Sorry we haven't posted in a while but like we've tried to convey, A LOT GOES ON BEHIND THE SCENES and it's no different with us!

We have some great things coming into play and with that we sometimes have to take baby steps to get things going! Rest assured we are working on expanding our brand so look for those things to come next year!

Thanks for your patience,
Industry Life 

industryLIFE: Country Music Hall of Fame Places Behind-The-Scene Stars In The Spotlight

Most people who desire to be apart of this business are those whose talents are obviously singing, dancing or acting. However we know that after a gig or two or three behind the magic curtain, you can get bit by that bug and before you know it you are adding you organizational skills, phone etiquette etc to the mix and becoming a #BTS Star in your own right. 

Now with so much going on with the folk front and center its hard to even think about the people backstage screaming on headsets or yelling over text messages until you catch a glimpse of them in a random shot of the crew during the credits or as the camera pans left and catches their likeness, then you may wonder what the hell does that guy do. Often more than you can imagine!

So while on a trip to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, TN we were delighted to see an exhibit that put a spotlight on jobs behind the scenes!!

There encased in glass were bobble heads representing the #BTS Star roles. From managers, administrators, lawyers, publicist, tour managers, directors, grips, PAs and more, they all had a place to be recognized for working their asses off to give an audience a great show or product. 

Andy our tour guide, a lively man told us he spent most of his career on music row but was now retired and spending most of his time at the museum. He never did mention what exactly he did on music row but that's another story. 

The museum is filled with memorabilia from some country music greats like Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash and Loretta Lynn right beside the current hot girl Taylor Swift. As we toured we saw Elvis' gold plated piano (I thought rappers balled out!) and other cool stuff but when we got to the area housing the behind the scenes careers our hearts jumped. Andy made a point to tell our group that even if you can't sing or dance you can still be apart of this industry. A great experience overall and one the whole family can enjoy! 

Great job CMHF...Hip Hop Hall of Fame you've got next! 

industryLIFE: Veteran vs. Novice

We all start off as "newbies" but HOW you approach coming into an organization or professional situation can tell so much. Believe it or not, seasoned people can often tell a newbie right off the bat. Some of the tattle tale signs are coming in too aggressive, being disrespectful to others and name dropping. In the media, music and entertainment business these are some of the quickest ways to get your name placed on the "do not call them to work again" list. Here are two examples of what I mean...

While on assignment with the City of Atlanta for a relaunch campaign I encountered my first example. The campaign, already somewhat in motion, was not cohesive and basically not engaging enough to capture the eyes of the city. When I came on board I made efforts to get a handle on the media, posters etc that were currently being designed and shocked to find out that they were missing important pieces of information like the seal from the city and the dates and times of events. I immediately went into redesign mode and brought things up to par. The next task was to craft the official release about the relaunch of the city's services. As I was working on that, I got a call from one of the magazines we were working with inquiring about a woman whom had contacted them about the very ad that we had just spent hours revamping. The woman said that she would be the contact for things moving forward but the editor was not having it and called me immediately. She said she didn't believe this woman and to make matters worse her phone etiquette was horrible. I thanked her for the call and went back to my writing.

Just as I regained my focus on the press release, my line rang and it was the women. She was not very pleasant and some what demeaning at the same time. She started by telling me her name and going straight into questions like what so what are you doing on this campaign? Before I answered I asked her to explain her role. She stopped and replied, I will be marketing and media for this campaign. OK I thought, she is new to this. How did I know? She was so excited and she was more concerned with everyone's title vs. the actual work that had been done or not done! It was like she had been sitting home praying someone called her to work. Most seasoned people would start a call a lot different, they want to know where the bodies are buried, all the pertinent info to get this thing up and going without having to be on the no sleep team. Most of us could careless about the title they have, we want to know about the work! I ended that call by saying we can discuss all of that when you come into the office, can we expect you tomorrow? She seemed stunned by my answer but told me she would be there first thing tomorrow morning. Oh Goody, I couldn't wait...

When we finally did meet, she was very different from the phone. I don't know if she was on a sugar high or just excited to be on this assignment but she was different in a good way. That's when I decided she wasn't hopeless just clueless so I decided to share some wisdom. I told her to never ever approach a situation like that again. I informed her that the best way to handle it would be to ask, what is your role instead of asking "did they just ask you to write a release?" Pretty much the same question but a lot more professional. Her question nor tone showed me the professional she turned out to be (thank God!).  She agreed and apologized for the behavior. We worked together for months and actually collaborated on what would become a successful campaign for the city. When the assignment ended, I moved on to my next but got a phone call from the young woman. She said, "I just want to let you know I enjoyed working with you and hoped that we can keep in touch".  I don't hold many grudges so I agreed that we could stay in touch.

Then there was the email encounter I had with someone who limited himself to only doing PR for the hip hop community. I was working with a DJ who wanted to increase his bookings. We came up with a plan to do an email campaign. We combined our lists and sent the blast. Not 30 seconds after the blast hit in boxes, I got a reply from a guy asking..."How do you know DJ XXX?"....no introduction, nothing just how do you know him? First off I'm like why is he so protective of another man? And who the hell is this? Finally I replied is there something I can help you with? He replied, yes, I am a personal friend of his and was not aware that he was working with a PR (that phrase bugs real PR people but I'll save that for a whole other blog!)...I laughed because I knew this DJ was not committed to one PR person and worked with quite a few of us. I waited about an hour then replied...I've known him for 20 years, I drove him to many of his first gigs and even helped him carry crates...how do you know him again?

There was no rely. Then about 2 weeks later, I woke up to find a Facebook friend request from the newbie with a note saying "sorry". Do you think I added him? Ha Ha Ha!

industryLIFE: A Note About Vol. II

Since we began this series, we've had some interesting things happen. From turning down a publishing deal to dealing with life situations, we are still here and not going anywhere!

Since our launch almost 3 years ago, we've had one mission which is to share real experiences from the Media, Music and Entertainment world while giving you information that also helps people thrive in these fields. No it's not all about going to college to learn to work in these professions, there are somethings only experience can teach and that's what we focus on!

Before we began offering these insights, most learned by doing but we wanted to give those who may not have those opportunities to have access to the information too. We have shared stories that some will only whisper about and to be honest we have shed some of our inhibitions by doing so. So be patient, we will have Vol. II ready soon. At this point we have no choice but to continue on the journey we began.

Each One, Teach One!

#iLBS Team

industryLIFE: Can I Get Some Professionalism?

Over the years I have worked with some of the best people in the media and music industry however there seems to be a "thing-y" that happens when successful/famous people come into the picture...most people lose their professionalism, their focus and often their cool. So this is the story of one incidents.

On several assignments where I was working as a #BTS Producer for recording artists, I got to see professionalism lost first hand. Now as I have said before people come into the business from various walks of life so they approach situations from different vantage points and that's where things can go really bad!

On one particular assignment where I was working with a successful female rapper and her superstar music producer, we all witnessed the melt down of professionalism. The assignment was to capture the artist and producer working in the studio, on set and behind the scenes. The artist and producer were well known and their music was global. They were working on the next album for this artist and the project would require hiring several camera people to capture as much of the happenings that we could from Atlanta to Los Angeles. Since the project was “fluid” I was on call. Basically I had to wait for calls from the record label or management to give me the next location for shooting then assemble a crew to get the job done. At one point the artist would be in LA recording tracks for the album. The studio where she was working was pretty popular in the business and many artist had recorded there in the past. On this particular night she would be recording with a long time friend and pop superstar and the label wanted that footage. I was called at about 3am, yes 3am with all the particulars for the next night. Well I spent the next few hours reaching out to secure a camera person for the shoot. A friend at the time suggested using his brother for the shoot. Now I thought this guy had spent enough time around the business to know the drill but boy was I wrong!

I got in contact with the guy and he was willing to do it! I gave him the location and all the information that he needed to make it a successful shoot however I should have given him some lessons in professionalism too. I made sure the camera man arrived before the talent and stayed on the phone with him to make sure all was going well. He assured me that it was so I relaxed as much as I could since I was not physically their to manage the situation. A few hours passed and since I was in Atlanta all I could do was wait to hear how things had gone. Well about 3am my cell phone rang and it was the artist’s manager. She and I had known each other for a few years so there was a comfort level already established. When I answered she greeted me and then said are you sitting down? I was shook but yeah I was sitting and asked her to go on. She asked me if I had spoken to the camera man to which I replied not in a few hours, why? What happened? The manager went on to tell me that the artist was furious! I just sat quietly waiting for the shoe to drop. She told me that when the artist arrived the camera man was there but he had brought a few friends along. (WTF this is work, would you take your friends to your call center job?) Ok, I started taking notes. She went on to say that in addition to the friends tagging along this guy had no professionalism at all. First off when the artist arrived, he did not introduce himself. He simply grabbed his camera turned it on and started shooting her! Now maybe some celebrities are OK with this but she was not. She was known as being a hard core rapper so when she saw some strange guy shooting footage of her and her friends she went over to confront him. When she did, he told her that he had been hired by the label to shoot her session that night. She did not know anything about this and since he had already rubbed her the wrong way, she called her manager to find out what was going on. The manager assured her that he was just a little new and apologized on his behalf. She let it slide for that night but the manager asked me to NEVER use him again. I agreed.

When the artist returned to Atlanta, I made sure to be there for every session so that we could make her feel comfortable and to reassure her that we would not tape anything that she did not want us too. She and I talked about the incident in LA and I apologized again. She was cool so we proceeded with that night's work with a new camera person. Because of what happened in LA I had to stay there as they recorded through the night just to make sure there were no f*ck ups! The shoot went great that night! We got some great footage of them working together, we put the camera man in the booth with her as she recorded her latest song and it looked great on camera. When the recording session was over, I was ready to go home and get some sleep but that money has to always be taken care of. I told the camera man that he was done and that I would take care of invoice being signed off on. He left the studio to load his gear into the car and I went to find the producer to get his signature. Now he was hanging out in the TV room so I knocked on the door and was told to come in. When I got in the room he was there with a young lady that I knew so we said hello. (It was weird to me because I thought she was involved with another producer but there she was sitting with him at 4am!) Anyway, the producer said that he need to talk to me so we went outside to the bar and chopped it up. As we talked he signed the invoices and I began gathering my things to leave. Just as I was headed to the door, the camera man comes back inside speed walking. I had done a sweep of the studio to make sure we left nothing behind so I wondered where was he going. Then I saw that he was holding something in his hand. The producer was headed back into the TV room when the camera man yelled to him. As I'm standing there watching him I get the weirdest feeling but I wait to see just what he is about to say. The producer turns back and that's when the camera man professionalism went out the door. Seems this guy had a nephew who was an aspiring rapper and the camera man had agreed to get his demo into the hands of some people in the music business. This guy runs, yes runs over to the producer and begins to pitch him on listening to this demo. Again it was 4 AM!!!

As I stood there, my blood began to boil. We had just finished the longest days of this assignment and you now want to play A&R? At 4am? The producer looked over at me like, where did this guy come from? He then listened for a quick second and took the CD. I tapped the camera guy on his shoulder and said "let's go" in a way that he knew I was pissed! He turned and walked towards the door while asking me, "did I do something wrong?" I couldn't talk to him! I had to just keep walking. By the time we reached my car, I finally looked at him but for some reason I just couldn't snap on him about what had just happened. See his face was beaming with joy because he was able to put the CD in the producer's hand. I told him we would talk about it the next day but wouldn't you know it, the next day or rather later that morning, I get a call from the label saying don't bring him around anymore.

Now how was I going to fire this dude and keep my working relationship in tack?
 

Pick up Vol. II of Industry Life Book Series to get the rest of this story. (#ILBS)

ILBS: 2015 - The Year Of Vol. II

We went quiet for a few months but we are still here, going behind-the-scenes of the Media, Music and Entertainment world to examine and share how situations and decisions impact business and careers in media, music and entertainment.

We had to take some time to look into our strategy and our brand. With 
2014 was a big year for business so it was necessarty to make some changes to Vol. II to address all that has happened.

So...what do we have planned for this year you ask?

We are currently working to complete Vol. II of the series (yes we know it has been a long time coming but we promise it is well worth the wait!) and we also kicked off our artist spot light section of our FB page with a very deserving artist, Keisha Jackson, so click the link and make sure you check that out (https://www.facebook.com/IndustryLifeBookSeries). We are also planning some other things that will surely be out-side of the box but you'll just have to wait to see those at a later date.

Well back to work we go because Vol. II of this series is coming soon and we still have so much to do!

Cheers to a great 2015!
The Staff of #ILBS

industryLIFE Book Series Vol. I for $3.99

 Go to Amazon.com to Download the Book!

industryLIFE: From Riches to Homeless: The Story of Phil

When I met him he was homeless, living in an abandon car. By the way that he spoke I could tell he hadn't been homeless his whole life. We met when I hired him to do some light chores around my house. A few weeks passed and things were working out. He was an immaculate house keeper! To my surprise one day I walked into the kitchen and he was singing a classic disco song that I loved. When I jokingly asked what he knew about that song he said, "Honey, I mixed that song in the 80s." Wait what did you say? So he repeated it. Of course I was intrigued how did this man who had the voice of a singing saint with music production credits become homeless?

The story goes that he was young and working with another producer whom became his lover. He and his lover were a team who worked with some of the bigger names of that time but wouldn't you know it, love had nothing to do with it. Phil as he was known around 4th Ward Atlanta, told me they guy was well versed in the business of music but he wasn't and that's where the drama came. Seems dude was making millions on the records they were producing and mixing but since Phil was only a hired hand, he was simply paid a flat fee for his work. His name was listed in the production credits of a few records but not knowing about that infamous points system had crippled him. Sure there were times where he would walk into the studio there would be checks waiting for him, some as high as $25,000 but not knowing that he should have received royalties for his work that money went to his lover.

After years of riding high in the music business it wasn't long before the lure of drugs came into play. Since it was the 80s and no one knew just how harmful crack cocaine was, he happily partied and continued to live the high life. Then one day he learned about the amounts of money that his lover was getting and that's when things hit the fan. He and his lover fought about the money but legally there was nothing he could do to regain the money that he had lost. He soon slipped further into the drug culture and found himself without money or a home. Although his life was what people considered rock bottom at this point, he told me had no regrets. He says he lived a good life, made some bad decisions but in order to move on, he had to just let it go.

Sadly a few years later we moved from that house and lost contact with Phil. As of this writing he is believed to still be living as a homeless man while the music he helped to create continues to play on the air waves. (Phil we love you and hope that you are okay where ever you are!)

industryLIFE: The PA Did What?

I got a call to work a three month gig with a veteran female rapper who was releasing her next album. The label was putting a lot of money and effort behind the project as she was the top selling female rapper to date. The project would consist of capturing the behind the scenes adventures of the artist and present "a day in the life" video with the album. I put a team together that consisted of several cameramen and myself as the producer. We started the project by capturing video of her writing and recording in studios in LA and Atlanta, shopping with friends and the finale' would be capturing the making of her first music video from the album. The project ran smoothly and the label seemed to be happy.

The last month of the project I was called to personally accompany her to Miami where she would be shooting the video. It was a much needed get away and when you can get away and make money you go! I got in contact with the video production crew and found out where they were staying and made the hotel and flight arrangements. About a week later I was in Miami. I had spoken to the production coordinator on the video and she informed me that she could send the production van to pick me up from the airport so I gave her my flight info and moved along. The day that my flight arrived, I went outside looking for my ride only to find there was NO ride. I called the production office and was told something had happened to the van and that I would have to get there on my own, so I called a cab. When I arrived at the hotel, it was busy with the production crew, talent and extras all preparing for shooting over the next day. I settled in my room and went to check in with the production crew. When I entered the room I introduced myself. The crew, professional and very accommodating, asked that I wait and they would get me a copy of the shoot schedule, so I did. As I sat the producer asked how I had gotten to the hotel, I told her that I had taken a cab. Then quiet feel over the room so of course I asked what was going on? To my surprise I was told the reason I had to take a cab was because the production van was MISSING! (WTF)

Seems the production crew had arrived in town a few days earlier to hire local crew for the shoot. They had hired a man to work as a PA (Production Assistant) and driver. They had completed all the necessary paperwork, given him unlimited access to the van and his per diem and that was the last time he had been seen. At this point that was 3 days ago. As we worked over the next few days, the inside joke on the set became, Dude, where is the van? We still didn't know.

On the last day of shooting we were tired but the joke was only gaining steam. We still had not heard from the driver and the shoot was done. Since it was the last day and no one knew where this guy or the van was, they filed a police report and we all went back to our respective cities. A few weeks later I ran into the production coordinator back in Atlanta. We talked for a bit and I asked if the van was ever recovered?To my surprise she said, "yes". Apparently the van was found several days after we left (via cabs and another rental van), in a notorious drug area but the driver was never seen again.

Goes to show you just never know whose been hired to work with you!

industryLIFE: The Casting Director Who Never...

I'd heard about her through friends and was especially excited to meet her. When the day came for us to meet, I arrived and introductions were made.

She invited me into her home where she shared with me the glory and the pain of working in "the business". She shared the good times first and then she shared the bad. She was a woman who had worked on films such as “Which Way Is Up” and “Greased Lighting” with the legendary comedian Richard Pryor. It was during a time where people of color had just started to get into show business so she didn't complain when a Caucasian woman was brought in to be her supervisor. Sure she had found countless extras, been in the trenches from day one but again those were the times so she worked with out complaining, she was happy to be involved! As we sat in her dining room of her East Atlanta home, she told me of how she had been hired to cast the films via a relationship with other crew members who knew of her skills. She showed me pictures from the set with the cast and crew and even had pictures of her children as actors in the films. 

As she talked I could sense that even though time had passed she was still scarred from the experience. As she switched directions and began to tell me how it all fell apart, she realized she still could not place an absolute reason as to why she was never given any credit (on-screen or otherwise) for working on those films. Could it be that the powers that be decided she was not the right fit or maybe she did something to piss them off but whatever the reason, when the movie came out, she was NOT credited for any involvement in the projects what so ever!

To say she was upset was an understatement. Even after all those years you could still tell that the experience had left her jaded about the whole industry. Now when I say she wasn’t credited I don’t mean she wasn’t paid…she had been paid for her services but as any hard working professional in media, music or entertainment will tell you, the credits are the end all!!! Because even when the money is gone, your credits remain.

After that major disappointment, heated debates with the staff and major frustration, she realized there was nothing left to be done so she left the business and quietly raised her children. Now fast forward to her children as adults and wouldn’t you know it the “bug” had bitten her daughter. Although mom tried to make her aware of all the trapping in the business, she moved to New York and went into the television field. What happened to her mother was years ago so she worked hard to make sure the same thing did not happen to her. She did fair better than her mother as she was able to work on some highly rated TV shows but after a few years she began to see what her mother had warned her of and she too left the business because of other shady dealings.

Seems some things never change.

industryLIFE Book Series: Who's In Vol. I?

Vol. I featured some well known faces, places & things.  Can you name them all? Get ready, Vol. II is coming!

industryLIFE: The Hype Man's Sticky Fingers

He said he was a rapper when he landed on our doorstep. He arrived with a mutual acquaintance and at first he seemed cool but there was something he wasn't telling us and I wanted to know. Having close ties to the group he was suppose to be apart of, we launched a full investigation into this person. When ever his name was brought up, many would not talk about it but shortly after he left something surfaced...Yes he had been a possibility to "fill in" after a group member left but he was a problem!! Seems he wanted more money than what he was being paid. See he thought he was in the group however he was only working as a hype man for spot gigs. Sure he had been featured on their album but again he had been HIRED as a hype man and that is what he was being paid, not to shabbily, to do, nothing more nothing less.

The final straw came when one member of the group discovered a very valuable chain missing. Going over the facts he realized the hype man was the person who stole it and so he was fired! (That's how he ended up on our doorstep.) At the time we had access to several properties so we put him up for a few. After a few days he told us he decided he was going back home so we paid for him to get there, no questions asked, no money to pay back. Once he was gone, we lost contact for a few years and then one day he sends a friend request on Facebook. I was happy to hear from him and when we did speak he told me he was doing well, working and being a family man. Well we managed to visit with this guy and his "family" and boy were we not prepared. See this guy, who was now pushing forty, was still trying to launch a rap career. His "wife" a woman that he said he had been dating for seven years, was approaching her 22nd birthday. (Yep, dude started dating a teenager in his 30s! (WTF). Now who knows how this all came "together" but at this point there were children involved and a lot of drama. Since the guy hadn't quite capitalized on the opportunity in his youth, he was eager to do it now and show "them haters"!

No one took him serious except his mom. Whenever someone tried to get him to see it from a different perspective he referenced...Jay Z. (Sure Jay Z is the forty plus rapper but he started working way before he got to forty and at forty he is reaping the fruits of his labor) but this guy was hyping himself up with the idea that he could launch a rap career at forty with no music registered with the creative agencies, no high school education (WTF) and no money. How was he going to do it you ask? Via social media. He spent his days posting random camera phone videos of himself saying the album was coming soon but dude was living in the past, what he had done was over 10 years ago and at this point no one was listening.

Then as luck would have it, he met a guy while doing his regular job of moving furniture, who wanted to listen to what he had. The guy a popular television actor and musician entertained the idea of maybe working with dude so they exchanged information. For a few days the hype man tried to connect with the guy but could never get him on the phone until one night about a week later. When the guy answered, the hype man began rattling off his ideas. The guy stopped him in his tracks and said "I would never work with you because you are thief!" and then hung up. Seems the rapper had gotten himself into another situation where his sticky fingers would cost him an opportunity. Apparently while the hype man was moving the guy's furniture a ipod, computer and gun among other things had come up missing. To say dude was pissed is just redundant!

The actor reported his missing property to the company and needless to say they never worked together. The company via its insurance took care of the missing items and the hype man is dealing with it all via social media posts about his phantom album.

industryLIFE: Do You Love Me or Do You Love What I do?

When it all began, he was so smitten. She was a cutie, who seemed like a cool around the way girl. He was an out of work DJ.  He didn't have much going on at the time, but he tried his best to get her to talk to him. She wasn't interested, but kept it friendly enough to make him think that someday maybe they could hook up.

As time went on... she was offered an internship at a company out of state, which she took.  That lasted for about a year.  While she was away, the DJ set out to become "World Famous". His skills on the turntables were carving out a nice name for the young man! Before you knew it, he was building his brand and getting where he wanted to be.
Now as luck would have it, the young woman was wrapping up her internship, and decided to return to Atlanta to complete her studies. When she settled back into the city, she could not help but hear about the DJ, who had tried so intensely to make her his woman, because now he was everywhere! From celebrity parties, to charity events, if a DJ was needed he was on the bill.

Eventually they bumped into each other, and thanks to his current status, this chick decided she was NOW interested. Not much had changed about him, except for the amount of money that he was making, and his status in the industry. However, the people around him began to wonder if her intentions were honorable.

Time went on, and this still very humble guy, had no idea what his public image was doing for his love life. Immediately the woman began to make it very easy for the dude. If he wanted to take her out, she NOW had time. If he wanted to come by for visit, he was NOW welcomed. Eventually, things got intimate, and before long, they were an item.

Time passed, and soon people forgot about how this union had began before her internship drew her away.  All except for a select few who could still see past, and all the fake "love" she was NOW showing.  After some time, news came that they were having a baby. AWWWWW!!!  Dude was excited. He was going to be a dad!

In an attempt to do the right thing, he began making plans to buy a house for his family. He also began to adjust his schedule to be there for them. Then, he finally made the decision that it was time to make the relationship official, and get married.  Now while he was planning all of this, the woman, was making other plans.

Since she never really liked him in the first place, and was only there for the perks.  She was having major reservations about being with this dude in a house, or a marriage!  As the arrival date for the baby drew closer, there was a huge shower planned to welcome the bundle of joy. When the people who didn't trust the relationship from the beginning arrived, they noticed just how foul this chick really was!

She was down right mean & disrespectful. She was nasty to his friends, and even nastier to him! Everyone just watched in shock while the elephant in the room whispered, "She does not want him, she wants the fame & money!" And the elephant was right!  Now sometime between the house being bought, the baby coming, and the shower, he popped the question... and she answered with a big fat NO!

He was devastated... He had so many plans to make this work, but that was the last thing on her mind. To her, he was just a paycheck. A easy way to generate income so that she wouldn't have to work. She didn't want to marry him, she wanted to marry his money!!!

Heartbroken, the DJ decided not to go backwards, he wouldn't give her the satisfaction. He pulled himself up by his boot straps, paid her the child support, became a good dad to his son and moved on with his life.

Eventually she tried the same move with another dude. But wouldn't you know it, he had a surprise for her. He was already married with a family, and wanted nothing to do with her, or the baby she was expecting! Thank God she did finish her education because she NOW had to get a JOB!!! 

industryLIFE: Spouses, Side Chicks, Groupies & Jump-offs

In the world of sports, you will at sometime come in contact with the wives, significant others and the infamous jump-offs. Often you will come into the players and athletes lives with little to no introduction which in turns has the spouses, significant others and even the jump-offs giving you the side-eye. They don’t care how many degrees you have, how you have your own man, how you don’t even think this one is cute; they will give you the side eye and if you wanna keep your job, you will have to build trust with them.

I once had a client who I had come aware of years before. He had been a major player at Georgia Tech and when the draft came, they came for him. By the time he and I began working together he had moved on to the Miami Dolphins and was married with three or four children. He wanted to get more exposure back home in Atlanta so he was referred to me. We worked out a great plan to get him radio, TV and special appearances. At first we kept our working life at the office but one day on our way to an event he had forgotten something and needed to make a stop by his house. When we arrived, I told him that I would just wait in the car but he vetoed that idea and said get out, plus my wife needs to meet you. I agreed. When we entered the house there was an eerie calm, it felt as if someone had been watching us as we sat in the truck before coming in…. Well the wife came down from the top floor of the immaculate house, as she walked down the stair case the scowl on her face was not warm and well wishing. Her eyes looked like daggers and she was looking at me. He hardly paid any attention and just said something like yeah, this girl I told you about that works with my agent. She do our Marketing.” Well I turned back to see if that would break the ice queen stare, it didn’t. A bit weary, I walked over to her, extended my hand and formally introduced my self. She hit me with “Hi”, no handshake. OK then I thought as he disappeared down another stair case. She and I just stood in the kitchen. I was hoping she would just say something; ask me whatever question that was burning through her eyelids but nothing. I keep smiling when ever I looked in her direction. Finally he comes back and says let’s go. I grab my bag and head for the door. His wife screams, what time are you coming back and he say, later. (WTF).

Being a woman who has had her heartbroken before, I was disappointed in him and told him he could have at least given her a kiss before we left, he replied fuck her. Ok….As we drove to our destination I began to ask more about his personal life and he basically told me they weren’t in love and doing the marriage thing for the kids. I was speechless but it wasn’t hard to tell.

Now since he was a veteran NFL player, who had been married for almost as long as he had been in the league, his wife had seen it all. She’d had the groupies calling her house, she’d hired private investigators, she’d moved out and most importantly she didn’t trust any woman around her husband. She was apart of a crew of women whose men were professional athletes. They all had the same style, same high priced designer bags, same stylists, same attitude – stank as hell but could you blame them. They had the rings, the kids, the house, the cars, the money but their man was somewhere else doing God knows what else with someone else.

One night as our firm was courting a young athlete and the sports agent set-up a night for the vets to take him out to see Atlanta and told me I needed to tag along. We all met at the office then picked the rookie up and headed to the infamous Magic City. Luckily a guy I knew from undergrad was managing the club and because I came in with all that potential money, my drinks & food was free. (I was quite happy with that deal!) Now what I didn’t know is that one of the dancers had an on going relationship with one of the players who was out with us that night. I’m not sure how long they had been involved but I did know she didn’t like him bringing what seemed like sand to the beach. The guys were in VIP and I killed time by seating at the bar with my guy friend and going over to check on the party. Somewhere in the evening I had to go to the ladies room. When I finished in the stall I walked out to three young ladies fixing their make-up. As I made my way to the sink, one chic bumped me. Side stepping it as an honest mistake, I was quickly informed that it wasn’t when one chic said, “So you with (bleep)?” Knowing exactly what it was at that point and replied, “Yes.” The other chic said, “So what are you to him?” I laughed and asked “why, cause you are not his wife, so why are you asking?” The chic that bumped me chimed in and said because we wanna know.” I just looked at them and walked out of the bathroom, right over to VIP and told him what had just went down in the bathroom. He laughed....

Get the rest of this story when you pick up your copy of Industry Life & Times ebook series, Vol. II

industryLIFE Vol. I Excerpt ---> Fake It Until You Make It??!

(Chapter Title: Liar, Liar) From the outside looking in, he had it all; good looks, education, nice home and a luxury car to boot. At one point he was a highly sought after counselor on the subject of love and relationships. He taught at a few prestigious universities, made television and radio appearances and published books. His star was rising until the layers were pulled back and his lies started to catch up with him!

One day, just as he was about to make his television debut as a reality TV personality, a story was published on the front page of the Atlanta Journal Constitution saying that this guy was a fraud! A reporter had checked into his claims and discovered quite a few holes in his story. Seems he was touting himself as a "doctor" on his website and written materials but when the reporter checked she could only confirm that he had received his Master’s Degree not a PhD. The story turned into a PR nightmare. The guy tried to do some damage control by making an appearance on the highly popular Frank and Wanda radio show to discuss the story. With no answers, only vague references about where he earned his PhD like "from an online" university, the city was a buzz about how his lie had been caught.

So if you are thinking, what else is this guy capable of well keep reading? His back-story is sorted with drama. Born in Chicago, he was considered a have not by many who knew him. The son of a heroin addict, his mother did her best with raising the children. He grew up craving the expensive clothes and cars but could never afford them. He knew education would play a big part in making that a thing of the past and set out to get what he could earn. After completing his Master’s Degree he moved to Atlanta where he had many friends from back in Chicago. He saw the city as a gold mine. Women loved him and soon he started to come up. He got into the right parties and was seen with the right people. He taught on the college and university level and the students loved him. Then as luck would have it, he blossomed into a media personality. He was featured on television and radio talk shows as the resident counselor giving advice about love and relationships. But know one could really answer any questions about his love life that is until a few of his life long friends began to talk. Although he changed his name, he was known to his friends as the “Bare Banana King”, because he always seemed to have something against using protection, per some of his conquests. Flat out this dude said he just didn’t like condemns.

Shortly after the PR nightmare in Atlanta, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue other opportunities. While in LA this guy, landed yet another TV gig on an also short lived show. Then his next move brought the drama front and center again. He shows up on the highly popular reality show, The Real Housewives of Atlanta as a..."Doctor". His role consisted of playing the love interest of one of the main characters. He appeared in several episodes and when it was uncovered that he might be a fraud, the love interest and other ladies set out to find out the truth. When the love interest confronted him about the situation, he defends himself by asking her if she is really a woman and then pulls a few folded papers from his back pocket as proof that he is a doctor. Needless to say, she never got a straight answer, never got to look at the papers he pulled from his pocket and he was never seen on the show again.

With his professional life in question you have to know his personal life was also being questioned. According to several former friends he is not a "Doctor" but is working on it. In his personal life there are just as many holes in the story. At one point he dated a successful and beautiful TV anchor woman but this dude has true commitment phobias, so he ended it because he stated "he could not marry a woman who made more money" than he did. He was married once before to a woman who worked for Delta Airlines but my sources tell me that the shame of a marriage ended because it was revealed that he only married her to get the free tickets/buddy passes that spouses are given.  

Liar, Liar

Think Tank:

1. Fake it until you make it is one sure way to end up not making it. When you present yourself to people be truthful. Again this industry is very small. Once it has been discovered that you have lied about what you have done it will automatically make you suspect in peoples minds.

2. Material things don’t make you who you are. If they do you should seek some help for that condition. Sure people like to do business with people they perceive as successful but think of how much they won’t be willing to do business with you if they discover you only have a good presentation with no substance.

3. Check and double check who you are dealing with. It has been said time and time again that people will give you their best representation when they first meet you. Don’t be in a hurry to get involved with people, sometimes what you don’t know can and will hurt you.

4. Don’t think you can invent lies and people won’t find out the truth. The truth always comes out. It’s better to be up front in the beginning. You can earn more respect when people can trust your words.

5. If you must pretend that you are something that you are on your way to being then say that. Don’t say I’m a producer and you have never produced one thing. Don’t allow people to label you as something you are not. Correct them as often as you have too, no one wants their dirty laundry aired on the front page of the daily newspaper or blog.