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https://www.blackenterprise.com/robert-townsend-making-the-five-heartbeats/
The Five Heartbeats are back.
No, award-winning actor, comedian, and filmmaker Robert Townsend has not created a sequel or a remake of his 1991 classic about the rise and fall of a 1960s R&B vocal group. In fact, he’s developed a new documentary, Making The Five Heartbeats, sharing an instructive and inspiring journey expected to resonate with fans who can’t get enough of the movie as well as entrepreneurs in pursuit of their dream business. On Monday, Aug. 27, they will discover how he achieved this milestone when Fathom Events presents the theatrical release in nearly 500 AMC movie theaters nationwide for a single screening at 7 p.m. local time, through its Digital Broadcast Network (DBN).
At select theatres nationwide—from Philadelphia to Crenshaw—audiences will also view an exclusive welcome from Townsend as well as gain the opportunity to participate in talkbacks with Townsend and cast members, including Heartbeats Leon Robinson, Michael Wright, Harry Lennix, Tico Wells, and John Canada Terrell.
The Chicago native says of the project: “It’s one part a master class with Robert Townsend. But then on the other side, it’s for anybody who says, ‘What does it take to make something that is now a classic? How much energy did you put into it?’ And as an entrepreneur that wants to build something, what does it take to build that? What kind of obstacles will I have to overcome to get there? And when does my faith come into it? So it’s all of these elements tied into this one documentary.”
The film was released in 1991 at the height of a cinematic era dubbed “The Black Film Renaissance.’ During that year, roughly 17 films directed by African Americans opened in theaters, more than in the entire previous decade. Unlike large numbers of films that dealt with criminality and gang violence—Boyz N The Hood, New Jack City, and Straight out of Brooklyn—Townsend’s tale has stood out as a touching, multidimensional musical drama. Inspired by The Dells, the legendary, soulful quintet that produced such timeless classics as ‘Oh What A Night’ and ‘Stay In My Corner,’ the film resonated with audiences due to themes tied to aspirational sacrifice and unshakable brotherhood. At the same time, the film, co-written by Townsend and In Living Color creator Keenan Ivory Wayans, had healthy helpings of humor and a heart-stirring soundtrack in which two songs, “Nights Like This” and “A Heart is A House for Love” became Top 20 hits on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B Singles Chart some 27 years ago.
(Instagram)
Although Townsend, one of four recipients of BLACK ENTERPRISE’s XCEL Award at the 2017 Black Men XCEL Summit, admits that the film didn’t perform well at the box office, which garnered gross receipts of $8.75 million, the entrepreneur who financed his first film, Hollywood Shuffle, with his savings and a wallet packed full of credit cards, used his creativity and savvy to develop offshoot vehicles to capture new audiences. After more than three decades of creating films that have told different, unique stories of African American life—in fact, Meteor Man, the first black superhero film he created and helmed is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year—Townsend talked with BLACK ENTERPRISE Editor-In-Chief Derek T. Dingle about his mission to produce his most personal film to date..
Why did you think it was important to develop a documentary about the making of The Five Heartbeats at this time?
Fans really love The Five Heartbeats. Everywhere I go, people talk about The Five Heartbeats. Out of all the movies and television shows I’ve done, that’s the one that people want to know: How did you do auditions? Why did you cast that person and how did you direct it? Can there be a sequel to The Five Heartbeats?
I started to think about my journey to make the movie. There’s so much drama that went on behind the scenes, and people think it was just smooth sailing. I should share these stories because they love the movie so much, and maybe it’s another way to give the fans an insight into my process. This will be the first time I will really let people into my creative process. But also, I think it’s exciting to hear about the roller coaster ride to make The Five Heartbeats.
Does the film also explore the business process such as film financing and marketing?
The film goes into that because nobody wanted to make The Five Heartbeats. The money that I needed to finance it became part of the problem. The documentary also goes into the marketing side of the film because a lot of people don’t know that the movie bombed at the box office. We didn’t do well. It takes you on the ride of what went wrong with its marketing, the trailer, the timing. And then it is also a lesson on how word-of-mouth is the best advertising. From a business side, it gives you a glimpse into how you finish this film that you think is brilliant and it didn’t work…but then it worked. So there are lessons on marketing and the business of show business.
How much did it cost to produce the film? Did you meet budget or did you have to scale back your larger vision?
I started with Hollywood Shuffle; that was done for no money at all. I went from no money to a budget of $8.7 million. That’s a lot of money but it’s a little bit of money when you’re trying to do a period piece where you’ve got to make sure that everything—the cars on the street, the hairstyles, the wardrobe—looks like 1965. So your budget gets turned upside down because you’re recreating the look. So on that front, I didn’t have all the money in the world. I had a lot more than I had been used to. And because I was going after this classic, I took way too much time and got in trouble with the budget of the film. In the documentary, you’ll see what happened due to the pressure I was under because I was over budget.
So how challenging was producing this documentary?
Creating the documentary was a lot of trial and error. I started working on this about 10 years ago. I thought I knew what the documentary was going to be but then it started to take me in different directions. This is when you just got to listen to your creative voice. First, it was going to be just a straight-ahead documentary where everybody just talks about how the movie was made. Then I said, I’m not going deep enough.
There were certain things that only I knew. Like the actors, they know about the filming and the release of it. They didn’t know about the studio, the late nights when the phone calls to hear that you don’t have any money or ‘We don’t like that scene, cut it.’ We got into the director-producer realm, and I couldn’t share with anybody the pressure and stress that I was under to make the film. So as I looked at the documentary again, I said, ‘No, Robert, you’ve got to talk about these business lessons that are going on behind the scenes and how you had to negotiate and be strategic in giving and taking what really mattered to you. Then when do you put all your cards on the table and say ‘you’ve got to do it my way or I’m out.’ It’s the art of negotiating as a filmmaker to get your baby born. All of that changed the documentary and made me take a longer time because I wasn’t ready to tell the real story.
When the original film came out, you found different techniques in terms of marketing and outreach to new audiences to make it a success. Did that experience evolve into an ongoing strategic approach to extending creative properties and make connections with audiences beyond a given film?
I think that I’ve always been kind of a serial entrepreneur. I’ve always looked at unique opportunities. I’ve always been fearless in taking chances and trying new things. With The Five Heartbeats, my vision has always been huge where I can say, ‘the movie lives in one universe but there could be a road show that we could take with The Dells.’ And that’s what I did, I created a revue. Right now, Keenan and I have been working behind the scenes on the Broadway show. We want to create The Five Heartbeats brand and take it to Broadway like Dreamgirls. So that’s another part of the vision.
What role has digital technology played in the brand building process?
I just think as an artist, with all the new moving pieces of content, there is a way now with social media to connect to your audience. From a marketing point of view, I have been tweeting every day and using different social media platforms to promote this documentary. It’s been interesting to watch because just on my tweeting alone, I have been able to engage close to 1 million people. So the game has changed, and I’m still learning.
What other aspects would you like to share about this production?
Though the documentary is about the making of The Five Heartbeats, it’s really an inspirational journey for every dreamer that wanted to give birth to an original idea. That’s really what it’s all about. It’s just seen through the eyes of a filmmaker of color. So I think that for entrepreneurs who want to be inspired and see a journey that is not for the faint of heart, this is the ticket for them.
Watch the trailer for Making the Five Heartbeats…
The post See Robert Townsend’s ‘Making The Five Heartbeats’ For a Master Class On the Business of Entertainment appeared first on Black Enterprise.
The Five Heartbeats are back.
No, award-winning actor, comedian, and filmmaker Robert Townsend has not created a sequel or a remake of his 1991 classic about the rise and fall of a 1960s R&B vocal group. In fact, he’s developed a new documentary, Making The Five Heartbeats, sharing an instructive and inspiring journey expected to resonate with fans who can’t get enough of the movie as well as entrepreneurs in pursuit of their dream business. On Monday, Aug. 27, they will discover how he achieved this milestone when Fathom Events presents the theatrical release in nearly 500 AMC movie theaters nationwide for a single screening at 7 p.m. local time, through its Digital Broadcast Network (DBN).
At select theatres nationwide—from Philadelphia to Crenshaw—audiences will also view an exclusive welcome from Townsend as well as gain the opportunity to participate in talkbacks with Townsend and cast members, including Heartbeats Leon Robinson, Michael Wright, Harry Lennix, Tico Wells, and John Canada Terrell.
The Chicago native says of the project: “It’s one part a master class with Robert Townsend. But then on the other side, it’s for anybody who says, ‘What does it take to make something that is now a classic? How much energy did you put into it?’ And as an entrepreneur that wants to build something, what does it take to build that? What kind of obstacles will I have to overcome to get there? And when does my faith come into it? So it’s all of these elements tied into this one documentary.”
The film was released in 1991 at the height of a cinematic era dubbed “The Black Film Renaissance.’ During that year, roughly 17 films directed by African Americans opened in theaters, more than in the entire previous decade. Unlike large numbers of films that dealt with criminality and gang violence—Boyz N The Hood, New Jack City, and Straight out of Brooklyn—Townsend’s tale has stood out as a touching, multidimensional musical drama. Inspired by The Dells, the legendary, soulful quintet that produced such timeless classics as ‘Oh What A Night’ and ‘Stay In My Corner,’ the film resonated with audiences due to themes tied to aspirational sacrifice and unshakable brotherhood. At the same time, the film, co-written by Townsend and In Living Color creator Keenan Ivory Wayans, had healthy helpings of humor and a heart-stirring soundtrack in which two songs, “Nights Like This” and “A Heart is A House for Love” became Top 20 hits on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B Singles Chart some 27 years ago.
(Instagram)
Although Townsend, one of four recipients of BLACK ENTERPRISE’s XCEL Award at the 2017 Black Men XCEL Summit, admits that the film didn’t perform well at the box office, which garnered gross receipts of $8.75 million, the entrepreneur who financed his first film, Hollywood Shuffle, with his savings and a wallet packed full of credit cards, used his creativity and savvy to develop offshoot vehicles to capture new audiences. After more than three decades of creating films that have told different, unique stories of African American life—in fact, Meteor Man, the first black superhero film he created and helmed is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year—Townsend talked with BLACK ENTERPRISE Editor-In-Chief Derek T. Dingle about his mission to produce his most personal film to date..
Why did you think it was important to develop a documentary about the making of The Five Heartbeats at this time?
Fans really love The Five Heartbeats. Everywhere I go, people talk about The Five Heartbeats. Out of all the movies and television shows I’ve done, that’s the one that people want to know: How did you do auditions? Why did you cast that person and how did you direct it? Can there be a sequel to The Five Heartbeats?
I started to think about my journey to make the movie. There’s so much drama that went on behind the scenes, and people think it was just smooth sailing. I should share these stories because they love the movie so much, and maybe it’s another way to give the fans an insight into my process. This will be the first time I will really let people into my creative process. But also, I think it’s exciting to hear about the roller coaster ride to make The Five Heartbeats.
Does the film also explore the business process such as film financing and marketing?
The film goes into that because nobody wanted to make The Five Heartbeats. The money that I needed to finance it became part of the problem. The documentary also goes into the marketing side of the film because a lot of people don’t know that the movie bombed at the box office. We didn’t do well. It takes you on the ride of what went wrong with its marketing, the trailer, the timing. And then it is also a lesson on how word-of-mouth is the best advertising. From a business side, it gives you a glimpse into how you finish this film that you think is brilliant and it didn’t work…but then it worked. So there are lessons on marketing and the business of show business.
How much did it cost to produce the film? Did you meet budget or did you have to scale back your larger vision?
I started with Hollywood Shuffle; that was done for no money at all. I went from no money to a budget of $8.7 million. That’s a lot of money but it’s a little bit of money when you’re trying to do a period piece where you’ve got to make sure that everything—the cars on the street, the hairstyles, the wardrobe—looks like 1965. So your budget gets turned upside down because you’re recreating the look. So on that front, I didn’t have all the money in the world. I had a lot more than I had been used to. And because I was going after this classic, I took way too much time and got in trouble with the budget of the film. In the documentary, you’ll see what happened due to the pressure I was under because I was over budget.
So how challenging was producing this documentary?
Creating the documentary was a lot of trial and error. I started working on this about 10 years ago. I thought I knew what the documentary was going to be but then it started to take me in different directions. This is when you just got to listen to your creative voice. First, it was going to be just a straight-ahead documentary where everybody just talks about how the movie was made. Then I said, I’m not going deep enough.
There were certain things that only I knew. Like the actors, they know about the filming and the release of it. They didn’t know about the studio, the late nights when the phone calls to hear that you don’t have any money or ‘We don’t like that scene, cut it.’ We got into the director-producer realm, and I couldn’t share with anybody the pressure and stress that I was under to make the film. So as I looked at the documentary again, I said, ‘No, Robert, you’ve got to talk about these business lessons that are going on behind the scenes and how you had to negotiate and be strategic in giving and taking what really mattered to you. Then when do you put all your cards on the table and say ‘you’ve got to do it my way or I’m out.’ It’s the art of negotiating as a filmmaker to get your baby born. All of that changed the documentary and made me take a longer time because I wasn’t ready to tell the real story.
When the original film came out, you found different techniques in terms of marketing and outreach to new audiences to make it a success. Did that experience evolve into an ongoing strategic approach to extending creative properties and make connections with audiences beyond a given film?
I think that I’ve always been kind of a serial entrepreneur. I’ve always looked at unique opportunities. I’ve always been fearless in taking chances and trying new things. With The Five Heartbeats, my vision has always been huge where I can say, ‘the movie lives in one universe but there could be a road show that we could take with The Dells.’ And that’s what I did, I created a revue. Right now, Keenan and I have been working behind the scenes on the Broadway show. We want to create The Five Heartbeats brand and take it to Broadway like Dreamgirls. So that’s another part of the vision.
What role has digital technology played in the brand building process?
I just think as an artist, with all the new moving pieces of content, there is a way now with social media to connect to your audience. From a marketing point of view, I have been tweeting every day and using different social media platforms to promote this documentary. It’s been interesting to watch because just on my tweeting alone, I have been able to engage close to 1 million people. So the game has changed, and I’m still learning.
What other aspects would you like to share about this production?
Though the documentary is about the making of The Five Heartbeats, it’s really an inspirational journey for every dreamer that wanted to give birth to an original idea. That’s really what it’s all about. It’s just seen through the eyes of a filmmaker of color. So I think that for entrepreneurs who want to be inspired and see a journey that is not for the faint of heart, this is the ticket for them.
Watch the trailer for Making the Five Heartbeats…
The post See Robert Townsend’s ‘Making The Five Heartbeats’ For a Master Class On the Business of Entertainment appeared first on Black Enterprise.
The lives of black mothers in the U.S. are in jeopardy. Although about 700 American women die each year from pregnancy or delivery complications, women of color are at a much higher risk of dying from pregnancy-related causes. In fact, black mothers are 243% more likely to die than white mothers. As a result, black mothers are dying at three to four times the rate of white mothers in the U.S.
The reasons include disparities in access to healthcare, discrimination in poor or rural communities, and budget restrictions on free or low-income clinics that service women. Also, risk factors that lead to complications such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity affect black women at higher rates than their white counterparts, Black Enterprise writes in a report about this growing epidemic.
To combat these alarming statistics, a group of Democratic senators led by Sen. Kamala Harris of California introduced a bill on Wednesday to reduce the racial disparities in maternal mortality and morbidity. “Health equity for black women can only happen if we recognize and address persistent biases in our health system,” said Harris in a statement.
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA)(Wikimedia)
Under her new bill, titled the “Maternal Care Access and Reducing Emergencies (Maternal CARE) Act,” $30 million would be poured into two new grant programs that would support training against racial bias for medical workers and improve prenatal care. The programs are detailed in a press release as follows:
Implicit Bias Training Grants
Addresses implicit bias—bias in judgement or behavior resulting from implicit attitudes and stereotypes—by establishing competitive grants directed to medical schools, nursing schools, and other health professionals training programs to support implicit bias training. Priority is given for training in obstetrics and gynecology.
Pregnancy Medical Home Demonstration Project
Establishes a demonstration project to assist up to 10 states with implementing and sustaining pregnancy medical home (PMH) programs to incentivize maternal health care providers to deliver integrated health care services to pregnant women and new mothers and reduce adverse maternal health outcomes, maternal deaths, and racial health disparities in maternal mortality and morbidity.
“This bill is a step towards ensuring that all women have access to culturally competent, holistic care, and to address the implicit biases in our system,” said Harris.
Research suggests that racism and racial oppression induces chronic stress for black women, which, in turn, may factor into poor pregnancy outcomes for all black mothers, despite their level of education or income. “A large part of it is the biases that exist in the medical health professions that lead to these women not being taken seriously,” Harris, the only black woman serving in the U.S. Senate, told the L.A. Times. “Frankly, there are a lot of biases that exist…It’s a truth, uncomfortable as it may be.”
Earlier this year, tennis Superstar Serena Williams put a spotlight on the disparities that black women face when she revealed that she, too, suffered life-threatening complications during the delivery of her first child. Beyoncé also recently opened up in Vogue about the emergency C-section she had in order to save her life and the lives of her twin babies.
The post Sen. Kamala Harris Introduces Bill to Address the Black Maternal Mortality Crisis appeared first on Black Enterprise.
Otakon weekend once again has proven that old-school nostalgia, the need to nourish creativity, the frenzy for all things nerdy, and the desire to celebrate Japanese culture and animation can triumph nearly anything that comes its way. This convention has survived through a tremendous amount of adversity. Each obstacle has made the staff and convention stronger. I am proud of how Otakon has evolved over the years, and while not perfect, it has remained a loyal friend for the fans by the fans each and every time.
*Cue The Golden Girls’ theme song*
Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington D.C. is still a new venue for this veteran convention; however, its second year only solidified the belief that the move was 100% necessary. There is a far less crowding than during the last few years at the BCC. You feel like you can breathe much better, while still having easy access to the immense amount of activities. They have a giant game room with old-school arcade games, every iteration of DDR, table-top games, and new and strange indie games. Maker’s Studio was also a place I stumbled upon, where attendees would be able to bustle about creating cute things from ribbons, hot glue guns, and string. This year, people were able to make Teru Teru Bozu, long-established Japanese dolls that helped keep the bad weather away. They were super sweet to see hung up outside the studio, and were fun to make.
The Dealer’s Room housed a plethora of booths servicing your wildest Otaku needs including body pillows, medieval gear, wall scrolls, anime swag, hentai, and figurines. This is where all of the corporations come to stomp on every weeb’s wallet so come prepared whenever you dare enter. Expect a befuddled call from your bank later.
The Artist’s Alley is definitely more my own style; you come here to support artists of every background. The prints, keychains, accessories, and clothing are all super cute and unique and you walk away knowing you’re helping fellow nerds survive and thrive. Back in the day, I would definitely walk away from AA with numerous prints but in my adulthood, I managed to cut back.
A popular attraction at plenty of anime conventions is the Americanized version of a Maid Cafe. These events are organized by Otakon staffers and volunteers, and operate on a ticket-based schedule. There are different time slots and in order to gain entry into the cafe, one must purchase a ticket that is separate from the Otakon membership badge. You can drop by and be welcomed by the sweet and upbeat maids. I got an in-depth look at the operational function of the cafe from the Department Head/Head Maid Ichigo (Kat). Eager to step away from the fetishized history of maid cafes, Ichigo instead considers the work they do to be “Superior customer service.”
For those that do not know, Maid Cafes are a popular attraction that originated in Japan, the Akihabara district in Tokyo. They cater to everyone, but the original concept was to stoke the imagination of male nerds or “Otaku.” Maids, with their classic French outfits, innocent demeanors, and playful acts are chosen for their ability to interact well with their audience in tandem with staying in character. Jubilant energy and good acting are necessary to put on a memorable show for their patrons.
The Ota Maid Cafe is a labor of love for Kat Lemons; it requires yearly upkeep with set responsibilities like every other department. Operating mostly on a digital platform, Lemons fields about 100-150 applications each year. The maximum amount of maids accepted are 40-45 people. Essentially, anyone 18 years old and over can be a maid. It’s an inclusive space, with a hygiene and dress code. The duties include dancing, fleshing out your individual character, playing games with customers, setting up the space, plus serving drinks and food. All the maids were super pepped up. The dances were energetic and the patrons seemed to be having a good time spelling their names in the air with their butt and watching the performances. It was certainly a treat being able to understand how these cafes work from a logistical point of view, and was so happy to see such a huge supportive team behind it.
I have been a long-time convention goer on the East Coast (Maybe for about ten years?!? I am OLD), and what remains a huge part of the con scene is how diverse the audience it. Being held in the nation’s capital, especially at such a politically divisive time in our nation’s history, only emphasizes the struggles people of color and other marginalized folks go through. Here at Otakon, I noticed that we flourish in spite of those who wish to not just tear down those that are different, but those that are actively trying to evolve the communities they are a part of. The nerd community is no different. We each have our own unique stories to tell, whether it be through music, animation, storyboarding, stand-up, or interpretive dance. The ability to have a platform to tell our stories to possibly millions of people is significant, especially when there was a time where many marginalized people were barred from even trying to express themselves.
One voice actor that I feel has never been afraid to ‘voice’ their opinions (hehehe) is actor Sungwon Cho, AKA ProZD. They are an immensely popular YouTuber, with over 1.5 million subscribers, whose videos focus on nuances within the anime and gaming community, while also discussing socio-political topics that often intersect with the nerd world. I was able to interview ProZD about his experiences growing his acting career. He spoke of humble beginnings from finding his passion in doing radio plays with a friend in high school, which snowballed into his YT channel, a gigantic fanbase on social media, and a show on Crunchyroll, Anime Crime Divisions. By doings radio plays, he says, reading scripts, portraying the characters, even in an amateur setting, helped ignite his love for voice acting. This led to getting a foot in the door for other bigger projects.
On a personal note, being able to see ProZD become more and more popular and visible over the years, has been a huge inspiration for me. I love seeing people of color excel in this environment, especially in the face of big media companies and geek websites who refuse to highlight people that aren’t white. Seeing someone being able to call out bullshit in the world, especially racist nonsense, was eye-opening on a whole other level. I inquired as much to ProZD, if they choose to infuse political or social messages in their content, with which they replied that they sometimes do. “I’m not shy on my Twitter,” is one memorable quote, and if you follow their account you know this to be very true.
This was followed up with my question if they felt that they have a responsibility to represent POC in the VA/gaming community, where they stated, “I don’t want to say people have an obligation, because of how exhausting the environment is.” However, they do receive positive feedback on their work and that’s a great thing. I believe that we need more voices (hehehehehehe) like ProZD in our world, because they make it a much brighter place.
Otakon once again has proven to be the amiable titan of anime conventions on this side of the East Coast. What has made it live within the hearts of every Otaku is the continued steadfast loyalty towards its mission of celebration of Japanese culture and animation, alongside its love for its fans. I’ll see you next year Otakon.
Make sure to check out Otakon’s website and social media (twitter, Facebook) to be kept in the loop for any updates and announcements!
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The post Otakon 2018: A Con That Keeps Flourishing and Evolving appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.