This, my job says I'm doing this, I'm only doing this, or I only wanna work this amount, or whatever the case may be. Um, because I come from an older mindset, an older generation. You said you could understand because you've been on both sides. Talk a little bit about it. Yeah. Um, yeah, I have been under on both sides and I can't understand that. I can't empathize with the younger generation because I think, I think it's, it's, it's important to start here. I think we have to give them grace, right? I think we, we have to approach this from a, uh. An approach of understanding and empathy, uh, before we are quick to judge, right? Because there's no fault to their, there's no fault of theirs, that they have been thrust into this society that is insanely reliant on technology and this society that where information is at their fingertips and there's are ways to make money and make a living in ways that there weren't before. We'll discuss race and how it plays a factor and how we didn't even talk about this topic 'cause we were afraid. A black executive perspective. Ooh, we're coming to you live from the new BEP studio for another thought provoking episode from a black executive perspective podcast, A safe space where we discuss all matters related to race, culture, and those little uncomfortable topics people tend to avoid. I'm your host, Tony Tidbit. So we're excited about today's episode. Um, we got a fantastic guest. But before we get started, we always wanna pay homage. To our partners at Code M Magazine, code M Magazine, whose mission is to save the black family by first saving the black man. So definitely check them out at Code M Magazine. That is code m magazine.com. Two m code m magazine.com. So, you know, one of the things about work today, especially with technology, the future of work is evolving fast and adaptability. Generational wisdom and creative entrepre entrepreneurship are essential for success today. We're joined by Rodney Brown, co-founder of Barbara Jean Productions, and he's coming to talk to us about build, bridging those generational gaps, navigating career shifts, and turning creative passions into a thriving business. So let me tell you a little bit about my brother, Rodney Brown, Jr. Rodney Brown Jr. Is a writer, producer, and director based in New York City, and co-founder of Barbara Jean Productions. His career BA began at Paramount and BET, but it was his passion for filmmaking that set him apart. With the background in management consulting for McKinsey and Company, Rodney Blends creativity with analytical problem solving to help drive Barbara Jean's production success. His short film, the Fruit It Bears that came out in 2022 earned four major awards. It captivated audiences at the Pan-African Film Festival and caught the attention of BET and Revolt Media, which we're gonna ask him about that later on. Rodney's journey from a reluctant high school actor to an award-winning, winning filmmaker embodies his dedication to storytelling and innovation. Rodney Brown, Jr. Welcome to a Black Executive Perspective Podcast, my brother. Thank you. Thank you. I truly honored to be here and that's a heck of a, uh, bio, an intro that we got there, so I appreciate that. Look, buddy, it's your background, right? I didn't make anything up. If you wanted me to, I could have, you know, said you were scorsese's, you know, lost, lost cousin, but I didn't do that, right? But your credentials speak for itself. So we really excited. For you to be here. And obviously you are gonna chat about something that, uh, the majority Americans in the workforce struggle with, and that's that generational divide that we deal with. So we can't wait to hear your story and how you've seen success and learn more about Barbara Jean Productions mm-hmm. And how you guys are making a lot of things happen. But before we go into that, I would love to hear more about, tell us a little bit about where you're currently living and a little bit about your family. Yeah, sure. Sure. Um. Currently I'm living in Brooklyn, New York. Been up here for about seven years, uh, since 2018 or so. So I guess one could say I almost got my New York card. You know, I know they say that you are a transplant. You, uh, you gotta do 10 years before you can say you are a New Yorker. Right? So, okay. We almost there. We are almost there. Um, but yeah, I'm a family. I come from. Mother and beautiful mother and father are still married in 36 years. Father was a police depar police officer at the Sheriff's Department down in Montgomery County, Maryland. My mother worked for the State Department for over 30 years as well. So very much come from black family, also down in the suburbs with some old school traditional values, right? So, um. And then I have a sister who is the other half of Barbara Jean Productions. So it is she and I and um, we come from the lovely brown family. Um. Sailing all the way from the DMV from Southern Maryland. That's awesome, man. That is awesome. I never heard he had to be in the city 10 years before you got to the New York City card. So, um, that's a new one on me, but hey, if that, if that counts. You, you close, you, do you win a prize or do you, I guess it's pride, right? Is it a prize thing? Thing? Yeah. I don't know, you know, but I'll tell you what, you don't have to be in New York City long in my, in my book. Earn your New York City card because it'll, it'll introduce you to itself real fast. Well, here, here's the thing though. A politician can move here in two years and all of a sudden run for mayor. That's right. That is true. Then, you know, so I don't, I don't buy the 10 year thing, but regardless, man, we're excited that you're here and thanks for giving us some, some insight in terms of your family and being from. You know, the Maryland area? Mm-hmm. Now look, bro, you got a lot going on. You know, you have this production company that you've done. Um, you're basically, and you're gonna talk a little bit about all the work that you do, and you've made a lot of short films. Um, it even took you a minute to get here because you were really, really busy and all the stuff you got going on, right? So, why did you wanna come on BEP to talk about this topic? Yeah, so I think that first off, um, this podcast is necessary, right? I think that the, creating a space where we can have comfortable, comfortable conversations in 2024 and 2025 is really important because I think we've seen over the past year or 18 months or so, these conversations sort of tail off a little bit, right? Or some, some people will be a little bit turned off by them, but I like the fact that this podcast encompasses all uncomfortable conversations, big, small, in between, doesn't matter. So I love that. And number two, I wanted to come on here because I felt as though that you have a topic that we're gonna talk about today in regards to the, the workforce generations bridging the gap, creativity, entrepreneurial entrepreneurism, and storytelling. I think that all of those things are really coming to the forefront of the workforce through creative world and, um, just the, the dynamic of how we're existing with one another. And I think that it's reaching a critical point to whereas. Both sides or all generations need to sort of come together and get some understanding. As to why. The what, the why behind the what, I guess you could say. Right, right. Well, look man, I'm excited you're here. Thanks for that. You ready to talk about it, my brother? Let's do it. Let's do it. All right. Let's talk about it. So, let's back up a little bit, man, south Maryland, you came here. Tell us a little bit, you know, before you got, because I, I'm, I'm hearing, you know, reluctant. High school actor. So talk a little bit about that and then, you know, obviously how you got into the production side. Yeah, for sure. So, um, again, from southern Maryland, so very much the suburbs, so where I was from is a vast stark difference from New York City. Right? So a little bit of a, a shock to the frequency at which life is in New York City, but where I was from, you know, I grew up playing sports. My sister and I, we played basketball, we took the school bus. And I just remember my dad always telling me, you know, one day that school bus is gonna come by and you ain't gonna have to get on it. And as a kid, you know, that didn't really mean much, but that sure enough, uh, that day short enough came. Right? So how the acting thing sort of came about was when I was in high school, I was a basketball player, I ran track, played basketball, and I was pretty good. And what happened was I had gotten hurt my junior year. And in addition to that, I had brought home a C on my interim report or no? So when you say you got hurt, like how did you get hurt? Yeah, so I had decided I wanted to play football, so I was the basketball star, I guess you could say. And then if you had the football ball guys over here and you know, they like to talk trash to the basketball guys and what have you. So you know, the football guys, they would come try out for the basketball team. So I said, all right, I'm gonna come play football. And, um, I was pretty good. But the problem was, I, the change in terrain from going from hardwood to a soft turf field was giving me tendonitis. Mm-hmm. Was giving me knee issues. So as a result, I was unable to play basketball that season. Um, I could have stayed on the team, but I didn't want to get, I didn't want to take up a spot and not be able to play. So I said, you know what, I'm just gonna run indoor track when I'm healthy and outdoor track in the, uh, spring. Just get my strength and conditioning up on my legs. Got it. Got it. So I had brought home a C on my progress report, and it was in theater arts and in my household you were not allowed to bring home cs. So my dad sees this and he said, well, this is unacceptable, especially in theater arts. I could see if this was math of science. So I go to my theater arts teacher and I say, Hey, Mr. Minor, yeah, this is this, this, this isn't gonna work. And he says, well, how about this? Why don't you come to auditions? I. I said, Mr. Minor, I can't come to auditions. I have basketball practice, or I have track practice. He said, well, I guess you're just gonna have a C then. So naturally I went to auditions and he keeps calling me back over and over again. I'm checking the board. I'm going to school. Why is my name still being here week after week? And he ultimately gives me the main part and that part is Macbeth. Wow. I did not know who Sha, I knew who Shakespeare was. I wasn't familiar with the ins and outs of Macbeth or with anything else he had written. So, um, that was an amazing experience. So, um, I, I, I killed it at least as far as the audience is concerned. And, you know, it was funny, I had my friends in the front row trying to make me laugh and what have you. And, um, so from there that was really sparked my interest into acting and into movies. And from there, that is when my sister got, uh, involved in it as well because she was on, she loved music. She had a camera and she was shooting music videos, you know, young 18, 17 years old, just having fun with a camera. And so from there that, looking back that I think that was the spark for both of us that said, Hey, you know what, maybe we can do this. And then we had parents who really believed in us, right? And really said, Hey, you can do whatever you want. What is your oyster? Go chase your dreams. And um, that's, that's how it started, buddy. So number one, the teacher saw something in you. Think so. I think he was, Hey, I think he was trying to sell some tickets. He look, so, to give you the thing, Macbeth, so how was he trying to sell tickets? I, because there must be some more of the story that I don't know about. I I knew a lot of people in the school. Yeah, yeah. But to do that beat basketball. To play that character though. Yeah. Yeah. Let, that's not easy. I think some of the other thespians were a little upset. Okay. Think about it for a second. I played Martin Luther King Jr. Right in, in one of our, when I was in. Sixth grade or something of that nature. Right. Not bad. It was three, four lines. Right. I didn't have to, you know, I didn't have to practice, I didn't have to to play Macbeth. Yeah. That was, that's not anybody gets that. All right. Yeah. And so, so number one, he had to, and, and again, I don't, I just biased on the story. Mm-hmm. Had to see something in you. Number two, you said you killed it. Right. Because evidently you must have put some effort into it. I did. Right. And you practiced. 'cause you didn't want to, if your parents, as you're telling us, you know, they didn't accept the C So other words, they didn't accept anything half-assed. That's true. Right. So then that means when you, you, you, you said, okay, I'll do it. You put in a hundred percent and you kicked butt. I did. You know, I did. I, uh, I, uh, was up all night. Recording, like rehearsing my lines, I was going to the other actor's houses and making sure I had my lines right. And, um, so yeah, I put a, I put a lot into it and, um, you know, didn't really think much of it at the time, but, uh, to your point, yeah, maybe he did see something and, uh, here we are now. You know, I think that was, uh, the beginning of this, uh, sort of storytelling journey. That I, that I went on. Wow. But you know, mind if I tell you this quick story? I, and I didn't re, I saw this on, um, what is the, um, the thing, uh, it comes on BET or I forget, they do a little backstory of an actor or, uh, an actress or a musician, I forget it was called, but they had Leon. Do you know who Leon is? They did his backstory. He played the tempt David Ruffin Temptation. Okay. You've seen Lean On in a thousand movies. That, that reason I'm telling you the story. Because it's similar to yours. He played, he got recruited, he's from New York. He got recruited, he got a scholarship, I think, to play basketball, uh, Lelo, uh, out in California. He was on the basketball team college. Okay. And all of a sudden a guy came up to him on the campus and said, Hey man, he said, you should check out this acting thing, this class, this drama. So he went and checked it out, but he wasn't interested in it. Right. And then he said like his second year, this dude ran up to him and said, look man, we want you to be in this play. And he was like, I don't look, I'm not interested. I don't know nothing about this. They said, you ain't got to. We've been watching you. I. Okay. And then he went and he got the bug. Okay. Just like you, not something he wasn't even thinking about. And then the moral of the story, he had a big play that he was gonna do on campus. Mm-hmm. And, uh, the, he went to the coach to say, Hey, I got this, this, this, this, this film or this, this play that I need to do. We have a game, can I miss the game? And the coach said to him, if you don't show up for this game, you're off the team. He looked and said, I'm off the team. Mm-hmm. And he left and looked and it took his career and he said he saw that coach years later and the coach apologized and said he should have been, and this kind of fits in terms of our generational stuff. He should have been more flexible. Uh, with his students, with his players, knowing that they had other gifts and talents. Right. So that's why I love your story because obviously Oh, dude must have saw something into, into you. Yeah. Yeah. No, I actually appreciate you sharing that. That's actually something that I, that I actually wanna watch now, because there's a lot of, there's a lot of parallels in that, and that's actually pretty deep because to your point. The generations, you know, um, the coach is looking at it from his perspective and he's like, Hey, look, like if you wanna do this and you wanna be a professional, then you need to be here. You can't miss a game. Old school coach. Exactly. All right. Right. New school dude. Mm-hmm. And then now, you know, um, life is a little bit more nuance than that. You know what I mean? You two things can be true, right? Or you can look at it from another perspective and say, Hey, well if this is calling you, then maybe you should answer that call. Excellent point, bro. So tell me, how did that, that seed that was planted, how did it take you to the next level? Well, I think that, um, it started with us being able to move to New York City, right? The plea was, the seed was planted years before we moved there, and we started with shooting content with the people who are around us. Right, long before we wrote a script, long before we even, um, shot a movie. It started with our family, our cousins, our friends, and what have you. So we would start, so we started with a, um, musician who's our cousin, started filming his music videos. He launched a nonprofit organization. So we started filming the kids and what have you. And then we eventually moved up to New York City. Uh, my sister was able to get a job at Viacom. I was able to get, get a job at Viacom as well and that's sort of what made us open our eyes to see what's possible. 'cause we were exposed to the conglomerate that is Viacom CBS Paramount and we were exposed to the vast city of New York where it is filled with creatives and entrepreneurs and uh, people from all walks of life. So coming up here I think was really what opened our eyes because we come from a small town down in Maryland where a lot of folks are either just military, you are working with the federal, state, or local government, or you're working blue collar jobs, which is absolutely nothing wrong with that. But just as far as opportunity is concerned, there was a lot more of it up in New York City and I think that's what sort of made us expand and sort of And bloom and blossom. Funny. That is so and so tho that's an important, and thanks for sharing that. That's important. I. You, you want to be something, but if there's not a lot of opportunity in your neighborhood, in your environment, it's hard for you to do that. You have to go somewhere else. Right. And hearing that you guys came up and got a job at Viacom, which is awesome. Um, but I. That, again, going back to the, the, the Macbeth thing, that seed definitely kind of, it didn't go away. Mm-hmm. Right. And then doing the things with your cousins and stuff to that nature. Right. So let me, let me ask you this though. How old are you, if you don't mind me asking? I just turned the ripe age of 30 years old. So you're 30, okay? Mm-hmm. So now you're, you're coming in, you're coming into big city like, what was my girl Alicia Keys says in New York? Yep. Which is so true. So true. Right? So you come to New York, you get a job, you got a big company, Viacom, okay. Television, movies, the whole nine yards. Advertising, everything you can think of, right? Yep. You're 20 something years old. Now you are in a company that you have baby boomers, you have generational X Generation X, you have millennials, you have every, you know, I think this is the only, I could be wrong, but I thought this was the. One of the few times, this is the one the time where we think we have five generations all at the same time in the workforce. Mm-hmm. Okay. Talk a little bit about that experience, right? Coming up, getting a job, you know, and then you are, what, what's your generation ZI am a millennial. Millennial. Mm-hmm. So you are a millennial now you in, in the, in the office with baby boomers and all that type stuff. They, we, they have different mindsets. Yeah. Millennials have different mindsets. Talk a little bit about that. I think the best way to answer this question is to, to really lay out the timeframe. So I started out in 2016 to 2018 down in Washington dc Department of Justice and what have you, and then I came up here 2018 through about 2020s when I was working at Viacom and in the media entertainment, digital ad space industry. Right. And we were working with a variety of generations, I guess you could say. So I think what the biggest thing that sort of jumped off the paper for me was I was working with older executives. I was working with folks who were, I don't know, maybe in their fifties or older, and I was half of their age Correct. Working as their assistant. And it, it, it was interesting to me seeing how they were in this position and they had trouble figuring out how to send their email. Right. But as a young kid, you don't really quite understand that their value is not in the Gmail or Outlook inbox, right? Of course, they know how to send an email or structure an email, right? Their value is in the experience, the relationships, and what have you. And then as my career went on, I started to notice that the people who are around my age group and older didn't struggle as much with doing things that they were asked to do. Even though they didn't want to, and the folks who were a little bit younger than I was, were sort of struggling to justify why they should do things that may not be outside their job description. Now, the biggest thing that I noticed was that folks a little bit younger than me, uh, maybe I don't wanna prove really put a number on it, but they are not afraid to pull that job description card. Where I come from, I. You never pull that job description card unless it, I mean, it's been going on for months. This is outta control. They're taking advantage of you. You're not getting, like, I mean, it has to be really bad for you to have that conversation and you better not have that conversation within the first year. So I'm, I'm sort of in the middle of this, right, where my generation understands both sides. So, so working in those environments was really, really interesting to see. How much pushback some of the younger folks would give and how the older folks or the uh, folks in the positions of leadership couldn't quite understand why that the younger folks had this position. So I think that I'm in a unique spot to be able to understand both sides of the equation. Right? And, um, I think that that was just a really interesting. Dynamics who have witnessed it's time to rethink your protein. Agile Labs protein bars are crafted with high quality protein, double the leucine and enriched branch chain amino acids essential for optimal muscle recovery. Finally, a protein bar that works as hard as you do, so visit agile labs.com and use the code BEP to get 20% off. That's add your labs.com, promo code BEP. You know, so number one, thanks for that my friend. And you say something that we've all struggled with and, and, and to be fair, you're only 30 years old and I say only not as disparaging. But you know, at the end of the day, you're 30, you're on the lower rung of being a millennial, right? At the, at the well, yeah. I'm closer to being Gen Z. Correct. Because I'm a baby boomer. Right. And it went from 44 to 64. I was born in 64. Right. So I'm at the, the back end of it. Right. So, so, so, so a couple things I wanted to say is that. You know, that has been a struggle because I think one of the reasons why, well, there's multiple reasons and let, let me just say this, let's back up. Number one, it's not, uh, an anomaly, okay? When I was a kid, I. When I was six years old, my grandmother was telling me how soft we were. Right. And what they did earlier when they were a kid and they would run circles around us and how they carry two PAs of water, three miles and uphill, but all that type of, so that's not, that's not every generation does that. Mm-hmm. Right. Every, it is not something and then your, when you get older, you're gonna be telling your kids some, something similar. Right. The challenge is, is having all these generations in the workforce. More importantly, the mindsets that go with them. Okay. You just gave two quick, two great examples. Right. You know, there's a mindset of, you know, why am I, this ain't my job description. I. And I can't believe this, this, and that. And then there's a mindset. You ain't even got a right to even bring that up. You supposed to be just working hard and hoping that you get noticed. Exactly. Okay. And so, so when you have those two different mindsets and there's, there's others in the middle too as well. Mm-hmm. It causes friction. Okay. And so talk a little bit 'cause I wanna, I wanna par make this, um, make it parallel to what you're doing because obviously with Barbara Jean Productions mm-hmm. You are, you know, doing stuff and building stuff with all different type of people, right. Who are older, younger, in between. Okay. And have those different type of mindsets, you gotta be able to, um, navigate that mm-hmm. In a very diplomatic way to be able to become successful. So, you know, one of the things is when I was, you know, I've been, uh, um, uh, uh, in, in leadership at a lot of places I've been right. And I've always struggled with those individuals that, you know, would come in and. My job says I'm doing this, I'm only doing this, or I only wanna work this amount, or whatever the case may be. Um, because I come from an older mindset, an older generation. You said you could understand because you've been on both sides. Talk a little bit about that. Yeah. Um, yeah, I have been under on both sides and I can't understand that. I can't empathize with. Younger generation because I think, I think it's, it's, it's important to start here. I think we have to give them grace, right? I think you, we have to approach this from a, uh, an approach of understanding and empathy, uh, before we are quick to judge, right? Because there's no fault of, to their, there's no fault of theirs, that they have been thrust into this society that is insanely reliant on technology in the society. That where information is at their fingertips and there's. Are ways to make a money and make a living in ways that they weren't before. So we have to first understand that these younger workers, well, they may not be as technically savvy in certain areas, but they are, they do know a little bit more about, I guess you could say, no, they do. They are a little bit more comfortable speaking up about what they are and are not comfortable doing. And I think they're more technically savvy. Yeah. I Than the older people. Right. Yeah, I would agree. Just to be fair, right? Agree. Go with that. I finish your thought. Yeah, I would agree with that. So I think it's important to just to just lay that out there first and understand that they have been, they'd had an entirely different upbringing than we have before. We are quick to judge them, but I think I can empathize with them because there are moments and there are times where we see things that are not right. We know that they shouldn't be doing this. We know that they're underpaid. We know that they're overworked. We know that they're undervalued, but. So, so it's like I understand that. I understand that. So that, but that's almost as far as it goes, right? It's like I can understand how you feel, however, you still need to do, however, you still need to do that. And that is where I think that the, my father's values, my grandfather, sorry. That is where I think my father's values, my grandfather's values have been instilled in me. And those, that's when those are active because discipline is doing what you don't wanna do. But do it like you love it, or doing the things that need to be done when no one's watching or doing the right thing. These things are instilled in me, and I think that that is why I can empathize and understand with that side, but I'm still going to, I'm still gonna go this way, right? I'm still, yes, I can be upset. Yes, I can and, and think that I shouldn't have to do this or I shouldn't be doing this, or I'm not valued, but I'm gonna do it. So, to, so, so to answer your question succinctly is. The fact that they've been exposed to a lot of things and I have as well, lets, allows me to empathize with them. But me personally, I'm going to go the other. Yeah, I think so number one, first thing you said, I totally agree. We, we are quick to judge. I told you my grandmother, you guys soft, right? Mm-hmm. And that was years ago. Okay? And we quick to always think our generation is better than the rest. Okay? So that's human nature and always will be there. Um, the thing is, is this, is that, you know, we have to be willing, so let me, let's just lemme say it this way, you know, progress is always, in other words, pushing the envelope is always by newer, the generation, the younger generation. Okay. And that's important. It's no different. When we went from the fifties to the sixties, okay, where the fifties mentality was, you know, God, country and whatever. Somebody do you do, and you wear your hair this way, and you walk this way and you say this. To the sixties where they were like, forget that I'm gonna wear my hair long. I'm gonna do this. I'm pushing back on authority on our yard. That's always been the case. Mm-hmm. And when we look back at now when that was happening, they're like, they're, they're insane. They're, they're undisciplined, they're, they lost their mind. Right. But then when we look back, no. 'cause they pushed us ahead. They were seeing things that we didn't see. Because remember it is an old saying, pigs don't know pig stink. Right? When you're in the Pigpen, everything is normal. They didn't, when you get out the Pigpen, first thing you say is, that's funky smell, right? Mm-hmm. So the bottom line is, I'm all for, I get that. Mm-hmm. Right? The challenge is, is that, and I wanna ask you this question, being 30 being you're saying, Hey man, I see both sides. Mm-hmm. Okay. Here's the thing though. Is that, talk a little bit of why you see both sides. Okay. And then one of the things that you chatted about me and you talked a couple weeks ago and you said about how adaptable you. Mm-hmm. Right? So speak a little bit, when you say adaptable, what does that mean? Mm-hmm. And then more importantly, how can we bridge this us versus them in the workforce? And look at. The strengths that each generation brings and really try to, uh, lean on those strengths. Yeah. Yeah. So to answer the first question, uh, again, um, how I can see both sides, and I think it really just comes down to me being exposed to both. Right? When I first graduated, uh, college, I was working for the United States Department of Justice, particularly the United States Marshals. So I was very much working in an environment that was, people were older than me. I was the only young person in the building. I was 23 years old. The next person closest to my age was probably seven years older than me, was probably around the age that I am now. So being thrusted, being raised with parents like that and being thrust into that environment after straight after college, taught me one way, taught me, Hey, like you are working with, uh, with police officers, federal police officers at that who are gonna need to do, are gonna do what needs to be done point blank period. Because they are the only ones who are gonna do the job. So that's how they approach everything that they do. That's what I was first exposed to. Um, and then after that, you know, going to a little bit more elusive in environment, right? The, the entertainment industry. I'ma got a chance to see why other pe I got a chance to see how the other generation was acting or the people who younger than me, the acting. And I got to a chance to be in those outside of the conference room at the lunch table and hear their reasonings behind why they felt the way that they felt and get their side of the, the, the, the ver the equation. But you just said something that's key. What's that? Repeat what you just got. Finish saying, you said you were able to listen Yeah. To what? Their point of view. Mm-hmm. Yes. Right. I was able to listen objectively because I'm not their manager. I'm not their leader. I, you know, I'm not necessarily their peer either. I'm just a little bit older and maybe one position higher than them. So, um, I, I, I, I, I listen from a source of curiosity, like I said, and that, that allowed me to empathize and understand with them, because if you listen. What they're asking for is not insane. They're asking for maybe to be respected, maybe to not be name called, maybe to not be contacted after work hours, maybe to um, maybe to have constructive criticism. So a lot of the things that they're asking for are not outside of the realm of possibility or not insane. And to answer your second question, um, the second question was, so you being adaptable, right? And and me being adaptable. I think that comes from straight up how I was raised and me just the time I think I was at the tail end of the millennial generation where I was exposed to a world that internet was, yeah, you better go home and use Dialup to, I can pull it out on my phone in my college class and Google something. Right? So I very much had to exist in both worlds where. The internet is a thing is, doesn't really exist yet, and I ended up existed in a world where the internet is everything, but, and you did too. But I think what's important from what makes my perspective unique is the timeframe and how old I was going through these transitions because I had to go throughout high school in most of college and all of my first jobs, they're, I mean, yeah, we had phones, but I mean, they were not used in the way that they were today. They were used for phone calls and maybe texts. The texts then were two or three words. You know, we weren't texting for conversation and we were texting for emergency almost really. So I had to grow up in a world where you don't have your phone to escape to when you don't want to pay attention. You don't have your phone to pull out when you want to Google and answer. You don't have chat GBT, you don't have any of these things. You have to go to the actual library or you, I didn't have a laptop. So I understand the older generation, and I understand the youngers because. I, I had, I was able to do both, right? So that's, I think what makes me really, really adaptable. Um, and, and also just how I was raised. You know, I, I was raised in a household where there is no excuses. This is no hold bar. Like, I don't care how you feel. You're going to school, you're going to get your work done, you're going to do this point blank period, full stop, because I said so. Right? That's how I was raised. Um, so that's what I really think makes me adaptable and, um. Secondly, working in a variety of different industries. I've sold cars for CarMax for years. I've worked in retail, I've worked for Nordstrom, I've worked for Yelp. I have sold solar panels. I have lead productions, uh, for moose, short films, commercials, branded, uh, content. I have done a lot of different things, so I think that is, that's also what allows me to go in any environment and listen more. Talk second. Always create value in it. What do you think holds people back from moving forward when it comes to this conversation, this issue, because again, we have these multiple generations in the workforce. They, they all individuals bring a certain level of talent, certain level of intellect. It's, you know, again, you know. You know, from a baby boom where I could say, this is the way to do it, right? Mm-hmm. And then from a millennial or Gen Z, they could say, well, wait a minute. This is the way to do it. And two things can be right at the same time. So what do you think holds people back from being able to be open and learn from this and be successful and move forward? You know, that's a really good question. Um, and I think that the answer really comes down to, well, what do you in that. Once you answer that, then I think the, then I think you can really answer the question. Because if the answer is, say, you say you're working, um, in a service industry job, say you're a barista or a bartender or waiter or what have you, and you're frustrated with what's going on, before I can give you any advice, before I can say what the next best step is, is you have to answer the question, what do you want? Because if it, the answer is just, Hey, I wanna pay my bills and I just wanna make enough money to get by and know that I'm gonna go to work tomorrow and my boss isn't gonna fire me. That's the answer, then yeah, buddy, you are gonna have to do some things that you don't want. But if the answer is, Hey, I'm just here until I can save enough money to do A or B, or C or D, then I'm gonna have a different piece of advice for you. You know? So that is really how I would answer that question. But at the end of the day, net net, you're gonna have to do things that you don't want to do in order to be where you want to be. Because if you continue to do the things that you've always done, you will continue to get the same results and you will be where you always have been. It really depends on what you want out of life or what you want out of that current job or that situation. But I will tell you, but I, but I will close with this, you always have to do more than you think. And that's just the reality. And so when you say, you know, and, and I love what you said, you know, you gotta analyze what do you want and you then, you know, based on what you want, if you want the higher things, then you gotta be willing to do what it takes. Who are you talking to? Are you talking to everybody? Are you talking to a certain generation? I think I'm talking to everybody. I'm talking to everybody because, um, I haven't been, you know, again, I'm only 30 and I can only go from the experience that I have, that I have, that I have. And as I keep going, I, I, I notice the difference between people and I notice how, and maybe it's less a generation thing and maybe it's just a people thing. And the reason I made it a generational thing is because, I mean, we've seen so many headlines over the past couple of years about, oh, gen Z, this, gen Z, that they're lazy, they don't wanna work, they're entitled, they're this or they're that. But, but in the end, I really just do think that it is in you and it can be taught. It can be learned. Right. Well, I think you said, you said a few things, buddy, that you know stood out and you said about how your parents brought you. Okay. And how they set an expectation that you were gonna have to work hard, you had to do whatever it takes. And that goes when you even talked about school, a C wasn't, um, you know, sat, they wasn't satisfied with a C in your house. You couldn't bring that. Right. And, you know, being able, having that type of mindset to understand that, you know, regardless of the technology around you, you would have to come in and work hard. So, buddy, tell me a little bit about Barbara Jean Productions. Mm-hmm. How you guys built it, you know, you won a couple awards, you did a movie. Talk to us a little bit about that. Yeah, so Barber Dream Productions started again about 10 years ago with my passion with, um, acting, which happened in high school, and my sister with filming music videos with our cousins and what have you. And I think that what made us successful in the, in the small amount of work that we were able to do was our emphasis on storytelling, was our laser focus on what. Is the audience thinking, what do we want them to walk away from this piece of content with? Because they gave us their time, right? Whether it's 15 minutes, 30 minutes, an hour, whatever, we want to not really, not really teach 'em something, but we want to make them feel something. So we put a lot of effort into pre-production. What are we trying to say? Who are we trying to say it to? Who is our demographic? Is this gonna live? How long is, do we want the shelf life for this film to be? Right? And I think that a way that you can do that a lot of way through storytelling is having your character make decisions. When they make decisions, that has a lot to do with who they are, right? Or showing, not telling, right? Instead of saying, Hey, remember when we used to do this? Why don't you show? Maybe you can show a flashback of them. Maybe you can show a picture within the house of them at the beach instead of them telling you, Hey, we used to go to the beach, right? Those are small things that you can do. And then lastly is giving your audience more credit. The audience oftentimes is a lot smarter than we think, so you don't have to spoon feed them information. You can let them figure out things in their own. And I think when you do that, you'll be surprised at the, the reaction that you get from the audience. Got it, got it, got it. So you seem like you really enjoy this moment. Right? So give me a little bit in terms of like what was the best movie that you've seen that the story resonated with? It didn't leave you. And then from there, what lessons did you learn from that and how do you apply moving forward? Man, that's a tough question. I always struggle when I'm, uh, when I'm asked what, uh, my favorite movie is or what the most powerful movie is I watched, and I guess off the top of my head, I would probably have to say I don't. I don't have one movie or one mo, one movie that I can point to. But I think that a lot of the ones that come to mind are movies that I watched in my childhood, because those movies I think are timeless because they teach you the, they teach you the values and morals of just being a good person, doing the right thing, making the right decisions. So I can't really answer what the best movie or the uh, is or what moved me the most, you know? Why Tony? Because I'm gonna make that movie. I. I'm gonna make that movie. Oh, I get, well look and I get that right because like you, I like so many different movies. I enjoy them. They all speak to me. I was just, reason I asked the question is because, you know, you talked about the different ways or the different components to a story. About the audience smarter than you think and the whole nine yards. And you know, one of the things that always, when I know I watched something really good and I saw a good story mm-hmm. It didn't leave me, I would think about it even when I went to bed that night, I would think about that story when I woke up the next day. Think about that. Right. And even if it wasn't, um, something in my wheelhouse, just in terms of the characters. What happened in the story. Right. So that's why I was asking you the question because, and you tell me one of the stories about making that emotional connection, correct? Mm-hmm. Right. A hundred percent. And trying to garner, make people feel that they're in the movie or they feel the pain or the exuberance of what the character is going. Talk a little bit about the movie that you guys made. Um. That, you know, you won an award with, right? Mm-hmm. You talk, talk a little bit about that. Yeah, sure. So the first movie that I had actually written alongside my sister was called The Fruited Bears. And it was a love story about, um, a young 25-year-old couple in New York City. And really the, the crux of the story was the, the gentleman in the story felt as though that, Hey, we can't be who we need to be together. I can't be who I want to be and need to be and neither can you. And he had convinced himself of that and blamed it on the other person as opposed to taking a look inside and saying, okay, well what can't, what can't I do? As opposed to, what can't I do? And I think what made that movie successful was our goal was to. Pull at the heartstrings, right? So people often ask me, Hey, so this is, this is your story, right? This is, this is, this is your breakup story. And I'm like, no, this is your story. This is my mother's story. This is my father's story. This is my sister's story. So how we like to write characters is we'll, we'll, we'll take one and say, okay, this is where we want to go, right? But when I said earlier that we like to break the rules, this is what I mean. Because this character, this is a fictional story. You're allowed to pull from wherever you need to pull to tell a compelling narrative. Right? So I pull from everybody in my life. I pull from every movie that I've ever seen to bring together this character that is a full fledged, fully functioning person that you can relate to. Right? Right. And, um, that's how I think that we do it. And, uh, we with the goal of, like I said, you walking away from the theater and you, you said the, the stories that stick with you have you asking this, I think that that. We had that in our mind when we wrote it and when we made it. And I think that is what made us successful because everybody could see themselves in that story. Whether you are eight, I remember saying this to my production team, Hey, whether you are eight or 80, I don't care when you watch this movie, you are going to take something away from it with you. And we have that goal with every piece of content that we make, and I think that that is a real difference. What separates Barbara Jean production from everybody. What separates us is our mission to motivate, educate, and inspire. No matter what we're doing, whether it's a corporate event, whether it's for an event, for a charter school, or whether we're doing branded content or whether we're doing a short film. The work that we take on is always mission driven and we want to. Visually show people and make them feel something, even if it's just a commercial or even if it's just a product. Right? Um, so what sets us apart is you're always going to, we're always gonna go above and beyond for you, for our clients. And what we understand is we are doing work for our clients and we are doing what our client wants. We are delivering what you want. We're not putting, we're not, and this is, it goes back to giving them more credit. The client knows what they want, they knows what works for them. They know what they want to do. If they asked you for your creative direction, we're more than happy to provide it. What we're gonna do is we're gonna show up, we're gonna show up on time, we're gonna be respectful, and we're gonna give you a quality product. We're gonna under promise and we're gonna overdeliver. Mm-hmm. And guess what? You got a brother and sister duo. What company, what production company you can hire, where a brother and sister show up on set, ready to deliver your, uh, delivering a line on your vision. That's what makes us different. That is awesome, my man. So talk to us a little bit about what's in store for the future, for the future. So we see Scaling Barber Jean Productions. Our goal is to always make a feature length film. We got very close to doing it, um, with BET, uh, during the film strike, but unfortunately that didn't happen. But. We want to be a full fledged production company. I always pictured myself being the, the executive with the suit on going in and getting the deal done. Now, that can still happen and we want to do this on the, on the production standpoint. So full service, end-to-end production. Whether you wanna start a podcast, you wanna produce it, you need, need copy for it, you need an editor for it, or you want to go do a feature links film, or you just want to do a photo shoot, or maybe you wanna do some branded content. That is ultimately the goal and that is what we're going to do. We have a goal of $500,000 this year and um, I think we are well on our way to doing that. That is awesome buddy. Yeah. So any upcoming movies? Anything? Yes, we have another movie upcoming and it's called, I Deleted the App and yeah, I think you're gonna like this one. It is about, um, you know, it is kind of a reality now, but it's about like. If they had a detox center, but in real life, right. So say Tony, say you're addicted to a detox center. For what? Go ahead. For, for, yeah. Yeah. So, so say you're addicted to, I don't know, Dr. Pimple Popper or you're addicted to, to, to car videos, right. And you got somebody, you say, Hey Tony, look man, like you spend a lot of time on that Dagg on phone, and I think that we need to get you some help. So you go to this AA style, uh, detox center, but it's for digital media or what have you, or, or social media. And you are gonna sit in a little circle and then they're gonna encourage you to go, I don't know, touch some grass or maybe, maybe go for a walk or maybe read a book instead. You know? So it's very silly, you know, we're trying to make fun of ourselves, but it also is sending a message like, Hey guys, a lot of fulfillment you can come out of life is not gonna come in this black box, right? No, no question. And look, I can imagine, you know, when you said the title, you initially everybody or immediately everybody would be like, oh, that must be for younger people. You kidding me? Right. There's older people that's addicted to TikTok or Facebook. Mm-hmm. Or whoever the case may be. Right. So I can't wait for that to come out. When, when will that launch my brother? Yeah. I think we can expect to see that in, uh, mid to late spring. Okay. So before June, but not before April, I can tell you that. So probably a mid to late April. To, uh, uh, late May. If you like what you hear and wanna join us on this journey of making uncomfortable conversations comfortable, please subscribe to a Black Executive Perspective podcast on YouTube, apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hit subscribe now to stay connected for more episodes that challenge, inspire and lead the change. Okay. Well we're looking forward to when that comes out. We'd love to have you come back on and share it with us. Oh, I'd love to. Right, because that sounds intriguing. Look, my man, I gotta give you a lot of credit. You know, for young brother, you got your head on right? Your parents did a fantastic job bringing you up. More importantly, you and your, I met your sister. You guys were very receptive of it because the way you carry yourself. That foundation is there. Um, and so I, you, you said you have a goal of 500,000. I don't, I, I, there's no question you guys are gonna hit that more. You guys are just touching this, scratching the surface of your greatness. Appreciate that. So we really appreciate you coming on a block executive perspective. We're gonna be doing more things in 2025 together, so I'm excited about that. And tapping into that storytelling realm that you and Barbara Jean productions bring. So, final thoughts, my brother. What do you wanna leave the audience? Well, what I wanna leave the audience with is, is, is a couple of things. And the first thing is if I is, if I can encourage you all to be solution oriented, I don't care how old you are, I don't care if that's with your workforce, if that's with your relationship with your family members, maybe it's a romantic relationship. Relationship. I encourage you to be solution oriented because. As I enter, you know, sort of middle management, you know, sort of getting towards the 10 year mark of, of work experience and even experience with my production company too. 'cause I've had the, the, the luxury of leading a team of 10, 20, 30 people on a production shoot. I've had the luxury of leading a team in the workforce also. So I'm exposed now more than ever, 10. The people who stand out the most to me are the people who come to me and they don't say, Hey Rodney, the coffee mug broke. And then just stop talking. You know what I mean? Like as a leader, you know this, everyone comes to you with problems, but the ones that have earned your trust and the ones that you love, respect the most as far as this getting something done. It's the ones that come to you and they say, Hey, Tony, here's what happened. Here's what I suggest we do about it. Here's why. Here's the potential implications of what were suggestions. Here's the ramifications, here's the risks. What do you think? Right? And you tell me what to prioritize, right? That is the person that you, I'm sure, that you'd like to work with, right? And the second thing that I would say is, is life doesn't happen on the couch. I don't care how many emails you send, how many Zoom calls you attend. Yes, networking is important. All of that is important. I'm sure you got a lot of stuff scratched off your task list, but at the end of the day. First impressions matter. A lot of those happen in real life. A lot of the people who are gonna change your life are people who you are gonna meet in person because there is no energy exchanged through that keyboard or through that screen. Right? Um, and I think, I wish that somebody had told me that, uh, a while ago because, um, you know, some, sometimes you're just comfortable, man, you know you're going to work. You're in a routine. You don't wanna go to that dinner, you don't wanna go to that conference, you don't wanna go to that seminar. You don't wanna go to that mixer. You don't wanna go to that networking event. So, especially when you're an entrepreneur, especially if you're in the creative field, if you're trying to grow your career, man, life does not happen on the couch. And lastly, I would just say, just knew the next best thing. You don't have to have it all planned out. I think oftentimes a lot of people get caught up in having everything planned and mapped out. Everything needs to be my t's need to be crossing them. My, I need to be doted for me to launch, but life does not work that way. Sometimes you just have to throw yourself out to the universe and build the plane as you fly it. And I always say, life opens up when you do, and the best things in life are on the other side of fear. This may sound cliche, this may sound corny, but really just sit down and think about some of the things that you really want to do. Sit at the edge of your bed one day and think about. What am I doing? What do I really want to do? And I guarantee you some of those cliches that I just said, you are gonna be running them in your mind. And I promise you, you're gonna come up with some answers, buddy. It is so true. And those are great final thoughts, my brother. So thank you, man. So, final question I have for you. How can BEP help. You, my brother. I'm glad you asked. How you can help is continuing to do this right? Because I know that we're in 2025 now and there's all kinds of conversation going on about whether these conversations need to still be going, but the answer is yes, they do. Because we're here to have uncomfortable conversations that can be about anything and that never needs to go away. So I would encourage you guys to keep doing what you're doing and I wanna see you on the road. I wanna see you at conferences. I wanna see you at live events. I wanna see people. Stumbling upon your podcast in person and say, Hey, I'd love to come on here and share something with you. That's what I wanna see. And I wanted to, I would love to see this platform grow. I wanna see weekly segments because I think that it is important now more than ever. We're past the George Floyd economy, we're past 2020, we're past all of that. These conversations need to keep going and, um, I think this is a perfect place forward. I think you guys are doing great and I would love to see us get on the road and explain the platform. Well, thank you my brother and challenge accepted. We appreciate that. We're gonna make it happen. We loved you today. Your energy, your intellect, your maturity, your leadership, creativity. It's all been shown here today on this episode of a Black Executive perspective podcast. So buddy, we can't wait to continue to engage with you throughout the rest of the year, and we're gonna ask you to stay put right now because we're gonna have you have you help us with our call to action. So I think it's now time for Tony's tidbit, and so the tidbit today is generations don't divide us. Perspective does when we listen, learn and lead with purpose. We open our mind and create endless opportunities, and you heard a lot of that. From Rodney Brown, Jr. So want a quick little reminder? Don't forget to check out every Thursday on a Black executive perspective podcast. Need to Know by Dr. Dinger Burton. Dr. Burton dives into the timely and crucial topics that happen on a daily basis that you don't have time to delve into. So she brings all the fire and the energy and what you need to know to move forward. So need to know by Dr. Na Burton. Every Thursday on a Black Executive Perspective podcast. And don't forget to check out, pull up, speak up our round table that sits down and talk about the crucial topics, the everyday things that's happening, and it's a place where all voices matter perspectives are gained, and more importantly, a revolution is going on. So make sure you check out, pull up, speak up now as our people who watch a black executive perspective podcast. As you know, our goal, our mission, is to decrease all forms of racism. Way we do that is with the acronym, we call it less LESS. Our brother here, the co-founder of Barbara Jean Productions, Rodney Brown Jr's gonna help us with our call to action. Rodney, kick us off. My brother. Yes sir. Yes sir. So for less, the first L and lessons gonna stand for learned. Educate yourself on racial and cultural nuances. Absolutely. And then after you've learned and you've enlightened yourself, the next letter stands for E. Which is empathy. Now since you understand more about what your brothers and sisters are going through now, you can be more empathetic to their problems and situations since you put yourself in their point in their shoes. In the next S stands for share. Share your insights to enlighten others. Absolutely. And then after you share the final S stands to stop. You want to, we want to all stop discrimination as it walks in our path. So if Aunt Jenny says something at the Sunday dinner table that's inappropriate, you say, aunt Jenny, we don't believe that. We don't say that. And you stop it right there. So if everyone can incorporate less, LESS will build a more fairer, more understanding world. And the key is we all will be able to see the change that we want to see because less will become more. Don't forget to continue to follow a black executive perspective on all platforms, YouTube, apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Don't forget to come to our website. Sign up for our newsletter, give us feedback. How did you enjoy this episode? Was this questions that I should have asked Rodney? Give us some feedback because again, we wanna mold this to what you are looking for. And then finally, continue to follow us on our social channels of X. YouTube, LinkedIn, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram at a black exec for our fabulous guests, the one and only the co-founder of Barbara Jean Production's. Rob Rodney Brown, Jr. I'm Tony Tidbit. We talked about it. We laughed about it, we learned about it. We love you. And guess what? We're out a black executive perspective.