Creating Mind Your Business - Episode 8

Cold Open

Thanks to social media and influencer culture, it has become easier for young people to pursue a viable career in entertainment. They are able to climb their own version of the corporate ladder quicker than young professionals taking the more traditional route. I’m talking about the assistants, interns, and coordinators who still have to be initiated into the industry by paying their dues while advocating for themselves. But what happens when you pay your dues and then some?

Take Jewel H. Ham, who, at the time, was a student at Howard University interning for Spotify when she pitched the interactive version of the experience we now know as the yearly wrap-up. Originally, it was just an email and playlist (boring). Or Alexis Powell, also a Howard University graduate, who saw that the spirit tunnel for Jennifer Hudson could be used for their guests on the show, further pushing the Happy Place brand and boosting their presence on social media. Our social feeds would not have been blessed with, “Aaron Pierre, that’s Mufasa,” if it wasn’t for Alexis.

Unfortunately for Jewel, she wasn’t given proper public credit. Instead, Spotify released this statement:

“Spotify is proud to provide young talent from all backgrounds with the opportunity to create, contribute, and learn alongside some of the best teams in the business,” a spokesperson told the outlet. “Since Spotify’s Wrapped concept was first introduced in 2013, hundreds of employees have contributed ideas and creative concepts that have made the experience what it is today. While ideas generated during Spotify’s internship program have, on occasion, informed campaigns and products, based on our internal review, that is not the case here with Spotify Wrapped. It’s unfortunate that things have been characterized otherwise.”

In 2024, I found myself in a similar situation to Jewel. But before we get into that, let’s talk about how it all started.

Paying My Dues and Then Some

Back in the summer of 2017, I started interning in the Original Programming department for Bounce, which was under Katz Networks. Katz was later bought by E.W. Scripps and became Scripps Networks. I know that was a lot, but I promise it’s important to the story. During my time there, I handled administrative duties but also contributed creatively because my ultimate goal was to be a creative, and why not take advantage of the opportunity? I can say that the executives I worked under were open to hearing my pitches. Some fell through, while others came to fruition, which was very rewarding to see.

• Successfully pitching and honoring Dapper Dan and Richelieu Dennis at the Trumpet Awards
• Picking music selections for the hit drama series, Saints & Sinners
• More than a year before the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop, I pitched a game show celebrating and educating viewers on the elements of the genre in a park setting. This was my chance to prove to the network, and myself, that I was more than capable of not only creating a show but leading it through development to post. It made it to the Upfront presentation but was cut shortly after due to changes in the network’s programming strategy. I was heartbroken, but nevertheless, I continued to find ways to be creative.

In 2022, I was selected for the Heartbeat x Sundance Women Write Now Fellowship, which included workshops led by successful women in the industry. I was inspired to pitch again at my network, but this time, I collaborated with a younger colleague in my department, Alyssa Bonchick. Our collaboration led to this:

Not only was it a success, but we also joined a short list of young women (Lena Dunham and Yvette Lee Bowser) to earn the Created By credit in their 20s. Here’s how we did it.

The Origin

Every great idea needs a motive or some inspiration to grow into an authentic opportunity, and, of course, be profitable.

If you ask people who are familiar with Bounce, they’ll likely associate it with Saints & Sinners, old movies, and reruns of shows, especially sitcoms. They may mention the original multi-cam sitcoms, like In The Cut and Family Time. This is what attracted me to the network back in 2017 when I was looking for internships. It kind of reminded me of UPN in the early 2000s. My family and I used to gather in the living room on weeknights to watch The Parkers, Girlfriends, Half & Half, All of Us, etc. I recall one episode of One on One that we couldn’t miss because my cousin appeared in a small role and also wrote an episode. This was my introduction to the possibility of screenwriting. I remember my Grandma talking to our extended family about the episode, beaming with joy and pride. Those memories stuck with me, and I longed to experience that again.

The Zoom Meetings & The Pitch

One day after an internal development meeting, I asked Alyssa if she could stay on after. I suggested we put our heads together and pitch a sitcom to the team since they were looking to produce another one. We met via Zoom almost every day to brainstorm. We even found time to discuss our show on the set of another Bounce sitcom, Act Your Age. After countless hours, we finally had a pitch.

The original title was Family Affair, a nod to Mary J. Blige’s hit single, but after receiving pushback from executives, we compromised, a part of the process. Given the sitcom landscape at the time, we wanted to do a family business. Some early ideas included a funeral home, adult daycare, or restaurant. During brainstorming, those weeknights in my Grandma’s living room replayed in my head. What brings families together? Birthdays, reunions, weddings, even funerals, or something as simple as a watch party. And all these events can take place at an event space. Just like that, we had a show that could highlight Black cultural celebrations while introducing other cultures to the Bounce audience. It was genius, poetic, in a sense. We created characters, backstories, and potential storylines for the pilot and season one. After a pitch meeting with most of the department, we got the green light to develop the concept further.

The Development & Production

Our development process was smooth compared to the horror stories I’ve heard. We faced some challenges but managed to push through, focusing on the goal: making it to air.

Our first task was to find a writer who could further develop the show and write the pilot. After reviewing writing samples in our database, we agreed to move forward with Danielle Dominique. From there, she pitched the show back to us along with the pilot. While Danielle was writing, Alyssa and I created look books for the characters and sets. Since the show is based in Chicago and neither of us was from there, we conducted extensive research on the interior designs of homes and businesses in the city.

Prior to a meeting with Danielle, we had not met internally to discuss our notes on the pilot script. This did not sit well with me, and I could no longer ignore it. So, I took it upon myself to professionally end the meeting, allowing the network to align on feedback first. It was a bold move to make as a coordinator, but I felt it was necessary to take ownership of the project. Ensuring that our notes were inclusive of everyone’s feedback was a crucial part of that responsibility.

I can’t really speak on production because I wasn’t there. Yup, you read that right, I wasn’t a part of the production for the show I created. I had left the company to pursue other opportunities and was not brought back as promised. Coupled with the dual strikes, this took a toll on my mental health. It felt like all my hard work had gone to waste. I created a table for everyone to sit at, but because I didn’t own it, there was no seat left for me.

The Premiere

Despite not being part of the production process and my Created By credit being excluded from the press release, I still encouraged my family and friends to watch. They promoted it heavily on social media, even live-tweeting during the premiere. And they made sure to let everyone know I created it, especially my Grandma. Her calling everyone under the sun to watch the show was all the PR I needed. She was the silver lining in all of this because I was finally able to recreate a joyful moment with my family.

Lessons from Mind Your Business

• Take ownership. Our voices deserve to be heard.
• Own your ideas. Pitching internally can prevent this from happening but if you can own it, do it! Also,?get your proper credit for the work.?
• Listen to and collaborate with younger colleagues. They are future leaders, and their ideas deserve to be empowered and rewarded (financially).
• If those ideas happen to come from Howard University alumni, go ahead and greenlight them. Your company’s pockets won’t regret it.