Still an artist at heart, the movie veteran is producing two films set to release in 2012 and one on 2013; Sparkle, starring Jordin Sparks and the late Whitney Houston in her final theatrical performance; Dirty Dancing with director Kenny Ortega and Elixir, another Sanna Hamri collaboration. BlackEnterprise.com caught up with Martin Chase on the Detroit set of Sparkle as she dished out lessons on Hollywood moviemaking and staying ahead of the curve.

As a producer, can you talk about your pitching process?

The pitching process has evolved over the years and certainly I’ve become savvier about how I do it. There was a time when I was younger and fresher and probably more innocent. I’d find a story and be passionate about it and I’d say, I’m going to make this movie. I’d go in and tell the story and do my best to sell it.  Now, I’m picking my projects and being smart about it; how you sell it, where you sell the project and also, the name of the game for me, as a producer, is that I have to make product. That’s what I do. The more product I make that’s good and that does well, the more power I have to do more things. In today’s marketplace, it really is about pitching how you’re going to sell the movie as much as it is about how good the story is.

Are musicals harder to sell to studios these days?

Actually, this period is the renaissance of the musical. MGM and old Hollywood was built on musicals [and became] some of the greatest movies of all time—from West Side Story to Funny Lady. And I always say that Bollywood, which is the largest film industry in the world, is really all about the musical.

Today you have Glee, which is a huge success; you have High School Musical, which again has been enormously successful with the best album of the year for two consecutive years. You have Hairspray, Chicago; you have had a lot of success with musicals. People are interested and Hollywood knows they’re interested. Actually selling a musical, particularly if it’s based on and existing property, which is really the direction that Hollywood is going in general—it actually gives you an edge.

How do you decide whom to work with once your projects are green lit?

It’s really important for me to work with good people. I start with a vision for something and you have to find people that share that vision and will build upon and expand it to places that I didn’t even imagine it could go. Also, you’re in bed with people for a long time. We [were] here in Detroit for a month. It’s just important for me to be around people who not only are immensely creative and talented but who are good people. That’s why I adore Salim [Akil] and Mara [Brock Akil] because they are just good people. This is the first time I’ve worked with a husband and wife combination. So it’s been very interesting to see their process. They very much so are respectful of one another yet very collaborative. And it’s just great to watch them work.

Click here to continue reading and to watch Martin Chase’s video interview…

Sparkle will be Whitney Houston’s return to the big screen but this isn’t your first time working with her. When did you work with her previously? [Edit Note: This interview took place before Houston’s untimely passing.]

I ran Denzel Washington’s production company for four years when we had a deal with TriStar. During that time, I developed a movie called The Preacher’s Wife. It took four years and Whitney was attached from the very beginning. I got a chance to know her and her team. She’d done The Bodyguard and Waiting to Exhale and wanted to grow her company so it worked out. I’d started with Denzel right after his Oscar for Glory. Malcolm X was in the can. He was a very respected actor at the time and I took that journey with him as he became the legendary actor that he is today. And producing became less important to him because he was doing back-to-back movies; so it was during the production of a The Preacher’s Wife that I sort of transitioned. Martin Chase Productions has had a deal with Disney for 10 years. I’ll partner on individual projects but I’ve been doing this for a long time.

What the difference between Hollywood now versus 10 years ago?

Hollywood has changed a lot. Studios and production companies are now divisions of larger corporations so of course it’s all about the bottom line and making money. They need things to make money. It’s about commerciality. What happen to the music business a few years ago with the advancement of the Internet and technology is killing the movie business. Just a few years ago, DVDs were holding up the legs of major studios. There was a lot of money made in DVD sales, now those sales have gone away. I haven’t bought a movie in forever. Even our distribution system has changed. They are again trying to figure out how to get people back to the movie theater.

How do we get people invested again in the big picture experience?

That’s why there are so many historical titles making it to the big screen now, because people have some kind of recognition to the characters. I’m doing two remakes, Sparkle and Dirty Dancing next year. It’s a way to say that there’s a built in audience and if we can bring that audience back, plus another audience, we’re one step ahead of the game. My mentor in this business was a man named Frank Price, in retrospect, he’s one of the last of the Hollywood studio bosses and I just adore him because he wanted me to learn and he saw me as a part of his legacy. Frank was all about the story; we’d sit in a meeting and analyze what would work and what wouldn’t work in a story; versus now, it’s, “How do I sell this, what’s the one sheet on this, what’s the one-liner that I can hook my marketing campaign on.” It’s real but unfortunately where the business had gone.

Watch below as Martin Chase shares more of her insight on the movie business.

Shot and edited by Chapter3.tv

(Image: Dimitry L.)

For over a decade Tracy “Twinkie” Byrd has helped launch the acting careers of countless Hollywood hopefuls, making her the first casting director to successfully shift from music videos to major motion pictures. The New York native has an eagle eye for raw talent that has allowed her to discover actors such as Michael Kenneth Williams [Boardwalk Empire], Naturi Naughton [Notorious, The Playboy Club], Columbus Short [Scandal, Stomp the Yard] and Laz Alonso [Jumping the Broom, Avatar], to name a few. Most recently Byrd has been credited with casting the late Whitney Houston’s final film, Sparkle, which also introduces American Idol star, Jordin Sparks, in her acting debut.

With an infectious personality and ambition that is matched by her foresight, the veteran casting director sat down with BlackEnterprise.com to talk about the slick moves that boosted her early career, how she chooses leads, and just how closely art and life can intermingle.

How did you get started out in casting?

I didn’t always want to be a casting director. I had this great personality and I typed 95 words a minute so I had no problem getting a job…but keeping a job was a problem; I talked on the phone all the time [laughs]. My brother [Jeffrey Byrd] worked for Spike Lee—he introduced me to people in the industry and I started interning and working at Classic Concepts. He went on to become a very talented director now and allowed me to cast his first feature film, Kings Ransom, starring Anthony Anderson and Jay Mohr. My brother is the one that really kicked the door open for me and allowed me to come in on his coattail; he’s very proud of me.

But, of course, I put in my own hard work, too. Audacity and tenacity are two of my favorite words: When I first started out I got a meeting with [The Cosby Show casting director] Julie Hughes; she said, “You have 15 minutes.” So I asked her, “Who gets your coffee and empties the trash?” There wasn’t anyone doing that and so I made that my job as an intern.

That’s pretty savvy.

You have to be! You can find out so much about what’s going on from what ends up in the trash. Read everything in the trash [laughs]. You can learn a lot as an apprentice if you really want to. I remember [casting director] Tracey Moore put an ad in the paper when I was first starting out; she was looking for actors. I showed my dad and said, “I really want to work as her assistant but this ad is for a casting call.” So my dad had the idea to call her and tell her I’d be willing to assist her on the day of the casting for free. I called and she said that no one had offered to come in to help her so the job was mine—I interned for her that full day.

When I was working for Elaine Williams [of Essence magazine]; every time I had to RSVP for her to go to an event I’d add my name to the list, too [laughs].

You didn’t get caught?

How would I? I’m calling from Essence; no one asked questions [laughs]. I found my way to wherever I needed to be.

Even with your personality and business savvy, were there times you thought that you wouldn’t make it in the industry?

Yes, maybe. There are a lot of stepping-stones and sometimes you don’t know when you’re making lateral moves. We can’t make vertical moves all the time. When I moved from New York to L.A. I started to second-guess myself. People had more experience and had worked with big-time names. I just had to learn what to take and what to leave behind. I quickly moved up because of my business prowess, and my whole family rallied around me, prayed for me, called me from all the way in North Carolina; all of those little things helped me tremendously. Adversity is a blessing; it makes you push harder. And if you have family like mine giving up isn’t an option.

Continued on next page…

Sparks and Byrd are all smiles

You’re well known for introducing new actors to the screen. What is it that you look for in new talent?

Well, a lot of these actors just seem new to people because most people aren’t paying attention to smaller roles. These actors are out there honing their craft with short films or acting school and a lot of them just need to be re-energized. I look for people doing commercials, theatre, working on TV, and I watch them grow… But my prayer is that they know what to do with the opportunities they get and that they are truly the humble spirits I met in that casting room. And I’ve worked with some great actors—it rocked me to my soul when Laz Alonso thanked me on international TV when he accepted the NAACP Award [2012 outstanding actor]. His words didn’t come from a piece of paper or a list; they came from the heart. That’s who he is and I was so thankful to be a part of that.

You also launched the career of Jamal Woolard as the Notorious B.I.G. in 2009’s Notorious biopic. Was this film more difficult to cast due to Biggie’s popularity and the fact that so many of the other characters are still alive?

It was challenging because I had to make the studio understand how important it was to be authentic—this film had to have Brooklyn buzz. The studio was sincerely open to understanding and allowing us to do what needed to be done. Jamal had never been an actor, but he was a rapper and so he understood the role. Naturi Naughton [who played Lil’ Kim] had done a little Broadway singing and sang with the group 3LW, but there was nothing to show how good she was as an actress. She understood the cadence and tone of Kim. Jamal and Naturi were willing to take the time, and take notes, and implement those notes. When you have a movie filled with all of those loved people, you want to do them justice. That can be a challenge, but I’m from Brooklyn, man! If Brooklyn didn’t love it; it was a wrap.

Jordin Sparks is making her acting debut in the upcoming film Sparkle thanks to you as well. How did you choose her for this role?

She’s a beautiful and effortless singer. Her life is similar to her character’s in that she’s an innocent person who is raised very well. I auditioned many hundreds of actresses for this role and Jordin was no different. She pulled off the arch where you find your own strength and blossom and grow into yourself. She got all of the nuances of the character. She came in prepared. She didn’t come in with celebrity, or entourage, or foolishness. She came for the job. It wasn’t given to her; she took it.

Sparkle is also Whitney Houston’s final acting role, were you ever hesitant about casting her?

No, she was amazing in The Body Guard and everyone deserves a second chance. She had a passion for the film—she owned the rights to it and was a producer; but she didn’t have to be in it. We all thought it would be brilliant for her to be in it, though. I’m so thankful it happened.

What has been your favorite project to work on?

All of them. That’s like choosing a favorite child [laughs]. I choose each for different reasons: Stomp the Yard spoke so much to my background in dance, plus, I went to a historically Black college, too. Notorious was special because I’ve worked with Mary J. Blige, Puffy, and Lil’ Kim for their music videos. The ones that come to me are the ones I’m perfect for.

Can you tell us about the next upcoming project?

Yes! Being Mary Jane [formerly Single Black Female] is a Gabrielle Union one-hour drama on BET and it’s a story about a woman doing wonderfully in her career…but then she looks up and realizes that her personal life isn’t where it should be. That speaks to me, too—my career is doing everything but I’m not married and have no children… and, once again, my life informs my art [laughs]. I’m excited about this, though—it’s written by Mara Brock Akil [Cougartown, Girlfriends] and directed by Salim Akil [The Game, Soul Food]. It’s really a great story; a fabulous story.

Is it coincidental that your personal history seems to be traced by the projects you work on?

I look for things that speak to me. I bring something unique to each project because I’ve lived them all in some way. Fig [HBO short film festival winner] spoke to my work with The HerShe Group, which deals with girls in foster care. I have that experience working with them, then across my desk comes a script about a child looking for a better life and I was able to draw on experiences with HerShe. That’s what allows me to bring more.

Houston, who has been open about her struggles with drug abuse, was making another comeback after another stint in rehab. She was set to star in the remake of the film Sparkle, produced by Mara Brock Akil, and has been seen making recent appearances with friend Ray J on several high profile events.

During Grammy weekend BlackEnterprise.com hit the red carpet and picked the brains of industry insiders, like MC Lyte and actress Keisha Knight Pulliam to get their thoughts on Houston’s impact. Watch below as they share tehri thoughts.

Our condolences and prayers go out to Houston’s family, friends and loved ones.

Video produced by Frank Williams of Prophet From It Entertainment

It is presumed Houston had plans to attend tonight’s annual pre-Grammy bash of her mentor, music legend Clive Davis. It is unknown whether the incident will cause cancellation of the evening’s event. Houston, who has been open about her struggles with drug abuse, was making another comeback after another stint in rehab. She was set to star in the remake of the film Sparkle, produced by Mara Brock Akil, and has been seen making recent appearances with friend Ray J on several red carpets.

News reports say the Grammy show producers are scrambling to make changes to tomorrow night’s show in order to honor Houston, and that singer Jennifer Hudson may be the one to sing the tribute. On a night when the music industry celebrates its own, one thing is for certain: there will be a great sense of loss among the musicians assembled.

Our condolences to Houston’s family, friends and loved ones.

Power Couple: Mara Brock & Salim Akil

When it comes to Hollywood power couples, Salim and Mara Brock Akil have consistently found success on both the small and big screen. Only a few days into the New Year and that trend looks to be continuing in 2012. On January 10, the Akils will launch another season of the hugely successful The Game on BET Networks. Later in the year, they’ll help bring Whitney Houston back to the silver screen with the release Sparkle (Sony Pictures), which features singer Jordin Sparks making her acting debut.

Teaming up to form their umbrella company Akil Productions came as a result of many years on the Hollywood grind. “Before we formed our company, [Salim and I] would have [studio] meetings and I realized that executives would think they could get both of us for the price of one,” says Mara, 41. “We are very proud to let people know that we have our own individual strengths that compliment each other but if you want both of us, you have to pay two for the price of two.”

In 2010, the Akils inked a deal to produce original shows like resurrected series The Game with the Viacom-owned Black Entertainment Television. Soon after the family ventured into feature film with the box office success of the TriStar 2011 release of Jumping the Broom. The film was made with a $6 million budget and has grossed over $38 million to date. Now, they have their eyes set on their next potential blockbuster. “When the studio [Sony Pictures] approached me about remaking Sparkle, my first reaction was that Black people would kill me if I [messed] this up,” remembers Salim, 47. “Only if I could do it with my wife would it work.”

Actors Pooch Hall & Tia Mowry-Hardrict in character on set of The Game

Balancing a fledging production company, a marriage and raising two sons is something that comes second nature to the couple, whose work continuously takes them away from home in California. “I consider it a huge blessing to work with my husband,” adds Mara, while in LA in The Game’s writer’s room. “Our biggest assets are our resources. Because we both have been doing this work for many years, we are and have been able to collaborate with wonderful talent that shared our passion.”

Their mission as a team of storytellers is to bring Black stories to life sometimes with less time and fewer dollars. “It’s nothing for us to balance commerce with art. We’ve always worked under financial constraints,” says Salim. “Me and Mara know how to make a dollar out of 15 cents. We have to keep giving the audience quality work and conversations that are relevant.”

The Akils have been passionate about telling Black stories from both of their humble beginnings. Mara got her professional start as a production assistant on The Sinbad Show before being hired as a writer’s assistant on South Central. Writing scripts for The Jamie Foxx Show and Moesha led Mara to create UPN’s Girlfriends, which was her first time collaborating with her husband, who got his start as a writer working on Showtime’s Soul Food. “Our conversations with studio execs are different now. We have a proven brand. It’s no longer us saying we have this idea; it’s now them asking us, what would we like to do—it’s nice,” says Salim. “We have a marriage, we have a family and the same personal and professional struggles but everyday I feel privileged to be here. We clearly love what we do.”

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Mara Brock Akil

Against the backdrop of The CW Television Network’s plans to abandon the half-hour comedy genre at the end of this season, television producer Mara Brock Akil and the cast of the show she created, The Game, are engaged in a bold gambit: to convince the network to expand the show to a one-hour time slot. The show, developed by Brock Akil and husband Salim Akil’s company Akil Row Productions (formerly Happy Camper Productions), revolves around Melanie Barnett (played by Tia Mowry), who leaves medical school to follow her boyfriend as he pursues a pro football career. If Akil, listed among the Black Enterprise Top 50 Hollywood Power Brokers, is successful, it will be the latest milestone in a career of barrier-breaking achievements in the television industry.

The “Change The Game” campaign includes an appeal, including a YouTube video featuring Mowry, Pooch Hall, Wendy Raquel Robinson and other cast members, to fans of the show to register 1 million posts to The CW Lounge message boards by April 15, the day the cast says Brock Akil herself is slated to make her pitch for the one-hour format to The CW. A secondary message of the YouTube campaign is to end “rumors” of the impending cancellation of The Game, after the announced cancellation of Everybody Hates Chris, which it followed in The CW’s 8:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. time slot on Friday nights.

“As of today [April 10], The Game is not canceled,” Brock Akil says. “However, due to The CW phasing out of the half-hour sitcom business, it is highly unlikely the show can return in its current form. Dawn [Ostroff, president of entertainment at The CW] and I are meeting so she can hear what The Game could look like in the hour format and give it strong consideration as she plans her schedule for next fall. And it certainly feels good knowing the fans are trying to do their part by getting a million hits on The CW web site before I go in to meet, so that I not only go in with a new idea, but I go in with a lot of fan support.”

If the show keeps its half-hour time slot, it begs the question of how the other half-hour would be filled by The CW. However, the fact that The Game deftly blends comedy with serious dramatic themes and does not have a studio audience favors Brock Akil’s proposed expansion to an hour-long format.

 

Mara Brock Akil

“The Game is ripe for an hour format because the show has already evolved into a single-camera style, the subject matter often takes a dramatic turn due to our desire to remain authentic to the subculture of professional sports, and the serial nature of the relationship arcs have turned the show into somewhat of a nighttime soap opera, leaving our dedicated audience starving for more and, in some instances, dissatisfied with the nineteen minutes of air time they are currently getting each week,” Brock Akil explains. “The hour format would also allow us more time to juggle the compelling story lines of our current cast members, while making way for new characters in the world of football, which we all know is larger than life and full of drama.”

With the cancellations of other CW shows with urban themes, including Girlfriends, One on One, All of Us, and now Everybody Hates Chris, The Game would be the last show on network television with a predominantly black cast. (Tyler Perry’s House of Payne is on cable’s TBS.) In its first two seasons, The Game averaged more than 2 million viewers each week. This season, after being moved to its current Friday-night “death” slot, average weekly viewers fell to 1.68 million. Between seasons two and three, The Game’s ratings in the 18-49 demographic fell from .96 to .07. The CW moving Chris and The Game to Friday nights, when everybody is getting ready to go the club—I mean (ahem), Friday night worship service—probably didn’t help the ratings of either show, to say the least.

To say that Brock Akil’s bid is a bold one is an understatement. Network television has a decades-long track record of limiting black shows to half-hour sitcoms—if it has any programming with black casts or urban themes at all. And with few exceptions, even these shows have been treated shabbily—pimped as a quick way to build viewership (African Americans watch more television than most other groups), shifted to the most difficult time slots, and then unceremoniously dumped as networks fill out their line-ups with “mainstream” programming featuring black and minority actors as secondary characters at best. Past attempts at breaking the 30-minute sitcom time barrier for black shows with anything approaching authentically written, high-quality, hour-long dramas featuring black actors in principal roles and culturally diverse themes have been few and short-lived.

Keep an eye on Brock Akil. Come mid-May, when The CW is slated to announce its new fall lineup at upfronts in New York, she could literally change the game. I, for one, hope she succeeds.

To go to The CW Lounge message boards click here.

Alfred A. Edmond Jr. is the editor-in-chief of BlackEnterprise.com