Wilson Morales, editor for BlackFilm.com

• Blog: BlackFilm.com
• Niche: Entertainment/Cinema
• Editor: Wilson Morales
• Twitter: @BlackFilm

Any seasoned film journalists will tell you that there was a time when film studios—small and large—were not giving much attention to websites. But when BlackFilm.com editor, Wilson Morales joined the team in 1999, he hoped to change the online landscape. Having done movie reviews for WBAI (99.5 FM) radio in New York, the Bronx-native brought the inside knowledge and connections the site’s owner, Val Moore, was looking for. Garnering exclusives to premieres, actors, producers and directors, BlackFilm.com was groundbreaking in a time when there were few sites regularly updating movie news—especially with a Black focus.

Wilson, who is also the co-President of the Black Film Critics Circle, was one of the first to break the new crop of actors like Anthony Mackie, Kerry Washington and Columbus Short when no one was. Now, 13 years later, with five million page views a month and a reputation for breaking news first, the niche-specific site still successfully promotes Black cinema and Black talent like none other. The well-respected movie buff sat down with BlackEnterprise.com as part of Black Blogger Month to talk about African Americans, film and their presence in the blogosphere.

I choose a website as the vehicle to promote Black films because…

I wanted to promote films of color and the talent in front and behind the camera so that people were aware of them. Many times most of the major media outlets would rather focus on the “in” films or talent, and I wanted to give some presence to those projects and talent who may not get that opportunity.

The Black spending dollar is important in the film industry because…

We spend as much as anyone else does when going to the theater to view films. Although there is a lack of Black films presented in a majority of theaters, that hasn’t deterred African Americans from seeing other heavily commercialized films such as Hunger Games or Harry Potter. At the same time, I feel that if Black films were given the same amount of theater count as others, we would see an increase in box office profits and therefore a positive sign for the future.

The biggest misconception Hollywood has about Black audiences is…

That Black audiences don’t come out to support their own films in droves, when the truth is that there aren’t enough theaters where the films play in. Let’s not forget how Tyler Perry shocked the industry when he first entered the business or when the box office experts predicted that Will Packer‘s Takers would take in a few million at the gate but made an unexpected $20 million in its opening weekend. It’s about how much faith Hollywood has in Black films and how marketing plays out.

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Connections and networking have been important to securing exclusives because…

Having an exclusive brings awareness and helps the site grow. It tells me that the source, whether it’s a person or studio giving the site the exclusive, believes in our ability to get the message out to our audience. And hopefully that expands in a national platform, depending on the story.

I measure success by…

In today’s world, especially with the advent of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media outlets in recent years, success is topsy-turvy. I try to stay above par every day and try not to get caught up in competition. We’re a niche site and we try to stay within a certain lane. At the same time, we try to adapt to changes in the media world so that our methods of operation don’t become old fashion.

If there were a movie about BlackFilm.com, the person who would play me in the lead would be…

Columbus Short. Watching him in films and now TV, with his role on Scandal, I think he brings a sense of confidence and conviction in the things he does; attributes that I have in myself. And for now, a working title would be Blackfilm.com (laughs).

Anyone that wants to follow in my footsteps should…

Start by watching as many films as possible that have Black talent in front or behind the camera. That way, when writing any article, they have some knowledge of the material. Knowledge in this industry is very key. Their own opinion will weigh heavily because people will know that they have an inside track.

What’s next on the horizon for me is…

Continuing to promote the next Black film, Black talent and keep everyone in the loop as to what’s happening in the industry.

Be sure to check out the rest of the digital thought leaders as they’re revealed each day by logging on to BlackEnterprise.com/BlackBloggerMonth.

Producer, Datari Turner

If the 1990’s were the golden age of Black Hollywood, with films like Eve’s Bayou, Boyz n The Hood and Love Jones, then the 2000’s are finally beginning to reap the benefits of that foundation. The recent domestic box office success of films like Jumping the Broom, which grossed six times its budget; Think Like a Man, which was No. 1 in the U.S. for two consecutive weeks; and virtually any Tyler Perry film demonstrate that Black films can be profitable. For producers such as former model turned independent Hollywood mogul, Datari Turner, such success only helps to further advance Black Hollywood.

Over the past several years, Turner has produced a diverse range of films including Dysfunctional Friends, Video Girl, and the all-White cast film starring Demi Moore, Another Happy Day. For Turner the doors being reopened by films like Think Like a Man, is the perfect opportunity to further diversify his portfolio with upcoming projects, including Neil LaBute’s Some Velvet Morning, starring Jeff Daniels, Kid Cannabis, starring Kellan Lutz and a tentative joint project with Sean “Diddy” Combs, Homecoming.

In between running around on set, Turner spoke with BlackEnterprise.com about why Black films fail overseas, his strategy to avoid being labeled solely a “Black” producer, why he doesn’t want a studio deal like Tyler Perry, and what Think Like a Man’s success means for Black Hollywood.

For many, Think Like a Man was a surprise success. What impact does that film’s box office draw have on the state of Black Hollywood?

I think it definitely helps Black Hollywood and Black films continue to get made. Now in Hollywood 70-80% of profits come from overseas. One thing Hollywood tells you is that Black films don’t translate well overseas. So when it can do that domestically it shows that we have an audience if the quality is there.

What challenges do you see limiting the success of Black films overseas, when Black culture is global and has a history of influencing people all over the world?

I think the reason why they haven’t started to be profitable overseas is because we don’t have anybody on the ground over there working those films to make sure they get into theaters and retail stores over there.  Black culture translates everywhere but for whatever reason they are not opening films [told from the African American perspective] in a lot of countries outside the U.S.

In regards to the international scene, oftentimes the topic of African cinema is overlooked when it comes to discussions of Black Hollywood.

Domestically, with Black films, I think we have a long way to go. Right now we need to continue to have openings like Think Like a Man and Jumping the Broom. In terms of separating African films vs. Black films, to me it’s all the same thing. I want to see more films with people of color being made period.

You just mentioned two romantic comedies with great success for Black Hollywood. Does that trend influence the type of films you support and produce since there is a proven market for it?

As an independent producer I can choose to tell the stories I am passionate about and get behind the kind of stories I want to make. I don’t want to be known as a Black producer, I want to be known as a producer that produces highbrow great movies. I’ve produced all kinds of films. I did one with an all-White cast called Another Happy Day, which won the Best Screenplay Award at Sundance and this year I produced LUV, which has Common, Danny Glover and Meagan Good. So to me I like to get behind great stories.

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Do you feel like Think Like a Man’s success will open the door for more independent producers outside of mainstays, Tyler Perry and Spike Lee?

I think two of the biggest production companies now in the business are Tyler Perry and Rainforest Films. I am a huge fan of Tyler Perry. He has his niche and is really hard working. He receives a lot of criticism but any person that went from homeless to half a billon you have to commend. I am also a huge fan of Rainforest. I look at myself and see that we are all in different lanes and important to the business. Those guys have studio deals and produce movies that cost from $10 million to $25 million. A lot of times with studio deals they want you to recycle that one type of film but with me I want to do drama’s, romantic comedies or a foreign language movie. As an independent producer I want films in Sundance and SXSW and the Cannes Film Festival. A lot of times they try to lump everybody in the same category but I’m not in a hurry for a studio deal. I admire those guys and I think we just need to continue to push and make quality films.

On April 10^th you tweeted, “I just did a deal with Bunim/Murray Productions to start creating more reality shows again. Tuesday = I’m not leaving no money on the table!” What can we expect from this deal?

As of recently I don’t like the state of reality TV. There were no girls puling each other’s hair out on the shows I’ve produced like The Ultimate Hustler and I Married a Baller. With reality TV it has to be positive and now I’m working on something really big. It’s about one of the wealthiest Black families in the country that owns the majority of a small town. Everybody in the family has PhD’s. The father has schools named after him. You would never think a Black family owned this much in one town. The father is a doctor and was the first Black accepted into Emory or one of these top schools in the 1940’s. It’s a story that more African-Americans have to see.

You had another interested tweet on April 16^th when you wrote, “Why is it that the person complaining about not enough quality Black films being made is the same person who would go buy a bootleg DVD #SMFH” Do you feel like audiences in the Black community don’t support Black films enough?

If you look at the 1990’s that is the heyday of Black films. Everything from Friday to Set it Off, and they didn’t all make a lot of money at the box office but home video sales were. New Jack City made $60 million on home video. If you look at a White film like The Tourist, it is considered a flop in the States with only $60 million at the box office and it cost $100 million to make, but internationally it did $275 million outside of the U.S. [Editor’s Note: The Tourist grossed an estimated $67 million domestically and $210 million in the foreign market.] With Black movies we don’t’ have the luxury to get released all over the world. So if they can’t make money off the film in the other 50 territories it has to make a lot of money on DVDs. Then when they bootleg DVDs it really does directly affect how many Black movies get made because it affects profits. I think people don’t realize that and you’re not saving money buying a bootleg for $5; you’re hurting your community.

(Image: Getty)

This past Sunday, Tyler Perry posted a lengthy status update on his Facebook fan page (Why doesn’t he have an actual blog?) explaining a recent run-in with the police where the filmmaker/entrepreneur says he was harassed and feared things could take a “turn for the worse.” The incident occurred as Perry was leaving his movie studio and, as a security measure to prevent being followed, he made a left turn from the right lane and was subsequently pulled over for the illegal driving infraction. By his account, the simple traffic stop spiraled into scary waters after the police officers, who both happened to be White, thought something was “wrong” with Perry for thinking someone was following him.

As one of the richest people in America (regardless of color) with an estimated net worth of $350 million, Perry has every right to be concerned with being followed. However, I can understand how making such a claim could appear “crazy” to someone who’s unaware of the movie mogul’s status—as was the case here. Still, the officers’ actions, according to Perry’s depiction, appear to have been extreme and exaggerated, but that doesn’t negate the fact that Perry was in the wrong.

From his own admission, Perry made an illegal turn that caused him to be pulled over. As most people of color can attest to, being approached by an officer of the law in such a situation can be nerve racking, regardless of whether you’ve done something or not. We’ve heard too many stories of overzealous patrolmen roughing up or opening fire on a driver during a routine traffic stop.

Perry’s second err of judgment was not properly explaining himself. I’m not saying that he should have tried to use his celebrity to get out of a ticket he deserved, but simply saying you thought you were being followed without context does look suspect. According to Perry, though, the officers continually badgered him with questions without offering him the opportunity to respond in depth.

His third err was losing his cool and blurting, “I think you guys need to just write the ticket and do whatever you need to do.” While I understand Perry’s frustration and wanting to get the ordeal over with, driving while Black requires much more tact. It’s sad to say, but the advice his mother gave him about dealing with the police still rings true today.

Perry wrote:

My mother would always say to me, “If you get stopped by the police, especially if they are White policemen, you say, ‘Yes, sir,’ and ‘No, sir,’ and if they want to take you in, you go with them. Don’t resist, you hear me? Don’t make any quick moves, don’t run, you just go.”

I can relate to Perry’s mother’s perspective. I’m not sure when I picked up this survival skill, but as a Black man in America I follow suit religiously. Back in my college years, a group of friends and I were driving two cars deep on our way back to Queens from a pool hall in Long Island. I was behind the wheel of my mother’s car, a beat up Cutlass Supreme, following my friends who were leading the way in the vehicle in front of me.

As we approached this one intersection, I noticed a police car creeping up beside me and rather than pulling up to the walkway, the officer left his car parallel to mine. I could feel his eyes peering into my car, but I knew I wasn’t doing anything wrong so I paid him no mind. Still, I couldn’t help but feel tense at the fact that this man with a gun was staring at me.

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(Image: ThinkStock)

Just as the light turned green, I was blinded by the officer’s floodlights bursting in from the left side of my car. Unfamiliar with what that meant I proceeded on with traffic as my friends in the car ahead crossed the intersection. Then, he flashed his sirens and instructed me to pull over. I immediately complied, making my way over to the shoulder lane and waited to find out what the problem was.

As the Nassau County officer, who happened to be White, approached the driver’s side of my vehicle I rolled down the window and he immediately hit me with, “Why were you playing with your headlights?”

All I was doing was waiting at a red light listening to music with my friends so I had no idea what he was talking about. “I didn’t touch any lights,” I replied, completely baffled.

“I saw you.”

“But…,” I caught myself, as I heard a similar voice as Tyler Perry’s mother’s go off in my head: Don’t give this man any reason to accuse you of being anything other than a Black man driving in Long Island.

The officer asked for my license and registration, which I slowly retrieved for him. While he was running my information through the system, my friends and I spent the next five minutes trying to figure out what we did to prompt this traffic stop. For the life of us, we couldn’t figure out what that was, other than being Black while driving.

When the patrolman finally returned, he handed me my documents with a warning, “A car is not a toy, Mr. Samuel.”

I clenched my jaw and bit my tongue, only managing to utter a half-hearted, “Thank you.”

The cop returned to his car and peeled of, leaving me feeling vexed at the idea of being stopped for what I saw as nothing. It wasn’t until we caught up with our friends in the other car at a neighborhood diner that I discovered why the officer pulled me over. Apparently my friends in the car ahead had noticed my headlights kept flashing off and on periodically while we were driving, but thought it was just me playing around. I knew for a fact I didn’t touch the lights, so when I got home I asked my mother if anything was wrong with the car and she revealed that it had some electrical issues that caused the headlights to flicker, which she forgot to mention when she gave me the keys.

Similar to Perry, I was technically in the wrong but that still didn’t stop me from feeling like it was a racially biased incident. Sure, I wasn’t driving a luxury car but I was a person of color in a White neighborhood. At the end of the day, no matter how rich or poor you are, when it comes to (mis)perception that’s what it all boils down to. Those police officers had no clue who Perry was and to them he was just another Black man (read: suspect).

While we’ve definitely come a long way in terms of acceptance (i.e. a Black man named Barack Obama being appointed President of the United States), we still have a long way to go. American culture is rooted in racism and no matter how many of us make it that alone won’t change the system. Tyler Perry might have a lot more money than me but our skin color is the same. When the fancy cars, suits and money is all stripped away and he’s just another man that’s Black while driving (or walking) there’s no separating someone like him from someone like me or a 17-year-old boy on his way home from buying a bag of Skittles. Well, the only difference is both Perry and I were able to walk away from our incidents and live to write about them, if only we were all that lucky.

What can fans expect from your character Angela in For Better or Worse?
They are going to see more of a balance. Angela’s home life is something they didn’t get to see in Why Did I Get Married? because she and Marcus were always traveling. She won’t just be going off and acting crazy, which I don’t really feel is her going off and being crazy as much as it is that she’s passionate and committed to her husband and marriage. Of course, Angela has some maturing to do, but a lot of women are insecure and fearful of abandonment, which makes them destructive and reactive. So people will see her as a wife, entrepreneur, and mother as well as see her trying to change and do what’s right.

How do you respond to the criticism that Angela promotes the negative stereotype that black women are loud and combative?
Any woman who has been in a relationship and has experienced anything close to what Angela and Marcus have knows things happen. Angela’s passionate, and if people give [the show] a chance, they will see how she matures as we all do. [Audiences] are going to identify with a lot of the different relationships. I want them to enjoy, laugh, and be inspired.

When you think about your career trajectory and personal brand, where do you see yourself in five years?
My husband Keith Douglas [entrepreneur and author of The Power to Get Wealth: No Money Required] and I launched Speaking Bureau Institute (SBI) to create opportunities for entertainers, singers, and athletes to do motivational speaking. I don’t believe enough black talent is sought for these opportunities. Not that it’s only African American talent, but we are focused on creating that voice in that space. Also, I just launched my own [unisex] fragrance called Us at JustTasha.com.

What is the best advice you ever received?
Best money advice was to save! Take an extra 10% and put it away. It’s not always about having a lot of money, but [being] responsible. If we can go to the mall, then we can save. Also, we have to choose our alliances carefully. I say this as a celebrity entertainer; we have to protect our brand. If you have a brand of integrity and character, the wrong person can contaminate it if you don’t screen everybody who tries to approach you with a proposition. This can apply to anyone who is starting a business or brand.

You recently completed a two-week run of the Off-Broadway show, Platanos & Collard Greens. How did you get connected with the show?

My publicist got the audition for me. I went in and auditioned, and they said they were pleasantly surprised. I think they kind of expected me not to do well. A lot of people don’t know that I was a theater major at FAMU. That’s something they don’t ever show on [Basketball Wives].

Who is your character in the play, and do you relate to her in any way?

Malady is very Afrocentric. She’s natural. She’s very strong-minded; strong-willed; very opinionated; very vocal. She also has a vulnerable side. She reminds me a lot of myself in certain ways, but [she’s] different in the way that I’m not just Black power all the time. I love my race, but I’m a little bit more giving than she is.

Because of the personality differences between you and Malady, was it ever a challenge to portray her character?

I wouldn’t say there were challenges because this is my career. I’m used to playing different characters. I pulled from people I knew that reminded me of her. So I try to pick up on little things and bring them into her character.

In addition to acting, you’re also a published author. How was the transition into publishing?

[My first book] series is College Girls—that’s out right now. It’s a series of three [books]. I finished writing the book not too long after I finished school. It was one big book, and I was trying to figure out a way to get it published. [Then] I got pregnant and had to concentrate on raising [my son]. So when [Basketball Wives] came around and my name just started being put out there, I realized I could self-publish. That’s when I split it up into three parts. It’s based off of my life and some friends of mine in college. It’ll make you laugh; it’ll make you cry; it’s very real. [The series] isn’t sugarcoated at all, and I think it touches on a lot of the issues we deal with in college that I’ve never seen a book really touch on.

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Reed makes her off-Broadway debut in Platanos & Collard Greens

Do you have any more books or series on the horizon?

I have a children’s series, and the character is Moo Moo, so it’s the Moo Moo series. It’s based off my little munchkin [my son]. I call him Moo Moo. The series is for the younger kids, something like what we grew up with where you have the books you can write in and have the pullouts and stuff like that. It’s a series of four [books]. One is Moo Moo Muscles, one is Moo Moo Me, one is Moo Moo Munchies. One teaches the kids how to remember their address, remember their phone number, all that stuff.

When is the series set to release?

We’re thinking about putting it out around the same time that I put out the second book of the College Girls series, or we’re going to put it out like a month behind it.

Because you’re into theater, is there a chance anything more will come of the books?

I’ve actually gotten some inquiries about making College Girls a possible pilot for a series. I’ve also had someone reach out to see how [the series] progresses in book two to see if they possibly even want to make it into a film.

You’ve been in the public eye quite a bit since your time on Basketball Wives. Do you think the show has been a hindrance or a benefit?

I definitely think it’s benefited me. When I decided to do the show, there was an image being put out about me that was completely false. A lot of times when you’re going up against someone that’s such a superstar, it’s almost like you’re fighting a beast and you can’t win. I felt like the only way I could show people who I really am and be able to pursue my career in the future was to go on the show. And if I make my mistakes, I make my mistakes, but I learn from them.

I’m not crazy, I’m not psycho, I’m not just this evil person that someone tried to put out there. As people have gotten to know me, [they] either love me or [they] hate me. And you can’t take away who I am; you can’t take away my degree; you can’t take away the fact that I am talented; you can’t take away the fact that even though it’s not shown, I am a great mother. [The show] opened up a lot of doors, and I think that’s even why they cast me in the play. Not just because I have talent, but based off the image that I have now they were comfortable hiring me other than the image I had a few years ago.

So where do you ultimately see yourself as a businesswoman? What’s your end goal?

I definitely want to reopen my dance studio, Fantashique. We actually have a younger dance company for ages 5 to 17, and right now we had one audition and have a little over 20 girls, which is great. I definitely want to pursue my career, and I want to be on the big screen. I would love to work with Tyler Perry. I would love to work with Denzel [Washington], Halle [Berry]; someone I really look up to in my age bracket is Zoe Saldana. I’ve always followed Halle, Denzel, and Julia Roberts. Every time I take my acting class I definitely pull from them.

Singer/songwriter Kandi Burress shows off her Kandi Koated Spades

Playing video games all day may be perfectly fine for a college student, but the same usually doesn’t apply to men in their 30s and 40s. That’s unless you’re entrepreneurs Clemille “CJ” Peters, Jr., 34, and Marcus Matthews, 40, who not only play games but make them as well. The pair of Atlanta residents run Konsole Kingz, a company that uses promotions, event planning, gaming tournaments and marketing strategies to help video game companies tap into urban markets. After working with industry giants like Sega Sports and Rockstar Games, the pair recently released Kandi Koated Spades, an Apple Store spades game that’s endorsed by singer/songwriter and Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kandi Burress. BlackEnterprise.com caught up with Peters and Matthews who reveal what role Twitter played in partnering with Burress, how folks like Tyler Perry and Spike Lee inspire their business model, and why they would prefer to have more competition.

How did the concept for Kandi Koated Spades come about?

Matthews: We wanted to do a Black game that was accessible. I grew up playing tonk and spades, and I would say sometime in mid-2000, I went to my family reunion back in Jacksonville, and everybody busted out spades tables and cards and I was like, “Man, this was made for mobile.” It’s a multiplayer game, it’s simple, people like to talk trash, it’s social, and it’s something that everybody knows, so casual people will play. It’s not like some new game where you have to learn the rules; everybody knows how to play spades in the Black community. You’ve just got to put the right product out there…

Why did it take so long from when you first had the idea for the game to come out?

Matthews: I started conceptualizing it in the mid-2000s, playing around and doing some stuff but couldn’t find the time to focus on it because I was dealing with other projects. When me and CJ hooked up, I told him about it. He’s a bigger spades player than me, so he was into it from the rip! So we just had to find the time and situation. Two years ago, before the iPhone came out, I started on a design. When the iPhone came out, it became a clear, strong platform. I redesigned the game on paper for the iPhone, and I started going down that path. I knew I wanted to work with a celebrity, someone who could bring some attention to the game, who was a gamer ideally. When CJ got involved, he really helped crystallize some things.

What did you bring to the table that was missing?

Peters: When I got involved, I was gathering all the rules and doing all the game play stuff. I was basically the game play producer; making sure it has the right feel, and that the [everything was] represented. I’m always on Twitter—if you’re not following me @KonsoleKingz, you probably should [laughs]—but I use Twitter as market research.

One night, I was throwing out tweets about how you play spades and Kandi replied to my tweets. We had a tweet exchange back and forth, going over rules, and after we did that, it started to form in my head. We were already looking for a person that everybody liked [to endorse the game] and Kandi fit that mold—she had a show coming out, and was going to be all over TV… [Marcus] liked the idea. I knew people that knew her management, we bought [the idea] to her and she liked it.

How involved was she in the actual creation and direction of the game?

Peters: We wanted her to have real input, so we’d give her test inputs of the game and let her play. She wanted certain nuances how she played in the game, so we put those in there. When you win and lose, we have quotes from her pop up, so it feels like she’s watching over all the games being played. We got her to do videos for it. She’s involved, she’s not just like, “Use my name and go.” She comes to the office, sits down and we talk.

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Konsole Kingz, Matthews and Peters

A big thing that many people love about the game is that it includes many of the varying rules of how to play spades. How hard was it to create a program like that?

Peters: To make a good, great polished game, is very hard. Marcus put a lot of late nights into this game, getting it right. It’s hard to do it right. There’s only been one attempt by somebody, but it hasn’t been companies really [making it regularly]. But we know how this game impacts the Black community, the minority community, the urban community, however you want to say it. We know it resonates high, we know people get really emotionally involved in this game. If we bring that same feeling and that same passion, and do it right in the execution, people are going to feel the same way when they play the game on their phone.

Matthews: I’ve pitched similar concepts to mainstream gaming companies back in the early 2000s, and we didn’t get any serious nibbles at all. When Tyler Perry went to pitch his first movie, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, he got rejected by every single Hollywood studio. The only one that bit was more of an indie studio, Lionsgate, which is not a major player—they’re based in Canada or Vancouver—and he had to put up most of the money. They put up $2 million, he had to put up $3 million. They didn’t even have enough confidence to give him $5 million for a big budget movie. That tells you most mainstream entertainment companies don’t understand the Black audience most of the time, and it takes people to do what Tyler and Spike Lee did to get your voice heard and out to markets. That’s pretty much what we’re out to do.

How do you feel about the success of the game thus far and getting placed in the Apple Store?

Matthews: In some ways, for me, it’s kind of surprising and disappointing, I don’t think there’s any other Black-oriented apps that are really doing well in the Apple Store right now. We’re one of the only Black-focused apps where Black people can come, hang out and socialize, and that’s made for them, that’s on top of anything right now. I wish there were more Black-focused apps and developers out there right now that are putting out content with things we can download.

What kind of success do you feel you guys have to have to open the industry’s eyes?

Matthews: Part of me is hoping that if we break though half a million apps, and you have one that’s broken in the top 1,000 of all apps, but we need more and a better representation. More people trying to do it, and do it right—put more money into it.

What is the profitability of mobile apps right now? It seems like there’s a lot of room to profit, with the consistent growth of Android and Apple. But it also seems like jailbreaking or app hacking would hinder that. How is it as a business model?

Matthews: I think in some ways, it’s a little better than doing Web development. It’s the same thing as building a Website. The barrier entry is fairly low, not as low as doing a Website but just like with a Website, if you can find that right voice and that right niche, that right marketing thing to gain visibility, you can make money. I think the same thing exists in apps. In general, I don’t think jailbreaking is a huge portion of downloads for games and apps, because the type of people that play games are casual fans, and they don’t want to take the time to jailbreak. It’s always a techy person, a high school or college student that’s hardcore anal about not paying or doing that kind of stuff, that jailbreaks their phones.

A lot of guys on Konsole Kingz have iPhones, I only think one has jailbroken their phone. The other dudes are like, “I don’t have time for that stuff.” It’s not easy, it’s harder to get updates because they’re always doing changes with the OS (operating system). Most people say, “These apps are two or three dollars, the cost of a value hamburger, it’s not worth the hassle. Maybe if these things were $30, $50, it might be a bigger issue. The question is really, just like with any platform—movies, books, video games, apps—do you have something people want to buy? If you know how to create something people want to buy, you’ll make money as an author, you’ll make money writing apps, you’ll make money making a Website.

Peters: If they like your product, they’ll support it. Within Konsole Kingz, that’s one of the three things that we do. We’re looking at creating different revenue streams to build companies stronger. We look at apps as encompassing those—as Black guys creating something that’s rooted. People can see that and applaud that, and at the same time, we can hopefully make some great money off of it.

For Better or Worse: Actress Tasha Smith (Image: TBS)

Tasha Smith—the Camden, NJ, around-the-way girl who we’ve grown to know and love as the feisty, boisterous, no nonsense Angela in Tyler Perry‘s Why Did I Get Married franchise—is unapologetically transparent about her personal struggles. From recovering from what she calls “heavy drug abuse” to her years earning money as a stripper, Smith’s ‘hood to Hollywood personal saga has not only made her relatable to so many, but earned her the respect of peers and fans alike.

Now, the newlywed actress makes her small screen debut as the leading lady of Tyler Perry’s For Better or Worse (premiering Nov. 25 on TBS at 10 p.m. EST), a weekly sitcom that offers an extended and more in-depth look at screen life of the constantly bickering WDIGM couple Angela and Marcus (Michael Jai White).

BlackEnterprise.com kicked it with the uncensored, statuesque beauty about whether she’s helping to perpetuate negative stereotypes about Black women, why Black men are no punks, and learning who to trust when it comes to business.

BlackEnterprise.com: Congrats! You have a new hubby and a new show, Tyler Perry’s For Better or Worse. What can folks expect from the small screen version of your Why Did I Get Married character Angela?

Tasha Smith: They are going to see more of a balance of Angela. Her home life is something that they didn’t get to see in Why Did I Get Married because she and Marcus were always traveling. She won’t just be going off and acting crazy, which I don’t really feel is her going off and being crazy as much as it is that she’s passionate and committed to her husband and marriage. Of course, Angela has some maturing to do, but a lot of women are insecure, fearful of abandonment, which makes them destructive and reactive. So people will see her as a wife, entrepreneur and mother, as well as see her vulnerability and her trying to change and do what’s right. Her fears and insecurities will resurface and bring back the old Angela, but I think she’s gotten to the point where she’s thinking, I’m sick of myself. I need to stop this cause it don’t make no sense going off and freaking out every time I think something is going to happen. (Laughs) She really is trying to be the bigger person.

There has been criticism that your character, Angela, promotes negative stereotypes about Black women: Loud, combative and ignorant. What do you say to those critics?

C’mon let’s be real: Any woman who has been in a relationship and has experienced anything close to what Angela and Marcus have knows things happen. People want to say Black women are loud, but everyone knows it was a white woman who cut off her man’s penis. You never heard a Black woman doing that! A Black woman might put a hoe in check; but she ain’t cutting off no penis. (Laughs) Angela’s passionate, and if people give [the show] a chance, they will see how she matures as we all do.

What do you hope people will walk away with from the show?

People are going to identify with a lot of the different relationships, and I want them to enjoy, laugh and be inspired.

Comedy on set: Smith with on-screen husband, Michael Jai White (Image: TBS)

Some men believe Angela’s hubby Marcus (Michael Jai White) must be a punk to tolerate her antics. Do you agree?

Marcus ain’t no punk! He’s just a bigger person and understands why Angela is the way that she is. Every man out there don’t take no junk. Think about it: when a man chooses to love [any woman] and understand her past and history, they give a lot of grace. The women who are in the relationship might suffer from abandonment issues because they might have grown up without a father, and if a man says, “I’m going to choose to love this woman [despite those issues],” then he’s going to be patient and kind. I think people are too quick to judge Angela and Marcus and don’t realize how much they love and understand one another—flaws and all.

Much like Angela, you speak truth and have been very candid about your past with using drugs and stripping. Do you think people have judged you about your past?

I think people have judged me and thought that I’m too transparent and I shouldn’t put all of my personal business out there. But for me, I’m free! There was a time when I had so much shame because of the things I’d done and been through. But to be able to have transparency without fear of anyone trying to hold that over my head, because we all know that people will try to do that if they believe it can destroy you. Can’t nobody tell your business like you, so I told it myself and I’m free.

We’ve enjoyed witnessing your growth on the silver screen. When you think about your career trajectory and personal brand, where do you see yourself in five years?

I gotta tell you, my husband, Keith Douglas [author of The Power to Get Wealth: No Money Required], and I launched SPI (Speaking Bureau Institute) to create opportunities for entertainers, singers and athletes to do motivational speaking. Between my film and TV background and my husband’s gospel music background, we felt there was a need to service all kinds of urban talent and give them a voice at conferences, colleges and other events. As a motivational speaker, I don’t believe enough Black talent is sought for these opportunities. Not that it’s only African-American talent, but we are focused on creating that voice in that space. Also, I just launched my own [unisex] fragrance called Us at justtasha.com, made from organic oil no heavy metals. We’ve already sold a few thousand dollars worth and it will be in some specialty stores. I’m excited we have body butter and body wash and this is something that my husband and I did on our own.

What is the best money advice you’ve ever received?

Best money advice was to save! Take an extra 10 percent and put it away. It’s not always about having a lot of money, but we are responsible. If we can go to the mall, then we can save.

What is the best business advice you’d give anyone?

I say this as a celebrity entertainer, we have to protect our brand. We have to choose our alliances carefully. People will try to be vultures, and if you have a brand of integrity and character, the wrong person can contaminate it if you don’t screen everybody who tries to approach you with a proposition. I believe this can apply to anyone who is starting a business or brand. Some people just want you just for your connections or simply just because you have something they don’t have. I’ve learned some hard lessons being introduced to the wrong people, and I’m still learning.

What is the one thing folks would be surprised to learn about Tasha Smith?

That I’m in bed by 9 pm! (Laughs) I swear I’m so corny. After I eat, I get ol’ school Black. You can catch me in the bed either eating some Twizzlers, watching my favorite TBS show For Better or Worse or just snoring!

How do you wish to be remembered?

That she loved God, people and tried to be a good person who helped and inspired many.