Name: Rushion McDonald
Profession: Executive Producer of The Steve Harvey Show and Steve Harvey’s business partner
Age: Undisclosed
One Word That Describes You: Determined
Rushion McDonald is a writer and producer of some of our favorite TV shows and movies, and the architect behind Steve Harvey’s multimillion-dollar media empire— a signature he’s most proud of. Armed with determination in his blood, a degree in mathematics, and marketing prowess from IBM, McDonald has brokered deals with Harper Collins Publishers, which resulted in the New York Times Best Seller series Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man and Act Like A Success, Think Like A Success, as well as with Freemantle Media for Steve Harvey to host ‘Family Feud’, and with Endemol/NBC to produce and air the ‘Steve Harvey Talk Show.’ As the Executive Producer of the Steve Harvey Show, McDonald was honored with a NAACP Image Award, Daytime Emmy Award, and the Living Legends Entrepreneur Award for his work across television and radio.
But beyond McDonald’s incredible work ethic, he is committed to educating and giving-back to individuals and communities. He broadcasts his thoughts— as well as other musings on business relationships, goal settings and future planning, and all things money — on his weekly Facebook series “Money Making Conversations.” “I started “Money Making Conversations” because I became frustrated when people would come to the talk or radio show with ideas but when I conducted research on their business, I found they had good theory but no financial structure in place or plan for success,” said McDonald during an exclusive interview with BE Modern Man.
“Too many people are talking with the wrong people about their career. They’re starting a business without creating a business plan or jumping into a career without doing research. Then they’re hoping and praying for success. I’m not an atheist but prayer can only do so much. You have to have a plan on where you are taking your life. You have to put yourself in a position to win.”
“Forecasting and planning
are two of the keys to making money. People who work normal jobs don’t plan or forecast because they just go along with the rate set by their employer. But once you become self employed you have to learn how to forecast, plan and project. If you don’t do those things then you’re actually just wishing and praying for success. I tell everyone live on a 30-day lifestyle. If you can’t pay off everything, including rent, credit cards, debt, and vacation, every 30-days you really need to reconsider what type of lifestyle you’re living.”Read more on page 2…
As a successful African American man who’s worked with everyone from movie executives and A-list celebrities to boys from broken homes, McDonald shared these tidbits of wisdom on cultivating the next generation of leaders: “Stop using blanket terms like ‘Millenials.’ You have to listen to a young person as an individual. When I mentor kids from The Steve Harvey National Mentoring Camp for young men or the Disney Dreamers Academy, I challenge them for information on what they want to do, and then I provide guidelines on what they can do within that time frame. I don’t believe we can blame the media, rappers or artist for our youth problems. We have to stop making excuses. The problem is the mentorship surrounding these kids is very shallow. To make an impact, I had to change and I am still changing.”
When it comes to your skin color and success in the entertainment industry, most people would agree it’s a tough industry plagued by many challenges. But McDonald strongly believes it all boils down to your level of determination. “As an African American man coming up in the entertainment industry, I knew I was up against the wall. I realized, it doesn’t matter how articulate I am, how impressive my resume is, or how expensive my suit is, I am still a black man walking in a room. You can’t change your skin color but you can create relationships that allow
your color to be comfortable in a work environment. A goal to overcoming some sort of racism is to be to be on the left or right of a decision maker. People don’t turn around to make decisions; they typically look to the left or right.”“I love my life. It comes with a certain level of independence. And from my work in the entertainment industry, we’ve tried to put a positive spin on the African-American lifestyle for everybody—from producing shows such as ‘Me and the Boys,’ ‘Sister to Sister,” and ‘The Jaime Fox Show’. God has given me the ability to change the world.”
We at BE Modern Man salute you, Rushion McDonald, for contributing positive images of men of color to the world. Your ability to carve out a lane for yourself, while leaving a path to excellence for others to follow, is meant to be celebrated and appreciated.
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