Támar Talks About Edutainment and More...It's a Music Business 4 a Reason! – Details, episodes & analysis

Although I met Sarah two weeks ago at this years' SXSW in Austin, I started working with Sarah on the film "Trap Jazz" (HULU) two years ago.

Sarah Iseley is a Post-Production professional and somatic storyteller who dutifully studied film, as well as Theatre and Psychology, at the University of Wilmington in North Carolina. Though she did not take any Post-Production classes, Sarah, upon graduation, landed an internship at a Post-Production house where she learned basic industry workflows. She then continued her education by moving to Atlanta as a freelance Post professional. Eventually, after finding work as a Post Production Assistant and a Dailies Technician on a few major motion pictures, the stars aligned, and Sarah joined the Motion Picture Editors Guild (MPEG) as an Assistant Editor. Her most recent project, Slanted, won the SXSW Narrative Feature Grand JuryAward. Sarah's success in Post encouraged her to launch The Let Me Play Project: a vlog  exploring Sarah's love of storytelling through her movement and her voice. Whether Sarah's sorting dailies into bins or training her swordwork, Sarah is very grateful to tell – and to help others tell – stories for a living.

"Women benefit from Colorism and Colorism is gendered." ~ Aja Witt

Aja Witt, a former honors student at Iowa University, wrote her dissertation on topics relevant to the black community and often rarely discussed. Under the direction of Professor Michael Hill, Aja created a powerful dissertation titled: "Colorism in the Music Industry and the Women It Privileges." In Aja's thesis she focuses on the lives and careers of her childhood influences: Rihanna, Beyonce, and Nicki Minaj. Her tone is centered around gender, race and the economy of women and how women play into the male hierarchy of the dynamics it's created amongst female artists. 

I was inspired to invite her to Tamar Talks Podcast especially being a woman in the ever-changing Entertainment industry. What blew me away, as Aja states on my podcast, "Many people have downloaded her article but NEVER reached out to her."

#vlogs #vlogging #podcast #genderstudies #blackwomen #musicbusiness #colorism #beyonce #rihanna #nickiminaj #entertainmentbusiness #knowledge #power #womeninmusicbusiness

My mentor is EPIC. If you desire to be in the Film and Television business, you will have a front row seat listening to Dawn Solers' journey.

Previously at ABC Signature, Dawn was responsible for all music at ABC Signature overseeing the music content for shows in the "-ish" family series: "black-ish," "grown-ish" and "mixed-ish." Her helming of the music for Hulu's "Little Fires Everywhere" has currently garnered two Emmy® Award nominations. And my favorite? Dawn worked closely with some of your favorite actors on the musical drama "Godfather of Harlem" (EPIX). Throughout her tenure, Solér created and produced 64 digital specials, in addition to producing the premiere series "On the Record" and the three on-air music specials, "Nashville: On the Record." 

In November 2019, she served as the co-creator and internal Executive Producer of the live musical event "The Little Mermaid Live," honoring the 30th Anniversary of one of the most beloved Disney Films of all time.

Some of Dawn's other credits include, but not limited to: "Being John Malkovich," "The Princess Diaries," "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement," "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants." She also completed Disney's "Enchanted," which garnered three Academy Award nominations as well as one GRAMMY nomination.

Dawn's initiatives include: Disney's Women's Multicultural Network, currently developing her own mentorship, "Lift Up," a speaker for female empowerment and completing her first book, "The BeAGirl Principles."

Thanks to my Sorority Sister Benita, I had the pleasure of meeting Monique Greenwood while living in New York for a short stint. 

Mrs. Greenwood is an award winning entrepreneur, native Washingtonian who built her business one bed and breakfast at a time. A dear mentor, friend and big sister to me, Mrs. Greenwood is the owner and chief enjoyment officer of Akwaaba Bed and Breakfast Inns. She says, “The key to running a successful bed and breakfast is having a love for people and wanting to make sure that they had a great experience.” After graduating from Howard University, she began her career as a journalist, eventually becoming the editor-in-chief of Essence Magazine. 

“It was the magazine on the coffee table of my home that proclaimed me beautiful as a Black woman,” she said. 

And who succeeds the iconic Susan Taylor as editor-in-chief? Monique Greenwood. So one day, Monique decided that she wanted to really grow her bed and breakfast, and left Essence after six years. Though Greenwood didn’t sleep in a bed of her own until she was 22 years old, she has plenty of beds to choose from now with Akwaaba Inns having five locations and close to 40 guest rooms.

How did Akwaaba start? Greenwood and her husband of 31 years, Glenn Pogue, opened the first Akwaaba Mansion in Brooklyn, New York, in 1995. Akwaaba by the Sea in Cape May, New Jersey, launched in 2002.

After returning home to Washington, D.C. in 2003, she opened Akwaaba D.C., located in Dupont Circle.  The elegant inn is decorated with a literary theme, highlighting her love of books with guest-rooms named after great African American authors like Langston Hughes and Toni Morrison. It was at their Poconos location, now known as The Mansion at Noble Lane, that I was in awe of Moniques' stature, her education, her hospitality and her story. They purchased this location in the Spring of 2006: the first inn they ever visited in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 2012, they launched a boutique spa resort in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains called The Mansion at Noble Lane, which is the former estate of F.W. Woolworth. She calls it the jewel in their crown.

I sing opera because of David Brewer. But growing up, I hated going to voice lessons. I never understood why, if I had a natural God-given gift, my parents were excited to take me to a black male opera coach. But @dlbopera changed my life so much, that I knew I could one day pursue a career in it. Of course over time, black women weren’t often encouraged to pursue that genre. And through the journey I’d realized some of the slight hindrances and unexpected blindside-ness of the industry, came from people very close to me. I’m so excited to truly walk in freedom to share this podcast. When you tune in, you will learn that I have not seen nor spoken with Mr. Brewer in almost a decade. So everything in this podcast I, too, am hearing for the 1st time. 

Be inspired to forgive and love through the pain. I now understand why parents protect their children from so much that they have to endure for what they believe. A special shoutout to all parents who are raising aspiring creatives and those who are hands-on with protecting their children's innocence at all costs.

Grab a 🖊 and let’s go in. 

#podcast #podcastlife #blackwomenpodcasts #blackwomen #destinyschild #ashley #tamar #opera #vocalcoach #vocalcoaching #davidbrewer

It was because of Arkansas native Morris Hayes, by way of my cousin, that I stepped and recorded in the halls of Paisley Park Studios. A talented musician, producer, band leader and keyboardist, Hayes has worked with superstars such as Prince, George Clinton, Elton John, Whitney Houston, and Stevie Wonder. He was one of the 2013 inductees into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame. But what's the most striking thing about Morris? He is one of the coolest people I know and that I have ever worked with. Grab your headphones and enjoy this conversation between two friends about the Arts, travels and working with one of the greatest musical geniuses of our lifetime. 

It's not often that you befriend another black woman in the Entertainment business and history is made in an instance. That's what happened between Nikki Grier and myself. I was filming a pilot and she and I were seated next to each other. Somehow, she got my number, I auditioned for her and her team, unbeknownst to me, for the Sunday Service Collective spearheaded by Kanye West. Her story is powerful. Her pen is award wining and her melodies make you want to cry. Its International Women's month. And there's no better way than to kick it off with this conversation amongst women, by women and for women. If you are a career-driven mom, wife and entrepreneur and want to learn how to juggle it all? Grab a pen and let's lean in.

COVID is here and we don't know when it will go away! But one thing's for sure, change is inevitable. Enjoy this motivating conversation with Ashley Támar and Andre Robinson as they solve how to engage in cooperative economics.  Andre Robinson is a community and cultural organizer, activist and consultant with a background as a director, producer, writer, and creative-place maker. He works in community, talent, and creative development, racial equity training, board and organizational capacity and civic enragement for more than 40 years. He has served in an executive and creative leadership capacity on films, television, music, conferences, special events and cultural activations across the country and national/international tours. André also served in executive positions for Innovation Villages, Belafonte Enterprises, MISTHarlem, Goodfellas of Baltimore, the cult comedy hit, "Friday," Sony Music, The Roger Furman Theater (Harlem), Linen Life Park Avenue, The Harlem Week Festival, McDonald’s Gospelfest, Megafest, (ATL), Walt Disney Interactive, Disney Online, NJ's Crossroads Theatre Company, (Tony Award winner, and 4 Tony Award nominee including Best Musical), and The Black Filmmaker Foundation (NY & LA).

The Music Industry has seen its constant woes about ownership of Masters. From Sam Cooke to Michael Jackson to Prince to Ray Charles to Taylor Swift, artists have not been silent about the lack of ownership of Masters. As of this week, Mr. Kanye West has taken the conversation global, in a more vigilant way. Not only is he sounding the alarm for other artists to come to the table and talk, but some people are not understanding the totality of what owning your Masters truly means as a form of inheritance. Ashley Tamar interviews Stephanie Hay, a female entertainment lawyer who uncovers three grueling concerns: 1. Why is it important to own your Masters, 2.  What's in Kanye's contract that, to most knowledgeable attorneys, is concerning and, 3. How we can solve this re-surfacing topic and no longer overlook what's periling  artists and the creatives-to-come.