10 Years in Hollywood & A Sweet Build Update
It's been a journey, y'all.
In this issue:
A Sweet Build Update
On the Role of Storytelling (in these chaotic times)
Nothing Wrong with a J-O-B
Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself
On Releasing My First Novella
17 Things I’ve Learned Over My 10 Years in Hollywood
Anniversary Gift
A SWEET BUILD UPDATE
Been a minute since I last visited your inbox. In between turning in scripts, taking on more responsibilities in the writer’s room as a Co-Executive Producer, and building HONEY CHILE, I’ve been thinking about the best way to deliver value to y’all.
My overarching goal is to help build the next vanguard of entrepreneurial, successful storytellers who provide immense value to their audiences, are financially set, and in demand by their industries.
Lofty? Very.
That means, sharing more of my journey, but also my strategy as I build an independent media business and a highly successful writing / directing career.
It means sharing news you can use about traditional and new media. It means breaking down the present and future of media.
It means ensuring that we can be successful inside and outside of Hollywood and other industries.
It means sharing resources that will help you build your business and stay competitive in an ever changing landscape. And yes, even if you don’t have employees, or see yourself as a business owner, you are a business.
And I want to do it across text, audio and more.
So I’ve moved The Sweet Build to Substack. I still use Kit for selling products and other email sequences, but in thinking of my goals for The Sweet Build, Substack’s audio, video, and chat features are very appealing.
Granted I have tried Substack a couple of times before. But over at HONEY CHILE, we just recently combined and moved our newsletter and Patreon to Substack and the growth has been real. We grew our audience by 10% in less than thirty days and our open rate remains strong at close to 60%. YES, HONEY is becoming the lifestyle platform I’ve always wanted. Check us out and subscribe if it speaks to you. Or just support independent storytelling.
Back to The Sweet Build. I want it to be the go-to platform for storytellers serious about their business and no longer waiting for permission to tell their stories, reach their audiences, and secure the bag.
I’ll be offering free and paid subscription plans. Here’s a breakdown:
For free subscribers, you’ll get:
My signature weekly newsletter, like this one, that covers my journey + business and career insights.
For paid subscribers, in addition to the above, you’ll receive:
My audio diary about the business (for those of you who remember The Creative Cut Up, this is The Sweet Build version).
My infamous roundups that include news and opportunities to help you sustain and grow your creative business.
Special playbooks and resources.
Discounts to events, including our first Sweet Build Salon that we’re hosting next month!
Access to a subscriber only chat that will include Ask Me sessions.
You down?
ON THE ROLE OF STORYTELLING
Things in America are chaotic right now. And scary. But I firmly believe that storytelling is going to become more important than ever. To inform. To provide comfort. To keep us connected. To ground us. Because as humans, we need it.
And for those of us who serve historically excluded communities, our ability to tell our stories and reach our audiences in direct ways will become increasingly important. And I think our audiences will be looking for us, so we want to be there when they do.
We need to be able to reach our audiences outside of rented media. What is your plan to do so?
NOTHING WRONG WITH A J-O-B
But, these are going to be unprecedented times, so we need to do what we have to do to take care of ourselves, especially financially.
Sometimes as artists, we have these hang-ups and shame around getting a "regular job." We need to let that go because we need to support ourselves.
So if you need to get a job or you even just want to get a job, go for it.
It does not make you less of an artist. It may help fund your creative dreams. It may help give you systems and schedules so that you can be working on your art. Or it just may give you money.
Whatever the case is, we need to let go of the stigma and the shame.
ALLOW ME TO REINTRODUCE MYSELF
One of HONEY CHILE’s reels for our podcast IT’S GOOD OVER HERE went viral and I got a bunch of new followers. So I used it as an opportunity to reintroduce myself. See above.
It sparked a reflection on my ten years in Hollywood, which I celebrated last week. Where does the time go?!
It was the best decision I’ve ever made.
But it wasn’t easy.
When I first got to LA, I crashed at my homeboy's house. It was supposed to be for two weeks, but ended up being for six weeks because I got a job offer on a Friday and that Monday it was rescinded because they implemented a hiring freeze.
So I was hustling, hustling, hustling, finally landed another job that I hated. I remember just waking up every morning like: this is temporary, this is temporary, this is temporary.
I was able to eventually move into a back house, and mind you, I'm 35 years old. Maybe close to six months into living in LA, I finally got an apartment and was able to move my stuff from storage.
I'm grateful for how far I've come and that I kept going. Interestingly enough I never questioned whether I had made the right decision.
I just had this little sliver of faith that things were going to happen. Things were going to get better, and I just held on to that thing.
And I'm still holding on to that thing.
ON RELEASING MY ROMANCE FIRST NOVELLA
HONEY CHILE is releasing my first romance novella.
Many of you may know, but I started as an author before transitioning to writing for the screen.
And ALL my life, I wanted to write romance, which I've been able to do in my TV + film career (shout-out to REALLY LOVE, tender, LOOK BACK AT IT, BEL-AIR), but I never got a chance to do so as an author...
And while it is an absolute dream come true, it is also a strategic move for us. We want to have a publishing arm, yes. And we wanted to introduce a new revenue stream and another way to connect with our audience. But we also want to adapt our own work for the screen. Leverage. Ownership. Power.
Also, there’s a version of my life where I only write romance novels that HC publishes.
You can preorder Come, Close: https://lnkd.in/gjakb2JK.
17 THINGS I’VE LEARNED OVER MY 10 YEARS IN HOLLYWOOD
Define success on your own terms.
Get a great lawyer. And buy them a gift during the holidays.
Diversify your income streams.
You may lose some friends, who probably weren’t your friends in the first place.
Go home regularly and be with your people who really, really know you.
Despite all the folks who are failing up (and there are many of them), being good at what you do does matter.
Choose your projects and collaborators wisely.
More often than not, producers need you more than you need them. Don’t let them make you think otherwise.
Hollywood is not the end all be all. You are.
There is no door. You are the door.
Deal with your stuff, because the business / folk will try to exploit it.
Read the trades every day.
Not everyone is ready for all that comes with success, power, and money. But try your best to be.
If you value agency and independence, build your audience from Day One. With the people on your side, you’re unstoppable.
Do not put your value in Hollywood or any industry for that matter.
Remember your why and keep it at the forefront of everything you do.
Don’t be afraid to walk away from anything or anyone that doesn’t deserve you or your talents.
Thoughts? Questions? Drop a comment.
ANNIVERSARY GIFT
To celebrate my 10 year anniversary, we’re offering a 10% discount on The Build Bundle, which is a self-paced course (it’s actually six courses in one) packed with tried and true tactics, real-life examples, and award-winning strategies from my writing, producing, and directing career to help you accelerate yours.
It’s everything I wish I had known when I was figuring it out in Hollywood at a 35-year-old. It’s my cheat codes.
It’s the result of the mistakes I’ve made, the thousands upon thousands of dollars I personally paid in courses, and all that I’ve learned in my ten years in Hollywood. Enroll today. Use discount code: ITSMYANNIVERSARY until March 31.
NEED MORE SUPPORT?
Check out The Build Bundle. It’s a self-paced course (it’s actually six courses in one) packed with tried and true tactics, real-life examples, and award-winning strategies from my writing, producing, and directing career to help you accelerate yours. Enroll today.
Get a copy of The Creative Comeback Workbook. Through 30 prompts, you'll discover your why, develop a writing schedule, outline your projects and unearth what's holding you back from the career of your dreams. These are the exact steps I took to make my creative comeback. Buy on Amazon or on Bookshop.
TAP IN
The Sweet Build is a HONEY CHILE thang. HONEY CHILE is a multiplatform media company celebrating the power and possibilities of Black women 40+. The Sweet Build is our education arm helping others do the same for their niche audiences.
Become a PAID subscriber and The Sweet Build+ for tons more insights, advice, and resources.
Sponsor an issue of The Sweet Build.
Follow me on Linkedin, Instagram, and Threads.
*Our newsletter may contain affiliate links, so if you buy through them, we get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). We only recommend stuff we actually dig!