Nyanza Shaw: Entertainment Attorney
Episode Description:
Nyanza Shaw is Executive Vice President, Scripted Business and Legal Affairs for FremantleMedia North America. She oversees all deal making pertaining to the development, production, and financing of Fremantle’s scripted series and new media content produced for the U.S. Prior to joining Fremantle, Shaw was the Owner/Managing Partner of Shaw Esquire for more than 20 years. The firm represented talent, content creators, entrepreneurs, businesses, brands, and founders in the areas of entertainment and business law, intellectual property, sports, technology, and media. In this episode, Fanshen and Nyanza discuss her path to practicing law and Nyanza offers insightful advice to creatives looking to protect their projects.
TRANSCRIPT:
00:00:11:01 - 00:00:46:27
FANSHEN: Welcome back to Sista Brunch, bringing you the stories of Black women and gender expansive people doing dope things in film, TV and media. We recently got a review from our episode with the amazing Tracy Twinkie Bird from Noni Nam, who says, "As a filmmaker, I really enjoyed the episode with Tracy Twinkie Bird. She really talked about her years of experience in the industry and gave great advice for people interested in joining the industry." We couldn't agree more. Noni Nam, thank you so much for the review and if you're listening and you love our show, we always appreciate your reviews.
00:00:46:29 - 00:01:19:02
FANSHEN: Head on over to Apple Podcasts. Click on that five star review and leave us something fabulous. And if you want to tell us a favorite episode or something that you learned from our guests, we really appreciate that as well. I'm your host, Fanshen Cox, and today's guest is Nyanza Shaw. She's the EVP. Y'all, I love having an EVP level person here because that's a big deal. She's the EVP, Executive Vice President of Scripted Business and Legal Affairs at Fremantle Media North America.
00:01:19:04 - 00:01:51:18
FANSHEN: She's responsible there for all of their scripted series and new media deals in development, production and financing. Now, before that, she was the owner managing partner of Shaw, Esquire, her own company for over two decades, representing talent, content creators, entrepreneurs, businesses, brands and founders in entertainment and business law, intellectual property, sports, technology and media. As a legal expert, she frequently writes and speaks on these subjects as well.
00:01:51:20 - 00:01:53:05
FANSHEN: Welcome, Nyanza.
00:01:53:27 - 00:01:58:11
NYANZA: Hi, Fanshen. It's so good to see you and great to be here. I'm excited.
00:01:58:14 - 00:02:15:09
FANSHEN: It's so great to see you. So we start our episodes always with asking our guests to to go back as far as you'd like to go birth or your parents birth or your grandparents birth as far back as you want to go. But tell us what that journey was to get to where you are today.
00:02:16:00 - 00:02:54:15
NYANZA: Okay. I won't go that far back, but I will share. I am a Bay Area kid. I grew up in San Francisco and I knew that I wanted to be a lawyer since I was like nine years old. What that meant or what that looked like, I wasn't sure, but I just got it in my head. And I think it now makes sense because I'm still pretty steadfast and determined as I was at nine, which hasn't much changed. And then coming from that, it was just like, you know, being a fan of entertainment back then, reading about, you know, a lot of artists that were not being protected and, you know, how their rights were kind of being exploited.
00:02:54:17 - 00:03:17:02
NYANZA: Or you read about all these artists as like at some point didn't have any money and what happened and all of those things. So got more interested in the business side of things. Um, so, you know, went to college, went to law school with the same focus, um, worked for a couple firms up in the Bay Area and then ended up moving down here in 2000, believe it or not.
00:03:17:09 - 00:03:18:14
FANSHEN: Oh, okay.
00:03:18:21 - 00:03:50:09
NYANZA: And. Was working for some other folks and then also kind of building my own practice. And at that time it was almost 100% music actually was doing producer deals and artist deals and all of those things on the music side. And I know this dates me every time I say it, but at some point we'll remember that, you know, soundtracks got really popular. And so then I was doing some soundtrack deals like, I remember, there couldn't be a movie without a dope soundtrack back then.
00:03:50:22 - 00:03:58:00
FANSHEN: And there was some amazing ones and there was some amazing ones: Soul Food and Love Jones. And come on. Yes. Yeah.
00:03:58:02 - 00:04:28:04
NYANZA: Yes, exactly, exactly. And so started doing some more like licensing deals, etcetera, for, you know, movies, TV soundtracks. Even then, the gaming industry was changing and so they were starting to use original music in, you know, in games. And so that was also coming into play and all of these things were kind of shifting. And then on the other end of it, because I was still representing talent, um, you know, there was just a shift in what talent does.
00:04:28:06 - 00:05:20:28
NYANZA: And so I was very grateful that I was kind of on the front end of this transition between where talent, you know, it's like, Oh yeah, I'm a recording artist, but I'm also an actress and I'm also a spokesperson and I want to have a brand and like, you know, it's like the FUBU, Rocawear, you know, idea of like, okay, I can have something beyond just doing, you know, my music stuff. And so in doing that, it just really fell more into, okay, if you, you know, have a client and they're doing something in the film and TV side or they're acting or they're doing commercials or whatever, how do we still service that client and make sure that we are on top of what those deals look like? You know, still at the core of it, just protecting their rights and protecting who they are and making sure that they're, you know, properly compensated, that those deals are not, you know, limiting them in any way from doing the multiple things that they want to do.
00:05:21:00 - 00:05:55:21
NYANZA: And that was kind of the shift into doing more, um, film and television projects. And then at some point, um. You know, it kind of just flipped where, you know, I was doing like probably 80% music and 20% film and TV. And then it went to like 80% film and TV, like 20% music. Um, but, you know, even, you know, now, before getting to Fremantle, there was a lot of clients that I had that were across the board, you know, love working with, whether it's like a Trevor Jackson. He's an amazing, amazing artist, but he's also an amazing, amazing, you know, actor.
00:05:55:24 - 00:06:19:29
NYANZA: He's one of those people and does endorsement deals and hosting and all these other things and is very like all inclusive as what I like to call like their own talent enterprise. Um, you know, and then there's other talent where it's like, okay, yeah, you're an actor, but you're also an author. You're, you know, doing these other things and how you then service a client like that that has multiple ventures and multiple endeavors going on.
00:06:20:07 - 00:06:38:23
FANSHEN: Nyanza I want to know, even like because you said you knew you wanted to be a lawyer since you were young, which I find so admirable because it's such I mean that means many years of school, right? All of these things. Did you have anyone that influenced you in your life early on? Did you even know somebody who was an attorney?
00:06:38:27 - 00:07:13:04
NYANZA: Yeah. So actually, my favorite Uncle Reggie was a lawyer. He actually taught at UCLA Law School and he was also an arbitrator for the National League back then. He is now since passed away, but he was definitely an amazing mentor, inspiration, support, encourager, all of the things, um, you know, and then some of it, you know, was the, the broader idea of what that was. For sure when I was in law school, um, it's like, Oh, I'm going to be Jerry Maguire.
00:07:15:20 - 00:07:48:00
NYANZA: Uh. Of course. Like I'm gonna be, you know, like the sports agent and not a sports lawyer, you know? But because I went to UC Hastings, that was school Leigh Steinberg went to that Jerry Maguire is based on. So I understood that he was like a lawyer, agent etcetera. Um, but yeah, it was just different times throughout that, you know, you get those nuggets. Same thing we're talking about when you're connected with someone that it's like, Oh, okay, that's someone that I can see that north light from and it's showing me like, okay, that's a possibility.
00:07:49:17 - 00:08:06:06
FANSHEN: Um. Are you able to talk about specific clients that you've had both when you got started, the musicians that were kind of adding on to what they were doing and then also clients that you've had in your private practice and maybe even now shows that you work on.
00:08:06:25 - 00:08:37:15
NYANZA: Yeah. So when I first started, like I said, I was doing a lot of music, um, and had the wonderful opportunity to work with producers from Dr. Dre to Teddy Riley to Eric Sherman, a lot of hip hop producers back then. And again, we're also involved in soundtrack stuff, producing music songwriters and as things evolved, Um, you know, one of the people that I love working with more currently is like a Trevor Jackson because he's an amazing actor.
00:08:37:17 - 00:09:11:12
NYANZA: But more importantly, I think he's such an amazing artist, songwriter, performer, etcetera, and has a very, you know, specific perspective about what his art is and the things that he wants to do and as a true creative. And so I like being in that space where, you know, as I mentioned, it's like having talent that's kind of like an enterprise talent. And they have multiple endeavors going on multiple ventures. It might be someone like a Hill Harper where you're an actor but you're an activist, but you're also author and you're a speaker and you're, you know, you're doing all of these things and you have a nonprofit.
00:09:11:14 - 00:09:28:25
NYANZA: That was one of the things we worked on with Hill was like, okay, how can we assist you? You know, and kind of managing all of these things and making sure that, again, not only protected, but how are we growing and supporting these ventures for you?
00:09:30:15 - 00:10:02:18
FANSHEN: I love that you talk about both protecting and helping to grow because you know it won't offend you to hear that attorneys have a certain reputation. And attorneys that I've worked with in Hollywood tend to be on the side of pushing back against inclusion. And the good news is, I know you're the opposite. And you know, they don't say that outright, but it is they make it hard find, you know, some attorneys make it the inclusion, you know, inclusive hiring more challenging. You're the opposite.
00:10:02:21 - 00:10:25:06
FANSHEN: Right. Your whole thing. I mean and you said that those early seeds that were planted for you were around protecting people, protecting music rights. And so I wondered if you can talk about one: what is it like being a Black woman who is there to be able to represent these folks, but also may get some pushback or challenges in the industry, too?
00:10:26:16 - 00:11:11:05
NYANZA: Well, it's interesting you say that, because you're right. There's a lot of lawyers that I know that are much more. Transactional. Transactional, right. So, you know, very layman's terms, there's like transactional attorneys that, you know, handle transactions like I do, and then there's litigation attorneys that go to court. Um, I do not go to court, but even in that transactional space, I can say there's a lot of clients that I got as a young Black female attorney on my hustle and grind that were literally based on that, like, Oh, okay, well, we know Nyanza is going to go that extra mile to help us build this and strategize with us rather than another attorney who's sitting in their office and they're saying, okay, when you get that deal, send it to me.
00:11:11:07 - 00:11:56:25
NYANZA: And I'm negotiating that deal. And that's what I'm saying. They're very they're like literally just dealing with the transaction rather than saying, okay, what are the other things that you want to do? How do we make those happen? Are we reaching out to agencies or reaching out to other brands or we're reaching out to other personalities? You know, is it someone that you know that has a script and we want to develop it like, okay, what are the other transactions that we can help you secure? How do we grow not only by the way, only your enterprise or your ventures, but like your dream, right? One of the things that I always do sometimes, like just talking to artists is like, what is your dream and how how do we help make it happen? What does that look like? So then we, you know, create the opportunities.
00:11:58:04 - 00:12:00:23
FANSHEN: I was going to say, you sound like a manager too.
00:12:00:25 - 00:12:02:19
NYANZA: I'm NOT a manager.
00:12:04:03 - 00:12:05:00
FANSHEN: Listen, because.
00:12:05:02 - 00:12:05:27
FANSHEN: I'm sitting here.
00:12:05:29 - 00:12:10:12
FANSHEN: Like I'm like she she better than some managers.
00:12:10:14 - 00:12:14:01
FANSHEN: Who also tend to be very transactional. But you actually care about your clients.
00:12:15:08 - 00:12:32:19
NYANZA: I actually care about my clients and I'm much more business minded. I say, you know, definitely my sweet spot is that I am excellent at connecting creative and business. And as we know, sometimes creatives are not as on their business business, but to make a clear distinction. Um.
00:12:34:06 - 00:12:47:14
NYANZA: I'm not managing in the terms of like, you need to be here, do this, go here managing what's going on. I'm saying if I'm representing you and I'm representing your interests, I need to know what your interests are.
00:12:49:06 - 00:13:19:19
NYANZA: And so that goes to whether it's one deal and you're saying, hey, I want to do this in order to structure that deal, I need to know what your interests are so I can say, Oh, I know my client doesn't want to do X and he does want to do X, then that's how we're going to approach it. But then beyond that, it's maybe as simple as an exclusivity clause. Well, if I know my client wants to do something else because I know what his interests are and I know what his dreams are, he or she. I'm thinking about that in doing this deal.
00:13:20:23 - 00:13:55:00
NYANZA: Because I have to build it into:, "Okay, well, you can't have this type of exclusivity because I need permission from my artist to go do x y because I know that there's other things that he wants to do." Um, so in that way, again, management is a very specific thing. Even sometimes I have been involved which I think, you know, in, in, in a producer role. But again, that's even very specific to certain projects where it's not necessarily with the client, but sometimes with the client where a client says, Hey, we've had this conversation and we want to develop something together, that's great, that's, you know, again, outside of the representation. But I think in managing what someone's interests are and expectations and etcetera and helping to create those things, you are also working within that team. So there's a manager, there's an agent, there might be multiple producers that they're working with. There's, you know, sometimes again to the level that they have their own enterprise, they might even have staff working for them. Um, and so it's still working within those confines.
00:14:23:10 - 00:14:49:26
FANSHEN: This is Sista Brunch, the podcast by and about Black women and gender expansive people thriving in entertainment and media. Stay tuned for more of this conversation with our guest, the illustrious legal eagle, Nyanza Shaw. And do us a favor. If you love our show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or wherever you listen to our podcasts and also share it with friends, family. Etcetera.
00:14:56:07 - 00:15:16:03
FANSHEN: We're back, and we hope you are so excited to continue this conversation with Nyanza Shaw. You know, I was thinking about this Nyanza Shaw Attorney at Law. I wonder if anybody ever asked her if she's related to Maxine Shaw from Living Single because you all know you love that show. Oh, we should have some of them on the podcast.
00:15:18:11 - 00:15:46:28
FANSHEN: We always want to inspire and educate our listeners, and we have not had the privilege of having an attorney on. So I wonder, and especially someone with such expertise in entertainment law. So I would love to know some terminology, some deals, things that we should be thinking about our listeners who are writers, our listeners who are producers. What are some things that we should know as we are starting to sell projects or pitch projects?
00:15:47:20 - 00:16:22:19
NYANZA: Absolutely. So one. If you're a creative create, there's no block, you know, prohibition against holding your creative ends. So if you're a creative create, that's step one. Two: once you get to something where it's like, either I'm going to do business with someone else or I'm, you know, developing something with someone else, or to your point, wanting to pitch or shop or etcetera. Yes, you should get some sort of legal advice, get something in writing. And generally for creatives that are in that space,
00:16:23:00 - 00:16:59:06
NYANZA: there's about 3 or 4 general deals that are to be had, right? So it might be that someone comes to you because you have a script or an idea or show and they want to help you develop it. So they'll present you with some sort of development agreement that has some sort of term from, you know, for this production company saying, "Hey, we want to invest in developing this show to develop it to a point where we can take it out and potentially sell it." So it might be something as simple as that. It might just be that there's a development agreement between two producers where it's like, okay, I have a relationship, you have a relationship,
00:16:59:09 - 00:17:30:25
NYANZA: we want to develop this together to take it to a production company. But we want to be clear about what our individual rights are, what our individual contributions are, what you know, what our splits are, all of those things going into it. So we want to make sure that those things are clear, even though it's less formal than, you know, an agreement between an actual production company and that creative. There are also, as you mentioned, shopping agreements. It's like you have something, maybe it's a deck, maybe it's a script. It's already kind of done and developed.
00:17:31:16 - 00:18:13:03
NYANZA: Um, so let us go out and shop it and pitch it for a period of time. And if we are able to sell it, we'll get a percentage. We might probably be attached as producers. You'll get your credits, you're negotiating it from there. Um, and not only is it about making sure that everybody understands what their roles are, but again, it's also again going back to protecting your rights. So only these agreements from the start are going to say. Artist a creative A owns this or has this idea or has this intellectual property and Party B is coming in to either co-develop it or develop it to take it to the next step or to pitch it, shop it, whatever that is.
00:18:13:05 - 00:18:47:12
NYANZA: And it has some sort of contingency of like, well, if nothing happens at this stage, me and my little pocket IP are going back to where we were, right? And that then it doesn't get, you know, diluted or taken away or stole it or like, you know, a lot of times when you hear about it is this idea that. Oh, well. Had this idea or had a script or etcetera. And because there were no protections in place and there was no paperwork in place, it's like, well, whose idea was it and how much did people do and who contributed what? And, you know, all of these things.
00:18:47:14 - 00:19:19:27
NYANZA: So I think what we want to get away from, especially in the creative side of it, is that thinking that. It has to be some complex agreement, right? It's not that it has to be complicated, that it has to be protected. But you need something very simple just in writing to say, this is mine. These are our roles. This is what we each get if nothing happens. I own these rights and I can take them wherever I want to take them. Right. And then what are you going to do? And whatever you're bringing to the table, this is what you get for that.
00:19:19:29 - 00:19:33:01
NYANZA: And we have a clear understanding. And again, it doesn't have to be that complicated. It doesn't have to be that expensive like all of those things. But it is the core of protecting what you're creative is because you're out there creating. That's what you want to protect.
00:19:34:05 - 00:20:14:06
FANSHEN: I love that. And yeah, that we can't stress that enough that there is a level of protection that you should seek both as a producer who may be wanting to develop something and also as the writer or creator or IP holder. I think there's a question of the line between, "I told somebody my idea and then there was a show about," you know, let's say I had an idea about a drama at a hospital. And then there's a show about a drama in a hospital, where you draw that line between was it your idea? Was it someone else? Is it in the zeitgeist? So I think that's a big question, too, right?
00:20:14:20 - 00:20:57:21
NYANZA: It's a big question. I mean, there's different ways to protect, as we know, the Writers Guild, you can kind of register treatments, register outlines, do the informal, very inexpensive way of protecting your idea. There are a lot of things that are in the zeitgeist, to your point, they're kind of just out there. Um, but even in that way, when someone else is adding to it and collaborating with you, you still know what that you know, source material looks like, right? Um, and that's also helpful because once you're getting to higher level type deals, like if a company wants to come and option these rights and potentially purchases rights and or produce these rights, you're going to want to know...
00:20:57:23 - 00:20:58:27
FANSHEN: Which we want. We want right.
00:20:58:29 - 00:21:06:24
NYANZA: Exactly. Well, so once we get to that level, like we're saying, we could do a very simple deal memo now, but it's also going into a higher level deal, which is what you're looking for, to then say, not only is my business right, which by the way, companies respect, and two, I know exactly what I'm bringing to the table so they know well who's attached to the project. You know who we have to pay, who you know, who's providing services and you're bringing that to the table. I say like, you can't go into a room and sell a car that you don't own. Right? And so part of those agreements are laying out each step in terms of ownership, responsibilities, roles, attachments, etcetera, so that when, you know, again, when someone says, hey, we want to make this show, it's very clear who owns what and who gets what.
00:21:50:13 - 00:22:22:03
FANSHEN: I have a question about this, which is that sometimes when I'm having development conversations or potential shopping agreement conversations, some people at the end of their email especially. So I see this from companies and, you know, studios and production companies, but also just individuals who have a really long statement at the end of their email or and the email signature, which is like, this is only intended for the person that...Do those actually work? For the individuals who like...
00:22:22:25 - 00:22:29:10
NYANZA: Yes and no. I mean that is more so relative to disclosure than ownership.
00:22:30:24 - 00:22:31:09
FANSHEN: Okay.
00:22:31:11 - 00:22:42:24
NYANZA: Because there's information that might be proprietary in an email that they want to say, okay, I sent it to this person. It's not for other people to see. So that's not necessarily applicable to who owns it versus who sees it.
00:22:43:02 - 00:22:59:02
FANSHEN: Are there any standard terms, let's say, for the for the things you were talking about around development or shopping agreements? Are there standard terms like length of time? Are there things that you know we should know about just to be able to ask for?
00:22:59:10 - 00:23:33:06
NYANZA: Yeah, absolutely. And the biggest one is, again, one clarifying ownership and the length of time. So if someone's coming to you and they're saying, well, we want to shop it or we want to pitch it or we want to develop this, how long are you going to give them to do that before you know, you go your separate way? And I should say this too, generally in a shopping agreement, there's no money involved, right? Because there's property that exists and it's like, hey, we'll go try to shop it for six months and if nothing happens, it's fine.
00:23:33:22 - 00:24:10:26
NYANZA: Sometimes in the development agreement, again, if it's a co-development, me and you are developing something together, there's probably no money involved. But we're both committing to, you know, provide or, you know, investment in our in our project to move it forward. But it's not like we're not paying each other for it. But there may be from a production company if I come and say, "Hey, Fanshen I know you have this great script or we want to develop it for a show," we're probably either going to pay you a little something, some sort of development fee and/or say, we're going to invest this amount of money in development materials because we're creating and investing, you know, something to go out and pitch from your script or whatever.
00:24:11:08 - 00:24:42:24
NYANZA: Um, and then of course, like I said, the next kind of more substantial thing would be like an option purchase agreement. And there is an option fee which is generally relatively smaller, but it's against a bigger purchase price depending on if it's a film or television series, etcetera. And they actually want to acquire those rights, but they pay you a fee basically to hold those rights for maybe 12 months or 18 months to go out to develop and shop and pitch it. And then they have the option, which is what the option fee goes to, to purchase those rights.
00:24:42:26 - 00:24:47:19
NYANZA: Once they have, you know, a financier, network broadcaster, distributor, etcetera
00:24:47:21 - 00:24:48:15
NYANZA: attached.
00:24:48:17 - 00:25:01:12
FANSHEN: Is their language that we should steer clear of if we receive an agreement. Is there anything that if we see that on there, we know this is a scam or this person isn't serious? Is there anything like that?
00:25:03:06 - 00:25:37:20
NYANZA: In relation to any sort of transfer or assignment of rights when someone feels like they are going to get credit for something that you know they shouldn't get credit for? Um, it's probably a red flag, um, especially if, you know, it's not clear on what they're bringing to the table and how they're being attached. I have a lot of conversations with clients about the value of attachments, right? Because you might have this great television idea and you say, "Oh, I ran into this actor at the coffee house.
00:25:37:22 - 00:25:56:25
NYANZA: We had a meeting. He's really interested in working with me and dah dah dah, blah, blah, blah." And it's like, okay, but how is he going to help the project? Now people assume that a name is going to get it to that next step because like I said, as we discussed, like the goal is I got it here. How do we get it here? How do we get it on screen?
00:25:58:09 - 00:26:01:11
NYANZA: We're all moving towards the same goal. And yes.
00:26:02:09 - 00:26:04:06
NYANZA: We don't want to just be chatting with people.
00:26:04:22 - 00:26:05:17
FANSHEN: No, no.
00:26:06:26 - 00:26:07:11
NYANZA: In the big scheme of things, when a show is made, when a movie is made, there's a budget. And so you have to remember that in terms of what people are getting paid and what that attachment looks like, they're going to get a piece of this project at some point in the end. So unless that name celebrity attachment has value, that they can get it in the door, that you can't get it in yourself. You really have to think about where it's like, okay, am I willing to give up a piece of my pie just to attach a name, or is it more valuable to attach a company that can actually open that door? And then sometimes it's a matter of who that celebrity is or who that name is or who that company is, you know, And that's going back to making sure to your point like, "Does this person do this?"
00:27:00:27 - 00:27:01:23
FANSHEN: Right.
00:27:02:03 - 00:27:09:05
NYANZA: So you have a production company and you do a whole bunch of reality shows. And I have a scripted show. Why am I doing a deal with you?
00:27:09:18 - 00:27:10:21
FANSHEN: Right, Right,right.
00:27:10:23 - 00:27:11:11
NYANZA: So you're saying, "Oh,
00:27:11:13 - 00:27:26:25
NYANZA: we can help you out," But it's like, but you've never done this. You say this one music artist, right? Like. Two things. One is. If you're a label, you know, and you're looking for artists and you already have five Beyonce's, do I want to be your sixth Beyonce?
00:27:27:03 - 00:27:28:20
FANSHEN: Right, Right.
00:27:28:22 - 00:27:53:15
NYANZA: Because you probably don't have time for me or if you're, you know, a label and I'm an artist. And I am Beyonce. But you have all the U2 strings and all you know, and have a different genre. Then it might not be the right fit. So I think that's more important when people are telling you, oh, no, you know, I can help you out and I want to work with you and I can help develop this. But is this something that you do and how are you going to help me move it forward?
00:27:53:22 - 00:28:13:09
FANSHEN: Okay. Okay. Very helpful. I love this, Nyanza, because it's exactly what I hope for, which is kind of demystifying this part of it. So I wanted to ask you a little bit more about what's happening with you. So what has it been like to go from all those years of having your own company and now working at Fremantle?
00:28:14:06 - 00:28:15:18
NYANZA: It actually has been great.
00:28:16:00 - 00:28:46:03
NYANZA: It was definitely a big leap in change from, you know, running my own firm for 20 something years. Um, but one of the things that I appreciate about Fremantle is that they are in this growth space on the scripted side in this space where they are very committed to diversity and thinking about diverse voices and diverse stories and diverse talent. Um. You know. So in that way, it was really, really exciting because it didn't feel like, you know, as big as it is. Fremantle is an international company. They're owned by Bertelsmann under RTL. They have an office in the UK. We have we just came back from our Fremantle Legal Conference in London, and there's lawyers there from Australia, Italy, Nordics, Germany. India. Around the world. But that's also the exciting part because I deal with the attorneys in in Italy, I deal with
00:29:12:28 - 00:29:14:24
NYANZA: I'm dealing with attorneys in the UK.
00:29:15:02 - 00:30:09:14
NYANZA: Just in terms of the content and the deals that we're doing and discussing things like this, like how do we want to structure deals, how do we want to be more innovative and how we do deals with talent? How do we want to figure out new and innovative ways to create and produce content in a way that's more, you know, kind of affordable for lack of a better term and more budget friendly. What are the relationships that we have with different networks, distributors, streamers, whatever, to get content out and how we, you know, are utilizing them? Um, so it goes back for me of this strength of like not only again being this nexus between creative and business, but also being much more strategy minded than transactional minded, right? Because we're thinking about the big picture of how these things fit together, where we're going, what we want to do, and what that looks like.
00:30:09:16 - 00:30:41:26
NYANZA: So it's actually really, really exciting. We have a great team and working with the creative here in North America has been awesome. We have a great production team, so it's been really, really cool. One of the projects that we have coming that we're all excited about is a limited series on Showtime called Fellow Travelers that will be out soon. That's done shooting. There's a couple of things that were going into production on. One of the bigger projects is we did a first look deal with Angelina Jolie.
00:30:42:00 - 00:30:44:26
NYANZA: And she has now directed a film in Italy.
00:30:46:10 - 00:30:48:16
NYANZA: Which is what our office helps support.
00:30:50:06 - 00:30:56:19
NYANZA: Yes. Starring Salma Hayek that, you know, is in post. And that's something that's coming soon.
00:30:56:21 - 00:31:20:01
NYANZA: So there's there's, you know, a gamut of things going on. Our last series, Mosquito Coast on Apple is a Freemantle production just finished second season and looking to you know, again it's kind of pushed the envelope on the types of stories, the type of talent we're doing deals with and the types of properties that we're bringing in the door that tell different stories.
00:31:20:11 - 00:31:20:26
NYANZA: Um. I can also share.
00:31:22:17 - 00:31:24:24
NYANZA: I'm trying to think of things that we've shared.
00:31:24:26 - 00:31:25:16
FANSHEN: That you can share.
00:31:26:24 - 00:31:27:27
NYANZA: Exactly.
00:31:28:04 - 00:31:35:19
FANSHEN: We appreciate it. You know, you can always send us an email and say don't talk about that one. But look, we will be shouting these out.
00:31:35:21 - 00:31:40:26
NYANZA: So no, no, these are all things that are like in the press have been announced thing.
00:31:40:28 - 00:31:41:29
FANSHEN: Yes. Yes.
00:31:42:17 - 00:31:44:21
NYANZA: We recently acquired a New York Times article on the mariachi kind of, um, competition lifestyle in South Texas. It's an amazing story.
00:31:57:21 - 00:31:59:13
NYANZA: And we are you know, early stages of development. But it's such a great story that we're looking at how we can not only develop it on the scripted side, but actually on the unscripted.
00:32:07:21 - 00:32:09:17
NYANZA: Side. So that's the other thing. Even though I'm on the script.
00:32:09:19 - 00:32:13:00
FANSHEN: Derivatives. Right.Now you can look at. Is that?
00:32:13:02 - 00:32:22:23
NYANZA: You know, we have a whole amazing unscripted team. We have another sub company, original productions, that does a lot of our unscripted projects. They are Um, one of the main things is that they're the producers of Deadliest Catch, but they're also the producers of an amazing if you haven't seen it and by the way I had nothing to do with it. But it's so good. There's a documentary on Amazon called Phat Tuesdays. It's a four episode series about Guy Torry hosting, Phat Tuesdays and the Black comedians and all of that back in the day. It's so good. That's a Fremantle original productions.
00:32:49:03 - 00:32:50:09
FANSHEN: Um, okay.
00:32:50:11 - 00:32:54:06
NYANZA: Production that's like really, really cool. And they also - original productions on that side. Again, on the unscripted side has a new documentary called Waco coming out later this month on Netflix. I haven't seen the clips of it, but I've heard it's amazing. And it is I think of four to six, you know Episode doc. Um.
00:33:12:27 - 00:33:34:26
NYANZA: So it is cool to be in that place where again, I'm on the scripted side, but across the board. And what we do, whether on unscripted, whether internationally, you know, etcetera, that there is a lot of encouragement, um, to think about again, how do we all work together, how do these things fit together and all of that.
00:33:34:28 - 00:33:37:09
NYANZA: And let me say this, so I don't miss a very important point. Most people know Fremantle because we produce American Idol, America's Got Talent. Let's Make a Deal. Family Feud.
00:33:50:04 - 00:33:52:29
NYANZA: Oh, and I'm going to forget the fifth one. Um.
00:33:53:13 - 00:34:06:09
NYANZA: And so a lot of times, like, people are very familiar with that, but the amount of like I said scripted things around the world, films around the world, documentaries, all the other things that we do, it really, really is super cool to be a part of that. And then, you know, they've done some acquisitions. They have a lot of international companies that are also creating amazing content.
00:34:15:12 - 00:34:21:23
NYANZA: So it's been quite a transition, but really, really exciting is my long answer to your question and all the things.
00:34:21:27 - 00:34:22:17
FANSHEN: I love it.
00:34:24:07 - 00:34:54:25
FANSHEN: Hey, sisters and siblings, we wanted to shout out our friend Carolina Grappa. She hosts the Angle on Producers podcast and they spotlight film, TV and theater producers who share their stories and realities of their journeys. So it's kind of like Sista Brunch, but they really just focus on the role of producer. These time capsule conversations help others, especially women, navigate their own path in the industry. Make sure you follow them on Instagram @AngleonProducers, and they've got a YouTube channel as well.
00:34:59:24 - 00:35:01:23
NYANZA: This is Nyanza Shaw and you're listening
00:35:01:25 - 00:35:07:09
NYANZA: to the Sista Brunch podcast, the podcast all about Black women thriving in entertainment and media.
00:35:10:08 - 00:35:43:15
FANSHEN: What are the things that you're looking at for emerging Tech? One of our previous guests, Sean Morrison, is in the NFT space and as much as I'm scared of it and I was also really glad to learn about it because it's coming whether we like it or not. It's like AI and ChatGPT, right? What are things that you're doing to prepare to make deals with the end game? You mentioned gaming and how like HBO has "The Last of Us", which was based on a game. So yeah, are there things that we should also prepare for or know?
00:35:44:08 - 00:35:46:06
NYANZA: Um, I don't think as a matter of being
00:35:46:20 - 00:36:00:03
NYANZA: prepared for them, but I think that, you know. The other part of being creative is not only building those relationships, but knowing, you know, who's doing what and what is coming up and what are things are looking at at the end of the day-
00:36:00:06 - 00:36:00:25
NYANZA: I was on
00:36:00:27 - 00:36:15:21
NYANZA: a panel with one of the programming execs at Springhill late last year and you know, What's Springhill? For people uninitiated, that's LeBron James production company. They're like, well what are they looking for?
00:36:15:23 - 00:36:17:02
FANSHEN: We all want to be meet him.
00:36:17:04 - 00:36:21:05
NYANZA: What are they looking for like, you know, you know. And it's like we're looking for good content.
00:36:21:17 - 00:36:54:06
NYANZA: Like, that's really what it is. And so however that comes in, telling those good stories and I appreciate they're also getting away from the fact that diverse stories doesn't mean like Black stories or Mexican stories or, you know, Jewish stories. It means that there's a story that has not been told from that perspective. That's a unique story, right? Um, one thing is, you know, the Oscars just passed. I loved CODA, which was the best picture, you know, film last year.
00:36:54:22 - 00:36:59:26
NYANZA: Um, the Children of Death Adults is amazing. That's a diverse story.
00:37:00:19 - 00:37:14:23
NYANZA: Nobody's involved in it. It's just telling a new story in a new way that needs to be exposed. And then, by the way, fast forward to this year. "Everything, Everywhere, All at Once". You know, it's this Asian cast. It's a different perspective story from, you know, two amazing directors.
00:37:15:25 - 00:37:16:27
NYANZA: That really is it.
00:37:16:29 - 00:37:21:23
NYANZA: At the end of the day, which goes back to what I started with: Creatives create.
00:37:22:09 - 00:37:23:10
NYANZA: Like you.
00:37:24:06 - 00:37:32:13
NYANZA: We have the ideas. Create, create, create. And in that process, learn more about the business. Make relationships.
00:37:33:05 - 00:37:40:17
NYANZA: Listen to all the podcasts, including Sista Brunch like get all the information that you can, but at the end of the day, be creative.
00:37:40:19 - 00:37:47:02
NYANZA: Just create, write, shoot like on your iPhone, whatever you're doing, you know? Yeah, do it.
00:37:47:13 - 00:38:06:07
FANSHEN: I love it. I love it. Well, so that takes us to our last question and maybe you answered some of this, but more specifically. So you, Nyanza, are sitting down to a Sista Brunch with young Nyanza, and we want to know what are you both ordering to eat and to drink and then what do you tell her?
00:38:07:20 - 00:38:11:28
NYANZA: Well, one of the things that's probably consistent is that we're probably both eating tater tots.
00:38:12:00 - 00:38:12:15
NYANZA: Because.
00:38:13:03 - 00:38:13:20
FANSHEN: They're good.
00:38:13:26 - 00:38:18:27
NYANZA: And I've always loved tater tots so that, you know, like there's certain things you ate when you're younger that you don't eat as a grown
00:38:18:29 - 00:38:21:06
NYANZA: up as we know, it's like, oh, why did I eat that?
00:38:21:09 - 00:38:23:15
NYANZA: I still love tater tots.
00:38:24:08 - 00:38:29:23
NYANZA: So if we're having that conversation, we're probably sharing some tater tots. Um, I think that.
00:38:30:18 - 00:39:04:07
NYANZA: The same thing, advice that I would give to a lot of young creatives and give to a lot of young law students and young lawyers is you have to trust who you are and trust your own voice. That is really you know, it sounds cliche, but that is really what makes you unique. And there's so many things in this world pushing back on what that is or trying to make us something else, or even making us feel bad about who we are or making us think that we should be X because this is what's on the internet or on social or whatever.
00:39:04:12 - 00:39:05:00
NYANZA: No, no, no.
00:39:05:02 - 00:39:05:23
NYANZA: Trust who you are.
00:39:06:19 - 00:39:07:25
NYANZA: Trust who you are.
00:39:07:27 - 00:39:43:24
NYANZA: Trust what your voice is if you're a writer. Trust what your creative is if you're a creator. Again, and even as a lawyer, being a young Black girl lawyer and a lot of rooms with a lot of other folks and being the only of the only, you have to trust who you are. You have to trust who your voice is, what your voice is, and be able to speak from who you are. And I think that's just for me, one of those pillars that is consistent, especially for young Black girls in this business, that there's so many ways that again, we're pushed back or can feel like we should be compromising or etcetera.
00:39:45:06 - 00:40:15:23
NYANZA: I'm a great proponent of collaboration, which is different than compromise. Again, as you're developing stories, your stories evolve. You want to take feedback, you want to build on things. That's collaboration. That's not saying, Oh, I'm going to take your idea and change it to do something else. Then you're compromising what your voice is and what your what your vision for something is right, which is two completely different things. You want to build on it, but you don't want to. I mean, the other is really taking away from it and you can feel the difference.
00:40:15:25 - 00:40:31:29
NYANZA: And I think even in that process, like you said, whether you get a deal and it doesn't feel right or you get it, you know, get a proposition or having conversations with people about what they're bringing to the table. If you know who you are, you know what your voice is, that is going to be your guiding light.
00:40:34:04 - 00:40:46:26
FANSHEN: I love it. Thank you so much, Nyanza. Thanks for spending the the afternoon with us and also sharing this expertise that you have and and reminding us that there are folks out here who want to help protect us. Thank you.
00:40:46:28 - 00:40:49:03
NYANZA: Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. Thank you
00:40:49:05 - 00:40:49:21
NYANZA: so much for
00:40:49:23 - 00:40:50:19
NYANZA: having me.
00:40:51:09 - 00:41:22:05
NYANZA: Thank you for listening to Sista Brunch, the podcast that brings you the stories of Black women crushing it in entertainment and media. And this is our fourth season of SistaBrunch. So if you haven't already, go back and listen to all three seasons that came before this one. You can also read the transcripts of this show and all of our previous shows and listen to all of our previous episodes at SistaBrunch.Com We so appreciate your support by subscribing to the podcast, leaving us a great review, sharing it with others.
00:41:22:07 - 00:41:54:04
NYANZA: You can interact with us on Instagram. We've got listener questions. We post about all of our previous guests, we uplift them and that is @SistaBrunchpodcast. Sista Brunch is brought to you by TruJuLo Productions. Our Senior Producer is Sonata Lee Narcisse. Our Co-Producer is Brittany Turner. Our Executive Producers are Christabel Nsiah-Buadi and Anya Adams. Our Associate Producers are Farida Abdul-Wahab and Mimi Slater. Our social media videos are cut by Maddie Black.
00:41:54:07 - 00:42:04:07
NYANZA: We acknowledge that the land we record our podcast on is the original land of the Tongva and the Chumash people. Thank you so much for listening you all and we will catch you on the next one.