Tracy “Twinkie” Byrd: Finding the Right One
Episode Description:
Tracy “Twinkie” Byrd is a highly respected casting director with over 25 years of experience in the TV, film and advertising industry. She’s cast talent in movies like, “The Blind Side”, “Notorious” and “Fruitvale Station.” This week, Fanshen talks to Twinkie about how she got into the casting business, her role in sparking the friendship between Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler and her experience stepping into a new role – producer.
TRANSCRIPT:
00:00:10:23 - 00:00:42:04
FANSHEN: Welcome back to Sista Brunch, the podcast all about black women thriving in entertainment and media. We are all about inspiring future generations of black women and non-binary people to enter into and stay in the film, TV and media industries. That's what our guests do and that's why we love bringing you their stories. We also want to share love from our listeners who leave reviews for us. This one is from Tishfers, "Strikes the Perfect Balance, thoughtful shares and the perfect length.
00:00:42:07 - 00:01:14:03
FANSHEN: This is the kind of podcast I can stick with during these crazy times." It's funny, she must have written that maybe when Trump got elected or the pandemic, but it's still crazy times. We are still here. Thank you so much, Tishfers for your review and any of you that are listening now. And if you love our show, we would love your review as well. Make sure you subscribe, rate and leave us a really good five star review and share it with your friends and family. I'm your host, Fanshen Cox, and today's guest. I don't even think she really needs an introduction.
00:01:14:05 - 00:01:50:19
FANSHEN: Like you see that face and you know her. But today's guest is Tracy Twinkie Bird. Tracy Twinkie Bird is a highly respected casting director with over 25 years of experience in the TV, film and advertising industry. Through her passion and dedication, she's managed to build a notable career finding talent for critically acclaimed films such as The Blind Side, Notorious and Fruitvale Station. Her career has been built on her impeccable work ethic, as well as the relationships she's taking the time to cultivate through the years.
00:01:50:21 - 00:02:19:27
FANSHEN: We're going to talk about that. Last but not least, Tracy Twinkie Bird is an all around, charismatic and vibrant person to be around with you when you will no doubt see today. And she has now stepped into the role of producer with some amazing projects that you can watch right now or after you listen to this episode. So just stay and listen to the episode first and then go watch these projects and we'll definitely tell you more about the project. So welcome, Twinkie.
00:02:19:29 - 00:02:25:13
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for having me. I'm super excited and nervous.
00:02:25:21 - 00:02:59:03
FANSHEN: Oh, so you better stop. Listen, now, you're the superstar on this, so we love to actually, this might help you because we love to have our guests go all the way back to the beginning so that we can kind of see your journey and encourage other young women, especially, that are listening. What is the journey to become not only such a renowned casting director, but now a producer as well? So where did you start? You can start from where you were born or whatever part of your life you want to. How did you become the fabulous person that you are today?
00:02:59:15 - 00:03:31:04
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: Well, James and Audra Byrd, that would be my parents. That's the beginning of everything. And then there's this fabulous place called Brooklyn, Baby. Yes. So that's where I'm from, born and raised. And I started in this industry in music video. Music video was my entree into this industry. And that was when and this is what I coined the phrase on Instagram when music videos were short films to music.
00:03:31:19 - 00:05:09:06
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: So that was when our filmmakers, our young men and women were making short films to music. And I got the opportunity to cast those projects for directors like my brother Jeff Byrd and directors like Brett Ratner and Millicent Shelton and a number of the people that are currently working today as directors. Tim Story, George Tillman, all of them were directing music video back in the nineties, and that was their film school for those who could not or did not choose to go to film school, that was their film school and what they did then. Lionel Martin, Director X, even Hype Williams, All of those. They created a look and a style that people are even, I would say, duplicating today, but truthfully, that Hollywood and parts of Hollywood stole and duplicated to use. And this was from the creative minds of these men and women who may have not had the advantages of others, but they had the creativity to do that style or create that look. And I was a part of that time in that era, which I'm really proud about, and got a chance to get my feet wet in this industry with those same directors creating stories and storylines and casting a whole project. In a week, I worked with Chris Rock. On his directorial debut of a music video for the Red Hot Chili Peppers and we shot on Paramount's lot. And I had to cast a whole block party.
00:05:09:18 - 00:05:11:20
FANSHEN: He directed a Red Hot Chili Peppers...
00:05:11:22 - 00:05:42:05
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: Yes. They're friends. He's friends with Red Hot Chili Peppers and Flea. And he directed a Red Hot Chili Peppers music video called, " Hump the Bump". And I hired a marching band from Locke High School. A black marching band. And I, this is before I thought about producing, but I was really producing. And when we were doing those music videos, then it was a story. They were stories.
00:05:42:11 - 00:06:32:00
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: And this whole story was about having a block party on the lot. So he used the same lot where he was shooting "Everybody Hates Chris", New York Street and all of these young black and brown kids. I cast them all and they got to see what a real lot looks like. And I talked to Chris during lunch and I said, you know, they don't know. They haven't seen this stuff. Could you show them? And he did. He showed them around and they were like, but this is your neighborhood. This is the stoop that you live in. This is the house. And they got to open the door and find out that the interior was on a stage somewhere else. And the exterior was what they were looking at. It's mind blowing to have someone pull back the curtain and demystify things for our youth. And that mind.
00:06:32:02 - 00:06:38:17
FANSHEN: Blowing is so important that yeah, that which is what you do. Hold on. I want to take you back.
00:06:38:19 - 00:06:39:23
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: Yes, take me back.
00:06:39:25 - 00:06:52:21
FANSHEN: Did you. How did you step into the role of casting director? Like, how did you even know what that was? How, what was your first experience? How did you know you were good at it? How did you have the confidence to do it?
00:06:53:17 - 00:07:29:09
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: Well, okay. So I'm going to start with The Cosby Show. So we will, of course, watch all black shows because we're a black family in Brooklyn. And when I was watching The Cosby Show and Good Times and all of these other shows, even The Brady Bunch, I wanted to know the names of all of the actors, not Jan or Michael. I wanted to know like Eve Plumb and, you know, I wanted to know Ralph Carter. I wanted to know their real names. And my mother kept asking me, why is it so important for you to know their real names like that doesn't make any sense.
00:07:29:27 - 00:07:56:05
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: And even as a kid, I'm like ten, 12, 15 years old. And I'm like, Well, Ralph Carter, my friends were like, Who's Ralph Carter? Oh, Michael. On Good Times. Michael on Good Times. They said, Well, why don't you just sing Michael on Good Times? I said, Because it's a character he's playing. It's not who he is. His name is Ralph Carter. And from then it was very important to me. And my mother said, Why is it so important to you? And I said, Because when I meet them, I want to call them by their real name.
00:07:57:21 - 00:08:27:23
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: And she's like, What makes you think you're going to meet them? But it was already in there. I'm going to meet them. There is zero degree of separation between me and anybody. It was already in me. And being a New Yorker, you know, you can walk down the street and meet anybody like. People are on the train. They're on the bus. They're in the city. So meeting them was not far from my mind. So that's where it started. And then I was working at an ad agency.
00:08:28:08 - 00:09:00:12
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: I quit college. And of course, in a black household, you're not going to live off the fat of the land, so you're going to get a job. So I started temping and working at an ad agency, and at that ad agency, I ended up on the same floor with casting. And we were casting those commercials for M&M, Mars and Pampers and all of this. So this pampered baby baby that was auditioning got up in my lap because I had all these toys everywhere on my desk, got up in my lap and wouldn't get down. And the mother was like, It's time for us to go in the room.
00:09:00:14 - 00:09:28:27
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: She wouldn't get down in time for us to go. And the baby was like, No. And she was tugging on my clothes. No. I said, Well, I'll take the baby and I'll help. I'll come in with you, and I'm gonna take the baby. And I come into the room with the baby, put her down. She's smiling and giggling at me and laughing. And they asked me, Are you the baby wrangler? And I said, the baby wrangler,? What's a baby wrangler? Okay. How much do they make? And they were like 75 an hour. And I said, Absolutely, I am the baby wrangler.
00:09:30:20 - 00:09:31:26
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: Yep. What do you need me to do?
00:09:32:27 - 00:09:33:17
FANSHEN: Yes.
00:09:33:28 - 00:09:59:09
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: So I picked up all the toys and I'm playing and the kids are loving me and all of this stuff. And that is how I learned what goes on behind the door. The casting power at that agency. And that's how I got started. And then that casting director at the agency showed me what the job was. So during my lunch hour, I would spend it with her and her assistant learning what casting was. That's how it started.
00:10:05:05 - 00:10:27:11
FANSHEN: You are listening to Sista Brunch, the podcast by and about black women and gender expansive people who are thriving in entertainment and media. Stay tuned for more of our conversation with our guest, the vibrant Tracy Twinkie Bird. Also, if you love our show, go ahead and leave us a review. You can review us on Apple, on Spotify, wherever you listen to your podcasts.
00:10:32:04 - 00:10:34:25
FANSHEN: We're back and ready to chat more with Tracy.
00:10:39:05 - 00:10:41:04
FANSHEN: Have you always had this confidence?
00:10:42:27 - 00:10:45:15
FANSHEN: You were born with it, weren't you?
00:10:46:03 - 00:11:02:11
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: I always had this cockiness, kind of. Yeah, I was. But it helps when you have parents who it really helps when you have parents who support you and a family who supports you. It helps when you read books and learn a lot of times that what you're reading in school is not true.
00:11:02:29 - 00:11:29:28
FANSHEN: I have just one more question about your casting director career, because what I really want to focus on is you as a producer and maybe even someday director. I'm a just does plant that seed. So as a casting director for our listeners, those especially who kind of aren't connected to the industry but are interested in it, what does a typical day look like? What is your job? What is your role look like as a casting director?
00:11:30:29 - 00:12:07:04
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: Wow. Well, first and foremost is the what does my role look like as a casting director? So first and foremost, the job is to recognize talent, to know what talent is, to see and feel truth in performance. And then there's the research. And part of that has everything to do with watching and listening and paying attention to as much of the work as possible, whether it be Broadway, off-Broadway talent. Some of the schools put on these workshops and these the schools have their own websites and things like that.
00:12:07:06 - 00:12:38:15
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: And the showcases. Yes, that's exactly the word, thank you, showcases. So, you know, SUNY Purchase or you know certain schools, USC and some of the, you know, SCAD and UNC School of the Arts. Each one has their own website and they put on their showcases and you watch those links as well as watching television shows and streaming shows and see it watching and seeing even the smallest role of the person, not the one in front of you that you're supposed to pay attention to, but the one to the left it to the right of that person.
00:12:38:21 - 00:13:19:11
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: That's the lead. And you're watching small things. Are they in it or are they just waiting to say their lines? Are they living in their truth? So that's the part of the work that we don't talk about enough, which is that the amount of information that you have to take in. And then of course, you take your notes and you're ready with your notes. And this one looks like they would be great at that, this one. Or you call agents and be like, do you? But do you have a reel on this actor or actress? Do you have any anything else to show me what he or she can do? Even if it's commercials I accept, like send it to me or even if it's, you know, high school plays that they filmed themselves with their iPhone, send it, that kind of thing.
00:13:19:15 - 00:13:50:07
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: And then you move on to the actual day, the days when you get you read the script. Reading comprehension is incredibly important. You get to talk to the director, ask questions. What are you looking for? What is the studio or the network looking for? How, what names do you need to be attached to this? So let's let's start with that real thing. Like, do you need names attached to this? Are you looking for talent and names? Just talent. Just names. A mixture of all of the above. Like, let me know.
00:13:50:13 - 00:14:24:08
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: And then we start to make lists. You make lists of actors who have done it and have been doing it for years. Right. And you gather their information and then you put out a breakdown. And Breakdown sends it out to the to the world and lets them know we're looking for this role. Looking for that role. Here is a short synopsis of what that role entails and what that character does and who they are, whether it's male or female, non-binary, trans, all the different breakdowns and aspects of a person and their personality traits.
00:14:25:08 - 00:15:09:27
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: And then you start pulling, putting out, pulling sides from the script. And those are sections of the script that will showcase their best work. Right. You pull out sections of the script that the character has a really great arc. You want to start at one. One area where they may be vulnerable. Move over to another area where their heightened vulnerability causes them to have a breakthrough and then get to that other part where everyone else sees it, enjoys that breakthrough or that triumph of that personality. So you want to choose sides for each different area and then watch them take that journey in the audition as they put themselves on tape or either come into the room.
00:15:10:06 - 00:15:45:24
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: Lately, you know, the last few years it's been a lot of tape. So because of the pandemic. But now we're getting back to having actors in the room again, which I'm really excited about, because then you get a chance to feel the energy of that person. And that is a major part of my job. And then, of course, I, do my my digging in my research because I want to know what kind of person are you? Do you do I want to be on set with you for six weeks? Eight weeks? Do I want my director or my producers to be on set with you for six or eight weeks? Yeah.
00:15:45:26 - 00:16:20:04
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: I need to know what kind of personality you are. What kind of human are you? Warm hearted or you got a little hateration going on, like what's happening with you? Are you in a place of love and acceptance? Are you in a place of. It's all about me. It's all about me, you know. So I want to see that. I just want to know what that is so that I'm not blindsided when I get a phone call. God forbid from set. Talking about this actor is late every single day. And I'm like, well, I guess you're going to have a conversation with them then, you know, because some people are late, some people, you know, they're things.
00:16:20:11 - 00:16:36:12
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: So you look for some certain things, or at least I do. I believe we all do look for certain things if and when we have the time. And then you see a great product come out and you're very proud. You're proud to have your name on it. So, yeah, that's my life.
00:16:37:16 - 00:17:10:01
FANSHEN: I love it. So, okay, we're going to transition into you producing, but this is kind of a question that goes for both. What is it like being a black woman doing this? What is it? Does it do you feel that it pigeonholes you or are you okay with working on projects that are about black, indigenous, Asian, brown folks or. Well, I'd just say my opinion, which is like you should be casting everything and now you should be producing everything.
00:17:10:10 - 00:17:20:07
FANSHEN: But also sometimes we have a preference. Sometimes we're like, You know what this is? You know, I want to work with these stories and therefore. So I'm curious about that for you.
00:17:20:09 - 00:17:21:26
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: Yes. And yes.
00:17:23:15 - 00:17:37:10
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: So I am producing, which I'm super excited about. I'm producing and I have directed an award winning short. So yes, the directing is in me, just so you know that. Yes. Yes. So we'll talk about that later.
00:17:37:12 - 00:17:38:11
FANSHEN: We need to talk about that.
00:17:38:13 - 00:18:40:21
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: Have I felt like. Yes, we will. Have I felt pigeonholed? No, I won't allow it because I want to tell our stories. I want to tell our stories. So and I have worked on stories. The beautiful thing about the choices that I've been making, the choices that I've made, I will step back to step forward. I will step over to step forward. I don't have any problems with it. I will do a student film in order to make sure that I have it on my reel. So you can't say as an exec or anything. Well, she hasn't done sci-fi. Yeah. Yes, I have. I've done sci fi. Well, she hasn't done period piece. Actually, I have done a period piece. You know, I will go to a do a USC short film in a heartbeat, an AFI short film or whatever those things are, in order to make sure I have it so that I can extinguish your fire with my water. Here it is. All of the things that you say I need to have. I'm going to put that fire out for you, okay? Yes.
00:18:40:24 - 00:19:12:10
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: Yes. So that is how I roll. And I want to tell our stories. I have producing our stories is my joy. I want to tell stories of black and brown people. I, I have cast short films and films about Asian talent. I started working. I did extras casting for the Joy Luck Club. I was in the extras casting department for that. I did extras casting for Ang Lee's first film in this country, "The Wedding Banquet".
00:19:13:02 - 00:20:57:18
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: So, I don't have any problem, like I have zero problem with, "What is this? What happened?" I have zero problem with doing what I need to do in order to do what I want to do. And it's not, nothing's going to stop me. Even at my age, nothing's going to stop me. It's just not it's not going to stop me. I am divinely inspired. I am, I am excited to wake up every day to work on my craft in between working on my craft. Like, I am excited. It's my joy. So every morning it's like, okay, meditation, reading a couple of pages of the book and writing in my journal, my, you know, five minute. Grateful, grateful journal, journal. And then it's okay, what am I going to do today? How am I structuring my life? Am I going to write my e-books on what I've learned on set? Am I going to write my e-books of how to find good monologues for actors? Am I going to write like - all of these things I have going on all at once? And then producing, finding good writers and talking to them, finding out what their strengths are. It's like, this has always been in me and I'm just getting to it and thankful that I can bring actors and name actors along for the ride in the journey. Kirk Franklin and Michael B Jordan and I mean, I can bring them Naturi Naughton, who I've cast in Notorious. Bring them along for the journey. Luke James I can make a phone call and be like, hey, you want to be in a Christmas movie? Hey, you want to lend your your celebrity to this project I'm working on? Hey, I. It all worked out the way that it's supposed to, I feel.
00:20:58:03 - 00:21:04:16
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: And I am not going to let anyone's short sightedness ruin and interrupt my joy.
00:21:05:11 - 00:21:07:02
FANSHEN: Oh, there you go.
00:21:08:18 - 00:21:20:12
FANSHEN: Are you able to name your favorite project that you cast and your favorite project that you've produced? Will that get you in trouble?
00:21:21:20 - 00:22:07:09
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: That's the most challenging thing ever, because they're all my favorites for different reasons. They all are. I've done so many. They're all my favorites for different reason. "Notorious" is my favorite because I'm from Brooklyn. And, you know, "Jumping the Broom" is my favorite because it's black love and "Southside with You" is my favorite because it's the story of Barack and Michelle and it's more black love, you know. So "Fruitvale Station" is my favorite because I got a chance to be a part of shedding the light and shining a light on police brutality and shifting and changing a black man, changing his life, looking and interrupted.
00:22:07:11 - 00:22:31:17
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: That change interrupted. And what that looks like, the power of that piece, it drives me. It really and, you know, the beginnings of Ryan Coogler's career, but also the power of that piece and bringing those two young men together to be friends. And they have a bromance like no other. And I was a part of that and I'm super proud of it. So that was used very well. And you that was me.
00:22:38:16 - 00:22:54:22
FANSHEN: Hey, it's Fanshen Cox and you are listening to Sista Brunch. We will be right back. And during this really quick break, if you haven't done this already, why don't you head over to Instagram and follow us there and interact with us and answer some of our questions. We're @SistaBrunchPodcast.
00:23:01:25 - 00:23:21:02
FANSHEN: Welcome back to Sista Brunch, highlighting amazing black women and gender expansive people who are thriving in entertainment and media. You can listen to all of our previous episodes on SistaBrunch.com or on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. I'm Fanshen and let's get back into this conversation with the talented Tracy Twinkie Bird.
00:23:24:09 - 00:23:39:09
FANSHEN: Let's talk about your film that you directed because we went from we didn't even quite get also casting director to producer. So tell us what that transition was like and then tell us about your short that you directed?
00:23:40:05 - 00:24:17:24
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: What that transition was like? Well, first and foremost, I have to thank Angela Robinson Witherspoon. She is the wife of John Witherspoon. Rest in peace, John. And she is the one that saw in me. That I needed a shift and a change in my life. And I was open to hearing her and she said, you need to take Richard Lawson's classes, his course, his PDP course Professional Development Program. And I sat there and I went to their open night and I was sitting there and I was like, I'm going to learn what? And how many weeks and how much does it cost? And do I need to do that? And I did.
00:24:17:29 - 00:25:10:25
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: I signed up. I got into the course. I was the oldest person at 49 years old in the room watching all these young people edit on their phones and do at that time, Vines and all of this stuff. And we're going to learn how to professionally develop ourselves. And I'm like, how do you what? What is that like? How? But they taught me and I had to read in class. And the course work was really interesting because I had to also put myself on tape as an actor and read sides and audition. So it was each with everything I had to do. So I put myself in that position. Yes. And I had to learn how to produce for others and make a short film like a three minute short film every other week. And. Shoot it with your phone, shoot it with your camera, shoot it with something, but you have to edit it yourself.
00:25:10:27 - 00:25:46:00
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: Do voiceover, add music how the music's added. Is the music too loud? Which was always my issue. My music was always too loud and I couldn't hear my voiceover. And Richard would just kindly tell me different things. And he's like, I like the vision, but let's make it more clear. And I was like, What do you mean? But I learned to take criticism. I learned how to turn criticism into an incredible piece. And in that moment, as I was working and in that course, I met Ashley Jackson, the youngest daughter of Reverend Jesse Jackson.
00:25:46:09 - 00:26:19:11
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: And she and I, we just clung together. She was 16. I was 49, and we just clung on to each other. And she said, I want to do a project with you. And I said, okay. And we had a final that we all had to do. And she said, What do you want to do? And I said, I've always wanted to tell the story of the"A&T Four". And she was like, well, we could do that, but it sounds kind of boring. Like it's just history, it's a snoozer. And I was like, history is a snoozer. What do you mean? You know, young people and, you know, I took that to bed with me.
00:26:19:13 - 00:27:00:14
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: The next morning I wake up and I was like, okay, this is the dream I had. And I called her and pitched it to her. I said, Three woke black students go back in time to relive the lunch counter, sit in. Will they be served? She was like, I'm in. So my short film, "The Counter 1960" at that time starred three students from class, Ashley being one of them. And my the man I love. He had a location where he works at Weddington Golf, where there is a lunch counter. It's a little diner that literally looks like it's back in time. And we shot it there. And I.
00:27:01:21 - 00:27:04:26
FANSHEN: Wait, wait, wait. How can we see this? Is it online?
00:27:05:22 - 00:27:07:17
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: It is online. I will send you the link.
00:27:09:10 - 00:27:11:15
FANSHEN: Yes, please. Yes. Can we. Can we share it with the listeners?
00:27:11:17 - 00:27:43:18
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: Yes. Yes, you can share it with the listeners. So I did the first piece and Richard loved it. It was 12 minutes long. Short film. Ashley said, We need to make this into a real short film. This needs to be bigger. And I said, Okay. And we started looking for money and started begging for money and asking for money. We raised $5,000. I put $3000 of my own into it. And we created a short film called "The Counter 1960". I cast a few new actors in it.
00:27:44:00 - 00:27:55:15
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: My cousin Tabitha Brown is in it, Nick Few, Jerod Haynes and Etienne Maurice, which is Sheryl Lee Ralph's son and Ashley Jackson.
00:27:55:17 - 00:27:59:11
FANSHEN: Oh my gosh, I know all these people. I mean, I don't know them. But I know them, what!
00:27:59:27 - 00:28:00:22
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: Yes. And.
00:28:00:24 - 00:28:02:21
FANSHEN: They're in your film.
00:28:03:05 - 00:28:32:20
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: Yes. And they are. And you find out firstly, I had my lead actor go back in time. And how he went back in time is two things that are specific from my family. My grandfather was a mason and the watch, so he put on his grandfather's ring and his watch went down to wash his hands, comes back up and he's (snaps) back in time. Because he was literally going to the same school as his grandfather.
00:28:32:25 - 00:29:04:26
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: And he told his mother he was talking to his mom, Vanessa Belle Calloway, about how they're having problems at the school and around in the area. And his mother said, you know. That lunch counter is the same lunch counter that your grandparents couldn't sit on. And he was like, What? But it's not the same. You know, what's going on nowadays is not the same as what went on back then. Like, it's not the same as and we found out it's it's the same. It's the same. It may look different. It may feel different to you, but it's the same.
00:29:04:29 - 00:29:39:03
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: And what are we going to do about it? That's the question. Are we going to activate or are we going to get together? What are we going to do about it? And it also makes you feel proud of those who came before us that put their lives on the line to change the world for us, which is what they had, what they did and and what are we going to do for the next generation? That's the charge that it set. So it's called, "The Counter 1960". Took me around the world. I went to London Film Festival, I went to Amsterdam film festivals with my producer, Kim Ogletree.
00:29:40:09 - 00:30:18:16
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: It was entered in the Jaipur India Film Festival. It was in Pan-African Film Festival. I received a standing ovation at Martha's Vineyard, and there were literally SNCC members in the audience. There is no award you can give me. There is no award, no trinket, no nothing you can give me that matches the feeling of a black woman who sat at a lunch counter or who was on a freedom ride that hugged me at Martha's Vineyard Film Festival and said, Thank you for putting our story on the screen. It took me out. It took me out.
00:30:19:08 - 00:31:21:27
FANSHEN: I need to use this moment to to remind our listeners that because you're storytellers, you have an opportunity to make change with your work. And we've just heard a powerful example of that. And really sometimes, you know, it can feel like, you know, we're black women, shit's already hard, like so much worse, so much is expected of us. But this is I mean, we don't even have a choice. Most of the time we're going to tell our story and therefore change is going to happen. But really, this is what it's about. Twinkie. Oh, my goodness. Thank you for sharing that story and for the work, all of the work that you do. I can't wait to share the film with more people. So you are a director. You are officially a casting director, a producer. You work a lot.
00:31:22:02 - 00:32:12:02
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: Thank you. I create. I continue to create. Like I said, I create my ebooks. I have written a book, so I am a published author, as well. I tell the story my own personal journey of dating in Hollywood as a black woman over 40. It's called ,"Channeling Becky". It's available on Amazon. And you can literally it's written in blogs, it's written in blog posts. So you hear my authentic voice because it's not a self-help book. It's a watch my life and my journey. And I, sought a therapist and she taught me how to be a lady at home and how to, you know, I already knew how to be masculine energy at work, but how to be feminine energy at home and how to find the beauty and the strength and vulnerability, because vulnerability is strength.
00:32:12:15 - 00:32:31:03
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: So and it took me a while to get that lesson. It took me a long time to get that lesson. And because of that, you know, I share it with the world and people laugh and they're like, I can't believe you're saying this, But thankfully, my dear friend Gary Hardwick, he said, You already have a book. Take all the blog posts, all the Facebook blog posts.
00:32:31:05 - 00:32:34:11
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: And just compiled them. That's what I did.
00:32:34:13 - 00:32:55:06
FANSHEN: Speaking about where can where can our listeners follow you if you don't know already? This is an incredible follow. You get inspiration, you get knowledge. You are incredible at clips, pulling clips and teaching us from the clips of films that you have. So where, can we follow you?
00:32:55:27 - 00:33:09:17
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: You can follow me @iamtwinkiebyrd. I-a-m, Twinkie Byrd, t-w-i-n-k-i- e-b-y-r-d on Instagram, on Twitter and iamtwinkiebyrd1 on Tiktok.
00:33:10:06 - 00:33:33:13
FANSHEN: I know we are going over, but I have two more questions. First question we always ask our guests if you're comfortable, can you talk about salary ranges for casting director and for producer? And at the very least, how can our those who are listening have the confidence to negotiate their salaries at least? How do they know where to start?
00:33:34:07 - 00:34:07:04
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: Okay, that's a very good question. There is always a line item for casting and you need to know what that line item is. It's important for us not to negotiate against ourselves. So therefore, is to. Get the first offer. And like I tell my mentee right now, Maya, never accept the first offer. That's where you start negotiating from. I can say this for my career. I have been underpaid. For quite some time. Underpaid when it comes to casting.
00:34:07:24 - 00:34:48:27
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: I remember the first project that I did. They paid me so little money to do a feature film. It wasn't my first film, but it was my first studio feature which was, "Stomp the Yard". Oh, I was horribly, horribly underpaid because I accepted the first offer. So I can say from that. And always get a representative or a lawyer. Someone to represent you to make sure that they do the negotiations for you because that you have a great rapport with and of course, that you have a partnership, a business partnership with so that you can come outside of the outside of that negotiation.
00:34:49:06 - 00:35:40:27
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: Steer clear of that so that you can continue to be creative. But fighting on the sidelines and working on getting as much as you can for the job, because if you're not doing multiple jobs at a time, oh boy, if you're doing one job at a time, that's been my challenge, doing one gig at a time. It can be. We I can say this as black women, we are not paid enough. We are not paid enough and we've got to fight for more money. That's for sure, because our lives are very lives and livelihoods are at stake. Truly, everything costs more. Health benefits. All of it. During the pandemic, I lost my health benefits and there was nothing that anyone can do through CSA for me and for us.
00:35:40:29 - 00:36:18:07
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: There were many of us who lost our benefits because the work stopped and you have to keep up the hours in order to get the benefits. If we're not on set, if we're not working, if we're not shooting, if we're not casting union projects, then we're not keeping up our union dues and our union hours so that I can say and as a producer, I have an agent now as a producer. Amazing Agent Ali Benmohamad at UTA. And he does all the negotiating for me and got me paid way more money, way more money for my Christmas movies that I have been producing lately.
00:36:18:09 - 00:36:25:24
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: He gets me points. Those things are important as a producer getting points on the backend. When that sucker is sold, you get a check.
00:36:26:13 - 00:36:36:13
FANSHEN: There you go. So if you ever hear anyone talk about points, that means once it's out there in the world and it's making money, you get money as well. That's points on the backend.
00:36:36:15 - 00:37:13:04
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: Those things are important. So it's not just the check that's coming, but it's the check that comes after it's sold and then the checks that come in a residual income while it's being played or being sold again or again because we have all of these multiple streamers. That means that it's being sold again and again and again. For some companies, they're selling them again and again, or they're working together to play that product. So you need to have a savvy lawyer, a savvy agent in order to negotiate those things. So I'm building I can say that, but I have been incredibly underpaid in my career.
00:37:14:03 - 00:37:31:13
FANSHEN: Okay. Half question 1.5. Where can our guests see everything you've done and do? Is there a Twinkie website? And if not, do we need to put one together where we just list everything?
00:37:32:08 - 00:37:32:23
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: There is a Twinkie website.
00:37:33:06 - 00:37:42:01
Because people need to know! People need to know. Okay, did you tell us the Twinkie website? I don't think we got the Twinkie website.
00:37:42:03 - 00:38:06:19
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: I didn't it. TwinkieByrd.Com. And TwinkieByrd.Com, I have a masterclass there. I have an ebook there you can see a list of all my you could click the IMDB pro and look at everything that I've done and you can make a note and list of it. Yes. So there is TwinkieByrd.com. But you know if there's more to work on and more to do on that website, tell me so I can do it because I'm all about growth mindset.
00:38:06:28 - 00:38:22:02
FANSHEN: So Twinkie, you are sitting down to a Sista Brunch with young Twinkie. What are you both eating? What are you both drinking and what do you tell her?
00:38:23:05 - 00:38:55:18
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: Older Twinkie is having a salad. With really good kale and lots of leafy greens. Younger Twinkie is probably having a pastrami sandwich or something crazy like that or a piece of pizza. I am drinking fresh, freshly pressed juice from my juicer back there. And younger Twinkie is. Yes. Younger Twinkie is probably having a soda, which she shouldn't be drinking. And some junk from the store.
00:38:56:11 - 00:39:09:29
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: Yeah, some just some junk from the store. And what is the other part? What do I tell her? My favorite line from "The Wizard of Oz". You had the power all along, my dear.
00:39:11:06 - 00:39:36:10
FANSHEN: Thank you. Thank you so much. Twinkie. This has been just as special as I knew it would be. We'd like to bring folks back, especially as they are growing and making more and more money and they're making more and more powerful projects like you will. So this will hopefully not be the last time you're on Sista Brunch, but we're so grateful to you. And thank you so much for being with us.
00:39:37:00 - 00:39:40:21
TRACY TWINKIE BYRD: Thank you. I appreciate you both so much. Thank you, all.
00:39:42:15 - 00:40:16:28
FANSHEN: Thank you for listening to Sista Brunch, the podcast that brings you the journeys of black women and gender expansive people who are doing well and thriving and experiencing joy and some resilience as they work in the entertainment and media industries. So this is season four of Sista Brunch. You can always go back and listen to seasons one through three. You can read a transcript of this show or all our previous shows on our website: SistaBrunch.com. You can also support us by subscribing to our podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts.
00:40:17:03 - 00:40:52:26
FANSHEN: You can also leave us a great review. You can share it with other people. You can also follow and connect with us on Instagram, @SistaBrunchpodcast. Sista Brunch is brought to you by TruJuLo Productions. Our senior producer is Sonata Lee Narcisse. Our co-producer is Brittney Turner. Our associate producers are Farida Abdul-Wahab and Mimi Slater. Our executive producers are Christabel Nsiah-Buadi and Anya Adams. We acknowledge that the land we record our podcast on is the original land of the Tongva and the Chumash people. Catch you next time on Sista Brunch.
00:40:52:28 - 00:40:54:24
FANSHEN: Until then, take really good care.