I'll Just Let Myself In

Start Before You Feel Ready - Into Film Making w/ Segen Gebremariam-Bush

• Lish Speaks

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In this episode of I’ll just let myself in, I sit down with filmmaker, writer, and actress @segengenesis — one half of the powerhouse creative duo behind the film 7 Miles From Forever, now streaming on Tubi.

Segen and her husband, @richlowebush, not only wrote, directed, and starred in the film, but also brought their shared vision and chemistry to life on screen. In this conversation, Segen opens up about their creative partnership, the process of independent filmmaking, and what it takes to tell stories that truly connect with audiences.

If you love indie films, storytelling, and real conversations with artists shaping culture — this episode is a must-watch.

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@segengenesis
@richlowebush

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SPEAKER_01:

Definitely do the work. Like do the the research. Everything is on YouTube. Absolutely everything is on YouTube. Even if you start with just like, let me shoot a short film. Like if you have a really small budget, then start with the short film. That way you have less production days and and maybe you can rent like some nice camera equipment, you know, so that you have quality work. Trust your circle. Like, make sure you have a really good uh circle uh of network, you know. Um, make sure that everyone is aligned as far as what the purpose of all of this is. Make sure that they're all um invested in it just as much as you are. Like this should be everybody's project. This should be this is our baby, and we're going in, we're gonna put in the same amount of work, and we're going to push this because if it does well, we all do well. Right? Lastly, perfection is unattainable, right? You're not going to be able to be like, oh, this is because even Seven Miles from Forever, we watch it.

SPEAKER_02:

What's up, everybody? It's your girl Lish Speaks, and we are back with another episode of my podcast, I'll Just Let Myself In, the podcast where we don't wait for an imaginary permission slip or some seat at an imaginary table. We let ourselves into our God-given doors. Y'all know how I like to do over here. I like to bring you guys guests that I think really do live out and embody what we promote here at the podcast. I like to bring you guys guests who don't wait for people to give them opportunities who take things into their own hands. I like to bring you guys guests who I think you will relate to, learn something from, and hopefully be inspired by. And today's guest is no different. Sitting on the couch today, we have Segan Gebra Miriam Bush, who is a model, an actress, a writer, a co-director, a co-founder, if I'm not mistaken, a wife, a mother, um, and just a beautiful spirit all around. And we are gonna talk about her film Seven Miles from Forever and some of the other stuff she got going on too. But welcome to the couch segment. Thank you. Thank you for having me. I'm so happy to have you here. I think that I have a lot of listeners and viewers who are artists, who are creatives, who are writers, who are directors, who are musicians. And one of the things I find I guess most heartbreaking for a lot of them is that they seem to believe someone from somewhere is holding them back from getting on. They they need to get put on by someone. And so you uh put yourself on, you and your husband, uh, and created this film and got it on Tubi. I want you to talk a little bit about that experience and just how you decided, listen, I'm not gonna wait. I'm I'm gonna I'm gonna go forward with this.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, all right. So that kind of thinking or thought process like took a while because we just kept saying that we wanted to do something. Or at first it was, you know, I can't like wait till someone discovers me, you know, like, oh yeah, I'm gonna like someone's gonna find me, someone's gonna invite me and or see the the talent that I have. But um unfortunately, there's so many. This this pool is getting diluted with a lot of you know actors and then people who want to just step into acting or people who are just celebrities who were now like, oh yeah, let me, yeah, they got the name. But uh the followers. Yeah, yeah. And then of course, then there was the the um the strike. So then there was no work, there was nothing. So it's you know, acting was like our way of breathing, you know, being creative. That was that was what got us through on a day-to-day. We love it. Any kind of work, um, whether it's like creating or or do, you know, maybe just acting someone else's project. But um, yeah, once it's almost like God just completely cut off the supply. We were just like, we have to make our own work now, you know? So it's funny because we had just been talking about it again and again and again. And I just I literally just had the baby, and my husband took us out uh for my birthday a month later, and he's just like, Hey, we gotta do something, we have to do something. And I'm always just like, okay, all right. Like, I'm just saying okay, but like I'm really waiting for him to be like, all right, no, but seriously. Cause I'm just like, yeah, yeah, I could see it. I'm I I am optimistic about the fact that we could do it. And if I was if I was gonna do it, it was gonna be with him. Because he's just so driven and he's like amazing. I love it. And you know, whatever he doesn't know how to do, he's gonna figure out. So it I was just waiting on him to say, like, all right, I'm I'm done talking, let's go.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

So we went, we got the money, we we actually took it out of our own house equity, and we bought all the equipment, and you know, he he wrote most of it because I'm over here breastfeeding, and I'm tired, bags in my eyes. He's like, babe, you think you could get a page in? I'm like, I don't even know how conversations work at this point. Like, I'm like, yeah, yeah, I'm like, I get a page in my real life.

unknown:

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01:

So so he he really was the was the driving force behind the whole thing. And once he once he hears go, we're like, we're we're just on go. So after that, we just we just was like, all right, no, seriously. And after the first day of filming, it was we realized like, all right, this is gonna be like a bit of a undertaking for sure. Yeah, absolutely. But it was, you know, because we're the leads, we made sure to shoot a scene that was just us first. Yeah. And then we're like, okay, we know how to make this better. Yeah, but we could also see the work, and that gave us, yeah, that potential gave us that drive to keep going. We were like, yeah, yeah, yeah. All right, okay, we just need to do this now. We need to make sure we just get the lighting done faster. Or and then we knew what to research by just starting. Yeah, and that that was that's really the the moral of the story is like start, yeah, get started.

SPEAKER_02:

I don't know who said this recently. I feel like I saw it online, but somebody was talking about how confidence comes from doing. Yes. How, oh, who said this? I'll I'll figure it out. But they were saying confidence comes from doing, yeah. All this thinking and hoping for the best, and you know, you you you gain confidence and self-assuredness from doing. So I think it's so fitting that after you guys, you know, film the first scene or two, you were like, okay, this is gonna be work, but we can do it. Yeah. I want to take take it back a little bit because I know that you and your husband, you know, when you guys met, you didn't know that you were both acting and you know, yeah, you kind of knew a little bit about each other, but you didn't know that you were acting. Fast forward to not just acting, but starring as leads in a film together. What does it take to maintain that working? Because you're you're you're filming and you're filming as leads, you're directing, you've co-written. Yeah, you own the media company, you took equity on your home. Right, right. You're working together, y'all partnering in many places, right? Yeah, how do you how do you navigate that?

SPEAKER_01:

You don't know. You pray for the best, right? Right. Keep a keep a lawyer on the line, uh, therapist or something. But no, it this project truly felt like therapy in itself because we had to communicate in order to get further along. And and if we're both creatives, so you just always think that like your idea is like the best one. Yeah, you're like, no, no, no, but listen, but listen, okay, I hear you, I hear your idea, but but what if instead? So you just swear that your idea is like is like gold. And it's not that it's not, it's just that you're you're doing this with someone else, you know, and and you trusted that person enough to start the project. So we really had to like stop butting heads and sometimes just be like, you know what? I I think I like that idea. And some of it was more so let's be logical, you know. We we only have so much money and we're already taking so long with this, or okay, how's the best way to shoot this? So some of it was us being really creative, and then the other part was like, okay, well, you know what, what what makes the most sense? Let's but it truly, truly helped us uh in our relationship as well because we we communicated so well during the project that that seeped into our our personal lives. So that was that was amazing. I I recommend everyone make a movie together.

SPEAKER_02:

I love it. Sometimes I find that in my relationship with my husband and us working on this together, I find that I'm reassured that I married the right person. Like constantly. I'm like, uh I married the right person. He gets it. Yeah, you know, he understands, you know. I I find myself feeling very protected in areas where I wouldn't be able to protect myself, especially when it comes to like decision making and finances, right? Yeah, because I'm the creative in my marriage. My husband's a business guy. Okay, so I want to do everything. Let's have fireworks, even for our wedding. I was like, let's have someone come and do caricatures, let's do a photo boop, let's do this or that. He's like, baby, we just spent$10,000 on food. Right, yeah. How about we not do those things? It's okay. Like, you know what I mean? Like, it's all right. You know, how about we do caricatures? But you need that, like that type of protection. Um, and even I don't know if you you experienced this, but like protection from wearing yourself too thin. No one wanna say, uh, it's too much. The protection of settling. My husband will tell me quickly, you can do better than that. Yeah, you should do more than that.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, you know. I think I think that you are more aligned with my husband, and I'm more aligned with your husband because I was that for him, because he would just get super overwhelmed or he wanted to do everything on his own. I'd be like, babe, you can take a break. You know, it's okay. It's all right, you don't have to be more like do everything. Yeah, you know, and I and I wanted to do more. Yeah. And he would just, because he's like, no, I because I because there's this particular way that I want to do it, and I want it to look, and I it's fine, it's faster if I just do it myself. Or so like I I would let him rock, but then in moments of like, because uh, for example, the day that we had to shoot this um the event where you know, Randall, no giveaways, but like Randall is back in the picture, and and they're celebrating a new job, and there was a lot of people involved, and then people were calling to be like, hey, where's the where's the location? Where am I like, where do I park? And so he was getting overwhelmed with all the phone calls and and then like having the scene with the most extras because it wasn't. So he he just was like super overwhelmed, and I could see it, and I was just like, I was like, babe, babe, it's uh it's all right. I'm like, what what needs to be done? And he was just like, we need to figure out how we're gonna shoot this and what and what direction and the lighting about. And I was like, okay, all right, I got it. I was like, go, go just take a moment, get get yourself together, and I'll and you know, I'll I'll take care of this part. So I just jumped in when I could. Yeah. If I had jumped in every single time, we'd be you know, buttonheads, yeah, every single time. So I just would I I just decided, all right, you know what? I'm gonna go ahead and take a little bit of a backseat. But like when you need me, I'm here. I'm gonna jump up. And and if I have a good idea that I'm like, oh, you should hear this. I'm thinking XYZ, then I then I really like made it known. But other than that, I was like, I'm gonna trust you because you you kind of was the one that like was uh spearheading, yeah, spearheading this whole project. And I'm like, I'm I'm gonna let this keep, you know, keep it pushing, and and whenever you need me, let me know. Like just tap in. Like we're gonna tag team this. So I love that.

SPEAKER_02:

Did you guys have interns or like people on set to help? Because even the idea of people calling him about parking gives me anxiety. Like, call somebody else, right? Like the day of your wedding, and like someone's calling, everyone's calling. You're like, don't call me. I didn't even have my phone on the day of my wedding. I gave my phone to my sister. I'm like, yeah, they'll be all right. I'm good. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Um, yeah, me too, actually. I gave my phone to my sister. No, we didn't have any, we didn't have any PAs. We did, we had a cinematographer. Oh, absolutely. Yes, absolutely. We're gonna have A D, we're gonna have a director of uh DP, we're gonna have a uh sound person. Listen, y'all, listen, get involved. Yes, we're going up. We don't have a crew this time. Our crew was four, sometimes five people.

SPEAKER_02:

I wouldn't be able to tell that you guys didn't have a crew. Yeah. The film looks incredible, the cinematography is great. I was telling a friend of mine yester this morning that it reminded me of Atlanta to me was a character. Kind of the way that LA is a character in Insecure.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Like you guys use the city beautifully. Even that opening scene with the, you know, the the what I would like is a drone probably view or whatever. It was just great. And so I think I I wouldn't be able to tell it was only four. Y'all. So congratulations on that. Thank you, thank you.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, we don't we don't tell people before they start watching because we want the expectation of like it's like, ooh, this is you know, yeah, tacky, or maybe maybe we'll be like, all right, it was only four of us, but but most of the time everyone's just like it's really good. And then when I'm like, it was only like five of us.

SPEAKER_02:

So how do you because Tubi, right, has a reputation for movies, being a little ghetto, a little hood, missing the mark on this or that, but also like being really good. Yeah. Um, did you guys have any, I don't know, hesitation, trepidation about going the Tubi route?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, we did we actually did because we had the same mindset that we're just like, I don't know. I mean, I think Tubi was like, I mean, we could always go to Tubi if nothing, if nothing works, right? But we actually were we when we were scoping out like what Tubi had, and even when we were originally just like, you know what, we don't really have anywhere to go right now, so let's look at Tubi. They were, they, their expectation of what your film needs to be has like grown significantly. They're like not taking just anybody anymore. So you do kind of have there is like a quality standard that they're looking for. So we were just like, oh, okay, oh my bad. Yeah. I'm like sorry to me. We slept on you. I know, so so sorry. So sorry.

SPEAKER_02:

All right, so tell me this. You know, as you are writing, and I know you said your husband did a good chunk of the writing on here, but as you're writing and you're developing characters, right? What for you as a black woman, representing women of color in general, what do you think through with the nuances of character? Let me tell you why I'm asking that question. Because you want to be honest, right? You want to be honest about the ways that we fall short.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

You want to be honest about the ways that we experience romance, you want to be honest about the ways that we experience emotion. But I feel like, and I even feel this in my personal life, just by the way I present, there's a pressure to make us look and sound and feel invincible and like the best thing ever. Like, you know, like we have no flaws or weaknesses. Yeah. So how do you develop a character with all those nuances?

SPEAKER_01:

I mean, one one thing we wanted to like steer away from was like angry black female, but at the same time, sometimes we get to be mad. Sometimes we don't even get to be angry sometimes. Somebody will piss you off. Like, you can't help that. So we were really just trying to be as as true to the to the people as as possible. Like, all right, listen, if I am, you know, working this job and I am working my tail off and my boss constantly looking at me like, okay, Ann, like you, you gonna get mad. Like, obviously, I'm not gonna, I ain't gonna start cussing and start blah, blah. I'm gonna conduct myself in a pr professional manner, but at the same time, I only'm gonna take but so much, you know, exit stage left. So I mean, granted, she I didn't really make that choice, but but whatever.

SPEAKER_02:

He'll move you if you won't move. I'm exactly anyway.

SPEAKER_01:

Exactly, exactly. So technically, no, but uh you you still gotta remain true to the character and and what they're feeling and what they're you know, what they're experiencing. So there's only but so much that you can try to shy away from, you know. So there was a few things that we were like, well, because I think so. Originally, the Jess character, we were like, maybe we should make her white, you know? But then we were like, um, we don't want it to be that like white people are just like stealing all our men, and like we we didn't want the people to automatically not like her because of the because of race. So we didn't want race to be an issue.

SPEAKER_02:

I actually thought it was great that she was young and black. Yeah, I was like, oh, this is because it's just like oh, and also I don't know who to wrote who who wrote and and even as a married person, I was like, right, that's exactly what we was going for, too.

SPEAKER_01:

I mean that is your wife, yeah, yeah. I mean, sir. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Go home to your wife, right, right, right.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_01:

But also, like, but she's so like she laughed though. So we really wanted it to be a struggle. So nothing, yeah, nothing is that easy that you're just like, oh, he's evil or she's doing XYZ, you should leave. Like we're all more convoluted than that.

SPEAKER_02:

The characters were very realistic and complex, um, but not in a way that made you frustrated or impatient with the story. Yeah, it was really, really, really very well written. Um and I think that, you know, and I won't spoil anything from this because the trailer tells you this, you know, there's a secret of ruin, you know, that doesn't really get revealed until several months into the relationship. And I think that a lot of times relationships don't survive things like that because we set people up on a pedestal. And although we don't expect them to be perfect, it's like whatever you did before you walked into my life, that's fine. But now that you're here, you need to be perfect and not make any mistakes. Yeah, yeah. And so I felt like there was a place in the movie for women of color to see ourselves and to see how we can, I want to call it an overreaction, but see how sometimes we can lack grace or not even want to hear explanation, yeah, yeah, you know, when there's an explanation for you sometimes, right? You know, yeah. Um, I loved his friend, remind me of Josh's friend, Owen, who was like getting him together the entire time, right? I love that because one of my favorite films is Why Did I Get Married? And the first one. And uh no shades, Tyler. We love you. Holla at us. We got movies, we dates, we do the things. Um, anyway, um, but the first why did I get married? But one of my biggest pet peeves about that movie is that the men wasn't checking um oh boy, Sheila's husband enough for me. Marcus, Marcus, in that they wasn't Marcus, they wasn't checking Marcus, but he coming in like, you hitting that? Like they laughing about him having to like I feel like the men in my husband's life would have been like, bro, you gotta get her out of here. We're not staying at no no marriage retreat with no um woman that you sleeping with and you're not gonna be.

SPEAKER_01:

Marcus is the the ex-football player, the uh not no Marcus.

SPEAKER_02:

You hated Lord. What's his name? The one we all hated. Um Sheila and and is his name. Um who was actually a preacher in real life, so I thought it was hilarious that he played that role. And he played it. And then he played it really, really too well. I'm like, brother, I'm gonna chop you in the neck. Um, but I hated that, and I get it, that that's a reality for some people too, right? But I hated that the guys wasn't checking him.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

And um, when I was single, it's funny because me and my homegirl used to watch him when I always used to say, This is why I gotta marry a man who is in community, who is accountable, because somebody needs to tell you, bro, yeah, we can't tell you what to do, but what you're not gonna do is have this girl you sleeping with stand in this house with your wife. We that we done known you and your wife. So I loved how I was like, brother, you gotta get this right. Yeah, you know what I mean? Like, I ain't gonna tell you what to do. I'm not gonna stop being your friend. Yeah, but you need to get it right. He was like, when I said get it right, I meant you. Choose it. But it was juice back. It was great.

SPEAKER_01:

But he also understood the fact that, like, like that's your wife, right? So, like, if you're gonna be here, then be here. But if you if you're leaving, then get it together, get it together, sign the papers, go.

SPEAKER_02:

Calling people to a standard is so important in friendship. Yeah, um, and I just love that that that was portrayed in the film.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, and both sides was able to have that. So it's like the oh Owen was was Josh's, and um, I'm about to Dana was mine. Dana was pay's. Yes, yes, yes. I was about to call it by a real name.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I know, I know that must be difficult because you like know these people. So I want to talk through a little bit of help, like things that you would tell an up-and-coming artist. Marlon Wayans was on, I think the Breakfast Club recently, or some interview, and he was talking about how even him, Marlon Wayans. We know how much weight the Wayans name carries in Hollywood today, but how much even more so in the 90s. He was like, the roles weren't coming. We created white chicks because the roles weren't coming. We created Scary Wool because the roles, I'm not, I wasn't gonna wait for them to tell me if I could work. Um, and I think I thought that was so poignant. I recently interviewed Kevin on stage, he's the same way, he's making opportunities for himself and for his friends, and then pitching it to networks.

SPEAKER_01:

And you as well, because I was I was on that post. I saw you on that. Come on. She was like, I'm gonna shoot my shot.

SPEAKER_02:

Got to, got to. All you can say is no, you know, he said yes. Uh so it was great. Yeah. But I think I'm learning so much from the people who are in our sphere about going after it with as much excellence as you can afford.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Right. And and and you shooting it, finishing it, and then potentially pitching it to networks and streaming platforms. I want you to give your top three pieces of advice to someone who wants to do what you have done. They have a film idea, maybe them and a spouse or them and a friend, or them and a group of friends have a um a film idea, have some way to get some money, maybe not the most money in the world, but can can can drum something up and they're just waiting. What would you tell them? Top three pieces of advice.

SPEAKER_01:

Uh, for one, definitely do the work. Like do the research. Everything is on YouTube. Absolutely everything is on YouTube. Even if you start with just like, let me shoot a short film. Like, if you have a really small budget, then start with the short film. That way you have less production days and and maybe you can rent like some nice camera equipment, you know, so that you have quality work and then put that into like a film festival. Local, it doesn't have to be anything too major because you know, anything, any type of exposure is gonna be really great exposure, right? Especially the way we are now on social media, just like we only just give me a minute worth of material. I'll be good. But yeah, so definitely do the work. Trust your circle, like make sure you have a really good uh circle uh of network, you know. Um, make sure that everyone is aligned as far as what the purpose of all of this is. Make sure that they're all um invested in it just as much as you are. Like, this should be everybody's project. This should be this is our baby, yeah. And we're going in, we're gonna put in the same amount of work and we're going to push this because if it does well, we all do well. Yep. Right. Um, and then lastly, perfection is unattainable, right? You're not going to be able to be like, oh, this is because even Seven Miles from Forever, we watch it. You're like, we watch our movie and we still cringe at certain scenes because we're like, ugh, never shoot a scene like that again, or yeah, we should have done XYZ. But the fact that it's out there already is allowing us to move mountains right now way faster than us like waiting to like perfect. You can do it. Yeah, exactly. Like, I we go in and this is our resume for hey, directing. Hey, look at this. Uh uh writing. Hey, like we could just pull out the same piece of work to show acting, directing, writing, um, producing, like camera cinematography, like anything, really. We could just be like, Yeah, this was this was me. Oh, I did this scene. This is so just going out and doing it. One thing that I failed to mention, it took us uh seven months to shoot this entire project. And we kind of were just shooting it on like our days off. We had to call the actors, be like, Are you available this day? So we it took us seven months to to fully complete it from the day we started to the very last scene. And we talked about doing the project for a year and a half. So it took us longer to talk about it and to get the guts to go and do it than to actually shoot the project. Right. And this next one's gonna be two weeks.

SPEAKER_02:

Come on now.

SPEAKER_01:

We're doing two weeks. That's it. So we got it. Bow, bow. Ready to go. Everybody call out for two weeks. I need you on set, and we're just gonna knock it out. I love it.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, so I love it, I love it. Listen, I think about what you just said in terms of we shot on our days off, we you had just had a child. Yes.

SPEAKER_01:

Um, you know, calling all the favors, calling in favors, all sorts of things, right?

SPEAKER_02:

And these are the things that, and I listen, you know, to my listeners and viewers, I'm trying to give y'all no excuses. The whole if you listen to a podcast called I'll Just Let Myself In, and you hear the tagline from the beginning where we don't wait for an imaginary permissions left and all that, and you still hear, it means you are in some way are trying to do something with your life and with your time. And I want you to hear what she said on her days off with her newborn child that equity to her home shot a film. There is literally no excuse. I said on threads a couple months ago, if you think someone is powerful enough to keep you from your God-given dreams, you are giving that person too much power. Yeah. I submit to you guys who are listening and watching, you're giving that industry too much power. Yeah, you're giving that gatekeeper, that legend, that whatever too much power if you think they can stop you. And the truth is, the people who you think are really doing it, right? The the the Kevon stages, the Tyler Perry's, the you's, the me's, depending on who's watching, right? Yeah, they're just like you. Yeah. You just had a baby and you're like, man, I would really love to act.

SPEAKER_01:

Act. Yeah, act. So the way to act is to act. Yeah, you know, you gotta do the work. These these no one knows that you're even an actor until you until you act, until you're in something. Yes, you know. So if you're waiting on someone else to to hire you for their project, are you really an actor? Can you really say that? It's more of a hobby at this point, right?

SPEAKER_02:

Now she she said it, not me. You need to act. She said it, not me. But no, I love that. You know, my dad used to tell me um when I was doing music heavy, you know, he was like, Listen, writers write. You know, I wanted to be, I was an artist as well. I am an artist. People keep saying stop saying was. I am an artist, but my goal at the time was to write for major artists. So I was submitting to different labels. We had meetings with labels. I was really had really good relationships with certain ARs and would send them. But my music, well, you know, you know how the game goes, right? Yeah, yeah. You send the music in, the AR might like it, but then the artist might not, or the AR might not like it, so it never even gets to the artist's ear because they're like, This is not the direction of the album. This is not something my artist would sing, or the AR may not even have a open the email. Listen, you just never know, right? Yeah, and I was kind of getting discouraged, and I talked to my dad, and he said, Listen, writer's right, writer's right. You're a songwriter, write the songs. Write the songs. It's not really up to you how that works out. Yeah, you know, yeah, and it was a it was a great time in my life to learn the lesson that my output is is the obedience. Whatever happens after that is really up to the Lord. You know what I mean? Yeah, and um and he's been gracious enough, I think, in your life to do some pretty cool things with your obedience, you know. Let me ask you this you talked a little bit about short films versus feature, yes, you know, length. Yeah, what was the driving factor or what should be the driving factor in someone's decision to do one versus the other? Right? Because every story could be longer, right? Yeah, so so so what should be the driving factor in your opinion?

SPEAKER_01:

I mean, I guess it depends on the meat of the story. Like, can you tell your story in in 10 minutes, 15 minutes? Or do you think you could flesh this out and really build the characters to build this land around them, you know, give them a family, give them friends, give them a job, you know, walk with them day to day. So if you have that ability to be able to do a film and write out that. Story, then you know, yeah, God be with you. That's not your ministry. She was like, I that's not my ministry. No, I can when I'm writing with my husband. I'm like, Yeah, we can we can do we actually have to stop ourselves because two this movie was two hours, yeah. And it could have been yeah, it could have been longer. And we cut some scenes and we were just like, you know what, we don't need this. This is my like so there was certain stuff that we were just like, I think we're we're getting caught in the weeds. We definitely want to just what is the purpose of it each scene? So for us, it was like the other way around, but that's because we're working as a duo. If you're by yourself and you're writing and you can't, you don't think you'll be able to get to an hour and a half, then you know, there's no shame in in trying to condense that into a a solid 10-15 minutes, yeah, right? Because that's so much easier for people to watch anyways, you know. So I I'll be I'll be over like, did you watch the whole thing? I ask people, what time did you check out?

SPEAKER_02:

No, it's a great film. Um, here's the thing when you are looking at the cast of this film and you see just the different roles that people play, it's hard to not want to see how it all works out for them, you know, and how everyone reacts to things. And I think that that's you know, I I have no expertise in this, but to me, that's one of the ways you can know whether something should be a short film or feature length.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Because there's uh there's a time when what's really happening doesn't matter as much to the story, you know. And if that time is shorter and you make the film shorter, that makes sense. Yeah. But as if you need time to develop some things, you know what I mean? You need the time to develop some things. And so I often think through that. Um, I love watching short films. I think that they're fun and I think that they can have a punch. And and I think short films that have a certain message are really good.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. But if you want to tell a story, you want to take me on this journey with you.

SPEAKER_02:

You need to take the time to tell the story. So I think that's really good. Who would be your dream cast of up and coming? So these could be names I don't know, just people you know who are great, right? Um, or maybe social media personalities that you really enjoy watching. So who would be your dream cast of up and coming? And then give me who would be your dream cast of like legends, people who so give me a cast of five five, you know, characters who would be your dream.

SPEAKER_01:

Up and coming, up and coming. Well, we got somebody up and coming for this next one. Okay, come on now. So he was he was part of the dream. Now, now it's like becoming more reality. Yeah, but the but the ink ain't dry yet, so I can't really say who it is. Don't say it. But um, all right, let me go, let me go with uh the celebrity first because I can't think of anybody that's um up and coming. But I would want, I would love Angela Bassett. I love it, yeah. I mean because I'm just like, you know, I could she couldn't she be my mom? Like I just feel like everybody's mom. I wouldn't even need to really do anything. I feel like I just write something stupid, like she's cooking eggs in the kitchen, and I'm just like gold. Angela, great, amazing. So I would love to work with her. I would love to work with uh like a Kiki Palmer. Like I love her energy, is she's incredible. Yeah, she's electric. So I just feel like she is I would I would gain so much.

SPEAKER_02:

And she's such a legend at such a young age. She's still got so much career to go, Lord with to be where she is is crazy, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And then I mean, act you know, we're still talking actors. I was gonna say, I mean, I would just throw Ryan Kugler in the list. Okay, not active, but I would just love to work with him in that because I can because he could understand the struggle and he can speak from a real place of just like, you know, hey, I'm gonna share this wisdom with you and let me encourage you and let me, you know, and the deals he's making now, I just feel like and still do documentary work and still, yeah, yeah, he's he's different.

SPEAKER_02:

Who told you you could do that? He's different.

SPEAKER_01:

Like, okay. I didn't even know that was a thing. Yeah, and you know, he said before that these aren't new deals, but like just the fact that we, somebody, yeah, we were able to do that. I'm just like, mm-hmm that's why even with Tyler Perry, he could put out whatever he wants.

SPEAKER_02:

I'm just like, I tell people all the time, I don't you can't talk bad about Tyler Perry. You sure who who pays Cicely Tyson's medical bills, you know, when Prince Harry and Megan needed a money because they went to him. Yes, you know, every black actress says he has paid them more than anyone else. Yes. I don't care what y'all think about him. Right. Ain't nobody else doing it, black or white. There's so many of us. Let him put his money out. Right. Go ahead. Now many people he's employing doing that. Like, if you don't want if you don't like it, don't watch it, but you ain't gotta talk negative.

SPEAKER_01:

Right, but there's people that's watching it. Yeah, that's another thing, too. It's like there is a there is an avenue for everybody. Oh, yes. You know what I mean? Like, you really could just make whatever you want, whatever is funny to you is gonna be funny to somebody else. You have a market out there, so don't sell yourself short on trying to be like, oh, let me find something mainstream. Like, it don't have to be mainstream.

SPEAKER_02:

Your people are out there, your community will find you, your community will find you, and there's an audience because no matter how you know, people have talked about feeling like he and other others as well, not just him, they're always telling sad and whatever stories of black trauma. And I'm like, Yeah, but there are people literally still living and their stories deserved to be told. And um, I just think that it's it's interesting how people can people can compartment in the city.

SPEAKER_01:

I think people are just like getting in a different space, a different headspace, so they just want to be like that doesn't exist to me anymore. Yeah, but it's for other people, then it's not it's not for you, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

That's fine, yeah. Yeah, and I get that because there are certain movies like I don't want to watch nothing where a cop is killing a black man right now. Yeah, give me a couple years, right? You're lying. I mean I'm done. COVID wore me out, yeah. I'm like, but there's still some people out there that's just still happening, and the stories deserve to be told. And so I wouldn't get online disparaging it. I just don't wouldn't do that. But don't work for my for my psyche right now. Yeah. All right, we said Angela Bassett, we said Kiki Palmer, we said Ryan Kugler. Yeah, yeah, yeah. All right, give me two more.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay. I'm trying to think of men. Come on now, you got to give me the biggest one. Denzel. I mean, that's a given. I feel like by the time I make it there, Denzel's gonna be like, girl, I'm retired. Leave me alone. But of course Denzel's on the list. That's a given. Yes. Oh my gosh. Uh Carrie Washington. Oh, yeah. I absolutely want to make it.

SPEAKER_02:

This is gonna be the most serious or unserious movie ever.

SPEAKER_01:

I gotta think of um, I gotta think of somebody funny. Yeah. Maya, Maya Rudolph. Um I freaking love her. Okay. She's like a little bit more. Yeah, she does. Yeah, she does. She had that show loot out for a while. Yeah, I was I binge watch that one too. And I'm like, yo, she is too funny. Like she is funny, she she's reckless. And she plays smart.

SPEAKER_02:

She plays smart comedy as well.

SPEAKER_01:

Love that.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay. Give me some up and comers. It can be up and comers actors that you know we know or don't know.

SPEAKER_01:

I want to work with Nefisa Williams. Okay. She is so she was in um black. I want to say lightning. I was gonna say thunder.

SPEAKER_02:

I know you're talking about. Yeah, yes, I know you're talking about.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, she was like the first gay superhero or something, but she we we have the same alumni. So when I seen it, I was like, girl, she's on uh co-black and all that, and I was like, okay, yeah, we're gonna we're gonna cross paths superheroes. Yeah, right, exactly. Who else? Who else? Any social media people? Social media people. I need to act. I like King King Batch. I haven't seen him in anything recently, okay, uh-huh, but I would I I'd like to work with him. He's funny. There is, I'm mostly thinking comedians in my head right now. I'm just like, I'm like, girl, think of somebody else. You can do a comedian, think of think of somebody else. Reggie Conquest.

SPEAKER_02:

Come on, Reggie Conquest.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, he's in Philadelphia. He's a comedian. He's been popping up in a lot of um movies and shows. And I told him I I reached out to him years ago and was like, yo, if I make a movie about X, Y, Z, you would you be in it? And he's like, Yeah, so I'm holding him to it. I haven't spoken to him in years. Reggie the coffee. Reggie, Reggie. It's coming. It's coming. Better answer. Your number better not have changed. I'll find you on social media. I love that. Uh how many is that? That's that was four. Four? Okay. And I mean, are you busy?

SPEAKER_02:

I do act. I mean, um, but yeah, no, I think that's great. I was thinking people like maybe pretty V. She's pretty funny. Oh, yeah, she's funny. You know, oh yeah. It depends on what you're looking for. Right, exactly.

SPEAKER_01:

That's why I was like, I keep thinking of comedy, but I'm not really writing.

SPEAKER_02:

I'm not really writing much comedy right now. But yeah. And you and your husband, killing it. Um, are you guys going to play roles in all your films? Or do you want to get to a place where you're just writing and directing?

SPEAKER_01:

We no, we wanna, we can't we did this so that we could act. Yeah, you know. Um, funny enough, we are falling in love with being behind the camera. So I think we're gonna like tag team take turns. So this next one, I'll probably take a bigger role in front of the camera, and he's just gonna um take um a smaller role. He'll still be in it, but he'll be more behind the cameras so that we don't deal with the nightmare of like being in front and behind at the same time. Like, let me say that shot. Okay, let me see what does that look like. Okay. So that was that was just crazy because we we really were the leads and both almost in every single scene, and then having to like quickly be in the back. So it was easier when he was on set and I was behind the camera, and then vice versa when I was in front and he was behind. But yeah, we're we're gonna try to we're gonna make sure that we act because acting was priority number one. Now he's kind of like, he's like, you know, I think I wanna make you a star. Because I he was like, I don't mind, you know, becoming the Ryan Kugler of our situation. I'm just like, you know, I I still want him to get that, you know, acting itch out because he's he's very good.

SPEAKER_02:

Tarantino makes an appearance in all his stuff. And people do that, you know. So yeah, yeah, he's great. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01:

And he's so good. He's great.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, he's great. Who are your influences, like in terms of directing, shooting? Like, is it like an Ava Duvernay? Is it who are the people that you look up to? I know we said Ryan Kugler.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes. Um, no, Ava DuVernay is is great. I especially just love that she's her and Shonda, they they both are are great at like ex raising the bar. You know what I mean? Like, it's not just relationships, it's not just um regular storylines, it's it's Bridgerton, you know? It's like what I didn't even know we could do that. I didn't know that we could do that, like every single time. Like, I'm just like, that is insane. And then Gray's Anatomy just being on the air for what are they in the 20th season or something? It's it's insane. But um, the fact that they can still come up with these stories lines and they're like completely different and super interesting, and sometimes it can be like fantasy. I I just I love that, and I wanna I wanna be able to have the the type of confidence that they have in coming into this because it doesn't seem like I've never seen either of them come off as like timid. You know, every time I see them, they seem very like strong and and stand ten toes down whenever they have these like interviews. So I'm just like trying to be y'all.

SPEAKER_02:

It's so funny. One of the questions I have here is are there any scenes or stories that intimidate you? So what is something that you know would intimidate you to tell that story cinematically? Is there a theme or topic?

SPEAKER_01:

I think that I would struggle with horror just because I can't watch scary movies. Me neither. I've aged out. Yeah, I used to be able to.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. Now that I got something to lose, I'm good.

SPEAKER_01:

I don't want to see nothing. Why? It's just like I don't want I don't want to see anybody die. So me writing it, like my husband, he's okay with just like, yeah, we're gonna kill them. Like that they can die. I'm like, no, come, babe, stop. Why are you trying to kill everybody? Like, no, let they should live. And and and then I realized because I then watched a movie and was like, see, I would have let them live. And this would have been a horrible story. I was like, it was better because this person died. Yeah, so that that would be really tough for me. I would need him to be my writing partner. I I'd need somebody that's less scary to to write a horror film, thriller I could do, but horror film not.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay, got it, got it, got it. Um, I want to talk very briefly before we ask my last question. Okay. I said that earlier that I felt like you used Atlanta as a character in the film. How did Atlanta and the Atlanta lifestyle and you know all that inspire the characters, the writing, the locations? Like, how did how did you use Atlanta for inspiration to write this film?

SPEAKER_01:

So it's very clicky here, right? So you kind of like when you see people, that's usually the same people that you met. Same people that you see. Right. So we didn't feel like Faye needed too many friends. And even with the friends that you did see, we were just like, she's got her like her core that that you that mostly show up to her events. Everybody else is like, yeah, these are my sisters, but we understand you busy, you got a man, you over there, it's fine, whatever. So that was that was part of it. I we we're trying to make sure I feel like in Atlanta, there's a lot of um like good-looking folks that be shut coming out, you know, little muscles or whatever. So we be like, okay, we in Atlanta, y'all gotta actually don't don't come in here looking bummy. Make sure you guys are dressed up. What's another one? We wanted to like stick with the staples, like um like the Centennial Park, whenever we were like shooting, we wanted to be in that area, we wanted to be in the mix, yeah. Just because it's always buzzing in Atlanta, you know? Yeah, and that's pretty, that's pretty much it. That's all I can think of right now.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I think location is so important as you are telling a story because some things wouldn't make sense in other places, right? Like there are things when I watch insecure, I'm like, this would never happen in New York. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You wouldn't get away with this. No, yeah, you know, or if you're watching something in New York, you know, it's like as a New Yorker, I don't know, like that's not realistic. Yeah, yeah. Like that would have never happened.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, I love when I see that they're like shooting these Christmas movies uh in New York and they're like in Canada somewhere.

SPEAKER_02:

Right. Like uh let's not do that. That's not how that works, right? Exactly. And so I think it was a really great usage of the city. I know you said that you guys are working on something new, you know, you got some new things in the works there. What can you tell my audience about what's coming up? Um, I know you can't say a whole lot, in other words, it does not dry, but um, you know, how you want them to engage with you, your husband, you know, your your company to know that, know when your content is coming out.

SPEAKER_01:

So we so far, we haven't started a a page for the production company, which we need to we need to get on. But so far, we are uh we're working on a psychological thriller. Um and the thing about us is we don't like to say too much before I hear you, but you know, before it's out. So we try so like right now everything's just prepping and planning and making sure people are available and what what can we get done and because it's such a short amount of time, and it is still us. We're gonna work with a bigger crew, but it's still us at the core of it. So last time we made an announcement that like Seven Miles was coming out, and then Tubi had some sort of issues online, and we said, like, oh, it's coming out tomorrow, and you know, and it didn't come out that day, it didn't come out the next day, it didn't come out the day after. It was like a whole week of just we were like, okay, so let's just take this post down.

SPEAKER_02:

I don't announce anything until it's out, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Because everyone just kept, and you know, if we were a big, you know, movie, uh we're gonna be on Netflix, I'm sure, or or we're coming out in theaters, it's a little more set in in stone, so um, you could promote and do whatever. But we was like, all right, maybe next time we just wait until it's out.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, people but people also like out now. Like people love, I mean when they hear about something that they could go. Yeah, go see it now.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, you can't really prep it.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, people all that pre-save and all of that. It don't work. Our attention spans are so jacked. So yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, so I couldn't even tell you when it's gonna come out. But it's coming. No, we shoot in hopefully in the next three months or less. Yeah, yeah. So uh, yeah, that's gonna be it's gonna be a really big I can tell you it's gonna be called the the Hymn I knew. My husband has this thing about coming up with the names before come before writing the project. Yeah, and he's like, all right, this is the name. Let's figure out what you're doing.

SPEAKER_02:

I already have the next three of my music projects named. Really? Yeah, you don't even like it's not even written. I just know what they what I know the feeling, I know the vibes. I totally get that. Yeah. Um, you know, being married to someone who is in the same field as you, who has similar, not the same, but similar dreams to you, can be so powerful and it uh what can allow you guys to create something so long-lasting for your family and for your children. I know you said your husband's like, I don't mind being the Ryan Googler vial situation. Um I ask a question to end our show here, and I think it's very fitting with that idea. And the question is in the grand scheme of things, what would you like your legacy to be?

SPEAKER_01:

I'm I'm big on just kind of giving back to the community, and I always thought like how crazy it is when someone's name is mentioned in history. And I and I never really thought of me being one of those people to like go and and show up in history books, and not that I'm aiming for that now, like I'm I I still don't think that I need to be in the history books, but I need the people that are with me, around me, and even a product of me, like my my kids or grandkids or whatever. I want to make sure that they know me, that people that I come across now are able to feel my impact and I'm able to like make their life, whether it's you know, professionally, personally, that I leave some sort of impact on them. So my my legacy I really just want people to meet me and just be like, I'll, you know, I'm better for knowing her. You know? I love that. Yeah, that's really good. Yeah. I'm not I I'm not really trying to be vain anymore because I remember just thinking, like, yeah, I want everyone to know my name. Yeah. Yeah. I'm just like, nah, I just need the people who who know me now to feel my presence and to actually feel like, you know, if one day I will be gone, and at some point the people who know me will be will be gone, and I might not be even a whisperer in in this world anymore, but at least during my time here, people who did know me, who were here with me, were able to like live a happy life and and have fulfillment with me around, you know.

SPEAKER_02:

I love that second. Listen, I think your story is one, just beginning, but two, so cool, so um hope-inducing. I think it is beautiful to see not only you but your husband literally make something out of nothing, right? Yeah, uh, one of the things I always share with people is when something comes from somebody's mind to be materialized out in the world in real life, yeah. I don't care what you think of it, trust me, it took a lot. Yeah, it takes skill, it takes talent, it takes sacrifice. My dad always tells me no one who climbed up to the top of a mountain got there by accident, right? No one, no one got there by accident. You may not agree with or understand their methods or whatever, but they're there for a reason. And so I'm encouraged to just be a tiny part of telling the world your story, telling the world where they can find this great film. I think that as you guys continue to make more and more film content, more and more social media content, there will be opportunities that come to you that will really blow your mind. Um because the Lord rewards people who try. Yeah. When you try, when you show up, when you're not afraid to be seen trying, there's a reward that comes with that. So tell people where to find you on social media, give them your social media handles, your husband's handles. I know you guys didn't start the page for the production. But they're gonna do that. They're gonna start the page. I'm gonna leave today and I'm gonna just create it. Give it to me. Yeah, I'll put it in the I'll put it in the comments. Matter of fact, I'm gonna hold you to that. She's gonna have the page created by the time this airs in a couple weeks. We'll put it in the comments. But uh, tell them where to find you on socials.

SPEAKER_01:

We are on Instagram, me, I can be found second genesis, s-e-g-e-n genesis, and I'm on like we have a seven miles from forever fan page on Instagram as well. So just look up seven miles from forever. Um, my husband, his name is Rich Lowe, R-I-C-H-L-O-W-E. Uh, he can also be found on Instagram under that name. He is also the music producer and creator of like a lot of the songs because we use original music. So, like a lot of the singing in there, that's him. Hello. If you hear a guy singing, it's him. That's what's up. Yeah, so that's that's his original music. Uh, so you can find him, find his music on his page, and also any uh new projects that we're gonna end up doing. It's gonna be on our personal pages for now. Uh Seven Miles from Forever. We got some behind the scenes kind of interviews that are popping up. Yeah, and yeah, there's more to come. Yeah, yeah. I love it.

SPEAKER_02:

Seven Miles from Forever is currently on Tubi. It'll be a great two hours of your time. You can find the trailer on YouTube if you want to know a little bit more about it. You can also obviously find the trailer on Tubi. I think this movie is a great movie about love, about transition, about singlehood and coming of age, uh, not just in Atlanta, but but in this country. And uh I really want you guys to go to go check it out. Segan, thank you so much for being here. Anything else you want the people to know about the film or anything else you got going on that you want them to know about?

SPEAKER_01:

I mean, the new one's coming. It's coming. Um, we are we're still building our team. So obviously, if there's anybody out there that wants to, you know, show their talent, whether in front of or behind the camera, feel free to reach out to us. That's what we do.

SPEAKER_02:

I want the camera and listen, y'all just got the okay to reach out to her. Second Genesis on Instagram. Um, don't make me look bad. Don't send no crazy DMs. Listen, all right? Holla at her and Rich. Let them know. Listen, I'm here in Atlanta, I'm working, I wanna wanna be involved. Uh, I want to use my gifts and talents. A great resume builder, um, great opportunity to meet other people doing like-minded things in your city if you're here in Atlanta, or even if you're not here in Atlanta, it's two weeks. Come on through, stay with your cousin or something like that. Like, literally, absolutely. Um, I want to encourage y'all to get involved uh and and and really just not just support, but grow from and learn from what this couple is doing. Uh, sometime we wait to give people their flowers, sometime we wait until people do some big thing that everybody knows about. I want to give you your flowers right now. Um, I know that in in 10 years we're gonna be looking at this interview, and you and I both are gonna be in much different places. That's gonna be insane. I believe this. Yeah, I I almost see it prophetically. Yeah, but I see it. I I know that it's important right now for us to acknowledge, and we've already done this privately off-camera, but the work that we are doing because now is when the encouragement matters. Yeah. When you're all up in the sky and doing your great things, it's like, yeah, thanks. I know.

SPEAKER_01:

I know I'm successful. Right. When you go, I always think this is funny because when you go and accept your award of like, you know, being the best writer, podcaster, actress, whatever it is that we're doing, when you go and accept your award, they're not talking about the highs, they're talking about the struggle. You know, they're just like, yeah, I remember I did this, I did that. We are going to, we're gonna praise those moments that uh that we struggled through to get through. That's that's gonna be the highlight of your story, is the fact that there was a journey. Yeah. You know what I mean? Not in your destination just is what it is, it's like a fact, you know. But the the work that was put in, the struggle that was put in, that's gonna be what you're what you're almost bragging about. Like the fact that like, yeah, oh my God, we we have no money, so we ended up taking a loan out on our house. Like it, it that's gonna be that's gonna be the the proudest moment, actually, you know, the struggle, the fact the fact that you're able even able to get past that. Yeah, so yeah, definitely live in those moments.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, do it for the plot, as the kids would say on TikTok. You know what I'm saying? Do it for the plot. Second, thanks so much for being here. Listen, if you are watching this podcast on my YouTube, Lish Speaks, please go ahead and subscribe. As I've told you guys, recently I've realized about 80% of the people who watch this podcast regularly are not subscribed to my channel. So we gotta fix that. Go ahead and tell. Look, some of you may not even know. You're like, I didn't even know I wasn't subscribed. I'm telling you, go ahead and check. Make sure that you subscribe to the channel if you're listening on Holy Culture, SiriusXM Radio, channel 140, 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Monday nights. Thank you so much for listening there. So happy to have you. Uh write us, let us know how you're feeling about the podcast, send us questions if you have it. Give us a review if you are listening on a podcast app, Spotify Podcast on Apple Music. We would love to hear your reviews. We'd love to read your reviews rather. Um, and give us that five stars. We need it. This is how we get our content pushed out to like-minded individuals to continue to build this community. My speakers, I'm so grateful for you tuning in every week for giving me your time, your heart, and your attention. And I'll see you again next week. Same time, same place. I'll just let myself in with Lish speaks. Peace.