My Mount Rushmore of Black Creators

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What's up, everybody, and welcome back to the Breakthrough Reel. Thank you again for joining me. I'm your host, James Lee. Um, so what's everybody been up to? What are you looking at? What's got you entertained? What are you watching? Movies, shows. I'll tell you what's got me entertained. Mr. KJ Appa, aka Mr. Fantasy. If you know who KJ Apppa is, he was on that show Riverdale for like seven seasons. He played Archie, he was the lead. Um, but and just so you know, I did not, I've never watched the episode of Riverdale. I know a lot of actors just from watching interviews. You know, I love watching interviews, I love being getting actors' insights and um sh stories from set and you know their process, and you know, just I'd like I just like to hear about actors' lives, you know, what they've been through, but that's neither here nor there. But Mr. KJ Appa doing Mr. Fantasy. Um, it just got TikTok and a tizzy. There's people debating whether it's him or not, that he's just so good at playing this character he's made up. Um he's got like these false teeth in that give him a gives him a gap, and then he has this black, long, crazy wig on, and he's also using like an Australian accent. He's just so over the top, and but it's just perfect. He he is this character he is portraying, Mr. Fantasy. It's just something awesome to see from just like an actor standpoint of how committed he is to this character and bringing him to life, and he's obviously good because there's people who still like even me, even though it's like, are you sure that's him? You know, but it's definitely Mr. KJ Apple after a lot of thought, and there's still people debating whether it's him or not, but that's just how freaking awesome he is. So check that out, please. I think his TikTok is the real Mr. Fantasy. He even has a song out, and it's not bad, it's pretty awesome. So go check that out. Um, movies. Um, I did go see The Conjuring Last Rites last night. Always a solo date with me when it comes to the movies. I like watching movies by myself, you know. I do like going, you know, I always go to Marvel movies and things like that with my son and my niece. We always do that together. Um, but most of the time I'm at the movies alone. I kind of it's kind of like a date for myself. So, but I went to go see Conjuring Last Rice last night. And just so you guys know, I have seen every conjuring movie probably multiple times, and I'm a fan of them. Even the last one, um, Conjuring, the Conjuring The Devil Made Me Do It. I everyone seemed like they hated that one for some reason or had something bad to say about it. But I thought it was a really good movie. I liked it just as much as the one before that, too. But this one, Conjuring Last Rates, and I love their Farmiga, and I love Patrick Wilson, and I love what they've done with these characters over these last few years with these movies and this franchise. But I was not happy how they closed through on these characters. I'm not gonna lie. It was kind of rough to know, like, oh, that's this is the last time we're gonna see them as Ed and Lorraine, and this is what we get. But listen, no spoilers here. Go see for yourself. You know, I'm not here to tell anybody to not love it, like it, nothing. But it just didn't do it for me. And I love both those actors, and I've come to love both those characters. They've done amazing, amazing things with them. I think they have a better um um, I think people love the characters on screen better than they did the real Ed and Lorraine, even though they got the respect from you know ghost hunters stuff because they were obviously pioneers. But yeah, go check out the conjuring last rights if you want. But I just wish it ended a little better. So I know we're all wondering what are we talking about today on the Breakthrough Reel? And we are gonna talk about my very own Mount Rushmore of black creatives, um, people who inspire me. Um, yeah, so tonight we're gonna be talking about Miss Issa Ray, Miss Quitza Brunson, Mr. Brian Tyree Henry, and last but not least, me, Donald Glover. I picked all these people because they're kind of one and the same. I have a kinship with all of them. I see myself in all these people. I can see that their awkwardness and their creativeness, and of course their blackness. You know, I have so much in common with them, I feel. You know, they and especially uh Isa and Quinta when it comes to writing. I haven't said anything to anybody, especially on this podcast, but a few of my friends know that I'm writing my own script, something I've been writing I started maybe a year ago. And, you know, like we talked about in the last episode, you know, sometimes your head gets in your way of, you know, building your dreams. And I put it to the side thinking like I just get, you know, writers block or discouraged about it because it's not an easy thing, you know, especially if you're not feeling inspired. I think you have to have that inspiration. But to me, what Quinta and Issa have taught me about writing, especially for a sitcom or just a show idea, to write what you know, right from your own experiences. And what I'm writing is very autobiographical, you know. I'm writing what I know, taking stories from my life and putting them on the page. And you know, it's still bare bones right now because I'm still learning. Um right now I built I built characters I'm proud of and built onto the story, and I'm just building a world right now. Um, of course, I would keep you guys updated on that as it goes. I am enjoying it, but like shows like Insecure and Abba Elementary and Atlanta have inspired me to write and want to create my own characters, my own world from my own experiences. So we are gonna start out with uh Miss Issa Ray. Issa Ray started out with her own YouTube show. Um, it was a YouTube series, Awkward Black Girl. Um it was crowdfunded, and she raised about$50,000 to start this uh to start this show on YouTube. And it was just about, you know, a black girl, awkward as hell, trying to make it through life, you know. She was hilarious on it. And I always say it was the concept for what Insecure was gonna eventually be. And that's so awesome to see something that started on YouTube become such a huge hit show, a critically acclaimed show, like Insecure, you know. And it started on YouTube from a crown-footed Kickstarter from just a girl who wasn't gonna hear no, you know, it's just just so inspiring to hear something like that, you know. And to even go back and look at her show on YouTube and those old videos of young Isa just grinding, like, and just making her own way, you know, not waiting for anything. Um she was awkward on it, funny and brutally honest. It was the life of a young black woman, and it blew the hell up. I did not catch wind of this. I was not really a YouTube person, you know, especially back in 2011. I don't even know what the hell I was doing in 2011. I don't know. God, what was I doing? In a dumbass relationship, y'all. That's all I know. That's what I was doing, being an idiot. Um, but insecure, man. I was set every Sunday for Insecure. My this Insecure aired from 2016 to 2021, and my Sunday ritual was putting my son to sleep and turning on that insecure. I couldn't wait, like getting my son to bed, and then because it had already come on, you know what I mean? Already aired, and I had to get my son, get him bathed, get him down, brush his teeth, get him to sleep, so I could watch Insecure. And I remember those Sundays like yesterday. I just could not wait. Um, Insecure was one of the most real relatable shows ever for me. You know, Issa in the mirror rapping to herself. I mean, come on. Who don't know Issa rap? I could say a few on here, but I ain't gonna rap for y'all today. Not today, maybe another time. But who shit, probably today I was giving myself a motivational speech in the mirror, just like Issa used to do. She's just so relatable with little things like that. Like, just a lot of the show was sometimes Issa alone being her weird, awkward ass self. And that is my motherfucking life. That is who I am, just constantly in my head, overthinking, you know. Sometimes it would even go in her head, and you would see or the scene would turn into what she's thinking. That that's my life. I could totally understand that because her con mind is constantly going. Um show was funny and sad, and it was always fun to see Isa hyping herself up. Those moments spoke to me because we all have those mirror moments. If you don't get into it, it's it's therapeutic. Um, her relationship with Lawrence. If you have ever been in a tumultuous relationship, especially one of those where we broke up in the worst way, and then we keep trying in the middle and having feelings for each other kind of bullshit. That was Issa and Lawrence to a T. I mean, their fight, some of the things the hurtful things they'd say to each other, the times when one would hold on and one was letting go, and then it would switch off. Them seeing each other and it being awkward. So, so, so real. Uh Jay Ellis in that show was awesome, also, as Lawrence. Like he killed that role. Like, perfect, perfect, perfect on key on-scene chemistry between those two. Um, and then we had her besties like Molly, the ups and down BFF friend. They they didn't even get into it sometimes and fight, and that was always awkward for me. There's nothing, there's nothing like seeing two people you know love each other just go at it the way Molly and Issa did. Then we had Kelly, who was the comedian, and we all love Kelly. We all need a Kelly, someone that's gonna make us belly laugh and take nothing seriously, and it's gonna pull us out of our seriousness to laugh. And then we had Tiffany, the bougie friend, all made up of archetypes that we all know, we've all bumped into, and we all can understand that kind of friend group. You know, I feel like that's what happens. You just collect these people and you just become this ensemble. And Insecure definitely showed that. Um, but back to her relationship with Lawrence, the ups and downs, the miscommunication. It really felt like watching a real relationship unfold, you know, and she could Insecure gave us classics like the Coachella episode when they went to go see Beyonce. So good. Kelly pissed in her pants, so funny, and it just so relatable. Like I always say, if you can write, if I'm watching a show and I can just feel like I'm there, I know that I can relate. That's good writing, that's just writing from experience. Like you understand so much of what's going on because you probably experienced it. You felt it, you've had friends like that, you've been in a situation like that. It's a cute is just so, so real. And that's how you know what's good writing, if you ask me, you know, and you know, Ethan Ray, she's not this polished train actress, you know, but she felt like someone I knew or someone I've been. That's what made it a hit, you know, is her being so relatable for her not to have had any kind of acting training. She was a comedian and she did the dramatic stuff really well, also. Like I give her total props for that. Issa Ray did amazing that show. There was not the star, couldn't keep my eyes off of her. Um, but one of my favorite episodes in Insecure is Low-Key Happy. That's the title of the episode, Low-Key Happy. Uh, season four, episode eight. Um, this was because Issa and Lawrence, you know, they broke up first season. This is season four, and you know, they have been through so much between that breakup in season one, and then to meet up three years later after their breakup, where they have built themselves up. You know, Lawrence was kind of this lost, jobless guy, and issu was this woman chasing a dream, not getting paid, you know. Um, and they come together and they had their self together, they were happy. And it was such a good episode that it was just solely based on them and conversation, but it was so engaging. The conversation between the two. The oh my god, are they gonna get back together? The playfulness, the jokes, and it's just two people on screen for 30 minutes, and it was so intriguing and so enthralling. I was so into the episode, and some of the cinematography in the episode, I don't I should have looked up who directed it. Because they ended up, you know, they started the date with dinner and drinks in this restaurant, and then they went out for a walk, and they ended up walking through like I think it was a festival of art, and there was like light sculptures and clouds with lights in them, just all kinds of art around. And that was like the setting for their date as they walked through and made jokes and and smiled and looked at each other. Just amazing, like perfect 10 episode. My god. If you're not gonna watch the whole sea, all the seasons of Insecure, watch Loki happy. It will make you happy, I promise. It that warms my heart. I'll probably watch that episode. Oh, that's definitely my go-to, probably like five times, you know, just going back just to watch that one episode. Um, but we also see, you know, as I said, let's go back to where we met Isa on YouTube, you know, for her to move from Awkward Black Girl on YouTube to Insecure and then to start starring in movies. You know, she was in Little, which was a different take on big, that Tom Hanks movie, with Regina Hall. And Regina Hall is a national treasure. If you don't know who Regina Hall is, go to hell. I don't know, tell you, I don't know. Uh, I just love Regina Hall. And then Lovebirds. I've watched Lovebirds a couple times. That's with Isa and Kuman Kumal Nangiani, excuse me. I love Kumel Nangiani. I've watched a few of his movies. Um, and then she was in Barbie also as president. Barbie, what the fuck? Like, let's say that again. Little with Regina Hall, Lovebirds with Kumal Nangiani, and then Barbie with Margot Robbie, which was one of the biggest movies of 2023. And this all started from a girl who started on YouTube crowdfunding her project to be being on one of the most critically acclaimed shows in the last 10 years. How can you not be inspired? And that is why she is on my mount rushmore. Now we're gonna move on to Miss Quenta Brunson. He got money. That's how we know Quenta. The He Got Money girl. You know, she started those skits, the girl who's never been on a nice date. I can remember the first time I watched He Got Money, I was at work. And just laughing. That's when I started really figuring out like, oh, people are using like Instagram to show their work and get their creativity out there. And it was awesome to see. But I never thought Quinta would grow into what she is, you know. And I also read her book, it's called It Means Well, which is a fantastic book. Trials and Tribulations of Trying to Make It as a Creative in that book. It was so, so good. She did such a good job writing it, and I I listened to it on Audible, and she's hilarious just listening to her talk because Quinta's funny as hell, anyways. But there's also it's called the book's called It Memes Well, because if if you don't know about the People Be Gay meme, it's this um picture of Quinta. She's kind of glammed out, it's kind of got this 70s vibe, she's got this red lip and this eye makeup. She's kind of just looking at the camera, and the caption says People Be Gay. And in her book, she described that. Her friend took that picture, that's the caption she put on it, and she uploaded it and it went viral. And that was what? I don't know, 2016-17-ish. And let's just skip to real quick. 2022 when Quinta Brunson was the first black woman to win an outstandingly actress in a comedy series. Annie. Excuse me, but I guess you heard me. Quinta Brunson went from Skits up on Instagram to not even 10 years later pitching a show to ABC and it being a fucking hit, and then to walking on that stage and winning an outstanding lead actress Emmy. First black woman to win that award, by the way. What? I mean, it just gives me butterflies right now. Like, how can you not just go crazy for something like that? How could you not like all inspiring? Someone who just loved comedy and chased that comedy dream nonstop, you know? Like, how could you not be inspired by somebody like that? Someone who grew up with not a lot of money and took improv classes at Second City, you know, and joined different comic troupes, you know, just got herself out there with her phone, you know. In between the viral He Got Money meme and the People Be Gay meme, um, she also sold uh two web series to development of partner with BuzzFeed Motion Pictures in 2016. You know what I mean? Like, come on. She worked for BuzzFeed for a while before she started Abbott. And that's where I saw Quinta like the most when she was constantly working, was on BuzzFeed. And she was always funny. Like, she just no one's funny like Quinta. Like, nobody at all. She just has her own knack. It's kind of dry, kind of nerdy, kind of awkward, kind of comedy. She's definitely in like a a league of her own when it comes to comedy. Like, no one's as funny as Quinta her her comedy. Comedy is very different, and I just I just love watching her. She's just so creative. Um, one of her highlights, you know, I don't know what actor, well, I know a few actors because I've read about it, who SNL, who don't I always get scared when actors go on SNL, especially if an actor I like because I'm I just want him to do so so well. And Issa, Issa, excuse me, Quinta, her going on SNL was perfect. It she fit right in. I could see her on the show constantly, like be a cast member, you know. I'm glad she's on Abbott because Abbott's like chef's kifs. But her on SNL was hilarious. She didn't hold back, she was so funny. It's another couple, you know, those viral clips from the week on TikTok that just made its rounds. I was just so proud of her. Like, look what she's done by herself, you know? She proved herself, and they had no other reason but to be like, this girl's got it. And look at her now. Abbott, season five starts October 1st. How could you not applaud that? This all started with the viral meme of her believing in herself and her putting herself out there, and that is why she is on my Mount Rushmore. Alright, and now we are going to go to my boy, Brian Tyree Henry. Brian Tyree Henry is top three in my favorite actors list. How could you not be impressed by him? Every time I see Brian Tyree Henry do a movie with someone, and like I said, I'm an avid watcher of actor interviews. Anybody who works with this man is always so impressed with who he is and what he can do. I mean, how could you not be? The man has range out the ass. He can do anything. First time I ever seen him was on Atlanta. Um, he played Alfred Paperboy Miles, you know. And I literally thought they just found somebody with this personality. I thought they did auditions in Atlanta and just hired someone because that's who they wanted. I thought this was this real person's personality, and they just got on TV because this it was just so authentically played. So a couple years later, maybe a year later, the new child's play, the remake of Child's Play came out, the one that's not so good. Um, and he plays a cop in there. And I'm just like, what is that? Is that Paperboy from Atlanta playing a cop in a child's play movie? And playing, I could not believe he had that. So that's when he really got my attention. Because if you look at Paperboy, you know, he was this complicated character, you know what I mean? He was this complicated character. Uh, you know, he was a rapper, not a stereotype per se. He was tough, but underneath you could see the pain, the depression, the fatigue on being in the spotlight while still dealing like with the streets. Like Atlanta, like he was one of the best TV characters, also. Like, come on, and then to see him play this buttoned-up cop or detective in child's play, totally opposite, don't even look like he'd be arresting paperboy. This is the same guy, so good. And speaking of range, let's talk about Bullet Train. Him as Lemon in Bullet Train playing off of Aaron Taylor Johnson was just magic. They were one of my favorite parts of that movie. There was no way that this is Paperboy. I always go back to Paperboy because he played Paperboy so authentically. Like, how could you how could you not think that wasn't real, is what I say. How could you not think that's not who that person really is, you know? Like, that's how much his range is just out of this world to me. Um, he really caught my attention when he was nominated for an Oscar for Causeway. Um, is that movie with Jennifer Lawrence? Um, he plays a character named James, hey, um, in Causeway. Um, it's a painful movie, guys. Like, it's not a good time movie. If you want to cry or think or just be a little bit sad, watch Causeway because him and Jennifer Lawrence are just awesome leads in it. And what I did hear is that Brian's Tyree Henry's part was way smaller, and he was doing so well in the filming days that they added more pages for him. And what I noticed is that he just he played like this broken person so well. And the reason he I feel like he played so well because there's pain in his face the whole time that movie. Even I feel like even when he was trying to be happy, Brian Taylor Henry just conveyed it in his eyes. How sad. Like, look at me. I'm such a baby. This movie's sad, guys. It was it just showed like two broken people trying to make have a friendship, have something, have a connection after not for so long. And Brian Tyre Henry was just so good in that, and that Oscar nomination was goddamn like warranted. Like he definitely deserved it. And he didn't win it for this, but Brian Tyree Henry is one of those actors that, like, yeah, one day he'll he'll have that golden statue because it'd be well deserved. I just think he's so, so great. Like, there's nothing he can do about Brian Tyree Henry is a masterclass in acting. He can do big and loud, he can do quiet and heartbreaking, he can do funny and strange. He reminds me what great acting is about. That's why he's on my mount rushmore. Okay, and last but not least, ladies and gentlemen, we have Donald Glover himself. Look what we say about Donald Glover. He's done everything, he has the career that any creative wants. He writes, produces, he's done amazing in the music industry, for film, he's done everything. He is the epitome of like artistry to me. You know, there's no limits for him. And just as a writer, period, you know, he in his early 20s, man, got hired by Tina Faye, who we love, love you, Tina Faye, um, for her show 30 Rock as a writer. What? That show was fucking hilarious. Don't beat my ass, but I've never watched a full episode of that show. It's on my list. I know it's old as hell. But I've never I've never watched that show, but I've seen clips and I always laugh. But he started off on that show, just writing. I also read that he um around that time he auditioned for SNL. You know, SNL they'll sometimes hire someone to play one of the politicians that are popular around that time, and he auditioned for the Barack Obama and that went to Fred Armison. We love Fred Armison, like he did great with the Barack Obama um impression on SNL. But our boy went out for that role, which I think is freaking amazing. But he was, you know, he's a young kid. That's probably why he didn't get it mostly because I'm sure he did an amazing job. Um, he was another one that did um comedy on YouTube with a sketch group. Um he wrote and starred in a featuring film um called The Mystery Team. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2009. Hello. Another YouTuber man. And this is after he's had like mainstream success in a writer's room for 30 Rock and then get a chance to audition for SNL. And he also said that he could not, he, I think it what do they call that, guys? Uh, where you just feel like you don't belong there. But you're talented, you know what I mean? He just felt like he couldn't believe he was in that writing writing writer's room with such amazing talent. I hope he knows how great he is now. He's fucking better. Like that was years ago. And look who he's become, you know. Um, then he did community for five seasons. And he was a writer on that show, and he did a lot of came up with a lot of the bits on site, on set, on that show. And again, I did not watch community, but I've seen some clips and I always laugh. Shows are kind of hard for me to take into my life because as you can see, with shows that I like, they become a part of me, they become a part of my family and my life. So I, you know, and I don't like movies, they are easy. Movies, you can sit down and watch, take it in. Okay, but a show you gotta build with these, they just come a part of you, you know. Me, anyways, you know. I I get to know these characters and love these characters, so shows aren't so easy to get into my life. Like even Abbott Elementary, I did not watch Abbott Elementary like the first couple seasons, and it's because you know, watching a show takes work, you gotta you because there's growth with characters and things like that. And you gotta sit down and watch. And you know, I think Abbott started in what 2019, and my life was a little busy. I had my kid was smaller, I was running a stupid ass business, you know, and I just didn't have time. But now Abbott's one of my comfort shows. It's definitely become there's not a time I can sit down and watch Abbott Elementary and not just fucking belly laugh or giggle the whole time. That show is just so fucking smart. Um, and that brings me to Atlanta, Donald Glover show. Um, which he starred in, he was a writer for, and he executive produced that show. Critically acclaimed show. Um, also starring Brian Tyree Henry, where I saw him as Paperboy on this show. He was friends with Ern and Darius, who was played by Lakeith Stanfield, who is another amazing actor. Like that trio was just amazing. It was this like surreal dark comedy with Atlanta, you know. And I don't I fear that Atlanta could never be a comfort show. Atlanta is one of those shows that make makes you think. It it's one of those things that make you want to create when you watch it, especially like in the later seasons when they really started doing like these different like genres in the episodes, you know. Um, one of the episodes that stand out to me was the episode, it was season three, episode nine. It's called Rich Wigga Paul Wigga. Um shot in all black and white. Um, follows up by a racial high school student, uh, high school senior, actually. Uh, it was played by Tariq Withers, who was in the 2025 I Know What You Did Last Summer, which I saw. That movie is just okay to me. But he was really good in it. He really was. He's also starring in him with Marlon Wayne's. Um, I think that comes out next month. And it's produced by Jordan Peel. So it's good to see Tyreek go from being a guest star on Atlanta to having what two starring roles in one year? Proud of the guy. He's he's awesome to watch too in interviews. I can tell he's just so proud. But um, yeah, this uh season three, episode nine, Rich Wigga Paul Wicker, um is about a high school senior. Um, and he has to prove his self, his blackness, actually. He's a biracial kid, uh, to a bannel of judges. They quiz him on black culture to see if he's black enough. You know, a show like that is about racial identity and gatekeeping blackness, and you know, it's just a show that makes you think, and then it's beautifully shot, you know, it's black and white, makes you question things. And I remember that show, that episode mostly because they played Hanging on Strings by Loosends, which is an 80s group, and that song was played in my house a lot as a kid, so that stood out to me big time hearing that song in that episode, like just so creative, man. Like, and of course, we cannot, like I said, can't talk about um Donald Glover without talking about Childish Gambino. Uh, I think it's so funny that he got his name from a Wu-Ting clan name generator. Um, you know, we cannot forget like This Is America, which made Grammy history as the first rap song to win both Record of the Year and Song of the Year. You know, that video just changed the culture. And it's still fun to watch. If you have not watched This is America music video, I don't I don't know why. Like, why haven't you seen that? Like, it's that's that's art, y'all. That's what art is about. What I love about Donald Glover is that he refuses to be one thing. He's a writer, a comedian, an actor, a musician, a director, and he builds with people he trusts. Um he's proof that you can do it all. You can do it with authenticity. You know, like shows like Atlanta and Insecure, I feel like they share like a DNA. Both are surreal, both are funny and dark, both are rooted in real life. I could see Isa and Ern being friends. That's how much I relate to both those characters, you know. Just love them. Like, check out all those guys, like, especially my picks. Um, but yeah, that is my Mount Rushmore, guys. What's your Mount Rushmore? Who inspires you? Um, I feel like what all those people I name have in common is what I see in myself. You know, nerdy black kids who believed in themselves, put their voices out into the world, and made people listen. They broke the blueprint and they remind me that I can do it too. That's my mouth rush more. Again, who is on y'all's? Alright, guys, I'm gonna get out of here. I appreciate you listening. I hope you were entertained, and I hope to see you on the next episode. As always, thank you.