I appreciate Very Smart Brothas and their content. To this day, one of my favorite pieces by them, is "Clifton Powell Hall of Fame for Role Players in The Realm of Black Excellence at the Cinematic Arts". If you know anything about Black movies—including the ones that never made it to the movie theatre—you know that Clifton Powell is a true treasure (he is hilarious in the movie 35 & Ticking). Full stop. Well, someone who is a younger version of that to me is Jason Weaver.
He played little Michael Jackson (quite well, I might add) in The Jacksons: An American Dream. He was a regular in the series Thea. He was Earnest in Drumline and Teddy in ATL. Three movies that you may or may not be familiar with are He's Mine Not Yours, Love for Sale and Dysfunctional Friends; I really liked him in those as well. I think what I enjoy most about Jason's acting chops is he has a way of making you wonder if he's actually following a script or making lines up as he goes a long. That kind of relatability is something that I dig in an actor, though. Plus, Jason can sing. Don't play. Who remembers "Love Ambition (Call on Me)"?
But perhaps his greatest claim to fame (at least thus far) is landing the role of young Simba in the original The Lion King. Well, kinda. The reason why "kinda" qualifies is because it was actually Jonathan Taylor Thomas who had the speaking parts of little Simba; what Jason did was sing young Simba's songs ("I Just Can't Wait to Be King" and "Hakuna Matata"). Again, quite well, I might add.
Yeah, Jason is necessary to the culture. However, what made me take this little stroll down memory lane was checking out an interview on Comedy Hype that appeared in my YouTube feed yesterday. It featured Sir Weaver. By the time I was done checking out the nine-minute bit, I hit up my editor and was like, "Can I please pen something about a few things that Jason Weaver just said?" Although he was simply sharing his experiences, in the midst of it all, I found about four solid gems that I thought you might like; especially one in particular.
Why Wasn’t Jason the “Entire” Simba?
According to Jason, while he was shooting The Jacksons film and performing "Who's Loving You?", Elton John was there. Jason sang the song live on set which ended up becoming an unofficial audition. Elton told Jason's mom that he had been hired by Disney to provide the music for an upcoming film, he thought that Jason had an interesting voice and extended the offer for him to officially audition. Jason accepted.
"I remember I went into the studio, sang the song…and getting like an overwhelmingly positive response from the directors and the producers. They had a quick pow-wow for a minute…and then they discussed offering me the speaking role."
So, why didn't Jason get the partner? Now before Black Twitter gets to poppin' (cause y'all know the kind of power that you have, right? Popeyes can definitely vouch for it!), basically it was because the music team wasn't aware that Jonathan had already been officially offered the position, 2-3 days before.
"So, for anybody who has always wondered that and was curious as to why that didn't happen, that was the reason why. It wasn't because Disney didn't offer it."
All these years later, how does Jason feel about how it all played out? He's not salty about it. Not at all. He continues to be mad appreciative for the opportunity. In part, due to the next part of this piece.
Did Disney Jack Jason in Any Way? (You Know, Financially)
"To this day, it's the gift that keeps on giving," Jason says with a smile on his face. "They compensated me well for it. The deal that I worked out with Disney is f—kin' awesome."
(By the way, I personally know a lot of artists. They can't even remotely say the same about the deals that they've made with companies over the years.)
As the interviewer breaks in and says, "'Cause I just want to mention that the movie made $968,000,000 in 1994…so, I would hope that they took care of you."
Jason nodded in agreement and then says, "Naw they did. I have no complaints about Disney whatsoever as it relates to compensation or residual income from any of the projects that I've been directly involved with."
Why exactly is that, Jason?
Jason Provides Some Really Solid Industry Advice
"Quick industry s—t 101. It all depends on how you negotiate your deal. People get f—ed over because they allow themselves to get f—ed over. Because they don't have proper representation; they don't know about their business; they're not reading their contracts; they're not educating themselves as to what they're getting themselves involved in [and] therefore, they don't have any understanding. Unfortunately, a lot of entertainers and even more unfortunately, a lot of Black entertainers have made that mistake, right?"
Indeed.
So, how did Jason avoid becoming a statistic? Here comes my favorite part.
Jason’s Single Mom Is Absolutely the S—t. He Says So.
"Fortunately, for me, I had a mother who was already involved in the entertainment industry. [She] knew how to comprehend and break down contracts. Was able to assemble a proper team around me of agents, managers and attorneys that looked out for my best interest. And things were negotiated properly to where now, I don't have to look back on my experiences with Disney or any other project that I've done and been slighted or short-changed."
Mama handled that. Jason's mama handled that. Here's some more industry info to take note of. According to Jason, Disney initially offered him a flat fee to sing the songs that he did. He goes on record saying that it was "an insane amount of money at the time". But peep what his mama was on.
"So, if you guys are willing to offer him this insane amount of money for a flat fee, where he won't receive any residual income after this, I wonder what the residual income would look like. Well, if you want him, we're negotiating based on those terms."
Get 'em, Ma. Jason said that agreeing to terms like that was "kind of a rarity back then." Jason goes on to share something that I didn't know. His mom was also a singer. She once had a deal with Capitol Records, alongside her sisters. Her group was called Kitty & the Haywoods. They did background singing work for Curtis Mayfield and were the featured background artists on the original Sparkle soundtrack (singing behind Aretha Franklin's "Giving Him Something He Can Feel").
"She knew the game. Was a very smart businesswoman. So, when I expressed a genuine interest in wanting to get involved, she knew how the position the Chess pieces on the board, in order to protect her son. And that's what she did. So, shout out to my mother. I love you mom, thank you. 'Cause you worked it out. You the s—t."
That last part? That is the biggest reason why I wanted to share this interview on this platform. I love that Jason shouted out his mom; that he proudly was like, "Don't get it twisted. It's my mama who had my back." And, because I know that sometimes single moms catch stress and drama, even in the media, I also like that Jason's mother is a brilliant example that single mothers are dope.
So, if you're a mom—and especially if you're a single mom—reading this, I sincerely hope that Jason and his mother have reminded you of just how special and significant you are. You inspire us in ways I'm sure you totally underestimate. And, in the eloquent phrasing of Sir Weaver, we feel that you too are the complete and total s—t!
For Jason's full interview with ComedyHype, watch it here.
Featured image by Strong Black Lead
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Skylar sees things differently. At the time, she was shooting content on her iPhone. Temi came into the picture with a new perspective, an understanding of tech, and, eventually, a camera. “He doesn't give himself enough credit,” Skylar says. “He wasn't just my tripod. He wasn't just standing behind the camera and going ‘click.’ He was giving advice. He was giving me insight to how I could look at things from a different perspective. And I was like, 'Oh, he’s an artist.' I think it was maybe a heartbeat of that kind of energy of like, ‘Baby, can you take this picture?’ And it turned so quickly into, we're partners. We can work together in a way where we're advancing each other's creative thinking.”
The pair often says they’re two sides of the same coin. Skylar is an Aquarius. She attended art school, paints, and loves poetry. She’s more than happy to let the couple’s management firm and agency, Kensington Grey, handle their admin work. And, she loves to sleep in. Temi, on the other hand, wakes up early. He’s a Virgo. He loves a to-do list and regularly checks in on the couple’s brand partnerships spreadsheet to make sure everything is on track.
Because his storytelling was steeped in his love of technology, he didn’t always think of himself as a creative person. “Where I [am] the dreamer who wants to pluck things out of the sky and spend all day with my head in the clouds, Temi [is] so good at grounding me and helping me figure out how to make things make sense on paper. We just work together in such a complimentary way,” Skylar says.
It’s been more than six years since Brooklyn-based couple Temi and Skylar started dating, and nearly four since they cemented their working relationship. On TikTok and Instagram, the couple’s travel, fashion, and home content regularly rack up hundreds of thousands of views. They’ve worked with brands such as Coach, Aesop, Away, and Liquid IV, bringing their vibrant perspectives to every campaign they execute. Still, nearly two years since both Temi and Skylar committed to full-time content creation and creative directing, the couple says their romantic connection remains their priority.
“We told each other we would much rather go back to full-time jobs and preserve our relationship than to be full-time freelancers, barely getting a night's rest [and] barely kissing each other because we're so busy shooting,” Skylar says.
Working from home can make it hard to separate work from personal life for any entrepreneur. It can be even more challenging when your business partner is also your lover. Temi and Skylar had already used couples therapy as a tool to help them effectively communicate with one another. When they ran into challenges while working together, their therapist helped them set physical boundaries to help combat the issues.
"We told each other we would much rather go back to full-time jobs and preserve our relationship than to be full-time freelancers, barely getting a night's rest [and] barely kissing each other because we're so busy shooting."
“It actually took us doing very specific physical things to create boundaries between work and play in our relationship,” Skylar says. “So, for instance, we will only have conversations about work when we're out of bed or we're at the table or in the office. Initially, when we started, we had to light a candle to say that, 'Okay, this is a space where we're connecting, we’re not talking about work.' We needed really hard boundaries at the top. And then it became a little bit more organic.”
The boundaries have been crucial to implement, especially because the couple began working together so naturally. When the pair first met, Skylar was NY-based a social strategist for BuzzFeed and was using content creation to drive business to her lingerie company. She was shooting her own content. Temi was working for Microsoft in D.C. He’d recently traded in his DJing equipment for a camera. “I've always loved taking pictures,” he says. “Even when I was a kid, my African mother would wake me up at 3:00 a.m. [during a] party, and be like, 'Come take the family picture.'”
Growing up, Temi says he watched his parents support each other and be the true definition of partners. He knew he wanted the same for his own relationship. But, the couple also wanted to make sure they were being financially responsible. The pair didn’t quit their traditional jobs until they’d saved up two years' worth of their cost of living. And, Temi received his Master of Business Administration from New York University with the knowledge that it could either help him advance in his corporate career or be applicable to his business with Skylar.
Temi and SkylarCj Hart @hartbreakToday, they say their working relationship is more of a “quiet dance.” They still implement some of the boundaries they learned in therapy, but they also lean into their natural strengths and deep love for one another. When we speak, Temi has planned a date for the couple to see Princess Mononoke in 4K IMAX and added it to their Notion so they can factor it into their busy schedules. “I fully plan to date for the rest of my life,” he says.
Skylar says the couple doesn’t just wait for date nights to check in with one another, though. This often happens in the mornings, after Temi has made her peppermint tea and poured himself a cup of coffee. When they ask each other how they slept, she says, it’s not just a “nicety.” It’s a genuine question meant to foster connection.
“A lot of it happens during the day in the midst of work. We'll stop and we'll hug. Or we’ll slow dance in the kitchen,” she says. “Sometimes it's hard to set a whole date night when you have 7,000 things going on. So, we must grasp these moments and check in when we can. And I think it's become so organic to us that I actually didn't even realize how often we do it. But all day long, we're like, 'Are you good? I felt like your energy shifted,' because we're best friends, we just know. We just feel it happen.”
What’s better than being in love? Building wealth while doing it. Watch Making Cents here for real stories of couples who make money moves together.
Featured image by Cj Hart @hartbreak