Make Something Out of Nothing with Cason Suggs

In this episode, filmmaker Cason Suggs shares how he divides time with athletics and filmmaking, breaking genre conventions in his works, recognizing the correlations between acting, directing and writing, and working on vlogs with NBA player Justin Holiday of the Sacramento Kings. Finally, in today’s concluding thought, Edward discusses his trip to Prismatic Ground. Guest Bio: Cason Suggs (he/him) is a Missouri-based filmmaker. Through his production company Cost of Kindness, he makes videography work such as vlogs for NBA player Justin Holiday and films that explore different genre conventions and avenues of representation. His upcoming series Miy's Eyes explores a tear in Miy and Seattle's friendship. His upcoming short TV-Y7 navigates the futures of two high schoolers upon their upcoming graduation. Time codes: 1:20 - Cason's film upbringings 5:50 - Cason's storytelling beginnings as a cartoonist 8:45 - Cason's mom impact on Cason's artistry 10:45 - How athletics affect Cason's artistic expression 17:00 - Cason's views on acting 21:10 - Cason utilizing locations and inspiration in She Looks Like Me 24:05 - Cason overcoming the worries on speaking to the misrepresentation of Black women 28:30 - Recognizing She Looks Like Me universal resonance and connectivity 31:05 - Cason and Edward's experience on Finding Our Way Back 35:30 - Cason breaking genre conventions of the "relationship movie" 39:30 - Cason adapting Finding Our Way Back into limited series Miy's Eyes 43:20 - Moesha impact on Cason in its writing and characterization 47:38 - Cason on TV-Y7 and casting the film's leads 54:10 - Cason on writing stories where Black people hang out (e.g. that does not show much trials and tribulations and show the lives as they are) 58:12 - Cason working with Justin Holiday 1:05:30 - Cason's recommendation: The Time Traveler's Wife 1:09:00 - Concluding Thought: Edward's trip to 2022 Prismatic Ground Show notes:  Miy's Eyes trailer Finding Our Way Back She Looks Like Me Homebody Flowers for Mom For the Wait Justin Holiday's vlogs that Cason edited Cason's STL TV Live Appearance