All right, greetings, greetings, as well as another episode of Truth to Power. I am your host, Tara Storrell, Nick Mike. And you know, tonight I wanted to do things just a little bit differently. I apologize in advance of your lot of clinking and clinking in the background, but I really just had to get this episode out.
Realize clinking and clacking in the background is my driver, you know, driving my clothes and things like that. You know, I had to, you know, that I do what you gotta do, that was close, my wife's clothes, those who nobody knows. But tonight's episode, I really wanted to do things a little bit differently. I wanted to give some part of me truth, part of me creating truth to power was me to empower black people as well.
It has so much criticize. And I didn't want my last two episodes to be indicative about what I do as a whole, you know, because outside of Connecticut look like criticism, but I'm really just trying to help us do better. I really want to see us do better. I'm really trying to motivate you to do better.
Even when I did the court justice versus the king, you know, and you know, it was just like, that was a person episode for me because, you know, at the while, you just start thinking to yourself, you know, everybody wants to be the court justice, who wants to be the king? Same thing with the end of the grasshopper. Like everybody wants to be a grasshopper, everybody wants to party, but who wants to be the end of the store building? Start, you know what I'm saying?
Getting prepared for the winter, start storing food. And while I was going through certain challenges today, I want to speak on specifics, but while I was going through certain challenges today, I noticed that I was a hair stack that I used to use in 2018 and 2019, 2019. When I first started, you know, making documentaries and things like that. And I was just there tired, working jobs, working two jobs, they're tired, taking care of a household, with my ex-fiancing and things like that.
And I used to use this hair stack called, hair stack regardless, meaning that regardless of what goes on in my life, I still have to get the work done. I try to keep that mindset with just about everything that I do, like regardless of how tired I am, regardless of what I'm going through internally. And you know, sometimes externally, I have to remember that people depend on me. But I also don't know I'm a father of a 15 year old now.
And he depends on me. He depends on me to get out there and work, regardless of how I'm feeling. And he'll be the first to come to me, like if he sees that I'm having some challenges within the day or if I'm having a bad day, he'll be the first to come and say, hey dad, you know, I know you're having a bad day, but you know, I know you got me. I know everything can be okay.
You know, and I really appreciate him for that. But you know, I don't even like, I guess like the way I present, I can't hide my internal externally, if that makes sense. I can't hide what's going on inside on outside. So my facial expression sometimes tells a story, but regardless of how I'm feeling, I still got to get up, go to work, you know, sick.
For those who don't know, I don't like missing work, I don't miss, I don't like missing days that working and handling my business. Because I want to break up two parts because I was running this and the other day too. And I was running this and because people, they often ask me, how did I get started and how did I get so much accomplished in such a little time? And I'll just think to myself, you know, five movies in a span of four years is incredible feet.
And I had to sit again, five movies and spend four years all independent produced by me is a incredible feet. And I just look back on your journey and I appreciate the journey so much. I appreciate the people that stood in a pocket when we were things seemed to be going away. When, for those who don't know, I will bring this up again, but those who don't know during the production of Lo-Hing and Fruit and the production from again man, I ran through some challenges.
I got tested, I really got tested. I really did, it was a huge challenge. And I had the rest of the occasion. I got a lot felt for something I didn't do.
Everybody knew I didn't do it, but the judge didn't care. She knew I didn't do it, it was on video, she didn't care. The day didn't care, all they knew was that they had a black man in jail. And did they try to hide me from the system?
But I drew somebody else's name, but I'm doing a lot. I don't know what God is the greatest he came through and you know, he did his name. I got released eventually. And when I got released, there was no crime, there was no time for crime, there was no time for wine, there was no time for empathy, sympathy.
I didn't take no, I didn't take a break, I just hit the ground running. I was doing interviews and community service down there at the same time. I might just, you know, it's a matter of fact, I still have that Papa Smurf interview from then. I might just go ahead and you know, you know, just go ahead and show that interview again.
But the Papa Smurf interview I did, just doing community service and you know, same thing, you know, doing the community service at the same time and really doing the interview. It was just hard. It was very hard, very difficult. But I got through it and even a week of, even a week of the venue, try to pull some friction at the last minute, they're gonna be able to make adjustments, but here on their Justine King.
And I got that done. So didn't run after that right after low hanging from, I said let me embark on the joint, I'll start sending out emails that same, that next week, the next week, I think I think I was on Easter, right Easter break, when it happened in 2022. And I end up sending out emails and I said, listen, now let's get in, what is 2030 going? Send out emails to politicians, they hit me back immediately.
Hey, Todd, I wanna be a part of this project. Just tell me what we gonna do, what we gotta do, camera set up everything else like that, where I gotta meet you at. Let's get it done. I also, all the while, still going through challenges, still finding court cases, still finding two fellowness.
People messing with you, people trying to break me, people in my life who I have shown nothing but love to, try to break me. And people wonder why I am the way I am, people in my life who I love, who I cherish, they try to break me, what they couldn't. You know, it's 2030, around the corner, like I'm going back and forth to different places. I'm filming, you know, it's 2030, camera man always late.
And in the midst of the new one, it's 2030, I get to come put on me by somebody I really cherish, whoever they love. That messes me up, that causes me more trauma, but hey, I keep on going. People like, people see the pictures, they see the smile, they see me smile with politicians, but at the same time they're looking at me like, oh, that's how I just looked like I could go in through something. Cause I was, because I was, but regardless, the work I had to get done.
I made my adjustments, camera man dropped out, got another one. You gotta touch with some people that I know my connections and the radio business, hey, let me do this interview, got some more interviews going on the way. Different venues playing different games, okay, I had to keep going. From here in New Orleans, 2030, all the while with the broken heart, I'm not gonna lie to you, not gonna lie to you.
How was it broke, shattered? I'm a million pieces. I ain't gonna lie to you, hurting. Felt empty inside for months, but I kept on working regardless.
Release two books, and I spent within a span of two months, had a children book, number one, Flowers for You, the Portrait Book, number two, then came back, say I'm gonna come back with another book by the end of the year. I'm sorry, it's a party, it took so long. Then I was gonna make a movie like that. I released a book, any number fourth, I was in production with a movie on December 15th.
The movie is done, it's finished, it's crazy, it's ready to go, but once again, I gotta be able to map out things so I don't have so many challenges this time around, being a one-man army. Because I realized something, that if you give people the opportunity to take real and to down, it's unfortunate, but they will let you down. But I'm gonna tell you, if you have faith in yourself, if you have a belief in yourself, you will overcome, you will triumph over all of that, regardless of what's going on around you. But you gotta put that in your mind, say you can't be so quick to give up, I don't care how hard it is, I don't care what you're going on, you're so quick to give up, don't lose faith in yourself, even though people around you have.
Don't lose your confidence, keep your confidence. There's a couple of things that I said to keep myself motivated, but one thing that comes to mind it says, always tell myself, stay focused, shoot, stay focused. Because I know where I wanna go. And I'm not done yet.
And I want you to have the same mindset, the same confidence in yourself, do not lose faith in yourself, do not lose trust in yourself, do not lose confidence in yourself. Because I'm gonna tell you, regardless of what you're going through, you're gonna make it. Thank you guys for joining me tonight. I just spoke to the power.