Tracey Baker-Simmons From Waitress to Hollywood Producer and Why Everything You Need to Know You Can Teach Yourself

Tracey Baker-Simmons met L.A. Reid and Babyface while waitressing at Houstons in Atlanta. She had no clue who they were. They handed her their Amex to pay for the bill, and she saw that they had a production company. She asked if they were hiring, and they invited her to come to the studio. That chance encounter landed her an internship where she would begin the process of learning the ropes of production. It was the early 90's in Atlanta, and while she had a degree in marketing and finance, she had no experience or formal education in what her future career would be. Leaning on the power of books and her own resourcefulness, Tracey taught herself everything she needed to know and asked the right questions. As a firm believer in saying yes and figuring it out later, Tracey is proof that if you take a chance on yourself, you just might win. Today as a 25-year entertainment industry veteran and seasoned television producer, Tracy Baker-Simmons is one of television's most prolific and industry-forward innovators, earning titles such as the pioneer of urban reality television. With content such as the Bravo reality series Being Bobby Brown, MTV2's Sprite Step-Off, and the biopic Bobbi Kristina, Tracy has proven her ability to create content that both resonates well with viewers and pushes the culture forward. Note: When she pitched Bobby Brown a reality show she had never produced one before and fun fact: he was in jail at the time! In fact, the only blueprint at the time was The Osbournes. Currently, she works under her production company, Baker Simmons Media. She also recently launched an educational platform Reality TV Decoded, which launched its first master course, Making Reality TV. In this episode, you will learn that determination and curiosity can get you everywhere and why if you invest in yourself, you can push beyond what you don't know and be unstoppable.