Sista Brunch

TruJuLo Productions

Whether you’re a seasoned professional in the film industry, an aspiring filmmaker, or a media enthusiast, Sista Brunch offers a rare glimpse into the professional lives of those who shape contemporary entertainment. It's an essential resource for understanding the role of an inclusive lens in crafting stories that resonate across audiences. Tune into Sista Brunch to hear the powerful voices of those leading the way in Hollywood and beyond. Learn from their experiences, get inspired by their stories, and gain insights into making your mark in the entertainment world.

  1. 20 hr ago

    What Hollywood Actually Pays: 14 Guests Tell the Truth About Money | Sista Brunch S7 Financials

    Nobody talks about money in Hollywood. This episode, everybody does. In this Sista Brunch Season 7 bonus episode, all 14 of our regular season guests answer the question most shows never ask: what did you actually get paid? What does it really cost? And what do you wish you'd known about money before you started? What you'll hear: -- A producer who made $75,000 on Real Women Have Curves, underpaid herself on Dear White People, and did Project Greenlight because her house was about to be foreclosed on -- Why the 5% producer fee is a standard that almost nobody actually makes, confirmed from both the producer's side and the studio executive's side -- Studio salary bands broken down from assistant to EVP, and why a director title at Netflix is an SVP at a traditional studio -- A senior vice president who discovered a white male vice president at her same network made $100,000 more per year -- The advice that changed her consulting career: "Don't walk into a room for less than $500 an hour" -- How an Emmy-winning Netflix documentary was made for under $1 million -- How an independent journalist launched a TV show for $150,000 and why she budgeted for two seasons before starting one -- Unscripted showrunner rates: $5,000 to $7,000 a week when it's good, and then unemployment when it's not -- Location manager scale: $2,000 a week entry level, $4,000+ for supervising location managers -- What a composer should charge on a feature film: roughly 10% of the budget for music -- Why a production designer won't take a short film for less than $1,000 and what that minimum really covers -- The one program where union-track training for below-the-line careers is completely free -- Why every film is a startup: LLC, financing, hiring, product, close -- A media futurist's consulting rates: $5,000 to $15,000 for speaking engagements -- How a first-time filmmaker funded her feature through investors, favors, and never asking anyone for anything before in her life Secrets keep us siloed. This episode breaks the silence. Sista Brunch is the podcast building the largest archive anywhere of the stories of Black women and Black gender expansive people thriving in film, TV, and media. Hosted by Fanshen Cox. Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Watch the full episode on YouTube @TruJuLoMedia. Follow @SistaBrunchPodcast on Instagram. Support the show at Patreon.com/SistaBrunch or GiveButter.com/SistaBrunch. Keywords: Hollywood salary, producer pay, film budget, entertainment industry salary, how much do producers make, studio executive salary, consulting rates, independent film budget, Dear White People, Real Women Have Curves, Black Barbie, Netflix documentary, location manager salary, composer fee, unscripted showrunner, production designer rate, Hollywood CPR, Sista Brunch, film industry money, entertainment career, pay gap Hollywood, inclusion rider, Producers United, freelance entertainment, film financing

    27 min
  2. How Stories Actually Get Greenlit: Kamala Avila-Salmon on Studio Deals, Salary Transparency & Inclusive Development

    14 Apr

    How Stories Actually Get Greenlit: Kamala Avila-Salmon on Studio Deals, Salary Transparency & Inclusive Development

    Kamala Avila-Salmon is a producer, studio executive, and inclusion strategist who has been at the center of how stories get developed and greenlit at major studios. She is the founder of Kas Kas Productions and previously led inclusive content strategy at Lionsgate, where she was embedded in creative development, marketing, and the greenlight committee. In this episode, Kamala breaks down the real mechanics of the entertainment industry with rare transparency: -- How "packaging" works and why studios expect producers to arrive with director, cast, and script already attached -- What studio salary bands actually look like from assistant to EVP, including how tech company titles like Netflix don't translate to traditional studio levels -- How she cold-emailed Clive Davis as a Harvard undergrad and landed her first music industry job -- The difference between buyers, sellers, and makers in the entertainment ecosystem -- Why inclusion work has to start at the development stage, not the marketing phase -- Her Story Spark tool for evaluating scripts beyond surface-level representation -- How a conversation with the Lionsgate chairman led to her production deal and the birth of Kas Kas Productions -- What she'd tell her 22-year-old self over a bacon egg and cheese and a Hugo Spritz Kamala was born in Jamaica and moved to New York as a child. She attended Harvard for undergrad and business school, worked in the music industry during the digital disruption era, transitioned to film and TV, and built a career defined by passion, curiosity, and a refusal to accept figurehead roles. Sista Brunch is the podcast building the largest archive anywhere of the stories of Black women and Black gender expansive people thriving in film, TV, and media. Hosted by Fanshen Cox and Shawn Pipkin-West. Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Watch the full episode on YouTube @TruJuLoMedia. Follow @SistaBrunchPodcast on Instagram for clips, community, and resources. Support the show at Patreon.com/SistaBrunch or GiveButter.com/SistaBrunch. Keywords: Kamala Avila-Salmon, Sista Brunch Podcast, Kas Kas Productions, Lionsgate, studio executive, film producer, inclusive storytelling, greenlight process, packaging film, entertainment salary transparency, Black women in Hollywood, Harvard Business School, music industry, Netflix titles vs studio titles, Story Spark, inclusion strategy, creative development, independent producer, Jamaican heritage, media representation

    35 min

About

Whether you’re a seasoned professional in the film industry, an aspiring filmmaker, or a media enthusiast, Sista Brunch offers a rare glimpse into the professional lives of those who shape contemporary entertainment. It's an essential resource for understanding the role of an inclusive lens in crafting stories that resonate across audiences. Tune into Sista Brunch to hear the powerful voices of those leading the way in Hollywood and beyond. Learn from their experiences, get inspired by their stories, and gain insights into making your mark in the entertainment world.

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