Join our educational community to master the business side of your art → https://community.thecreativeexecutive.com/ Hollywood producer Todd Black has over 80 films to his name and decades-long partnerships with Denzel Washington and Will Smith. In this episode of The Creative Executive, he traces it all back to a ray of light in a movie theater, and opens up about leading through one of the most public crises of his career. Todd's origin story starts at seven years old in Oklahoma City, faking sick to skip school and ending up at the local mall theater with his mom. He barely remembers the movie, he remembers the projection booth, the ray of light cutting through the dust, creating images out of nothing. That moment planted a seed he couldn't name yet. He went on to USC's drama school not even knowing film school existed, discovered he hated being watched but loved everything else about the creative process, and talked his way from a casting internship at Fox into a full producing deal by his mid-twenties, using nothing but a willingness to say "I don't know" and ask. The heart of the episode is the story of Antwone Fisher: a security guard with an extraordinary life story, a college roommate teaching screenwriting in South Central after the LA riots, and Todd using his own honeymoon money to buy the man a computer so he could write it himself. It took three more years to get Denzel Washington on board, who'd told Todd back in 1989 not to call him again until he found a script that made his heart do something. That relationship led directly into The Pursuit of Happyness, which brought Todd into Will Smith's orbit and became, in his telling, the best shoot of his career. The conversation doesn't shy away from the hardest chapter either: the 2022 Oscars incident, which hit right as Todd's film Emancipation was awaiting release. He's candid about watching it unfold the call from Denzel in the middle of it, and the advice from his own father that got him through it: life isn't always fair, as a kid or as an adult. Todd closes with what he considers the real throughline of a lasting creative career: find one piece of material you love, read the classics to understand story, and let fear drive you instead of stopping you. This episode covers: The movie theater moment at seven that started his entire career How saying "I don't know" became his most powerful tool for learning the business The full story of Antwone Fisher, and the honeymoon money that funded it Denzel Washington's rule from 1989: don't call me until a script does this to you How The Pursuit of Happyness brought him into Will Smith's world Leading through the 2022 Oscars crisis while Emancipation awaited release Why building a business with his wife works in some forms and not others His closing advice: find material, read great literature, let the fear work for you And more! About Todd Black Todd Black is a Hollywood producer with over 80 films to his credit, known for championing stories that blend commercial appeal with deep human resonance. His producing credits include Antwone Fisher (2002), The Pursuit of Happyness (2006), Seven Pounds (2008), Donnie Brasco (1997), The Equalizer series, and Emancipation (2022). He maintains long-standing creative partnerships with Denzel Washington and Will Smith, and has worked with directors including Denzel Washington, Gabriele Muccino, Mike Newell, and Antoine Fuqua. Beyond film, Todd and his wife, screenwriter and designer Ruth Black, have built a successful real estate business (10 spec houses with clients including Viola Davis) and recently launched Maison Ruff, a high-end clothing store on Melrose Place in Los Angeles. Todd began his career as a casting director at 20th Century Fox before becoming an independent producer in his mid-twenties and the youngest member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences at the time. Takeaway: No single moment, good or bad, defines a career. Todd's built his on the willingness to ask questions he was embarrassed not to know the answer to, and on refusing to let one public crisis undo decades of partnerships built on trust. Subscribe so you never miss an episode of The Creative Executive, and share this with someone chasing a career that requires both courage and humility in equal measure 🚀 In Partnership With: Wispr Flow: Get 3 Months of Wispr Flow free → https://wisprflow.ai/partner/tce Novus Global: Get a free coaching session → https://novus.global/thecreativeexecutive/ The Creative Executive: Education → https://community.thecreativeexecutive.com/ YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@UCkrTljEW6CUUZWNUJOXCxgQ Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/the_creative_executive LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/thecreativeexecutive Chapters 0:00 Cold Open: Making Life-Changing Movies 1:46 The Movie Theater That Started It All 7:17 Landing at 20th Century Fox 10:33 The Pivot to Producing 13:04 First Deal: $35K and an Office 24:23 Discovering Antwone Fisher 27:00 Meeting Denzel Washington 33:00 Building Businesses with Ruth 42:09 The Will Smith Partnership 54:21 The Oscar Night Crisis 59:30 What's Next: Life-Affirming Movies 1:02:39 Advice for Young Creatives: Walk the Walk
