“Hip-hop has always been about being creative and being innovative with the tools that you have.” -Michael “Blue” Williams
On February 10th, 2020, Professor Chambers showed our class a “sizzle reel” to get our honest opinions and ideas about a show concept. I’d never heard of a sizzle reel prior to him showing it to us, so it was very interesting to see. Based on the reel that was showed to us, the show was centered around 2 people who work very closely in the industry, a celebrity photographer and a music manager. The photographer, Johnny Nuñez was a photographer that had been working in the game for years, and he was very respected amongst other prominent celebrities. Nuñez was considered a celebrity amongst other celebrities, meaning that although he isn’t someone that most people would recognize as a famous person, his work is well-respected and other celebrities respect him.
The other person who was featured, Michael “Blue” Williams, is an important music manager in the business who has worked with the likes of Outkast, Eric Benet, Macy Gray, Nas, Nick Cannon, Faith Evans, CeeLo Green, Big Sean, etc. One thing about Williams that set him apart was that he understood that in order to stand out in the industry, you have to do something different sometimes. One thing that he said that really stood out to me was that some of the best managers in the game aren’t afraid to do things that haven’t been done before and break down doors. The sizzle real also featured a lot of rappers such as T.I., Fat Joe, Killer Mike, etc., which I thought was a nice touch to give Nuñez and Williams some credibility to the audience. Although the two have clearly established some level of respect in the game, choosing to include known rappers who can accolade them gives them a level of relevance to audience members who may not have heard of Nuñez or Williams before.
That being said, I believe that the show has a very good basis. I would watch the show because: 1) I’m personally a fan of hip-hop and enjoyed seeing rappers that I listen to/respect in it, 2) as someone who potentially wants to work in the industry some day, it’s beneficial for me to see well-established figures in the entertainment industry that can provide insight on how to build your personal brand, and 3) it helps me to recognize how crucial people are that work behind the scenes as well. In regards to how it can be improved: 1) the sound quality made it very hard to hear most of what they were saying, 2) I would find 1 or 2 other people to center the show around as well to diversify perspectives, and 3) I think that more hip-hop music should be implemented into the actual show.
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