This is our first collaboration episode. We teamed up with Consider This for Comfort, the award-winning podcast hosted by Eteng Ettah, to welcome back Hillman ahead of A Different World's premiere on Netflix on Thursday, September 24.
In the first half, Eteng and Fanshen talk about what the original series meant to them and to a generation of Black viewers. They get into the case for a sequel in an era of reboots, and why Felicia Pride as showrunner matters. They also talk about the state of Black Hollywood, and where to find and support our stories beyond the studios.
In the second half, we go behind the scenes with Jen Farris, an Atlanta-based film and TV location scout. Jen explains how location tells a story and how she went from the music business to scouting. She also shares what it meant for the new A Different World to film on real HBCU campuses in the Atlanta University Center.
Then Eteng and Jen sit down to our signature Sista Brunch question.
Chapters
00:00 Cold open
00:35 Welcome to the collab
02:50 What makes a comfort show
06:40 First memories of A Different World
12:50 The case for a sequel
22:00 The state of Black Hollywood
26:50 Festivals and Black-owned distribution
30:10 Who we're becoming
35:00 Eteng's Sista Brunch
38:30 Meet Jen Farris
41:10 What a location scout does
49:00 From music to film
52:50 When we see us on set
56:30 Scouting Hillman
61:30 A Different World and HBCU enrollment
70:00 Movie magic on a budget
77:30 Jen's Sista Brunch
81:30 Where to follow Jen
Co-host/Guests
Eteng Ettah is a pop culture commentator and host of Consider This for Comfort.
Instagram: @etenggg | @considerthisforcomfortpod
Jen Farris is a 15-year Atlanta-based film and TV location scout with 28 years in arts and entertainment. Her credits include Atlanta, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Genius: Aretha, Game Night, Sleepy Hollow. She is a member of Teamsters Local 728 and served as secretary of the Location Managers Guild International board of directors (2021–2022). She also hosts Yo, Did You Know?
Instagram: @msjenfarris | @yo.didyouknow
Website: jen-farris.com
Mentioned in this episode
- A Different World (Netflix)
- UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report
- Kweli TV
- American Black Film Festival
- Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival
- BronzeLens Film Festival
- BlackStar Film Festival
- Our June 2020 episode with Felicia Pride: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/felicia-pride-replay-on-pivoting-ownership-and/id1506316350?i=1000791006528
Watch and listen
Listen to Consider This for Comfort: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/consider-this-for-comfort/id1823537949
