ADW Atlanta Daily World
Powered by Real Times Media
www.adwnews.com
Volume 85 • Issue 52
Kasim Reed Page 3
Rev. Marvin Moss Page 5
Bernard Bronner: Loving This Life and Laughing to the Bank The 52-year- old head of one of the world’s most iconic Black hair care businesses has wisely parlayed his time at the company’s helm into not only expanding the Bronner Bros. Inc. empire, but now he is an award-winning publisher, movie producer and true business mogul. Bernard Bronner is, as they say in the movies, “Laughing his way to the bank.” The enigmatic entrepreneur explained to Atlanta Daily World staff in a recent interview, why he doesn’t stop to rest on his laurels in light of all that he has accomplished and all that is left for him to accomplish. Bronner’s business sense … I think it was my father and the previous generation of Bronners who trained me on how to be an entrepreneur. My father and the publisher of the Atlanta Daily World were like family. My father threw the Atlanta Daily World newspaper, and as soon as I was able to walk good, I had the Atlanta Daily World in my hand. When I was six and seven I was delivering the paper and by the time I was 12, I had a couple of my brothers working for me throwing the Atlanta Daily World. I use the same principles I learned from my father regarding how to start and cultivate a business and grow it into a major enterprise. … And not only have I built the hair show and the product line, I have added new things like Upscale magazine, a silverware line and now the movie, “Laughing to the Bank.” The second generation has been running the businesses for about 30 years and the first generation ran things for about 35 years. We are in year 66 now. The first generation sold products in the six southern states. The second generation, my generation, took the show nationwide and now global. We just did a hair show in Dubai … We’ve done London shows now, and we have done all of the Caribbean. We do Baltimore, Dallas, Oakland and Chicago, along with Atlanta here in the states.
Dr. Tamica SmithJones Page 6
NeNe Leakes Page7
August 1 - 7, 2013
King Center, Atlanta Coalition Commemorate 50th Anniversary of MLK Dream
Bronner on the basics … One of the basic business principles that I have learned is Special to ADW to start small and make that small thing a success. That has been the hardest thing for me to get into my head. When I The Atlanta Global Freedom got into the record business, industry experts told me that Exposition to commemorate the I needed to make it popular in small cities like Macon and 50th anniversary of the March on Augusta, before bringing it to Atlanta. I wanted Dallas and Washington and Dr. King’s Chicago and L.A., but those markets are so expensive and historic “I Have a Dream” if it doesn’t sell in a small town…. So now I test everything speech will be held here in through the small towns. That is something I learned from Atlanta on Aug. 17 from Walmart. They started in small towns and then when there 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. was nowhere else to go, they moved into the big cities. The expo is being preHis newest venture … sented by The King Center Bernice King I started a new movie company, Make It Rain Films, and in cooperation with the Martin we are releasing our first major movie. We showed it to the Luther King, Jr., National Hispublic for the first time in Miami at the American Black toric Site, Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta Public Schools, Film Festival. We screened it there to an audience of about the City of Atlanta and Operation Hope, among others. 300 movie industry people and they loved it and it was the “As America prepares to celebrate the 50th anniversary of talk of the ABFF. the March on Washington and my father’s ‘I Have a Dream’ What makes “Laughing to the Bank” so significant is speech, we feel it is important that his hometown create a the fact that it is 100 percent Black owned, Black produced very special celebration of this historic milestone,” said King and Black distributed. So the movie and our philosophy Center CEO Bernice A. King. are about economic empowerment. The movie is a comedy MLK National Historic Site Superintendent Judy Forte about someone who has to raise the money to shoot a movie. joined Ms. King in inviting the public to attend the program It’ a comedy about the process of making a movie and the open to the public free of charge. rejection of going to the studios. It deals with all of the trials “This Exposition offers all Atlantans a unique, famiand tribulations of going to major studios and telling them ly-friendly opportunity to participate in honoring Dr. King’s that you have a film for Black audiences and you want them great dream for our nation and world in the community to finance it. That’s why the movie is so funny … because the where he was nurtured,” Forte said. process is near impossible. The Expo will feature social, financial and religious The movie industry … organizations that have made an impact on society in ways It was a terrible year for Black actors and Black actresses. I that can be emulated throughout the world to help fulfill have seen us go from 15 Black-oriented films last year to just Dr. King’s dream. The Expo will leverage communications a few this year, and Rainforest Films’ “Think Like a Man” resources, which were unavailable in Dr. King’s time, to conand Tyler Perry’s and another that didn’t do so well. nect people all over the world to learn, share and advocate The studios have not been willing to green-light Afrifor freedom. can-American-themed projects. They know we spend a lot The program, which will be held at locations in the of money, and they know we are good consumers. They still MLK National Historic Site, will feature story-telling and don’t respect our people. They have done all of these studies other children’s activities, tours, musical performances, oral that say this, yet they refuse to do anything Black. They history recording, fitness activities, and health and wellness refuse to advertise or attend Black events. They refuse even education. There also will be film presentations, an educathough they have the statistics that say these are the people tional expo depicting various groups’ contributions toward who are buying your product. In Hollywood only a few fulfilling Dr. King’s dream, an ethnic food court and an evestudios address our audience. ning “candlelight flotilla” in the reflecting pool surrounding The great thing is that I have great friends like Steve the crypt of Dr. and Mrs. Coretta Scott King. Harvey and Michael Baisden and Tom Joyner who have Bernice King said that, because many Atlantans will be committed to promoting the movie. traveling to Washington, D.C. for the Aug. 24-28 national What he is proudest of … celebration of the 50th anniversary at the Lincoln Memorial, My claim to fame will not be that I inherited my father’s the coalition decided to hold the Atlanta program on Aug. company and bled it. My claim to fame will be that I inherit17. She said the commemorative ed my father’s entrepreneurship abilities and I built many program will promote the 50th companies. Not only did I build them, but I trained and anniversary national themes continue to train others to do the same thing. I work “Freedom to Prosper in Life,” with partners to ensure that they experience the “Freedom to Peacefully Co-Exkind of success that I am having. I don’t know ist” and “Freedom to Participate how a human being can enjoy himself any in Government.” The national more than I am. overall theme is “Our World, “Laughing to the Bank” opens Aug. 23. His Dream: Freedom -- Make It Happen.” For more information, check the King Center website (www.thekingcenter.org) for updates.