Oakland rap producer catches network's eye
WB wants to air new entertainment show from Charles E. Johnson
By Chauncey Bailey, STAFF WRITER
www.oaklandtribune.com/St...62,00.html
OAKLAND -- Charles E. Johnson used street smarts to avoid thugs and drugs while growing up on the tough streets of East Oakland.
Today, Johnson -- who has been a fixture in the Bay Area rap video production scene since the mid-1990s -- is using other skills to make deals for his video production company, On1TV.
The WB network is interested in airing his half-hour urban entertainment show, which would mix music -- including rap -- with spoken word, sports and discussion of social issues to target viewers ages 13 to 35.
Talks are under way with possible hosts including Ananda Lewis, who had shows on BET, Fox and MTV, and Traci Bingham of TV's "Baywatch."
"I had to go from a'hood mind-set to a corporate mind-set," said Johnson, 29, CEO of Oakland-based YoungLion Entertainment. "You have similar challenges. You go from not letting some-one take your milk money and they're the bully, to not letting someone take over your company with contracts and lawyers."
He coined the name YoungLion because "the world is a jungle and you have to be a lion in it."
High-profile guests
Johnson was executive producer and host, and filled other gaps, while his popular On1TV program aired on Bay Area cable from San Francisco to San Jose for three years. He helped secure such guests as Queen Latifah, Erykah Badu, E-40 and Terrell Owens of the 49ers.
"I grew up listening to rap. ... I know how to connect with the younger generation," said Johnson, who graduated from Skyline High School in 1992 and then took video production classes at Laney College. At age 20, he hosted a rap music show on Soul Beat TV, in which he interviewed up-and-coming rappers who would later become major artists: Jay-Z, Master P and L.L. Cool J.
Johnson later sharpened his production skills by working as a broadcast production assistant for the Golden State Warriors and local TV network stations, then used his expertise and contacts to start YoungLion Entertainment in 2000.
Big break
His big break came last year at a Super Bowl in San Diego. He was working for ABC-TV as a production assistant and met his idol, Russell Simmons, the rap industry mogul, at a private party.
In October, when Simmons came to Oakland to be keynote speaker at a seminar for young, aspiring entrepreneurs at the downtown Marriott Hotel, he remembered Johnson, who managed to get in a quick pitch.
Johnson had a portable DVD player and a tape of On1TV Show highlights, and nailed the pitch. Johnson was put in touch with Simmons' associates.
Another contact Johnson met later, John McCartney, a San Francisco-based TV consultant, set up a meeting with WB executives.
'Stay focused'
"I started with a vision and a goal but I didn't know how to break into corporate television entertainment.
"You have to stay focused. My village (the people who raised him) in Sobrante Park taught me to stay out of trouble and respect your elders. You also have to adapt to your surroundings, and do it all. I wanted to start an independent production company. For me it meant being a host, producer, finding sponsors and editing tape."
YoungLion Entertainment can be reached at On1--TV@hotmail.com or at 776-4644.
WB wants to air new entertainment show from Charles E. Johnson
By Chauncey Bailey, STAFF WRITER
www.oaklandtribune.com/St...62,00.html
OAKLAND -- Charles E. Johnson used street smarts to avoid thugs and drugs while growing up on the tough streets of East Oakland.
Today, Johnson -- who has been a fixture in the Bay Area rap video production scene since the mid-1990s -- is using other skills to make deals for his video production company, On1TV.
The WB network is interested in airing his half-hour urban entertainment show, which would mix music -- including rap -- with spoken word, sports and discussion of social issues to target viewers ages 13 to 35.
Talks are under way with possible hosts including Ananda Lewis, who had shows on BET, Fox and MTV, and Traci Bingham of TV's "Baywatch."
"I had to go from a'hood mind-set to a corporate mind-set," said Johnson, 29, CEO of Oakland-based YoungLion Entertainment. "You have similar challenges. You go from not letting some-one take your milk money and they're the bully, to not letting someone take over your company with contracts and lawyers."
He coined the name YoungLion because "the world is a jungle and you have to be a lion in it."
High-profile guests
Johnson was executive producer and host, and filled other gaps, while his popular On1TV program aired on Bay Area cable from San Francisco to San Jose for three years. He helped secure such guests as Queen Latifah, Erykah Badu, E-40 and Terrell Owens of the 49ers.
"I grew up listening to rap. ... I know how to connect with the younger generation," said Johnson, who graduated from Skyline High School in 1992 and then took video production classes at Laney College. At age 20, he hosted a rap music show on Soul Beat TV, in which he interviewed up-and-coming rappers who would later become major artists: Jay-Z, Master P and L.L. Cool J.
Johnson later sharpened his production skills by working as a broadcast production assistant for the Golden State Warriors and local TV network stations, then used his expertise and contacts to start YoungLion Entertainment in 2000.
Big break
His big break came last year at a Super Bowl in San Diego. He was working for ABC-TV as a production assistant and met his idol, Russell Simmons, the rap industry mogul, at a private party.
In October, when Simmons came to Oakland to be keynote speaker at a seminar for young, aspiring entrepreneurs at the downtown Marriott Hotel, he remembered Johnson, who managed to get in a quick pitch.
Johnson had a portable DVD player and a tape of On1TV Show highlights, and nailed the pitch. Johnson was put in touch with Simmons' associates.
Another contact Johnson met later, John McCartney, a San Francisco-based TV consultant, set up a meeting with WB executives.
'Stay focused'
"I started with a vision and a goal but I didn't know how to break into corporate television entertainment.
"You have to stay focused. My village (the people who raised him) in Sobrante Park taught me to stay out of trouble and respect your elders. You also have to adapt to your surroundings, and do it all. I wanted to start an independent production company. For me it meant being a host, producer, finding sponsors and editing tape."
YoungLion Entertainment can be reached at On1--TV@hotmail.com or at 776-4644.
