Hard work and dedication is paying off for an entertainment company called Money Motivated Entertainment, which consists of Robert “Bum” Sledge, Michael Talley and Andre Robinson. On May 30, actress Vivica A. Fox will host an event called the “All White Memorial Day Celebration” held at the Whim in Station Square.
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VIVICA A. FOX
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Fox coming to Pittsburgh to host this celebration is not a stretch for the actress.
“I make public appearances all the time and I’m heavily involved in the community and the community loves to see some Vivica. It keeps me in touch with my audience and fan base. I do a lot of that mostly on the weekends by promoting my projects and greetings the fans at the same time,” Fox said.
Everyone is asked to dress in white, but no one will be turned away if they aren’t.
Sledge entered into promotions by first attending Cheyney University. He helped the student government bring acts to the school. He started promoting in Pittsburgh by linking up with Mark Brown and Jamal Woodson of Exclusive Entertainment and then branched out on his own and partnered with Talley and Robinson to created Money Motivated Entertainment. He also plans on getting involved with acting in the near future.
“I plan on trying out for a couple of movie roles because my cousin, who lives in Los Angeles does film screenings. I have a script with my partner Mike and Young Roe and we are reading for a movie called “In A New York Minute” and it will be shot here in Pittsburgh in July,” Sledge said.
Currently, Sledge is the CEO of Money Motivated Entertainment and he also comes up with concepts in music production. Being a party promoter is not for everyone because you get to meet a lot of celebrities, but sometime you lose money in the process. The good news for them is that they have stuck with it and built up contacts across the country.
“I have a lot of connections in Atlanta and my partner named Slim is dating Vivica, so it was a situation that worked out and we were able to get her to make an appearance here in Pittsburgh. Plus she is a phenomenal actress and movie star. The event is May 30, at Whim Night Club in Station Square. It’s one of the best clubs in the city and it’s pretty new to African-Americans, so come on out,” said Sledge.
Fox explains how she started acting and how she would like to one day play the role of Whitney Houston.
“Acting just kind of fell into my lap. A gentleman discovered me by the name of Trevor Walton. I was having lunch on Sunset Boulevard. I used to model before and they used to let me know that they had a sister that looked just like me. They already had their one token Black girl, unlike today, where there are many different shades of Black women who are modeling and doing wonderful things. I went back to California where I was modeling and Trevor asked me if I was an actress and I said no. He got me an agent about 23 years ago,” Fox said.
Fox would like to do the Whitney Houston story because she loves her and if she had her pick that is the role she would like to do.
“She is such an amazing talent and I would like to celebrate her life story while she is still here with us. Besides that I would like to do another action film such as a Pam Grier type of film, who is also another one of my role models,” Fox said.
She would do another television series, but she would like to do a one-hour drama because a half-hour comedy series is difficult. She feels it does not give you enough time to get on your feet with a half-hour series. She enjoys playing a detective and looks forward to doing so one day. The advice Fox has for young actors getting into the business is that they need to study and take drama classes. You also need to move to New York City, Los Angeles or Atlanta because those are the places where the action is happening. You will need to go casting and get into acting classes and apply yourself because it is not going to fall into your lap.
“As far as Black actors on television, there is definitely a lack of us being represented, but I try not to complain. I do stage, independent films and television work and I create my own production. There could always be more Black actors working because there is an abundance of talent that is not used. I’ve been acting since 1988 and I started out in soaps and my first job was “Days of Our Lives.” Then I moved onto “Generations” and “The Young and The Restless.” Things really took off with “Independence Day” and after that “Soul Food” and then “Set It Off” with (Kimberly Ells), Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett Smith. I’m fortunate because I’ve been working nonstop,” she said.
This year has started as a blessing for Fox. She did an episode of “Drop Dead Diva” on Lifetime, which is coming out in June, and a hallmark Christmas Special with Christian Taylor, who is Ben Stiller’s wife. When it comes to keeping busy, there is no stopping Vivica A. Fox.
“I’m currently co-producing a movie called “Cheaper to Keep Her” with singer Brian McKnight. I am the voice of Angel Dynamite for the new cartoon network “Scooby Doo” series that is coming out in 2012 and then “Haitian Knights” in which I play a detective. I play a singer in a film called “Queen City” in which I am actually singing. I went to studio and recorded my voice. I also have my own wig line called Vivica Fox Hair Selection and if people want to find out more about that they can go to vivicafoxhair.com.”
(To contact Robert Sledge of e-mail him at RealBigBusiness@gmail.com.)
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