Last Updated on November 19, 2020
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About Joy Cheriel Brown
I started writing screenplays when I was 10-years-old after seeing “Home Alone” and wanting to become an actress. However, my parents told me no when I asked to get an agent, so I decided to write my own screenplays, turn them into movies myself, by directing and producing them, and then sell them to 20th Century Fox, who was the distributor for “Home Alone.” Nevertheless, I was in way over my head, so I decided to just focus on writing screenplays. I eventually grew up and went to Howard University where I majored in Film, minored in English, and took several classes in the Classics Department like Roman and Greek Literature and Greek Mythology. I made my first short film as my thesis project while an undergrad at Howard, and I made my second short film while I was a high school English teacher.
About Third Person Omniscient Productions
The purpose of my production company, Third Person Omniscient Productions (TPOP), is to use the movies, TV shows, and stage plays we create (for now they are written by me) to raise the collective consciousness so that humanity ascends faster and we can ultimately eliminate the problems facing humanity.
Ever since I was a little kid, when I first started writing movies, I knew that I wanted to help make the world a better place. There is so much suffering, and I knew that I wanted my scripts to not only tell stories, but to help people make their lives better and be happy. There is also an educational component to the company called The Secret of Life Through Stories Academy, and I am currently developing a screenwriting course to accompany the book I wrote, “The Secret of Life Through Screenwriting,” so that I can teach other screenwriters how to write screenplays that make an impact and change the world.
I’ve always known on some level that I wanted to direct and produce the scripts I wrote myself. I was researching how to package elements for a movie when I was in high school, and while at Howard University, I took a course called Telecommunications Ownership and Finance and wrote my first business plan for TPOP, but it wasn’t till a year after I quit teaching that I actually formed the company in a formal way, which was in February 2012. To form the company, I read a lot of books, consulted the Small Business Administration, and got advice from lawyers. A lot of this happened progressively over many years. I didn’t just wake up one morning and decide to start a company.
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How Did You Get Your First Several Customers Or Users? How Many Users Or Customers Do You Have Now?
The audience for my first short, “Figment,” were my classmates at Howard University and later my high school students– this was all years before I put it on YouTube. The audience for my second short, “One Chance,” came from the philanthropic organization that gave us a grant to make the film, and also by word of mouth by us, the filmmakers. For the stage play I produced, “Stuck,” we had hundreds of audience members– I remember going out into Washington, DC (my company is in the Washington, DC metro area in Prince George’s County, Maryland) and handing out post cards for the play, and also people came to see it by word of mouth; that play was also part of the Capital Fringe Festival, which was also how people found out about it. It wasn’t till my third short film, “N.O.S.,” that we really gained traction. For that film, my sales agent got a deal with ShortsTV, and “N.O.S.” aired on that channel in June 2020, where it was broadcast into millions of homes.
How Does Your Company Grow And Acquire New Customers?
Because there is an educational component to my company– we don’t just simply make movies– I am now acquiring new customers through click funnels– the process of acquiring customers in the way that coaches and consultants do when the employ lead magnets and such with Internet Marketing. I follow that model. We don’t just want our audience to watch our films and content, but we want to engage with them and educate them as well.
What Actionable Tips And Tricks Do You Have For New Founders Who Are Looking To Get Their First Thousand Users Or Dollars?
Consistency is the key. If you are not consistent, you are not going to see the type of growth you want. Also, when you create your product or content, don’t think about what it does for you. Focus on bringing value to the lives of your customer, client, audience. When you focus on making their lives better, everything else you want will come to you.
What Is Something You’ve Learned That Would Not Be Obvious To Somebody Who Hasn’t Worked In Your Space Before?
Setting a strong intention is just as good as working your ass off to make something happen. Let me illustrate. This is what I mean: While I was producing my third short, “N.O.S.,” I was told that short films don’t sell. However, this film is about mental illness and I really felt like it could help millions of people around the world. So I started to do research around selling it to an education company or something, but I kept running into dead ends. I eventually gave up on the idea of selling it and just focused on finishing it. When it was done, it got into the Reel Recovery Symposium and Film Festival and screened in Los Angeles and New York City with that festival. About five months later in 2019, a sales and acquisitions company reached out to me, and they acquired the film. Fast forward to 2020 and they found a deal for it– they sold it– and it aired on ShortsTV in June 2020. I did my part to make a sell happen, but when it didn’t work out, I let it go and the universe did its part and met me half way. I always believe that you, as an entrepreneur, should always take inspired action, but also expect the universe to meet you half way and do its part.
What’s The Craziest Thing That’s Happened To You (Good Or Bad) On Your Founder Journey?
The craziest thing that has happened to me was a sales and acquisitions company finding ME out of the blue and selling my short film. There have also been other miracles every step of the way. Each one was necessary to ultimately make the projects and get them out into the world. But one has to believe that miracles happen, expect them, and be in a state (vibration) that can receive the miracle.
What Are Your Favorite Books?
My favorite books are all non-fiction. The two books that changed my life the most are “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill and “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne. My favorite business book is “Spirit Means Business” by Alan Cohen; my favorite screenwriting book is “Writing for Emotional Impact” by Karl Iglesias; and another book that has had a huge impact on me is “Guided” by Hans Christian King.
Anything You’d Like To Plug?
Here is the link to my short film, “N.O.S.” It is available on Amazon Prime. https://amzn.to/2LSfzc3
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