Reggie Ponder – The Reel Critic

I have been wanting to have a Black Film Critic Show FOREVER. I pitched it in so many variations to advertisers, media outlets, entrepreneurs and friends but I could never get any traction (I think a book on the doors that were closed on Black Film Critique would be in order but I’ll save that for another day). I tried to get critics together on a regular basis but it was hard to get people to spend time at a shoot and not get paid when they had other paying gigs. I shot a pilot with my friend Bonnie DeShong. My sister, Tracie produced the program and I was sure this would be something others would like and investors (advertisers and corporations) could sink their teeth into. Well I was wrong.

BUT… this pandemic has many of us at home and instead of having a costly shoot, I just did it by Zoom. I got the great Shawn Edwards to agree to be on the show and that was all I needed. If you don’t know, Shawn is celebrating 20 years on Fox 4 in Kansas City. He is the longest running Black Film Critic on TV and he had time for little old me. I got the fantastic Kathia Woods to join me. If you don’t know, here is a woman who has her own platform and employs others. That’s right she pays people (I get asked all the time to be on shows but no one is paying – but we do what we have to do to get exposure that might lead to money). I got my man, Al McGhee who also has his own platform. If you don’t know he does more than movies. Dude does theater, music and boxing. It’s on! I’m Set and Ready to Go!!

This week Shawn, Kathia, Al and I got together to review the movies Hamilton and John Lewis: Good Trouble (Hamilton is really a video production of a stage play – as Shawn was quick to put me in check), discuss the HBO Max decision to pull Gone With The Wind and add a preface and then each of us talked a bit about a particular topic.

I really hope you listen, enjoy and respond. Oh yeah, and share – maybe advertisers, media outlets and others might like to partner and help amplify Black Voices. Good for their customers, Good for us critics and good for the profits.