Why Not Me? with Mike Jackson

On our final episode of Season 1, Mike is joined by Tika Sumpter! Tika talks all about growing up in New York, finding success on the soap opera One Life to Live and being nominated for a NAACP Image Award, being followed by paparazzi during the filming of Gossip Girl, getting to work with Tyler Perry, Oprah Winfrey, Robert Redford, and Chadwick Boseman, playing young Michelle Obama in Southside with You, what it was like producing a project A to Z, finding love, and so much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tim Story is on the podcast this week talking all about the highs and lows of the film industry, attending film school at USC, inspiration he took from Kevin Smith's movie Clerks and deciding to make his first movie for $30,000, what he learned directing Barbershop that he applied to Fantastic Four, his mindset during tough times in the industry, living in true artistry, and so much more!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Prentice Penny joins Mike on the podcast this week! He talks all about growing up in the heart of the filmmaking world in Los Angeles and working as a substitute teacher, to feeling inspired by Spike Lee and deciding to follow his passions. Prentice breaks down his career journey from getting his first writing gig, to learning the business from Brooklyn Nine Nine to Scrubs, all the way to becoming Showrunner on Insecure with Issa Rae. He shares wise words of wisdom about trusting your instincts, using time as your resource, and so much more!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zuri Hall joins Mike on the podcast! She talks about her journey growing up in Toledo, Ohio and attending Catholic school, how she grew out of her shy personality, her first date being at her Senior Prom, having integrity in her reporting, the momentum she felt in TV hosting and setting her sights on going national by age 25, her experience hosting for E! News, Access Hollywood, American Ninja Warrior, and so much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Mike's good friend and talented multi-hyphenate artist Bresha Webb joins the podcast! She chats all about her move from Baltimore to Los Angeles, taking a gap year to figure out her acting goals, attending Cal Arts, finding her grit, working at Costco while handing out promos for her shows, creating her own one woman show, working on Run the World and Meet the Blacks, and so much more!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Robin Thede is on the podcast this week talking about her journey from Iowa to Hollywood, finding your voice in storytelling, the pursuit of your passions and what to pitch when you're given the opportunity, her advice to writers when they receive notes, the challenges of creating a sketch show, and so much more!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this special episode, Mike takes a look back at a few listener favorite episodes from 2024! This year Mike was joined in conversation by an entire roster of talented aritsts that have overcome hurdles to get to where they are today. In this episode, Mike chats about a few favorite moments from this past year and why these particular moments were so impactful. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the podcast, Mike Jackson is joined by Bresha Webb for a special AMA! Bresha moderates questions for Mike submitted by listeners about his own career journey: how he got into the industry, what different producing roles mean, his biggest challenges and successes, his best advice for young people in the entertainment industry, and so much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the podcast, Cory Hardrict joins Mike! He talks about growing up in Chicago, the impact of losing his mom during his formative years, moving to Inglewood with no money, working at Kmart even after booking iconic roles in Never Been Kissed and Crazy Beautiful, the grind of auditioning, the significance of the film Brotherly Love, producing under his banner Hardcor Films, and so much more! Follow Why Not Me podcast on Instagram and Youtube! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the podcast, Kerry Washington joins Mike to talk all about her journey from growing up in the Bronx, to attending a private school and how that shaped her trajectory. She also talks about the impact of finding out her father was not her biological father, the fulfillment she found from playing characters like Olivia Pope in Scandal and Broomhilda von Shaft in Django Unchained, how public perception of her shifted after certain success, working with Reese Witherspoon on Little Fires Everywhere, what she hopes to pass on to her kids, and so much more! Follow Why Not Me podcast on Instagram and Youtube! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stephen A. Smith is on the podcast this week talking all about the difficulty in navigating his complicated family dynamics growing up, what it was like losing a scholarship, his reaction when a mentor told him he was quitting on himself, the importance of learning the value of your word and not wasting someone's time, working for ESPN, and so much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yara Shahidi joins the podcast this week and shares all about her journey from growing up in Minnesota to attending Harvard—a dream she never initially envisioned. She reflects on the life-changing experience of starring in Black-ish, the profound impact the show had on society, and her passion for driving change in her community and beyond. Yara also discusses the lasting influence of Prince on her life, the unwavering support of her family, and the lessons she's learned along the way. Plus, she chats about her new podcast “The Optimist Project." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Leslie Odom Jr. joins the podcast this week! He talks all about how he was only 17 when he was offered a professional job on Broadway, moving from NYC to LA, working with legends like Lin-Manuel Miranda and Kingsley Ben-Adir, what success for his children looks like for him today, how Hamilton shaped not only his career but him as a person, memories from One Night in Miami, his passion for music and writing, and so much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the podcast, the talented Aldis Hodge joins us! He talks about what it was like being raised in New York, the support he always got from his mother, starting in the industry at a young age alongside his brother, being proud of his identity, how actors like The Rock and Kevin Bacon shaped him, his time working on Friday Night Lights, his entrepreneurial spirit, and so much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

La La Anthony joins the podcast this week! She talks all about her journey from radio to film and TV, being told she was at the peak of her career as a young adult working for MTV, her favorite character she's ever played, her book and soon to be TV series, The Love Playbook: Rules for Love, Sex, and Happiness, what makes her feel wealthy (and it's not money!), her non-profit organization ThreeSixty's work rehabilitating young men who are incarcerated at Rikers Island, and so much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Gabby Thomas joins the podcast to share her journey—from moving to an all-white town in Massachusetts as a young girl to attending Harvard, where her coach had a game-changing heart-to-heart with her about running track. She talks about being named Ivy League Most Outstanding Track Performer two years in a row, turning Pro with New Balance, winning medals at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, training in Austin, TX, and so much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jemele Hill joins the podcast to talk all about her tumultuous childhood growing up in Detroit, the “Why not me?” moment she had becoming the only black female sports columnist at a daily newspaper in North America, getting her own show, her new podcast Spolitics, and so much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

D-Nice joins the podcast this week to talk about growing up in New York, encountering fame at a young age and how that shaped him, the support system he had in the entertainment idustry, producing the famous song” Self-Destruction" for the Stop the Violence Movement, what made him start Club Quarantine in 2020, how he continues to evolve as a creative individual and so much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Quincy Isaiah joins the podcast this week to talk about booking the role of Magic Johnson in the HBO series Winning Time, what life was like post-filming, if Magic Johnson signed off on the TV series, understanding the producing process and his interest in directing, valuing therapy and taking care of your mental health, and so much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EMMY-nominated writer, actor, and show runner Diallo Riddle joins the podcast this week. He talks all about the struggle of figuring out how to pay for your life while you're pursuing your art, the confidence of your 20's you can use to your advantage, having faith in your dreams, what it's really like developing a TV show, his excitement for Sherman's Showcase live in Los Angeles, and so much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ALOK joins the podcast to talk about the challenges they've come across as a trans person in the world of comedy, having to constantly prove their work, being disruptive to induce change, the feelings workshops they've led across the world, the value in vulnerability, taking inventory of the cost of not being yourself, crushing on Pedro Pascal, and so much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Roy Wood Jr. joins the podcast to talk about growing up watching his dad work in the radio business and the risks he took to get his own start, what he realized he had to do to stand out in the world where sports commentary meets comedy, what he wants his tombstone to read one day, and so much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael Ealy joins the podcast to talk about his acting journey from New York to LA, following his gut instincts, how fatherhood changed him, landing his breakout role in Barbershop, what it was like for his peers to see him in a new light after one life-changing role, his true thoughts on winning awards, and so much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sanaa Lathan joins the podacst to talk about how she found her path into acting, what it was like training for her role in Love and Basketball, how she wants to touch the world with her art, and so much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jay Ellis joins the podcast to talk about how he went from modeling in NY to acting in LA, what it was like starting out knowing nothing about the entertainment industry, the audition process for his breakout role on the TV show The Game, his experience working with Issa Rae on the TV show Insecure, and so much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Charles D. King joins the podacst to talk about growing up in Georgia, his journey from working as a traveling paper salesman to becoming a junior agent, and later Partner, at WME, starting his company, MACRO, what he thinks it really takes to success in the entertainment industry, and so much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Blake Griffin joins the podcast to talk about what it was like growing up alongside his brother playing basketball, getting drafted in the NBA the same year as his brother, the impact Kobe Bryant had on him, his experience playing for the Clippers, and so much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adrienne Warren joins the podcast to talk about her journey finding her voice as a young artist, what it felt like to attend a school where she was the minority, her life changing experience playing Tina Turner on Broadway and what she learned from the icon herself, her advocacy work and finally getting recognized for making a difference, and so much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shanola Hampton joins the podcast to talk about being raised as a pastor's kid, growing up in South Carolina, what it was like hustling as a bartender even after she booked her role on Shameless, how she gave herself financial stability while pursuing a creative career, the impact her mom had on her, and so much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kelvin Harrison Jr. joins the podcast to talk about the mistakes he made when he first found success as an actor and what he's learned since then, the best advice he got from a co-star, his perspective on continuing to evolve as a person, his role as a producer on future projects, and so much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jurnee Smollett joins the podcast to talk about the support she received from her mother early on in her acting career, what roles gave her a new perspective, how her mother instilled the importance of advocacy and education, what it was like working with Denzel Washington, and so much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gabrielle Union joins the podcast to talk about her early days playing soccer and attending college in Nebraska, how modeling transitioned to her acting career, her experience with sexual assault and how that changed the trajectory of her life, the importance of advocacy, her most meaningful acting roles recently, and so much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Candace Parker joins the podcast to talk about her love for basketball finding her at a young age, how being in a family who also played the sport shaped her, what it meant to win her first WNBA championship, having a winner's mentality, and so much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marlon Wayans joins the podcast to talk about his belief in karma, holding space for our own humanity, how he brings a unique perspective to the projects he works on, forgiving to free yourself from pain, and so much more!

John Legend joins the podcast to talk about his early memories of being drawn to the stage, his experience recording the first album he was ever on, the "why not me?" moment he felt getting a record deal, the world he envisions for his daughters, and so much more!

Join Tony and Emmy award-winning producer Mike Jackson as he brings you captivating conversations with incredible guests from the worlds of film, TV, sports, entertainment, and pop culture. Don't miss new episodes starting June 18th!

Stay tuned and subscribe.