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We welcomed author and journalist Thomas Golianopoulos to the studio to talk Singleton's sophomore effort, Poetic Justice (1993) and Golianopoulos' biographical work, The Life of Singleton: From Boyz in the Hood to Snowfall. After exploding on to the scene with his directorial debut, Boyz in the Hood (1991`), John Singleton approached his second film with new perspective on a familiar setting — South Central LA through the eyes of Justice, a young salon worker grieving the death of her boyfriend. In this episode we discuss how Thomas researched the Singleton's professional and personal life, his inspiration and process, the tension on set between Janet and Tupac, and how the world reacted to this Poetic Justice as the next step in Singleton's career. Our recommendations: Baby Boy (2001), Rye Lane (2023) Buy The Life of Singleton here: https://www.amazon.com/Life-Singleton-Boyz-Hood-Snowfall/dp/1368095941 For more on Thomas and his work, follow him on IG @golianopoulos or visit: https://golianopoulos.com/ Support the show with a Ko-fi! ko-fi.com/blackgirlfilmclub Check out the rest of our socials at linktr.ee/blackgirlfilmclub
John Singleton was twenty-three when he wrote Boyz N the Hood and twenty-four when it made him the first Black filmmaker and youngest person ever nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director. Released in 1991, the film drew from Singleton's own upbringing in South Central Los Angeles to deliver an unflinching portrait of Black life there, launched the careers of Ice Cube, Morris Chestnut, and Nia Long, and established Singleton as one of the most important voices in American cinema. Over the next three decades he directed Poetic Justice, Higher Learning, Shaft, and Four Brothers, and served as a producer on Hustle & Flow and the FX series Snowfall, which was still in production when he died of a stroke in 2019 at age fifty-one.The Life of Singleton: From Boyz N the Hood to Snowfall by journalist Thomas Golianopoulos draws on nearly 400 original interviews to document Singleton's full arc — his years as a driven film student at USC, his rapid ascent in Hollywood, his complicated personal life, and his final years. Published by Andscape Books in 2025, the biography traces how Singleton's commitment to putting authentic Black stories on screen shaped an industry and inspired generations of filmmakers. Mike talks with Golianopoulos about his four years reporting the book and the life of Hollywood's first self-proclaimed hip-hop director.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth-podcast--5513239/support.Become a supporter of The Projection Booth at http://www.patreon.com/projectionbooth
John Singleton was twenty-three when he wrote Boyz N the Hood and twenty-four when it made him the first Black filmmaker and youngest person ever nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director. Released in 1991, the film drew from Singleton's own upbringing in South Central Los Angeles to deliver an unflinching portrait of Black life there, launched the careers of Ice Cube, Morris Chestnut, and Nia Long, and established Singleton as one of the most important voices in American cinema. Over the next three decades he directed Poetic Justice, Higher Learning, Shaft, and Four Brothers, and served as a producer on Hustle & Flow and the FX series Snowfall, which was still in production when he died of a stroke in 2019 at age fifty-one.The Life of Singleton: From Boyz N the Hood to Snowfall by journalist Thomas Golianopoulos draws on nearly 400 original interviews to document Singleton's full arc — his years as a driven film student at USC, his rapid ascent in Hollywood, his complicated personal life, and his final years. Published by Andscape Books in 2025, the biography traces how Singleton's commitment to putting authentic Black stories on screen shaped an industry and inspired generations of filmmakers. Mike talks with Golianopoulos about his four years reporting the book and the life of Hollywood's first self-proclaimed hip-hop director.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth-podcast--5513239/support.Become a supporter of The Projection Booth at http://www.patreon.com/projectionbooth
If you'd like to see full video of this and other episodes, join the Reel Notes Patreon at the Homie ($5/month) tier or higher. Each episode is also available to buy individually for $5 (BUY IT THROUGH A WEB BROWSER OR THE PATREON ANDROID APP, NOT VIA THE PATREON iOS APP. YOU'LL GET CHARGED EXTRA MONEY AND IT WILL TAKE LONGER TO PROCESS.) You also get early access to episodes, an invite to our Discord server, access to the Reel Talk movie night archives, and more!My guest this week is New York journalist and author, Thomas Golianopoulos. We spoke about watching movies on cable, the virtues of the movie theater experience, a handful of moments from his career as a journalist for outlets like Complex, Pitchfork, and Grantland, all things John Singleton—from his films to his personal life and as much as we could fit into this conversation—and the creative process behind Golianopoulos's debut book, The Life of Singleton: From Boyz N The Hood to Snowfall, out now via AndScape Books and Penguin House Publishing. Come fuck with us.My first book, Reel Notes: Culture Writing on the Margins of Music and Movies, is available now, via 4 PM Publishing. Order a digital copy on Amazon.Reel Notes stands in solidarity with American immigrants against ICE and the oppressed peoples of Palestine, Congo, Sudan, Tigray, and Haiti. Please consider donating to the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, the Palestine Children's Relief Fund, The Palestinian Youth Movement, The Zakat Foundation, HealAfrica, FreeTigray, and/or Hope For Haiti. Protest, fight back, and fuck the system.Follow me on Instagram (@cinemasai), Twitter (@CineMasai_), TikTok (@cinemasai), Letterboxd (@CineMasai), and subscribe to my weekly Nu Musique Friday newsletter to stay tapped in to all things Dylan Green. Follow Hearing Things at hearingthings.co or @hearingthingsco on all platforms. Support the show
Hilary and Jon sit down to chat all things HOPE Week as well as Hilary's story in the June issue about Yankees players and their foundations. Then hear interviews with CC Sabathia, Luis Severino and Brett Gardner. Finally, editor Thomas Golianopoulos joins the pod to discuss his feature about an upcoming Chien-Ming Wang documentary.
Hilary and Jon sit down to chat all things HOPE Week as well as Hilary's story in the June issue about Yankees players and their foundations. Then hear interviews with CC Sabathia, Luis Severino and Brett Gardner. Finally, editor Thomas Golianopoulos joins the pod to discuss his feature about an upcoming Chien-Ming Wang documentary.
Hilary and Jon sit down to chat all things HOPE Week as well as Hilary’s story in the June issue about Yankees players and their foundations. Then hear interviews with CC Sabathia, Luis Severino and Brett Gardner. Finally, editor Thomas Golianopoulos joins the pod to discuss his feature about an upcoming Chien-Ming Wang documentary.
Visit kitodelgado.com for complete show notes. Thomas Golianopoulos is a writer and editor living in New York City. He has contributed to the New York Times, Grantland, BuzzFeed, Pitchfork, and the Ringer. 3 KEY HIGHLIGHTS 1. Thomas is the son of two immigrant parents who wanted him to pursue the secure career of a teacher. He shares why he chose a different path and how they reacted to it. 2. Thomas believes structure is the most important element of writing a story. "I'm big into outlines." 3. Thomas reveals what makes someone a great writer- they combine instincts, structure, and sentences