Yes, I met Jamie Foxx. He’s an easy-going guy, so I am sure many people have had the pleasure. But what’s cool about it is how his lengthy career means so much to so many people—especially at the high school where I’ll be speaking next week. "When The Hustle Got Serious: Filmmaker Nicole Franklin shares stories on success, losing her apartment and meeting Jamie Foxx” is the title of my career day speech that I’m excited to share with the young performing arts students in my hometown of St. Louis, MO. I enjoy sharing with young people everywhere some lessons on life, ups and downs and the behind-the-scenes mayhem behind my more than 20-years “in the biz.” I have been very blessed to learn so much about turning my ambition into a reality and identifying the resources and people who are crucial to helping you succeed. Also as a landlady who had to move out my own living space within 72 hours, I have a few pointers on how to avoid real estate nightmares but stay on track for wealth-building goals. I have been known to advise others—especially artists with entrepreneurial talents—to purchase property before the age of 30. One clue: it’s not all about the granite countertops. Most of all throughout my journey I think what I have truly learned is that defining success early should be of the upmost importance. It probably took a full decade of my life, during the time when I was young and hungry for experience in my 20s, to realize success is not measured by monetary standards. Social currency is what counts. Making a difference with the gifts one is given actually keeps the world in motion. That’s what counts. And then when you do figure out that you’re ready to pass the baton, you know that you have achieved what you were put here to do. There are dreams that now need my support. There is an epiphany I had not expected. The dreams of future generations are what my dream has been about all along.
Production still from "Journeys In Black: the Jamie Foxx Biography" (BET, November 2001), produced/directed/edited by Nicole Franklin.