“I think it starts with... how bad do you want the dream?” said Director Robert Townsend as he shared how he went from the Chicago kid with the nickname “TV Guide” due to his encyclopedic knowledge of what was on television when he was growing up, to his present status as a multifaceted icon.
In an evening full of heartfelt and often hilarious tales, a packed DGA Los Angeles theater audience gathered in his honor on August 3 as the African American Steering Committee (AASC) hosted special evening to celebrate the Director, Writer, Actor, Producer and Comedian who reshaped the indie film scene in 1987 when, with a few credit cards and a dream, he brought to life the sensational feature, Hollywood Shuffle.
After a performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by Actor/Singer Chaz Shepherd, DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter welcomed the attendees and spoke about the work of the AASC before turning her attentions to Townsend.
“You are going to hear so many wonderful things about Robert Townsend tonight. And the one throughline you will hear from everyone is how his career has had such an incredible impact – inspiring the many Directors who followed in his footsteps. His portfolio spans heartfelt dramas, superhero tales, and historical pieces. But Robert's impact goes well beyond his impressive body of work. His unwavering commitment to diversity and nurturing new talent are a huge and important part of his enduring legacy.”
AASC Co-Chairs Jeffrey W. Byrd, Princess Monique and Gina Prince-Bythewood then took the stage to salute Townsend and speak about the Committee’s rich history and invited members to join them in its ongoing mission to address the specific needs of the African American members of the Guild.
The audience then viewed a retrospective reel about Townsend’s work, directed and introduced by AASC Director Category Representative/Activities & Events Subcommittee Co-Chair Abdul Malik Abbott. The video featured an interview with Townsend conducted by Director Dianah Wynter.
Taking the stage to speak about working with Townsend or having been inspired by him, Director Christopher Storer (The Bear), Costume Designer Ruth E. Carter (The Five Heartbeats), Director Cord Jefferson (American Fiction), Cinematographer Bill Dill (B*A*P*S), Composer Stephen James Taylor (Holiday Heart), and Actors Hawthorne James (The Five Heartbeats), Bobby McGee (The Parent 'Hood), Joseph Sikora (Power Book IV: Force), Recoe Walker (The Five Heartbeats) and Damon Wayans (Hollywood Shuffle), all entertained and enlightened the audience with different aspects of Townsend’s background.
AASC Co-Chair alternate Eric Deane Seaton introduced the video tributes from colleagues and collaborators who were unable to attend including Directors Salim Akil, Bill Duke, Malcolm D. Lee and Carl Seaton, Producer Mara Brock Akil and Actors Morris Chesnut, Regina Hall, Loretta Devine and Ayo Edebiri.
Following a final musical performance by Shepherd, Townsend came onstage to engage in an introspective look at his career in conversation moderated by Co-Chair Prince-Bythewood.
During the discussion Townsend covered topics from his filmmaking influences including Sidney Poitier, Norman Jewison and Elia Kazan, to how he was inspired to take a gamble on himself and make Hollywood Shuffle after a humiliating and racist audition for a stereotypical role and he turned to his friend, Keenan Ivory Wayans and said, “We gotta’ make our movies or we gonna’ die doing this.”
Sharing part of his survival secrets for longevity in the business, he admitted, “I've learned to ride the wave whatever happens. I don't look at anything as bad. It took me three years to get The Five Heartbeats made. It wasn't ready to be born. Obstacles are potential opportunities, so I never look at the negative. I know how to do comedy. I know how to do drama. So, I just want to run my race and I don't look at it from a negative. Everything is timing.”
In closing, he offered a piece of advice to every creative in the room looking to follow in his footsteps and live their dreams. “The only thing that can stop you now is fear. Be fearless.”
At the end of the discussion, Townsend was presented with a commemorative gift from the Committee before everyone adjourned for a post-event reception in the DGA Lobby.
Since making his directorial debut with the indie sensation Hollywood Shuffle in 1987, some of Townsend’s directorial credits include the features The Five Heartbeats, Holiday Heart, Playin’ for Love, In the Hive and Meteor Man; the special Carmen: A Hip Hopera; and episodes of Power Book IV: Force, Kaleidoscope, The Best Man: The Final Chapters, The Wonder Years, Colin in Black & White, The Last O.G., Black Lightning, American Soul, and Diary of a Single Mom. Townsend has been a DGA member since 1986 and previously served as an alternate on the Western Directors Council.
Townsend joins an esteemed group of leading African American Directors previously honored by the AASC including Kasi Lemmons, Debbie Allen, Maya Angelou, Paris Barclay, Lee Daniels, Ivan Dixon, Bill Duke, F. Gary Gray, Eric Laneuville, Stan Lathan, Gordon Parks, Sidney Poitier, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Richard Pryor, Michael Schultz, Oz Scott, Tim Story and Melvin Van Peebles. The Townsend tribute was directed by Fay Hauser-Price with Stage Managers Jeff Arnold and Anthony Kinniebrew.
See videos from this event in the gallery below.
About the Committee:
The African American Steering Committee (AASC) was born of a desire to address the specific needs of the African-American members of the Directors Guild. One of the primary goals of the Committee is to establish a productive line of communication between African-American members and the creative community. The Committee meets monthly to plan events throughout the year celebrating the achievements of African-Americans, as well as forums with industry executives to proactively address what can be done to hire more African-Americans.