The OG Episode! Meet your co-hosts Kaia Alexander and Sylvia Franklin, who share a mighty passion for the gems of wisdom to be found in the entertainment business. As Sylvia says, "The entertainment business is a BUSINESS." It's imperative that above-the-line creatives understand how to navigate the challenging and ever-changing landscape of the industry for a life-long lucrative career. You have to know what mistakes to avoid, and also how the industry has shifted- and is continuing to shift. As both a woman and a black writer/producer, Sylvia brings her experience from the WGA in this crucial turning point year for writers, and Kaia puts on her development exec hat and digs in on how the business has changed for creatives, and how imperative it is for creatives to really understand business, from contracts, to negotiating, networking and more.

About Kaia Alexander

Kaia Alexander is the CEO and founder of the Entertainment Business League and Entertainment Business School for above the line creatives to learn about the business. Now a producer | writer | director, she began her industry career as a development executive on the feature films JUST FRIENDS, PEACEFUL WARRIOR and THE GOOD NIGHT. She was mentored by comedian Garry Shandling and novelist Tom Robbins. She’s an award-winning author for her historical novel Written in the Ashes about the burning of the Great Library of Alexandria (Harper Collins, 2016). Kaia is a passionate advocate for gender and racial parity in the business, and she created a free virtual group for women writers called Writing with Kaia that has members in 30+ countries. As an animal lover, mom, and native of Southern California, there’s always a surfboard (or two) on Kaia’s car. She’s proud to be the BQ in LGBTQ. You can find out more about Kaia on her IMDB and at www.KaiaAlexander.com

About Sylvia Franklin

h Sylvia Franklin has spent the last decade honing her storytelling, producing, programming, strategic marketing and analytical skills in virtually every facet of media. Franklin is a leader in the Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) – where she served as Chair of the Committee of Black Writers. She has been president of the Organization of Black Screenwriters (OBS), and a member of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ). She recently co-wrote an episode for the 2021 ABC drama, WOMEN OF THE MOVEMENT, currently in post-production. Franklin’s credits include work on network TV dramas including ABC’s THE ROOKIE, SHOWTIME’s THE CHI, OWN’s CHERISH THE DAY, FOX’s PRISON BREAK, TNT’s RIZZOLI & ISLES and WGN America’s OUTSIDERS. The native Chicagoan was a 2004 finalist in the Disney-ABC Writing Fellowship, and a semi-finalist 2012. She’s also worked as a producer for Red Dust Studios, a video game company. Further, Franklin is the co-producer of the award-winning indie feature THINGS NEVER SAID (available on Amazon). A visionary entrepreneur, she has a plan for writers and creatives who need affordable housing in the entertainment industry. You can find out more about Sylvia on her IMDB.