Meet Justin Hart | NAACP Image Award-Winning Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Justin Hart and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Justin, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking

A wise man once said, “The biggest risk is not taking any risk. In a world that’s changing rather quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.” This particular motto was implemented into my life once I sparked interest in the entertainment industry at a very young age. When taking a risk, you’re blindly inserting yourself into a space of “not knowing” but fully enhancing the ideology of “Faith” and trusting the path you created will lead you to your destiny. In 2011, I was a Senior at Middle Tennessee State University and I made a vow to myself to either move to Los Angeles, California, or New York City post-graduation. The summer before I was set to graduate from college, I received an internship for NBCUniversal Syndicated Talk Shows in New York City. At that point in my undergrad chapter, I’d already exceeded the number of internships that a student can take in college, but thanks to my academic counselor at the time, I was able to take part in the internship. Now important note, during that particular time in my life, the closest I’ve ever been to New York was in the family room of my parent’s home during the holiday season as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade broadcasted live on-air. In short terms, I’ve never physically stepped foot inside of the Big Apple. But I was destined to take on this journey because of the vow that I made to myself at the start of my Senior year in college. As the internship quickly approached, I gathered my finances and received a grant that only covered the “housing part” of the internship, and it left me with the responsibility of finding a place to stay on my own. Due to not having family and friends in New York City, I found myself scrolling through “Craigslist” to find a place to reside for the summer. Luckily, I came across a reasonably priced room that was located on the top floor of a family’s home in Connecticut. I know you’re probably thinking, “Wait, you stayed with a group of strangers?” Well, the answer is “yes.” I took a risk and stayed with a group of strangers, who eventually turned into my second family, in order to follow my dreams. During that particular internship, I didn’t have enough money to cover food, and that was perfectly fine because my goal was to leave the city of New York with a job. Thankfully, the “strangers” that opened their door for me, created a space of comfortability that made my experience truly family-oriented while providing a seat for me at the family table. After my internship, I received a job offer to work for NBCUniversal Syndicated Talk Shows as a Production Assistant. As soon I received that offer, immediately, I resulted back to the importance of taking risks. If it wasn’t for my persistency in obtaining the internship, maneuvering through those financial obstacles surrounding housing and food, trusting a family that I never met in my entire being of existence, and simply remembering my overall purpose, this opportunity of a lifetime wouldn’t have presented itself in full-form. With that being said, risk-taking has played a pivotal role in my life. I’ve been a working Producer/Creative in the entertainment industry for 10 years, and trusting the process, even when you can’t see the end of the road, is what led to gaining experience on Emmy Award-winning talk shows, TV Pilots, docuseries along with receiving a plethora of accolades.

Alright, so tell us about your professional background.
I’ve been in Television/Entertainment industry for over 10 years. I received a Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism with a minor in African American Studies from Middle Tennessee State University. After college, I received an opportunity of a lifetime to work on NBC Universal Syndicated Talk Shows such as Maury, Jerry Springer, Trisha, and Steve Wilkos as a Production Assistant in New York. Once I completed my first season at NBC, I was granted with another amazing opportunity to work on a TV Court show pilot called, “Lauren Lake’s Paternity Court,” in Los Angeles California. In 2013, I found myself on a flight to the City of Angles to work on a pilot for 6 months, which turned out to be one of the greatest experiences of my life. After the pilot, the show went on a “hiatus break,” and I was left unemployed for 2 months. This experience introduced me to the reality of surviving in the entertainment industry. While applying for other TV-related jobs, I decided to take on a part-time job as a Sales Associate at American Apparel. This was truly a humbling experience because I went from working on award-winning, ground-breaking talk shows to serving customers at a clothing store. But as a creative, I found excitement and passion in making other people feel good, so I knew there was something divine in my purpose of being a sales associate. After servicing the public for two months, I received two amazing opportunities to produce on Keke Palmer’s Talk Show Pilot and the now Emmy Award-winning daytime talk show, “The Real.” From there, the opportunities were endless. I went on to work on Boris Kodjoe and Nicole Ari Parker’s Talk show, Iyanla: Fix My Life” on Oprah Winfrey’s network, which awarded me with an NAACP Image Award, E! News “Daily Pop” talk show, and now I’m a Supervising Producer on a new streaming network called, “Fox Soul,” where I’ve developed and produced one of the highest-rated talk shows on the platform, “Cocktails with Queens” starring Claudia Jordan, Vivica A. Fox, Syleena Johnson, and LisaRaye McCoy. The journey that was designed for me to experience these amazing opportunities was indeed challenging, but when you’re prepared, persistent and confident in your gift, nothing is impossible. The lessons that I’ve learned throughout my career are to always remain confident in your gift and to remain truthful to the authenticity of yourself. This industry is filled with all types of personalities and you will find that people tend to allow their insecurities to overshadow their gifts, which will lead to others attempting to project their darkness on those who are covered in light.
In addition, it’s important to remain authentic in yourself and your brand. Authenticity is the key to success. Old Hollywood has created a space that’s filled with inauthentic personalities in which people have succumbed to the anxiety of “fitting in.” Just a note, good, authentic people are still winning and yes, we are taking over! As far as my journey, I would like for the world to know that you will be a force to be reckoned with if you focus on crafting your gift, think outside of the box, surround yourself with like-minded individuals, never take “NO” for an answer, be willing to go back to the drawing board, stay prayed up and mediate.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

There are so many festivities taking place throughout the week in Southern California. But If my best friend was visiting Los Angeles, California, I would first take them down to Melrose Avenue where we’d dine in for brunch at the ever so popular, “Blu Jam Cafe.” From there, we’d take a trip to Malibu beach and feel the cool breeze of California brushing against our skin. Afterward, we’d head back to the Hollywood area and catch the Coachella-inspired views of “Catch LA,” and indulge in some happy hour beverages. As dinner hour approaches, we’d head to the Beverly Hills area and enjoy the mouth-watering Italian taste of “II Pastaio.” and we will end the night with the dope sounds of DJ Benjamin Walker at “Bar Harlowe.” For the days to come, I will introduce my friend to the many shopping areas of Los Angeles. From “The Grove,” to the “Fashion Square,” to “Rodeo Drive,” to the “Downtown Fashion District” area; there are several options that will keep your outfits looking trendy and ready for any part of the day.
If my friend is feeling artistic, we’d make reservations at The Broad museum which is filled with beautiful paintings that reflect the world we live in. We’d also take in a little history lesson at the “California African American Museum.”
After a full week of partying, my friend and I will end the trip with some praise and worship at “Faithful Central Bible Church,” which is under the direction of Bishop Kenneth C. Ulmer.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

When it comes to credit and recognition, I’d like to give a special shoutout to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. None of these opportunities would have been possible without the deliverance of my gifts being brought into human form from the man above. I’d like to thank my family and friends for their continuous support and instilling hope in me during those occasions of feeling “hopeless.” I’d like to also give a special shoutout to my amazingly talented mentors that I came in contact with during the various stages of my career. As a collective, these individuals have been a part of the molding process of my evolution and they deserve to be celebrated and recognized throughout my journey.

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Twitter: itsmejhart

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Image Credits
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