MADE FEATURES
movie all the way up to now, from the set
of Being Mary Jane to everything that I’ve
produced in between, I’ve used some of
those analytical skills that I’ve learned from
my engineering career.
MADE: For those entrepreneurs who read our
magazine, what advice can you give for
managing a team and being able to work with
several different types of people to execute
one goal?
My drive
always
allowed me
to go after
anything,
and it
always
forced me to
give 110%.”
MADE: While pursuing your college
degree and having a passion for producing,
how did you use the skillset of electrical
engineering to transition into film?
WP: It’s really different, but it
prepared me in a strange way. I majored
in engineering because I was really
adept at math and science and I got a
full ride scholarship to FAMU to study
engineering. And that’s what I did, I took
advantage of that opportunity to have my
college career covered. But I knew that
wasn’t my passion and I found my
passion along the way when I made my
first movie Chocolate City. The
interesting thing about it is that even
when I made that first independent
WP: I would tell them that leadership is
extremely important and there are several
qualities that you must have if you’re going
to be a successful leader. One is definitely
people management. You have to be able to
have a diverse team with a variety of
perspectives, personalities, people with
different backgrounds, different views of the
world, and different energy. Everybody’s not
gonna be the same, everybody’s not gonna
be you and everybody might not get along.
And that’s okay because you don’t always
necessarily need that for your team to be
efficient. As a leader, you have to put the
efficiency of the team above everything else.
You want to be able to manage conflicts.
Conflict resolution is another very important
skill - it’s going to happen. You’re going to
have issues internally and externally with
your team. The way that you manage those
conflicts will make all the difference in terms
of the levels of success that you are able to
attain. Also, you have to make sure that you
are hands-on, dealing with people in a way
that makes them feel good to be a part of
your team. Do not micro-manage because
you have to put smart, qualified people in
positions and let them do what they do.
MADE: So how do you get your vision across
while ensuring your team stays in line with
what they are supposed to deliver?
WP: Yeah, it sucks sometimes because you
have visions and they might not have one.
One great skill of a leader (and something
I try to practice on a daily basis) is getting
others to see that - especially in the film
industry, but this is applicable across multiple
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