Urban Freedom Magazine Fall2016 "The New Black Wall St" Vol1 | Page 25

Does your success have a positive or negative effect on your love life? I would say negative. Not only because I am super busy as far as giving individual time, but also working with a lot of females and the stories that I tell. Trust can become an issue. But for me it's professional. Have you ever gotten involved with someone you were working with? Yes, I have but it was short lived because we both wanted to maintain a professional relationship. What do you look for in a woman? I look for substance and depth. I like a woman who knows what she wants and makes a daily effort to obtain it. She has to stimulate me mentally. Support my work and motivate me, but also maintain a life of her own. How does your family feel about your preferences? They aren't too keen. They respect my lifestyle but if they had their choice I would be with a man. But it's been over 10 years so they're used to it. I've even brought women around them. The show has a lot of love scenes. I can only imagine the aura it creates on set. Women are naturally intense. Women are intense, but love scenes are quite awkward to lm. The cast makes it look great on lm but they all struggle to be comfortable with those scenes. So in your book “Silence”, everything seems centered around KJ. How much do you relate to your main character? A lot of ways. I've always center characters around myself. I just embellish to tell a good story. KJ and I relate because she's found herself creatively but she's having trouble nding love and staying in a committed relationship. What's the screening process when it comes to your production company? Pitch me. Email ideas or stories and we can set up a one on one. Once we are face to face I literally pick their brains and if interested we move forward with production, marketing, etc. What projects can we expect from you in the future? I have a few short lms, I'm directing a documentary, and hopefully another season of NYGTV. I am also writing my memoirs and have been for a couple of years. Do you have a list of people you have always dreamed of working with? Oh, there's so many. Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long, Shonda Rhimes, I would love to write something with her, and Angelina Jolie. That's what I can think of off top If you could get one message across to your fans, what would it be? Never doubt yourself. I actually see a lot of motivational quotes like that on your Instagram. Yes, I try to be inspirational. Not just for myself but for others. It could be something I know I really need to hear, but others might be feeling the exact same thing. Amira's book is on sale on Amazon (hardcopy and ebook) and catch up on her web series on YouTube right now. https://www.youtube.com/user/NewYorkGirlsTV https://www.amazon.com/Silence-Complete-Journey-Amira-Shaunice/ 23