Q & A with Claude Brooks, Creator of Hip Hop Harry

1. Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that happened to you since you started your company?

I received an email from a mother of a child who loves watching Hip Hop Harry on YouTube. She said she could never get her 6 yr old son to understand the importance of washing his hands, but after he saw the episode about why you should wash your hands, he now sings the song “Wash Up Wash Down” and wants to wash his hands all of the time. At first she couldn’t get her son to wash his hands, and now she can’t get him to stop! She asked if we can do an episode about OCD. 

2. What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

What makes C To The B Productions stand out from other production companies? Well our point of view with most of our projects incorporates Hip Hop culture. Being born and raised in Harlem NYC, Hip Hop culture and music was and still is an integral soundtrack to my life. Early in my career, one of the first shows I Executive Produced and co-created is called “Lyricist Lounge” for MTV. It was a groundbreaking sketch comedy show. Some of the sketches were done completely in rap. This was the first time rap was used a narrative/dialogue to tell story. We had guest stars like Snoop Dogg, Mos Def and Common. Though I have not spoke to Lin Manuel Miranda, the creator of Hamilton, I’m sure he was influenced by “Lyricist Lounge.” It is awesome to see the evolution of something I was part of starting. The future of using rap as story telling device is in good hands.

3. None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are?

The person I am most grateful towards for helping me achieve the success I have in this business is my mother. My mother, Marie Brooks, was a single mother to four children and watching her juggle everything to give us all a quality life inspired me to do my best in whatever I pursued. At the age of eight, I told my mother that I wanted to act. We happened to run across meeting a manager who was interested in representing me. I made a deal with my mother to let me go on three auditions. If I didn’t book anything, that would be the end of my acting career. Well fortunately for me, I booked all three auditions: The Wiz, a Burger King and Underoos commercial! My mom did not have the time to take me on my auditions, so she taught me how to take the New York City trains. At the early age of eight, I was taking the train by myself to auditions. That might be considered child neglect now, but it was child empowerment back then.

 Thanks Mom! Love you for life!!!

 

4. What are things you wish someone told you before you started your business and why.

I wish someone told me before I started in this business how to deal with disrespectful people. I saw early on in my career people in “power” positions like Directors and Producers treat people on the set with no respect. It took awhile for me to understand that people who generally act like that come from place of insecurities. My instinct was to avoid people who acted out like that. Then I learned that you can make clear what your boundaries are without fighting fire with fire. Most people respect people who make their boundaries clear. Later in my career, a couple of the obnoxious Directors and Producers apologized for their behavior in the past. It is good to see that some people can change. 

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