'Managing The Malcolms' TV Show to Premiere Soon

I believe there is a strong demand for quality television and movies that the whole family can enjoy.  "Managing the Malcolms" promises to be such a program.  I love the premise of the show as it revolves around a close knit family working to break into the music industry. This MTM premiere is coming soon to a television network near you. Follow the show on Facebook or EnjoyGram where more details will be revealed in the future.

To me our talents are a responsibility. We need to develop them and then use them to bless others. The writer and director of Managing the Malcolms, Lisa Harrison Jackson, recognizes her talent as a gift of God. Her faith is reflected in her work and how she conducts herself in her daily walk.

The cast of Managing the Malcolms (courtesy of UHEG).

Lisa started writing during her early grade school years.  I observed her poetry notebook in one of our classes together in high school. I would not say that Lisa was enigmatic as she was friendly and genuine. Yet, I was very curious about her talent. This would be years before I would identify myself as someone who writes poetry.

I did not have an opportunity to read Lisa’s poetry then. I have read samples of her writing style of one of her published novels and like how she uses rich description to create scenes that draw me into the story.

Lisa and her husband Nathaniel Jackson founded Up High Arts and Entertainment Group as a means to edify their audiences and impact future generations through books, plays and film. Together they have produced seven plays. I know of at least three novels written by Lisa. Through this Christian based entertainment company, they are magnifying their talents.

Q:  Why did you start UP High Arts and Entertainment Group (UHEG)?
A:  I sort of slipped into entertainment outside of writing books by accident. I was gifting a copy of my first book, "At Last" to my pastors at the time when they asked me to adapt it into a stage play to put on at the church. I had no knowledge or training in the theater, but I did my due diligence and studied--hard. My first production company was called Takin' it 2 The Streets Productions, but when we began embarking upon television and film, we decided that we needed a name that would embrace the whole brand. Up High actually denotes the source of my inspiration and that is the Lord above.

Q:  I am excited to hear that "Managing the Malcoms" will premiere on television soon. Is this a comedy or a drama or both?
A:  We are equally excited about premiering it for television. "Managing the Malcolms" actually came to me when we were friends with a family that was trying to break into the music business. We witnessed the hard work they had to put in addition to the ups and downs. In the midst of it all, it was their humorous approach to their work that made me want to create a show. They were not interested in the concept so I wrote out an outline and held onto it and five years later, here we are.

Q:  I read that the characters in the series are trying to make it in the industry while not forgetting what is most important. Can you elaborate on this?
A:  The whole essence of the show is family. The Malcolms are a close knit bunch, who has dreams of sharing their gifts to sing with the world. The series will show how each member navigates through life and fame.

Q:  What kinds of characters in books, plays or movies do you find to be the most interesting?
A:  I like characters that have depth, and passion for whatever it is that they do. I like uncovering who they are with each turn of a page. One dimensional characters are boring. I love actors who can take any character and make him or her come to life. Actors like Viola Davis, Meryl Streep are my favorites now.

Q:  What was it like growing up in a big family?
A:  Crowded. Lol. It was fun. Could be annoying, but I always had a playmate. My dad is an ex-Marine and had to be strong and orderly to keep up on track. It was never chaotic.

Q:  Can you tell us a little about your husband and children?
A:  My husband, Nate is a great guy. We will be approaching 19 years of marriage this July. He is very patient. (had to be with my career) and he pushes me to do my best and not give up. My girls, Chandler and McKinley are the sweetest girls ever! While I am the writer and creator of my projects, We all play a big part in the business. Nate manages the projects, my oldest Chandler is like my social media maven and McKinley is the cheerleader who keeps up prayed up.

Q:  How did your … formal educational experiences help you become the writer that you are today?
A:  I have been writing since 4th grade and have been blessed to have teachers who saw the potential in me. When I obtained my bachelor's in communications, I specifically wanted to get a grasp on journalistic writing because all of my other forms had been fiction. When I obtained my master's degree, I wanted to expand on my writing through literature.

Q:  Do you have an excerpt of a … recent poem that you could share?
A:   I really don't write poems, but here is a snip of a spoken word piece that I received in a dream. It’s called "Little Sister, Little Sister":

Little Sister Little sister, why do you look in the mirror?
With eyes full of tears as you try to compare,
yourself,
with other girls from magazine and videos
You're a perfect little princess the way you are, don't you know?
Beauty is
In the eye of the beholder
Listen to me now before you get older
And already have begun to believe the hype
Believing that you are some unusual type
which you are
He created you like that
Peculiar is what His kids are known as...
(This is only an excerpt of the poem)

Thank you Lisa! I have wanted to reconnect with Lisa for several years. I had seen that she had published books in High School Alum news. I did not know about her recent works or the soon to premiere television show.  I had tried to find her on social media for about the last four years. A few weeks back, I did a search and suddenly I found here. Yes, sometimes timing is everything…

-population-we™ blog post by Barb Bohan

© 2014 population-we, LL
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