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For each day in the month of February, the African American Steering Committee will be highlighting Local 700’s African American members, both past and present, and their accomplishments. We look forward to showing the contributions and influences African Americans have had on the industry.
Name: Telon Weathington
What’s your job? Logger and Casting Associate Producer
List the credits you’re most proud of. “SuperSoul Sunday,” “The Queen Latifah Show,” “Married at First Sight,” “Shark Tank,” “Big Brother,” “Ready to Love,” “Put a Ring on It”
What are you working on right now? I am currently a Logger on “Celebrity Big Brother 3. I’m also casting two development projects for Bravo and I’m putting on my producer hat for a short film.
What books are you reading, shows are you watching and/or movies you’re excited about? My favorite shows to watch right now are: “The Righteous Gemstones, ”“Love Life, “12 Dates of Christmas,” “The Servant,” “Truth Be Told,” “Abbott Elementary,” “Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller,” “The Food that Built America” and “Shark Tank.” My guilty pleasure is “Too Hot to Handle.” The upcoming films I’m excited about this year are: “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” “Jurassic World Dominion,” “Lightyear,” “Thor: Love and Thunder,” “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore,” “Nope,” “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” and “Avatar 2.”
What would be your superhero name? My spirit animal is a bird. I’m wise like an owl, as joyful as a hummingbird, able to adapt like a crow, as noble as a falcon, mysterious like a cardinal, productive like a sparrow, and as lucky as a swan. My superhero name would be Marilyn Byrd.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given? Growing up my father always taught me the importance of keeping my word because it is bond. I believe because he instilled that in me at such a young age I grew up to be a very responsible, timely and considerate person. This advice has helped me in my professional and personal life. My friends will tell you I’m always that you can count on me friend! I follow through! My mother always taught me the importance of being kind, compassionate and giving because you never know what is going on with the person across from you. I consider myself to be a very empathetic person because I know kindness can heal what is broken.
If you could time travel, when would you go and why? This has always been such a tough question for me. When I start to think about all the horrific things that black people have had to endure in this country throughout the years, it just makes me want to stay in the time I’m currently in.
What’s a little known fact about you? What are your hidden (or not so hidden) talents? I have won tens of thousands of dollars in sweepstakes prizes in the past 15 years and I play competitive tennis in an USTA League. I’m also a huge foodie and I love to cook and bake. If I wasn’t working in the entertainment industry I would want to work in the food industry in some capacity. I currently run a Trader Joe’s Fan Page on Instagram (@traderjoeswoahs). On the page I write reviews and share ideas on how to use some of their products. In the future I would love to start another foodie page to share recipe ideas and do food/beverage/product reviews.
What’s your favorite (Black) television/movie moment? I have so many favorite black television/movie moments! The one that sticks out most recently is Chadwick Boseman’s explosive monologue in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”
Was there a television show/movie that inspired you to pursue your career? There isn’t any particular television show/movie that inspired me to pursue my career. Growing up I was really into the talk show genre. I loved watching “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” “Geraldo” and “Montell.” In undergrad I graduated with a Broadcast Journalism and Ethnic Studies degree because I wanted to work in talk or news. It was during my time I went to film school for my MFA in TV/Film producing did I realized how much I also really loved reality tv and film. Over the years I’ve been blessed with opportunities to work in both talk and reality tv genres. I’ve finally found my niche in reality television casting, but I’m hoping to also produce my own projects and cast scripted projects in the future.
What would be your dream project to work on? When I first started out in the industry it was a dream of mine to be able to work with Oprah Winfrey in some capacity. My dream became a reality when I was hired to work on the show “SuperSoul Sunday” in 2016. During my time in production I met Oprah and visited her residence a couple of times. Now that I’ve checked that box, I am looking forward to being able to eventually cast and produce my own projects.
What’s your personal/professional mantra? My current circumstances are a gift to help me grow.
What’s the last show/movie that left you speechless? I recently binge watched “The White Lotus” and I did not expect the very bizarre and shocking ending in the season finale. I don’t want to give it away, so if you wanna be left speechless watch “The White Lotus.”
Credits include “Super Soul Sunday,” “The Queen Latifiah Show,” and “Shark Tank”
