Hollywood producer Debra Martin Chase almost quit 10 years ago. But Vernon Jordan convinced her to hold on

“That was a time when no one was interested in making television or movies about women, women of color, people of color. It just wasn’t happening,” Chase said in an interview on Main Stage. Ta. luckThe Most Powerful Women Summit was held Tuesday in Laguna Niguel, California. “When I went there and pitched my product, people’s eyes would roll.”

It was a tough pill to swallow for Chase, who says she has dedicated her career in the entertainment industry to bringing diversity to the screen. She wanted to influence culture and industry.

“Then all of a sudden I found myself throwing things at the wall,” Chase said. “It didn’t make sense to me. And if it didn’t make sense to me, I couldn’t sell it.” At that point, she said, the universe told her that this was what she was doing well in the entertainment industry. I thought. At that point, she had been with Disney for 20 years, but the people who were personally invested in her were “long gone.”

At that point, she was considering exploring other options, such as film finance or law (she earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School). But her longtime friend Vernon Jordan Jr. convinced her to stick with it. Jordan was an American business executive and civil rights lawyer, a close aide to President Bill Clinton, and an executive director of the federal government. National Urban League. He passed away at the age of 85 in March 2021 at his home in Washington, DC. Chase had known him since he was 18 years old.

He was “an expert on life and knew me very well,” Chase said. “He sat there and listened to me pour my heart out, and he looked at me and said, ‘You’re too old to do anything else. You can’t.’

But Jordan also told Chase: We need to think about how to make it work. ” It was a slap in the face for Chase and kept her on the path to filmmaking, as she literally demonstrated on stage.

Sisterhood is the key to survival in the entertainment business

In addition to Jordan’s advice, Chase and fellow panelists Parna Igbokwe, chairman of Universal Studios Group, and founding partners of entertainment law firm Del Shaw, Nina Shaw, Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein, and Rezukano; -Bob and Dan said there is another key to success in Hollywood. : Sisterhood.

“These women literally supported me. I know we supported each other,” Chase said.

And these three women have long supported each other. Shaw first met Chase when she was Summer Clerk and Chase was a paralegal. And they were friends of Anita Hill. Anita Hill was a famous lawyer who first came to prominence after testifying during the 1991 Senate confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominees. Clarence Thomas was accused of sexual harassment. Hill was also a summer clerk at the time.

“We were three black women,” Chase said, adding that she also met Igbokwe early in her career and the two of them now work together. Igbokwe has currently directed over 100 projects on over 25 platforms around the world, resulting in hits such as; law and order and hack. “It’s a sisterhood.”

Chase also discovered other notable writers, producers, and actors, including Shonda Rhimes, Anne Hathaway, Blake Lively, and Jesse Williams. Shaw credits Chase with introducing her to musician John Legend, who is now her client. Legend’s producing partner contacted Chase one night to find a lawyer, and Shaw happened to be in the car with Chase that night. That night, the two headed to Legend’s house and signed him to a contract. This led to other key connections for Shaw, including Quinta Branson, creator of the hit TV show. abbott elementary school.

These three women are dominating the entertainment industry, but none of their paths have been linear or easy.

“I tell people that I have been an overnight sensation for 30 years,” Igbok said. “When I took on the role of chairman, [people said] She appeared out of nowhere. For some, that was the perception. For me, it was working steadily in business. ”