SHIBON KENNEDY

Tamu McPherson:

Welcome to the Shibon Kennedy Show.

Shibon Kennedy:

Thank you for joining me today, to my wonderful show. 

Tamu McPherson:

I am so happy to be here with you. You know, I flew in a couple days ago to film our episode, and sometimes I get really nervous and concerned about my energy flow, but you walked in today and I was like, I'm in good hands. I'm just gonna hand over the steering wheel.

Shibon Kennedy:

Pedal to the metal, babe. Yes, I've got this, we've got this. It's a safe space always with me. 

Tamu McPherson:

So this is a mega week for you. Your new film premiered this week? 

Shibon Kennedy:

I just have to cut you off though. Because it's not a premier, it was a screening, so it actually technically–and then we'll get to what it all is–but it was premiered technically last summer. NBA TV bought the rights.

Tamu McPherson:

Oh my gosh, congrats. Congrats. 

Shibon Kennedy:

And I don't know too many people–I mean, I'm sure I actually do–but I don't know outwardly too many people have NPA TV membership, so NeueHouse came around in situation where we could screen it there, and it was really amazing. The film is called We Are the W, it's for the WNBA. 

Tamu McPherson:

So how did you connect with this theme? 

Shibon Kennedy:

I have a co-director–her name is Katie McCurdy, and she emailed me Summer of 2019 and, you know, we'd been directing some shorts at that time. And she sent it to me and I literally thought, I can tell this story. 

I can tell the story, you know, I played all the sports as a kid. I'm Black, and I was a kid that didn't see a lot of people that look like me. And I'm thinking of a league that's underrepresented and underserviced and undervalued and I'm just immediately like, I can tell the story. And it was a bit of a different film back then. It was about more of the Olympics that the women's national team in basketball is the most consecutive gold-winning team in modern history. But no one knows that. 

Our first weekend lensing was the beginning of the pandemic–came back to a whole changed world. So, you know, two years later, we now have a totally different film and a different concept. 

Tamu McPherson:

 

What does filming a film, producing a film, registering a film –

Shibon Kennedy:

composing a film – 

Tamu McPherson:

- composing a film mean during the pandemic?

Shibon Kennedy:

Well, when we first lens it was All Star Weekend 2020, and I was obviously hearing what was going on in the world and we were cautious, but it wasn't like a whole thing yet. When we came back, and the pandemic really happened, and then George Floyd and all these things it was like… I didn't know if I actually could make a film at that point. We'd already started lensing, but I was not in the space to at all be creative or have output or anything. I was just in pain, you know, I was going through some personal stuff too. So, the combination was just too much. And then honestly it took about two years, a year and a half, of delving within myself, having conversations within myself and being like, looking at this league that was so inspiring, and really changing the dialogue globally with their actions. 

You know, Angel McCoughtry putting the Breonna Taylor name on the jerseys. Things like that would make me think, these women are showing up. So I need to show up in the way that I could. So I came back to it and reworked it a million times and then leading into beginning of 2022, which was also a different world, it had evolved a bit. Things were a bit calmer. It was still stressful, because at times I think one person's family member caught COVID, and we might have to cancel, and we had three players, very specific times we had to shoot. So, it wasn't easy. 

Tamu McPherson:

Who are those three players? 

Shibon Kennedy:

Angel McCoughtry. She's like the legacy player. She's a two-time gold medal Olympian, and incredible. Isabelle, Izzy Harrison. She's like our mid-layer, “the link”, as we call her. She played for the Dallas Wings. And then Deedee Richards, who's on New York Liberty, she's our rookie. Well, she was–she's a few years in now, but it was important to me to have different women with very different personalities and things that they bring to table, and show the depth and breadth of how profound this league is. And it's not just singular, and it's not just one-dimensional. Because oftentimes, the W gets looked a , as a league, as like only one thing, you know? But also to have women at different points in their career and to create this thread of where the league has been and where it's come, and going to in the future.

Even we in the layout of the film too, it's Angel to Izzy, then to Deedee. So it shows you what's to come. It was really important to have that depth and breadth. 

Tamu McPherson:

Well, speaking of depth and breadth and multi-dimensionality, I didn't know that you were a composer. Women like you never cease to amaze me in how truly complex you are in your talents. So you return to composing for the film. 

Shibon Kennedy:

Okay, well to start, I have been writing music since I was little. I'd actually compartmentalized, in a way, because I'd forgotten. I started playing piano by ear at age four. I started lessons at five, and I started writing music and submitting it to competitions around seven or eight and winning a good amount of awards.

I didn't actually remember that part! When I was in the process of writing music again, I called my mom and I'm like, weird memory, mom, do you remember this? And she said, yeah, you won a ton of awards. I have a pretty good memory, but I guess it didn't serve me for whatever purpose. 

So, there were some hiccups, where I was in a bit of a situation where if I was gonna deliver the film on time, I was gonna have to get creative. I had an ex-boyfriend who was a very good musician, and I, through him, kind of found my wings again. He'd always say, you have really great production ideas in music. 

So, I had to deliver this film in a month… how am I gonna get this music to where it needs to be? I started looking at licensable music, to start. In music, there are things called stems. It's the part of the composition. You have the high hats, the bass… I would look at all these stems and say, okay, I can piece these together and make something and I can work with the editor. And then I have a mini keyboard, which you plug it into your computer. It's my ex-boyfriend's. Don't tell him. And I thought, let me just plug the sentence and see what I can come up with. And I swear Tamu, what came out of me was so incredible that it was like, oh my God, I've still got this. The first song I wrote is the song that closes the whole film, and it is the song of hope.

We shot it on Steadicam and it’s dusk and it's beautiful and I get emotional like thinking about it every time. And it was the very first song that came out of me and I'm like, I've got this. So I wrote literally hundreds of tracks, I whittled it down to 17 or so. Alterations of each other, or different versions or it… it is a bit nuts. I barely slept in that period, because I had a delivery date and I’m not an over-promiser or under-deliverer, you know. If I say this, I have to do it.

And when I was writing the music was probably the most inspiring time of the whole editing process. As much as editing was incredible, because I could see it still in my head and working with my editor closely, Davy–he's amazing. Seeing that all come together, but then to have the music come out of me and knowing exactly when I needed it in the film, it was just like…  It has old school vibes to very new kind of like contemporary house beats. There's such a range of things that I created. 

Tamu McPherson:

The fact that you are coming through a period that was like really challenging, that you were being inspired by your main characters, the protagonists of the film… this is the puzzle of our lives. Because this was an important part of your foundational years, and that you were re-accessing for this period is completely amazing. 

Now, you are the consummate creative. You are a creative and athlete, and you tell a great story. You're a great narrator. 

Shibon Kennedy:

I'm a storyteller through and through. That's my parents coming out of me in different mediums. I'm a long story longer girl.

Tamu McPherson:

How are you feeling about being in this long version now, compared to your shorter films? Compared to your editorial work? What has this brought to you in this moment of your career? 

Shibon Kennedy:

Well, I will say this: no matter whether it's short or long, there's that same passion and connectivity that I'm always searching for in the, in the storytelling, the details.

Even in this, the We Are the W, there's chapters for each, so there's almost shorts within it. And I like these snippet moments of human storytelling–the ones that really create connectivity for me. It's like how a hand clasps, or the look of an angle of the head, or all these things. So I'm excited to delve into more of that and see where those stories take me, because there's not a single day that, multiple times a day. I'm not like, oh my God, that would be an amazing story, or that would be an amazing short, or that an amazing thing. And I'm putting this all together in some longer format. I don't know what that is just yet, but it's a really exciting time because it's just more of me delving into my own self.

But also through my witnessing of the world around me to process other people's stories, which is definitely creating connectivity. 

Tamu McPherson:

I feel like you're a big picture person. 

Shibon Kennedy:

I am.

Tamu McPherson:

And you are able probably because of all of your years of experience, you are able to create the snippets, but with the big picture in mind.

Shibon Kennedy:

I am OCD and detailed to a fault. But on top of that, I can see how this can be a bigger thing and add to this crazy puzzle-Tetri- game of life, or whatever it may be. And I can think about not only the creative, but then the strategy and all these things. You know, how can I make this all big picture.

Tamu McPherson:

And you've worn so many hats, because you, yourself, were an actress.

Shibon Kennedy:

From 5 until I was 18. Yeah. I was in a Nintendo commercial. I wish I had it. I wish I could find it. It was me in a tie dye t-shirt.

Tamu McPherson:

But it feels that your life has organically prepared you for this moment. And I'm so excited to see the film, because I just got in and I missed the event, but I'm also really excited about the other stories that you are gonna tell, because obviously this is a sweet, sweet beginning.

Shibon Kennedy:

I've been slowly getting more and more opportunities leading up to this that have allowed me the space to tell stories. There was an opportunity of formerly incarcerated women that I told, and it was with a campaign. It never saw lighted of day, but it was incredible. That actually prepared me even more so than anything for We Are the W in a way, at least a director, because it was really intimate. And these are women that have been through so much. And there's something that was so incredible that came up out of me through these women that I was like, this is just the beginning. Because I was raised to shine a light on the underdog. I was raised to care about people other than myself. I was raised to open the circle wider. And so for me, I'm just trying to find stories that, in which I can do that more.

Tamu McPherson:

But you know what I learned recently that their stories may not have come out now, but they may come out. And the process was probably really empowering a hundred percent for them. And you've probably added so much by listening. 

Shibon Kennedy:

They said, no one has ever given me a space to talk. and to listen. All three of them. And they'd all been incarcerated for very different things, very different times, amounts of time. And it was just profound. I cried a lot. It was really emotional. It was touching because I could be that support. And they all said how safe I made them feel. And when I learned that it wasn't gonna see the light of day, I cried. Not because it wasn't seeing the light of day, it was more that I didn't want to let those women down.

It was something outside of my control, but that isn't the end of that for me. That's just a beginning, because I want to get back specifically those women and others. I feel it deep. I know it. And I'm an empath, so, you know… energies are generally like intuitive beyond. 

Tamu McPherson:

You know, we are in a period where we’re seeing a lot of things happening outside, and a lot of it, we're trying to put blinders on and not like perceive truly. People are shifting away from talking about important social justice conversations. Totally. We, we just want to have a chill moment. We just want to have fun. We just want to get dressed. We just want to have our meals and we're kind of letting go of the grip that we need to have. 

You always stay in the space. You've always advocated. You don't let up. How do you stay in this head space and, and honor it? 

Shibon Kennedy:

I always go back to my parents. This is such like a hat tap to them. They instilled in me such an ability to not be afraid. Things are worth fighting for. Things are worth being loud about. You have one shot, we have, all we have is our word, you know, like everything else can come and go. But your word, how do you show up for people…

It was taught to me so early on, to be a communicator and to have the hard conversations. In my household, we couldn't go to bed mad at each other, which was profound. And it makes you deal with things. And then when you have that coupled with fighting for–you know, I don't mean on a religious standpoint of like a moral reason– just being a good, decent, kind person, saying hello to the person on the street who's doesn't have a home and acknowledging they’re human, those small things to bigger things. That was just ingrained in me. It's my parents, you know? So I think I got really lucky in that I got a foundation that allowed the space for me to flourish as this person that I am now. And I've taken their toolkit and run with it. 

And then some days it's hard, too. There's not like ‘perfect and seamless’, either. Some days I'm like, I'm having a hard day and I need to replenish. But because I'm now in a space of replenishing for myself and working on finding ease for myself, I'm able to constantly be consistently vocal and not tired, because I'm in the background taking the time to find the ease and the peace and the rest and the recharge, you know? That was something I missed earlier in my life. I wasn't taking a beat to be like, oh, I give a lot. I'm passionate, I'm intense, I'm loud, I'm all these things that I love about myself, you know, but that does require a massive amount of recharging. And that allows me to then show up as my best self to be always vocal. 

Tamu McPherson:

And if our readers wanted to tap into your style of advocacy, could you summarize some tips for them?

Shibon Kennedy:

I think a lot of times, it's about taking that extra beat to look outside yourself. I think it's not the easiest thing, but if you respond to something and it pulls your heartstrings, take a second to think about what that means, why it's making you feel that way. And then decide what to do with that. It could be a quick repost, it could be something more like volunteering, all these different things. But I think for me, it's really stepping outside of myself for just a minute and just challenging myself to do it. Because even when I'm crazy busy–and we all are so busy–it's like, all right, I see something is not right.

Maybe I can't do this now, but how can I show up in another way, maybe later in the day, later in the week. But taking that beat to reflect on it. Think outside yourself. But it's not the easiest thing. We all have so much, and we all want to do what's immediately in front of us. And I just am trying to not always be like, here's the easy thing. Sometimes it's uncomfortable, sometimes it's inconvenient, you know? For sure. Because advocacy is not easy. It's not easy and it's not convenient. 

Tamu McPherson:

And it's messy. It's taxing. But it's the purpose that you find by taking that beat. 

Shibon Kennedy:

There's no one way to take whatever that is in advocacy. Like, I was at a bank on Christmas Eve and a woman was on the phone on speaker, and she was super distressed. And she was a young Black woman in Greenpoint, and there's not a lot of us in my neighborhood, you know... I didn't know what was going on, I wasn't really listening, but what I knew was she couldn't get access to her money, and there was nothing mischievous or deviant about it. It was just a genuine, panicked human moment. And I remember, I had a big job that I finished out the year with, and I just ended up taking out an extra hundred. And I said to her I'm sorry to interrupt, what’s your name? And she said, Kimberly. And I said, Kimberly, I don't want to inject myself, but I hear that you don't have access to your money for a few days. So I just, it's Christmas Eve, I hope that this helps you. And I give her a hundred dollars and she said what's your name? And I said, Shibon. And I said, have Merry Christmas. I walk out the door and then I hear Shibon! Shibon!, and she's running down the street after me. 

She was like, I was so shocked. I didn't even know what to do. I don't need your money. I'm like, but you don't have access to your money. And I know what it's like to like, have that weird thing, hiccup, whatever it would, maybe it's not about paying me back. It's just, it's something I can do.

And we ended up talking on the corner for 45 minutes. It was like a therapy session. And instead of blocking her out and being like, this woman's being loud and intense or emotional, I can't deal with it, it was like: how can I help? It was a small act that went a long way. And when we left that afternoon, she said, you're my guardian angel. Because she turns out she wanted to be in fashion. It was like, I inspired her. It's just like taking a beat. You know, it was special. 

Tamu McPherson:

And like how you changed that moment and you changed the temperature in hat moment. 

So I know that you adore your mother–

Shibon Kennedy:

–and my dad, both. 

Tamu McPherson:

I'm such a momma's girl.

Shibon Kennedy:

Well listen, I love both of 'em because I'm half, I'm literally split down the middle. 

Tamu McPherson:

You have to tell me the thing that you love the most about each one. 

Shibon Kennedy:

One thing? That's so hard. There's so many great things. 

Mom, man, she's just… she had a lot of adversity growing up. And that woman is a beacon. She is a source of light and love and community and thinking outside of herself where the foundation that was set for her had all the kind of cards stacked up against her. And she is a phenomenal woman, and she inspires me every day. And I love her sense of dressing. Carmen. And her sense of dressing is like, I totally recreate that in my own way.

My dad's such a deep lover. My dad's white and my dad's an anti-racist. All of his lineage is freedom fighters, Quakers, like non-slave-owning, which is very rare. He's a feeler, he's a lover. He's passionate, he is an artist. He taught me how to see the world, passionately fighting for the underdog. He was the one that taught me some of these lessons almost more than my mom, you know? And he taught me how to go from, seeing grayscale to technicolor. He opened my eyes to artistry and people and stories and emotions more than I could ever explain. That's just the tip of the iceberg. They're both so special. They're been together for 50 years. They're incredible. They're really special. 

I grew up in a very loving household, when both my parents should have been terrible parents because they didn't have the best background, what they grew up in. But they were amazing. 

Tamu McPherson:

Thank you for sharing that with us. 

Shibon Kennedy:

Anytime you wanted Carmen and Bruce debrief, I got you. They're kind of famous. My friends are like, hey, when they're in town, can I talk to your parents? When they used to come visit all the time, I would throw them parties and the next day people would be like, can I talk to Carmen? I'm like, you can call Carmen on her phone, because I'm not gonna be your secretary, because she's too popular. Yeah, they're special.