We recorded this two-part conversation in the final days of my summer sojourn to the U.S. While it was a bit shorter than it has been in the recent past, this summer was another one for the books; made possible in large part by community, a consistent theme that I hope you too can appreciate as the way we become us and collectively move humanity forward. My guest, Rahman Ali Bugg is part of my "BK Fam" community — which you'll learn more aobut in our conversation, and he’s sharing his inspiring journey from Paterson, New Jersey, to becoming a seasoned executive producer in the unscripted television industry, rooting in NYC by the strength of community bonds.

He’s an executive producer, showrunner, and creative director with 30+ years leading unscripted television, documentaries, live broadcasts, and multi-platform storytelling for BET, MTV, A&E, Amazon, Roc Nation, MSG, and major cultural brands.

As an entrepreneur he founded PopStar Media, built around one core idea: that stories have power, and that power comes with responsibility. This ethic carries into his roles as Lead Exectutive Producer and Creative Director at Red Summer TV, a full service production company specializing in television and digital programming.

His work includes docu-series “Exposing Parchman” (ITV/A&E/Roc Nation) to Free Meek (Amazon) to Welcome to Rap City (Mass Appeal/BET) — lives at the intersection of culture, justice, and great television.

In addition to building the kind of content that moves audiences and making sure the teams behind that content are developed, challenged, and supported, he is passionate about media education — teaching at the university level, leading workshops for emerging producers, or building curriculum for the next generation of storytellers.

What I hope you will take away from this discussion is an understanding of how Rahman's diverse experiences, community roots, and passion for storytelling shaped his career and approach to media that matters. In Part 2, we go deeper with thoughts on how creatives can reimagine industry practices and build resilient, collaborative communities.

Where to find Rahman?
On LinkedIn
On IMDB
On Instagram
On Facebook
On YouTube

What’s Rahman watching?
Lioness
Slow Horses
Reacher
The Pitt and other medical dramas to check out
The Carol Burnett Show
Animal Control

What’s Rahman listening to?
Snoh Aalegra
Eric Benet
Chante Moore
Anita Baker
New Edition

Other topics of interest:
About Paterson, New Jersey
About The Great Migration
About the Nation of Islam from the 1934-75
Brooklyn by Neighborhood
About Exposing Parchman
Music Video Television in the 1990s
About the W.E.B. DuBois Scholars Institute
About Rahman’s Alma Mater
About music duo Foreign Exchange

Special Guest: Rahman Ali Bugg.

We recorded this two-part conversation in the final days of my summer sojourn to the U.S. While it was a bit shorter than it has been in the recent past, this summer was another one for the books; made possible in large part by community, a consistent theme that I hope you too can appreciate as the way we become us and collectively move humanity forward. My guest, Rahman Ali Bugg is part of my "BK Fam" community — which you'll learn more aobut in our conversation, and he’s sharing his inspiring journey from Paterson, New Jersey, to becoming a seasoned executive producer in the unscripted television industry, rooting in NYC by the strength of community bonds.

He’s an executive producer, showrunner, and creative director with 30+ years leading unscripted television, documentaries, live broadcasts, and multi-platform storytelling for BET, MTV, A&E, Amazon, Roc Nation, MSG, and major cultural brands.

As an entrepreneur he founded PopStar Media, built around one core idea: that stories have power, and that power comes with responsibility. This ethic carries into his roles as Lead Exectutive Producer and Creative Director at Red Summer TV, a full service production company specializing in television and digital programming.

His work includes docu-series “Exposing Parchman” (ITV/A&E/Roc Nation) to Free Meek (Amazon) to Welcome to Rap City (Mass Appeal/BET) — lives at the intersection of culture, justice, and great television.

In addition to building the kind of content that moves audiences and making sure the teams behind that content are developed, challenged, and supported, he is passionate about media education — teaching at the university level, leading workshops for emerging producers, or building curriculum for the next generation of storytellers.

What I hope you will take away from this discussion is an understanding of how Rahman's diverse experiences, community roots, and passion for storytelling shaped his career and approach to media that matters. In Part 2, we go deeper with thoughts on how creatives can reimagine industry practices and build resilient, collaborative communities.

Where to find Rahman?
On LinkedIn
On IMDB
On Instagram
On Facebook
On YouTube

What’s Rahman watching?
Lioness
Slow Horses
Reacher
The Pitt and other medical dramas to check out
The Carol Burnett Show
Animal Control

What’s Rahman listening to?
Snoh Aalegra
Eric Benet
Chante Moore
Anita Baker
New Edition

Other topics of interest:
About Paterson, New Jersey
About The Great Migration
About the Nation of Islam from the 1934-75
Brooklyn by Neighborhood
About Exposing Parchman
Music Video Television in the 1990s
About the W.E.B. DuBois Scholars Institute
About Rahman’s Alma Mater
About music duo Foreign Exchange

Special Guest: Rahman Ali Bugg.