- Blog: BlackFilm.com
- Niche: Entertainment/Cinema
- Editor: Wilson Morales
- Twitter: @BlackFilm
Any seasoned film journalists will tell you that there was a time when film studios–small and large–were not giving much attention to websites. But when BlackFilm.com editor, Wilson Morales joined the team in 1999, he hoped to change the online landscape. Having done movie reviews for WBAI (99.5 FM) radio in New York, the Bronx-native brought the inside knowledge and connections the site’s owner, Val Moore, was looking for. Garnering exclusives to premieres, actors, producers and directors, BlackFilm.com was groundbreaking in a time when there were few sites regularly updating movie news–especially with a Black focus.
Wilson, who is also the co-President of the Black Film Critics Circle, was one of the first to break the new crop of actors like Anthony Mackie, Kerry Washington and Columbus Short when no one was. Now, 13 years later, with five million page views a month and a reputation for breaking news first, the niche-specific site still successfully promotes Black cinema and Black talent like none other. The well-respected movie buff sat down with BlackEnterprise.com
as part of Black Blogger Month to talk about African Americans, film and their presence in the blogosphere.
I choose a website as the vehicle to promote Black films because…
I wanted to promote films of color and the talent in front and behind the camera so that people were aware of them. Many times most of the major media outlets would rather focus on the “in†films or talent, and I wanted to give some presence to those projects and talent who may not get that opportunity.
The Black spending dollar is important in the film industry because…
We spend as much as anyone else does when going to the theater to view films. Although there is a lack of Black films presented in a majority of theaters, that hasn’t deterred African Americans from seeing other heavily commercialized films such as Hunger Games or Harry Potter. At the same time, I feel that if Black films were given the same amount of theater count as others, we would see an increase in box office profits and therefore a positive sign for the future.
The biggest misconception Hollywood has about Black audiences is…
That Black audiences don’t come out to support their own films in droves, when the truth is that there aren’t enough theaters where the films play in. Let’s not forget how Tyler Perry shocked the industry when he first entered the business or when the box office experts predicted that Will Packer‘s Takers would take in a few million at the gate but made an unexpected $20 million in its opening weekend. It’s about how much faith Hollywood has in Black films and how marketing plays out.
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Connections and networking have been important to securing exclusives because…
Having an exclusive brings awareness and helps the site grow. It tells me that the source, whether it’s a person or studio giving the site the exclusive, believes in our ability to get the message out to our audience. And hopefully that expands in a national platform, depending on the story.
I measure success by…
In today’s world, especially with the advent of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media outlets in recent years, success is topsy-turvy. I try to stay above par every day and try not to get caught up in competition. We’re a niche site and we try to stay within a certain lane. At the same time, we try to adapt to changes in the media world so that our methods of operation don’t become old fashion.
If there were a movie about BlackFilm.com, the person who would play me in the lead would be…
Columbus Short. Watching him in films and now TV, with his role on Scandal, I think he brings a sense of confidence and conviction in the things he does; attributes that I have in myself. And for now, a working title would be Blackfilm.com
(laughs).
Anyone that wants to follow in my footsteps should…
Start by watching as many films as possible that have Black talent in front or behind the camera. That way, when writing any article, they have some knowledge of the material. Knowledge in this industry is very key. Their own opinion will weigh heavily because people will know that they have an inside track.
What’s next on the horizon for me is…
Continuing to promote the next Black film, Black talent and keep everyone in the loop as to what’s happening in the industry.
Be sure to check out the rest of the digital thought leaders as they’re revealed each day by logging on to BlackEnterprise.com/BlackBloggerMonth.