UBR Spotlight: DeVon Franklin On Faith And Business In Hollywood

This week on The Urban Business Roundtable, UBR contributor Renita D. Young speaks with preacher, author and Sony Pictures executive Devon Franklin, the man behind such hit films as The Karate Kid, which grossed $350 million worldwide, and Jumping the Broom.

Currently vice president of production for Columbia Pictures, a division of Sony Pictures, Franklin has succeeded in Hollywood, including such achievements as being one of the youngest executives at his level at the time of his appointment to his current position, while staying true to his Christian faith. Franklin, who began his career as an intern with Will Smith and Jay Lassiter’s Overbrook Entertainment, shares his story of faith and business success in Hollywood in his book Produced by Faith: Enjoy Real Success Without Losing Your True Self (Howard Books). Franklin joins the Roundtable to share how he reconciled his steadfast faith and business ambitions to serve his life’s purpose and realize his dream of a career in the film industry.

Also, UBR contributor Samantha Pass speaks with Curtis Wright of Wright Financial Group in Smyrna, Ga., about knowing when it’s the right time to sell your business. Wright has more than 34 years of experience in the insurance and financial services industries, with 25 of those years spent as a Fortune 100 company executive. Having launched his firm nine years ago, Wright is a registered securities representative supporting clients in seven states and has earned million-dollar roundtable status seven times in his efforts to serve his clients life insurance needs.

And finally, every week on UBR, you’ll hear my “Alfred’s Notepad” segment, get motivation and inspiration from author and entrepreneurial icon Farrah Gray, a weekly wrap-up of business news from USA Today business correspondent Charisse Jones, our Patient Investor Report from Ariel Investments and key economic intelligence for small business owners from our UBR economists Derrick Collins and Rasheed Carter.

If you have a question you want answered or a topic you want addressed on The Urban Business Roundtable, connect with me at BE Insider, the social media network for people who are serious about Black Enterprise. You can also find me on Twitter and Facebook.

Alfred Edmond Jr. is the senior VP/editor-at-large of Black Enterprise and the host of the Urban Business Roundtable, a weekly radio show, sponsored by Ariel Investments, airing CST Wednesdays at 8:30 a.m., Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 9:30 a.m. on WVON-AM 1690, the Talk of Chicago. You can also listen live online at WVON.com. Check back each week for UBR Spotlight, which features additional resources, advice and information from and about the topics, entrepreneurs and experts featured on the show.

Small business is BIG BUSINESS at the 2012 Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Conference + Expo hosted by Nationwide, May 23-26, at the Hilton Chicago Hotel in Chicago, IL. Expect innovative sessions, high-powered speakers, and an early peek at the products, trends, and services you’ll need to stay ahead of the curve. To register and find out more, visit www.blackenterprise.com/ec/