When veteran actor Tim Reid got sick and tired of being sick and tired of the negative images of African Americans he saw on the silver screen, he decided to go behind the camera and produce “positive feature films” for the African-American community.
Reid, the television star, makes his directorial debut with “Once Upon A Time … When We Were Colored,” a film shot entirely on location in North Carolina in only 28 days. The film opens this month with a limited theatrical run before being released on video.
Its premiere in April 1995 was one of the highlights of Reid’s fifth annual benefit weekend in Norfolk, VA, which raises money for the Tim Reid Scholarship at Norfolk State University. Reid, who earned a B.S. degree in business management from Norfolk State in the late 1960s, also serves on the university’s board of trustees.
The former businessman and solo comic got his big break in show business in 1978 as disk jockey Venus Flytrap on “WKRP in Cincinnati.” He then did several seasons as “Downtown” Brown on the show “Simon & Simon.” Although he did not have as much control over the show as he would have liked, he considers his Emmy nominated role on “Frank’s Place,” an acclaimed but short-lived television series he co-produced, his creative zenith.
Today Reid juggles acting in a lead role in the sitcom “Sister, Sister” with running United Image Entertainment, his independent production company in Los Angeles.
The following is an interview with Reid conducted by Black Issues In Higher Education news editor B. Denise Hawkins.
What most influenced your decision to launch United Image Entertainment in 1990?
