Brand Building: Executive Producer states longevity comes from reinvention The Harlem Globetrotters predate the NBA and helped globalize basketball.

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Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Ri‑Karlo Handy.

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Interview Overview

Guest: Ri‑Karlo Handy
Host: Rushion McDonald
Podcast: Money Making Conversations Masterclass
Primary Focus:

• Handy’s role as showrunner/executive producer of Harlem Globetrotters: Secrets of the City
• His media career spanning 25+ years
• Representation, legacy, trust, and mentorship in the entertainment industry
• The mission and impact of the Handy Foundation

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Purpose of the Interview

The interview serves multiple purposes:

1. Promote Harlem Globetrotters: Secrets of the City on aspireTV+ by explaining what makes the series unique within the travel and lifestyle genre.
2. Reposition the Harlem Globetrotters as a cultural, historical, and global brand beyond basketball—especially significant during their 100‑year legacy.
3. Highlight pathways into the entertainment industry, particularly for Black creatives, through mentorship, trust-building, and skills-based training.
4. Showcase Handy’s philosophy on leadership and opportunity, emphasizing responsibility, legacy, and access.

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Key Themes & Takeaways 1. Redefining the Travel Show Format

• Secrets of the City goes beyond sightseeing.
• The show explores how Black people live, connect, and thrive globally, especially through expat communities and diaspora culture.
• Episodes emphasize how to move through a city, not just visit it—using insider access, cultural context, and lived experience.

Takeaway: Travel content is more powerful when rooted in identity, history, and authenticity.

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2. Harlem Globetrotters as Cultural Ambassadors

• Handy frames the Globetrotters as “ambassadors of goodwill”, not just entertainers.
• They represent joy, diplomacy, and cultural exchange—appearing everywhere from the Vatican to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization.
• The show captures their off‑court personalities, maturity, and global influence.

Takeaway: The Harlem Globetrotters are a living Black institution with worldwide reach, relevance, and responsibility.

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3. Sustaining a 100‑Year Black Brand

• The Globetrotters predate the NBA and helped globalize basketball.
• After fading from TV prominence in the 1990s–2000s, a post‑pandemic strategy brought them back into media.
• Handy sees longevity itself as a lesson—few businesses, especially Black‑owned legacies, endure a century.

Takeaway: Longevity comes from reinvention, relevance, and honoring history while adapting to the present.

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4. Mastery, Discipline, and Authentic Skill

• Globetrotter performances are not “fake” or staged.
• Players must actually make the shots and execute at elite athletic levels.
• Handy compares their mindset to elite athletes like Steph Curry—hours of practice for moments of excellence.

Takeaway: Entertainment still demands real mastery; excellence behind the scenes creates effortless magic on screen.

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5. Trust as the Real Currency of Business

• Handy repeatedly emphasizes trust over talent as the foundation of his career.
• His progression—from editor to producer to network executive—came from delivering consistently on promises.
• Relationships, reliability, and integrity enabled him to control projects and earn leadership roles.

Takeaway: Skills open doors, but trust keeps them open.

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6. Mentorship and the Handy Foundation

• Handy formalized his long-standing mentorship work into the Handy Foundation (founded 2020).
• The foundation focuses on post‑production training, an area with limited Black representation.
• Started with 8 trainees; now has 400+ alumni working on major films and TV shows.
• The program is now a nationally recognized registered apprenticeship with the California Film Commission.

Takeaway: Access—not just ambition—is the missing link for many aspiring creatives.

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Notable Quotes

“Our business is less about skills and creativity and more about trust.”

“A lot of times the first opportunity is the hardest one to get.”

“They’re not pretending to make the basketball. You’ve actually got to make the shot.”

“There aren’t a lot of Black folks in post‑production because they don’t get the opportunity to learn those skills.”

“How many Black businesses can we say are 100 years old?”

“They are ambassadors of goodwill. You’ve got to be a good person to be a Globetrotter.”

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