BY SIMONE J. SMITH

He held his first gun at 11 years old. Someone handed him a gun and it was still hot. The person told him to hide it for him. His granddad had a garden, and he placed many things in that garden. In his book, he talks about seeing a body, putting a shotgun on his handlebars, and simply riding home.

Our Classic Man has won six boxing titles including a National Championship. He made The Top 40 Radio across the United States, he is a professional actor, with his last lead role in a show called “Fear Thy Neighbour,” He is an international motivational speaker, author, Vvsionary and most recently became a Senior Pastor at 306 Eddystone in Toronto.

His most recent and proudest achievement is his first book entitled “Think Fearlessly.” Isaac Mitchell (aka, Just Isaac) experienced seeing his dreams shatter right before him. He was offered an opportunity to host an international television show in the United States, which would mean he would have to fly back and forth from Toronto, but as you know, the pandemic put a halt to those plans.

Everything seemed to crumble right before his eyes when the pandemic hit. He felt down for about a week, and then his evolution began. He decided to use that energy, the disappointment he felt, and channel it into writing a book. Naturally, there was some apprehension because he knew that it would mean being vulnerable, and he almost aborted releasing the book because of what people might think of him.

Thankfully, he realized that protecting his image was not more important than encouraging someone else to be the best that they could be. Out of adversity was the conception and birth of the book “Think Fearlessly.”

As I listened to Isaac’s story, I couldn’t help but reflect on the stories that other boxers had shared with me. To operate and function on a championship level, in the sport of boxing is a very lonely life. The intense mental and physical training cannot be ignored. Overcoming the voices of fear in the mind is especially important in relation to achieving a: goal, dream, or vision, and it takes a level of fearlessness to really push through what one might initially feel. As he spoke to me, I couldn’t help but to be drawn into his story.

“I was born and raised in western New York. I am a kid from the projects; I am from the gutter, a place of poverty and crime. By the age of 12 I was in a gang, so I missed a lot of my childhood, but this is why I can relate so well with children. My objective in life is to help and protect children. I was 18 years old when I first started working with children.”

Issac was told from a young age that he was going to be nothing in life, and that is what he saw in the media. “I defied that ideology. I believe that we are builders, we are scientists, we are authors, we have so much to offer, but society has hidden many things from us.

 I knew that I was born to impact the world, but I did not have an understanding of how it was going to happen. When purpose was revealed to me, there was a clearer understanding of destiny, and that was the unveiling of my vision, which is to use every avenue, every platform, as an opportunity to empower individuals to be the best that they can be. To reveal who God is, the great “I AM!”

As a child Isaac admits that he was bullied. “I was a loner, and even though I did have friends, I felt alone. I was in a classroom and there was an assignment given by the teacher. He asked everyone to share what he or she would like to do with their life. There were the common responses of: fireman, doctor, hockey player, dentist, and auto mechanic. As each child revealed their desired goal, they were given praise, until it was my turn. I said that I wanted to be a champion boxer one day. The teacher turned to me and said, ‘It will never happen; you have to be rough and rugged to be a fighter. You are too soft, too gentle, you are too much of an intellectual, you think too much.’ Then he said, ‘IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN.’ 

Everyone was laughing and pointing at me. The student sitting next to me fell off his chair, he was laughing so hard. Everyone thought it was hilarious. My heart dropped and I felt so alone, yet determined. I learned that it is more important what I think about myself than what people think of me.”

There was something different about him, and this is what pushed him into fighting. He started with mixed martial arts and was coached by Harald Howard (founder of the UFC). He then had greats like Sugar Ray McGibbon (Mike Little took over from Sugar Ray McGibbon), Hank Boone (National Coach for Canada), and Floyd Mayweather. Sr (Trainer) worked personally with him. He respectfully remembers fighting against Lennox Lewis as an amateur. “Then there was Hector and Ricky in Buffalo, I can’t forget them,” shared with me nostalgically.

“I was watching a lot of my friends dying, or ending up in prison. Even though I didn’t have the understanding of God’s greatness, I believed that my dreams had been divinely inspired. All that I am and all that I have is because of God. My greatest desire is to allow my light to shine in the dark places of the earth, to dig into people’s difficult situations until the greatness within them begins to flow, through divinely inspired strategies. Everyone needs encouragement, including myself.

One of the challenges that I have faced and will mostly continue to face is overcoming the whispering voices of discouragement or fear. It is when our internal dialogue is invaded with negativity, that we must have the awareness of how to combat these projections with the wisdom of God, which supersedes the wisdom of man. In the book there are principles as agents to propel the reader to “THINK FEARLESSLY.”

Let me be clear that at this point in my life, titles mean nothing. I just have a desire to serve God and to serve men. God placed this within my heart to serve. I was broken, my life was in shambles, I was messed up. I was not cultivated through protocol; it was his word. The hands I used to use for knocking out people, were transformed to hands that healing, deliverance and helping people. This is my calling.”

Alongside everything else that Isaac has on the go, he also runs his own training company called Mobile Boxing; it offers private and semiprivate boxing lessons that enhance a person’s offensive and defensive skills. “We will help you reach your fitness goals,” JI tells me. “We have multiple Niagara locations, and also provide in-home training. We come to you, or you come to us.

There is one more exciting piece of news that I want to share with you Simone,” JI says enthusiastically. “Mobile boxing will be donating half of the profits towards the Church Building Fund. Churches often serve as community centres, providing various services and support to the local population. By contributing to the building fund, you help ensure that the church can continue to offer these services and be a hub for community activities. It creates a space for people to come together, find solace, build relationships, and support one another.

This donation will help cover these costs, ensuring that the church remains a safe and welcoming place for worship, education, and community events. We want to provide a comfortable environment for its members and visitors.”

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

I want you to just ride with me for a second. I am going to introduce our Classic Man just now, but I have to do a precursor…

If one, or both of your parents are West Indian, then growing up with them wasn’t easy. West Indian parents have some very unique child rearing methods that have managed to survive many generations. Often the habits live on even with those who grew up on foreign soil or may only have Jamaican lineage without ever having been there.

Let’s tap into those a little before we move forward with this feature.

Long before recycling was a thing, Jamaicans were the kings and queens of recycling food containers. The butter container is most likely holding the remainder of last Sunday’s dinner rather than actual butter. The most famous container of all was that of Danish cookies (the blue container). Unlocking it was always a mystery because you never know if you would find snacks, sewing supplies, or just obscure items, but very rarely would it ever have Danish cookies.

When you heard the words, “Soon come,” it didn’t necessarily mean that the person would be arriving anytime soon.

Let’s be real; if you can survive growing up in a West Indian household, you can survive anything, and our Classic Man not only survived it, but he has also made a living out of sharing his experience with the world.

Jamaican born actor and viral comedian Dale Elliott Jr. is scheduled to visit Toronto for a highly anticipated show on April 30^th, 2023. Dale made his on-screen debut as lead in the movie, Sprinter (Storm Saulter, Will Smith), and continues to make a splash on social media with comedic skits garnering over 20 million views.

Dale is now managed by Toronto-based Juice Comedy management and selected Toronto for his first solo Canadian show. Juice Comedy has managed and represented some of the best black and Caribbean comedians such as Majah Hype, White Yardie, and Michael Blackson. “I’m happy to give exposure to another young and upcoming Caribbean comedian and I’m very excited to watch him become the next star JUICE Comedy represents,” says Wes “Hype” Taylor, Juice Comedy.

“When an opportunity to expand comes you have to take it, and I believe this is an integral step that is needed to take me to the next level,” said Dale Elliott Jr.”

Dale’s show titled “Bad Pickney (Problem Child)” stands to be a combination of hilarious depictions of Jamaican upbringing and pop-culture.

Of course, when I was given the opportunity to interview Dale, I was like, “Hell ya!” As I expected, I spent the majority of the interview trying not to piss myself.

“I was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, and I grew up with my grandparents because both of my parents lived abroad. My mom moved to England when I was five, and from dem times I was a barrel pickney. My mannerisms and my jokes are all from my experiences with my grandmother.”

“What does your grandmother have to say about your comedic parodies,” I inquired?

“Stop mock me.” Dale shared laughing.

“I grew up with my cousins. A lot of us were in the house, so we were either arguing or laughing, even when we were arguing we were laughing. There were a lot of personalities, and I was always the troublemaker. One of my grandmothers was a disciplinarian, and I moved with her when I was 15 turning 16, and I really started to see the miserableness.

I started making videos at 18 years old. I started on Vine. The first video I made was about leaving the house, knowing I was supposed to clean up, and coming home to find the broom at the same place. That first video did very well, and this is when I realized that my humor seemed to intrigue people.

My grandmother used to always complain that I ate too much. I love milk and eggs. When I started to cook, it was the worst thing she could have done, because I ate everything in the house, and would get cussed out for that.”

I was curious about how he was selected for the lead role in Sprinter, so he shared that time in his life with me.

“Ms. Leonie Forbes was my acting coach. I would do two hours of acting training each day. It was after I got the role in Sprinter that I actually started acting lessons.

My father and my grandmother always would tell me, “Do what you love.” I used to do track and field and I loved it. My uncle wanted to be an actor as well, and after he died, I began to follow in his footsteps. It was my videos that put me in the position to be in Sprinter. Storm saw me, and thought I was perfect for the role. I got the university thing out the way, and then I started to create.

I like taking on other characters, acting as different personalities. I would love seeing a crowd of people and getting them to laugh.

This is my second show in Canada, and I am really looking forward to doing my thing again.”

Tickets went on sale March 23^rd and are almost sold out. Juicecomedytoronto.com

If you are able to get a ticket before they completely sell out, brace yourself for a night of non-stop laughs, surprise appearances, and the rise of a comedy superstar on April 30^th, at 8:00PM at the Toronto Pavilion.

Visit Juicecomedytoronto.com for more information.

BY SALINA MCCALLUM

Rico King is an award winning: Film producer, Director, Writer and Actor best known for producing “Tears in the Bayou.” He is also a Co-Founder of Black King Entertainment, a Black production company that focuses on Black stories, and a passion project that he started with his friends.

“We just started our own company, and I was like, let’s make Black King Entertainment, and the name stuck. It’s a friend group turned into an entertainment company; you know?” 

In 2016, Rico was awarded the prestigious Best Film and Best Documentary at the Mount Vernon Film Festival for his film “Down in the Hole,” a documentary about police brutality and life in Baltimore, MD.

In 2017, he received the prestigious Diamond Award for his documentary “Tears in the Bayou,” along with two more awards for a short film he shot for Chicago Gypsy Production called, “With Dad.”

“My favourite project that I worked on is Tears in the Bayou. It’s a timeless project, getting those types of people together, having a community trust me, having my parents give me their stories; there are a few things in the movie that I feel cannot be duplicated. I might not be able to do that again, but, you know, we’ll see.” 

Having been a resident of all the neighbourhoods in his films, like Tears in the Bayou, Rico traditionally dedicates his characters to real-life people he knew, or events he experienced, or witnessed.

“One of my homies, Young Mac, got shot in his head. I got a chance to go to the ICU to see him, and he was in a very bad state, you know, his head was very swollen, he could only move his thigh, and that’s how we knew he could hear us. If you saw him, you wouldn’t think he would make it. Having access to that type of scenery and having that access is special.”

King talks about how important it is for directors and producers to build trust with the subjects in their film.

“You have to be genuine. It helps if you have something else in your resume that says you’re a community person, having passion for people, not thinking about yourself when you get into a project. You have to think about your subjects, put yourself in their shoes, you know, and really, really feel their pain. You have to feel their pain. Sometimes it’s hard, especially if you don’t come from that environment. If you’re trying to film about the neighbourhood: go get your haircut, sit on a barber chair and talk to the barbers. It takes three or four months to get to know people in the area. Go to the parties, or go to the Boys and Girls Club, volunteer so you can feel the community.”

In addition to working as a Film Producer, Director, and Actor, Rico King is also an entrepreneur and community activist. He is currently writing, producing and directing a documentary called “Our Reality” based in Toronto.

“The documentary is pretty much a follow up for Tears in the Bayou. Black King Entertainment is trying to bring all Black communities together. I will try to get stories from all Black communities, not only in America, but also in Canada, Europe, and in Africa. We felt like Toronto would be a perfect place. Most demographics don’t even know there are Black people in Canada. Our audience needs to learn about Canada; we feel like voices haven’t been represented right in Canada.” 

King ensures that all his subjects are being seen and heard.

“Our Reality covers the situation at hand, from all angles, from all perspectives, whether it’s parents, or perpetrators. Most of the time, we don’t even like to call them perpetrators, because hurt people hurt people, right? So, they are victims too. We involved: law enforcement, and politicians; we solicited opinions on how to solve this issue from all stakeholders. We are trying to bring everybody together for an answer, and also the answer is everybody coming together. So that is the beauty in it.”

Although King is not from Toronto, he believes the struggle that Black people face all over the world is relatable and very similar. He partnered with non-profit organization Youth Association for Academics, Athletics, and Character Education (YAAACE) in the west end community to bring more of the stories he was searching for to his film, which he is hoping to release in the fall of this year.

“Our partnership with YAACE came at a very crucial moment. To make a good documentary, you have to be part of the community, like you have to feel the pain. No matter how much I can relate to different parts of the struggle, I am not a guy from Toronto. I need actual people in Toronto to be part of the production crew, and YAAACE fit the bill. They are a non-profit filled with people who have lived experience. They have been doing an amazing job, so shout out to the whole YAAACE team.”

His charity work also includes: the No Shoot Zone, an organization dedicated to transforming the lives of young children and their neighbourhoods, and The Kingdom’s Children, a non-profit that helps house, clothe and pay for the education of orphans in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.

When King is not producing, writing and directing films, he’s with his son and daughter. As a Black, single father, he dislikes when people think he is doing an “exceptional job” just by being a dad.

“Sometimes I don’t like it when people say I’m a good dad, because I don’t like people thinking that because I’m Black and young, you know, judging it like that. I think being there for your kids every day is standard. Everybody’s supposed to do that. It’s not an exception. So just because I am young Black, don’t call me an exception for being there for my children.”

He wants Black actors and producers in the film industry to keep going and never give up on their dreams.

“Don’t be afraid to be yourself. Don’t let people tell you what’s good for you. Always remember that, when non-Black companies sign deals with Black companies, they think we’re not going to bring their money back, but we bring back twice and three times the amount of money. Black movies with lower budgets perform best than any movies. We’re: creative, cultural, vibrant, and exciting people. Our culture is beautiful, that’s why everybody around the world copies it. So, be unapologetically Black, be yourself.”