Carlos King Exclusive: 'People Told Me To Stay Behind The Scenes'

Kingdom Reign Entertainment founder Carlos King is expanding his empire. The company is providing inclusive platforms through original shows, a spicy podcast, and an Emmy-nominated documentary division. It offers a safe space for voices that might be muzzled by traditional media landscapes. 

“At Kingdom Entertainment we do have a listening ear, we’re always there for our cast, when they are going through something,” King tells HelloBeautful. They offer refuge to others as well. 

When the world was calling Cynthia Bailey a flip-flopper she felt safe discussing it on the Reality with The King podcast. Reality stars are rebelling more often. King is standing by their side as they do. He is excited about the way that reality stars have taken control of their narratives beyond  edited excerpts. “I preach ownership. As a gay Black boy from Detroit, Michigan, who rose to the top doing what I do, I own my production company. I own my podcast Reality with the King. I love when I see my reality TV stars or friends create their own opportunities,” he says.  

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“I encourage more to do it and to really start owning their voice. I think it’s a beautiful thing.” Part of what is prompting stars to speak out is the way they are placed in boxes. 

On Surpassing Others’ Expectations

Carlos King knows what it feels like to have limitations projected on him. “I know what it feels like for people to make all of these assumptions about me that aren’t true just based on the type of work that I do,” says King. 

“People told me to stay behind the scenes,” he adds. As a producer, some felt he should stay in his lane. Some on social media still feel that way. He was not going for that. 

“My response is, who are you honey, to tell me where I belong, right? So when people say things like that, I think it says more about the person and how they view themselves, then how that celebrity or reality star is being viewed.” 

Reality television was once its own kind of box. Today Nicki Minaj has hosted reunions, Rihanna is DMing housewives, and the world stopped for #Scandavol. The medium has motion. Being a Bravolebrity or scrapping on Baddies doesn’t have the stigma it once did. 

“What a lot of people underestimate is the power of reality TV, and you introducing yourself to the world,” says King. 

King is reality television soothsayer who saw the New York reboot was headed for the doldrums. He predicted the rift between Garcelle Beavais and Sutton Stracke, and clocked that Dorit Kemsley would be clutching that diamond in one hand and a cigarette in the other. 

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Carlos King On Being Focused 

But he is focused on is his legacy above all. He launched a Soulful Sundays series on his Youtube channel to share his faith with the world. He plans to bring more spiritual content to viewers. “Every Sunday I’ll be dropping a word from The Bible, one of my favorite scriptures and talk about my life or my career and how I’m able to do what I do with my faith,” he says. 

“We have a couple of projects in development that speak to a faith-based audience. And I want to make sure that I do it with the utmost integrity,” he continues.

Black executives, like Black stars, are frequently siloed. Mastering reality television by giving us iconic housewives quotable and creating the Love & Marriage franchise doesn’t limit King to it. His firm is versatile. “We are a full service production company. So our job is to constantly throw things at the wall,” clarifies King. “We had an Emmy-nominated documentary called The Stroll on HBO that was at Sundance. And that was special to me because we were able to promote the story about what it’s like for Black trans sex workers in the 80s, during the Meatpacking District era. So those are stories we want to tell more of.” 

On Being Unafraid 

The shrinking entertainment industry does not frighten the production veteran. 

“I think there’s so many opportunities out there. You just have to be able to find the right one. We are going through a crisis in this industry, right? But I’m not somebody who shies away from adversity. I’m somebody who sits still and talks to God,” says King. 

He has not ruled out a return to Bravo, developing scripted shows, or bringing a studio to his home city of Detroit. 

King cranks out engaging properties consistently. Kingdom Reign Entertainment is responsible for a significant amount of original programming on OWN. He credits his connection with viewers for this ability. 

“I know my audience and content is always going to be king and queen,” he says. “We’re able to constantly provide content that people just can’t get enough of.” 

He wants others to see the potential in the industry’s peril. “I just want everybody to understand that every industry goes through that. But it’s an opportunity to really showcase your creativity and how you’re able to do it,” he says. 

“I think it’s an opportunity to be an innovator.” 

Carlos King Exclusive: ‘People Told Me To Stay Behind The Scenes’  was originally published on hellobeautiful.com