Will Packer and Tiffany Cross have teamed up for a new show giving voice to black women of all ages and perspectives.
Cross, 45, formerly of MSNBC, is gearing up for a March 12 debut Between generationsa new podcast from Will Packer Productions and iHeartPodcasts, which he hopes will inspire all listeners and diversify the audio space.
“I was brainstorming ideas after my MSNBC show got canceled,” Cross says of coming up with the concept for Between generations. “I grew up at my grandmother’s kitchen table. We talked about life and love and joy, sadness and having children, marriage, divorce and friendship.”
Tiffany Cross for ACcross Generations.
courtesy of iheartmedia
She continues, “She passed away in 2014 and I miss her presence in my life so much. I thought I would do it if I could encapsulate her wisdom and give it as a gift to women across the country, around the world.”
Cross came up with the idea of hosting a show with black women from three different generations discussing a specific topic. “I’m the only constant and there will be a revolving door of guests, older women, old enough to be my mother, and a younger woman, who could be my daughter. When I brought this idea to Will, he really took it to the next level.”
For Girls trip producer, 49, the concept is in line with the focus of his work. “Black women have certainly influenced me throughout my life personally and professionally,” he says. “I like to say that black women hold the keys to the kingdom, and just because some people, some powerful people, haven’t realized that doesn’t make it any less true.”
She adds, “Look at my projects and how successful I’ve been. They were the sisters who not only supported me early on, before I hit mainstream success that made Hollywood stand out, but they were the audience that helped me hone my storytelling because I listened to them. Now someone like me can give a platform to that conversation.”
Between generations
However, Cross believes that what is shared on the show will reach beyond the black community. “I know this show is about black women, but it’s not exclusive for Black women,” she says. “I predict that women of all backgrounds will join in and listen because these conversations are things that happen all the time. We invite all audiences, even though we are at the center of everything.”
And Cross herself will be digging deep into each episode. “I’m totally into my work. I’m really keeping nothing back, one hundred percent unfiltered about my personal life and every concept. So it’s a little embarrassing for my mother to watch some of these episodes.”
One thing Cross’ co-star will definitely be watching this weekend is the Academy Awards. Packer, who famously produced the 2022 live awards show, which was upended by the Will Smith and Chris Rock debacle, is still a fan of Hollywood’s biggest night.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(999x0:1001x2)/will-packer-80e4fe1612f3499bbfbc0218349810db.jpg)
Will Packer backstage at the Oscars. Al Seib/AMPAS/Getty
“I definitely still enjoy watching the Oscars. Once you produce a live event, you realize the weight behind every single choice that’s made,” he says. “And so, from the host to the production design of a particular performance, I pay attention to all of that.”
For Cross, this weekend’s show will offer more for her and her guests to talk about. “We have a ‘Streets Are Talking’ segment, where we’re going to talk about something that’s going on in pop culture,” she says. With all that, “I’m super excited.”
ACross Generations is distributed by iHeartPodcasts and will be available on the iHeartRadio app and everywhere podcasts are heard.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education