Risin' to the top: these professionals are among the cream of the crop of new talent in the entertainment industry

Black Enterprise, Dec, 1995 by Cassandra Hayes, Fonda Marie Lloyd, Marcus Reeves, Matthew S. Scott, Debbie-Ann McGann

For the former model and commercial actor, learning the entertainment business meant starting out in the mailroom of Hervey' management and public relations firm. "I made $40 a day, but I had to do this in order to learn the nuts and bolts of the industry," says the San Francisco native. That was in 1990. He later left to manage L.A.'s Palladium nightclub and eventually opened his own club, 3rd Street. He later closed 3rd Street and co-founded R&B Live Productions.

Among the projects Hammond has on the table is the television special New Year's Eve Coast to Coast, featuring Boyz II Men. He is also set to produce the entertainment for the 1996 Super Bowl in Phoenix. And negotiations are under way to produce a series of concerts at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

TRACEY KEMBLE thanks her "godmother," entertainment attorney Nina Shaw, for preparing her to take her most recent step toward the big time.

When Rush Communications CEO Russell Simmons and veteran filmmaker Stan Lathan formed Def Pictures this year, the industry was abuzz. Armed with a two-year production deal from PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, they quickly named Kemble vice president of development.

In her new role, the former creative executive at Disney's Hollywood Pictures is anxious to play a part in ushering in the next wave of black films. With decision-making influence over all Def Pictures projects, the 29-year-old Kemble says, "One of my goals is to broaden the scope of films about the black experience. I want to produce films that depict strong black families, friendships between black women and romantic themes."

The University of Massachusetts graduate brings experience developing screenplays, managing film production and recruiting undiscovered talent from her position at Hollywood Pictures. She was the supervising executive on the Hughes brothers latest release, Dead Presidents. Kemble also cut her teeth as a freelance production assistant on the movies Boomerang and The Saint of Fort Washington and was a screenplay reader for New Line Cinema.

In the future, Kemble wants to start her own production company and concentrate on women's films. "Some incredible things have happened to black women throughout history," she says. "I'd like to bring those stories to light."

STACEY MATTHEW While a biology major at Stanford, Stacey Matthew decided that science was not the best way she could serve the African American community. "I realized in my senior year that the real power lay in the media," says the 29-year-old Oxnard, Calif., native.

Today, as director of television for Quincy Jones/David Salzman Entertainment, Matthew packages shows like The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, In The House and the late-night comedy show that debuted in October, Mad T.V. and takes them to the networks.

By matching fine actors and actresses with topnotch Hollywood writers to come up with quality shows, Matthew is not only providing entertainment, but educations as well. "We [African-Americans] don't have access to information," says Matthew, "but I can give information through characters." While she's focusing on developing African American shows now, Matthew's long-term goal is to develop more shows with broad, "multi-ethnic" appeal.