Two years ago we spoke with Hampton University alum Yaba Baker -- founder of DBW, Inc. whose mission is to teach every child, especially African American children, about the great heritage and contributions of Africans and African Americans, and the beauty of the African American race.

DBW Inc. was named after Yabas grandmother, Daisy Bell Williams who instilled in him a strong faith in God. Another strong influence in his life is Yaba's mother who raised him as a single parent and generously took out a $3,500 loan to support his first business venture while she was struggling financially. The business started with the successful personalized book franchise but the lack of black characters in the stories led Yaba to take a step out on faith and begin self-publishing. Two years later, the Just Like Me coloring book series was published with the first book entitled "How African American Inventions Changed America."

Over 1000 copies were sold within the first 3 months and 2 additional coloring books followed, entitled "The Beginning of Civilization" and "Coloring Book of Careers." But don�t think this story ends with coloring books - in July 2001 when we last spoke to Yaba he informed us that the next step for DBW, Inc. would be cartoon animation, including half hour cartoons and full feature animated films. We thought we�d check in with Yaba to see what�s been happening over the past two years... and the brotha is still doin� his thing!
(See initial interview with Yaba Baker from July 2001)

• Find out how Yaba made out at the Black Hollywood Film Festival
• Check the influences of strong Black women on his development as a man
• Find out how this brother sets such lofty goals, and then executes against them

Shannon, The HBCU Network:   Those both sound like incredible concepts and they certainly portray a positive image for children. Let�s talk about "DeAndre and Vanessa" first. Do you develop the storyboards for all of the episodes or do you have a team of writers working on this project?

Yaba, DBW, Inc.:   Right now, I am the sole screenwriter for all the episodes. We are not quite at the storyboard phase yet. We are in discussions with producers and other business contacts to raise the necessary capital to fund the project.

It can be very challenging and it is all about networking. At this point we haven�t had the opportunity to talk to enough people with resources to fund a project of this magnitude. One animated half-hour cartoon can cost anywhere from $150,000 to $300,000 an episode! We are seeking funding for at least 13 episodes.

Once funding is secured, the next step is to develop merchandising for the show. Action figures, lunch boxes, Halloween costumes, etc, plus we will begin the process of bringing on the other 3 cartoon series we have in development. We will still be working on the "Princess Briana" movie at the same time we are working on the cartoon series.

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Shannon, The HBCU Network:   Sounds like you have laid out your plans very well! By the way, we heard that you recently received recognition from the Black Hollywood Film Festival for "Princess Briana". Congratulations! Can you please tell us more about your experience at the festival and how it plays a part in your success with funding and development of the film?

Yaba, DBW, Inc.:   Thanks for the congratulations. The festival was great! I learned so much about the industry and made some great contacts from CBS, Showtime, and 20th Century Fox. Before I went to the festival, I had no idea how I was going to make this film. After the week-long festival I had a very detailed plan on how the film would be made and promoted.

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Shannon, The HBCU Network:   So what did you have to submit for the festival? Was it the concept for the film? Was there a visual component as well?

Yaba, DBW, Inc.:   I submitted my script for the film into the Storyteller Competition. Over 300 scripts had been entered from around the country and my script took 2nd runner up in the contest. There was no visual component.

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Shannon, The HBCU Network:   That is really outstanding, Yaba. So what your goals and timeline as it pertains to both the animated series and the animated film?

Yaba, DBW, Inc.:   Thank you, the cartoon series should be ready to air in the fall of 2004. We are targeting the new Comcast/Radio-One merger, HBO Family, Showtime Family, and few others to pick up the series. Funding must be secured for Princess Briana (which may cost up to 25 million dollars to produce) and it takes at least two years to complete a film on average, so we are shooting for a release in 2006. The know that 25 millions dollars sounds like a lot, but the average budget for an animated film is around 40 million!

Oh, and I almost forgot, we are releasing new a book in late fall of this year entitled "Princess Briana". In this story you will meet the princess when she is 11 -- in the movie she is 17. The book is currently in the illustration stage.

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