MARKUANN SMITH - 27 In this podcast we talk with Markuann about his early life growing up on the streets of Far Rockaway in Queens, working in the Hip Hop and R and B world going on the road with his brother, Father MC, and in recent years how he came up with the idea to create the “Godfather of Harlem” series on Epix. Markuann was born in Harlem, New York, Markuann spent a majority of his early life in Queens, attending Far Rockaway High School and, later on, Garden State Academy. As a child, growing up on the rough streets of Far Rockaway in Queens he found refuge at home watching a lot of films. This exposure nurtured his love for the craft of film, as he considered those movies an escape from his reality. From his life on the road with Father MC, he spent 16 years working at BET and during that time he became very close with his Godmother, Margaret Johnson who was the granddaughter of the famed Harlem gangster, Ellsworth Raymond Johnson aka Bumpy Johnson. It was through listening to the stories Margaret Johnson told him that he came up with the story that is the basis for the series, “Godfather of Harlem”. Markuann is very honest about his bumpy road to success. His mission in life is to follow his passion not his pension while never giving up because failure is not an option. His journey is an inspiration for all. ALL ACCESS + CLIPS + FULL EPISODES + SUBSCRIPTION https://linktr.ee/thepodmatrix FOLLOW us on SOCIAL MEDIA Instagram: @thepodmatrixnyc https://www.instagram.com/thepodmatrixnyc/ https://www.instagram.com/markuann/ (markuann) https://www.instagram.com/godfatherofharlem/ (godfatherofharlem) https://www.epix.com/series/godfather-of-harlem?epx_source=goh1-epix (godfather-of-harlem) Linkedin: THEPODMATRIX https://www.linkedin.com/company/thepodmatrix/ Facebook: @thepodmatrix