Photograph courtesy of Lynae Vanee
“Somebody give this girl a show,” is what Lynae Vanee, the multi-hyphenate star and creator of the Parking Lot Pimpin’ digital series, once said. Now, Revolt has fulfilled that dream and partnered with her for a 45-minute weekly talk show, The People’s Brief. The show delves into what Vanee calls evergreen topics that affect the Black community over time. She is not only synthesizing critical information for viewers but also providing them with tools to strategize politically. Here, we chatted with the Spelman alumna about her new series.
Who are you doing this for?
Nobody but the Lord. It’s funny how timing works and how God gives you things when you’re ready. I don’t know that I’d be as confident to just be talking about the Lord so much in my process if he didn’t give it to me now, at the point that he did. I say often that I keep myself sane because I’m not responsible to anybody but the Lord and what he’s calling me to do. That helps me stay grounded and also helps me not put too much on my plate.
How did you come up with The People’s Brief?
It’s been a collaborative effort. I even asked AI about me and what AI thinks the name of my show should be. And AI came up with a number of pretty cool things. We whittled it down to two, which were “The Culture Brief,” and then “The People’s Brief.” When I saw the two names, I immediately knew what my decision was, and it was all wrapped in what the goals of the show are. I feel like the word “culture” can be overused and also underutilized. In that overuse, I think it becomes a cop-out and a crutch for us to discuss things without finding what we actually mean when we say “culture.” We landed on The People’s Brief because we did want to keep some of the identity of Parking Lot Pimpin’—like the feel of what people know and love. We want The People’s Brief to have its own identity. It is part of the brainchild and universe that is Lynae Vanee. I automatically thought back to a work that I’ve often compared my work to, which is Thomas Paine’s Common Sense. Thomas Paine, back in the movement for independence from Great Britain, wrote this pamphlet to explain to the common man how politics were working and how they were working to not serve him. And it just made the most sense to me, because that was a work created for the people [that felt] exactly in line with what I’m trying to do for the people right now. That in turn, with one of my favorite lines from one of my favorite songs by Chance the Rapper, “Blessings.” It says, “The people’s champ must be everything the people can’t be.” I was like, yeah, it’s The People’s Brief. That’s what we’re doing.
Why this platform and why now?
This opportunity came about in January, right after I had decided to sit a lot of things down and not try to force things to come into play. I actually hadn’t even taken a meeting with Revolt for a year and some change. But you never know who’s working on your behalf and behind the scenes. I think they knew about a show we were pitching that was sort of in this vein, and they just came to me with an offer. I wasn’t even expecting it. I think it only makes sense that a creator like myself will be on a network called Revolt at a time like this, and I’m ready. I’m ready to do what this brand wants to do because it’s aligned with exactly what I want to do. And that’s to tell powerful stories. It’s to put something that feels good, something that feeds the community, and feeds the soul, and feeds the culture on the platform. And I am honored to be the vessel to help them do that.
What happens to Parking Lot Pimpin’?
Parking Lot Pimpin’, Jesus Christ. The Parking Lot will never end. I think I’ve always said that no matter where life takes me, if something crazy happens, I’m gon’ find a parking lot. I’m gon’ put my leopard print chair in it, and then we gon’ make a video. I do think we have to find a groove, because I’m also a producer and writer on this show. I don’t just come in on Fridays and read a script. My hands are knee-deep in this process. I think the whole team is just figuring out how to balance both, because I was able to take everybody that was working on Parking Lot [Pimpin’] with me to this. I was able to bring some of my students. I was able to bring on my best friend, who’s been writing with me for a few years now. That means double the work on all of us. We’re just trying to figure it out. But the Parking Lot isn’t going away.
What else do you want to share about this new adventure?
We just getting started, and I can’t wait to see what becomes of it. I’m pretty sure the people gon’ be just as surprised as I am.
