Jamaican-born Princess Banton-Lofters, spent her formative years in Canada but now resides in Atlanta, where she produces the hit television show “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.” She is also the founder and CEO of Loft 22 Entertainment, an entertainment production company formed in 2007. Recently, Banton-Lofters talked to rolling out about her company and its mission.
–constance collins
How did you get started in the entertainment industry?
I knew I wanted to do something in television and film, and I had some ideas, but I didn’t know where to start. Then I got a lucky break and met Curtis Gatson, who used to run BET. We decided to meet for lunch where I pitched the idea of a show with a group of women and my ideas kept expanding. That’s when I realized I needed to form a creative development company. I then started the process of creating Loft 22.
Talk about the summit you’re planning to help others learn more about how to navigate the industry.
… The summit will help anyone from the person who works at the bank who wants to go into television to the producer that wants to learn a little more. But the value of this summit is networking. We’re calling the summit STAFS, Southern Television and Film Summit. You can find all of the information at stafsummit.com. Our keynote, Monty Ross, wrote Crooklyn and She’s Gotta Have It. He’s going to tell you from A-Z how to do it.
Any new projects that Loft 22 is working on that we should expect?
I created a show called, ‘Boys Club,’ a male reality show. We’re going to start with the ‘Boys Club: Atlanta’ and I want to expand to different cities. I’ve already created the cast and I teamed up with major production house, Evolution, that actually started the ‘Real Housewives of Orange County franchise.’
Also, I’ve just signed a development deal with Angela Kelly who was married to R. Kelly. Recently, she decided to move to Atlanta with her three kids. Just watching her trying to find her own way and doing all of things that people do when they move to a new place will be interesting. I have a few other projects that are in development. This is going to be a great year for Loft 22, we’re going to get some good shows on TV and we’re always looking for new ideas.
