This Jamaican-born jewel sees ideas coming from every direction, causing occasional sensory overload. So she needed another portal for which to pour some of those ideas into. That’s why she founded Loft 22 Entertainment. And in the process she is using her stilletos to crack the glass ceiling in the television industry of what has mostly been a bastion of testosterone.
“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,” Banton-Lofters said. “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.”
Moving on from the ultra-successful “RHOA” show, Loft 22 will serve as the incubator for a variety of new programming from Banton-Lofters, including “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,” she revealed.
Banton-Lofters has also signed a development deal with R. Kelly’s wife, Andrea Kelly, who recently migrated to Atlanta with her brood in tow. “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,“ she says in a great understatement. “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.” –terry shropshire
