On April 26, the Quintessential Gentlemen organization hosted the MOCTales series. The reception included an exclusive screening of OWN’s reality television show “Love & Marriage: Huntsville” followed by a candid discussion with show producer Carlos King and co-star Martell Holt.
MOCTales is a platform for men of color influencing culture to share their journey toward obtaining success. “Reality TV has become a viable space for Black and brown entrepreneurs to showcase their business endeavors and allows the masses to become aware of their brands in support of growing our culture,” Quintessential Gentlemen Editor-in-chief Eric K. Thomas said.
During the chat, Holt opened up about the things that he deals with on and off the set, and how he was been able to grow in those moments.
“There’s a lot of times that I step to the screen and I’m upset,” Holt said. “Last season I was angry a lot because I was going through so much and my back was against the wall. A lot of times, men aren’t heard. … filming is tough because you’re still having to perform.
“I think accepting accountability allowed me to be a better person and get everything out,” Holt said. “I think people accepted me as being authentic and genuine.”
King, spoke with rolling out about why men of color should continue to share their stories with the world.
“The most important thing about men of color sharing their stories is having the opportunity and platform to do it so that we can understand what we’re going through,” King said. “Martell was open and honest about being in therapy and wanting to better [him]self, so when you hear another Black kid going through that, you are allowing yourself to let each other know it’s okay.”
