By Lynnette Khalfani-Cox
McComb native Brandy Rayana Norwood, the R& B singer and actress known as “Brandy” “ celebrated her 31st birthday last Thursday, February 11th.
Brandy has certainly come a long way from those days in the late ‘90s when she starred in the UPN sitcom ‘Moesha.’ But now it’s 2010, and Brandy is taking another stab at TV land -- this time by starring with her brother in the upcoming reality TV series entitled ‘Brandy and Ray J: A Family Business.’
These talented siblings have already teamed up on Ray J’s show, ‘For the Love of Ray J’. But the debut of this new reality series -- scheduled to premiere Sunday April 11 on VH1 -- promises to offer a deeper “unscripted” peek into the duo’s personal and professional lives, perhaps in ways we’ve never before seen.
In particular, the title of the series alone raises the prospect that Brandy and Ray J will show viewers some behind-the-scenes drama and the tough issues that naturally emerge from family members working together.
In their case, mom and dad are also involved in their production business, dubbed Rn’B Productions. Brandy and Ray J’s mom, Sonja, is an entertainment manager; while their father, Willie, is the vocal coach for their business. It’s hard enough to launch and sustain a business on your own.
But many people think it’s tougher to do it with family members. With family-run enterprises, there’s a near endless list of potential pitfalls that can crop up. What should you do, for example, when one family member feels unappreciated (and maybe even underpaid) for their contributions? And what about cases where a family member is clearly slacking off on the job, or doing something that’s just plain wrong? Should you call that person on the carpet, even though it might hurt his or her feelings or jeopardize the personal relationship you share? If you add the “celebrity” factor to the mix, family businesses can get even dicier.
When you have two “stars” or maybe two “superstars” involved in a business venture, who gets top billing and who has final say over issues when there is a dispute or disagreement? Is it the person pulling in most of the income? Is it one who is most “popular” or “well-known?” Or does something else drive these issues? When you reflect on the celebrities who have struggled with work-family issues in their careers (think Beyonce and her dad; Usher and his mom; Jill Scott and her ex-husband; and even the Williams sisters, Serena and Venus), it’s pretty clear that it’s not always easy to have a family business and keep the peace with loved ones too.
I guess that’s one reason a lot of people say that you should never mix business with pleasure -- or ever go into business with family. I’m hoping it works out for Brandy and Ray J.
