d now read you have no idea what you do
what your challenges are so give me a
quick intro I so my name is Reggie L
wells and I’m actually an ex super model
a model from vogue and ton of other
clients in the past I have a celebrity
t-shirt one in underwear alarm that’s
out and have quite a bit of celebrities
that are actually rocking my stuff I’m
currently have an anti-bullying campaign
that’s pretty big in the industry right
now we are relaunching it it’s called
the freedom shock campaign so that’s
currently what we’re working on um I
have a couple other tricks up my sleeve
I’m actually working on a pilot next
month on the 13th for Bravo for a
reality show that I’m launching so I’m
not sure a busy man so I’m kind of known
and I’m kind of not known so it’s kind
of weird it’s like really weird but here
I am so so who’s we’s is it the Royal we
or you got a team with you I would seem
but they’re not with me right now it’s
basically sitting around me of course I
design launched and created every single
thing that I got my hand into I decided
when I was younger when I got into the
entertainment business that I knew that
I could model forever so I always wanted
to have my own business on the side no
matter what so I developed contacts
throughout these clients like waffle red
and several other people put those
contacts together when I turned 16 years
old and develop my own brand at 17 and
from 18 19 I went to college graduate it
of course I graduated from high school
at 17 and then I went straight to
college develop this t-shirt one after
graduating and it’s been good from there
so what do you need help with what’s
going on um I feel I’m more known as a
model in a stylist so people take me
serious as a designer I have like
certain celebrities that are rocking my
shirts now I just did a huge photo shoot
with Cassie so you know she’s one of my
big sellers I had lunch with Beyonce’s
mom so it’s like I don’t have any
problem getting the celebrities on board
my issue if I want to get out there more
socially like I’m only known in a
picture like oh my god right
you took a picture with so-and-so but
then people forget about me the next day
so it’s like I want to be remembered
more as that you know designer the
entrepreneur you know not so much as a
model or a background person so my
biggest thing is trying to get myself
out there more you want to be kicking
seriously I do I mean it’s hard to take
me serious when I’m you know in a spread
and underwears like you know this this
God’s good as a model but you know you
sure you want to tamper in and doing
other stuff so yeah I want to be taken
serious so you mean your main company is
his t-shirt line that’s what you’re
trying to promote its design by the
wells that’s my main um my main company
yes I did away with styling I played
around with style a couple celebrities I
wanted actually styling and two years
six big-name celebrities and I just got
bored doing that so I just decided that
I knew I could always design and I love
like a funky t-shirt it’s just my thing
like I can cut a shirt on a person and
like make it crazy so I just kind of
took that made my own business with it
and how are you doing now like is this
is this stable income for you you’re
still struggling to get this thing off
the ground how’s it going not
necessarily because um I mean I make a
lot of money modeling I also do the
bookings i would say i’m not really
struggling to get it off the ground i’m
more struggling to get booked for events
and to get likes more things like that
when people book me they booked me as a
model they don’t want to book me as
let’s have your collection walk or let’s
put one of your shirts on another
collection and let’s do a shoot they
just book me as a model right so this is
like is it is it off the ground yet
you’ve gotten some sales is it happening
or you still got a lot of phil’s
actually um like I said from Monday I’ve
got a thousand more t-shirt sales so
it’s like I’m not getting sales I’m
getting plenty of sales like you can you
can go on you can buy the shirts you can
order them through you know my side you
can order them through me you can order
you can order them anywhere pretty much
and gap inc actually as of two weeks ago
it’s interested in possibly running the
one in the Charlottesville Virginia
store and in the New York store just to
see how it goes what’s great and the
celebrity angles and help
you get any celebrities to wear the
they’re closed um it drew having certain
celebrities wear the shirt I probably
got a ton more sales so that’s perfect
it’s just I want to be booked for more
like interviews like this like I want to
be booked for more press interviews
radio stations you know talk shows I
want to be booked more for that so I can
verbally talk about the campaign the
message behind it and you know the
anti-bullying you know awareness that we
have like we have a foundation like
people don’t know that they just buy a
shirt and like all like the calls and
that’s it right so so part of that is
also leading with that right like what’s
your message you know we’re like we’re
seven minutes in eight minutes into this
call I still don’t even know what your
message so sorry so my message me
realize its the fight for anti-bullying
when it comes to my freedom shot
campaign the name itself is the freedom
shot campaign so it’s powerful within
the name it gives you the ability to be
free about yourself so each shirt says a
special slogan on it like the freedom to
overcome the freedom to not be judged
the freedom to stay in the freedom to be
powerful and a lot of pretty much took
those messages up like hate that people
say and I turn it around and made a
fashion statement with it so it
eliminates any race is the message of
hate but makes you look at my shirt so
you called me fat guess what freedom to
be fat that’s who i am and i’m
representing it proudly so it’s like I
took the shirt from all the bullying
that I kind of went through and I she
like jammed into one little thing and
then sort of not made fun of it but made
you know fashion is sexy everyone thinks
that fashion is in its sexy that’s what
it is so it eliminates the message of
hate through fashion so it’s pretty much
bringing awareness for anti-bullying
anti-hate discrimination on stuff like
that were you bullied I was bullied
growing up which is weird because I did
a lot of stuff growing up in school I
got from the Mickey Mouse Club and I
mean I did like quite a bit of acting I
did a jello commercial six years in a
row did like gap commercials as a kid
and I just got bullied hardcore in
school and my parents wanted to pull me
out of school but I wanted to stay in
school because I actually wanted to I
don’t know it just like I had a feeling
that once I got an older I could I could
sort of eat the boolean and I can still
become some
so throughout middle school high school
I started being looked at as this person
that ok you have brilliant ideas we want
to you know we want to kind of have
Reggie on our team now so that’s when it
started kicking off from me that I could
possibly do something with my life when
it comes to something like this why were
you bullied because you were an actor
there Johnson go but that’s why I was
bullied but I was mainly i guess i would
say i was bully just because growing up
I was like a quiet kid it’s like
different things happen to me as a kid
like and in my wife like just being a
child you know I came I’m actually one
that I don’t talk about that much but
we’re sort of putting out a book about
it but you know I got kind of molested
as a kid so it’s like I had a fear of
meeting new people and being in a group
socially so I was always the outcast by
myself so I was bullied for that reason
oh you’re sitting by yourself you know
you know kids to pick on you and say you
got you know the cooties or something is
wrong with you and it went from there
and it just progressed they got worse
and worse and i was like anti-social so
I lived my life pretty much through
doing the childhood acting I felt like
that was an escape for me and I thought
it was going to make me cool but instead
it kind of backfired a little bit headed
a backfire cuz huh yeah people would
pick on me for it or i would get
harassed about it in school to the point
where I couldn’t focus on school like
people would ask me when I got towards
middle school in sixth grade how do you
get into acting you don’t tell me how to
get into acting you know I’m gonna do
this i’ma do that and you know it was
just sort of like dumb stuff that just
sort of got out of hand that asked feel
like I allowed it to because I never had
the guts to stand up and just be like
you know what this is what I like to do
and I love doing it and you know you
want to know how to get into and I’ll be
glad to sit down and work with you but
at this point you’re not going to
threaten me to push you into something
so and now you want to get up there you
want to get media you want to get booked
on shows you want to talk with this
campaign that’s your main goal and
that’s my main goal is to talk about
this campaign my campaign charts are
selling like crazy but I really want to
get the message out so without a message
there it’s just like people will buy a
shirt all data support whatever you know
Reggie is doing like my friends are
number one
shirts and support it but i’m not sure
that they’re wearing it you know they
could just throw it back in the in the
back of their closet you know what I’m
saying I want it to be forefront yeah
you gotta do some work on the messaging
like the individual messages are great
but you have to tell the story behind it
yeah your personal story has to be so
important to this whole thing kicking
off and the fact that you were bullied
like I don’t know if you’re if you’re
saying that or not it has to come out
more strong like you believe in this
because you were bullied and you know
what it’s like and you got to work it a
bit because people can’t relate to hey I
was bullied because because though a
successful child actor I’m a right like
the cold he’s got to be something else
that give you the shy kid the quiet kid
or something like because you’re you
know you wore glasses because he erased
whatever like you were picked on for
these reasons right and it’s right and
and you got to share a moment take me to
a time where you felt like like your
life was over like you got to make me
i’ve actually had those i guess
like really quick i can tell you like
I’ve had those times um like right after
college you know actually attempted you
know throughout to have them success or
not I attempted suicide just because
everything hit me at the last minute so
you know we live in a message through
this campaign for a lot of reasons it’s
because I want to hopefully be able to
let somebody else know I was that person
it was about to jump off that bridge but
guess what I’ve rethought to myself that
could do something hold on you just
skipped over the most important part
everything heats you at the what at the
same time what heats you that’s what I
want to know that’s what times people
like Italy life hit me um and and and
pretty much the past hit me just being
bullied and you know running into
bullying again as an adult after school
running into a brick wall not deciding
or can’t decide what you want to do with
your life and you feel pulled this way
you feel not like worth anything because
you were molested as a kid you can’t
find people to honestly like you for you
they just like you for what you have
done in life so that hit me all at once
and it was running through my mind like
you’re not good enough so you know you
know what to do so that was that and I
attempted to
you know these suicide you have the
elements that the problem here is you’re
summarizing I oh I like take it in
choosing when I don’t need to well for
this to take off you got to make it
personal and make me care right so all
this subject you you know your past
caught up with you you have lots of
stress like you’re summarizing us
uninteresting to me you gotta hit me
with something that like this happened
they take me to that time where you felt
like you’re going to kill yourself and
what was going through your mind like
put me in that scenario put me there
like I’m watching you about to make this
happen and that draws me in now I care
now whatever you’re selling whatever
your solution is I’m interested in
so like you already know it it’s just
that made me have to work to pull that
out yeah I think that’s not biggest
problem is with a lot of people are
telling me it’s like you got an amazing
idea i can’t pain lies you have the
success the potential to do it but it’s
like when it comes to you giving an
interview you only want to go halfway
and stop but you gotta go all the way
like that’s a welcome sorry okay so
let’s practice let’s go all the way
alright so here we got what’s the story
man at that time I want to kill yourself
tell me about the bullies like what do
they call you feel like something I can
I guess well it’s not really a guest but
the the most I guess the hardest thing
I’ve ever had to go through in life is
um after or during the time when I was
in school I faced a point where I have
to go back home to my family because
some stuff actually happened I want to
fly back home from Texas to my family I
ran into that person that molested me
when I was a kid and it took me back to
a place that I just didn’t want to be at
which was you know you feel truck as a
child you can’t run to anybody no one’s
going to believe you or even if they do
believe you is it your fault what did
you do to put yourself in the situation
on that person I thought was going to
not you know talk about the situation
actually brought it back up with me
being molested which may be even worse
than what it was it’s almost like he got
a laugh out of it and I’m the one that’s
suffering from it so I was like I could
do one or two things I could either get
the last laugh by pressing the charges
because I actually talked to a therapist
about it I’ve talked to the courts about
it and they told me that I pretty much
don’t have a time limit at age whenever
I could file charges on him while I’m 50
if he’s still living it say this got
molested me just because it was a
heinous crime when you were a child so
by the law I could do that I decided
that I just didn’t want to deal with it
anymore so I kind of talked about it
with them a little bit not totally I was
just like you know that you actually
ruin my life you know if I could say so
I actually told us to have my life
because the thoughts that were going
through my mind are constant like I
always have thoughts even now let’s
going through my mind you know why me
why does this happen to me
but we have done to avoid it you know I
had friends actually had a good friend
of mine who killed himself because of
you know a lot of reasons but I later
found out through his mom that he had so
much depression with him being molested
as a child he couldn’t control it they
talked to therapists he got no better
medication it didn’t do anything for him
so back to my story I went back home or
went back to Texas I tried to talk to my
dad about the situation he listened to
me and this will be the third or fourth
time that my dad and I had talked about
me being molested but his excuse was
well I really don’t want to get into
that because I don’t want to mess up
with the family you know we’re already
trying to get ourselves together that
when my dad said that immediately said
to me my dad doesn’t care about me
because any normal parent would have
been like you know what let’s have
either have a meeting or I’m going to go
talk to him myself he molested my child
I matically there so I felt like part of
your family this this guy who it’s not
dad’s brother your dad’s brother okay so
like that’s you got to see that earlier
right like we got a crunch down this
story take out the part about your
friend because it’s not good and so you
went back so you said you went back to
Texas because you had to sort out a
bunch of stuff like so what’s that stuff
like why are you making this trip back
to Texas and why did you meet this guy
well I was going to college on in Texas
not I made the trip back to Virginia but
I have to go back because my grandmother
passed away so we had a funeral to be at
and you know I needed to be there just
because I help take care of my
grandmother I majored in nursing so I
was the main one helping taking care of
my grandmother at the time it’s only
right that I’d be there and of course I
was not going to miss it so I me because
I was going to run to talk about this in
front of everybody or just you and Mike
who was there was like take your normal
originally originally it was it was the
whole family we were at my grandmother’s
house we actually decided that you know
the family was going to go in and clean
out the house we’re going to do
different stuff together as a family and
actually ran into him while we were
there my grandmother’s house is pretty
big so I ran into him while we were
there and it was awkward my cousin was
beside me he gave me this certain look
and he said here come here let me talk
to you for a second and I
set to have I really don’t want to talk
to you and I kind of know where this is
going I said in front of my cousins and
my sister and a lot of other people they
looked kind of weird like I didn’t know
any guys you know what was going on you
know this is our uncle George you know
everyone loves him so why are you acting
like that and I said I have reasons I
never discussed it with them at that
point yet but I said that I have reasons
and I wound up going after the second
time he kept asking me you know I need
to talk to you about some stuff I wound
up stepping aside we stepped outside
that’s when he brought it back up to me
and just went on to say different stuff
that he actually asked me did I like it
that’s what really fueled me it pissed
me off sorry but it took me to another
place and if that place that it took me
to was anger like I’m either going to
kill you now or I’m just you know at
that point I felt like I wasn’t worth
anything just because the boolean came
back it just you know they’re molested
made me feel like I was just like nobody
like I was just a dirty person I used to
remember taking showers then take a bath
right after and take another shower you
know I had compulsive disorders like
that as a child and no one could figure
out why or what was wrong with me but I
knew what was wrong with me talking to
therapists they actually knew you have
you were violated as a child my parents
just were so naive and dumbfounded
advised that they didn’t want to believe
it so we looked like it was just you and
him when he when he brought it up again
and actually talked about is just you
have that’s when we walked away yeah
okay so that’s this is great like all
the details are there and I not that you
should be proud of this but you
shouldn’t hide hide behind it right like
that’s that’s his victory I know he’s
talking to you about it nail it makes me
feel good just like when I said talk to
the therapist about it when I walked up
the meeting I felt like a million bucks
it’s just that I guess I’m honest I
guess me making this campaign was the
best thing that could have happened to
me being molested I guess that’s the
power he gave me is that I have an
ability to be able to give back so i
probably shouldn’t hide behind it no and
there’s tons of people this is if this
is a challenge you want to have an
impact write this in kentucky people who
are in the same situation as you who
with their uncle who ever was and it’s
come up
over and over again and it’s part of
their life now and they don’t have
anybody to reach out to and they don’t
have the courage they don’t have the
opportunities or the skills that you
have and just by seeing you have the
curve to come out and say this and
create this campaign that could change
their life yeah and it starts with you
telling your passionate stories as what
happened like yeah made you angry of
course and if you’re not using language
then use language like that’s part of
your story line that’s going to help
people that’s going to make people
inspired to want to follow you and buy
your t-shirts and support this thing but
without that story it’s missing like
yeah it’s a great idea but there’s tons
of great ideas we’re going to move this
beyond just Reggie’s friends supporting
him to actually have an impact and
making the difference in people’s lives
correct you got to get that story it’s
there like you can tell it you’re good
communicator you know you can you can
tell this story you just got to take
what took you like 15 minutes to get out
into one I’m gonna have that I’ve
written it down I’ve been working on a
book you know so I mean if it’s there i
have a blog so it’s there since i chose
not to i guess i chose not to share it
at certain points and i should have
chose to whoa i did share but i
should have chose early on throughout
our story to just break right into it
and shorter early on and concise look
exactly and then get that to the message
in the point of the campaign and then
there’s there’s your you know there is
your pretty much your interview there’s
your highlight and that’s your lead like
if you’re going to start talking to
media you want to get recognized more
like they need that hook to bring them
in because there’s tons of great ideas
and great campaigns out there right
there is so this is a story like if you
can give a reporter a story you’re
making their life easier they’re out
there looking for good stories you’re
making they’re easier but you have to
pull one up then okay so we have your
main story that’s great we have that the
product that’s great that’s coming out
now I wonder you know if you can use
your celebrity factor at all not only
you but your friends as well have any of
them been bullied or picked on I’m sure
they have when they were younger yes
also quite a bit of naturally so I know
some stories so could they share like so
you you’re the lead
but with each t-shirt that you have
coming out you have a spokesperson and
they share their story of what happened
to them and they wear their shirt what
they’re talking about it we do each
month we launched a new slogan and
behind that slogan I have actually three
phases for my campaign that are signed
and we have photo shoots each month each
slogan that’s launched we have a
celebrity client or a supermodel that’s
stepping forth to be that guest face
alongside the faces of the campaign for
that month and their biography goes on
the website so they’ll share their story
of boolean you know one of the
celebrities that I work with recently
you know well Queen Latifah you know she
told me her story which is amazing about
her bullying and being judged and not
comfortable in her skin and once she
said she broke loose and mentioned at
one time she said she just couldn’t stop
talking about it and inspire people so
that alone made me feel like you know
what that’s something that I need to do
because she’s getting sales off of it
and she’s also getting booked four limbs
off of it and she’s getting recognized
off of it so that’s like where I want to
be so I know what I need to do to do it
and it’s not just the money it’s the
impact why I don’t really care too much
about the money money is great but I
care about getting the message out there
it’s because it’ll be a waste of time
from not because I don’t make a million
dollars off of my campaign I make money
off of my underwear on which is separate
my campaign is just a message that I
believe in that I want to do when we’re
not combining what is combined on my
lawn but I have a like a foundation also
and we also give back to the schools I
teamed up with my school in my hometown
which actually has freedom friday
because of me so every other Friday they
have freedom Friday and pep rallies so
they actually this year they’re rocking
my shirts which is pretty amazing why do
you need a foundation why can’t this be
part of your business part of your
philosophies you give five percent ten
percent back to the schools and the
charities and the causes that you
believe in and you’re you’re supporting
it but why is why are you separating
these things I don’t know I guess it’s
just what I thought of business-wise it
might not be a good idea but listening
to you say that that’s probably
sound smarter like if people you build
all this great attention for your
t-shirt line and nobody knows about your
underwear line right why are they buying
your underwear line if they buying it
because it’s also you and your brother
the great movement that you’re creating
your impact in people’s lives like yeah
I want to buy that underwear not just
because it makes me look sexy but
because this company stands or something
normal holding companies don’t yeah I
mean at first they were bout it because
Chris Brown was rocking it but now
they’re just buying it so I mean I guess
I could combine the two you have a
unique opportunity to combine all of
your interests and connections and
passions to really build something
special here you can use your history
your background plus your towns for
designing plus your celebrity
connections plus this great cause you’ve
created to build one awesome company
that means something to people that
makes a lot of mine that has an impact
or you can have these it’s like separate
silos and each thing does it’s it’s okay
but never really takes off right
understandable
two outs Reggie love no seriously you
can combine we’re gonna have a much more
powerful company and and you’re gonna
have a lot more fun with everything
you’re doing to you don’t feel like
you’re stretching a million different
directions yeah right now I do because I
have to be over it like you know in
Florida for a shoot then I have to be
over on the west coast for something
different for a campaign event then i
gotta be back over at the you know MTV
Awards like the other day my schedule
was crazy I’ve never seen a plane as
many times as I seem to play in the
other day it was like you know I just
got off you know this day i’m playing
i’m back on it you know so it’s crazy
you have to figure it to at what point
you stop doing the shoots like you’re
not just the model anymore your brother
to always have to model because i wasn’t
going to model for my brand but we did
like I’ve Instagram I’m pretty heavy on
twitter instagram instagram social media
networks so facebook we did a shoot i
did a shoot face of my campaign and then
i did a shoot with four of us which is
the three faces of my campaign of myself
everyone like the three phases in myself
but everyone was like at the end of the
day you have to be featured in your
campaign so i think i had like seventy
five thousand lights on the picture by
myself telling me that you need to do it
and comments i have like over 100,000
comments on the other one we had at
close to almost 100,000 likes and
comments so it’s like I feel like I no
matter what have to be featured on it
whether as long as it supports your
long-term like business goals yeah not
for the money you’re not just doing
because it’s a paycheck it does you but
it supports what you’re doing with your
company you can have to figure out like
all entrepreneurs what’s the best use of
Reggie wells is time today exactly right
and not not get pulled into the wrong
project because that’s its african time
hey we’re bumping up against the clock
for the people who are watching and are
interested in this where can they learn
more so you guys can check out my
website at www freedom shot campaign com
you can also like us on facebook which
is the freedom shot campaign com on
facebook or you can pretty much see
shoot me an email at design by the loss
at gmail com
and we’ll shoot you back with info and
any brochures you need on the campaign
very cool thanks thanks a lot for this
Reggie and keep you posted with all your
progress I will we’ll keep an eye out
that all right thanks Mandy so much
what your challenges are so give me a
quick intro I so my name is Reggie L
wells and I’m actually an ex super model
a model from vogue and ton of other
clients in the past I have a celebrity
t-shirt one in underwear alarm that’s
out and have quite a bit of celebrities
that are actually rocking my stuff I’m
currently have an anti-bullying campaign
that’s pretty big in the industry right
now we are relaunching it it’s called
the freedom shock campaign so that’s
currently what we’re working on um I
have a couple other tricks up my sleeve
I’m actually working on a pilot next
month on the 13th for Bravo for a
reality show that I’m launching so I’m
not sure a busy man so I’m kind of known
and I’m kind of not known so it’s kind
of weird it’s like really weird but here
I am so so who’s we’s is it the Royal we
or you got a team with you I would seem
but they’re not with me right now it’s
basically sitting around me of course I
design launched and created every single
thing that I got my hand into I decided
when I was younger when I got into the
entertainment business that I knew that
I could model forever so I always wanted
to have my own business on the side no
matter what so I developed contacts
throughout these clients like waffle red
and several other people put those
contacts together when I turned 16 years
old and develop my own brand at 17 and
from 18 19 I went to college graduate it
of course I graduated from high school
at 17 and then I went straight to
college develop this t-shirt one after
graduating and it’s been good from there
so what do you need help with what’s
going on um I feel I’m more known as a
model in a stylist so people take me
serious as a designer I have like
certain celebrities that are rocking my
shirts now I just did a huge photo shoot
with Cassie so you know she’s one of my
big sellers I had lunch with Beyonce’s
mom so it’s like I don’t have any
problem getting the celebrities on board
my issue if I want to get out there more
socially like I’m only known in a
picture like oh my god right
you took a picture with so-and-so but
then people forget about me the next day
so it’s like I want to be remembered
more as that you know designer the
entrepreneur you know not so much as a
model or a background person so my
biggest thing is trying to get myself
out there more you want to be kicking
seriously I do I mean it’s hard to take
me serious when I’m you know in a spread
and underwears like you know this this
God’s good as a model but you know you
sure you want to tamper in and doing
other stuff so yeah I want to be taken
serious so you mean your main company is
his t-shirt line that’s what you’re
trying to promote its design by the
wells that’s my main um my main company
yes I did away with styling I played
around with style a couple celebrities I
wanted actually styling and two years
six big-name celebrities and I just got
bored doing that so I just decided that
I knew I could always design and I love
like a funky t-shirt it’s just my thing
like I can cut a shirt on a person and
like make it crazy so I just kind of
took that made my own business with it
and how are you doing now like is this
is this stable income for you you’re
still struggling to get this thing off
the ground how’s it going not
necessarily because um I mean I make a
lot of money modeling I also do the
bookings i would say i’m not really
struggling to get it off the ground i’m
more struggling to get booked for events
and to get likes more things like that
when people book me they booked me as a
model they don’t want to book me as
let’s have your collection walk or let’s
put one of your shirts on another
collection and let’s do a shoot they
just book me as a model right so this is
like is it is it off the ground yet
you’ve gotten some sales is it happening
or you still got a lot of phil’s
actually um like I said from Monday I’ve
got a thousand more t-shirt sales so
it’s like I’m not getting sales I’m
getting plenty of sales like you can you
can go on you can buy the shirts you can
order them through you know my side you
can order them through me you can order
you can order them anywhere pretty much
and gap inc actually as of two weeks ago
it’s interested in possibly running the
one in the Charlottesville Virginia
store and in the New York store just to
see how it goes what’s great and the
celebrity angles and help
you get any celebrities to wear the
they’re closed um it drew having certain
celebrities wear the shirt I probably
got a ton more sales so that’s perfect
it’s just I want to be booked for more
like interviews like this like I want to
be booked for more press interviews
radio stations you know talk shows I
want to be booked more for that so I can
verbally talk about the campaign the
message behind it and you know the
anti-bullying you know awareness that we
have like we have a foundation like
people don’t know that they just buy a
shirt and like all like the calls and
that’s it right so so part of that is
also leading with that right like what’s
your message you know we’re like we’re
seven minutes in eight minutes into this
call I still don’t even know what your
message so sorry so my message me
realize its the fight for anti-bullying
when it comes to my freedom shot
campaign the name itself is the freedom
shot campaign so it’s powerful within
the name it gives you the ability to be
free about yourself so each shirt says a
special slogan on it like the freedom to
overcome the freedom to not be judged
the freedom to stay in the freedom to be
powerful and a lot of pretty much took
those messages up like hate that people
say and I turn it around and made a
fashion statement with it so it
eliminates any race is the message of
hate but makes you look at my shirt so
you called me fat guess what freedom to
be fat that’s who i am and i’m
representing it proudly so it’s like I
took the shirt from all the bullying
that I kind of went through and I she
like jammed into one little thing and
then sort of not made fun of it but made
you know fashion is sexy everyone thinks
that fashion is in its sexy that’s what
it is so it eliminates the message of
hate through fashion so it’s pretty much
bringing awareness for anti-bullying
anti-hate discrimination on stuff like
that were you bullied I was bullied
growing up which is weird because I did
a lot of stuff growing up in school I
got from the Mickey Mouse Club and I
mean I did like quite a bit of acting I
did a jello commercial six years in a
row did like gap commercials as a kid
and I just got bullied hardcore in
school and my parents wanted to pull me
out of school but I wanted to stay in
school because I actually wanted to I
don’t know it just like I had a feeling
that once I got an older I could I could
sort of eat the boolean and I can still
become some
so throughout middle school high school
I started being looked at as this person
that ok you have brilliant ideas we want
to you know we want to kind of have
Reggie on our team now so that’s when it
started kicking off from me that I could
possibly do something with my life when
it comes to something like this why were
you bullied because you were an actor
there Johnson go but that’s why I was
bullied but I was mainly i guess i would
say i was bully just because growing up
I was like a quiet kid it’s like
different things happen to me as a kid
like and in my wife like just being a
child you know I came I’m actually one
that I don’t talk about that much but
we’re sort of putting out a book about
it but you know I got kind of molested
as a kid so it’s like I had a fear of
meeting new people and being in a group
socially so I was always the outcast by
myself so I was bullied for that reason
oh you’re sitting by yourself you know
you know kids to pick on you and say you
got you know the cooties or something is
wrong with you and it went from there
and it just progressed they got worse
and worse and i was like anti-social so
I lived my life pretty much through
doing the childhood acting I felt like
that was an escape for me and I thought
it was going to make me cool but instead
it kind of backfired a little bit headed
a backfire cuz huh yeah people would
pick on me for it or i would get
harassed about it in school to the point
where I couldn’t focus on school like
people would ask me when I got towards
middle school in sixth grade how do you
get into acting you don’t tell me how to
get into acting you know I’m gonna do
this i’ma do that and you know it was
just sort of like dumb stuff that just
sort of got out of hand that asked feel
like I allowed it to because I never had
the guts to stand up and just be like
you know what this is what I like to do
and I love doing it and you know you
want to know how to get into and I’ll be
glad to sit down and work with you but
at this point you’re not going to
threaten me to push you into something
so and now you want to get up there you
want to get media you want to get booked
on shows you want to talk with this
campaign that’s your main goal and
that’s my main goal is to talk about
this campaign my campaign charts are
selling like crazy but I really want to
get the message out so without a message
there it’s just like people will buy a
shirt all data support whatever you know
Reggie is doing like my friends are
number one
shirts and support it but i’m not sure
that they’re wearing it you know they
could just throw it back in the in the
back of their closet you know what I’m
saying I want it to be forefront yeah
you gotta do some work on the messaging
like the individual messages are great
but you have to tell the story behind it
yeah your personal story has to be so
important to this whole thing kicking
off and the fact that you were bullied
like I don’t know if you’re if you’re
saying that or not it has to come out
more strong like you believe in this
because you were bullied and you know
what it’s like and you got to work it a
bit because people can’t relate to hey I
was bullied because because though a
successful child actor I’m a right like
the cold he’s got to be something else
that give you the shy kid the quiet kid
or something like because you’re you
know you wore glasses because he erased
whatever like you were picked on for
these reasons right and it’s right and
and you got to share a moment take me to
a time where you felt like like your
life was over like you got to make me
i’ve actually had those i guess
like really quick i can tell you like
I’ve had those times um like right after
college you know actually attempted you
know throughout to have them success or
not I attempted suicide just because
everything hit me at the last minute so
you know we live in a message through
this campaign for a lot of reasons it’s
because I want to hopefully be able to
let somebody else know I was that person
it was about to jump off that bridge but
guess what I’ve rethought to myself that
could do something hold on you just
skipped over the most important part
everything heats you at the what at the
same time what heats you that’s what I
want to know that’s what times people
like Italy life hit me um and and and
pretty much the past hit me just being
bullied and you know running into
bullying again as an adult after school
running into a brick wall not deciding
or can’t decide what you want to do with
your life and you feel pulled this way
you feel not like worth anything because
you were molested as a kid you can’t
find people to honestly like you for you
they just like you for what you have
done in life so that hit me all at once
and it was running through my mind like
you’re not good enough so you know you
know what to do so that was that and I
attempted to
you know these suicide you have the
elements that the problem here is you’re
summarizing I oh I like take it in
choosing when I don’t need to well for
this to take off you got to make it
personal and make me care right so all
this subject you you know your past
caught up with you you have lots of
stress like you’re summarizing us
uninteresting to me you gotta hit me
with something that like this happened
they take me to that time where you felt
like you’re going to kill yourself and
what was going through your mind like
put me in that scenario put me there
like I’m watching you about to make this
happen and that draws me in now I care
now whatever you’re selling whatever
your solution is I’m interested in
so like you already know it it’s just
that made me have to work to pull that
out yeah I think that’s not biggest
problem is with a lot of people are
telling me it’s like you got an amazing
idea i can’t pain lies you have the
success the potential to do it but it’s
like when it comes to you giving an
interview you only want to go halfway
and stop but you gotta go all the way
like that’s a welcome sorry okay so
let’s practice let’s go all the way
alright so here we got what’s the story
man at that time I want to kill yourself
tell me about the bullies like what do
they call you feel like something I can
I guess well it’s not really a guest but
the the most I guess the hardest thing
I’ve ever had to go through in life is
um after or during the time when I was
in school I faced a point where I have
to go back home to my family because
some stuff actually happened I want to
fly back home from Texas to my family I
ran into that person that molested me
when I was a kid and it took me back to
a place that I just didn’t want to be at
which was you know you feel truck as a
child you can’t run to anybody no one’s
going to believe you or even if they do
believe you is it your fault what did
you do to put yourself in the situation
on that person I thought was going to
not you know talk about the situation
actually brought it back up with me
being molested which may be even worse
than what it was it’s almost like he got
a laugh out of it and I’m the one that’s
suffering from it so I was like I could
do one or two things I could either get
the last laugh by pressing the charges
because I actually talked to a therapist
about it I’ve talked to the courts about
it and they told me that I pretty much
don’t have a time limit at age whenever
I could file charges on him while I’m 50
if he’s still living it say this got
molested me just because it was a
heinous crime when you were a child so
by the law I could do that I decided
that I just didn’t want to deal with it
anymore so I kind of talked about it
with them a little bit not totally I was
just like you know that you actually
ruin my life you know if I could say so
I actually told us to have my life
because the thoughts that were going
through my mind are constant like I
always have thoughts even now let’s
going through my mind you know why me
why does this happen to me
but we have done to avoid it you know I
had friends actually had a good friend
of mine who killed himself because of
you know a lot of reasons but I later
found out through his mom that he had so
much depression with him being molested
as a child he couldn’t control it they
talked to therapists he got no better
medication it didn’t do anything for him
so back to my story I went back home or
went back to Texas I tried to talk to my
dad about the situation he listened to
me and this will be the third or fourth
time that my dad and I had talked about
me being molested but his excuse was
well I really don’t want to get into
that because I don’t want to mess up
with the family you know we’re already
trying to get ourselves together that
when my dad said that immediately said
to me my dad doesn’t care about me
because any normal parent would have
been like you know what let’s have
either have a meeting or I’m going to go
talk to him myself he molested my child
I matically there so I felt like part of
your family this this guy who it’s not
dad’s brother your dad’s brother okay so
like that’s you got to see that earlier
right like we got a crunch down this
story take out the part about your
friend because it’s not good and so you
went back so you said you went back to
Texas because you had to sort out a
bunch of stuff like so what’s that stuff
like why are you making this trip back
to Texas and why did you meet this guy
well I was going to college on in Texas
not I made the trip back to Virginia but
I have to go back because my grandmother
passed away so we had a funeral to be at
and you know I needed to be there just
because I help take care of my
grandmother I majored in nursing so I
was the main one helping taking care of
my grandmother at the time it’s only
right that I’d be there and of course I
was not going to miss it so I me because
I was going to run to talk about this in
front of everybody or just you and Mike
who was there was like take your normal
originally originally it was it was the
whole family we were at my grandmother’s
house we actually decided that you know
the family was going to go in and clean
out the house we’re going to do
different stuff together as a family and
actually ran into him while we were
there my grandmother’s house is pretty
big so I ran into him while we were
there and it was awkward my cousin was
beside me he gave me this certain look
and he said here come here let me talk
to you for a second and I
set to have I really don’t want to talk
to you and I kind of know where this is
going I said in front of my cousins and
my sister and a lot of other people they
looked kind of weird like I didn’t know
any guys you know what was going on you
know this is our uncle George you know
everyone loves him so why are you acting
like that and I said I have reasons I
never discussed it with them at that
point yet but I said that I have reasons
and I wound up going after the second
time he kept asking me you know I need
to talk to you about some stuff I wound
up stepping aside we stepped outside
that’s when he brought it back up to me
and just went on to say different stuff
that he actually asked me did I like it
that’s what really fueled me it pissed
me off sorry but it took me to another
place and if that place that it took me
to was anger like I’m either going to
kill you now or I’m just you know at
that point I felt like I wasn’t worth
anything just because the boolean came
back it just you know they’re molested
made me feel like I was just like nobody
like I was just a dirty person I used to
remember taking showers then take a bath
right after and take another shower you
know I had compulsive disorders like
that as a child and no one could figure
out why or what was wrong with me but I
knew what was wrong with me talking to
therapists they actually knew you have
you were violated as a child my parents
just were so naive and dumbfounded
advised that they didn’t want to believe
it so we looked like it was just you and
him when he when he brought it up again
and actually talked about is just you
have that’s when we walked away yeah
okay so that’s this is great like all
the details are there and I not that you
should be proud of this but you
shouldn’t hide hide behind it right like
that’s that’s his victory I know he’s
talking to you about it nail it makes me
feel good just like when I said talk to
the therapist about it when I walked up
the meeting I felt like a million bucks
it’s just that I guess I’m honest I
guess me making this campaign was the
best thing that could have happened to
me being molested I guess that’s the
power he gave me is that I have an
ability to be able to give back so i
probably shouldn’t hide behind it no and
there’s tons of people this is if this
is a challenge you want to have an
impact write this in kentucky people who
are in the same situation as you who
with their uncle who ever was and it’s
come up
over and over again and it’s part of
their life now and they don’t have
anybody to reach out to and they don’t
have the courage they don’t have the
opportunities or the skills that you
have and just by seeing you have the
curve to come out and say this and
create this campaign that could change
their life yeah and it starts with you
telling your passionate stories as what
happened like yeah made you angry of
course and if you’re not using language
then use language like that’s part of
your story line that’s going to help
people that’s going to make people
inspired to want to follow you and buy
your t-shirts and support this thing but
without that story it’s missing like
yeah it’s a great idea but there’s tons
of great ideas we’re going to move this
beyond just Reggie’s friends supporting
him to actually have an impact and
making the difference in people’s lives
correct you got to get that story it’s
there like you can tell it you’re good
communicator you know you can you can
tell this story you just got to take
what took you like 15 minutes to get out
into one I’m gonna have that I’ve
written it down I’ve been working on a
book you know so I mean if it’s there i
have a blog so it’s there since i chose
not to i guess i chose not to share it
at certain points and i should have
chose to whoa i did share but i
should have chose early on throughout
our story to just break right into it
and shorter early on and concise look
exactly and then get that to the message
in the point of the campaign and then
there’s there’s your you know there is
your pretty much your interview there’s
your highlight and that’s your lead like
if you’re going to start talking to
media you want to get recognized more
like they need that hook to bring them
in because there’s tons of great ideas
and great campaigns out there right
there is so this is a story like if you
can give a reporter a story you’re
making their life easier they’re out
there looking for good stories you’re
making they’re easier but you have to
pull one up then okay so we have your
main story that’s great we have that the
product that’s great that’s coming out
now I wonder you know if you can use
your celebrity factor at all not only
you but your friends as well have any of
them been bullied or picked on I’m sure
they have when they were younger yes
also quite a bit of naturally so I know
some stories so could they share like so
you you’re the lead
but with each t-shirt that you have
coming out you have a spokesperson and
they share their story of what happened
to them and they wear their shirt what
they’re talking about it we do each
month we launched a new slogan and
behind that slogan I have actually three
phases for my campaign that are signed
and we have photo shoots each month each
slogan that’s launched we have a
celebrity client or a supermodel that’s
stepping forth to be that guest face
alongside the faces of the campaign for
that month and their biography goes on
the website so they’ll share their story
of boolean you know one of the
celebrities that I work with recently
you know well Queen Latifah you know she
told me her story which is amazing about
her bullying and being judged and not
comfortable in her skin and once she
said she broke loose and mentioned at
one time she said she just couldn’t stop
talking about it and inspire people so
that alone made me feel like you know
what that’s something that I need to do
because she’s getting sales off of it
and she’s also getting booked four limbs
off of it and she’s getting recognized
off of it so that’s like where I want to
be so I know what I need to do to do it
and it’s not just the money it’s the
impact why I don’t really care too much
about the money money is great but I
care about getting the message out there
it’s because it’ll be a waste of time
from not because I don’t make a million
dollars off of my campaign I make money
off of my underwear on which is separate
my campaign is just a message that I
believe in that I want to do when we’re
not combining what is combined on my
lawn but I have a like a foundation also
and we also give back to the schools I
teamed up with my school in my hometown
which actually has freedom friday
because of me so every other Friday they
have freedom Friday and pep rallies so
they actually this year they’re rocking
my shirts which is pretty amazing why do
you need a foundation why can’t this be
part of your business part of your
philosophies you give five percent ten
percent back to the schools and the
charities and the causes that you
believe in and you’re you’re supporting
it but why is why are you separating
these things I don’t know I guess it’s
just what I thought of business-wise it
might not be a good idea but listening
to you say that that’s probably
sound smarter like if people you build
all this great attention for your
t-shirt line and nobody knows about your
underwear line right why are they buying
your underwear line if they buying it
because it’s also you and your brother
the great movement that you’re creating
your impact in people’s lives like yeah
I want to buy that underwear not just
because it makes me look sexy but
because this company stands or something
normal holding companies don’t yeah I
mean at first they were bout it because
Chris Brown was rocking it but now
they’re just buying it so I mean I guess
I could combine the two you have a
unique opportunity to combine all of
your interests and connections and
passions to really build something
special here you can use your history
your background plus your towns for
designing plus your celebrity
connections plus this great cause you’ve
created to build one awesome company
that means something to people that
makes a lot of mine that has an impact
or you can have these it’s like separate
silos and each thing does it’s it’s okay
but never really takes off right
understandable
two outs Reggie love no seriously you
can combine we’re gonna have a much more
powerful company and and you’re gonna
have a lot more fun with everything
you’re doing to you don’t feel like
you’re stretching a million different
directions yeah right now I do because I
have to be over it like you know in
Florida for a shoot then I have to be
over on the west coast for something
different for a campaign event then i
gotta be back over at the you know MTV
Awards like the other day my schedule
was crazy I’ve never seen a plane as
many times as I seem to play in the
other day it was like you know I just
got off you know this day i’m playing
i’m back on it you know so it’s crazy
you have to figure it to at what point
you stop doing the shoots like you’re
not just the model anymore your brother
to always have to model because i wasn’t
going to model for my brand but we did
like I’ve Instagram I’m pretty heavy on
twitter instagram instagram social media
networks so facebook we did a shoot i
did a shoot face of my campaign and then
i did a shoot with four of us which is
the three faces of my campaign of myself
everyone like the three phases in myself
but everyone was like at the end of the
day you have to be featured in your
campaign so i think i had like seventy
five thousand lights on the picture by
myself telling me that you need to do it
and comments i have like over 100,000
comments on the other one we had at
close to almost 100,000 likes and
comments so it’s like I feel like I no
matter what have to be featured on it
whether as long as it supports your
long-term like business goals yeah not
for the money you’re not just doing
because it’s a paycheck it does you but
it supports what you’re doing with your
company you can have to figure out like
all entrepreneurs what’s the best use of
Reggie wells is time today exactly right
and not not get pulled into the wrong
project because that’s its african time
hey we’re bumping up against the clock
for the people who are watching and are
interested in this where can they learn
more so you guys can check out my
website at www freedom shot campaign com
you can also like us on facebook which
is the freedom shot campaign com on
facebook or you can pretty much see
shoot me an email at design by the loss
at gmail com
and we’ll shoot you back with info and
any brochures you need on the campaign
very cool thanks thanks a lot for this
Reggie and keep you posted with all your
progress I will we’ll keep an eye out
that all right thanks Mandy so much
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