Working at MOCEAN, each assignment brings new things to get excited about. But sometimes, a project comes through the door and truly inspires us. A special kind of alchemy where our work not only fulfills us creatively, but reminds us of who we are and why we create in the first place.
For MOCEAN director Araeia Robinson, Paramount+ Black Voices was this project. We sat down to discuss what she learned through the process, and how she hopes her experience working on Paramount+ Black Voices inspires her future projects at MOCEAN and for our greater industry.
MEET ARAEIA
If you don’t know Araeia already, you will soon. A powerhouse in the creative field, she’s already got a number of impressive pieces under her belt. While Paramount+ Black Voices was her first with MOCEAN, she’s previously worked both agency side and directly with brands.
Her first name is pronounced Ah-ray-uh, and means a ray of light or sunshine. Which is fitting, given the radiant energy she brings to everything she does. After film school, Araeia quickly joined up on the production side of things. From there, she continued down a multi-hyphenate path: directing, coordinating, writing, production managing, and even producing. “I’ve always been a storyteller. I’ve always loved the arts, trying a little bit of everything,” says Araeia. “Whether it was dance or piano or theater, filmmaking was the medium where I could combine all of my loves.”
LEARNING TO BRING HER FULL SELF
Beyond gathering inspiration for her remarkable career from her own passions, Araeia had a guiding light growing up. “My Dad was my biggest cheerleader. He was a photographer, African drummer, all-around amazing father figure,” Araeia says, smiling. In addition to introducing her to a love of the arts, he also inspired her to embrace Black & African culture. Ensuring she felt confident to allow her heritage to shape the way she creates. “He instilled in me that Black is beautiful, that it is something to always be grateful for. And to never shy away from.”
While Araeia’s father, Leo, sadly passed last year, his impact still shines. Says Araeia, “Today, as a Black filmmaker and creative: I would not be the same person I am today without him.
CREATING TODAY
In the case of Paramount+ Black Voices: a cinematic dive into the journeys behind some of Paramount+’s most prolific Black-led content, MOCEAN tapped Araeia as a strategic creative and to shoot the films. “As a director, being a part of the entire process is something you don’t usually get,” she points out. “MOCEAN is this amazing one-stop shop when it comes to development: they do everything, so I was invited to create in all ways: both CD-ing and directing.” And create she did. Alongside MOCEAN ECD Bryan Dedario and Senior Producer Taylor Taynton, as well as Paramount+ Executive Producer Emmanuelle Lebœuf, the team infused impressive cinematography and dialogue with intentional lighting and music choices. Forging a holistic, beautiful end result.
According to Araeia, being spread across all aspects of a project and working so synergistically and in lock-step with our partners at Paramount+ allowed her to create from the inside out. She says, “It’s important to think not only about the brand purpose and mission, but the way people will experience and see pieces from that brand.” And that on this project, the team was, “Always thinking intentionally beyond the actual 2 minute timeline of the film.”
HER FAVORITE WORK
“Not to sound cheesy,” Araeia begins, a smirk spreading across her face, “But the project I’m most proud of is [Paramount+ Black Voices].” She continues, “I think it was really important to actually hear the real voices behind these storylines, to hear how they got there. It provides hope that other people can do it too.”
Paramount+ Black Voices reminds us that creating isn’t always an easy job to do, especially for Black folks. This project was so unique in that it actually showcases the hardships in this field. “The statistics are still really low when we’re talking about the demographic make-up of writers’ rooms and episodic TV. There’s room to improve there, and during this project creatives got to talk about the systemic issues they faced,” she explains.
Ahead of the interviews with talent, figuring out what to ask became a wholly collaborative process. “We had a large menu of programming on Paramount+ to look through and pare down, together. To find those sort of threads between talent.” The MOCEAN and Paramount+ teams would sift through topics, and then tailor them to a specific Paramount+ property. Explains Araeia, “In the interview with Olatunde Osusanmi of Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Short Treks, for instance, the team chose to lean into questions about representation in sci-fi. In the interview with Hosea Chanchez of The Game, we asked questions about infusing his art with what it means to be a Black man in society today.” She details that the plan was to simply listen to create relaxed conversations, “Because ultimately, all I wanted to hear was what the talent had to say.”
Araeia’s pride in this project stems from many aspects, but mainly a belief that no matter what someone is going through, they can listen to these stories and feel emboldened. “The love for creating is what perseveres at the end,” she says. And wants folks to take away, “That when you continue, there will be a reward. It is attainable. Which is something we all need to hear when we’re trying to pursue something. The stories we highlighted [in Paramount+ Black Voices] were all specific journeys, but they’re applicable to everyone at the same time.”
CATHARSIS IN CREATION
Admittedly, it was a “meta” experience. Paramount+ Black Voices takes a deeper look into the experiences of the directors, writers, and on-camera talent. As a Black filmmaker, Araeia’s interviews with other Black talent were both enriching and cathartic. Says Araeia, “It even got emotional at times: for the on-camera talent and for the crew, quietly. Because you’ve never heard some of these stories before, in this way. Working with Paramount+ was a dream, in how open they were to hearing about the journey of our talent.”
Thanks to the strength of our partnership, the interviews became total open books for exploration. “I was invited to lean into the questions that I would want to hear the answers to,” she laughs, realizing how meta we’re getting again. She continued, “The answers were far more incredible than we could have ever predicted.”
She points, in particular, to stories shared by Star Trek: Lower Deck star Dawnn Lewis. “[Dawnn] is a Black woman who is so multi-faceted and mutli-talented. Yet, she spoke about many people who had wanted her to shrink her power over her long career. It was a beautiful thing for all of us to see her thriving as a Black woman in front of and behind the camera. You could feel the emotion in the room.” She continues, “I like to say sometimes that if I’m not making you cry with my art, I’m not doing my job. That was a moment where I realized we were doing something right. Something that felt cathartic for everyone involved.”
THE INTENTIONAL DIFFERENCE
Overall, “I wouldn’t change anything about the process of this project,” says Araeia. To her, there was something different about pursuing a project with a greater purpose. A sense in the air, from everyone around. “When everyone is working towards a goal that means something to them, you’re all inspired together,” she describes. “You’re all working, but… it feels almost like you’re not. I’m just so blessed and honored that MOCEAN and Paramount+ came together on this in this way and that we had such honest and amazing talent.”
While the project itself was a key element in creating amazing work, Araeia also attributed its success to the teams behind the camera. Their deep love for the work they were doing shone through every step of the way. Additionally, it was amazing to have such a diverse crew behind the project. Says Araeia, “We worked with Paramount+’s team in New York, mostly. And the set was incredibly diverse. So many women and women of color, collaborating.” she continues. “It was really cool.”
The question now becomes: how can we duplicate this process? Continue to make sure that in all of our works, there’s purpose, representation and mutual respect on both sides of the camera? Araeia sums it up in one word: intention. “In some other cases, there can be a void between decision-makers and creatives.”
According to Araeia, this intentionality must be two-pronged. First, in our talent recruitment. We need to intentionally seek out Black creatives who are making inspiring work to join with us in making these projects. “I’m not a unicorn, there are amazing Black creatives out there. We just need to close the void of searching: amping up our talent recruitment and continue making connections that can find great Black talent,” she explains.
Secondly, it’s getting intentional alignment from the top down. “It starts at the top: the dynamic inclusion and understanding of what we all want to do here. All great creations are made from holding space for education. For innovation. When we all have our eye on the same goal post, at every step, we can examine if we’re being intentional and true to what we want the final product to be,” she says.
MOVING FORWARD: BLACK THREE DIMENSIONALITY
Throughout this project, it became clear to Araeia and her team that it’s important to keep making stories like the ones we focused on in Paramount+ Black Voices. When asked about the changes she wants to see in the industry, Araeia describes, “For me, and many creatives that look like me… we just want to be seen as three dimensional. I think that Black and Brown people deserve to have stories that reflect all aspects of their lives. That’s the goal. Whether it’s a sci-fi adventure through space or a messy college girl figuring out her life: we deserve to occupy all spaces.” She continues, “We need more stories of fully realized characters. Of people who don’t have to be 2000% better than everyone else, or have to be the subject of Black trauma. Creating great, compelling stories.”
Moving into the next projects that come across our desks in the marketing sphere, Araeia says, “We are not a monolith. You’re never going to describe the Black experience through just one particular voice. Marketing is always at its best when it's well-rounded, which means involving Black and Brown voices at the inception of any project.” She continues, “Black excellence is just being able to fully be ourselves.” Araeia, as a stand-out voice in the industry, would love to make space for this to happen. Creating a world where artists can focus on their craft, instead of the obstacles that might stand in the way of getting to that final product. She says, “I would love to, moving forward, contribute to a world where Black and Brown creatives don't have to endure this emotional labor and can instead pour that energy into their art.”
Lastly, Araeia adds, “Let’s continue to reflect the world as it is. People want to see themselves reflected in lots of ways, but that’s the space we could do better in. Black fullness, Black reality. Every day.”
You can learn more about our work for Paramount+ Black Voices here.