Deborah Byrd is a producer, talent producer, and BET talent consultant at AK Blackbyrd Productions. She is the founder and CEO of Blackbyrd, which specializes in acquiring A-list talent for televised award ceremonies and music specials.
Some of Byrd’s credits include the Primetime Emmy Awards, the Stellar Awards, Black Girls Rock, the ESPYs, and literally hundreds more. Byrd said every day is a blessing.
Byrd was raised by ex-military parents in Anchorage, Alaska. Her father was originally from New York, and her mother’s roots were in Georgia. “I really feel like where I’m from is majestic,” said Byrd. “When I realized I wanted to do something in television – I had to get over those mountains.”
Byrd said “over those mountains” landed her in Los Angeles, and once she arrived it gave her an appreciation for her home back in Alaska. She believes being reared in Anchorage by a parent from the north and the other from the south taught her how to talk to a variety of people.
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Today, Byrd said she uses her learned communication skills all the time in her profession “It’s a matter of talking and communicating – especially what you need and what needs to be done, and the ability to handle conflict,” said Byrd. “That’s the gift God gave me.”
Byrd said she also knows how to effectively stay calm, even when she is under pressure. “I’ve got to look like I’ve got this, and I’ve got it under control,” she said. “It calms them [the client, talent, and staff] down to see me calm.”
Additionally, Byrd said she loves working with talent, but it was a learning process for her, because artists can be eccentric. However, once she realized they were regular people it changed her entire perspective about them.
The Stellar Music Awards was one of Byrd’s first jobs as a talent booker. The event is a yearly presentation ceremony with performances by well-known gospel artists. It also recognizes outstanding achievements in the gospel music industry.
“I knew very little about the gospel industry,” said Byrd. “I knew the music – I just didn’t know the people behind the scenes.”
From there, Byrd said she booked talent for a few smaller awards before landing at the BET Awards. “I’ve been on 25-years of BET,” she said. And Byrd acknowledged that she would not have been able to do it without the support of a good team.
“The team that works with you is the team that builds you,” said Byrd. “Your team is really important, and I can’t do this by myself. I can take on five shows, but if my team is not able to hold me up, we don’t move. Really, it’s a team mentality.”
Byrd said trust is very important to her when picking team members, especially if there is a problem that needs to be solved. “I expect things to go left or wrong or in different directions,” she said. “It’s the recovery that’s important.”
Byrd continued, “As a team, the person that I trust needs to say, ‘Hey Deb, I messed this up, and I don’t know how to fix it, but I’m coming to you before everybody else finds out we messed it up.’ You can fix it or adjust it… two minds are better than one. We can fix it… that’s how we help one another.”
Byrd said she also appreciates team members who are ambitious and willing to learn. “I’ll give you the opportunity. I’ll give you the shot,” said Byrd.
Byrd noted as a final thought that even if the person’s goal is not to work in talent, if they’re interested in being a director, makeup artist, producer, etc., she will give aspirants with tenacity a chance to pursue their dreams.
Keith L. Underwood is the creator and owner of the entertainment news and interviews platform “Black in the Green Room,” which currently broadcasts on KBLA Talk 1580 radio, and it also podcasts across multiple platforms, including YouTube @blackinthegreenroom.
