Carlos King- Powerhouse Producer Talks Reality TV, Working with Oprah, and His Life Experiences

“Working with Oprah was A Dream Come True.”

Powerhouse Producer Carlos King

I caught up with Reality TV Producer Carlos King as he cruised through the streets of Atlanta. On his way to a friend's house warming celebration; he took time to give Just Talk with Justice Bahlee an Exclusive interview.

The new era of television that has captured the attention of viewer's and changed their perception of entertainment forever is... (Drum roll please) Reality TV. From exploring messy and disgusting habitats on “Hoarder's Buried Alive” to showcasing the rich, lavish, and sometimes not so happy lives of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta (RHOA).”

RHOA was dubbed Bravo’s highest rated show of the The Real Housewives franchise and the highest rated reality series on the Bravo network. Even I have been captivated by Reality TV series and its unceasing drama. So I set out to speak to one of the masterminds behind this growing genre of Entertainment.

Carlos King is definitely one of the masterminds behind Reality TV and arguably one of TV’s most talented producer’s. In addition to Producing RHOA, Carlos’s work includes Co Exec. Producer of Love and Hip Hop Atlanta (LHHATL), Don’t Be Tardy for the Wedding, The Real Housewives of New Jersey, and Oprah: Behind the Scenes (Season 25).

During the interview he explained what makes Reality TV successful. “It gives viewers an opportunity to see how real people live their lives and that’s something you don’t see on sitcoms or drama series. The beauty of Reality TV is that anyone can be on it because it’s real life situations.” He shared that LHHATL was his favorite Reality TV series, but he is also a fan of “The Braxton’s” and “Keeping Up with The Kardashians.”

I asked him the question most Reality TV fans want to know -- Is Reality TV scripted? His response, “No, Reality TV is not scripted and I know a lot of people may think so but… I can only speak for the shows I produced and there’s no script involved. For instance Stevie J in a relationship with two women and how he was raw enough to allow that to unfold on television. You may think to yourself this can’t be real because what man in his right mind would publicly display his infidelity. But again when you choose the right people to be on the show they are signing up to really showcase their lives.”

I asked if he thought Reality TV depicts its cast in a negative way. “No I think Reality TV exposes people for who they really are. Let’s talk about RHOA. When NeNe was going through her divorce it wasn’t something we told her to do. When you sign up for Reality TV you can’t say you can cover this event but you can’t cover me going through a divorce. You can’t pick and choose what the producer is allowed to capture because you sign on to tell your true story. And it’s hard to watch your family go through the toughest time of their lives while the cameras are rolling, and I do understand that. But again it’s not like we’re making up these story lines their happening regardless of rather a producer or camera was there or not.”

He conveyed his experience working with NeNe Leakes. “Working with NeNe was a great experience. I like to say she and I came into this thing together because it was her first time being on Reality TV and it was my first time producing a Reality TV show. So to see how she has grown over the past four years just brings a smile to my face, because she’s such a hard worker and she’s so misunderstood. But she’s just a passionate woman who truly speaks her mind and it may not always be the most political thing to say but it’s her truth and that’s something you can’t take away from her. She’s so successful because people relate to her: Like there’s a NeNe I went to high school with or there’s a NeNe I knew back in the day.”

“I was supposed to leave an impact in this world.”  

He expressed his admiration and shared what it was like working with “The Queen of Talk” that’s right “O” herself. “Working with Oprah was a dream come true. She’s someone I’ve admired since I was 19 years old. I was 31 when I was granted the opportunity to work for her and it was amazing. She’s the nicest person you could ever meet. I remember watching the Oprah Winfrey show and she had this segment called “Live Your Best Life.” I was watching it and it truly did change my life! I told my friends Oh my God I would like to work for this powerful black woman. He further asserted “The one thing I took from that experience was no matter how successful you become you never talk down to people. I never once saw her talk down to her staff. She treated her staff as if they were her family members. And they were devoted to making sure the quality of the Brand matched Oprah’s vision. That was amazing to watch and study.”

Carlos is not only making remarkable strides in the Entertainment industry, he’s also enjoying a personal life well deserved. He recently purchased a home and celebrated both his real estate gain and the Super Bowl as his celebrity pals attended. Celebrities in attendance included Sheree Whitfield, RHOA star Kenya Moore, Tameka Raymond, Jasmine Guy, Derek J, LHHATL‘s Mimi Faust and Erica Dixon, LaTavia Roberson former member of Destiny’s Child, Meelah of 702 , DJ A One, Nikki Nicole and a host of others. Click HERE to see photos

I asked my Just Talk Junkies to submit questions they’d like me to ask Carlos and the most popular question submitted was about his marital status. When asked if he was single, he chuckled then answered, “I’m not married, but I’m in a relationship.”

His achievements are many and there’s no doubt that there’s more to come. However a man is not authenticated by his accomplishments nor his affluence but by his legacy. I asked what he wanted his legacy to be, he imparted, “I would like my legacy to be that I’m somebody who knew at a very early age that my life was bigger than just living, breathing and dying eventually. I was supposed to leave an impact in this world. So I would want people to look at my life as an example of how a gay black man from Detroit Michigan moved to New York with $500 in his pocket. And I interned my ass off, I worked my ass off, and I did all those things because I always saw the bigger picture. I know a lot of people look at me as being successful, which is fine but there’s still so much more I want to do with my life. Every single day I wake up and I looked forward to what the day brings. Because I enjoy what I do, I love what I do, and I always want to continue feeling alive every time I go to work. So that’s what I want my legacy to be.”

It was a pleasure speaking to Carlos, I was enlightened by his perspective, and I truly look forward to his future endeavors. For more information on Carlos King visit him at www.kingdomreignent.com or follow him on twitter at @kingdomlos. I officially stamp Carlos King a part of the Just Talk Family!