Jay Ellis is in awe of some of the world’s greatest works of global engineering, just like the rest of us.
As the Insecure alum prepares for a new season of Smithsonian Channel’s How Did They Build That?, he spoke with AfroTech about the work he’s doing on and off the screen, as well as the new season.
According to the show’s official description from Smithsonian Channel, the new season explores feats of engineering across the globe, including cylindrical skyscrapers in Chicago designed to draw residents back downtown, a 3D-printed NASA Mars habitat built from volcanic rock, a Norwegian gallery and bridge that rotates 90 degrees above a river, and a massive metallic design center in Seoul, South Korea, created by architect Zaha Hadid and built with robots.
“You have to be slightly delusional,” said Ellis told AFROTECH™ Culture when asked if he finds a correlation between the people who were audacious enough to build the architecture featured in this season’s installment of How Did They Build That?
“You have to see something that no one else can see, and then you have to find a way to articulate or put that vision into reality and into action and build it right. It takes a lot of communication. It takes a lot of trust,” he continued. “It takes a lot of teamwork and collaboration. I think building a career to me is the same way. When we talk about all these amazing structures and skyscrapers, bridges, museums, and I mean all sorts of buildings we cover on the show. Like you know, when you really take a step back and listen to the stories of the inception, the vision that someone had, then the person that they communicated that vision to, in an architect, and then that architect putting that vision and adding to their vision, and putting that on the page for a build and contractors to then go out and execute and then at the end of it, you see this beautiful, amazing structure that will stand the test of time, that means something to the community that it stands in, and the people who, you know, often go in and out of it, live in it, work in it, or transit through it and it’s really amazing. I think of my career the same way, sometimes, like, it’s just audacity. There’s a delusion that you have to have and this faith that you have to have, and even in tough times, it can’t waver.”
The correlation between building on the show and building professionally
Much like the builders on the show, as an entrepreneur, Ellis knows what it takes to build something from scratch.
Created alongside producing partner Aaron Bergman, Black Bar Mitzvah is a production company helmed by Ellis, dedicated to investing in diverse perspectives and bridging gaps in the entertainment industry.
To date, the company has produced a Sundance documentary that landed a Netflix deal, an Amazon top-streamed film, and countless other notable projects.
Jay Ellis’ infrastructure for success
“It’s a lot of patience, first and foremost,” he said. “So get your prayer ready, get your meditation ready. It’s a lot of patience. I think I’ve been fortunate enough to be around, you know, I feel like I’ve had angels around me my whole career in the form of really amazing people who have been able to, or who have given themselves in the way of advice, mentorship, friendship, or even just inspiration at a distance. Learning how to build a company, which I still think I’m learning, by the way — I don’t think I’ve got it.”
Ellis added, “I’ve done some projects, and I’m very proud of them. Every single time you learn something, and you go, ‘Next time, I’m going to do that. Next time, we should do this. We should think about this. This is how we should put this thing together, or this is how we should sell this thing.’ I think it’s constantly evolving, especially as this landscape evolves.”
He also stresses the importance of staying the course and understanding that hearing multiple nos does not mean that a yes isn’t on the way. Ellis encourages seeking different perspectives to push you forward in whatever it is you’re looking to build.
“As an artist, a producer, a director, I think, even as a human, to be honest with you, even as a father, I like to take worlds, tilt them on their axis, and look at them from a different point of view,” Ellis concluded. “I think the things that have allowed me to kind of get where I’m at is that I’m always willing to learn. I know my worth, and I know my value. My creative compass won’t waver based on shiny things being dangled in front of me. That’s always been my North Star, or my collection of North Stars if you will.”
How Did They Build That? airs Mondays on the Smithsonian Channel.
