The Brief

While you may not know casting director/film and TV producer Reuben Cannon by name (yet), it’s very likely you’re familiar with his work. Over the course of his career, Cannon cast TV shows like Moonlighting and Sanford and Son, films including The Color Purple, What’s Love Got to Do With It, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and several of director John Carpenter's horror movies. His production credits include many of Tyler Perry’s TV shows and films and Spike Lee’s 1996 movie Get on the Bus.

He also made Hollywood history, by becoming the first Black casting director in the 1970s. Cannon got his start in the mailroom at Universal Studios, worked his way up to a job as a casting department trainee, then a casting director, moved to Warner Brothers to take a position as head of television casting, and then opened his own casting office in 1978.

In the latest season of The Academy Museum Podcast, Cannon spoke with host (and Academy Museum director and president) Jacqueline Stewart about getting his start in casting, what it was like to be the “first” in the industry, and why he ultimately decided to leave casting in favor of producing.

These interview excerpts have been edited for length and clarity.

Getting in the door

Jacqueline Stewart: So I want to talk about how you got started in the industry …

Reuben Cannon: I tell the story that everything I needed to know about my job at Universal Studios, as a mail person or part of the Universal Studio's Training Program, I learned in Chicago on my paper route. 'Cause there are three fundamentals when you're delivering newspapers in Chicago. One is: Deliver papers every day without fail. No excuses, no matter the weather. Number two: Get to know your customers, because if you don't get to know your customers, you will not be able to collect the money that you’re owed. And number three: Most important, don't get robbed. 

So how do those basic elements apply to Hollywood? Well, I was hired at Universal Studios to work in the mail room and deliver the mail every day without excuses. Get to know your customers. Even though your customers are Alfred Hitchcock and Paul Newman and Lew Wasserman, you still get to know them and because you're gonna need a reference at some point to move out of the mailroom. And number three, don't let anyone rob you of your dreams.

So let's talk about that transition that you made from Chicago to Los Angeles. What was L.A. like when you got out here?

Well, in 1970, ‘71, it was right after the Watts riots, so the place was teeming with a certain degree of, you can say consciousness. But I don't know if it was consciousness, so much as it was an effort on L.A. to try to right itself, to create more, now we call diversity, and more inclusiveness. There was an effort for that and I think that probably led to perhaps my being hired in the mail room.

So you're at Universal, and while you were there, were there mentors you had or how did it work in terms of giving you an orientation to the industry? 

There weren't many. There was an older gentleman who worked in the custodial department —  Willie. And Willie, while he was basically a janitor, he had such wisdom and he'd been paying attention and, you know, he went back to the W.C. Fields days. And having him tell me stories about the various factions on the studio lot, who to look out for, it really was right out of the African diaspora tradition of sharing knowledge and wisdom. 

So, if there was a mentor in that way, it was Willie. But there were also very few brothers there, very few Black folks. There was a guy in personnel, Jim Harris, who was the one who hired me. And to give you a history of how I was hired, my uncles had given me a strategy for how to get a job that had never failed me in Chicago.

And that is, if you go to the place that you wish to be hired the day after payday, and introduce yourself to the person that's gonna hire you. Because he's gonna, inevitably, and these are blue-collar jobs, he's gonna be short. 'Cause someone would've gone out the night before and partied, and you're there.

I got my job as a busboy at a restaurant that way, I got my job once as a steel mill for the summer that way. So I thought, I'm gonna try that strategy here at Universal Studios. So I'm talking to Jim Harris in personnel and after I fill out my application I said, "Mr. Harris. You mind telling me what day do people get paid here?" And he looked at me like, "You know, you don't even have a job. You want to know about payday?" And he says, "Well, we have different unions and different guilds here, so every day people are being paid here." I said, "OK, I'll be here every day." And I was.

So I rode the bus from Crenshaw and Adams every day and sat in the reception area of the personnel department at Universal and waited for someone not to show up. I didn't care what department it was. Get me on the lot, I'll find my way. So by mid-December, I said I need to break this up. So let me spend half my day at Warner Brothers, and the other half of my day at Universal, and I'm down to $28. And it's the day before New Year's Eve. So Jim Harris sticks his head out of the door and says "Reuben, there are two mailroom employees that are stuck up at Big Bear. They went skiing. They can't get back in time to bag the mail. Can you help us out?"

And that temporary position turned into a full-time position. The mail room was the recruitment center — the first place that the studio would look when they were looking to add staff. And so there was a posting for a casting department trainee. And I'd spent time in the theater working with actors. That was what first got me interested in entertainment and the magic of creating and expressing through the arts. So I applied for the position along with two other fellow mail boys.

So those are the three resumes that were sitting on the desk of the head of the casting department, Ralph Winters. And it comes back to the story about "get to know your customers." I had met Ralph delivering mail because in the mail room, you deliver mail to the entire lot. And it really goes to show you how one person can impact the entire industry.

So Ralph Winter said, "Reuben, I've seen you here delivering mail. Everyone in the office here seems to like you. If I had career ambitions, I'd have to hire one of the other two gentlemen, because of their connections, their letters of recommendation are from very influential people in the industry. But on paper, you're more qualified because of your background. But because I'm gonna retire in three years, I have the luxury of doing what's right and what's fair."

And so he hired me. I became the first Black casting trainee, and then became Universal's top casting director.

Being the first

So for quite a long time, you were the only Black casting director in Hollywood. And I wonder how you felt about that. I mean, you made it clear that there were others you wanted to bring in, but during that period, was this pointed out to you a lot? 

Well, it was obvious. And it just spoke, to me, to the historical racism of Hollywood. But I also knew that it was a trial. I was a test balloon. If I messed this up, who knows how long it would be before another one? So there was that weight, there was the cultural pressure, as well as the industry pressure.

So I was very mindful [of that] and fortunately, you know, having grown up in Chicago, I just knew how to compartmentalize my life in a way that I could focus. And my world was pretty much locked into focusing on making sure I became the most knowledgeable person in the room about actors on TV, and two plays a week, and two films a week. So I had a pretty steady diet built around just gaining knowledge about talent.

Were there moments where you really faced explicit forms of discrimination? Or more subtle microaggressions?

More, I guess you would call microaggressions. People — there would be a shock because once again, the history of racism, the assumption that you go and audition, they'd never seen a Black casting director before. So then the agent would send him out to audition and the agents, I don't think, said to them, "You're gonna meet Reuben Cannon, and he's Black." I don't think they made that add-on. So the actor would come in, and they might have been thrown, you know, to see, and some would actually say, "I didn't know you were Black." I guess the name Reuben could imply other possibilities. And I said, "Is it a problem?" [And they’d say] "Oh, no, no, no, no, no."

Although there was one guy who said, "I have a problem with that." He was a devout racist and he said he didn’t want to read. So I called his agent up, and I think his agent might have dropped him after that.

What was the reaction of Black actors? 

Well, they were overjoyed, but it was — they were overjoyed, but then they expected me to absolutely just flood Universal Studios with, you know — 

With the hookup. 

Totally, totally.

You know, I was casting a pilot once: “Lazarus Syndrome.” And the usual suspects were on the list. Former TV series stars. But I knew that Lou Gossett was looking for a series and I, of course, to myself, [thought] "When do I bring his name up? Do I bring it up in the beginning or do I bring it up after all these other guys say no?"

So that's just even that type of, you know, thinking in terms of when it's gonna be best received. I decided not to put his name on the list in the beginning, but let's get three turndowns. So we got three turndowns. And I say, "You know, there's a great way to do this show with an actor who has great marquee, great skill, in Lou Gossett." And [writer] Bill Blinn and [director] Jerry Thorpe, they loved the idea. But I'm sure if I had not been there, that wouldn't have happened.

The ‘Ray Charles moment’

Let's talk about your auditioning process. How do you approach it? 

I would first try to engage actors in conversation and make them feel comfortable. 'Cause I know the anxiety that surrounds the audition, and so I find out more about them. The part I enjoyed most about casting was just finding out about the actors' personal lives. 

So I would try to create a comfortable environment 'cause I want them to do the best work. I mean, I wanna get the job done so I can move on to my next project. I'm not looking to delay the process. 

There's a metaphor I use, what I call the “Ray Charles syndrome.” When Ray Charles sings “America the Beautiful,” a song you've heard all your life, it's like hearing it for the first time. Same with dialogue. When you’re auditioning, you hear the dialogue read by any number of actors, but someone will come in and say those words and it's like Ray Charles singing “America the Beautiful.” You will hear it for the first time in a new way. And that's what I would look for. I would look for that Ray Charles moment.

And when it happens, it's just — you know, the room changes, the air in the room changes.

Leaving the casting for producing 

I want to talk about your transition to producing. Why did you make that decision? What was it that made you wanna go into that side of the industry? 

The thing is, casting directors are almost the unheralded heroes of the whole filmmaking process.

You know, it really annoys me when people accept their awards, they thank the incredible cast. Well, who put that cast there? I mean, you hear it over and over again. "I owe to the — to my cast." Well, where'd that cast come from? Did they just walk in off the street? They should be acknowledged. 

Why do you think it's underappreciated and under-acknowledged? 

Because once the work is done, the focus then goes on the actor. You know, it's almost like your work is done in the shadows. Once it's completed — it's like the home you're living in, you know, you don't give the architect credit. So the architect of the movie, from a casting perspective, is just not acknowledged. The work is done and you move on. 

So that was part of it, the lack of appreciation for the craft and the work that goes into it. But also the, just the financial — you know, that you put that work in and the work lives on, but you don't get any ongoing residuals.

So whenever I would work on a movie with a producer, I would say, "Look, I'm the casting director, but I’m also a student. My aspiration is to produce films." And they would welcome that. So I would be there on days when my work was done, and I would still go to set and observe. 

The first opportunity came [when] I was casting for [film producer] Bill Borden. Bill Borden called me and said, "Reuben, we have a project that we'd like for you to direct." I said, you know, "I really don't have — I'd rather be the kingmaker, not necessarily the king. But what's the project?" He says, "The Million Man March. What if we were to do a movie about a group of men that embark on a bus from Los Angeles as strangers and form relationships and friendships before they get to Washington?"

I said, "I like that. I like it because there's a chance to show diversity among Black men. But it's not for me to direct. Let me call Spike [Lee] and see if he might be interested." So I called and pitched the idea to Spike. Spike says, "What are they gonna be doing? They gonna be singing on the bus?"

I said, "No, it's not a musical, it's a road trip." I said, "Look, I think it's a great movie, we could put together a group of wonderful actors." And then he came around. He says, "You know what, you’re right. But let's do it this way. If we're gonna do it in the spirit of the march, it should be financed by Black men. And why don't you, you’re in Hollywood, you take the actors, I'll take the athletes, OK?"

So if you see the movie it says “15 Black Men Productions.” The movie was financed by 15 Black men — the first time in the history of Hollywood a movie’s ever been financed totally by Black men. The initial investment was from myself, Spike and screenwriter Reggie Bythewood. And the four actors that were investors were Wesley Snipes, Danny Glover, Robert Guillaume and Will Smith. 

And we made the movie [Get on the Bus]. It holds up and it's one of my favorites 'cause it accomplished what we talked about in terms of diversity. And the issues that are discussed are still in the forefront of conversations.

Listen

How do I find The Academy Museum Podcast? 

It's now available from LAist Studios — check it out wherever you get your podcasts! Or listen to the episode with Reuben Cannon on the player above.

Some government funding streams for L.A. County’s public health system are drying up, and officials are turning to private philanthropy to fill the gap.

A new privately funded foundation launched Thursday to strengthen public health services after $50 million in federal, state and local funding cuts to the county’s Department of Public Health since early last year.

“It is really a hard day for our community when we have to ask for private donations to fund a public good, but unfortunately, we've lost too much money to not take this important step,” said Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer.

In February, the county’s Public Health Department closed seven clinics, with six remaining open. About half of the patients seen in those clinics are uninsured, according to county officials. The department also cut hundreds of staff positions.

Ferrer is on the board of the new foundation, The Fund for Advancing Public Health LA, which held its first meeting Thursday.

She said the fund will help the county maintain its basic public health infrastructure, including disease prevention, health promotion, environmental health, and emergency response efforts.

Other board members include several health insurance executives, as well as actors Sean Penn and Danny Trejo. Board member Saree Kayne of the R&S Kayne Foundation pledged $150,000 to the fund Thursday. Kayne said she hopes the donation encourages others to give.

The foundation aims to raise $2 million this year.

More cuts expected

L.A. County Supervisor Holly Mitchell said it’s crucial to have an alternative funding stream to protect services for the county's most vulnerable residents.

“We are saving public health,” Mitchell said. “This fund represents a new approach, one that brings together government philanthropy in the private sector to invest in community-based solutions, protect vulnerable populations, and strengthen our public health infrastructure.”

Officials say more public health cuts are coming, through the federal budget law known as the "Big Beautiful Bill," which slashes funding for Medi-Cal.

The county Department of Public Health anticipates losing up to $300 million in revenue over the next three years because of the federal budget bill and other potential funding freezes. Federal funding accounts for almost 50% of the public health budget, according to county officials.

Mitchell also led an effort to put a half-percent county sales tax increase to fund public health on the June ballot.

If approved by voters, that proposal, known as Measure ER, is expected to raise about $1 billion a year for county safety net health services, including about $100 million for the public health department.

Board members

The Fund for Advancing Public Health LA announced its founding board of directors, which includes:

• Dr. Barbara Ferrer, LA County Department of Public Health director
• Debbie I. Chang, Blue Shield of California Foundation CEO
• Sean Penn, actor and co-founder of Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE)
• Martha Santana-Chin, LA Care Health Plan CEO
• Saree Kayne, R&S Kayne Foundation CEO
• Danny Trejo, actor and restaurateur
• Jarrett Barrios, an executive at the American Red Cross
• Dr. Deborah Prothrow-Stith, Charles R. Drew University College of Medicine Dean
• Kristin McCowan, an executive at the Los Angeles Dodgers

The Rose Bowl in Pasadena may be a centenarian, but it’s holding up pretty well as it continues to host events on its way to a starring role in the LA28 Olympics.

But before it can host the soccer final, it needs fixes, especially to the infrastructure serving the bathrooms and drinking fountains. Fears of a toilet backup while in the world’s spotlight led Rep. Laura Friedman to seek federal funds for upgrades. On Thursday she announced she secured just over $1 million.

“Two years from now, athletes around the world are going to compete for gold right where we are standing. This is not the time to find out whether or not these pipes are up to the task,” Friedman said.

The planned work, she added, will lead to improved water flow capacity and water drainage, eliminating the risk of backups and emergency maintenance.

The funds came from the House of Representatives Interior and Environment subcommittee. The fixes, an official said, will be completed by the LA28 Olympics.

The funds, however, are a drop in the bucket when it comes to what’s needed to make needed improvements to the Pasadena venue.

Officials, including (left to right) Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation President Dedan Brozino, Deputy Fire Chief of the City of Pasadena Tim Sell, Congresswoman Laura Friedman, and Rose Bowl Stadium CEO Jens Weiden announced infrastructure funding for the 103-year old Rose Bowl.

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Adolfo Guzman-Lopez/LAist

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“Over the  next 20 years there's about $200 million that we need to put in and that's everything from updating light fixtures to updating gas, water, wastewater lines, etc.,” said Dedan Brozino,  president of the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation, the nonprofit that supports the Rose Bowl stadium's preservation and enhancement.

Getting venues ready will be expensive

The money is a much-needed win at a time when elected officials in city, county, state and federal offices have been struggling to find the funds to get L.A.-area venues ready for the global Olympic stage in two years.

The entrance to a men's bathroom at the Rose Bowl.

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Adolfo Guzman-Lopez/LAist

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A $360 million proposal to spruce up asphalt in parking lots around Exposition Park won’t be done in time for the Olympics, as originally planned. Meanwhile, just up the street, there’s concern that a $2.6 billion expansion of the L.A. Convention Center, which is hosting Olympic wrestling, fencing and judo in 2028 won’t be ready for the Olympics.

Additionally, to save money, LA28 organizers moved Olympic diving to the Rose Bowl complex last year because it has two Olympic-sized pools, while the Exposition Park complex doesn't and would need expensive upgrades.

Topline:

About the chick: The chick hatched March 14. The zoo opened its Cape vulture enclosure in February 2025 after years of planning to encourage the birds to roost and nest, welcoming a new breeding pair that year. When it grows to be an adult, it’ll have a wingspan of 8 1/2 feet.

About the enclosure: The L.A. Zoo said it spent years developing the vulture habitat, which was designed to mimic the vultures’ natural environment in South Africa and nearby countries. Dominick Dorsa II, the zoo’s director of animal care, said in a statement the successful hatching is “a testament to the design and construction” of the habitat.

How to see the chick: You can’t for the time being. Zoo officials are keeping it away from visitors until the chick matures, though you can still see adult Cape vultures at the zoo’s enclosure.

Though visitors will have to wait until the chick matures to see it in the enclosure, you can still take in the impressive eight and a half foot wingspan of the adult Cape vultures.

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Courtesy Jamie Pham/L.A. Zoo

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What zoo officials are saying: “Welcoming a Cape vulture chick is a thrilling moment for our team and a beacon of hope for African vultures,” the L.A. Zoo’s curator of birds Rose Legato said in a statement. “Vultures are one of nature's most misunderstood marvels, and I cannot wait for our guests to eventually watch this chick grow and learn just how vital they are to our ecosystems.”

About the species: Cape vultures are listed as a vulnerable species due to human activities and encroachment. According to the L.A. Zoo, African vultures are more closely related to eagles and hawks than vultures native to the Americas, like the zoo's California condors that hatched last year.

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

What should have been a celebration for formerly incarcerated youth completing a reentry program at the Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory (BHAC) last week instead ended with seven students and two staff members detained by the Los Angeles Police Department, according to witnesses. 

Now, nearly a week later, BHAC staff and city officials are demanding answers from the LAPD, with some accusing officers of racial profiling. 

According to the LAPD, officers observed a large group gathered on the corner of Cesar E. Chavez Avenue and Mott Street around 4:16 p.m. on March 26. Authorities then requested backup for what they described as “a large group surrounding officers,” LAPD Public Information Officer Tony Im said. 

The group, classified by police as an “aggressive gang group,” consisted of seven 18-year-old students from the BHAC’s Bridge Academy Movement (BAM) program and two BHAC staff members.

The BAM program pays formerly incarcerated youth to complete 200-250 hours in media and visual arts training to prepare them for creative careers. That day, students were set to showcase their work at the BAM program graduation for families and community members. 

Rene Weber, a teaching artist at the BHAC, had been with the students setting up for the ceremony minutes before the incident occurred. 

According to Weber, the students had gone to coffee across the street at Milpa Kitchen as they often did, when staff were alerted that they were being detained. 

Weber said he arrived to find students and a staff member pressed against the wall in handcuffs. 

Video from the scene, taken by a staff member at the BHAC, shows multiple officers surrounding the group. At one point, an officer orders a person to “get on the wall” and displays a stun gun.  

“No, none of that, these are kids right here,” the staff member replies.

Another staff member, Teotl Veliz, recorded a large police response.  

“I counted 12 cop cars, that’s at least 25 cops, and they had a helicopter,” Veliz said. “It was just so comedic, tragically comedic, that it was on their graduation day too.”

Officers established a perimeter with yellow tape along the side of Ashley’s Beauty Salon as local business owners and witnesses gathered around the students. 

“I was just incredibly disappointed in LAPD… because it became so apparent to everybody, all at the same time, that it was racial profiling and nothing else,” Veliz said.

Weber said officers gave shifting explanations for the stop at the scene, including blocking the sidewalk and possible underage vaping. After Weber told the officers that all of the students were 18, they said they would investigate whether the group had any gang affiliation. 

Police have not responded to questions about what led officers to believe that the group was gang-affiliated. 

Weber recalled pleading with the officers to let the group go and explaining to them that they worked across the street. Community members and local business owners also stepped in to vouch for the students. 

“Our job is to help them gain a new perspective on life,” Weber said. “They’re coming out of juvenile detention and they’re turning their lives around. We can do our part in keeping them off the streets and keeping them doing better but what does it mean if they’re going to be profiled and treated exactly the same way?” 

In total, seven 18-year-old students and two staff members were detained. BHAC staff said one student and one staff member were taken to Hollenbeck Community Police Station and released less than two hours later after advocacy from community members and Councilmember Ysabel Jurado.

The incident ultimately resulted in an infraction for smoking a cannabis e-vape on a public sidewalk, according to a photo of the infraction shared with the Beat. LAPD did not provide details about the people taken to Hollenbeck Station or the infraction. 

The graduation ceremony was cancelled that night and is expected to be rescheduled in April. 

“Graduation should be a moment of pride and possibility — not fear,” Jurado said in a statement. “I’m seeking answers about what occurred, and this underscores the need for stronger relationships between law enforcement and community organizations so moments like these are protected, not disrupted.”

Carmelita Ramirez‑Sanchez, the conservatory’s executive director, said she was grateful to the community and Jurado for advocating for the students’ release. Jurado met her at Hollenbeck Station within 20 minutes of being alerted to the incident, she said. 

“They had store owners, señoras, barbers, that ran out and were trying to explain to the police who our kids were,” Ramirez‑Sanchez said. 

Still, she said the incident tarnished what should have been a joyous celebration.

“I imagine that what this does is derail this entire idea that you can be an active participant in your own restorative growth,” she said.