Rahsan-Rahsan Lindsay’s journey through the entertainment industry has been nothing short of amazing. Over the past two decades, the Brooklyn resident has navigated a career filled with bold moves and unexpected turns—from major media networks to groundbreaking new ventures. He spent a decade at TV One, driving advertising revenue across national linear, digital, VOD, app, direct response, and paid programming platforms. Before that, he spent eight years at Viacom Media Networks as Vice President of Client Strategy, holding key roles at MTV, Comedy Central, Spike TV, and more.
But in 2020, Lindsay’s career took an exciting new direction when award-winning film producer and entrepreneur Cleveland O’Neal III approached him with a game-changing opportunity: helping to revive Moviefone, the iconic 90s entertainment platform that once defined how people discovered movies. O’Neal—best known for his syndicated talk show “Made in Hollywood”—acquired Moviefone out of bankruptcy for $1 million and tapped Lindsay to help reimagine it as the ultimate movie discovery hub. Now poised for a major comeback, Moviefone is being rebranded as a go-to guide for showtimes, streaming, reviews, and more—and it’s proudly the only Black-owned movie service of its kind.
Lindsay sat down with NewsOne to talk about his dynamic career, the evolution of Moviefone, and what’s next in the platform’s ambitious revival.
NewsOne (NO): Mr. Lindsay, it’s a pleasure to speak with you today. Your resume is incredibly impressive, with key roles at TV One, MTV, and now as President and COO of Moviefone. But I couldn’t help but notice—you also had a brief stint in acting. Tell us about that!
Rahsan-Rahsan Lindsay (RL): Yeah! I mean, I don’t even know if it was brief. I was acting probably for a good 15 years, but, you know, like a lot of people, you have to [juggle] a job and you’re auditioning and trying to see what’s what. I did the soap operas, commercials— and unfortunately, never got that big break, so to speak. It was still a lot of fun. I still do it now and then, but I just do it for fun, which is nice. It’s nice to have something you love, but not have any pressure to make money at it.
NO: What was your favorite project to work on during that time?
The most exciting thing I did was this film called “Cold Feet.” The reason it was so exciting is because I had only been in New York for about six months or so when I booked it, and I had a short period where I booked, like, three different projects.“Cold Feet” was the biggest of the three. I was a lead in the film. That was probably the most exciting thing in the world at that point. That was also when—I mean, this is going to sound really old—when people would still read actual magazines. Variety would list all the castings and my name showed up three times in a very short period.
That’s probably the biggest thing that I did, but it didn’t make me the most money. You know, the funny thing is, the commercials made me the most money. I did a Miller Genuine Draft commercial that paid pretty well over time. I did a Lowes commercial and some other stuff. Those were a lot of fun because you get treated like a movie star, even if it’s just for a couple of days—it was a lot of fun.
NO: With all of this incredible experience underneath your belt, you’ve now become a driving force behind Moviefone’s revival. How did you and Cleveland O’Neal III meet?
I’ve known the owner, Cleveland, for about 25 years. [We] have never worked together formally, but always kind of bounced ideas off each other. I’ve always had a lot of respect for him. He’s one of those entrepreneurs who really has done it on his own. He started out making after-school specials—that’s really what they were— the first of which was called, “What About Your Friends?”. It ended up winning an Image Award. It was the first Black after-school special. And at the time when he did it, not only did he get to make it, but he actually got to own the IP. So, he started to build a library. He shot this movie called “Phat Beach,” which he did on his own as well. It was one of those things where he probably could have signed a deal, but he didn’t. He wanted to continue to do things on his own because he’s an entrepreneur.
Eventually, he started a show called “Made in Hollywood,” which has been on the air now for about 20 years. I was a correspondent for the show for probably 10 years or so, which I also really enjoyed. [I] got to sit down with a lot of A-list actors, directors, producers. I just loved it as a fan and as a creative person, but never thought, he and I were going to work together in the capacity we are now.
NO: So, how did the two of you first start talking about bringing Moviefone back?
I mean, it’s crazy! I remember over the years, we kept in touch, periodically. And five years ago, Cleveland called me and said, ‘Oh guess what? I just bought Moviefone. I go, ‘What? Like the Moviefone that we all know?’ I couldn’t believe it. I mean, first of all, a Black man owning an entity like that? It’s just not very common.
Several companies were looking at [buying] Moviefone, including the big boys like the NBCUniversals and those guys of the world. Cleveland and his team thought they might have a shot. There were a number of people in it, and then the pandemic hit. And what happened in the pandemic? The stock market tanked—lots of uncertainty. So, they instantly bowed out and [Cleveland] ended up being the winning bid.
NO: What are you and Cleveland’s vision for Moviefone’s role in today’s crowded media landscape?
Well, we still sell tickets, but now we also have all this content that people come to us for. They come to watch trailers. They come to watch interviews. And unlike when both companies started, it’s not just about theatrical films, right? You think about how much content now is in streaming. When you go to moviefone.com, if you type in a film or a show, now, it will tell you exactly where it’s playing. If it’s in theaters, obviously that’ll pop up, but if it’s streaming or digital, it’ll tell you where it’s playing. It’ll even tell you if it has a cost, too! The goal, now, is really more to be a discovery tool, especially because there’s so much content out there.
NO: I hear you’re also launching a TV show and an app as well for the platform.
Yes! We’re launching a new show called “Moviefone TV” in the fall, and that’s a huge part of the strategy. One, because everything kind of lives at the Moviefone studio level. Moviefone Studios produces content for “Made in Hollywood,” for “Moviefone TV,” for moviefone.com, the app, obviously, and for social. But this is going to be a weekly show that is very much a lean-back experience. We tell you what’s playing, what’s hot, what to expect at the box office, etc. But then there’s all that content that we can push out over all the other channels. It’s also a way to market the name. Believe it or not, there’s a whole generation of people who don’t know about Moviefone.
In today’s world, people are so used to doing everything on their phones, like buying movie tickets, sometimes they’re watching on their phones. So, we’re probably about 60% mobile now [thanks to the forthcoming app.] We think once we launch, we’ll be more like 90% mobile. Right now, it’s just in beta.
NO: That’s amazing. Looking back on your journey with Moviefone and your broader career in entertainment, what are some key lessons or insights you’ve picked up along the way that have stuck with you?
There are a lot of people who want to be in this space, right? It seems really sexy. It can be a lot of fun, but it can also be a real slog. There are plenty of opportunities for things to go well and also not to. I think the biggest thing is to stay true to yourself and know what your brand is about. Also being willing to bet on yourself.
A great example for me and somebody I admire, is Cathy Hughes. Miss Hughes bet on herself. Everybody was counting her out as a young Black woman to do what she did. But that’s because she bet on herself. There are plenty of people who paint inside the lines and follow all the rules and things don’t work out anyway. So, if nothing else, at least, take a shot and see where you land.
NO: That was beautifully said. To wrap things up—what’s the last movie you watched that got you excited or left a big impression?
The last thing I saw was “Sinners.” I mean, I hadn’t seen anything like it in a while. One, it was pretty original. It’s beautifully shot and I care about stuff like that. The cinematography, the music was incredible.
I also thought Michael B. Jordan was really good. There’s something about him in general that’s magnetic. But this was different. Every time he was on screen, you just had to wait for what was gonna happen next. I’m gonna watch it again because I’m sure I didn’t take it all in.
SEE MORE:
Black Movie Soundtracks As Good As The Film Itself
Ryan Coogler Thanks Fans For ‘Sinners’ Box Office Win
‘Moviefone’ Is Back: Rahsan-Rahsan Lindsay On Reviving The Iconic 90s Brand For Today’s Media World
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