Work ethic and love for writing leads to Charles City native scripting television episode

Success comes to those who work hard and are able to step out in places to be uncomfortable. For one Charles City County native, a talent that never left him at a young age has landed him an opportunity to script an episode of a popular television program.

Leno Bradby Jr. took his love for the arts and transformed it into a career that he thrives for and enjoys. And now at the age of 28, he is the youngest person to write a script for an episode of Tyler Perry’s “House of Payne” on BET (Black Entertainment Television). The episode is slated to air this Fall.

Bradby’s roots were instilled in him at an early age. The Charles City native’s foundation at Gilfield Baptist Church was the first step in what would become a life of blessings and opportunities.

“I use to write all the youth plays at Gilfield Baptist Church,” Bradby said in a Sunday morning interview. “From there, I wrote scripts during my middle and high school years.

“The creativeness is always with you,” he continued. “I kept writing and writing.”

The young writer commented that many members of his church family and regular family spoke into existence that he should go work in the field. Also noticing his talent was former Charles City Public Schools Director of Special Programs Patricia Alexander, who urged Bradby to apply for Appomattox Regional Governor’s School (ARGS). After being accepted into the institution, opportunities began emerging for Bradby.

“I began honing my craft and they have classes such as screenwriting,” he said. “When you go to ARGS, you have to select a major and I chose literary arts.

“I began writing more and more and people really started to like the scripts I wrote,” Bradby added. “It was that time at the governor’s school where I won a competition to shoot a film in Los Angeles.”

Bradby’s talents landed him as a role of 21 finalists in a commercial for Reese’s Puffs, beating out more than 1800 applicants for the commercial. Bradby took that experience and transitioned it to his summer job at Charles City Parks and Recreation, allowing younger campers to get a sample of what his dreams were.

“When I started working there, site director [and now Charles City County Administrator] Michelle Johnson asked us ‘What is something you want to do at the camp?’” Bradby said. “I told her that I wanted to make a movie.

“I did a creative writing camp with 10-15 students, and we made our own film,” he continued. “I showed them how to use the camera and the group of 12-13 year olds shot, active, and created the movie. It was something different and it’s still on YouTube today.”

When graduation from ARGS came around in 2010, he already had his game plan in process.

“When I thought about college, I definitely wanted to go to a HBCU (Historically Black College or University),” Bradby said. “But I also knew that in my field, I wanted to go to Atlanta. It’s where Black Hollywood was, and most television shows and films were being produced down there.”

Bradby selected Clark Atlanta University for his next level of education, citing the transition from the governor’s school to Atlanta was a lot easier than the transition from Charles City Public Schools to ARGS.

“I wanted to go somewhere conducive to my career,” he said. “I wanted to get more connected to my roots and love for writing.”

Bradby’s decision flourished quickly, as he garnered an internship at BET working on the shows “The Game” and “Let’s Stay Together” in 2012. His networking prowess also allowed him opportunities to work on additional programs such as the BET Awards, “Comic View”, and “The T.D. Jakes Show.”

The Charles City native got his first associate producer award working on Bravo’s “Married to Medicine.” He went on to work on Season 9’s “Real Housewives of Atlanta.”

“That was my first stint in the reality show side of things,” he commented. “I did other shows and got more involved in them.”

Bradby had found a niche working with reality television shows, locking roles with “Love and Hip Hop” and “The Stevie J. Show.”

Bradby’s itch for writing began stirring as he was employed by Tyler Perry’s Studios in 2013. Within four months, he got promoted while working on “The Haves and Have Nots.” The young scholar did all of this while earning his Master’s Degree from Full Sail University in 16 months.

“There were nights where I had to meet deadlines at midnight and 1 a.m.,” Bradby said. “I took online classes and sometimes I had to drive to Orlando to take them in person.”

But his work ethic led to his first interaction with the billionaire Perry one year later, an experience that he clearly remembers.

“In 2014, we did a special Tyler Perry Talk Show that was assisted by producers from OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network),” Bradby reminisced. “I met Candi Carter from OWN and she groomed me for writing for television.

“She began letting me write intros for that show,” he continued. “She’s a seasoned producer and had a good rapport as a show runner for “The View” and “The Tamron Hall Show.”

Carter called Bradby to bring some documents to her during a meeting with Perry. When Bradby introduced himself to the mogul, Perry jokingly played with him.
“That’s when Carter told Mr. Perry that I write,” Bradby said. “He responded, ‘That’s going to get him far here.’”

Bradby talked about the entire studio being a loving family, feeling welcomed by people in a variety of positions. One day, Bradby spoke with Tyler Perry Studios President of Production Michelle Sneed about wanting to write.

“I told her that you don’t have to pay me, I just really want to write,” he said. “She told me to go ahead and write a spec script.

“From there, the powers-to-be liked it and they sent a note back and asked me to change the condition in the story,” Bradby recounted. “We wanted to make it work.”

While Bradby wouldn’t take credit for it, his writing was part of the reason that a writer’s room was created at Tyler Perry’s Studios, something that hasn’t been there for two years. In that meeting room, Bradby learned additional lessons to help him with his writing.

“People only see the final product. They don’t see how many changes it goes through before it got there,” he said. “You have to be consistent about your art. You have to be open and receptive to criticism.

“That’s one thing you have to learn. How much creative control do you want to let go or do you play the game to get your foot in the door?”

The humble Charles City native remained attentive as he was accepted into the Writer’s Guild of America in Dec. 2020, allowing his craft to be exposed to a wider array of producers.

But Bradby said that his biggest accomplishment was the opportunity to script an episode for Tyler Perry’s “House of Payne”, something that was apparently meant to be.

“Everything has definitely come full circle,” he said. “I grew up watching “House of Payne” when I was in ninth grade.

“In a photo shoot for a calendar, I wrote that one day I wanted to move to Atlanta and wanted to work with Tyler Perry,” Bradby continued. “Writing an episode puts me in a different tier and to be the not only in the writer’s room but the youngest writer in the room is a full circle moment.

“Not a lot of people in Hollywood get this opportunity,” he continued. “But it was spoken into existence and here I am now.”

While the Charles City native cherishes his homegrown roots, the message he has for the younger generation is that sometimes it’s okay to go elsewhere to truly follow your dreams.

“The best thing to be successful is your dedication to work ethic,” he commented. “A lot of people say what they want to do but don’t take the necessary steps.

“If you want to be in film and television, you can’t do it in Virginia,” Bradby added, saying that certain areas are better suited for different types of careers. “You have to go to areas conducive in where you need to be.

“Even rappers can’t stay in Virginia,” he said, referencing musical artists he has worked with. “There are only so few open mics you can go to. We have good talent in Charles City and New Kent, but it falls on deaf ears. You have to move your feet. It sounds easy but a lot of people don’t really do it.”

In conclusion, Bradby referenced his blessings from God and his family support that got him to where he is today.

“Faith without works is dead,” he said. “If you got serious about your craft, you have to move.

“People need to stop looking to each other for validation,” Bradby commented as he began to wrap up the interview. “I never really asked for support or validation, but people picked up on what I did. I can offer advice all day and we can talk about it, but it’s what are you going to do about it to get where you need to get to it.

“In the end, it’s just things that we can do to make more avenues for kids coming up. It’s about us reaching back and helping them up.”

Bradby’s Episode is entitled, “Episode 819- A Payneful Compromise” and is set to air this Fall on BET.