Before the interview convened, Maverick Carter explained the origin of how his parents crowned him with his forename.

“It was a name that was given to my mom by my grandmother. My grandmother loved [Maverick-an American Western television] show, and that lovely character gave me the name,” he says over the phone. As the chief executive officer of SpringHill Entertainment, a production company he founded with his childhood friend, sports icon and chairman LeBron James in 2008. Carter has personified the meaning of his name, defined as “an unorthodox or independent-minded person,” in producing creative content that encompasses digital, films, and television.

Carter once held aspirations of pursuing a career as a basketball player. Still, as he conveyed to Andscape in May 2018, he assessed his skill set and realized he needed to be on the caliber level of the other players to make his dream a reality. Instead, he decided to pivot.

As CEO of Springhill Company (taken from the Akron apartment complex where James and his mother lived when he was in the sixth grade), Carter is responsible for the company’s content, development, partnerships, and establishing multiple distribution channels. He also spearheads uplifting diverse voices and stories through the intersection of creativity, culture, and content by incorporating products and experiences.

The duo raised $100 million on March 11, 2020, to produce content through the new media company, onboarding such investors as “financial services company Guggenheim Partners LLC, U.C. Investments, News Corp. heir Elisabeth Murdoch’s content company Sister, and S.C.Holdings, the investment fund run by entrepreneur Jason Stein.” The Springhill’s board of directors includes “Serena Williams, Apollo Global Management co-founder Marc Rowan, Live Nation Entertainment Inc. CEO Michael Rapino, Boston Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner, and L.A. investment banker Paul Wachter.”

“SpringHill Co. consolidates James’ marketing agency Robot Co. with entertainment companies SpringHill Entertainment and Uninterrupted LLC,” according to Bloomberg. The production house has produced television shows and films like The Wall, Self-Made, about Madam C.J. Walker, Space Jam: A New Legacy, the sequel, Peacock’s Shooting Stars, the origin story of James and his friends, The Carter Effect, and Dreamland: The Burning of Black Wall Street, to name a few. As its Instagram account reads, Springhill’s mission is “a media company with an unapologetic agenda – a maker and distributor of all kinds of content that will give a voice to creators and consumers who’ve been pandered to, ignored, or underserved.” Springhill distributes its content through Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., Walt Disney, and Netflix.

James’ other media business venture, Uninterrupted LLC, produces The Shop: Uninterrupted—an HBO talk show hosted by James, Carter, and CMO Paul Rivera, where they invite A-list celebrities to discuss the trajectory of their lives and careers. In addition, under the Uninterrupted banner is the Kneading Dough podcast, in partnership with JPMorgan Chase & Co., which gives athletes a platform to discuss financial literacy.

As a forward thinker, Carter continues to create captivating content to challenge his perspective and provide his audience an insight on how to ‘Make it till you make it,’ the SpringHill mission. He recently launched an eight-episode series titled Mavericks with Mav Carter, where he entertains his curiosity through conversations as the audience learns about each guest’s journey and how they embody the SpringHill mission to Make it Till You Make it. The episodes are available every two weeks on Wednesdays exclusively on Springhill’s YouTube channel. The premiere episode featured Kerry Washington, followed by hip hop star Jeezy, Kim Kardashian, Jay Shetty, Mark Cuban, and Shonda Rhimes.

Yolanda Baruch: Why did you want to create the series Mavericks with Mav Carter? Why did you want to have these discussions?

Maverick Carter: When I thought about it, there are tons of shows and interview shows out there for sure. But I thought there was a place for us to create a show to have a conversation with people that sparked a curiosity in ‘how’ and ‘why’ they do what they do. Then, dig into that, ‘why’, and the ethos of who they are as a human. So we thought that did not exist, and there was a place to create a show where you could get into it with some amazing humans who were true Mavericks in their own right, though they didn’t have the name, but [were] doing it their way. It peels back the layers of why they do what they do.

Baruch: You speak to interesting people. The first episode is with Kerry Washington, and you also talk to Jeezy, Kim Kardashian, and Mark Cuban. to name a few. Your conversation with Kerry was very intriguing. What drew you to people like Shonda Rhimes, Jerry Lorenzo, and Jay Shetty? What did you want to learn from them?

Carter: We push a lot with the team, and we’re still pushing on this because it’s early, but like, how do we define a true Maverick? The beauty of a true Maverick is they define themselves and a reason why they do what they do, singular to them, and that’s what we look for it, not people who are just doing it, because [it’s] the norm, or they think they should, or it’s going to make them some more money. It’s like, who’s doing things they can articulate and explain to us, to myself, because I’m curious about it [and the] audience. I look at people in a particular vertical or industry, but doing things differently than anyone else has ever done.

Baruch: You’re an engaging host, even with the show, and you ask pertinent questions, and like you said, you’re always curious. What topics are you always exploring?

Carter: The topics I’m always exploring is how people are deemed super talented or have super skill, how are they dealing with reality? How do you balance ambition with reality for people who are ambitious? I love that topic of how you keep going but also have a sense of reality and a slice of reality with yourself about who you are and how talented you are, whether that’s an individual or even a company sometimes. I also love the topic of Jay Shetty. He gave me a jewel that I’ll use and said, ‘How are you?’ He talked about the path of self-care that leads to service. So, how do you balance the idea of putting your mask on before helping others? When you put your mask on, have enough oxygen, and are strong enough to help assist someone else, I think those are two of my favorite topics.

Baruch: The theme that will interest most viewers is learning how they rose above setbacks. How do they continue to grow, keep going, and eventually see success? Listening to Kerry Washington’s interview set that tempo.

Carter: Yeah, for sure. She was very open and honest about that, which ‘open’ is new for her [regarding] her father and family. She laid that out so that you can digest it, understand and take things from it. I know I did, but the audience will also.

Baruch: While filming, out of the people you interviewed, who had the funniest perspective on life, who shocked you, who made you who motivated you, and who made you stop and be still?

Carter: All of them, because they’re Mavericks and are motivating. The idea is that I get to sit across from them, ask what I care about, and let my curiosity drive questions. I told Jay Shetty it was definitely for the audience; I want people to watch and love the show. But I’m selfishly getting a lot out of it. I’m asking the questions that I want to know, and my hope is also the questions the viewers want to know. But Jay Shetty, his whole thing about living with monks and why he decided to do that is because it’s super interesting. It was amazing to talk about the Kardashian machine and why they do what they do, and why she makes decisions. Then Jeezy’s path to being the hardest realest rapper ever to ‘Oh, I had to elevate and expand and understand that there is more to life than just being a guy who’s as real as it gets and only raps about the sh-t that I did.’ But now, I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m trying to understand life in a different way, which has led me to make changes, and the reason why is because I want to see something different in life and not just be known as that guy forever.’ Those things stood out to me.

Baruch: The mission statement for Spring Hill is exciting, and you explained it in the first episode, but can you expand on it, “Make it till you make it.” What does that mean to you in a personal and professional context?

Carter: When you’re in the business of making things like we are at Spring Hill and the creators we want to empower, the idea of making things and excluding or making a separate ‘making it’ and the definition of ‘making it.’ [It’s] up to each of us to define what ‘making it’ is to us. Obviously, all of us want our moms to think we made it right, and our grandmama to think we made it and that definition is different. But the idea of continually to create, in whatever way you create for life and your job until you feel like you made it and then keep making it again, and then try and make it again, it becomes a bit of a perpetual feeling of coming up with ideas, trying new things, exploring the world until you’ve made it, at Springhill we’re very ambitious, and the people we work with are ambitious. So you never make it, you keep making stuff, and that idea of making it [is] this thing of keep going, just make more, [and] do it again, and that is that idea with being curious and wanting to experience things but also being ambitious.

Baruch: Curiosity is a particular personality trait of many successful people. They’re constantly questioning and trying to figure out new operating methods, and it has benefited you and your position as CEO of Springhill Entertainment. But it also helps you create additional shows, like Onsite, Honorary Local, and Call My People. Why was it essential to launch these platforms?

Carter: It was very important for us at the Springhill brand to launch these because at the center of our company, our mission is to empower greatness and others. So we wanted to give and talk to creators and from all different walks of life, and how they do what they do, why they do it, and help them get exposure to audiences; they may or may not, they may or may not be exposed to, because that’s the mission of our company. Then we obviously want to make things and work with them. So it’s important that we get to know the next great creators and work with them from the very beginning. I think all those shows were important too, because if we want to live our mission of empowerment. But also, we want to be able to work with all the great creators and help to empower them and tell their stories. So people can also start to understand what it means and what it feels like [about the] idea of what I was saying of ‘Making it until you make it.’

New episodes of the show will air every other Wednesday.