Direct Deposit

Audible Originals

This series contains explicit language and mature themes. Listener discretion is advised.

Chad Sanders is a writer on the brink of wealth, whose world is changing fast around him. He goes from sleeping on a mattress on the floor of his Brooklyn apartment to Hollywood pitch meetings with his mentor, Spike Lee, to riding around Los Angeles with Kanye West. He lands a staff writing gig for Issa Rae’s new show, Rap Sh!t. His phone is ringing nonstop and he can feel his burgeoning success, but can't stop checking his bank account and obsessing over how he's going to make more money without losing himself. Now that he's getting some cash, Chad stays up at night wondering what's going to happen next?

In this episodic podcast, Chad brings us along on his dizzying ride to the top, exploring everything that happens to Black people who get rich through a series of illuminating, honest, funny, and moving conversations with Black Hollywood power players like Issa Rae, Charles D. King, Soledad O'Brien, and Gabrielle Union, as well as Black entrepreneurial stars like Slutty Vegan founder Pinky Cole, NFL quarterback guru Quincy Avery, and others in a quest to understand the unique, fraught, and fascinating relationship that Black people have with money. To get to the real and raw truths around being rich while Black, Chad takes us into the clubs, black cars, studio lots, bedrooms, and therapy sessions inhabited by Black super-earners.

Chad's trying to answer the most urgent questions in his life: What's money going to do for him? What's money going to do to him?

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Our Editor's Take

The Direct Deposit podcast follows a man's journey from being a tech "nobody" to a talented Hollywood scriptwriter. When Chad Sanders turned his back on a mediocre but secure job at Google, he had no set plans for what to do next. All he knew was he wanted to be wealthy, and a desk job at Google wasn't going to make that happen.

Chad and his stellar guests share their trials and triumphs on the podcast. They tell inspiring stories of grit, determination, and the pursuit of happiness. Whether it's money, stability, or fame, these stars knew what they wanted and went for it.

The podcast host is a screenwriter and author. His screenplay credits include Rap Sh!t and Freeform's Grownish. He wrote the screenplay for Grownish at a cafe across from Spike Lee's 40 Acres and A Mule. In his book Black Magic: What Black Leaders Learned from Trauma and Triumph, he discusses how trauma honed his business skills.

Issa Rae, Gabrielle Union, and Quincy Avery have all been guests on Direct Deposit. Their interviews are intimate, open, and inspiring. Issa talks about eating $3 knishes and living in a rundown apartment in Harlem. Quincy shares about living out of his car and locker rooms for years. Chad also shares his chance meeting with Spike Lee and how his first script got noticed. Chad and his guests also examine why some people make it big and then lose it all within a few years.

The podcast offers an immersive experience that few shows are able to achieve. It shows how Black people get rich in a world where the odds are not always in their favor. It also examines what it's like to be Black and dare to dream big. Direct Deposit shows how far anyone can go once they put their mind to it. The narration and interviews on the podcast are brief but poignant and motivational.

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Chad Sanders is a writer on the brink of wealth, whose world is changing fast around him. He goes from sleeping on a mattress on the floor of his Brooklyn apartment to Hollywood pitch meetings with his mentor, Spike Lee, to riding around Los Angeles with Kanye West. He lands a staff writing gig for Issa Rae’s new show, Rap Sh!t. His phone is ringing nonstop, and he can feel his burgeoning success, but can't stop checking his bank account and obsessing over how he's going to make more money without losing himself. Now that he's getting some cash, Chad stays up at night wondering what's going to happen next? In this episodic podcast, Chad brings us along on his dizzying ride to the top, exploring everything that happens to Black people who get rich through a series of illuminating, honest, funny, and moving conversations with Black Hollywood power players like Issa Rae, Charles D. King, Soledad O'Brien, and Gabrielle Union, as well as Black entrepreneurial stars like Slutty Vegan founder Pinky Cole, NFL quarterback guru Quincy Avery, and others in a quest to understand the unique, fraught, and fascinating relationship that Black people have with money. To get to the real and raw truths around being rich while Black, Chad takes us into the clubs, black cars, studio lots, bedrooms, and therapy sessions inhabited by Black super-earners. Chad's trying to answer the most urgent questions in his life: What's money going to do for him? What's money going to do to him?

Episodes

Chad Sanders is a writer on the brink of wealth, whose world is changing fast around him. He goes from sleeping on a mattress on the floor of his Brooklyn apartment to Hollywood pitch meetings with his mentor, Spike Lee, to riding around Los Angeles with Kanye West. He lands a staff writing gig for Issa Rae’s new show, Rap Sh!t. His phone is ringing nonstop, and he can feel his burgeoning success, but can't stop checking his bank account and obsessing over how he's going to make more money without losing himself. Now that he's getting some cash, Chad stays up at night wondering what's going to happen next? In this episodic podcast, Chad brings us along on his dizzying ride to the top, exploring everything that happens to Black people who get rich through a series of illuminating, honest, funny, and moving conversations with Black Hollywood power players like Issa Rae, Charles D. King, Soledad O'Brien, and Gabrielle Union, as well as Black entrepreneurial stars like Slutty Vegan founder Pinky Cole, NFL quarterback guru Quincy Avery, and others in a quest to understand the unique, fraught, and fascinating relationship that Black people have with money. To get to the real and raw truths around being rich while Black, Chad takes us into the clubs, black cars, studio lots, bedrooms, and therapy sessions inhabited by Black super-earners. Chad's trying to answer the most urgent questions in his life: What's money going to do for him? What's money going to do to him?

Episode 1 - Trying to Get Money

Episode 1 - Trying to Get Money

Chad Sanders was young, broke, and Black after he left his job at Google to try to get rich in Hollywood. Chad talks with Issa Rae (Insecure) and NFL Quarterback trainer Quincy Avery about the early, hungry days of scraping and clawing to jumpstart their careers. Chad’s path toward wealth hits a dead end until Chad has a spectacular chance encounter with one of his heroes: Spike Lee. Guests: Issa Rae, Quincy Avery

Episode 2 - Heating Up

Episode 2 - Heating Up

Chad’s star is on the rise. Spike Lee agrees to executive produce and direct his very first TV pilot script. Now all they need is a studio to buy it. Spike puts Chad on his first, first-class flight to Hollywood to pitch the project all over town. But, after a rollercoaster month of no-thank-yous and slammed doors, Chad begins to doubt that this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity will pay off. He talks with Vanessa Anderson (star publicist to Cardi B and Issa Rae) and David Leeks (2 Chainz’s manager) about how to create a buzz loud enough to get The Town’s attention. Can Chad grow his notoriety enough to cash it in? Guests: Vanessa Anderson, David Leeks

Episode 3 - Becoming a Thing

Episode 3 - Becoming a Thing

Chad’s life hits warp speed when he writes a viral Op-Ed piece in the New York Times about white peoples’ reaction to George Floyd’s murder. His phone is lighting up with offers, exes, and angry instagram comments. The flurry lands him in…Kanye West’s bathroom? The ride becomes disorienting so he calls on beauty mogul Jackie Aina and Pinky Cole, leader of the $100M Slutty Vegan empire, to get some real advice on how to stay grounded when everything around him is upending. Guests: Jackie Aina, Pinky Cole

Episode 4 - Money on the Floor

Episode 4 - Money on the Floor

Chad takes us from first class flights with rappers, to fancy steakhouses with NFL stars to an Atlanta club with a pimp. There are many ways for young rich people to blow their cash, especially in Atlanta. Chad welcomes back NFL Quarterback trainer Quincy Avery and one of ATL’s hottest music managers, David Leeks, to talk about how famous athletes and musicians throw their money. Get wits, bops, black cars and black cards. Chad explores the way ballers burn cash and the people who help them do it. Guests: Quincy Avery, David Leeks

Episode 5 - Working With White People

Episode 5 - Working With White People

Chad explores the many angles of frustration, sadness and anger that he’s experienced working with white people as his money grows. He welcomes actress Gabrielle Union and journalist Soledad O’Brien to share their experiences about working as Black people in white environments. They speak candidly about the pressure points and the sinking feeling that comes with ascending to the top, where there are few Black folks around. Guests: Gabrielle Union, Soledad O’Brien

Episode 6 - Mental Health & Therapy

Episode 6 - Mental Health & Therapy

Chad explores his complicated relationship with therapy. He participates in the practice, but he distrusts the $225B industry primarily run and owned by white people. But as money comes in and creates new problems, Chad needs some help. Psychologist Amanda Jurist speaks with Chad about some of the racial causes for his pain and why Black people must be particularly thoughtful about how they engage with therapy. Chad also speaks with an old colleague from Google, Ed Bailey, to talk about the dangers of moving too fast to keep the money train moving. Guests: Amanda Jurist, Ed Bailey

Episode 7 - Don’t Look Down

Episode 7 - Don’t Look Down

Uh-oh. Chad finally has some money, but he has no plan for what to do with it. That makes him sad, paranoid, and anxious. A therapist can’t fix all his problems. Chad goes to see a professional - financial manager Anytwyne Delonde - to break down the ways Chad can avoid falling into the fear trap that snares many young, rich, Black people and leaves them broke. Then Chad welcomes back beauty mogul Jackie Aina and Gabrielle Union to talk about the unique set of problems many Black people face when they come into real money. Guests: Antwyne Delonde, Jackie Aina, Gabrielle Union

Episode 8 - Trying to Stay Free

Episode 8 - Trying to Stay Free

Chad has some money, a little bit of clout and a future that looks bright. But still, he doesn’t quite feel free. Chad talks to people who have climbed to the top to ask them the question: are you free? Producer Charles D. King (Judas & the Black Messiah, Sorry to Bother You, Just Mercy), journalist Soledad O’Brien, and Issa Rae join Chad for this final episode at the top of the mountain. Chad has focused so much of himself on making money. But will that make him free? Guests: Charles D. King, Soledad O’Brien, Issa Rae