“To Have and To Hold: Charlotte†debuted on OWN Network June 1st to continued rave reviews. This passion project was a way for executive producer and creator Wendy Credle to show that the black community and black professionals are not an anomaly.
As a former A&R and entertainment lawyer, Wendy has established herself as a force to be reckoned with. A renaissance woman of sorts, she has built a reputation of being a no-nonsense businesswoman and a mogul in her own right. Wendy describes herself as focused. Though she has to be since she runs a tight ship at her production company Wen Pie Productions.
Always open to new ideas and experiences, Wendy says she was out socializing when her creative juices started flowing. Looking around she saw a group of fabulous, powerful, black professionals in Charlotte, North Carolina. After conversations, came production meetings and pitching this idea to the networks. After what seemed like an eternity, what was one network’s trash became another network’s treasure and then the new Saturday night guilty pleasure was born.
How does she keep it together? She makes sure she is always surrounded by who or what makes her grow. That is the example she learned from one of her mentors, her dad. She decided to pay homage to what she got from her dad by instilling that energy into her amazing son Gianni.
Of course, there were those who have mistakenly doubted her skills as an executive producer and her vision as the creator of the show. However, they were soon set straight with her trademark directness, which is often peppered with diplomacy to make sure the communication is on point all the time.
As a leader, Wendy also thrives on creating a positive environment for her cast and crew, because positivity begets productivity, and productivity begets professionals, those are who you will find around her. This proved true that fateful night when she saw the pieces of her vision pulled together. She saw potential positivity and she was pulled in. She naturally gravitates to whomever or whatever has a positive perspective.
Wendy is always looking to grow, even when she’s unwinding. A dedicated equestrian, she enjoys riding to rejuvenate her spirit and travels to expose herself to different cultures and people. Her SwagHer, her sense of humor, is also credited in helping her to stay grounded, especially on the occasions when her easygoing spirit is tried and she has to make a concerted effort to assert her authority.
Though it has not been an easy road, the executive producer says she wouldn’t have had it any other way. She has always been someone who opens herself up to experiences and has always run away from limitations.
Wendy had a vision. She set forth to make sure it came to fruition. Not because she wanted another notch in her show business belt; she did it for her community. She did it because she loves to inspire positivity. She saw a platform and a vision, and she married the two and now the world can see a diverse bunch of black professionals who anyone and everyone can relate to. “To Have and To Hold: Charlotte†is more than a reality show. It’s a win-win for humanity and that’s the stock Wendy Credle comes from and what she will always undoubtedly find a way to push out into our universe
SOCIAL MEDIA
IG: @wendycredleÂ
Twitter: @wendycredleÂ
–MzLez
About MzLez
MzLez is a very passionate advocate and activist for women’s rights and special needs children. She has an undeniable passion for the entertainment industry, which was nurtured when she majored in Journalism and Communications with a concentration in media studies. She developed her gift for writing as a child and finally as a young female, she started publishing her work. She was born into an entertainment family and thrives on the arts, from writing, creating, and interviewing to acting. Follow her on IG at @IamMzLezizzzle.
