Like Tyler Perry, We Filmed Our Travel Show in 3 Days, Here’s What Happened

By Leroy Adams

Photo credit: kvonfoto

Like Tyler Perry, We Filmed Our Travel Show in 3 Days

When people talk about Tyler Perry, the conversation often circles back to how fast he works. Whole movies filmed in a week. Scripts turned around in record time. And while speed has earned Tyler both admiration and criticism (with some folks begging Tyler to hire writers), one thing is undeniable: he gets it done.

So when we set out to film the pilot episode of Flavors of Travel—our food and culture show—we found ourselves in our own Tyler Perry moment. Not because we had a soundstage in Atlanta, but because we had three days, a $1,000 budget, and a dream. Like Tyler, we had to move fast, put on our best effort, and pray the final cut didn’t look like the wigs in his movies.

Richmond Roots, San Antonio Stage

SOUL TACO in Richmond, Virgina

The seed for Flavors of Travel was planted in Richmond, Virginia. Last year, our team worked with Visit Richmond and BLK RVA to explore the city’s Black culture and history. We sipped lattes and soaked up community energy at Urban Hang Suite, founded by Kelly Lemon. We learned about mindfulness and rest from Ashley Williams at The Well Collective. And one unforgettable night, we watched as a museum transformed into a cultural party that felt equal parts celebration and resistance.

After that trip, I pulled Marie, our food writer, aside. I’d noticed how often she was struck by the vibrancy of Richmond’s Black community—how she’d light up after a conversation with Kelly or pause mid Swag Surf at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts to take in the scene of Black visibility and joy around her. So, I pitched her a show: she would explore food and culture in different places, then return home to recreate one of her favorite dishes for her family and friends. The storytelling would stretch beyond the plate, tying recipes to lived experiences and cultural memory.

The Urban Hang Suite

Marie didn’t hesitate. For her, the Black community answered the proverbial “Why not us?” questions. She left Richmond with a clear message: dream big and act on it.

But here’s the truth: this wasn’t just a spontaneous idea. At least not for me as the founder. From day one, Culture Travels was built with a long-term plan to grow into a cultural archive of the modern Black travel movement. Editorial. Video. Podcasts. Print. Original programming. Live events. All while paying homage - and contributing - to the legacy of Black internationalism. From the start, our goal was to enter the TV market with original travel programming. Call us the Travel Channel—for the culture.

So when the moment came to create a pilot episode, we were ready.

Great! But We’re Broke.

Of course, “ready” is relative when you’re broke. Who was going to pay for this?

A few months before Richmond, we’d been in Auburn, New York, covering the legacy of Harriet Tubman. Did you know her home is still there? We produced a three-part video series interviewing her descendants and walking through her home, her church, and her resting place. One thing I learned early as an entrepreneur: always keep a little something tucked away for unexpected opportunities. Most of the income from that Tubman project had already been reinvested into growing the company, but we still had a little over a $1,000 left. Just enough to take a risk.

Now, the question became: who’s going to produce a pilot for $1,000? Who’s broke like us? Who’s willing to take a risk, or several?

Seven years ago, when I first moved to San Antonio, I met Gylon—a videographer, podcast producer, and studio manager. Whenever we crossed paths, we’d say, “We’ve got to work together one day.” This was the day.

I was upfront. I told him we had $1,000, handed him a detailed budget, and showed him a step-by-step plan for production, post-production, and distribution.

In less than five minutes, he was in. No hesitation. Just a shared vision and a promise: we were going to get this done.

Day 1 - Lean Crew and Hennessy Shrimp

Filming the pilot of Flavors of Travel was a three-day sprint that demanded equal parts planning, patience, and prayer.

Day 1 was all about building trust and laying the groundwork. It had taken nearly a month to secure a restaurant, but when we finally connected with the couple behind Beyond Flavor, they immediately said yes. Their story was rooted in community—a food truck born from the flavors of their grandmother’s kitchen and a passion for creating experiences that brought people together. Marie sat down with one of the chefs to learn about their inspirations, the experimentation behind their recipes, and why their Hennessy shrimp had a reputation as the truck’s most irresistible dish.

After this interview, our lean crew—Gylon as head producer, his assistant on lights, Marie in front of the camera, and Ashley on social media—captured b-roll of the chefs chopping green onions, stirring that famous Hennesey glaze, and seasoning catfish and shrimp. On day 1, the goal was simple: show how they got down in the kitchen and let viewers feel the rhythm of their hustle.

Day 2 - In The Kitchen and Low Riders

Day 2, we returned to Rose Bush to capture the magic of service. This time, cameras were rolling as the chefs cooked, plated, and handed dishes to eager customers. Sizzling oil, bubbling mac and cheese, and shrimp hitting the grill created a soundtrack you could almost taste. But Flavors of Travel was never meant to be just about food, it’s also about culture. To capture San Antonio’s unique flavor, we brought in two members of the city’s lowrider community.

They rolled up in cars with gleaming gold rims, emerald green candy paint shining, and hydraulics flexing, sharing how lowriders reflected both Hispanic pride and African American influence. “The love of lowriders came from watching y’all,” one of them told us. “We just added our own spin.” Their cars became part of the set—rolling art pieces that added texture and authenticity to the shoot.

By the time cameras stopped rolling, everyone—crew, chefs, and lowrider guests—gathered around three meals prepared by the chefs. Prepare to have your mouth water: the Cajun Drip—a baked potato stuffed with voodoo mac, shrimp, and fried fish, the Cajun Trio, with grits and fried catfish, and The 69 - two very generous services of catfish stuffed with creamy mac and cheese, all crowned with six large shrimp glazed in Henny sauce. Without wasting a second we all dove in, sampling one of each while talking about the show or lowrider culture in San Antonio.

Day 3 - Community

The final day was for the community. Friends, family, and locals were invited to meet the chefs, try samples, and get in front of the camera. We sat down around a long wooden table talking about the show, trying samples of The 69 or The Cajun Drip, while the camera capture their reactions, their laughter, and conversations. Their excitement was palpable, exceeded only by how proud they were of our team for pulling this off.

Later that evening, we moved to my home kitchen. Marie stepped into a more intimate role: recreating her favorite Beyond Flavor dish— The 69. Here’s what stood out: by Day 3, Marie had grown comfortable on camera. Day 1 nerves had faded, replaced with confidence and warmth. She walked us through her cooking process, cracked jokes, and looked at home telling stories while coating the catfish or mixing the cheese.

And that, in a way, was the bigger story. Our limited budget and three-day timeline meant patience was as essential as lighting or cameras. We were producing a pilot while figuring it out in real time, learning how to hold space for each other, and realizing that with vision and teamwork, three days could be enough.

Behind the Speed

If we learned anything from filmmakers and show creators we studied, it’s that speed without planning leads to missed details. So we scheduled everything to the minute: walkthroughs with chefs, dedicated b-roll days, shot lists broken down like a military operation. And we quickly learned b-roll is half the episode—close-ups of sauces pouring, shrimp sizzling, and community members vibing over plates of Cajun food. Editing still takes forever, but without that planning, we’d still be crying into our laptops. We also leaned on advice from friends. Jeff Jenkins, the creator of Never Say Never, told us: “Don’t rush the host or the story. Everyone needs time to settle in.” That reminder kept us patient, even when we felt the urge to skip steps.

Impact Beyond the Pilot

The wild part? The trailer alone generated interest from tourism boards and food brands. Each dish, sauce, and even the Hennessy bottle became a potential sponsorship opportunity. What we thought would just be a pilot became proof of concept that Flavors of Travel had legs—and wings. Most importantly, the community buy-in elevated everything. Their on-screen laughter, their feedback, their willingness to show up for us—those were the moments that proved this show was more than a hustle, and that brands should get on board.

Our Perry Moment

Filming Flavors of Travel in three days was exhausting, exhilarating, and unforgettable. Like Tyler Perry, we shot fast. Unlike Tyler Perry (we hope), we didn’t cut corners on quality. We leaned heavy into culture, community, and careful planning. It turns out you don’t need Hollywood budgets to make meaningful TV. You need vision, people who believe in you, and the guts to pull it off.

So yes, we filmed our show in three days. Call it our Tyler Perry moment. And if the food makes your mouth water? Then maybe, just maybe, we pulled it off.