Actor Sheldon Shepherd had never heard of Neville Garrick prior to reading for the part for the Bob Marley biopic Bob Marley: One Love. But after he googled Marley's longtime friend -- and creative director on his iconic albums -- Shepherd found himself drawn to Garrick, who served as historical advisor on the film which has grossed upwards of $179 million worldwide.

"In my opinion, I think I got the best role in that film and it came to me without me even knowing [Garrick]," explained Shepherd, an award-winning actor, writer and music artiste best known for his role in Storm Saulter's Better Mus' Come and Idris Elba’s 2018 directorial debut, Yardie.

In a wide-ranging conversation with Press Pause host Mark W. Wright, Shepherd talked about his journey as an actor and stressed the mportance of creating art "that connects with people on a deeper level."

"The project was such a breeze," Shepherd said of One Love. "I just feel for a fact that Bob Marley's energy was with us filming this project."

Kevin Merida is brewing with optimism. The self-described “free agent” — who most recently served as executive editor of The Los Angeles Times — believes that despite the evolving media landscape, there are still stories to be told, and told in a variety of ways. The longtime media executive and newspaper veteran joined Press Pause and shared thoughts about the challenges newspapers face. “We now have that sophistication, but we haven’t become as sophisticated as the business has become,” Merida explained. “We are great at interrogating every other kind of industry, but when it comes to us we don’t interrogate what we do.” Host Mark W. Wright invited his former ESPN colleague to Press Pause and chopped it up on an array of topics — including Merida’s solution to making the NBA’s All-Star Weekend relevant again.

He was an all-state running back in his hometown of Greer, South Carolina. He followed that up with a record-setting career at North Carolina State, where his 3,553 rushing yards is still good for third all-time in Wolfpack history. Surely a long NFL career would follow. But by 27, Tremayne Stephens found himself out of the league after just four seasons. With no plan or prospects for his post-NFL life, a dejected Stephens ventured on a path to realizing even more than he dreamed of. Now an entrepreneur, sought-after public speaker and social influencer, the man with the shortlived NFL career is proud to share his story, which is rooted in overcoming and pivoting.