Morehouse College grad starring in new indie rom-com coming to Atlanta in August
ATLANTA - A Morehouse College alumnus has convinced his entertainment company to screen their film in Atlanta this August!
The independent rom-com movie TOXIC premiered at the Hippodrome Theatre in Richmond, Virginia, on June 8. This is the first feature film under Cinnamon Brown Entertainment. It is a dark comedy following a young man’s quest for love that takes a twisted turn.
Lead actor Salih Muhammad was born in Alabama. He attended a college in Indiana before transferring to Morehouse College. The actor grew up as an only child, and his HBCU taught him valuable lessons.
"Morehouse ended up being my true home," said Muhammad. "I learned so many gems that contributed to the multifaceted career I have today, like being a jack of all trades and never abandoning what you’re good at."
Salih Muhammad graduated with a degree in chemistry but modeled for various brands and companies during and after college. This was when he met Eric Brown, the executive producer of Cinnamon Brown Entertainment.
Eric Brown started his career writing adventure books in the early 2000s. In addition to two jobs, Brown created a female pen name on Facebook called "Cinnamon Brown" and sold romance novels.
All of his books centered on the struggles of Black women and their experiences with love in the Black community. But Brown started noticing that Black love in trending movies—BET, Lifetime, and more—highlighted the toxic side of only men. So, he decided to flip the script and convert his books into films by starting Cinnamon Brown Entertainment.
"I’ve been married, divorced, and the whole gamut. Every single situation in the movie happened to me or someone I know," said the executive producer. "Most men ‘charge their feelings to the game’ and move on. This movie gives voice to their struggles and helps them also laugh about it in acceptance."
Brown’s interest in mental health within the Black community comes from his surprising background in psychological experience.
"I used to train spies, and I learned about the way the mind and emotions work. I was able to implement this knowledge into writing TOXIC, which only took eight weeks."
B.K. Fulton, a chairman of Soulidifly Productions, introduced Muhammad to Brown. The executive producer was thoroughly impressed. He invited the model to live in his basement during filming, which doubled as a film setting.
"He had to live close because he was in all the scenes," said Brown. "He definitely became a part of my family and was one of the closest to the cast and crew."
"Intimacy applies to all forms of relationships, whether it’s the relationship with women in the film or the sense of family created with Eric," laughed Muhammad. "It’s his house that I lived in, and my house in the film. So, it’s my house."
Ron, Salih Muhammad’s character, is driven, but his emotional intelligence is low. He gives his heart to different women and gets taken advantage of throughout the film in numerous ways.
"Ron is the guy who gets friend-zoned but doesn’t realize it," said Muhammad.
The biggest question: How can we support Ron as Salih Muhammad, our Morehouse star? Cinnamon Brown Entertainment has an announcement to make.
"We’re doing a premiere in Atlanta come August," said Eric Brown. "That‘s Sali’s stomping ground, so we’d love it if everyone would come out and support."
You heard it here! We will be able to support Salih Muhammad, our Morehouse alumnus, as the leading actor in TOXIC this August. Stay tuned!