VCU Brandcenter alum brings new life to ‘A Different World’

By Sarah Moore
VCU Brandcenter

As a kid in Richmond, Howard Jordan Jr. watched “A Different World” for the same reason millions of others did: He loved seeing young Black people on television who were smart, funny, driven and figuring out who they were.

“It had a truth to it, it had a texture,” Jordan said. “The cultural impact is undeniable. It was young Black college kids on TV making something of themselves in a Black environment.”

He also loved that the sitcom, which premiered in 1987, reached far beyond its setting at the fictional historically Black college of Hillman.

“‘A Different World’ was doing over 20 million viewers every episode. That’s unheard of now,” Jordan said. “It was that big, and even though it was at an HBCU, it crossed over. White kids were watching it. White adults were watching it. It was for everybody, but it was a uniquely Black, intentional, conscious show – and even as a kid, I loved that.”

Nearly four decades later, Jordan is now helping bring that world to a new generation: He is a writer and producer on Netflix’s sequel series, on a team led by showrunner Felicia Pride. The sequel debuts Sept. 24.

For Jordan, it’s a fitting chapter for someone whose career has always been driven by storytelling, even if the medium has changed.

The creative path to VCU and beyond

Jordan decided at age 9 that he wanted to work in advertising. After earning a marketing degree from James Madison University, he started mailing letters to advertising agencies around the country looking for any sort of job or internship.

A response from The Martin Agency in Richmond gave him the break he needed, although not in the form of a job. The agency told him he needed a portfolio, and it pointed him toward a new program in his hometown: the Virginia Commonwealth University Brandcenter (then known as the VCU Adcenter). Jordan drove home to Richmond, filled out his copywriting application, built a portfolio and was admitted to the program’s second cohort in 1997.

After Brandcenter, he moved to New York City and built an impressive career as a copywriter and creative director, working on brands including Beats by Dr. Dre, State Farm, McDonald’s, Lexus and Coca-Cola.

But while his advertising career was taking off, Jordan was also writing on the side.

He started taking continuing education classes at New York University, where he discovered sitcom screenwriting, and what started as a side interest eventually became a second career.

After more than a decade in advertising, Jordan moved to Los Angeles and broke into television, writing and producing for networks and studios including CBS, BET and Warner Bros. Now, he’s part of the team bringing “A Different World” back to the screen.

How to become an entertainment writer? Here’s some advice

For Jordan, the move from advertising to television wasn’t about leaving creativity behind. If anything, he wanted more of it.

“I wanted to write the part that people tuned in to see,” he said.

After years of telling brand stories in 30 seconds, in a medium that most folks actively avoid, Jordan wanted more room for character development, bigger ideas and longer-form storytelling. Television offered a different kind of creative challenge.

For anyone considering a similar leap into entertainment writing, Jordan offers this advice:

• Start reading and writing. Jordan recommends having at least two amazing writing samples when applying for jobs: one original pilot and one spec episode of your favorite series where you nail the tone of the show. As he said, “99% of the time in television writing, your job is to learn the showrunner’s voice and execute that.”
• Lean into your genre, whether you’re a comedic writer who grew up on “The Simpsons” or a drama writer obsessed with procedurals. “Learn the format, learn the structure, learn the act breaks, learn the characters, learn how that works,” Jordan said.
• Put in the work, even amid busy schedules and priorities. “You have to decide what’s more important to you, and you have to pursue it. And actively go get it,” Jordan said.

And for anyone wondering whether it’s possible to make a leap into something new, Jordan’s own career is proof that creative careers don’t have to follow a straight line. He credits Brandcenter with giving him the confidence to walk into unfamiliar territory knowing he could figure it out.

“After Brandcenter, Richmond, VCU, you’re ready to take on the world,” Jordan said. “I knew no matter what situation I walked into, I was capable.”