What happens when you get a power couple in a room and ask them to tell you their life story? This week, we released our most recent White Chair film with actor, comedian and producer David Mann and award-winning recording artist Tamela Mann. Their resume is intimidating: two hit TV comedies and a documentary series, two number one albums, an independent music and entertainment label, several national stand-up comedy tours, a Grammy and an even longer list of other awards and achievements. Truthfully, we're not sure there's a lot that David and Tamela can't do, but we were most inspired by their willingness to share their own experiences, struggles and victories as they've built a marriage that lasts and a family that loves each other well.
If, like us, you've ended up with a little bit of a couple crush on the Manns, here are a few more things to love about them.
1. They make us laugh.
David: "We're a bit dysfunctional if you ask us."
Tamela: "We put the fun in dysfunctional."
Okay, maybe this is an obvious one. After all, David's a successful comedian, and he and Tamela have starred in not one, but two hilarious sitcoms, so maybe saying they make us laugh feels self-evident. But the truth is, in a global moment in which difficult and painful things are happening all around us, and the weight of those things gets heavier by the second, the ability to bring lightness and laughter into the room feels like a real gift.
2. Their message is family.
Tamela: "You make me the happiest and you can make me the maddest."
David: "Ditto."
David and Tamela don't just make us laugh on their tv comedy series, Mann and Wife, they spend every episode getting real about the complex dynamics and challenges of a blended family, and what it looks like to navigate those nuances with grace and humor and, above all, love. Families don't fit into just one mold. They don't all have the same makeup or experiences or history. David and Tamela are helping to expand that conversation, and they're making us laugh while they do it.
3. They're all about that love.
David: "There's a lot of pride that had to be swallowed that got us here, commitment that had to be made and then remade and rededicated. We don't have a perfect marriage – it's a work in progress – but what we do have to give is hope."
If you haven't heard David and Tamela's first joint album, Us Against the World: The Love Project, you should stop what you're doing right now, give it a listen and then come right back here. Go ahead, we'll wait.
Amazing, right? Us Against the World is a celebration of David and Tamela's love story by way of ten tracks so honest and hopeful and gorgeous that it's tough to pick a favorite (although, if forced, we'd have to admit we've had "Good Love" on repeat for the last couple of days). As unabashed fans of stories in all forms, we're particularly psyched when talented people use their skill and passion to tell their own story in such a creative and inspiring way. (P.S. Want to win an autographed copy?)
4. They work with intention and integrity
David: "It always leads back to Jesus...if he's not at the top, nothing else works."
Tamela: "He's our covering."
David and Tamela balance busy, multi-faceted careers, and they do it on their own terms. They started their own music and entertainment label, which gives them the freedom to focus on passion projects that challenge and push them toward new, fresh, interesting work. Everything they do is grounded in a real life faith in God that keeps them connected and inspired as business partners, creative collaborators, husband and wife, and parents to their children.
5. They're always finding new ways to be creative and collaborative together.
David: "I make sure that I'm always trying to bring the greater out of her."
Through 30 years of marriage, the Manns have collaborated together on film, on TV, on the stage, on the page and in the recording studio. We legitimately can't wait to see what they do next.
You can check out David and Tamela Mann's full film with I Am Second here.