Magic City: An American Fantasy executive producer Cole Brown discusses the inspiration behind the show

Cole Brown’s five-part STARZ docuseries Magic City: An American Fantasy dropped on August 15, 2025, pulling back the curtain on Atlanta’s most legendary Black cultural spot. Brown spent nearly four years shaping the project after a chat with music mogul Jermaine Dupri made him curious about what the club really meant to the city. What he found was that Magic City was never just a strip club. It was a hub that pushed Southern hip hop forward, lit up Atlanta’s nightlife, and gave women new ways to claim power in entertainment.

Magic City: An American Fantasy tracks Magic City from its 1985 launch to its rise as a cultural landmark. Brown teamed up with Drake’s DreamCrew Entertainment, Jermaine Dupri, and Jami Gertz as executive producers, while BIPOC-owned Scheme Engine steered production. The docuseries pushes back against old stereotypes by showing how the club drove Black wealth, music breakthroughs, and bold entrepreneurial moves. With stories from founders, dancers, artists, and insiders, Brown pieces together how one unlikely venue grew into a cornerstone of Atlanta’s culture and hip hop’s evolution.

What are the origins of Magic City: An American Fantasy?

Brown's inspiration for Magic City: An American Fantasy emerged during a studio collaboration with Jermaine Dupri nearly four years ago. While working on a separate book project, Dupri began sharing stories about Magic City that captured Brown's attention and imagination.

"It was him and it was Janet Jackson and it was Big Meech and it was Quincy Jones," Brown recalled.

Adding:

"I mean, these stories that just like you wouldn't believe."

The tales depicted on Magic City: An American Fantasy involved major entertainment figures whose lives intersected at the Atlanta venue. These conversations revealed Magic City's significance beyond its primary business model. Brown recognized the potential for a larger narrative about cultural influence and community building within Atlanta's Black entertainment scene.

The stories convinced Brown that Magic City deserved documentary treatment. He realized the venue represented broader themes about entrepreneurship, artistic development, and social dynamics that warranted deeper exploration.

Developing the documentary required extensive relationship building with Magic City's ownership and staff. Brown spent considerable time connecting with the Barney family, who had founded and operated the club since its inception. Getting the dancers on board was just as important as the big names.

Cole Brown knew their voices would shape the story. So, he took time to earn their trust before the cameras rolled. That slow, careful process helped him see Magic City’s full role in Atlanta’s culture and gave him space to find the best stories and faces for the docuseries. With Drake and Jermaine Dupri backing him, the project gained credibility and resources to match its ambition.

Brown built Magic City: An American Fantasy around three main storylines. First is founder Michael “Magic” Barney, who arrived in Atlanta in 1979 with almost nothing and built a business that changed a city. His rise is a straight-up American Dream story proving that grit and vision can ripple through entire communities.

The second thread follows Atlanta hip hop, which barely existed when the club opened in 1985 but grew into a global force with Magic City at its core. Countless songs and stars were born under its lights. The last story centers on the woman whose talent and hustle gave the club its reputation. Brown focused on showing them as real entrepreneurs and performers, not the stereotypes people expect.

"When you talk to these women, they're like some of the most strong, powerful people you've ever spoken to," Brown explained.

Elaborating:

"It is so different than what I think people will expect of them."

His approach emphasizes their business acumen, independence, and strength rather than exploiting sensational aspects of their work. This perspective aligns with the documentary's goal of reframing Magic City's cultural significance.

The dancers' stories highlight themes of empowerment and entrepreneurship that connect to broader narratives about women's economic independence and self-determination.

The cultural impact and the establishment’s legacy

Brown positions Magic City as a lens for examining Black wealth creation in Atlanta. The venue's success story, as depicted on Magic City: An American Fantasy, reflects broader patterns of African American entrepreneurship and community building in the South.

"The Magic City story is the story of Black wealth building in Atlanta," Brown stated.

Explaining further:

"It's the story of strong, independent, entrepreneurial women in Atlanta. It's the story of culture and hip hop in Atlanta."

His comprehensive view encompasses economic, social, and artistic dimensions of the club's influence. This multifaceted approach distinguishes the documentary from superficial treatments of adult entertainment venues. Cole Brown's "Magic City: An American Fantasy" transforms a simple venue story into a complex narrative about cultural influence, entrepreneurship, and artistic development.

His four-year journey from initial inspiration to completed docuseries demonstrates the commitment required to authentically document unconventional cultural institutions. By focusing on human stories rather than sensational elements, Brown created a documentary that challenges assumptions while honoring the people who made Magic City a lasting part of Atlanta's cultural fabric.

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You can watch Magic City: An American Fantasy on STARZ.