Today we’d like to introduce you to Jabari Payne.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Jabari. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Originally from Miami, my foundation is rooted in the performing arts. I went on my first audition in 1999 for the movie Ali, staring Will Smith. At 15, I directed my first award-winning film, “A New Love.” With the help of the Florida Film Institute and the Performing and Visual Arts Center at Miami Northwestern Senior High, I was given the resources and support to make this film happen. Upon entering Florida A&M University my sophomore year of college, I fell in love with film. As a broadcast journalism major, I’d work on new stories and hone my editing skills. Outside of the classroom, I directed music videos and promo videos for my classmates, student organizations and professional clients.
I was the lead editor on the 2013 Second place student Emmy award-winning magazine show for FAMU’s 125 Anniversary/Homecoming special.
As a former CBS Evening News Fellow and photojournalist at WATE-TV (an ABC affiliate in Knoxville, TN), I helped to tell stories about Nelson Mandela, former Tennessee governor Bill Haslam and hundreds of others. After years of working in television news, I decided to freelance full time. Currently, I direct promo videos/commercials, corporate/brand films, music videos, and short films. Next on the horizon for me is my web series directorial debut on a show titled Triggered. The show is co-produced by Damn Write Originals, a writing label and production company out of Atlanta. DWO recently signed a deal with Aspire TV.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Depression has been a lifelong battle for me, but I fight through it every day. In literature, it’s said in a story the protagonist sometimes faces an internal battle. My internal battle has been with depression and fighting through it. Whether it stemmed from weight, insecurities, being a working artist, trying to get my art into the world, and sometimes self-love. I’ve learned that being vulnerable and open about my feelings has made me an even stronger man. I am sure of who I am, and what I want because of it.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I am a director, producer, editor, writer, and director of photography. Writing and producing is newer for me, which makes them uncomfortable. However, I’m excited to do them. With film, there’s a hurricane of ideas, dialogue, decisions, and imagery in my head. But when I get them organized, it’s liberating. I feel liberated when sharing my art. Whether it’s on paper, on a screen or verbally.
Occasionally, I do photography, graphic design, and design websites. These things are fun for me. Art is fun. It’s the closest I get to feeling like a kid again. So because of what I do for a living, I’m always in a state of childlike joy. Sometimes, the woes and darkness of being an adult seep into those moments, but like Florida gnats at your door, after it rains, I try to keep them out.
I’m proud of the opportunity to hire my friends. I get to make money and break bread with people that I like and love. Moreover, often hire women because I want to be part of the change that women need in society. They deserve so much. I’m just trying to do my part.
My production company is still in its infancy, and I’m happy about that. I get to feed it every day. It is nurtured every day with the skills that I hone and lessons that I learn. PAVAC Pictures will be a production company that tells the truth and embraces imagination. Reality will be ours to control. It’s a responsibility that all artists have, and I plan to honor that.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
A host of people have helped me, and continue to help me on my path as an artist and filmmaker.
Lucien Christian Adderley inspires me to work hard and manifest my goals. Jadaun Sweet and Keith Oliver taught me brotherhood. Juliet Martin taught me to love. Tanisha Cidel and Kristoff Skalet, my first theater teachers, showed me what bravery as an artist looks like. They taught me to be myself and love him. They each showed me what an artist can be and where an artist can go. Charlete Seward was… is the mother that helped to finish raising me. There are things that your parents cannot teach you. Some things are taught by someone else. Someone that comes into your life and changes it for the better. Forever. She’s that person. Nielle Shiver and Abigail Williams have always been best friend/sisters to me, while Nombeko Payne, one of my sisters, has always been there for me. I look up to her.
It goes without saying that my mother, a black college educated woman from Miami, has made it possible for me to be who I am today. She named me Jabari for a reason; to be brave. Her bravery taught me to live in the truth of my name.
Contact Info:
- Website: jabaripayne.com
- Instagram: jabari305
- Twitter: jabari305
Image Credit:
Chuck Marcus http://www.chuckmarcus.com
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