Josiah's Voice

Happy birthday to Jai Lennard, the first guest of the 7th and final season of Josiah's Voice: On Black Filmmaking. He is a New York-based Entertainment Photographer and mentor.

He has captured stunning images of influential figures including Regina King, Eva Longoria, 50 Cent, and Senator Cory Booker, and his work can be found in The New York Times, HBO, and The Hollywood Reporter. When he's not in the presence of superstars Jai can be found in the classroom passionately teaching and mentoring the next generation of amazing photographers. He is the founder of the non-profit Color Positive, a network geared toward the cultivation of Black talent behind the camera.

Mel Jones is an American bi-coastal producer, screenwriter, and film and television director. In today’s interview, Mel shares stories from her film journey, from her days at Howard University, the Sundance Film Festival, producing the Netflix films Juanita and Really Love, her directorial debut in the digital space on her show Leimert Park (BET+), and more. All the while being a mother and guided by her mentor Stephanie Allain of Homegrown Pictures.

Mel drops gem after gem that multi-talented filmmakers and young parents alike can glean from.

Are you struggling to decide how to move forward as an artist? Does everyone tell you to pick an interest because you have too many? Then you need to meet Jahbrielle Henning-Rayford, a Los Angeles-based multi-hyphenated creator with skills in directing, producing, photography, writing, and more.

Michelle A. Daniel is a Las Vegas-based Executive Film Producer and Showrunner with over 10 years of experience in television, feature and short film, and digital media. In today's interview, we discuss the power of a creative mindset and the importance of an attitude of abundance.

Michelle gives a masterclass in film production as she explains the best practices for securing film funds, feeding the cast and crew, producer coaching, identifying a strong script, and much more. Enjoy!

Lande Yoosuf is a New York-based, Nigerian-American author, screenwriter, director, and producer. Today’s episode is all about being comfortable with being uncomfortable, getting specific about our dreams, and paving your own lane as a storyteller.

Lande is the founder of One Scribe Media where she has produced multiple short films of her original work, including projects based on her debut novel, Ko-Foe. Lande is also the co-founder of Black Film Space, a non-profit dedicated to the enhancement of filmmakers of African descent. 

Marcis Cole is a Los Angeles-based Steady Cam Operator who's done fantastic work on Watchmen, Marvel Studios' Black Widow, Judas and the Black Messiah, Westworld, and more. We had a sobering conversation about not only film technology and camera tips and tricks, but Marcis shares poignant industry stories both on and off-set that highlight how important being a team player and overall good person truly is. With no pretense, he believes that humility and patience are your best assets when working as an artist. Enjoy!

Tiara Bryant is a Texan screenwriter, who along with her close friend, Dezell Lathon, a director out of Mississippi, joined forces to tell an original Black love story called, Perspective. The pair shares their experience making a short film, learning how their talents complement each other, bonding over heartbreak, and lessons from crowdfunding. We also share our film heroes, including the impact Issa Rae had on all four of us, and everything we learned working on the final season of Insecure. All that and more in today's new episode.

Amber Bickham is a Producer and Casting Director born and bred in Los Angeles, California, with credits on Black Jesus, Lazor Wulf, and In Living Color and collaborations with Russell Simmons, Kevin Hart, and more. She is the founder of the Manifestation Actors & Comedians Workshop, a fun and therapeutic way for performers to use their gifts as the vessel to manifest their heart's desires for the future. She offers her best film career tips and answers casting and producer questions in today's episode.

Michael Dennis a.k.a. Mike D, is a Philly-based storyteller, historian, and archivist. He founded the show, Reelblack TV, which curates and chronicles the Black American experience in film, music, interviews, and more across media: "Our goal is to educate, entertain, enlighten, and empower using the magic of film".

Justyn Davis is an Emmy award-winning Lighting Director. He is one of the instructors of the Lagos Lighting Masterclass that travels to various African countries teaching Cinematography to the next generation of storytellers.

Richard Turrentine is an LA-based Cinematographer and entrepreneur. He is the CEO and Founder of Screen Indie, a new streaming platform for independent filmmakers. He launched his own production company, Turrentine Studios, which sits on 5 acres of beautiful desert property, completely owned and operated by him.

Bronx native and athlete-turned-filmmaker, Ricardo A. Spence,  shares how his love for Hip-Hop and theater inspired him to start creating short films and web series. He is an alumni of the SuperSpecial Tribe Writer's Program where he met his mentor Amy Aniobi (Insecure) . All of these experiences have helped him craft character-driven stories one day soon to be unveiled to the world through television. We hope you enjoy our conversation.

Simone Williams is an LA-based Screenwriter and 2nd AC (Assistant Camera) forging her path toward becoming a Showrunner and Director of Photography. Today, we're talking about writing challenges, the best tips for production assistants, and how to defeat self-comparison when success finds your peers sooner than you. Enjoy!

Kaitlyn Kelly is a writer and director from Albany, Georgia, and a Florida State University Film U alum with a genuine heart for her community. Today we discuss being the actor's director, finding one's director voice, filming despite fear, learning to lead with humility when there's a tight deadline, and much more. Thanks for listening, and enjoy.

Khavaya Shirao of Nairobi, Kenya writes poems, short novels, screenplays, models, directs photography shoots, and more. She personifies the artist, the storyteller, and the griot of African lore in every way and with curiosity and exuberance. In today's interview, we discuss her creative process and the lessons learned along the way that can help us all explore our artistry and imaginations. We hope you enjoy!

Ed Long Jr. shares his extensive film set journey from production assistant, both on set and in-office, writer's PA, writer's assistant, to showrunner's assistant on HBO's Insecure.  Tune in for Ed's best advice for production assistants rising through the ranks plus tips for new screenwriters and producers honing their craft!

Kira Talise is a storyteller born and bred in Los Angeles, California who was shaped by classic Black 90's TV shows and now boasts credits on modern-day classics like HBO's Insecure. Having risen through the ranks quickly as a Script Coordinator and now Staff Writer, Kira is more focused than ever to run her own writers' rooms and bring her stories to life. Today, she shares her journey as a writer and answers burning listener questions about the art and business of television screenwriting in Hollywood. Enjoy!

Stevee-Rayne Warren is the Program Manager for the New Orleans Video Access Center. Based in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the initiative celebrated 50 years of transformational service and training to new filmmakers on projects with Warner Bros., Netflix, Apple TV+, and more all across the United States. Today Stevee shares a wealth of stories spanning her onset film knowledge,  understanding of shifting business models at the studio level, and her passion for community building in the cinematic space. Enjoy!

Toryn Seabrooks is a screenwriter and director born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. We met on the set of the final season of the show Insecure and hit it off and I'm glad she's on the podcast today. We're catching up about our time on the classic show, self-worth in creative and regular life, the writer's voice, networking, and putting the authentic Black experience on film. Enjoy, and thank you for listening!

April Coffee is a Tennessee native who's lived her LA dream for the past 10 years. In today's episode, she shares her knowledge as an actress with extensive experience doing Stand-In work on various projects, including Insecure on HBO where she worked closely with Issa Rae. April's people skills, strong memory, and attention to detail have served her well in her career and I was happy to host her in this new episode to share gems from set to young actors and filmmakers. Enjoy!

SEASON 6 PREMIERE! Rae Benjamin is the CEO + Founder of the rising networking company, IN THE CUT LA, whose mission is to increase access to the entertainment industry for Black creatives and People of Color. The company offers others the industry information she didn't have when she first started out in the form of classes, resources, and job opportunities.  Born and raised in Los Angeles, Rae writing and production credits include  projects like Bridgerton, The Witcher, Our Flag Means Death, and her very own animated web series, Julisa Who?. Outlining is her favorite part of screenwriting, and she encourages her fellow writers to see the world and live a full life. Our stories can only benefit. Enjoy today's episode! 

Jai Essence is many things. A writer, poet, teacher, YouTuber, and businesswoman. And what connects all of these facets of her being is her knack for creativity and bringing people together. In this episode, she shares stories of her adventures throughout the United States and travels abroad to places like Dubai, Liberia, and Rwanda, where she's now based her family and company, My Cousin Connection. Through the power of YouTube and social media, Jai is building up My Cousin Connection to be a powerful and growing resource for expats everywhere, especially Black travelers across the world looking to start anew in Rwanda. Enjoy and thanks for listening!

Season 5 finale! Bob Rose is a filmmaker, podcast host, the editor of V/H/S 2, and was voted 'Baltimore's 3rd Best Local Celebrity'. Today, we talk about knowing one's limits and moderation, the importance of the family spirit onset, creative compromise, lessons learned creating his ThunderGrunt podcast, the power of editing, and how movies don't change... but we do. That and more in this new episode. We hope you enjoy!

B.J. Pasinger is an aspiring Television Showrunnercurrently working in Los Angeles as a production assistant. Working closely with execs on hit shows like Insecure has taught him the importance of completing scripts, being original and ignoring trends, living a full life outside of work, and that being genuine is the most important networking skill.

Welcome to Season 5! In today's episode I recap my travels in Africa and Season 4 highlights a.k.a. Odysseys, a.k.a. the international travel series. I've also been inspired by not only living abroad but also old artwork and old writing projects and that familiar creative hunger is coming back in familiar ways. I'm very excited to return to the world of cinema in this and upcoming episodes and I hope you are too. Enjoy!

Season 4 finale! Meet Ruth Ndyabahika! She is the Founder & CEO of Grace Villa, a sanctuary for at-risk girls in South Western Uganda. After surviving constant war in her beloved Uganda, Ruth grew up to study Child Psychology in the States. She left a successful life in Boston to return home and use her gifts to help girls escape abuse by building a home to help nurture the next generation through love, friendship, education, and sisterhood. The stories shared touch on painful topics, but also give a powerful voice to the voiceless, so listener discretion is advised. In 2022, Grace Villa celebrated 9 years of impactful and transformative service to young women, and they've only just begun. 'We Rise by Lifting Others.'

Meet Rukiya McNair! She is a mom, an artist, an entrepreneur, and a YouTuber who shares her travels abroad. She and her family have lived in Thailand, Indonesia, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Ghana. She's been featured in stories by HGTV, the New York Post, BBC, and Travel Noire. By sharing her story she aims to inspire Black people to harness their creativity and intuition and fulfill their dreams of living abroad and traveling the world. Enjoy!

Meet Amy King! Today, my friend joins me to talk about poetry and blogging, her love for ballet, solo travels to both Ireland and Costa Rica, and being a seeker. A seeker of faith, art, ideas, culture, and memorable experiences and connections. We discuss both the creative and personal development process, like learning to quiet the competitive spirit and just be, no longer comparing one's self to others, including the old self. By doing so we show grace to ourselves and can rekindle our passions. We hope you enjoy it! 

Meet Danielle "Danny the Nanny" Johnson, an entrepreneur and celebrity nanny who loves children, great food, and the finer things in life. She also loves traveling and has been to Jamaica, Paris, and Greece. Learn how working with little ones taught her to be her authentic self, to face every challenge, always be creative, and focus on her dream to one day create her own agency, The Nanny in the City. We hope you enjoy today's episode!

Meet Joy Melanie! In this episode, my good friend Joy shares memories and life lessons from her adventures traveling the world. We grew up together and our families took camping trips when we were children. At 15 years old, Joy visited her first country, living in India for 5 months. She's also flown to Spain and South Africa, visited Uganda, and most recently, Rwanda where she's living. We also talk about career and life lessons that prepared us for the workplace as well as living abroad. We hope you enjoy listening!

Meet Tammy McClain! In today's episode, Tammy shares her journey through the military, her time as a valued U.S. government employee, and how I was all leading her to change her life in Rwanda, East Africa. Strong networking skills, the ability to pivot and minimize aspects of her life, and the support of her family are just some of the invaluable gems that made her move with her youngest son possible. This is her story. Enjoy!

Meet my dad, Mark! Today we're reliving his memories traveling abroad with his childhood friends, vacations with my mom, bonding trips with my brothers and I, and how he's adjusting to living in East Africa. Along the way he shares stories from his life playing high school football in the Midwest, working at IBM, writing a book with me, and launching a podcast with my mom. He's lived a storied life and I was happy to have him on. Enjoy!

The Travel Series continues. Meet my mom, Marlene! In this episode, she shares her stories of growing up with a father in the Air Force and their travels throughout the USA and Europe. We discuss her career in Recreational Therapy and memories of her homeschooling my brothers and I. Lastly, she's been all over the world and has lived in Rwanda for almost half a year so you'll hear what she likes, misses from the USA, and how she's adjusting to her new life in the Mother Land. We hope you enjoy it.

Jeion Green visits to celebrate Art in various forms, like screenwriting and directing, their love of all things cameras, the impact of friends and family on one's creativity, the film journey so far, and much more. This is the last interview of the season, and we hope you enjoy it! 

Diane Callahan and I talk about the free-flowing writing process, stories where nothing happens, and characters who don't change.