Daily Inspiration: Meet Rafiq Jordan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rafiq Jordan.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I fell in love with storytelling at a really young age. I watched a lot of movies/tv and found myself often creating my own characters. I remember searching around the house frantically to find fifty cents so I could go to the corner store and purchase a small action figure and some toys, only to come back home and build elaborate backstories for them before playing. I think for me, the story behind each toy was just as important as the toy itself, and without that, I couldn’t really play. This led to my desire to become a filmmaker, primarily a writer/director. I want to tell stories about people and all the things that make the human experience special. As I got older, I moved around a little. I got my first production job in South Florida, went to film school in Atlanta, and spent a few years in Haiti editing my first feature film. Today, I freelance as a gaffer and run my own production company, directing commercial shoots, branded documentaries, and digital content in South Florida & Atlanta. More important than the experiences I’ve had are the people I’ve met along the way. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with great directors, cinematographers, and business owners who are far more talented than I am. It’s the little things; how they pack their gear, the words they say to make talent feel comfortable in front of the camera. To this day, I still pull from almost all of the people I’ve been connected to throughout the years because without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Lol. No, the road has definitely not been smooth for a multitude of reasons, but I’ll name one: money. I think it is a challenge for almost every independent filmmaker to figure out how to get their story told with limited resources. Even in the commercial world, there are moments where it feels like the budget isn’t big enough or you don’t have what you need to make your or the client’s dreams come true. It’s a struggle, but we can’t let it stop us. In 2020, I wrote and directed my first feature film, a documentary titled “Let the Church Say” (2022). The film is about the historical impact of the Black American church, particularly in the realm of social justice. We did this film at the height of the pandemic, at a time when equipment, crew, and resources I previously had were limited. We didn’t have a whole lot of money, and the state of the country at that time was mentally and emotionally draining for a lot of people. Not to mention, up to that point, I had never successfully attempted a story of that size before. This was probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. There were lots of late nights, tons of research, frequent reworkings of the story, multiple production problems, and, honestly, a lot of moments just wondering whether I was cut out for this industry at all. I can’t stress enough that “Let the Church Say” exists today (shameless plug, Letthechurch.com) because of the handful of incredible people who joined hands with me during that time to bring that story to life. People like Joe Howell, Nancy Howard, Danielle Nebeliuk, Marcus Kyle, Vishvesh Bakshi, Aditi Singh, and Thang Ho. There are so many more people I can name, including the amazing cast, you all know who you are, but the point that I’m trying to make is that you can’t do it alone. I didn’t do it alone. Even now, as a solopreneur, I still don’t do it alone.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
So I’ve done a lot of different things throughout my professional career, but I currently operate as a writer/director for commercials, branded documentaries, and digital content. Some of the companies I currently work with are faith-based/non-profit companies. I think that’s where I excel. I love telling the stories of impact and how a few people got together to make something bigger than themselves. My faith is integral to who I am as a person and a creative, so my specialty is definitely in that faith-based, thought-provoking, family-friendly space. While my clients don’t always fit into that genre, the stories that I’m personally attracted to are ones of injustice, compassion, healing, and redemption. I’m also a sucker for a good coming-of-age story. I imagine I’m known for my faith-first approach to filmmaking. Many of my friends know I’m a Christian, and I’ve built a personal brand around this idea; that I’m a filmmaker who loves Jesus, which, if you’re not in church circles, can be quite odd for some people. Online, I release content that best represents me. I just dropped a content series called “Movie Devotional Mondays,” where I break down popular films and connect them to God’s character and scripture. In person, I’m the type of guy who will remember if you tell me you have a sick loved one and pray with you on set if you need it. I respect people from other faiths and backgrounds and never want to be a jerk about it, but I honestly believe part of my purpose is to tell incredibly powerful stories that get people to think about God just a little bit longer than they did yesterday. And sometimes the most powerful story I can tell is the one people see when they work with me.

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Integrity. I’ve learned the hard way that you can’t trust everybody in this industry. I strive to be the guy you can. I’m not perfect by any means but because I respect people and I genuinely love what I do, I’m going to show up on time, I’m going to operate in honesty, I’m going to work hard no matter what you’re paying me and I’m going to try my best to get along with the people around me. In a world sometimes where it feels like everything has gone haywire, I feel like just showing up, being a man of your word, and treating people with respect goes a long way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://vimeo.com/rafiqjordan
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rafiq.jordan/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rafiq.j.nabali/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rafiq-nabal/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RafiqJordan
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAmph8Pq0jw&list=PLF-Xhz918f2RqiOH5FPulNlsVAMry57dj