Daily Inspiration: Meet Deion James

Today we’d like to introduce you to Deion James.

Deion, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My story is pretty simple really. Born and raised in Memphis, TN. Started college right after high school at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. I originally wanted to go into music but convinced myself that Logistics would be a better route (no pun intended). While attending UTC, I picked up a small interest in cameras. I was fascinated with art and how you could decode a picture or even a video to understand why someone created it. Eventually, I cut ties with school after three years and moved to ATL, where I began working in Logistics in medicine without a degree. Go figure. After spending three years in ATL, I made my way back to Memphis, where I continued my career in Logistics. Shortly after my move, I needed something that would keep me busy, a hobby. This is when I purchased my first camera and from there is where I fell in love. I spent all of my spare time creating and talking to a close friend of mine who was already doing videography and shooting music videos.

From there, we established a relationship, and we’ve been working together ever since my second video ever. Spending another 2+ years in Memphis in July 2020 of last year, I was fired from my job. I immediately packed my house, took what little savings I had and moved back to ATL for a second go around. I quickly hit the ground running because I had little to no money, and I wanted to do what I truly loved without the thought of not being able to live within means. I made the decision to freelance and freelance only. Things went really well going into the end of 2020. And after 3+ years of working with my partner, we teamed up at the beginning of 2021 and started our company Dear Who Productions, LLC. Dear, Who is a creative production studio dedicated to helping artists and brands connect with their target audience through meaningful storytelling. We love helping start-ups, small businesses, artists, and creatives of all types get to the next level and achieve all visions that they imagine.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has not been smooth at all. Within the first six months of moving back to Memphis, a week before my birthday, the home I grew up in and was currently living in burned to the ground taking everything I owned and our cars along with it. This was probably the biggest struggle of them all.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Currently, I own a production Company, Dear, Who LLC. Here I am the Head of Production. Most of my work consists of being a Director of Photography. I am most proud of my growth as a creative and the people that I’ve met along the way. For me, what sets me apart is that I just do what I love to do, and I always give my clients and even my viewers all of me and what I have to offer.

So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
We enjoy working collaborating with new people! If anyone wants to work with me, they can shoot me an email at [email protected] or visit dearwhoproductions.com/booking. For anyone who is interested in collaborating or is freelancing and looking for gigs, we have a list we keep and reach out to those who are interested in working at dearwhoproductions.com (bottom of page). For those who want to support you can reach out to us via Instagram (@jamesiswho or @dearwhoproductions) or email at [email protected] or [email protected].

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: dearwhoproductions.com, deionjames.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesiswho/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DearWhoProductions/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2TyFbDqmWWN9gJwjEdZU4sGYTQfyukrR