Today we’d like to introduce you to Imani Walker.
Imani, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I moved to Georgia when I was six years old. Before moving to Georgia, I lived in California. Both of my parents worked for Sony Pictures so naturally, I developed a love for film at a young age. I have a passion for storytelling and creating content that draws an emotional response from my audience. It wasn’t until I got to college that I started to pursue film. I wanted to be a director and screenwriter but I didn’t know how successful I’d be in that field. I also never really directed or wrote a script before college. Going to college helped me find my true passion. I attended Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It has an excellent film program that lets students explore different departments in the film industry. A lot of kids go in thinking they want to be a director but they don’t know that there are other positions that are important when it comes to film production. After taking several classes, I realized my true passion was in video editing. I was really good at it and I was fortunate enough to get an internship with Penn’s Sports Network as an associate producer. I was in charge of film and editing content for the University of Pennsylvania’s sports teams. I got to attend four NCAA tournaments which were very exciting.
While in college, I also found a passion for music. I taught myself basic chords on the ukulele and guitar. When I was stressed out from school I’d turn to music to help me find peace. I’ve written several songs that I had plans for other artists to sing. However, I’ve written a few songs with the intentions of singing them myself and eventually releasing an album. My goal in life is to eventually direct and edit music videos but also collaborate with an artist in the songwriting process. Maybe one day, I will transition to feature films or tv shows. I’m still trying to figure that part out. I have had some success with film making this past year. Before I graduated from college, I create a short film as my senior project. The film is called “Reaching For Greatness” and it follows Europe’s first African-Caribbean elected mayor, Marvin Rees and the challenges he overcame to reach greatness. I entered it in several contests and so far it has won two awards and has been selected to screen at several film festivals. I’m still waiting to hear back from a few film festivals so I have my fingers crossed that I will get more awards. I am a creative person and I want to share my creativity with the world. If I can make a small impact on someone’s life with my work, then it makes what I do that much sweeter.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road for me. College was tough because I didn’t get a lot of exposure that my peers did. I played division one soccer for Drexel University so I wasn’t always able to attend certain events that would help me connect with important people in my field. When it came to my film career, I really had to prioritize my time. I almost didn’t make my short documentary, “Reaching For Greatness” because I didn’t think I’d have time to do it. I’m glad I pushed myself to make that film. My film is really unique because it was a student film completely funded by my dad and I but also for the fact that it consisted of an all-female crew. I selected five of my fellow students from Drexel University to help me tell this story. I had many people doubt our ability to tell a story just because we were all females. I’m glad that I was able to prove them wrong.
When it comes to my music career I basically had to start from the bottom up. I was good at written lyrics but I didn’t know how to play any instruments. I never really thought anyone would be interested in my music so I just kind of kept everything to myself. College is very stressful and music is my go to when I just need some peace. I got a ukulele one year for Christmas and that’s when I started to actually believe I could make my music dreams a reality. I thought to myself that I could record the melody and eventually sell it to other artists. I never really thought of myself as a singer because I hated the way my voice sounded. However, in order to record my songs, I need someone to sing the lyrics so would do a rough record myself singing my songs. Due to my insecurities, I kept my music to myself until one day I was just like “what’s the worst that can happen?” I also got inspiration from one of my favorite artist, Julia Michaels. When she released the song “Issues” I thought maybe I could be like her. Julia Michaels spent a lot of years writing music for other artist but eventually, she found the courage to share her voice with the world. If she can do it, why not me? I’m now currently working on some songs with a producer with the hopes of releasing them either this year or next year. I’m still very insecure about my voice but music is something I am very passionate about and I refuse to let anyone take that from me.
Please tell us more about what you do, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I started Bahamajama Entertainment when I was in college. It’s not a registered company yet but it’s the name I use to share my work. I created an Instagram and facebook page where I can put all my content. Currently, it contains my photography work and film work. The dream is to build the business and help others with their dream. I want Bahamajama Entertainment to cover different areas of the entertainment industry. Music, photography, filmmaking, art, dance, whatever creative outlets you can think of, Bahamajama Entertainment will provide you with the tools to excel.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I am a very passionate person who puts other people’s needs before my own. I think if you experience success then you should help those who you know experience success too. We should help each other instead of having this “every man for themselves” kind of attitude. When it comes to the entertainment industry or any industry everyone is important. I think that a lot of people forget that. For instance, most people think that a film is just its director and actors but what they don’t know is that without the editor, sound mixer, makeup artist, art department, script supervisor and many other positions our favorite films won’t be as good as they are. I’m the type of person who likes to shine the light on those who helped me with a project rather than act like I did all the work.
Contact Info:
- Website: bahamajama.com
- Email: bahamajama@yahoo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bahamajama_entmt/
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/imaniw17/
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