Social media apps like Vine, Instagram and the newest trend TikTok has caused a lot of people to tap into their creative sides and produce such entertaining content. But what do you do when your level of creativity is a little more advanced than social media? You create your own brand that helps advance the careers of creatives just like you.
Jazmin Johnson is the creator of BLKFLMMKR (pronounced black filmmaker), a dope brand that strives to highlight all the roles in film and production both in front of the camera and behind the scenes. She is a screenwriter, poet, director, producer, actress and entrepreneur who studies Business Administration with a minor in Theatre at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) in Tallahassee, Florida. When asked why she doesn't study film since that is the field she would ultimately like to work in, she jokingly says because of her mother but revealed that FAMU actually does not have a film program.
Jazmin developed her interest in acting as a child when she saw a young Keke Palmer in her role as Nikki in the Tyler Perry film Madea's Family Reunion. She remembers watching the movie in the theater and seeing how the people around her reacted to the character. She began applying for all types of film casting calls and trying to get her big break. Years later, she has had roles as an extra in several of Tyler's movies including Acrimony starring Taraji P. Henson and Madea's Boo 2. The production bug bit her around the same time when she worked on a project in school in the 4th grade where she had to create her own movie. She remembers doing hers one singer Chris Brown.
Since the creation of the brand in January 2020, she has grown it into a successful clothing line and added a dope database to her website where young creatives can display their credentials and search for others in their area to work with. The goal is to help diversify the entertainment industry and give young creatives of color a space to work that better represents the Black narrative.
Her most recent project is a short film called "Sounds of War" that was executive produced by the headphone company Beats By Dre. The film gives an inside look at what it's like to be a young Black woman living in todays society. Jazmin is truly a triple threat. She wrote, directed and starred in this film. Make sure you checking it out.
We got a chance to interview Jazmin for the #YoungAndAmbitiousPodcast so make sure you check it out and be sure to visit her website as well and learn more about the dope brand BLKFLMMKR.