Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jamael Rashod Shotomude. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jamael Rashod, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
Well, the most important and biggest risk I’ve taken is my journey coming out here to Los Angeles from Atlanta, Ga. It was so scary because other than traveling, I haven’t lived anywhere else but home since birth. It was around the same time that I was also discovering what I wanted out of life and dealing with past legal troubles that barred me from living those dreams right at that moment. May of 2023 marked the season and date that I officially landed in LA, and to be honest didn’t have a dream at all that I have now. I had previous knowledge and experience in the industry, working as a stand-in on some productions and background on others, but it wasn’t until I got the call that my mother had passed while I was in class that pushed me to further develop my now film dreams. Around that time, I had no vision, direction, or goal, but I knew I wanted to be a trailblazer in this industry, so I’m prepared to go through whatever it takes to become one of the greats. I’ve been through so much on this journey, lost a lot of people and gained a lot as well, but I’ve never lost my spirit, work ethic, or drive!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I released my first short film entitled “Water Boyz Above The Hood” last year in the Summer of 2023 which propelled me to make more intriguing and captivating films. My newest project was just released on February 2, 2024. This project is called “ EL Dorado ” which centers around the day in my life, cruising the gritty and glitzy Los Angeles street in my 1991 Cadillac Eldorado. The projects were both directed, shot, and edited by myself (using Adobe Premiere of course) . I have a documentary that I also shot, produced and directed about Chaotic Tattoo shop owner Turk Jones, that documents his journey from street skateboarder to business owner. The project that I would be proud of the most would have to be my personal growth. I come from a background that didn’t afford me the goals and dreams that I have had since a very young age. Since the age of 16, I’ve been able to independently navigate a brief view of the film industry. My journey as a filmmaker and editor started a long time ago and I didn’t even know it. I got the call to be a background extra in the show “Raising Dion” as a skateboarder when I was still working with the Braves. I was so geeked and didn’t know what to expect, but I knew I wanted to act, so I skipped school that day and took my car (I bought illegally hahaha) and set my alarm for the call time of 6:00am. Everything about the film industry and being on set amazed me from crafty, to set ups, to all the departments on set and I’ve been bit by the film bug from that day forward. Since then, I gained a lot of experience being on set working as a stand-in and then as a production assistant, and I decided to further my education and enrolled in Santa Monica College. Not only has this decision been one of the greatest, most challenging, and most rewarding projects I’ve started personally but it has given me a chance and opportunity to learn new skills and use resources that will help me in my career.I graduate in 2026, and my plan after is transer to UCLA,LMU or any HBCU with a good film program and at least have written, shot, and edited full-length films that I can showcase around the world film festival circuit. Along with some help from a great crew and great resources of course.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding part of being an artist for me is creating something that invokes an emotion or creates a feeling for someone. Good or bad, happy or sad, just the feeling or being able to create that for a person warms my heart. If it’s anything I seek to do with my art, it is to create a feeling of love and trust in the people.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
My goal? Thats a great question, for starters I have my first self titled project Dropping this Fall entitled “Freshman” on all platforms. I want the world to get introduced to my zrt in a major way so this is very exciting for me. The project is produced and put together by some of my closest friends, collaborators, and features the hit songs “Off Topic”, “El Dorado”, and the newest hot single “Temperature Rising”! I am also producing, crowdfunding, and starring in my first short film “The King of Santa Monica”, and basically the story mirrors and is about my journey coming to LA. The main goal however is to free all people and persons the way I’ve been freed. To create more and inject more creativity in my community so we can lead the next generation of artists and creatives. I believe the way you learn to breathe cultural inclusion and authentic representation is in everything you do. The way I walk, the way I talk, think, and act is my identity and one of the important ways to tell stories and main points in the process of editing my films. I always picture the way the film is shot in my head before it is even shot. I see the cut points, the transition all in my head before anything is even uploaded so I try my best to match whatever my outlook and perspective is along with any collaborators to get my point across so to speak. Style is everything in editing, filmmaking, and content creation in general. If my project lacks style or originality, or even too closely resembles another artist’s project then I feel as if I’m doing a disservice to my audience, their audience, and myself. Injecting my personal experiences into my editing style is very fun as well. I love the early work of Spike Lee, Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock, and George Lucas and their individual styles and ways of creating stories have been very inspirational to my process as well. You can even throw in Quentin Tarintino (minus the controversy). In all, if you don’t have style, you can’t go the whole mile.I currently work with the Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC), using film programs to support the Black community and help formerly incarcerated individuals reintegrate into society through self-expression, skill-building, and empowerment.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.instagram.com/treasuredonline/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr#
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/2mael_/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheTreasured_Media
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/bitches234/too-much-pride
