We were lucky to catch up with Zion Wade recently and have shared our conversation below.

Zion, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I guess the most meaningful project I have been on is Surviving Clotilda. It is a partially animated documentary about the last slave ship to America that landed in Africatown, a small town outside Mobile, Alabama through the eyes of Oluale Kossola (also known as Cudjoe Lewis). If you want to know more about Oluale Kossola I recommend reading Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” by Zora Neale Hurston. I was the project’s post-production supervisor and helped with the research. My area of research was on the Kingdom of Dahomey (the kingdom depicted in The Woman King). I also interviewed some of the residents of Africatown. The two I interviewed with Cleon and Angela Jones. Cleon Jones is a famous retired baseball player who was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame. The two of them are important members of their community and talked about their continued work and love for Africatown and its residents. We even had a conversation about intracommunity issues that reflected issues in my own life. I found it interesting how they manifested in similar ways and their solutions to those community problems. The documentary is available to be seen at the museum honoring the legacy of the formally enslaved Africans and their descendants.

I give all of this context to say this is the first time I have been on a project that impacted a community in a way I could visibly see. I was interviewed by the news regarding my work on the project and that was so crazy! Like, I had never been interviewed before that point. The community got a say in how their ancestors were depicted. Which I loved because art can bring positive and negative change. I think that it is fair for the descendants of these people who were kidnapped and enslaved to have some agency in the way their ancestor’s stories are told. It felt (to me) like they were reclaiming the narrative and were given a voice. Now that I am a bit older now and I have seen more of the world would I have done things a little differently? Of course! However, it was good for what it was at the time and the residents of the town were very happy with it. At the end of the day, I think that’s what’s most important.

Zion, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

From stories about subcultures to tales about colorful characters in fantastical situations, these are what interest me. With a B.F.A from Savannah College of Art majoring in film and television with a minor in animation and Design and an M.A. from New York University from their cinema studies department, I have experience working in both live-action and animated storytelling. Through producing and writing, I carefully craft captivating and enticing narratives. Some of my previous experience is not expressed on my application and resume. Such as my experience working as a film archivist for over a year. My concentration in the archive was mostly on animated works and work created by people of color. I also worked in film restoration, film research, and physical media digitization during my time as an archivist assistant. It was a very detail-oriented job. If you ever need recommendations on films and tv to watch I’m probably your guy!

I started my artistic journey a couple of years ago in the post-production department for animation and live-action short films. I mostly worked edited short films, did sound design, and helped with ADR. For example, I did audio and sound work for a short film called The Ocean Duck. Then I moved into directing some of my short films. In this period, I directed three animated and four live-action shorts. A lot of my live-action work is in documentaries. I believe this is because I am a people person and I love talking and getting to know people. It makes sense why I loved being the one conducting interviews. After, this period in my artistic journey I realized my passion for production and writing. This has led me to be: a producer and writer on The Apothecary & Acolyte, producer on A Priceless Proposal, head of story on the pilot Secrets of Grandelva, post-production supervisor on Surviving Clotilda, creative producer on Nothing Left to Give, and executive producer on Defenders of Alodia. I have other works in progress such as an unnamed short animated comedic web series surrounding Greek mythology that I am a producer and writer on. The working title for that project is Ungodly. Recently I did this animation jam contest. I was the creative lead on the short. The short ended up willing audience favorite and also the second favorite overall. I have recently been writing a lot more so be on the lookout for more of my writing. My writing has a focus on comedy; however, I write dramas and horrors as well. Right now I’m working on a comic called “Wake Up, Ernesto!” of which I am the artist and the writer. My writing and non-video-based art can be found in various zines as well. If you would like to see any of my work or projects, it’ll be on my website.

In this part of my career, I have also participated in programs such as Warner Discovery Access Early Career Bootcamp and the Netflix Foundations program. I joined these programs and applied to these production positions because while I do love working on indie production, I would love to transition my career into more mainstream, studio-supported projects. Don’t get me wrong I love the indie art scene. That is where I got my start. I have met lifelong friends and these were the people willing to take a chance on me. This is how I got my first couple of opportunities. Due to the indie art scene, I would not have gotten into the rooms, programs, and interviews I have been in. I just want to be on more studio-supported projects because it brings more stability, especially financially. That is not to say I will completely leave the indie scene. I still have some projects that are a part of the indie scene that will be announced in the next couple of months,

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I’m about to sound like such as dork. I am a creative that works with various mediums, however, I am a mostly video-based artist. Going to art shows, art festivals, and, film festivals helps a lot. Going to these spaces also helps you realize there are various ways to get funding for your project and also show your project to the world. For example, I love documentaries. Everyone who knows me knows I love making documentaries, watching documentaries, and talking about documentaries. If you asked past me what I would do with my documentaries my answer would probably see if I could get distribution for a streaming service, post it on youtube, or have a festival run for it. Now after engaging with my local art scene, I would consider putting it into an art show or putting it in an art museum. I know it’s cliche to say go outside and talk to other artists. However, go out and talk to other artists. It is genuinely eye-opening to hear other artists talk about the different ways how they got to where they are and how they got funding.

When it comes to books, I recommend looking up academics who write about artists you look up to or aspire to be like. For example, one of my favorite directors is Ang Lee. If Ang Lee is one of your favorites, I recommend “The Cinema of Ang Lee: The Other Side of the Screen.” I have a book that I am reading called “Spike Lee Interviews” which is edited by Cynthia Fuchs. If you are a filmmaker of color I recommend reading “Black Film/White Money” by Jesse Algeron Rhines. It is about Black films and how they get financed. “Hollywood Game Plan” by Carole M. Kirschner is also good. “International Film Festival Guide” by Shael Stolberg is handing if you are a film festival person. I know I am. I’m currently reading “Spike, Mike, Slackers, and Dykes” by John Pierson. It is a retrospective of a decade of American independent cinema.

I am a reader so I am so I believe in learning and reading about how others make their films and art is always a good idea. I also believe in having a more global perspective on art as well. Here are some books I recommend as well. “Seoul Searching” by Frances Gateward is about the culture and identity in contemporary Korean Cinema. “Disintegration In Frames” by Pavle Levi is about the aesthetics and ideology of Yugoslav and Post-Yugoslav cinema. “The Devil You Dance With” by Audrey Thomas McCluskey is about film culture in South Africa.

I also recommend reading academic journals on your area of interest. I have an academic journal about Black cinematography and I have a couple of other niche topic ones. There probably isn’t an area to niche to have an academic journal.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I think telling a good story that has characters that draw reactions out of people. When I give people my work and they know the names of my characters, remember story beats, and/or recite jokes from it. I know I have done a job well done. Like, I start genuinely smiling really big when that happens. I feel like no reaction is the worst thing. To me, that means my work wasn’t engaging enough and didn’t connect with people. Connecting with people is the best part of art for me. I love it when an artist can connect and make me feel things because of their art. I positively love it when I can do the same thing.      

Contact Info:

• Website: zioniwade.com
• Instagram: zioniman
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zion-wade/