We were lucky to catch up with Joseph Okoyomo recently and have shared our conversation below.

Joseph, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I’ve always known I wanted to be a creative ever since I was young. I used to take any opportunity to tell a good story, and I would use any medium I could.

I started out playing make-believe with my close friends back when we were in elementary. We’d play out these epic storylines during recess, and would carry the story over to the next day, and so on. I have a pretty good memory, so everyone would just ask me, “What’s next?”

Eventually, these stories would go on to become comic drawings I would do in the 5th grade. I began writing and drawing the comics, and even selling drawings for a buck here, or a couple bucks there while in middle school. Back then, I was pretty good at drawing, so I made that my main calling all through middle and high school.

It wasn’t until my time at the University of Toledo did I begin dabbling in other forms of storytelling. I created music with my friends, learning to make beats and self produce, mix, and master our own songs. However, we had no money for promotion, and we didn’t have any professional photos or music videos. So we all chipped in to buy a camera and somehow, my friends chose me to be the main visual storyteller.

That’s how I got into film. After I directed my first music video, I knew then exactly what medium I wanted to excel in.

Joseph, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I grew up in Toledo, Ohio and attended the University of Toledo with a focus in Visual Arts. I wasn’t the best student, as I spent a lot of time skipping classes to work on my own personal creative projects. However, when I began focusing on photography, I started to take my education much more seriously.

I learned as much as I could and graduated with a BA in Visual Arts. After college, I would go on to shoot photography for a couple of different organizations in Ohio, but I felt as though my options were too limited. Ohio unfortunately does not have a big film/photography scene. I had to make a choice: Stay home and make it work, or set my sights on new horizons. I chose the latter.

I moved to Atlanta, GA with nothing to my name, with the intentions of following my passions. I slept on floors, moved around a lot, and gave up meals just to save money. I cold emailed tons of video and photography companies in hopes that someone would give me chance. In my emails, I even stated I wasn’t looking for pay, just to learn, since at the time I couldn’t afford out-of-state tuition to go back to school.

I guess I got lucky, because eventually I was brought out for a commercial shoot. It was a small, low budget shoot for an automatic camera slider. I held the script, keeping tabs on what scenes had been shot. The crew was small, the shots were simple, and the day was short, but I felt like I had finally made it. After all the uncertainty, here I was on location shooting something. When the day was done, the director, Antony Bui, gave me fifty bucks, even though I never requested money. In that moment, that fifty dollars felt like a million bucks.

After that, I was brought back on as a writer for Launch Light Films (LLF), a crowdfunding video agency, creating and writing for online ads that mainly premier on websites such as Kickstarter, or IndieGoGo. With LLF, I was able to travel and work on different sets, learning as I went. During these early days, I got in contact with Roger Alexander, otherwise known as AlphaMale Visuals, a music video director based in Atlanta. I had began writing treatments for some of his music videos, which really helped me hone my writing skills.

Eventually, I was given the opportunity to direct some commercials and music videos. Essentially, by meeting with established creatives and working under them, I was given a crash course of the film industry. I was even able to help on some feature films, and even shot my own short films.

Most people think the film life is extravagant, and while it can be really fun at times, it comes with its own challenges. When working with clients, you have to toe the line between being a creative, and being a business, It’s a collaborative effort from the very beginning. Though, I think that’s what helps separate LLF from other video agencies. We approach everything from a collaborative standpoint, keeping our clients in the know from the very start. We’re very personal with our clients and take the time to get to know them and their products thoroughly. We’ve won the bid on clients against bigger agencies due to our more personal approach. I think in the end, the clients just want to work with someone who they can trust.

There’s also the realization of being black in a mostly white space generally speaking. Clients will often hint at wanting a mostly white cast, with maybe one or two diversity hirings. I don’t take it personal, but it is something I’ve noticed. As I grow within the industry, I feel it’s my duty to help change that. I do my best to convince clients that more diversity will be good for their products in the long run. I’ve found most clients are receptive after I’ve explained my position thoroughly. Progress is progress, no matter how slow.

Overall, I’m most proud of the strides I’ve made since moving to Atlanta. I’ve been able to meet so many people within the industry that have changed my life. And I’ve been lucky enough to have the opportunities to travel the world doing what I love, which has given me a wider outlook on life. Many of my clients are from overseas, so it’s nice I can learn about their culture and relate to them on a more human level, beyond the standard client/agency relationship.

At the end of the day, being persistent and consistent were the keys to the success I’ve found so far. I never take for granted those who have helped me, so I make sure to pay it forward. The last few years I’ve dedicated my time to finding and helping more black creatives by inviting them on set and giving them the chance to show what they can do, just as I was given the chance. So I started my own creative video business, Oakwood and Yomo, LLC, where I can focus more on the stories I want to tell.

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

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is seeing a piece of work that you’ve spent so much time on come to fruition. To see the final version, good or bad, is a relief. We all have so many ideas, but it can be very challenging to get those ideas out into the real world. You spend days, weeks, months, and sometimes years trying to draw out your inner inspiration, and when you finally do you feel like you’ve conquered the world.

Starting is only half the battle. I’ve started countless projects. Sometimes it’s easy like Sunday morning, but other times, these projects may sit for years waiting to be finished. But I’ve learned you have to push through. Because if it’s good, you’ll be feeling you just climbed Mt. Everest. And on the off chance it’s bad, you’ve at least gained valuable lessons on the journey.

It’s really a win/win.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

For many non-creatives, they only see the finished product, hardly the process to get there. Almost any creative endeavor is tough. Along the way creatives make many mistakes, or don’t completely know where they want to take their work. Even with client based work (or rather, especially), where the client normally gives you a detailed roadmap of what they’d like to see, it’s still a trial and error approach when putting it all together. From hiring actors, to finding locations, to setting up scenes, to getting the perfect take, and to finally putting it all together in the edit room, many times people assume these things are “easy” or “simple”.

I’ve had clients ask for a five minute video, which I’d charge accordingly based on what they want. Perhaps the proposed budget wasn’t to their liking, so they’d return and ask for a three minute video, in hopes to drive the price down. But in reality, they misunderstand where the budget is mostly allotted, which is the crew, actors, location, and number of shots, and the time needed to figure all of these things out.

I always do my best to educated clients on things they may not totally understand, without getting too preachy. Ultimately, we’re all trying to create something we’re proud of.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.okoyomo.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jodyoakwood/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/jodyoakwood

Image Credits
Joseph Okoyomo
Rachel Lanquist