We were lucky to catch up with Kamesha B recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kamesha, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I knew I wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path when I was 6 or 7 years old. My older sister would play and purchase my siblings and I movies from The Lion King to Toy story; and if I wasn’t watching those movies I was watching sitcoms with mom every evening before dinner. I grew up in a big family- 5 siblings and a slew of cousins and family friends where our play time consisted of playing outside for hours and rewatching the same African American movies over and over again. I remember watching Love and Basketball for the first time, and then discovering that a Black women-Gina prince-bythewood wrote, produced, and directed the movie; was mind blowing for me. In the summer of 2001, I watched Love and Basketball on VHS every night before bed. It was that moment, when I said to myself “I want to make stories like this.”

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

A little about myself:

Kamesha B. is an NYC-based writer, producer, director, and historian with a clear voice and a passion for all aspects of storytelling. Inspired by Black creators in film, tv, fine art, and literature, to the works of jazz musicians Miles Davis and John Coltrane, and Photographers Gordan Parks and Carrie Mae Weems. Her main career goal is to create uncompromising stories that challenge conventional paradigms and bring authentic visions to the screen.

She received a B.A. in English Literature and Creative Writing from Buffalo State University. She would later study Storytelling at Johns Hopkins University, graduating in 2019 with a double M.A. in Business and Film Media Studies. A New York native born and raised in Rochester, NY, and currently living in Brooklyn, NY. Kamesha hopes to inspire the next generation of Black storytellers, who will then, inspire their generation.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Stories bring people together- they make us laugh and think, and most importantly, they make us all feel seen. I think that mentoring, funding, support, and being open to hearing unfamiliar stories, especially from those in the industry is the key for the next generation of creatives in film, television, art, music, literature, design, and podcasting. One of the hardest things to do, even with social media; is to break into this business as a person of color. We don’t have the proper support system or blueprint to be heard, yet alone get something made. Yes, working hard is necessary, but having the help from others decrease the feeling of early burnout.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Two books that have impacted my entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy are: The Art of Dramatic Writing by Lajos and The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, which is one of my favorite books. The Art of Dramatic Writing teaches you about story structure, which is very essential for both screenwriters and directors. The Alchemist is a book about perseverance, which is a word that is oh-to familiar to all creatives.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.seedvisionest89.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_______meesh/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@seedvisionest89media2/featured

Image Credits
Emilio evans Andrew Nguyen