We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Khadijah Dennis a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Khadijah, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?
What makes a Conqueror?
Before creating my collective, Conqueror Movement, I had never truly thought of it before. But everytime I hear the word, I get chills. I think about the gravity of the word: Conqueror. The definition: to conquer; a person who conquers a place or people. But what about conquering the unthinkable? What about conquering depression, anxiety, racism, defeat? The hard things?
In 2012, I was in a hard place, but I had everything I could ever need to be successful. I would be faced with the decision of which college I wanted to go to, with the privilege of not having to think about how it would get paid for (thanks to scholarships), I had a promising career in news journalism, a family who loves me, an incredible support system, But if you asked me how I felt, it was the opposite of happy or grateful even. I was learning how to start from scratch and hope again after my first major physical loss – my grandmother. A year later, my grandfather would also pass away. It was alot to bear for myself as a high school senior. I had a plan. A plan to make my family proud, and to show that I could create and sustain the legacy I wanted. But it seemed impossible to do without all of the people I love.
In 2010, I had my first contact with depression. I couldn’t get out of bed. It was as if I had lost my voice and had to force any words to come out. I woke up constantly unhappy, but I couldn’t show that. I could only write about it. There were moments I would pray to God and ask why He felt I should still be here. Sometimes, I tried to be God. But somewhere along the way, I also had moments of clarity. “How would your family come back together if you gave up? What would your grandparents think? Would they embrace you if they knew?” The answers to all of those questions scared me. But it also was the start of me wanting to heal and conquer this tough space in my life.
You ask about legacy, what it looks like for me, and what I hope to be remembered for.
I hope to be remembered for my audacity to do the hard things, to honor the voices of those who don’t feel comfortable enough to speak boldly and loudly about the desires of their future and their own lives. I hope to be remembered for always smiling through the hard moments and embracing the hard thing of choosing happiness even when life doesn’t always give me that honor to do so. A big part of how I am working to leave that legacy behind is through my passion project, Conqueror Movement. It has taken on many forms, but to its core, it’s an authentic storytelling platform that represents, connects and serves Black creatives, professionals and Blerds alike. It embraces each and every one of our stories as they are, and identifies that Black is not a one sized fits all color or culture. It started with my love of news and storytelling platforms. I didn’t really see myself in the stories that I heard involving killings, lootings, the like. When I think about my friends, my family, and even those I don’t know that are creating impact, it didn’t really identify with any of us. Could my platform really make a difference? At the time of creating it, I had no idea. But I thought it was worth a try.
When I look back at my life, and the people I impact – whether it be through my platform, the words I speak, or even the feelings I leave with them, I can only hope that they see that I’m trying, and fighting, for all of us.
Khadijah, 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?
My name is Khadijah Dennis and authentic storytelling is at the heart of what I do.
I’m a cinematographer, visual director and production enthusiast. I love the power of visual storytelling and curating an emotional impact through carefully producing visuals that resonate with whomever watches. I started my career in Broadcast Journalism with my first big position as a TV News producer for CBS News’ Charleston Affiliate, Live 5 News. I grew up watching the very station with my mom, and it was a complete honor to kick off my career with the platform. During that time, I also poured into my passion project, Conqueror Movement, which is a creative collective that serves, connects and authentically represents Black creatives, professionals and Blerds alike. Our mission is to provide full service productions to build upon the creative ideas of our community’s brands and platforms in their authenticity.
During that time, I had a conversation with my best friend, Kendall Grant, and we were discussing the hardships of balancing work while also pouring into your passion. Thus, Falling in Love With Your Passion, was born. This spin on the typical networking mixer was created with the vision to help others truly fall in love with their passion – and to reinvigorate their desires to pour into their ideas and passions. It was also created to showcase that community was present to help and advocate for them every step of the way. It created such an impact that the idea and platform would grow to host 3 major events and various small group hangouts which allowed us to further connect with our community.
Community impact and care is so big and important for me. I believe that you can do anything you set your mind to, because there were people who believed in me to do the same thing. Currently, I assist with on-site productions for brands, networks and businesses, helping them to curate meaningful content that surpasses the norm of what we see on air today. When I work with any client, my goal is to not just create a video, but to curate and capture a story that resonates with people and that they can remember. My hope is that I can pour into schools and those interested in being a part of this industry, helping them to carve their own lane and make a true impact in this world. I would love to be a part of a production company that is looking to work towards the same goals.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
Growing up, I always saw my future being in news. Whether it was to be the on-air personality that you grew acquainted with over your morning cup of coffee, or behind the scenes making sure that each time we were on air, the stories created would be impactful and that the on-air personalities knew they have my full support and attention.
I didn’t realize that I would fall out of love with the industry I once loved.
In 2018, I left my news position after a serious car accident. At the time, I wasn’t happy with my journey in news, and worried about my next steps. Would I want to work for another news agency? Was this the right field for me? Did I make a mistake? How could I ever believe I could make a difference in an industry that is constantly growing and evolving, while not necessarily allowing me the opportunity to change the pre-existing narratives of Black lives? It was a constant back and forth in my mind about how to proceed and move forward. But, I also believe at some point, I stopped believing in myself to create that change.
It was a very hard pivot, and for months after I left, I just embraced stillness and freedom to just be present. Present in my own life as my life revolved around news and always being in the know. Looking over rundowns and perfecting them over and over again. Facing criticism about my lack of getting things right. While scrolling on Twitter, I came across a job opportunity to work a large news conference. It turned out to be REVOLT Summit’s inaugural conference in Atlanta, Georgia. It was one of the defining moments of my career as it restored my passion in creative storytelling again. It allowed me the ability to make meaningful connections, yes, but to also take a chance on my dreams. I moved to Atlanta where things haven’t been the same since. I pivoted to a career in creative production and earned directing and producing credit on music videos, talk shows, radio and film. It wasn’t a linear journey whatsoever. Moving at the start of the pandemic put me back in a space of questioning if I had gotten my timing wrong. But it also allowed me to think about how to push through those obstacles and to keep working towards the bigger picture. I couldn’t be where I am today without going through the journey.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
My life is currently in a major space of transition. I find myself having to remind myself often that success is not linear. Neither is life always perfect. But with everything I do, intention must always be present.
When I walked away from my news job, I walked away from stability and an already established path. Never could I have ever imagined that a pandemic would follow, creating a whole other set of challenges to face, mountains to climb, and time I didn’t think I needed to really reflect on where I’ve been and where I want to go.
I spent the last couple of years not actively working a consistent position in my field, but instead having to start from scratch – rebuilding and fostering a new set of connections with the hope of being able to pour into my passion actively again. I faced rejection from major networks and even tried to pivot to creative marketing where you need agency experience, and my broadcast experience wouldn’t be enough.
Still, I have not given up on the mission of my life’s work: to create an impact through authentic storytelling.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.khadijahdennis.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/khadijahdennis_
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/khadijahdennis/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ConquerorMovement