We were lucky to catch up with Kristyn “YOGI” Brown recently and have shared our conversation below.
Kristyn “YOGI”, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
For me, the mission behind SoulFull Vision Studios and Saints & Sneakers is deeply personal. Storytelling has always been a way I process the world, and I’ve seen firsthand how powerful it is when people see themselves reflected with dignity, depth, and creativity.
I started SoulFull Vision Studios to create more than visuals. I wanted to build a home for films, stories, and even classes that help leaders, artists, and brands share their vision with clarity, creativity, and soul. Too often, especially in faith-based and community spaces, stories don’t get told with the same care and cinematic weight as mainstream work. My mission is to change that by elevating stories that resonate and make people feel seen.
Saints & Sneakers came out of that same heartbeat but in a different lane. It’s a discipleship-driven community that gives people a space to wrestle with questions, grow in faith, and walk life out together. For me, it’s not just about the art of storytelling but the impact of it… helping people connect with God, with each other, and with purpose.
This mission is meaningful to me because it’s the work I needed myself. I know what it feels like to be overlooked, to be creative but not fully understood, and to wrestle with faith in real life. Both SoulFull Vision and Saints & Sneakers are my way of building what I didn’t always see around me: spaces where creativity, faith, and community don’t just coexist, but thrive together.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Kristyn “YOGI” Brown. The funny thing is, I didn’t grow up saying, “I want to be a filmmaker.” Actually, I thought I was going to be a famous percussionist playing for the Los Angeles Philharmonic. I’ve always been creative, but film found me in an unexpected way.
My great-grandfather was a techy, and he bought me my first camera — a silver Olympus point-and-shoot — my senior year of high school. I took it to our senior ditch day and started snapping pictures of my friends. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but I loved the feeling it gave me. Then my grandmother took me to see Memoirs of a Geisha, and I remember sitting in the theater absolutely stunned by the cinematography and the storyline. Something clicked.
In college, I started shooting parties to make a little extra change so I could grab a plate from Aisha’s Fish & Chicken in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. From there, I linked up with a friend who was producing and rapping, then met another guy and started shooting music videos. That led me to realize how much raw talent was coming out of Pine Bluff. I wanted people to see it, so I began putting together cyphers on campus to give artists a shot at dropping their 16 bars. It blew up, and that’s when I knew I wanted to do this full time even though I had no idea how to make it happen.
After graduating with a music degree to pursue percussion, I felt lost. The orchestral industry was tough to break into, and that dream started to fade. Eventually, I enrolled in the Los Angeles Film School, where I learned the ins and outs of the industry and graduated with a thesis project I was proud of called BLUE. But even after that, opportunities were scarce. I ended up working in food service and, surprisingly, I thrived. I was developing people skills, learning customer service. Skills I still use today.
For years I bounced between collaborations with artists and event shoots, but nothing seemed to stick… until I left a good-paying food service job to work as a production lead at my church. That changed everything. I not only gained technical knowledge and honed my craft as a director, but I found my lane as a storyteller. That’s where @yogishotit was born. Through it, I poured my heart and soul into videos that gave people a new perspective of what “church” could look like. I knew I was walking in my calling, translating vision into something people could feel.
And then, the Lord told me to leave. I was devastated. I finally felt like I was doing what I was created to do, and suddenly I was called into transition. But it was in that moment of uncertainty that SoulFull Vision Studios was born.
Today, SoulFull Vision Studios is my home base for creating films, capturing events, and amplifying stories that deserve to be seen. From cultural festivals like ComptonFest to intimate documentary-style films and even teaching audio/visual classes, SFV has become a space where vision turns into something people can feel.
At the same time, my heart for millennials in the church (and even those outside of it) led me to create Saints & Sneakers. What started as a Bible study is now a community for people to walk out faith together in a real and unpolished way.
What sets me apart is that I don’t separate who I am from what I create. I approach everything – whether it’s a documentary, an event recap, or a discipleship conversation – with the same heartbeat: to make people feel seen, to tell stories with depth, and to build spaces where people can be themselves.
I’m proud of the journey because it hasn’t been easy. There were seasons of feeling lost, moments of doubt, and plenty of doors that didn’t open. But each step… from picking up that Olympus camera in high school, to filming cyphers on campus, to leaving steady jobs and starting over, has shaped me into the filmmaker and leader I am today.
Looking ahead, I see SoulFull Vision Studios growing into a hub for film, storytelling, and education – a place that not only produces, but teaches and empowers others to tell their stories too. I see Saints & Sneakers expanding into a movement that reaches people who feel disconnected from traditional church but still long for God and community.
At the core, I want people to know this: your story matters. Whether I’m behind the camera, in a classroom, or walking with people in faith, my mission is to create work that is authentic, creative, and lasting.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
For me, resilience has always meant being willing to step out of comfort even when the outcome isn’t clear. At one point, I was thriving in the food service industry. It was steady and I was good at it, but it wasn’t my passion. I took a leap and left that stability to work as a production lead at my church. That’s where I discovered my lane as a filmmaker and storyteller, and I thought I had finally “arrived.” But just as I found my stride, God told me to leave. I was crushed, because I finally felt like I was walking in my calling. That season of uncertainty is what pushed me to start SoulFull Vision Studios. Looking back, resilience wasn’t about being strong all the time… it was about trusting God enough to move forward when everything in me wanted to hold on to what was safe.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
One of the most important lessons I had to unlearn was believing I needed everything perfectly lined up before I started. For years I told myself I had to wait until I had the right plan, resources, or equipment before pursuing film fully. The truth is, progress rarely comes with perfect conditions.
I learned that momentum creates clarity. Some of my biggest breakthroughs came from saying yes before I felt ready… I mean organizing cyphers in college, stepping into church production without knowing exactly what I was doing, leaving food service to chase storytelling, even recently filing for my LLC without all the answers. Each step forward revealed the next. Unlearning that perfection mindset has freed me to grow SoulFull Vision Studios and lead Saints & Sneakers with more faith, flexibility, and courage.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.soulfullvision.com
- Instagram: @yogishotit
