We recently connected with Michael “Mikey T” Campbell and have shared our conversation below.
Michael “Mikey T”, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
I was born in New York to Jamaican parents and while my mom was going to Nursing School she sent me to live in Little London Westmoreland. Jamaica has been my earliest memory I have and I have always been connected to my roots. So much so in 2018 I decided to start filming a documentary of Jamaica and things that Jamaicans worldwide and those who love Jamaica can do to invest TIME as well as money into the country to create opportunities and preserve culture. Through the years I have collected over 100 interviews speaking to people and building relationships.
Michael “Mikey T”, 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?
Well I’m Mikey T and I’m the founder and main contributor to Jamaica Story a cultural brand I started so that when I look online I can find engaging and interesting content surrounded around the island I love so much.
My biggest dream is to produce films and documentaries that can build conversations and be studied in schools across Jamaica and the diaspora to get people to ask engaging and inspiring questions that driver conversations to an innovative tomorrow.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Well I didn’t go to school or do any training for filmmaking. I just had an idea and I started getting it on paper and reaching out for crew and subjects for the films. There were a lot of “no’s” and alot of other people didn’t just respond, but I didn’t focus on that. I just focused on those who said yes. I self funded this project and made sure nothing was going to stop me from telling this story my way!
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Well during my production Covid-19 hit, and as the world came to a grinding stop I realized the people of Jamaica had a huge dependency on tourism which was now down to 0. So during the time the country was locked down I stopped production to give out care packages to those in need. I collected money from my network, I hired locals in Jamaica to shop at local places to buy the food, and they hired other locals to package the food and deliver them. Creating a new temporary economy.
Contact Info:
- Website: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikeytspeaks?igsh=cmFzY29lbnQ4cmpo&utm_source=qr
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jamaicastorynetwork
