We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mya Baker a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Mya, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
I am a filmmaker, writer and activist against gun violence. As of today, gun violence is the leading cause of children and teen deaths in America. I want to live in a world with no gun violence. My mission is to bring awareness about gun violence to every neighborhood with my brand to give people who have been impacted by it in any way a voice. Shoot Films Not People is a brand for people who envision a world jus like me.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Shoot Films Not People is a brand where film and activism meet. Born in Chicago and bred in Brooklyn, gun violence is nothing new to me. The origin of “Shoot Films Not People” as a brand and slogan emerged shortly after the acquittal of LAPD officers in the Rodney King beating. My brand was initially a call of action for people to document their own communities and take a stand against gun violence. I started off as a production company.
I currently have two feature documentaries in distribution: Silence and Afraid of Dark, which deals with social issues in the Black community. During my fundraising for the film, Afraid of Dark, I created a hoodie as a Kickstarter perk to honor Trayvon Martin. The first logo was a silhoutte of a black woman with an Afro pointing a Hi8 camera like a gun. After getting some attention after the documentary, several friends invested money in the apparel brand to spread the message. We changed the logo to make it more universal. I have always been a storyteller, from creating documentaries and screenplays, to making art installations. My apparel brand is an extension of that.
So many communities and families have been torn by gun violence. My message in the brand is clear and simple – end gun violence. My history as a filmmaker and activist makes my apparel brand different because it has a social cause behind it. My business appeals to people in the film industry, gun survivors, people who lost someone to gun violence, and advocates. We give them a voice.
I most proud that the brand is getting out there more and I sometimes run into people with it on when I am out and about. This makes me happy that people are gravitating to the message.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
I was working as a preschool teacher, sub teacher, teaching artist in New York and when I moved to California in 2016, non of my certs from NY transferred over. I felt stuck. One of the reason I moved to LA was to pursue a career in screenwriting and with my son done with High School, I was able to do that. I did some sub teaching jobs, tried to pass the CBEST test on many occasions to work as a permanent sub or teacher, until I landed a job as a teacher assistant. I honestly hated it, but I had to do something to make a living. I started my apparel brand in 2020 right before Covid to bring awareness to various communities about gun violence and meet people in the industry. When Covid hit, the school went online. I worked until the Summer and then quit when it was time to go back in the fall. I stepped out on faith with my business and started to do pop ups around the city. It wasn’t easy, but it beat working an underpaid job that I wasn’t appreciated at. I now work for myself. And while I miss working with children, I’m grateful for the opportunity to pursue my passion as a writer and push my brand, while making a positive impact in the world.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
The best source of new clients for me is doing pop ups in various communities. Although, I love social media, it’s sometimes hard to engage people and stand out in a sea of many others doing the same thing. However, with pop ups, I’m able to engage people about the brand and share my story. 
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.shootfilmsnotpeople.store
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shootfilmsnotpeeps
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063182651581