We recently connected with Neriah Kharece and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Neriah, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
The name Kharece is my middle name and actually means “grace”. My whole name, Neriah Kharece, means the light of Gods grace. I always wanted my company to do just that, to be a light and to offer grace. Figuring out my company’s mission would take me years to grasp, but it sat in for me during the pandemic. I have two critical tasks. First, I want my company to be the pioneer for non-toxic environments while working on the set. Filmmaking has created a norm that says, “you have to be willing to kill yourself and dehumanize yourself to make it in this business.” I can’t entirely agree with that. I think this is unfair to ask of any human being. This idea was set forth years ago and carried on as if it’s a good and healthy tradition; this is absurd. We should be able to treat one another with respect, empathy, patience, and understanding while we work together. To constantly operate in a fire drill kind of space is not healthy, and it limits the greatness that can happen on a film set. We are all here on set to make a movie. It simply isn’t that deep or that serious. I know individuals who are traumatized by things that happened on set or in therapy because of toxic set culture. I’ve seen people run off set in tears; WHY? We are just making a movie or a TV show that may or may not be successful. We aren’t curing cancer or stopping world domination. It shouldn’t be so militant. Although I believe our art as filmmakers saves souls and heals many, the energy surrounding what we do should never sacrifice anyone’s peace or sanity. Some may disagree with this, but I always thought, well, this is just how it is. There’s no other way it can be done. But I have learned that is not true. I have met beautiful people that have proved time and time again that there is a way to be friendly and caring and considerate and still maintain others’ respect. There is a way to walk into a room and command attention without yelling. You can be sure that a set is running efficiently without dehumanizing anyone. So why are we not implementing safer, more sane, more human experiences while on set? Understanding that we are humans first will always be the standard when you are on a Kharece Production. Here you are, human, period!
The second mission is to lift minority voices and provide a safe space for BIPOCs to tell their own stories. Often, we see an all-black cast, an Asian cast, etc. And you look behind the scenes, and it’s all white people pulling the strings. I believe that stories about BIPOC should be told ONLY by us. You can’t write a story about a black person and their perspective when you have never lived it and never will. Collaboration is always great, but that minority group should be the main driving force of any minority story. I don’t think it’s fair for white people to profit off of our stories and take power in what we want to say and HOW we want to say it. When there is a writer’s room, we have people who know nothing about what we are saying, telling us we can’t say this, and we cant talk about that. I want my company to be a place where your voice is not only heard but taken seriously and is not limiting but truly free to speak how you want and create how you want because art is subjective. There is no right and wrong, and nobody can tell you that your art should be canceled because not enough people watch it, according to some other guy’s standard…no. Many of the norms in Hollywood and TV are trap door after trap door, and I want to create more lanes and more spaces that allow us minorities to break free from all negative stereotypes and old tired harmless narratives. There’s more to be said, and no one can say it better than us!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Kharece productions are undergoing rebranding right now. I am slowly growing my team with every project we film, and I am excited to see what the future holds. We are a full-service video production company specializing in the direction of photography and editing. My main goal as the founder is to help those with beautiful stories to tell who cannot afford to. I have mastered the art of shooting on a low budget without it looking low budget, and I want to extend that knowledge to as many people as possible. I always look for moments when I can lend a hand free of charge or if I can offer any consulting to help a friend see success with their projects. I am always the person who tries to foresee any issues and make my partners aware of them so we can work together to solve them. If you have a project, you are dying to make and haven’t figured it out. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with me (neriahk.com). I genuinely love helping people bring their stories to life. I live and breathe this industry. I am happy to help!
I am most proud of all the success I have seen from my web series “Ashes.” Ashes was a project that I had thrown in the trash. I decided one day to try and make something of the footage we had, and two years later, we have won so many awards. I won my first best director award with this series, and I am grateful. This story is personal as it is based on a real tough time in my life and to see people connect with it is incredible! My proudest moment for sure!
Something I want people to know about my brand and me, I am all about climbing the ladder and then passing the ladder down to you so you can climb it too. I want to see all of us succeed and make it to where we want to be. You will be loved and cared for when you are on my set. You will be taken seriously. We will treat you like a human. Your voice will always matter, no matter what role you are in. And if I can help you grow in any way, I will always do that!
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
Sharing my knowledge and years of experience is hands down the most rewarding for me. Knowledge is power, and power has been withheld from us minorities for too long. So for me, having the ability and privilege to share that with my fellow brothers and sisters means the world to me. I always want people who are starving artists to know that you don’t need a $50,000 camera to make something beautiful. You don’t need a million-dollar budget to impact someone’s life. Some people get caught up in the how and the what kind of equipment. I try to put people’s minds at ease by letting them know it’s not what you made your movie with or how you made it; it’s WHO made it. And if you are a fantastic storyteller, it doesn’t matter the equipment. Your story will shine through. People don’t remember the camera you shot your movie on. They remember how your script made them feel. So yes, quality is super important but don’t let it be an obstacle.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I always think about how I shouldn’t have made it where I am today. My childhood wasn’t the greatest; my dad was in jail my whole life. I was raised by a struggling single mom who taught me the hustle I have today. I am a single mom, and I left everything to chase my dream, and it worked out for me. In a place where I lost my job, car, and apartment, I was almost homeless and barely could afford to feed myself and my child. But I kept pushing and decided to move to ATL. I had my 2-year-old by my side with a little bit of money, and I told myself there was no plan b. All I can tell people is to keep going. Yes, it’s going to be hard, you will have to sacrifice your comfort, but when you have this passion, this hunger, nothing fulfills it. I had to keep going, and I’m so grateful that I landed on my feet right where I was supposed to get a few steps closer to my dream. Now I am planning on buying my first house next year. I purchased my first brand new SUV. I am making more money than I ever thought I would. I have all the equipment I ever wanted and needed for my business. My daughter is healthy, I am healthy, and things are not perfect, but they are way better than they were before. Everything I asked the universe for I ended up getting. So please don’t give up tomorrow could be the day when everything finally clicks!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.neriahk.com
- Instagram: Neriahk_Video
Image Credits
Greg Patten, Amore Brewer, Dwayne Jerome, Torique Kenyae (aka TK )