We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shaqwane Yates a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Shaqwane, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Yates House Productions was a dream made real with hard work, perseverance and lastly but not least creativity. Y.H.P is a film/tv production company specializing in original content via steaming. The company was founded in 2021 by Shaqwane Yates who is Owner and CEO. The main goal of the company is to tell stories that entertains while enlightening viewers. We wish to immerse audiences into stories that inspire while resonating with movie lovers on a level they never dare to imagine. Y.H.P is extremely family oriented. Wether on screen or behind the scenes, you will always find a member of the Yates family contributing to the process of filmmaking. Family is a huge component to the success of Yates House Productions. This is because when Y.H.P was first conceived it was the love, compassion and encouragement that gave Shaqwane the drive and commitment to turn a dream into an idea, that idea into reality.

Shaqwane, 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 first introduction into the entertainment industry was movie night with my family. My siblings and I would have weekly movie nights with my aunt and uncle. We would watch all types of films spanding all genre. My favorite being Sci-fi because those films would allow you to escape reality on a more imaginative scale. Movie nights with my brothers and sisters inspired me to create my own worlds with just a stroke of a pen. I would immerse myself into a world of my own design. Movie night gave a voice to my inner writer.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

You can do it all on your own, but why would you? This is something I’ve struggled with both my personal and professional life. So often we carry the weight of the world on our shoulders and refuse to ask for help. Welp in the entertainment business this can be career suicide. Just like it takes a village to raise a child it takes a community to make and maintain a film. From the writer to the director, actor, cinematographers and other crew member work together for one common goal, to create a film. This is why it is most important to built ur team. By seeking people with similar convictions than your own you allow yourself to collaborate with other people who share your passion.
How do you find these people you ask?!
Well, you go out and attend the networking opportunities within your community. Join groups on social media, as they often have a ton of people in them that could be seeking the same interest.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I’ve worked off and on as a production assistant, (PA for short) for more than eight years. One of the most pivotal moments was when I decided to quit being a PA. It is a great opportunity to learn the inner workings of multiple positions on a set, and PA is the only job on set where you interact with evey postiion held from script supervisor! However just because you’re great at something doesn’t mean you’re fulfilled by it. This was the reason I decided to dedicate my drive and experience to bring my own projects from the page to the screen. Don’t be afraid to pivot because you never know where you may end up!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @yateshouse
• Twitter: @yates_house
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UC08i5kZh6MN6GIOpovE0SLQ

Image Credits
Photos by Shaqwane Yates