We recently connected with Tamika Melvin and have shared our conversation below.

Tamika , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you tell us a story about a time you failed?

Appreciate you joining us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

A time I took a risk was when I dissolved my old nonprofit after speeding thousands of dollars and revamping it with my sons. I wanted to build something that they can carry on and enjoy along the process. Famm 1st Film Productions is a nonprofit 501c3 organization that me and my sons launched in October 2022. We will be providing a educational filmmaking program taught by professionals in the industry. It will cater to underprivilege youth in underserved communities. We want to bring artistry back, as it has been proven to be a positive tool in the community. Our goal is to help them to become great creators and storytellers for more opportunities to enter the media industry in a positive light through their vision.

The organization will aide in helping the community to lower the crime and substance abuse rates especially within our youth. Statistics show that since 2021 in North Carolina there has been 50% increase homicides, 70% suicides, 40% overdoses, and 22% aggravated assaults. We want to give the youth in the community incentives that will encourage them to produce the best creative films possible. This allows us to work with our community instead of for our community.

We will do this by providing them with a safe environment to embrace their most authentic selves and share their stories through film. The films are based on bringing awareness to anti-bullying, self-acceptance, body shaming, colorism, suicide and mental breakdowns due to social media. Only through personal relationships with industry professionals can a sense of individual responsibility be established. This will give the youth the commitment to follow through and be great creators.

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.

I’m Tamika Melvin Founder and President of Famm 1st Film Productions that I incorporated along with my three sons. We want to provide this filmmaking program to the youth in underserved communities to bring the gift of artistry back. However, as the owner and operator of this newly established organization, I have over 12 years of direct work experience with writing and filmmaking. This is what has led me to launch this nonprofit organization to be the voice for the voiceless and give them a platform to showcase their talent. This will help me work with my community instead of for my community.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

I would say technology has been most effective. Email, Social media, Text messages, Zoom meeting, and sometimes having in person workshops and open houses has helped as well. Having great points of contact is definitely a must. Also keeping great communication with all involved from the board to the volunteers, to the parents and students. You always want to make sure that everyone is up to date on any and every change and upcoming event dates.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

My story of resilience starts with how after cutting ties with my previous board I had to start from scratch. After launching an organization with a group of friends just a year before. I was on my own, but God guided me and kept me faithful through the process. Was it hard? Of course it was but in the end it was all worth it. Definitely a learning lesson of not doing business with family and friends. I learned this the hard way because it can ruin relationships. My sons Shaimek, Shacory, and Sharhon, My Fiancee Rahim, My besties Preston, Erica and Shon, and my sister Danielle Melvin has definitely been the back bone and driving force to keep me pushing. If it wasn’t for them being at my beck and call I wouldn’t know what to do.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/famm1st_film_productions/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094655421941
• Other: [email protected] Phone# 919-996-0020