Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Xander Wynn. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Xander, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

“Your time is limited, so do not waste it living someone else’s life. Do not be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.” – Steve Jobs. This quote accurately depicts parts of my life and the struggles I have run into along the way.

For so long, I struggled with my identity and figuring out who Xander was, and what he wanted out of his life. At a very young age, I gravitated toward the sports world, doing everything that I could. I played football, basketball, indoor soccer, track, and even tried tumbling for some time. As a young kid, is it great to do everything, as you don’t know where your love is and you don’t know exactly what you enjoy or want to do. Continuing along this path, in middle school and going into my high school years, I was playing a sport every season of the year. Starting with football in the fall, basketball in the winter, and baseball and track in the springtime. I loved every second of those sports, but eventually, that love slowly faded away and all that was left was a regular young black male that went to school and went home.

In my 10th grade year, I decided to stop playing basketball as I realized my skills were not up to par with my peers and that’s not where my love lay. That was the year the covid hit and was the last year that I played football. Sitting with no sports, and no school, gave me a lot of time to reflect on my life. I realized that a lot more love for those sports came from outside sources and not from my internal thoughts. I didn’t think I was good enough to continue playing and the love from social media, friends, and family was not there. It became evident that I was not living life for myself, but others just as Steve Jobs mentioned.

Thankfully, I was still at a young age of only 16 my 10th-grade year, and had plenty of time to turn things around and start living life for myself and not for others. The mentor that I had grown a bond with and my mother were able to sit down with me and have a heart-to-heart on what I wanted next out of my life. Where did my love lie, what did I get my joy from and how can we use those things to shape the next couple of years in my life? After that conversation, I was able to understand how much digital media had been a part of my life and that is where my love lies.

If it wasn’t for my mentor and my brother, I would still be going down a path of living my life for others. I switched schools in the middle of the pandemic and attended my neighborhood school so that I could attend this digital media trade school that my high school partnered with and it changed my life. I was able to make connections with so many people and learn so much in the digital media world. The program opened my eyes to a new reality that was portrayed on the news daily. A reality that I could see myself a part of, and one that I wanted to see happen.

My mentor had opened up his non-profit mentoring program, Forever Kings, for young men of color from grades 4-12 when I had made my decision on digital media being my route. I was able to have the confidence of my mentor to go ahead and start my own business, X.Wynn Films. A digital media company that partners with individuals and brands to bring stories to life through photography and videography. Being a part of Forever Kings, and running X. Wynn Films felt like a match made in heaven. In addition to growing my business and getting clients for my business, I thought it would be dope to bring on some young kings to be employed at my business.

Being a part of Forever Kings inspired me to give back to my community like my mentor himself. At the young age of 25, I saw my mentor, Jordan Bankston does a lot and change the lives of so many young men, and thought I could do the same thing with my twist. I now have a very successful black-owned, youth-led digital media company here in Cincinnati, Ohio battling with major companies that have been around for 10+ years. Still to this day, it amazes me what I am doing at the age of 19 and all the potential that I have in me to continue growing my business and making waves in the film industry.

When I look into the future and see what I want my legacy to be, it’s simple to me, make a major impact in my community and give younger kids someone to look up to as inspiration as I did when I was younger. A lot of times, we see sports, rappers, and drug dealers and the way to “make it” and make a living in the world. The reality is, that there is a whole black community of successful men and women who are making a difference in the world that isn’t always “newsworthy”.

I want to be able to create a platform to build other young men up and show them a different way out of life. One of my goals is to create a feature film with an all-black and minority crew, actors, and staff. Being able to achieve that and spread that message in the world would be monumental and a feat that not many, if any, have been able to accomplish. One question that I have been asked before is, why only minorities, and I believe it is because to this day, minorities are at a disadvantage daily. Sadly still in 2022, people will judge you based on the color of your skin, and until that changes, I will work to give minorities an opportunity to succeed in life.

Xander, 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?

For the past two years, we have been blessed to work with various individuals and organizations to help bring their stories to life through videography and photography! We were able to continue our business through the pandemic, and made leaps and bounds above our own expectations. We now offer a wide variety of services including, but not limited to, senior photos, family portraits, sports photos, recap videos, corporate profile videos, weddings, and video editing services.
With Xander Wynn at the forefront of the operation, we have seen a constant push for excellence! As a team, we go out and strive to be better than we were the day before. In doing so, we provide our clients with the best services possible! Not only does that put us in a position to provide the best videography and photography services, but it also allows us to provide superior customer service to every client, regardless of project size or cost.

We have a passion for our work and can’t wait to work with you! A special thank you to our supporters who continue to recommend, advocate & support X.Wynn Films.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is the amount of fun you can have while “working” per say. Being a creative, you get to go out everyday and try new things, experiment, and make your clients happy when they get to look at the final product.

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

My resilience and determination are my greatest strengths. The truth of the mater is, I shouldn’t be where I am today. I grew up in price hill with a single mom and my sister. My sister has mental illnesses and has been in and out of the hospital with suicide attempts since I can remember. My house was broken into while I was home alone, our car was stolen from the house, I have slept in the car nights before going to school, I have seen a swat team take cover behind our car in our driveway, I have seen shootings, I have seen high speed chases and them crash 4 houses down from us, I have seen my mother get cussed out from people in the neighborhood. I have seen it all, and I am still standing, still pushing and have a ton of things going for me sot that I can be great. I have met mentors along the way who have seen my potential and who have helped guide me down the right path. I have had God as a constant in my life who continues to watch over me and shield me in those times of disaster. I am resilient because it wouldn’t been easy to walk outside In price hill, join one of the many gangs and drug deals up and down my street and I would not be here today to tell my story. I have determination in the fact that I want to and will be great. At the age of 18, I have a business, my own car, my own phone, I have invested in stocks, I have a savings account, I am looking into purchasing my first vending machine, I have a contract with two churches and one high school for videography / photography, and my work gets compared against those who have been in the industry for 18+ years. I have found my passion, I know what I want to do, I know where I want to go, and I will not stop until I make it.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.xwynnfilms.com
• Instagram: X.Wynn_Films
• Facebook: X Wynn Films
• Other: www.xanderwynn.smugmug.com