Jama Abdirahman (Brooklyn, New York)

“Every day is a second chance.” - Jama Abdirahman ⠀ It’s about time we profiled a creative. We know many of you have artistic aspirations so this one is dedicated to all of you! Today we bring you Jama Abdirahman who is a film producer/cinematographer based in New York. ⠀

At a young age, Jama saw how our stories were never told by people who looked like us. He started his professional career as a journalist and reported on stories ranging from the vibrant Somali community of Seattle to protests against police brutality. He made the shift of fully doing film work when he returned to his roots of documentary filmmaking, which had elements of journalism. It wasn’t easy for Jama to move from his hometown of Seattle to New York but he took a chance on his dream and it paid off! ⠀ What is the most important lesson Jama has learned? That it’s okay to fail! He believes that the real growth is the process of making another attempt and learning from the experience. Jama shares that, as a filmmaker, he is constantly looking for ways to become a better storyteller, and failing multiple times through the years brought him to where he is today. ⠀ We don’t know about you guys, but this story has us super motivated. Keep up the amazing work Jama! It is role models like you who pave the way for the rest of us. ⠀