Conversations with Shannon N. Brown

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shannon N. Brown.

Hi Shannon N., thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m from Chicago, IL. A southside baby. I’m also a filmmaker, specifically a director and producer. I am also the founder of Black Film Queen Studios, a small Black-owned independent film production company that supports Black indie film, as well as Black women working as department heads/crew in film production. I consider myself an artist and creative director. I am a technically trained professional ballerina and dancer, but growing up I was always interested in learning about photography and broadcast journalism. After high school, I decided to pursue media by taking photography, videography, and journalism classes in college during my undergrad studies at Fisk University. After completing my BA in English there, I decided to take it a step further and learn film production in the MFA Film program at Howard University, which I just completed in December 2020.

At Howard was where my film career and creative opportunities took off. I immediately jumped on student film productions while on campus and started building my film collaborations and network. I started writing, directing, and producing my own short films, ‘Black Boy Joy’ (2018), ‘Cover'(2019), ‘Kindred Spirits’ (2019), ‘Lady’ (2020). While at Howard, I was blessed to intern with Allied Global Marketing and work with Disney, Paramount, A24, Sony, NBC Universal, as well as the Entertainment Industry College Outreach Program (HBCU IN LA). Through my growth as a filmmaker and various opportunities, I started my own small production company, ended up as a finalist in the African American Film Critics Association 72-Hour Film Challenge, worked as an Associate Producer for a Diversity in Cannes Top 10 Filmmaker Of The Decade, and secured a position with CBS Documentary Studios and will be working with Martin Agency as their full-time Junior Content Producer come June.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My journey as an artist and filmmaker has been no walk in the park. I wasn’t able to start my film and media education until college due to the lack of resources. I didn’t own a camera or MacBook with Final Cut Pro and there weren’t many photography or journalism programs and classes that I was actually accepted into or able to join before college. I fell behind most of my peers who were studying photography, journalism and film. When I got to Howard, it became survival of the fittest. I received minimal information about my program beforehand, other than my acceptance email, and was unsure that I would even be able to attend the program due to the financial burden of student loans, etc. and relocation logistics. As soon as I entered my program, I struggled to maintain academic excellence in a field and profession that I had never studied before, and it was an accelerated graduate program at that. I actually had a panic attack outside of my Cinematography class the day before the production of my first short film ‘Cover’.

Most, if not all of my work from my film productions were try and fail, as most independent films can be, especially starting out, and at a pivotal moment in my studies before thesis, my program director told me that I would have been in jeopardy if students were dismissed from my program due to the critique and artistic approval of my work. I pride myself on my diligence and dedication and worked very hard to maintain my 4.0 and Dean’s list status throughout my matriculation. I was denied by several film grant programs, promising production jobs, writers mentorship programs, etc. Although studying film and becoming a filmmaker through the educational and independent space was very tough, I pushed through, finding as many crew roles as I could on set for growth and learning, as well as internships, and with God and determination, I have been able to become a well rounded independent filmmaker and land some beautiful opportunities at the start of my career, which is blooming still.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am an independent film director and producer. I love to write, direct, and produce films about stories through the lens of young Black women, millennials, and the Black community in a whole. I’m mostly known for my collaborations with other notable Black filmmakers and Black film brands such as Blkflmmkr, which has been worn by Lena Waithe and Regina King. I’m also known for connecting young Black filmmakers and creating spaces for collaboration. I created a Slack group named FilmmakeHER, which is a group chat and workspace full of Black women filmmakers who chat with one another, share film opportunities, and collaborate with one another on indie and industry film productions. I have my own small independent film production company Black Film Queen Studios, which produces films spearheaded by Black women in department head roles.

I’m also known for my infamous Twitter threads that share resources for Black filmmakers and connect Black filmmakers as they interact underneath my tweets. I would have to say that I’m most proud of hearing from other Black filmmakers that they were notified about my work as a filmmaker and were advised to work with me. I didn’t know how much impact I was making on other young Black filmmakers, I just wanted to share resources for us all to work together and make great art. I am also most proud of the fact that I was able to write a recommendation for a film colleague that was able to assist her in obtaining an Emmy internship. What sets me apart is that I am multi-hyphenate, I’m not only a filmmaker, but a dancer, Youtuber, influencer, and stylist.

What do you like and dislike about the city?
I like the food, culture and scenery in LA, as well as the many opportunities there are for creatives. Like most people the thing I like least is how expensive living in LA can be, especially starting out with your career or relocating to LA from another city.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.bfqstudios.com
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/itshannonnicole
• Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/itshannonnicole http://www.twitter.com/bfqstudios
• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/deargorgeous93 https://bit.ly/3aYQNU0
• Other: http://www.shannonnicolebrown.myportfolio.com

Image Credits:
Allyssa Adams Diamond Jae Desirae Lee Jemeiya Bonner