Today we’d like to introduce you to Shamonte Jackson.
Hi Shamonte, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In 2016, I was feeling hopeless and unsure of what direction to take my life. I didn’t have a clear plan, but one thing that always brought me peace was traveling. That year, I found myself exploring beaches all over California, just trying to reconnect with life and figure out who I was meant to be.
One day, while scrolling through Instagram, I came across a guy who would travel and take pictures of his backpack everywhere he went. I loved the idea but didn’t want to completely copy him. I looked over at my good friend and we were both wearing Ray-Bans. I said, “Let’s do it with Ray-Bans.” He was inspired right away, and that’s how our page Freedom Frames was born.
We started out taking pictures with our cell phones and posting them online. Before long, he introduced me to a popular Instagram photographer Chris Drago aka VLGVR who showed us how to use a DSLR and edit with Lightroom. From there, my love for photography really began to grow.
There was five in our little photography crew, so I created Audicy Visuals, a mutual page where we could all post our photos and showcase our creativity. Around that same time, I was introduced to an MLM forex trading group. Even though it turned out to be a pyramid scheme, something powerful came out of it. I learned about manifestation and the law of attraction. That changed my mindset completely, it taught me to chase my dreams, believe in myself, and trust the process.
Eventually, everyone went their separate ways, but I decided to keep pushing forward with my passion. I started taking portraits to make income and officially launched Audicy Photography. My first photoshoot was my coworkers senior portraits.
Everyone loved her pictures and that was the spark that motivated me to keep going.
Fast forward to 2020, during the pandemic, when I decided to merge my two passions, photography and hip-hop. I’ve been a huge fan of hip-hop my whole life, so I started a media platform to highlight artists from my hometown of Lompoc, CA. It started with album covers, then moved onto online rap battles which really took off since everyone was stuck at home, and eventually evolved into a full-blown hip-hop media company.
Since then, I’ve covered major events like ComplexCon and Rhymefest LA, interviewed legends like Jon B, members of Wu-Tang Clan, Lefty Gunplay, and many more. Over the years, my content has garnered millions of views across social media, and I’ve built a platform that celebrates creativity, authenticity, and culture.
My ultimate goal is to quit my 9–5 and live fully off my media work, traveling the world, attending red carpet events, and shows.
What started as a moment of uncertainty has turned into a journey of passion, purpose, and faith in what’s possible when you bet on yourself.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I lost my mother in 2019 and my mental health went with her. I had a very trying time and went into a deep depression. That’s when I gave up everything for a year but it called me back and I’m here going 10x harder than before. Before I moved to the valley in a year ago, my biggest obstacle was staying consistent because I grew up in a small town that didn’t have any events/shows or creatives in the area so I had to drive to LA for events, spend money on gas, food and hotels. Sometimes, I was left with a few dollars to get me by until my next pay day.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I have a media company. I interview creatives, professionals, entrepreneurs. I attend shows/events and cover media. I am known for my short 2-5 minute interviews that I chop up heavily and add clips pertaining to stories told by the interviewed. It’s a hit with this new generation because of their attention span. The videos are short but very captivating. People are often impressed with my ability to dig up old videos or pictures for these interviews. Nobody else is taking the time to dig up people’s past like I am and really tailor the interview to them. I am most proud of interviewing Jon B. I grew up listening to him because of my moms love for hip hop. My 10 year old self never could imagined that I would interview him one day.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Take the wildest dream you have and start taking the steps to get there. Everything in this world started as an idea. A huge part of success is just showing up. Even if it takes forever to reach your end goal, enjoy the process and you will do amazing things you never thought of on the way. A quote that blew my mind and changed my perspective was from Les Brown. “The graveyard is the richest place on earth, because it is here that you will find all the hopes and dreams that were never fulfilled, the books that were never written, the songs that were never sung, the inventions that were never shared.” I don’t want to be that person that never chased their dreams.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/audicyvisuals?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/audicyfamilyphotography?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@audicyvisuals?si=ha0eEdWwNszf8g7a
