Check Out Jermaine Davis’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jermaine Davis

Hi Jermaine, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m a transplant hailing from the east coast. Born and raised in Baltimore, MD though I’ve lived in other cities on the east coast and its border including New York and Atlanta. My passion for the arts stems from my childhood. I would write plays at 7 years-old and often perform in school programs throughout my primary education. I planned to become an actor but after I discovered the production of filmmaking, my curiosity grew about the process of what it took to make films. After many attempts of completing college and dropping out, I moved to Washington, D.C to complete my education at Howard University. There I studied Television and Film Production and Theatre Arts, which afforded me the opportunity to hone my craft of storytelling and filmmaking. As I matriculated through my academic career at Howard, I was also able to build my experience within the field of live production working my way from Production Assistant to earning my first credit as an Associate Producer on Afrofuturism: The Origin Story. With this experience, I felt it was time to expand on my own dreams and take a leap of faith to move to Los Angeles. I did that in January of 2023 and lost my job due to the strike. I began to explore my own storytelling and expound on ideas that were once explored in DC and here in South LA. In October of 2023 I embarked on my journey of independent filmmaking and from there birthed my first documentary film Flowers for My Father. This was a film that I originally explored in my hometown of Baltimore and studied as my thesis at Howard University. But once I moved to LA, I felt it would be fitting to continue this story in another state.

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?
This transition has been a lot; both good and not so good. But I can say the majority of it has been good. I’m one that likes to plan and make decisions that make sense. So I’ve been planning for this move since 2019. I’ve visited LA to build community and get a gist of how things move here. As I’ve worked in production on the east coast most of the gigs were with people that are based here on the west coast. So once I had an idea of when I wanted to make the leap, I just took the leap of faith. Some challenges I’ve faced have been finding employment. The writers strike had a big impact on Hollywood and how the future of production companies would look. I found this to be the perfect time to branch off and produce stories on my own. It gave me the affordability to flex my own skills and build community through the film I produced.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m an Independent Filmmaker and Storyteller. I like to use filmmaking as a tool to challenge societal norms while amplifying the voices of those that are often overshadowed. Growing up, I never really saw stories that I believe represented the broad span of Black males who look and identify as I do. It was a bit challenging to see myself in the stories that were presented. As a child, I would write plays at 7 years-old and often perform in school programs throughout my primary education. I planned to become an actor but after I discovered the production of filmmaking, my curiosity of the process grew and I became intrigued by what it took to make films. I began studying film, theater and production while in high school which I continued to explore during my early college career. College was a challenge for me because I wasn’t focused but I also just wanted to work in production to gain some experience and really see if this was what I wanted to pursue long term. Once I had my mind set on producing stories that represented Black communities, I made a commitment to myself to return to school and complete my Bachelors degree at 33 years-old. This was another challenge in itself because school looked different. I was a non-traditional student working and attending school both full-time. I was able to overcome these with the support of my community but also my own self discipline. I learned that nothing worth having ever comes easy but the lessons you learn along the way and the experience you gain will always be worth the ride. What I believe sets me apart from others is my passion for sharing and telling stories. I like to be engaging and share stories that truly reflect our community while getting an understanding of who we are through these stories. Historically, our stories have rarely been told by us and that representation and authenticity is what I strive for through my art as a filmmaker and storyteller.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: incognitovirgo

Image Credits
Samantha Lopez and myself