Meet Brandon & Jahmela Yarbrough of Greater Los Angeles Area

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon & Jahmela Yarbrough.

Hi Brandon & Jahmela, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
BRANDON –

Ever since I was a kid, all I wanted to do was tell stories. I remember sitting under my grandparents’ dining room table, projecting my grandfather’s 8mm home movies of my dad and aunts onto the wall, mesmerized. I always wanted a camera in my hand, whether it was still or video. As I grew, so did my curiosity, about people, the world, and the stories that shape us. Filmmaking became my way of learning and connecting.

The stories I tell often begin with a question I’m wrestling with or a topic I want to explore. I gravitate toward the everyday experiences of Black people: family, love, heartbreak, self-doubt, loss, and the quiet resilience that carries us through. No matter how heavy the subject, I aim to leave audiences with hope.

I’ve worked nearly every role on a film set. That hands-on experience has given me a deep respect for the process and a creative flexibility I bring to every project. I move by faith, not by industry trends, which allows me to tell meaningful stories in authentic ways.

JAHMELA –

Growing up in Winston-Salem, NC, the National Black Theatre Festival was a defining part of my childhood. Every other year, Black artists from around the world would flood our streets and stages, igniting my passion for theater and planting the dream of becoming an actress. In high school, I took dance and acting classes, eventually teaching in exchange for training. That spirit continued at Spelman College, where I majored in theater and taught at a local arts academy. Summers were spent back home, directing and teaching drama for underserved youth through the Parks and Recreation Department. All I had was a boom box, a few hundred young artists, and my love for the arts.

While earning my MFA at the American Conservatory Theater, I volunteered at a school with limited resources that was closing due to low test scores. There, I co-founded The Nia Project, a program connecting students to arts education through ACT’s resources.

After graduating, I moved to Los Angeles and began working as an actress while teaching at nonprofits like the Boys and Girls Club. But after years of auditioning, I struggled with the lack of representation I had seen growing up. So I started writing—creating the kinds of stories where I could see myself and my community.

My artistry is a reflection of all these experiences. I believe storytelling is a powerful tool that nurtures imagination, builds self-awareness, and helps us all become more confident, compassionate human beings.

HOW WE MET & THE BIRTH OF YARBROUGH STUDIOS

We initially met in 2015 while working on a movie. It wasn’t until working together again in late 2016 / early 2017 on a series that we actually SAW each other. It was like a veil being removed before our eyes. We became fast friends, began dating, and married in 2018. It was quick, but as the saying goes, “when you know, you know”!

Yarbrough Studios is an award-winning, full-service production and post-production company founded in 2018. With over 20 years of industry experience, we have worked on everything from independent passion projects to major productions with companies like Sony, E One, BET, Lionsgate, Project Greenlight, and Kevin Hart’s Laugh Out Loud Network.

Our work has been showcased on some of the world’s most prestigious stages, with official selections at Cannes, Durban, Essence Film Festival, and the Pan African Film Festival.

At Yarbrough Studios, we are more than just filmmakers. We are purpose-driven storytellers dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices. We believe in the power of film to uplift, empower, and reshape narratives, ensuring that diverse stories are not just told, but celebrated.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Not at all. The road has been far from smooth but every challenge shaped who we are and how we create.

As independent Black filmmakers, we’ve often had to carve out our own space. We heard “no” more times than we can count from funding to distribution to gatekeeping in general. That’s why we created Yarbrough Studios. Not just as a production company, but as a vehicle to tell the stories we knew mattered, even when others didn’t see the vision.

There were times when it was just the two of us writing, producing, directing, editing, and doing the grunt work to bring projects to life. We financed our feature film FIRST ourselves, because the demand was there and the story deserved to be told. It wasn’t easy. It took sacrifice, long nights, and unwavering faith.

But every obstacle taught us something about ourselves, about the industry, and about why we do this. We don’t create for permission. We create because we believe in the power of authentic storytelling to heal, inspire, and reflect our community.

That’s the heartbeat of Yarbrough Studios. And we’re just getting started.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
At Yarbrough Studios, we tell stories that reflect real people full of nuance, love, struggle, faith, and hope. We specialize in creating narrative and documentary content that amplifies underrepresented voices and centers Black experiences in ways that feel honest and deeply human.

We’re a husband & wife team who wear many hats: directors, producers, writers, and editors. Our work spans film, branded content, and impact-driven documentaries. We’re best known for our award-winning feature FIRST, which began as a web series on Issa Rae’s YouTube channel and evolved into a self-produced film that has resonated with audiences around the world.

What sets us apart is our faith, our intention, and our willingness to bet on ourselves. We’re not chasing trends, we’re focused on purpose. We know how to do a lot with a little, and we bring deep respect to every role on set because we’ve done them all. Whether it’s crafting a feature or documenting untold community stories, we approach every project with care and a commitment to excellence.

We’re most proud of creating work that makes people feel seen. When audiences tell us they felt healed, inspired, or simply recognized in our stories, that’s everything! At the end of the day, our mission is simple: illuminate truth, create with integrity, and inspire others to believe that their stories matter too.

MORE ABOUT FIRST

FIRST began as a hit digital series created by Jahmela (Biggs) Yarbrough on Issa Rae’s YouTube channel and since has garnered over 7 million views, a loyal fan base, TV development deal with BET, featured in publications such as Good Morning America, Essence, Landscape, Hello Beautiful and now the feature film of the same name made the finalist round of the 2022 Screencraft film fund and premiered to a sold out audience at the Academy qualifying Pan African Film Festival, won both Jury and Audience Awards at Essence Film Festival and is now shortlisted for a 2025 People’s Telly Award.

FIRST answered the deep call for Black people to see themselves represented on the small screen. The web series hit a chord with young Black audiences because it was one of the first web series to represent Black people in a positive way and was in high demand from fans to be made into a movie.

After years of trying to get FIRST made, Brandon and Jahmela Yarbrough decided to take matters in their own hands and produced, financed and co-directed the film through their production company, Yarbrough Studios.

FIRST revolves around Charles (Will Catlett), an aspiring documentarian who has let go of his dream of being a filmmaker, but manages to chronicle his first love. When Charles reconnects with his childhood friend Robin (Jahmela B. Yarbrough), sparks fly and they both find themselves entering territory that they both longed for but always feared. Charles documents the journey as these childhood friends fall in love one “first” at a time.

BUY OR RENT FIRST ON VHX OR PRIME VIDEO ⬇️
https://firstthemovie.com/

What makes you happy?
We find joy in building together. As a husband & wife team, getting to create side by side through the ups, downs, and breakthroughs is a blessing. Creating with purpose, honoring our faith, and showing our kids that dreams are possible… that’s what fuels us.

Pricing:

• 60 Min Consultation – $297

Contact Info:

• Website: https://yarbroughstudios.co/consultation/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yarbroughstudios/
• Facebook: https://www.instagram.com/mryarbrough/
• Twitter: https://www.instagram.com/jahmelabyarbrough/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@yetnetwork
• Other: https://firstthemovie.com/

Image Credits
Photo by Arnold Turner/ATArchives 4 Yarbrough Studios
Instagram Credit: Photo by @ArnoldShoots via @ATurnerArchives