Throughout Black History Month, The Recess Bell has taken you behind the curtain on some of the best & brightest Black creatives out here -- empowering them with the platform to showcase their work, their stories, their motivations, and their respect for the richness of Black History.
The next creative to receive the spotlight on Celebrating Black Creatives is Kareem, a gifted film director and actor who's got some big plans.
With help from The Recess Bell's Gina, who conducted this interview: let's learn more about Kareem.
Gina: Can you share a bit about your background, what you do, and how you started in your creative mediums?
Kareem: My name is Kareem O’Brian, and I am a film director & actor From Long Island, NY. I grew being an athlete mostly, but I always had an urge to express my creativity in different ways.
During my senior year of high school, I took a creative writing class that I surprisingly enjoyed. My teacher would often tell me that I had potential to be a great storyteller based off the assignments she would give us. That made picking a major in college a lot easier. I went on to get my Associate's in Creative Writing at Nassau Community College. And now I’m in film school, learning the ins ands outs of the industry.
Gina: Can you tell us about some of the projects you’ve worked on recently and your role throughout the process?
Kareem: Recently, I worked as an assistant director on this independent short film called “Heart Of A Son.” The film should be coming out around March/early April. My role on set was to guide the actors through each and every scene and to help bring out the emotions that they are trying to find.
Gina: How has working in radio helped influence your work in film and acting?
Kareem: I believe being in radio has helped me tremendously when it comes to storytelling and communicating ideas to others. When you’re on the radio, you’re kind of playing a character in a way to get certain reactions from your co-hosts and your audience. It definitely helped me break out of my shell a little bit.
Gina: Are there any Black filmmakers, actors, or media figures who have influenced your journey?
Kareem: I would say I try to take a little bit from everyone and make it my own -- or even better. People like Issa Rae, 50 Cent, Ryan Coogler, Michael Jackson, and Will Smith have all heavily influenced me in many different ways.
Issa Rae and Ryan Coogler, two of Kareeem's inspirational figures, have each made an indelible mark on the entertainment industry.
Gina: What’s next for you? Are there any upcoming projects we should look out for?
Kareem: I have a few projects in the works! One thing I realized as an actor: you can’t always wait for the next opportunity to come, you have to make the opportunity for yourself.
With that in mind: I’m working on making this '80s-inspired short film, and a short film with a lot of action and stunts.
I'm also currently directing all of the music videos for my brother Jahliv’s upcoming album, which is going to be fire! I definitely want to get more into directing music videos as well. Music has always been a passion for me, so that would be amazing.
Gina: What does Black History Month and being Black mean to you?
Kareem: It means being unapologetically yourself without hesitation in ways that our ancestors could only dream of. I’m a firm believer in the fact that knowledge is power. There's so much we don’t know about ourselves because of the knowledge that's been withheld from us. When we are together, we are so powerful, to the point that it can be threatening. We are the definition of excellence!
"To be black is to be the best." - Jawanza Kunjufu
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