By: Myriam Akbar
1.) Caleb Brown, who goes by Cay, is a 25-year-old content creator from Long Island. He’s been making film-related content on social media for a little over a year, going by the name CayWatchesMovies. He remembers having loved cinema since childhood, when he became fascinated by computer animation and special effects. As he grew older, he became passionate about various aspects of filmmaking. While there was a point in his life when he was interested in it as a career, he says he is now more interested in film analysis and journalism. Brown’s preferred genre is horror, but he also enjoys thrillers, sci-fi, fantasy, and comedy. He lists The Shining, Uncut Gems, Scream, and Sinners as some of his favorite films. As for television shows, he highlights Atlanta, The Office, and Community
As for many, Brown says the best part about making content is the community built along the way. He describes it as being welcoming, supportive, and truly a blessing. On the flip side, he finds staying consistent a challenge. He emphasizes the importance of filming and editing content even when you don’t have the motivation.“The thing I’m most proud of is the growth. I’ve gathered over 1 million views on TikTok. Seeing those numbers makes me feel like my hard work is paying off, and it’s motivation to keep on going,” he says.
2.) J. Lovemore (also known as JLovesCinema) is an author, director, and content creator from Texas. He is currently based in Atlanta and has been making content for three years. Before his transition to film critiques, he was a contributing blogger for Hip Hop Speakz for six years. His passion comes from his love for writing and talking about the art that he loves. Lovemore recently published his first novel, Clean Sweep Vol.1, and has sold over 100 copies. Lovemore says he has always been fascinated by cinema and that filmmaking was his first aspiration. He has written over 20 screenplays and is considering pursuing a master’s degree at the Peter Stark Program at USC, to gain knowledge and professionally invest in his creativity. “Just holding the physical copy of my novel was like holding my firstborn. That accomplishment motivated me to publish more literary works and have the courage to direct a screenplay I penned,” he says.
When asked about his passion for cinema, Lovemore says that he considers his mother and uncle to be hardcore cinephiles, recognizing that they had an influence on him. He recalls his mother exposing him to Black Cinema and sitcoms. “Martin, Fresh Prince, Moesha, The Wayans Bros. were always on our television,” he says. While he doesn’t have a favorite genre, there are elements of film that are most important to him. What grabs his attention is a strong premise, dialogue, and acting. Lovemore lists Sinners, Lawrence of Arabia, Jaws, Us, Marathon Man, Scream, and Love Jones as some of his most loved films. As for television shows, he highlights Succession, Breaking Bad, From, and Abbott Elementary.
For Lovemore, the most rewarding part of content creation is meeting like-minded individuals who have a die-hard infatuation with cinema, especially people of color. He has formed lifelong connections, both professionally and personally. Aside from community, he highlights being invited to screenings and round-tables. He says the challenging side of things is contending with consistency when life gets busy.
3.) Meet Stu Boyd II–a photojournalist, filmmaker, and content creator from Memphis! He’s been making content for about four years, under the name StuFilmReview (however, his Instagram handle is @_boydshotimages). His passion is working on documentaries that focus on Black excellence, but he also has dreams of writing a horror script about aliens that’s set in Memphis. A fun fact about him is that he can remember every film he has seen in theaters and which theater he saw it at, including the city and country. For example, he recalls seeing The Tragedy of Macbeth in Aruba. “That just speaks to how much I love the movie-going experience and by extension, my love for films in general,” he says. Boyd shares that The Walking Dead showed him the power of television because of its impact on his family spending time together. They would gather in the garage every Sunday and watch the earlier seasons, reacting in real time. His favorite genres are horror, thriller, drama, and sci-fi. He lists Sinners, NOPE, Halloween, Prometheus, The Incredibles, Sing Sing, Do the Right Thing as his favorite films.
When it comes to content creation, Boyd says building community is the most rewarding aspect. On the other hand, the most challenging part is staying consistent. A moment he is proud of is when he was invited to a local film premiere because of his work as a reviewer. He was even given access to the film a day before and was sent a DVD from the director.
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