ENTREPRENEUR, FILMMAKER, RENAISSANCE WOMAN
NAIMAH FULLER - writer, producer, director, independent filmmaker, renaissance woman, was born in a small rural town in Georgia. Her parents moved to North when she was still an infant. She attended Arts & Crafts Institute in Detroit, where she majored in commercial photography. After art school she arrived in New York City, and began studying film-making at the Studio Museum in Harlem. It was in the great Gothic City that Fuller developed her craft as filmmaker/writer/journalist.
"My mentor into professional film making, or more specifically, making movies, was none other than GORDON PARKS. It doesn't get any better than that. His kindness and generosity made my entrance into the world of cinema feel like it was the place where I belonged. I began my career in the motion picture industry as a "script supervisor". From the moment my feet first landed on a movie set, I knew I was home. I love the collaborative creative process, which is what making movies is all about. In my role as script supervisor, I learned everything about the logistics of motion picture production. However, it wasn't a role I wanted to remain in for the rest of my film-making career. As fate would have it, I was blessed with the opportunity to began a completely new career path at WABC-TV in New York City, where I was introduced to broadcast journalism. It was at WABC-TV where began my career as producer/writer/director. If I had to describe myself I would simply say I am a Creator. My fascination with images are part of my DNA; my father, my grandfather, and my great-grandfather were all professional photographers. All these elements prepared me for an incredible career journey that has included motion picture production, broadcast journalism, independent filmmaking, and now the New Media digital era."
In 2004 Fuller launched Earthlight Media Arts & Services, LLC., in Atlanta, GA. Her vision for her new production company was to provide Media Services to small businesses, and community based organizations. The company's first important project came in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, when Ms. Fuller was asked to bring the company's services to New Orleans to work with a coalition of pastors who were rebuilding churchse destroyed during the hurricane. Fuller personally took camera in hand and spent the next ten months in New Orleans, recording digital images of the devastated churches in the Ninth Ward and in Uptown New Orleans. Fuller created a DVD Series that linked to a website of the faith based organization (View DVD). Those New Media Tools assisted the organization in receiving funding they were seeking to began rebuilding several churches. The success of the project inspired Naimah to create a new social entrepreneur division in the company that would provide special media services to organizations with a charitable mission.
Fuller continues to raise the bar by offering the latest cutting edge digital technology to Earthlight Media clients. The company recently completed a project for Track & Field Olympic Champion Edwin Moses. Fuller lead the project in her role as Concept Producer. "My vision for Edwin was to create a website that would inspire an emotional reaction from his fans and supporters, as well as from sports enthusiasts, historians, and aspiring young athletes. I assembled a team of talented technologists; Michael Laird, Audio Visual Communications of GSAV, Inc., and Deneen Matthews, of Deesignz Web & Graphics Studio. After I conceived the theme “The Man, The Icon, The Leader”, that concept drove the direction of the project, stirred by our colletctive knowledge of New Media technology and Digital Film-making. The result was the successfull development, design, and deployment of the Official Edwin Moses Interactive Audio-Video website. I am very proud of what we accomplished." (VIEW PROJECT).
Naimah is currently producing a documentary film titled A PLACE CALLED HOME: THE GREAT MIGRATION OF THE 21ST CENTURY. The project chronicles the current migration odyssey of African Americans relocating to the southern regions of the country. Naimah was the cinematographer on the project.
"Were it not for digital technology, I dare say this project would not have been possible. I spent several months shooting in various landmark cities in the south, including New Orleans before and after Hurricane Katrina. Shooting in New Orleans was like falling in love and suddenly experiencing a breakup you never saw coming. The city and the people of New Orleans made an indelible impression on me as an artist and as a human being. Tragedy has its own spirit that informs our sense of humanity, and nothing captures that spirit like poetry, music, and the cinematic image. These are the Healing Arts when approached with a consciousness of compassion. As existing media technologies continue to morph into New media internet platforms, entrepreneurs will rely more and more on these tools to market their products and services to consumers who already use their computers to research product information. The projects I am passionately involved in producing, and designing are a response to these trends, both technically and aesthetically. I'm very excited about what the future holds for me as an entrepreneur, and as an artist." NAIMAH