Meet Josiah Paul | Director, Actor, Founder – Kyng Media

We had the good fortune of connecting with Josiah Paul and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Josiah, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Well, I’m going to try my best to not be long winded in my answers, but I would have to say there are 2 reasons I started my business, Kyng Media. The first is that my mother and father are both extremely hard workers. My dad has been getting up at 5am and going to work, since I was young. I saw him work and sacrifice for so long, so our family could have a decent life. On the other hand, for as long as I can remember, my mom was self-employed and had to hustle to keep her tax business going strong. Between both of my parents, they were able to give me and my sister a good, comfortable life–not without trials and even hardships here and there, but I would be wrong if I didn’t acknowledge the comforts we had.. comforts that so many people don’t get to experience. Seeing my dad work so hard for other people turned me off to the idea at a pretty young age. Seeing the freedom my mom had with her business, planted a seed that was more enticing to me than working a job. The second reason I started my business is that I did work in corporate America for about 8 years, until I was about 25-26 years old. After a couple years, it became pretty apparent to me that working for another company only makes other people rich, and that I was not meant to answer to a boss. I wanted the freedom of working on my own terms, so I started that pursuit.

What should our readers know about your business?
I own 2 production companies. The first, is Kyng Media. Kyng Media is a full service production company that focuses on commercial video production. Many people say you should pick a niche and stay within that niche, but I have found success in not limiting who we work with, or what kind of projects we take on. A large percentage of our business focuses on corporate videography– interview style productions, and product videography. We also do online ads, tv ads, landing page videos, and even weddings and music videos. Something else that separates us from many companies, is that we are very budget friendly. We work with many small businesses, and very large companies, so the budgets often vary quite a bit. When we consult with our clients, we like to figure out what the overall vision is, and then determine a comfortable budget range. By finding out our clients’ budgets up front, we can determine what resources we can utilize for the production, and the overall scope of the project. Because of our network and relationships in this industry in Atlanta, there is really no production too large–or small that we can’t produce.
Through referrals and from word of mouth, we have continued to grow our portfolio and list of happy clients every year so far. Kyng Media has been in business for almost 4 years now and though we had humble beginnings, we have now scaled to become a six-figure earning business for the past two years now. I aim to keep that trend going and am so grateful and excited for where we are headed as a company and a brand.
My second production company is Kyngdom Pictures. Kyngdom Pictures is a narrative based film company that I started in 2020 because the film industry in Atlanta and across the world, basically grinded to a stop. As an actor, auditions stopped, and I had no outlet to be creative. I bought a camera with a plan to film my own shorts, features, skits and projects, and quickly found out that I had a natural talent behind the camera as well. I began working on smaller projects, practicing, and learning to edit. Then, to my surprise, people started offering to pay me for videography–this was the birth of Kyng Media. To date, under Kyngdom Pictures, I have produced and directed a number of smaller short films and most recently wrote, directed and starred in my favorite project to date–‘Penitence.’
‘Penitence’ is a period piece short film based in an unknown location and unknown time. It feature 2 men who have a dialogue with each other about who they are and why they are there. What makes this short film different, is that I had the pleasure, and challenge, of playing both lead characters opposite each other. It was a phenomenal experience, and I am very happy with how it turned out. Of course, in hindsight there will always be things you wish you could have done differently, but given the circumstances, I am proud of what we were able to accomplish with this short. Currently the short is doing a film festival run, and then it will be available to view online.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Hmmm.. I have been in Atlanta for like 24 years now and a lot has changed in that time. A lot of places have come and gone. If one of my best friends came to town, I would probably take them to one of a number of restaurants. A place like Two Urban Licks, Utopia Restaurant at Underground, Rusan’s Sushi, Zakia (a Lebanese restaurant), El Paso Mexican Restaurant in Stone Mountain, or I love Hotpot off Satellite Blvd. For drinks, Jojo’s Beloved Cocktail Lounge. If they wanted to get outside, I would probably hike Stone Mountain or take the paddle boards up to Lake Allatoona. For nightlife, I would probably only recommend Tongue & Groove (shout out to Noonan), or Havana. If you like EDM, Believe Music Hall is always a good time too. For a more chill atmosphere, I would definitely go to Sultana Lounge off Satellite Blvd. They have the best hookah and their Turkish coffee is so good. Also RIP Blue Martini, they had the best Sunday Brunch for sure.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I mean.. there are so many people that I have looked up to along the way. The obvious first answer is my parents. They have worked so hard to provide for our family and I wouldn’t be who I am without their guidance. They have taught me to work hard, bet on myself, and to strive to be a good person. There have also been a lot of people I learned from that have shaped my journey. Friends, Family, Entertainers, and business partners. Next would have to be my wife, Rachel Lynne. Everyday she teaches me to be passionate, patient, kind, ambitious and adventurous. She is a princess and I am a better person because of her. We just celebrated 2 years of marriage in November and I can’t wait to grow more with her, and go on more adventures.
Creatively, I would have to shout out my bro Matthias, he filmed a lot of my creative projects early on and I shadowed him for a couple years. Because of him, when I finally picked up a camera, things felt familiar. A lot of my style and aesthetic comes from the way he shoots and frames things in his videos. SpiikeG is another close friend that has heavily influenced me on this journey of becoming a filmmaker. SpiikeG has been an example of a creative mind who decides to just “make the content” regardless of what obstacles are in front of you.
My Agents, Dawn & George Landrum, who have stuck with me for going on 4 – 5 years now. I hope to one day land that role or direct that film that changes your lives.
I also have to shout out my bro Mike or @AtownsFinest – as many people know him. He’s a great father to his daughter, and is an extremely hard worker. He’s always doing what he can to help, support, and push people to get to the next level. Also, my best friend Skoota, he is one of my oldest friends in GA. He is a great example of a family man, and of resilience. My bro Kev Longo has always been an example and even a mentor when it comes to finances and being responsible with your chips. I’ve watched him grow as well and it’s been amazing to see how far he has come. My sister Karina, of course, who has known me longer than almost anyone and is one of my best travel buddies. Along with Kev and my wife Rachel, we have been fortunate enough to visit like 18 countries, and 25 Cities internationally in the past 3 years.
There are a lot of other people that have influenced me, or changed the trajectory of my life. I can’t name them all, let alone write about their impact, but to name a few, I will always be grateful for my friends Rodman Randolph, Tony & Kelsey Tenamore, DJ Babey Drew, Scott Freeze, Erik Peterson, RJ & Chelsea Nevens, David Bittick, Katrina Steward, Montse Adame, Richard Miranda, Dean Gibson, and Jake Levin. I would be mistaken if I didn’t also mention a few of my friends who are no longer with us– Lance Knight, Chandler Newsome, and Antonio Godfrey.. their absence impacts me every day. I also want to take a moment to shout out a few other people. I am super grateful to all of the actors and models that I have worked with over the years. It is because of your professionalism, reliability and talent, that I can continue to build my business and platform to give opportunities to people who deserve it. I hope to one day repay the favor and give opportunities to people that once gave opportunities to me. People like Roman Boylen, LilyAna Nowicki, Vanesa Sonea, Katelyn Sarrell– they are not only friends, but they are actors and models who I have worked with consistently over the years. They always show up (sometimes hours early) and I know I can always count on them to do what they say they will do. Someone once told me, if you want to be better and do better in life, surround yourself with good people- who are smarter than you or better at your craft than you. Surround yourself with people who want you to be better and push you to achieve more. I feel like with this group of people, I have done that.. even if I couldn’t name everybody.

Website: www.josiah-paul.com

Instagram: @Kyng_Josiah

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KyngMedia

Other: https://www.josiah-paul.com/kyngmedia

Image Credits
Tim Pethel Erik Peterson James Ly Josue Xavier Herrera Michael Justice