Meet Kiymora Smith | Director of Photography & Producer

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

Hi Kiymora, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
When I first started my film company, I did it with the intention of having the freedom and flexibility to evolve and to have the ability to tell important stories. I always knew that I wanted to work for my self or that I’d be in a position to influence.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I run a video production company called The Gold Standard Productions LLC. We are a full service production company that focuses on creating films, commercials and lifestyle content. We are based in Jersey City, New Jersey but create projects all around the world.

What sets us apart is our unique vision of how we tell stories about our people, our history and our culture. For a long time, the voices of the Black Diaspora were rarely broadcasted and when they were, we were misrepresented. We aim to bring heartwarming stories to light, while educating the viewers at the same time.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I really love the outdoors and whenever I go to Atlanta I like to visit Centennial Park. It’s a beautiful park with lots of activities to do or just to take a walk around and get some fresh air. There are usually lots of events going on there as well. It’s also near to a lot of restaurants like Homegrown. Some other places that I like to eat at in Atlanta are Atlanta Breakfast Club, Gus’ Chicken and for the late night, Mama’s Cocina. as far as shopping, of course you can always hit up Lenox Square, but if you are into thrifting then you should definitely check out Rag-O-Rama in Little 5 Points. While you are there you can also check out all of the art in Little 5 Points. Lastly, I really enjoyed Bonfire, but that I believe is seasonal. It might only open in the summer time.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My success, I would say, definitely took a village. There are a lot of people along the way that supported my efforts in different ways. However, the biggest people that I’d have to shout out are My Mom, God and my family. They’ve always been there for me personally and professionally. They’ve supported me throughout my journey from moving to another state to buying gear.

I would also shoutout my producing partner Yucef Mayes. He definitely encourages me to focus on my professional development in the film industry. He introduced me to grant writing, finding fellowships and just having the ability to build with someone is great.

Website: kaythekreator.com

Instagram: @kaythekreator

Image Credits
Photographer: Vanessa Blake / Summer Shower Productions