Meet Kumali Neptune | Filmmaker

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

Hi Kumali, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
This entire process has been a risk from the start. For me, there’s a difference between playing it safe and playing it smart.. When pursuing anything, the unknown is essential for personal and professional growth. A lot of people think of a comfort zone as a good thing but I look at it as complacency. I look forward to challenges because I know those breed risks that will in turn make me a better person and filmmaker.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’ve been writing stories since I was eight years old. I fell in love with filmmaking as a child so I was fortunate enough to know exactly what I wanted to be at an early age. I would say building a production company from scratch with minimal resources has been my proudest professional accomplishment thus far. My unique way of storytelling and cross branding has always went against the status quo. I go out of my way to tell stories that you don’t normally see minorities in I think its important to cultivate that in todays climate. A cultural shift is happening in entertainment. Certain doors that were impossible for black and brown people to walk through are now being kicked open undeniably by the sheer talent.

One recent thing that I’ve learned is the pandemic has dramatically affected the way people consume entertainment and I feel this is the perfect opportunity for new creatives such as myself to spearhead a wave of untold stories from people of color. I also think its important to educate yourself on ownership. Its vital for any creative to understand the value of retaining a measured interest in what you create. Own what you build, build what you own. Additionally, the big studios and streamers are paying attention and seeing the demand for these stories from a more diversified consumer base.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
A few suggestions I have would be:

East Ponce Marketplace
Little Five Points
Old Fourth Ward Skatepark
Tyler Perry Studios
Screen on the Green Atlanta
Martin Luther King jr historical district
The Battery Atlanta
Sudo Bar & Grill
Breakers Korean BBQ

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to give a shoutout to: Ty Spann, Phillip Buss, Ayanna Claybrooks, Devion Harris, Amarie Johnson, Kuwsh Muhammed Martinez, Karim Abdunnoor, Ashley Sno, Ashley Simpson, Phoenix Washington. Bobby Huntley II, Ri’chard Denson. I’d like to give a special shoutout to my family: mother Astrid Neptune, sisters Niki and Davienne Neptune, my niece Jozi and last but not least my son Nicolas.

Website: www.thehazadousempire.com

Instagram: @hazadousllc

Twitter: Hazadous LLC

Facebook: Hazadous LLC

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUSkq2lKXqkcBlNQGnJxzbg

Image Credits
visualsbyjptheartist amariesflytography