First love: Performing. “I spent pretty much every weekend from the age of five singing, acting, and dancing at the local theater school.”

Take a bow: “My dad is originally from Zambia. Back in the day he bought rudimentary music software and laid down guitar tracks for my sister and me. We’d make up the most ridiculous songs to sing over it. He was very encouraging of our being expressive and confident.”

Roots: “In the 1950s my mother’s parents moved from Jamaica to the UK in what is known as the Windrush generation, invited to the UK to help rebuild the country after World War II. My granddad was a scaffolder, and my grandma was a nurse. She was a constant source of love, affection, and support and a great example of how to enjoy life.”

Setting expectations: “Doing well in school was a necessity. My mum would say, ‘All we ask is that you do your best—but we know your best is an A.’ ”

On track: “There’s a feeling of precariousness in the immigrant mindset, so having a sensible, certain career is very big. That’s probably why my little sister is a doctor, and I studied law at Cambridge.”

Shifting gears: “I think we all started reevaluating our lives during the pandemic. I looked at the lives of the partners at my law firm and didn’t think it was for me. A mentor and coach asked, ‘Have you ever thought of going to graduate school?’ ”

Case in point: “In Finance 1 we did a case on the musical Hamilton and the decisions the producers had to make: Did they stage it Off Broadway? Go straight to Broadway? That was a pivotal moment because, I thought, ‘Oh, this is something I might want to do.’ ”

Making it happen: “Last summer I lived in Los Angeles as I am in the process of producing and fundraising for a feature film, Discipline, about a young girl’s experience at a strict Catholic boarding school. It’s written by an award-winning Nigerian actor, writer, producer, and director, Lolia Etomi. It’s very much like a startup; you fail quickly and learn so much in the process.”

Iron in the fire: “My other project is a short mockumentary I wrote and directed, Admissions, that peels back the layers of university admissions in the US, post-affirmative action. The film is currently in post-production, and I spent the summer reworking it with my editor.”

Recs: Book: Girl, Woman, Other, by Bernardine Evaristo; podcast: Heavyweight; TV show: We Are Lady Parts.

Next move: New York, London, or Los Angeles. “I spent the summer meeting as many people as possible and learning about the entertainment industry in LA. My ultimate goal is to produce for film and TV the stories I wish had existed when I was growing up.”

Post a Comment