The Log
Posts
On Creating Light

On Creating Light

in the dark

Amandla Baraka
February 12, 2025

On Creating Light
In the Dark

Most people know me as a commercial director but my original dream was never to make commercials—at least, that’s what I thought. Over time, I’ve come to accept that this path has been, and still is, a conduit to the blue light that calls me forward in the story of my purpose.

I am entangled in the winds of change, embracing my inner world as I move through it. And from this entanglement, my very first narrative work is born.

This film expresses the joy I’ve found in this absurd brute world — the light we create in dark times. And yet, I hesitate to frame “the times” as a reason for creating light. My ancestors, shackled and layered at the bottom of a boat, weren’t saying, “Huh, these are some dark times.”

Still, I see this moment as an evolution. A call from the wild winds to shout, to push, to wield our privileged weapons, and carve momentum for change. We tried, didn’t we? In 2020, we all tried. We stepped forward and answered the collective call. And then what? We fell forward—into a comfort zone.

Now, back at square one, I choose to fall again.

Raising Funds

We’ve already cast Cleo Reed and Dee Freeman as our leads. We found some beautiful locations. And we confirmed our incredible DP, Daisy Zhou. But we are still raising funds, hence the Godfundme :). Please feel free to share what you can. It seems as though the world is in so much pain. It’s impossible to ignore. While we want to make this film for the most amount of money that we can, I am also pledging to give a percentage of the full amount raised here to an organization working to improve environmental racism. The organization of choice will be announced later in the month.

M’ashallah, thank you to everyone who has donated so far.

Portraits of Nate Hinton

“Angel Boy” Portraits

Nicole Miller and Harmony Holiday On The End of Celebrity
for The Los Angeles Times
Indigenous Author, Danica Nava’s Romance Novel
for High Country News
A Vulnerable Moment with Dronme Davis
for The New York Times

Branded Storyteller to Watch

A week of meetings, calls, after-parties, and panels. I felt like I was in college again! It was an honor to be a part of the inaugural class of “Branded Storytellers to Watch” for Gotham Week. They curated an entire day of conversations about where branded and commercial filmmaking stands right now, especially for the new and slow-to-emerge griots of today. The industry hasn’t made it easy for any of us, and honestly, it was beyond validating to sit in a room full of wildly talented creators, sharing space, stories, and survival strategies.

Open for business! Totheppl Creative Studio exists to bring big (& small) ideas to life.

We’re over the same tired formulas. The so-called “authenticity” metrics, the repackaged sameness. What we look for is depth with viral appeal. To elbow out the space for free expression, imagination, and uniqueness. Let’s reclaim the internet from the oligarchs.

amandla @totheppl.studio

@fpomfilm