Award Winning Filmmaker, Producer, Entrepreneur and Founder and Creative Director of the Black-Owned, Operated – Film, Video and Theater Production Organization 5 Shorts Project, Shameka Sawyer joins the Junk and Jam Hour and shares her incredible journey into filmmaking, which was sparked by the heartbreaking loss of her eldest brother; her dedication to helping other screenwriters and playwrights realize their own filmmaking aspirations; and her inspiring work of offering education in the craft of video production to young, talented, teenage black girls from Philadelphia - as Founder of Being Me: Careers Behind the Camera. Shameka talks about being raised in a home full of professional musicians - and along with her eldest brother Wendell - discovering her own appreciation for music and exploring their love of cinema together, until his passing forced her to forge a path of her own. With the motivation of his enduring support, she began to reach out to other aspiring filmmakers, and the comradery she found not just filled an empty part of her life, but it propelled her to establishing the 5 Shorts Project - where as Creative Director - she assists others with creating short films of their own, from development to distribution. While Shameka has since enjoyed incredible success with the 5 Shorts Project - producing over 30 shorts and 5 stage plays, and earning multiple awards, film-festivals placements, write-ups and features - she also opens up about facing another tragedy in her life, the murder of her youngest brother, Musician and Hip-Hop Artist Allen. In his memory, and with the support of their mother, Shameka set out to produce a documentary in honor of him, entitled Sometimes I Cry in June, a raw look at his life, legacy and the trauma of gun violence - which went on to receive the Indie Eye Film Award for Best Documentary Short… As an advocate for Media Education, Shameka also tells us all about her important and exciting work as Founder of Being Me: Careers Behind the Camera - a completely free, hands-on workshop series for high school girls to learn how to operate video production equipment, and teach them all aspects of video production, culminating in short films of their own. For more about Shameka and 5 Shorts Project, visit https://5shorts.org/ Also visit https://RadioFreeBrooklyn.com/ and https://www.JunkandJam.com/ Background Music by https://FreeBeats.io/