Life & Work with Jamila St. Ann of Kansas City, MO

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jamila St. Ann

Hi Jamila, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My mom was a photographer, so I grew up with a camera in my face and hands. She covered our home in memories, and soon I was adding my captures. I parlayed that into high school yearbook, Photojournalism at Mizzou, and internships that taught me how important connection is to content capture and creation. It led me to internships with Sporting KC and the former FC Kansas City, full time with Sporting News, NBC Sports, back to SKC and now the national teams at U.S. Soccer.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I couldn’t imagine this path without setbacks. Owning your own gear, first and foremost, is expensive and I don’t come from a wealthy background. Being a first generation college student, I had to hustle through my undergrad. My dream job with Sporting KC didn’t exist at the end of my internship and graduation, so I pivoted to a rigourous grad program while working full time for Mizzou Athletics. I moved for a job I didn’t love, and when I course corrected: COVID hit. It all taught me what I was capable of handling. All of it tested my limits, and I learned just how strong I needed to be at those limits.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m currently the social media manager for the USWNT of the U.S. Soccer Federation. I cut my teeth in sports photography and content creation. I’m most proud of my ability to create connections between fans and their teams. To do that, I build connections with players to ensure trust and authenticity, knowing the team channel is also their channel and that we have their best interest at the core of what we do. I think that place of creating helps set apart my content from others.

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success to me is showing off a finished product for review and having the subject love it. Knowing that they love a piece before it goes public is all I need to know it’s been executed perfectly.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jrsaintann.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamilita816/
• Twitter: https://x.com/jamilita816?s=21