Today we’d like to introduce you to Khitam Jabr.
Hi Khitam, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Growing up, the option of pursuing something creative wasn’t something that was presented to me. The career paths that brought glory to the family were limited to doctors, lawyers, engineers, etc. I thought I wanted to be a dentist. So much so that I have my degree in Chemistry and even applied to dental schools. Before sending in my secondary applications, I lay cuddled up to my mother one night and spilled my guts about fulfilling her dreams and not mine. She told me to do what made me happy but I hated that what made me happy didn’t make her proud.
Post graduation in 2014, if I wasn’t on a large commercial set as a production assistant, I was photographing bands or filming weddings. This led to directing and/or shooting music videos for bands based in Kansas City like The Philistines, Emmaline Twist, Katy Guillen & The Girls (now Katy Guillen & The Drive), Calvin Arsenia, and Chris Meck & The Guilty Birds.
From there I went on to production coordinate on big-budget commercials and I was even a casting producer for a show called The Rap Game which aired on the Lifetime Network. One of the most memorable projects I worked on involved filming a documentary in a maximum security prison in Topeka, KS with my buddy Mikal Shapiro.
All during this time, I was also pursuing music with my best friend EJ. In college, we would perform at talent shows or coffee houses. I played guitar. Post college we played random gigs from record stores to garages to the battle of the bands. EJ has such an ethereal and beautiful voice and anywhere we played, people noticed. A couple of years post-graduation, we got serious and pulled together a full band and even recorded a pretty well-respected five-song EP that we released with a packed show at my favorite venue in Kansas City, Recordbar.
In 2017, shit happened, I left the band and moved to New York City to pursue my purpose which is in film. I’m 27 at this point and had to renter the industry as a PA again. It didn’t take long before I was coordinating and then BAM, the global pandemic baby. I went from being a booked freelance person to having all the free time but somehow managed to land an in-house job at a sneaker start-up from a tweet a month into the pandemic. I felt guilty about thriving at a time when so much went to shit for people. The financial stability was very nice at that time but working for that company was a specific chaotic cringe-worthy experience that I was glad to exit about a year later.
In 2020, I directed a full-length fashion film called “Summer Hindsight” that placed in an impressive amount of festivals. I had the privilege of filming a digital show that centers around the Black cultural zeitgeist with my buddy Mamoudou N’Diaye as well as the hilarious Yedoye Travis and Becca O’Neil. Post sneaker start-up exit, I did a healthy amount of art coordinating for one of my favorite Production Designers named Taylor Horne. Working with him has landed me on set with HER and David Blaine haha.
I’ve toggled between being on the production side of things and filming/directing content myself since I got into the industry. This year I made a point to do more gigs where I’m holding a camera. As a result, I’ve gotten to work with Barclays, GREAT, Redken, Matrix, Ulta Beauty, & Turo this year to name a few. I made mine on-screen debut in a music video I also directed called “Discoloration” for my pals Katy Guillen & The Drive.
Now that I have a healthy amount of experience under my belt, and found my footing in New York, I feel seasoned enough to tell the stories I really want to tell. At heart, I boil myself down to a storyteller which inherently makes me a writer and that’s what got me interested in this industry in the first place. I’m currently writing a short film that I plan on being in production by January of 2023.
This will be my first proper narrative project and I’m so excited about it. It’s been nice to be able to pay the bills but I’m ready to do more soulful work.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
How boring would it be if life were one smooth road? My path can be likened to the streets of Soho with the cobble streets and beautiful architecture. The drive-through always kinda hurts but the visuals are stunning along the way.
Having studied Chemistry, it took me a while to shake my imposter syndrome and acknowledge that I am indeed creative. Something about being on this side of 30 has helped me say it with my full chest. I feel like I finally have the experience to back that claim up even though I’ve been a creative all along, Chemistry degree or not, and that’s on therapy!
Most of my struggles have been on a personal level. It took me a while to let go of any anxiety I had from deviating from a more traditional path having come from a pretty cultural middle eastern family. I moved to New York without the support of my mother who means the world to me. It was doubly frustrating knowing that had I been moving to New York for dental school, I’d have her full support.
Present day while she still doesn’t know exactly what I do, she seems to have come around and I love hosting her in the big apple.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
What I’m known as would depend on who you ask. I hope it’s primarily a film director, haha, but I do much more than only that. Some might know me as a photographer, camera operator, creative producer, production manager, or even an editor. At the end of the day, if I’m known as anything creative, that’s a W in my book.
The music video I directed and produced for Calvin Arsenia’s rendition of “Toxic” ranks up there as a project I’m most proud of. Three years later and I’m still overflowing with gratitude for the generosity of the film production community in Kansas City. A crew of 20+ professionals volunteered two days of their lives to make something truly special.
More recently, the crew delivered once again and we made a music video for Katy Guillen & The Drive that is an homage to the movie Thelma & Louise. The shoot days were the best two days of my life. I am most fulfilled when I am directing something I’m passionate about. The video for “Bottom of Your Belly” comes out on 8/8 and I would love for you to check it out.
My versatility makes me invaluable. I’m also very good with people and can read any room which is so important when working with others. It really does take a village. I like to lead with selflessness and collaboration while many leads with their egos and create a miserable experience for all involved. It really doesn’t have to be that way.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I couldn’t talk about mentors without mentioning Terre Nation, the reason why I was able to move to New York with nothing but $50 and a resume. She provided me stability in a place to crash as I found my footing. She saw something in me through my early 20s and was instrumental in me realizing my abilities and making the decision to move to New York at 27.
Never underestimate the power of a witty DM slide. People are so accessible these days with social media, that it would be dumb not to take advantage. Join that Facebook group, and talk to that person in line wherever. Don’t be afraid to follow up, just don’t be annoying about it.
Contact Info:
- Website: KhitamJabr.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/khitam.mp4
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/khitam.jabr
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/khitamjabr
Image Credits
Travis Young, Jeff Evrard, and Khitam Jabr
