Meet Yaphet & Nicole Jackman | Owners – Bent Street Films LLC

We had the good fortune of connecting with Yaphet & Nicole Jackman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Yaphet & Nicole, we’d love to hear more about your end-goal, professionally.
By the end of it all, we’d like BSF to be a well-trusted brand and company that would’ve strongly & positively impacted the communities it was a part of. All that would matter to us is that we produced content that can be referenced as benchmarks for quality, execution, and positive social impact in some way. Of course, we’d love any accolades that would recognize our work.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Bent Street Films (BSF) is a media, film & consultancy company creating and collaborating with independent filmmakers, content creators, and businesses. We are committed to using film and new media to tell meaningful stories. Given our heritage, we are most proud of the work we’ve done that focuses on Guyanese & Caribbean stories and the interactive educational opportunities we provide for those interested in filmmaking. Our company is owned by my wife, Nicole Jackman, and I. We love film. While I provide the technical expertise in cinematography, directing, and just about every job on set, Nicole is the heart of our company, she not only takes care of all the administrative work, but she thrives in pre-production and production. We work in tandem to provide clients and collaborators with the most seamless experience in whatever capacity we work with them. We are both passionate about and dedicated to the growth and development of the Guyanese and Caribbean filmography and film industry.

It has not been a smooth road, but it’s been a road nonetheless, and the choice is always between allowing problems to slow us down or allowing them to push us forward. The field is riddled with gifted creatives making great films, naturally making it competitive. We’ve learned that challenges are opportunities. So, we focus on the positive, the lessons, and the blessings of our journey and do our best to avoid lamenting over the many challenges. BSF is a successful brand because it never touts itself as a one-stop shop. We pride ourselves on knowing our capacity and limitations, as well as fully embracing a collaborative spirit. Its success solely lies in the fact that our projects, clients, and collaborators align with our ethos and methodology.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We’d recommend: Hiking at Hocking Hills
A Bar Crawl to the local microbreweries
The Farmers Market
Catch a film or 2 at the Athena Cinema
Camping at Strouds Run

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
It is very important to encourage and to recognize the hidden gems that we’re all surrounded by in our communities. We’d love to shout out Swim Printed owned by Dave Baptiste for his phenomenal work in capturing the culture of Athens, Ohio through graphic prints. In addition, we’d love to shout out Coral Wedel and her chic collection of sustainable fashion. You can find her work on coralmarie.com.

Website: bentstreetfilms.com

Instagram: @bentstreetfilms

Image Credits
(c) Bent Street Films LLC