Lights, Camera, Action! Tyler Perry isn’t the only productions studio on our radar! Kennesaw State graduate, Khadijah Cantrell is the founder and CEO of Khandid Productions.
Launched in 2019, Cantrell was inspired to create the company after she took a scriptwriting class. From a young age, the 23-year-old Atlanta native tells RoyalTee Magazine she always had big ambitions for her life. But entrepreneurship was never part of the plan.
“Honestly, before taking a scriptwriting class at Kennesaw State University that challenged me to develop a mock business plan, I had no plans of starting my own business,” she shares with RoyalTee. Cantrell says her teacher was “very influential.”
“My teacher [Carmen Madison] made the class fun and challenged her students to think outside the box when it came to establishing their own brands and businesses,” she says. “Before I knew it, I was fully engulfed in this class. It made me realize that I wanted to create something for myself that would be a part of my identity, my legacy.”
“Authentic and true to me”
Khandid Productions is based in Atlanta, GA, and specializes in photography and videography services. The name itself is an extension of Cantrell and combines her name with the word ‘candid’.
“When I think of my business, I think of myself and nothing that anyone else has created,” she says. “It is authentic and true to me.”
Since its conception, the company has completed and produced over 15 projects. Some of her projects include photography shoots with Atlanta arts and entertainment company Nova Visionaries. She’s completed five productions for Dogghouse Training.
But what’s a start-up business without a few challenges. Starting a production company is definitely not all butterflies and rainbows. For Cantrell, the hardest part has been learning the behind-the-scenes work of starting a production company.
“Starting out, I did not do much research on types of equipment I should use or how I should prepare for my clients and shoots. I was just ready to start working and get my name out there,” Cantrell says. “I now educate myself through tutorials, research the types of equipment I should use, and challenge myself with the creative endeavors I pursue.”
Luckily for us, these challenges did not stop the talented Cantrell. Too many amazing things are in the works for her to stop now. Cantrell plans to take her business further by owning her own studio and getting into commercial real estate and film distribution. And she not only wants to be behind the camera but also be the star in front someday! Cantrell truly has a passion for her craft!
“Starting out, I did not do much research on types of equipment I should use or how I should prepare for my clients and shoots. I was just ready to start working and get my name out there. I now educate myself through tutorials, research the types of equipment I should use, and challenge myself with the creative endeavors I pursue.”
Khadijah Cantrell, A True Royal Woman
During this candid conversation, Cantrell shared what makes her the Royal Woman she is today.
“ As a woman of God, I walk in the faith of knowing that I was born of royalty. Ancestrally, as an African-American, we come from a long lineage of queens and kings. Royalty is not just a status symbol but a way of life and how you carry yourself. Positive affirmations like “queen” have been spoken upon my life since a young age. I AM a queen and I regard myself as nothing less. Queens and Kings are leaders as well and I hope to lead the next generation of creative minds by bringing their passions to life – beginning with Khandid Productions. It is my hope to inspire the kings and queens in many others like me through my art that I produce”.
“The artist creates the material that we look back upon as a part of history.” – Roy DeCarava
Very well said! Follow more of Khadijah and her journey on Instagram!
