With a Z and a Q

When I was in the second or third grade… Well whenever Isaac Newton was first

introduced in school. Everyone always asked me why my name Izaiq was spelled with a z and a

Q and not the common way or how it is spelled in history. At this young age I never really

thought about it that much and honestly had zero answer. So later that day when I got home

after school I decided to find out. I wiggled into my parents bedroom before bed and asked them

why my name was spelled the way it is. My mom grabbed me and laid me on the bed next to my

father and told me that when I was born they knew I would be unique and be different from

everyone else, So they wanted to give me a name that would perfectly fit me. Since then that

really motivated me to be more creative and outside the box as a person in my own unique way.

When I was young everytime my dad asked me what I wanted to be when I’m an adult, I

always told him I wanted to be a lawyer. Since I spent so much time watching television and

every genre of movie I could get access to that didn’t happen. Growing up usually kids after

school participated in after school programs or played sports. Nope not me I was going home

trying to consume every form of visual entertainment I could find on the internet or any DVDs

around the house, If I couldn’t find a good movie to watch it was always a tv series as my

backup form of entertainment and if I couldn’t find another good tv series then my last resort

was always youtube. For some reason growing up as a kid I was just a huge fan of

entertainment and anything that was visually different from my typical day to day reality. The

things people were creating from scratch with the help of their imagination just always amazed

me.

So what brings me here ? When I first started college at Rowan University I spent my

first two years as a Communications major. I figured since I was also a huge fan of pop culture

music and streetwear fashion I could find a way to try to fit myself into that field since

communication is just so broad, that all changed towards the second semester of my

sophomore year. After the fall semester ended an alumni from my fraternity who happened to

work for Ellen DeGeneres at the time reached out to us looking for production assistance to help

him out with a Christmas special episode for the show. Me and a friend of mine decided to give

it a go and being behind the scenes of production while also appearing on live tv was a whole

new experience for me and the push I needed to make the switch from communications to

Radio Tv and Film. Typically people within this major or film industry start out within high school.

I felt as though starting the second semester of my sophomore year I have a lot of catching up

to do. So since then I really been focused on learning as much as I can within the production of

film and media and Grateful for the opportunity JTWO has given me to stretch my creative mind

and get my feet wet within the industry of production.

Growing up in South Philadelphia has truly shaped who I am. I come from a small Italian American family, with a tight knit bond. As a young child I spent most of my days in my parents shoe store on Passyunk avenue. Learning to have an entrepreneurial spirit. When I wasn’t there I would spend my time with my grandparents or my aunt. My grandfather was a professional artist for over 50 years. My creative eye can certainly be attributed to the time I spent with him in his studio. I think it’s important to take the lessons my family taught me and follow them because they all worked so hard to give me a great life. I owe it to them.

I wish I could say I picked up a camera at a young age and never put it back down. But It wasn’t until high school when I picked up a camera for the first time and found my passion. At the time, I thought film and video production only consisted of Hollywood films and TV commercials. As I’ve matured I’ve learned to have a love for the avantgarde and film essays from that era. I think there is something so beautiful within cinematic exploration. The moments where you aren’t too sure where a piece may take you but you keep going anyway. I love films that are up for interpretation, where only the directors themselves know the deeper meaning. These films mean so much to me because they are a reflection of the lives of those producing them. These are the types of films I look to produce for all those reasons. It is such a beautiful medium for self expression.   

After high school I began attending Temple University for Film and Media Arts. I have loved my time there, as well as the ability to network with like minded people who have a passion for film and creating art. I can’t say I know exactly where the future will take me in the film industry. There are so many different avenues I see myself going down. Sometimes this is certainly a scary thought but at other times it is what excites me the most. I think it’s important to try and learn as much as possible and leave no stone unturned because there are so many important jobs in this field.

I know one thing is true, as long as I am creating films that tell great stories and move people, I will be happy. I think interning at JTWO is a great place to be and I am so excited and eager to learn as much as I can from everyone here.