Meet Shaiking Mathis of Mathis Family Productions

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shaiking Mathis.

Shaiking, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My journey has been a very difficult and troublesome one but a very inspiring one for the history books. Coming from the south side of Chicago Roseland neighborhood I was introduced to gang life at a very early aged. During my time of destruction on the streets of Roseland I always reminded myself, and fellow gang members that some day I would do some good in the community that we once plagued with drug an gang wars.The reply I would get from them was ” Moe you gone always be in these streets just like the rest of us” and I would say ” No I ain’t Moe I’m going to make movies and tell our story, so we can create our own jobs for ourselves an turn our living hell to a living paradise”.

The block I was affiliated with had a 100 year old movie theater across the street from it called the Roseland theater, I used to fantasize to myself about rebuilding that theater an showing my own films there.Then reality would slap me in the face as detectives pulled up throwing me against the wall checking my pockets an looking down my throat searching for guns an drugs because the block I was from had constant illegal activity going on, but moments like that is what made me persevere an keep pushing towards my dream because I knew despite my circumstances, I had the ability to change me and everything around me just as much as I imagined it soon it would be a reality if I believed in myself.

With that being said God made it possible for my mom to receive section 8 an moved from the south side to the north side of Chicago where I found the Evanston Television station in 2009.They had a program at the local youth job center for ex-felons,high-school drop outs, and at risk youth under the American Recovery an reinvestment Act that gave at risk youth a opportunity to work in a real world professional environment to see what type of results it would produce.During my time in the program at the TV station I wasn’t welcomed by the staff because of my background an some of the things the was supposed to teach me they didn’t.

One of the staff members left me in a editing room an said he would be back, but end up leaving for hours, so by the time he got back I had already took the initiative an started learning the editing software on my own.Then another staff member gave me a camera and said ” now let’s see what you can do with this” so I started filming my own show in the neighborhood of Evanston called E-Town Get Down and as I was filming a local rapper asked me if I did music videos an I said yea of course, but I had never did a music video a day in my life, I knew it was a opportunity to do what I always dreamed, so I charged him $500 an shot his video, I didn’t know what I was doing, but I persevered and learned how to do it and since then I haven’t put that camera down.Below I have a link to my WGN interview check it out and let me know what you think? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7hM-Zz1zkw

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has been a very difficult and troublesome one but a very inspiring one for the history books.Coming from the south side of Chicago Roseland neighborhood I was introduced to gang life at a very early aged.During my time of destruction on the streets of Roseland I always reminded myself, and fellow gang members that some day I would do some good in the community that we once plagued with drug an gang wars.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about mathis family productions – what should we know?
A little about me recently my responsibilities included promoting, photography, cinematography, developing writing, directing, editing videos as well as sound recording, and voice-overs with FCP adobe premiere, after effects, graphic design, adobe Photoshop,light room and producing Chicago Chronicles The Robert “Yummy” Sandifer Story feature film which I wrote and directed along with photography I also shoot music videos, TV shows, and independent films.

 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.reelhouse.org/shaiking27
• Phone: 7736632286
• Email: mathisfamilyproductions@gmail.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Robert-Yummy-Sandifer-Story-1457345757811432/
• Other: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3279420/

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