It’s finally that time of the year! December is here marking the end of an amazing and challenging year!
With Christmas and New Year’s around the corner, this is a time for reflection, sharing, and getting ready for new beginnings!
We all have come so far as a society, industry, and as individuals throughout this year. Adapting to a new normal, learning to live with COVID, and creating a more diverse and fair world for everyone. My heart is filled with gratitude over all the amazing projects that I was able to complete and all the wonderful stories that we put out to the world. I am grateful for my family, for health, and for all the amazing people and collaborators that I’ve met.
I wish you all the most wonderful of Christmases, Hanukkahs, warmth during this cold season not only in your bodies but in your hearts, and Happy New Year!
The last month of the year makes me think about the traditions that have become part of my life. Giving back to our community is essential to me, and I have made it a tradition to volunteer at the Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen every year!
I am extremely happy to bring my amazing team of interns with me this year. I am a firm believer that the more you give, the more you get. It is important to share our blessings and our time with people who need it the most. After all, acts of kindness have an underrated power of changing the world! Super happy to share this important experience with my team and share values together.
I encourage you all to give back in ways that are unique to you! The Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen is a wonderful experience, you can volunteer until February! Here is all the information about how to get involved- whether through volunteering or donations!
Art Basel in Miami was incredible! This was my third year going since I made a promise to myself that I will never miss it. I am so happy to be part of this amazing event where creatives and artists from all over the world get together to share their love for art. It was humbling to be surrounded by so many amazing artists and be able to witness some of the world’s most beautiful and touching art.
I met a lot of creatives and film lovers! Had a lot of great conversations, and I am excited of the opportunity of working with them in the future!
Shoutout to Renata Cuello, winner of the Red Dot Spectrum show this week!
Some incredible news! Cicada was nominated for the 2022 Film Independent Spirit Awards for best screenplay!!! We are over the moon over the news, and I could not be more proud to be part of the amazing group of people that brought it to life! Here is the full list of nominations, tune in to the IFC’s telecast on March 6th, 2022 to see the winners!
Cicada has played for a month in New York and expanded locations to more theaters! The success of the film is attributed to how well received it has been with audiences. The whole team is in aww and for its critical and financial success.
We captured lighting in bottle and the world is supporting it! It is beautiful to see that people from all over the world can really connect to the material. Audiences have been blown away for the masterful acting and the message that Cicada conveys.
Cicada’s success has opened doors to our entire cast and crew! Sheldon got signed with an agent! Matthew signed with a talent manager and was featured in People’s magazine! I couldn’t be more happy that they found representation!
Cheers and congrats to my Cicada family! Go ahead and watch the film if you haven’t yet!
I want to shoutout to my amazing sister Maritza! It was her birthday on December 1st, and I couldn’t think of a better time to celebrate her and express tell everyone how incredible she is!
I am so proud to be her brother and godfather, and so grateful to be able to see her grow into the beautiful person that she is inside and out! Maritza is an Entrepreneur, volunteer, model, and so much more. She is an extremely hard working woman, and it is beautiful to see her career flourish. From her time at Fordham University and graduating from Stony Brook University, she has worked at many prestigious companies. I am so grateful to share my life’s journey with such an incredible sister! She knows that I will always support her and be her biggest fan! Can’t wait to see her next big move! Happy Birthday Maritza!
It was such an honor to participate in a table read last month at MCM with my friends Luis Ramos and Gino Cafarelli, as well as the incredibly creative Markuann Smith.
We read for an awesome up and coming script about Hip Hop that has some incredible names attached already. It was so great to get back to acting, as I started my career as an actor back in 2005. This opportunity made me think of manifesting and counting our blessings- things always come around! I hadn’t performed for a while, and I am so grateful that I got to dive into some really interesting characters!
Keep an eye out for something new coming your way soon!
It is important to me to share my experience with the upcoming generation of filmmakers! It was exciting to speak at NYU on November 17th about producing and pitching!
I am honored to be invited to speak to film students multiple times. I am a big supporter of NYU and their incredible film program! It is always a pleasure to be part of the educational process of this amazing school with incredible creative minds!
Some exciting updates about Ricky! We finished shooting and are now in the process of going into post-production. We had an incredible time on set and shooting all around Connecticut- from Hartford to Bristol!
It was awesome to be working with Rashad and an incredible crew from NYU, Connecticut locals, and Rashad’s friends! It is really beautiful to see people from different parts of the world coming out of their way, and coming together to make this project come to live. We had producers coming from Toronto and Atlanta.
I am beyond proud and excited to be part of the team who brought this masterpiece together! With several locations, we faced many challenges including dealing with a tornado, but I’m really happy everyone was safe!
Happy to announce that I am now on the board of the Black Film Television Collective (BTFC) now in the New York team!
The BTFC is joining forces with the Parity Projects to create a singular powerhouse organization dedicated to reversing systemic racism in the Film and TV industry! The BTFC founded in New York in 2017 by award-winning writer, director and producerHuriyyah Muhammad, the Black TV & Film Collective (BTFC) is a nonprofit development and production hub dedicated to creating career advancing opportunities for Black artists to achieve financial sustainability within the entertainment industry. Similarly, The Parity Project, founded in Los Angeles in 2018 by union members of the Black Writers Guild of America, advocates for fair economic and narrative inclusion and equity of Black artists, executives, and representatives in the film and television industry.
If you are interested in becoming part of this amazing group, click here to find out how to become a member or donate!
Huriyyah Muhammad and me
Had a fantastic holiday dinner with my board member colleagues from the Hollywood Radio Television Society! I am grateful to be part of this amazing community were I have made the most incredible relationships! Being part of such an amazing group of creatives is an honor. I appreciate being mentored by high level powerhouse executives, and having the opportunity to do the same with the upcoming generation of creatives!
Don’t Think About It, Do It!
Have you been feeling stagnant in your creative process? Schedule a one-on-one consultation with me online or over the phone. Consultations will take your project from any phase of development to pre-production, production, and selling and distributing your project! To schedule your consultation, visit ramfis.net or email ramfis@ramfis.net.