“It’s been a really wild adventure for this little company that could,” said Klein College of Media and Communication alumna Julian Hamer, KLN ’17 (she/her).
Hamer recently co-founded Fearless Video Productions, a women-of-color-owned production company that has worked in everything from politics to the Golden Globes. While the company still hasn’t officially launched, they have already made a name for themselves through their work.
Hamer met her business partner in the company, Yessica Hernandez-Cruz, while she was working as the senior video producer and cinematographer for Kamala Harris For the People, Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign. In 2019, Hamer saw that Harris’s headquarters in her hometown of Baltimore was looking for a producer. Hamer applied, not exactly knowing she would be the lead producer, but took the job anyway
Hamer said that following Harris around the country was some of the hardest work she’s done, but is proud of the story that they crafted for her and the connections they fostered between Harris and the people. Seeing another woman of color leading and empowering such a diverse team gave her an interesting perspective and inspired her to collaborate with Hernandez-Cruz and start Fearless Video Productions.
However, before starting her own project, Hamer freelanced for Joe Biden’s presidential campaign as well as the Democratic National Convention (DNC). There, Hamer brought on Hernandez-Cruz to help her produce Harris’s DNC introduction pieces. After the DNC, Hamer and Hernandez-Cruz were brought on as full-time staffers for Harris on the Biden campaign.
After the campaign ended, Hamer and Hernandez-Cruz decided to start their own adventure with Fearless Video Productions.
One day, she received a call from Klein alumnus and Pennsylvania State Representative Malcolm Kenyatta, KLN ‘12. He told Hamer he was interested in running for the United States senate, and asked if she would help. Together, Hamer and Hernandez-Cruz crafted his launch story and worked on other content for him.
Between their work with Harris and Kenyatta, Hamer and Hernandez-Cruz created Fearless Video Productions in order to continue doing what they do best: telling stories. Fearless Video Productions has worked on video, digital and social content for the Golden Globes; uplifted the stories of other political clients and issues, particularly candidates of color; plus other projects that Fearless Video Productions can’t yet announce.
The company is currently producing a short-form documentary in collaboration with Echoing Green about the importance of investing in Black leadership. Senior Director of Global Partnerships and Equity at Echoing Green and Temple University alumna Tiffany Thompson, CPH ’10 (she/her), hired Hamer and her company for the project.
“It’s been a pleasure and really an honor to watch her brilliance come to light,” Thompson said. “I think she thinks the honor is hers. The honor is actually mine to be able to give someone what they so rightfully deserve in a space that often told her ‘No.’”
As wild as her career after leaving Temple has been, her college career was also quite nontraditional. Hamer came to Temple in fall 2009, but took a leave of absence for a semester in fall 2013 and came back in spring 2014. Unfortunately, Hamer did not apply to graduate and had to come back in spring 2017 to officially finish her degree in journalism.
During her time at Temple, Hamer was a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and vice president of Temple Student Government. She also immersed herself in sports broadcasting through OwlAccess in the Athletics Department. Between 2014 and 2017, Hamer worked as a studio technician operator at Fox 45 in Baltimore and did some freelance production work at other companies.
“I try to work with a lot of intention and work with stuff that matters to me,” Hamer said. Adjunct Instructor in the Journalism Department at Klein Denise James (she/her) noted that Hamer was an excellent student who exuded strength and compassion.
“I find that she is one of those folks that I just didn’t want to forget,” James said. “She is among about a dozen students who I knew would be folks that I might actually work for one day.” When she found out that Hamer was working on the Harris campaign, James was impressed, but not surprised.
Thompson is excited for people to experience Hamer’s work as a Black person living out her passion without being stifled, and is happy to support a fellow Temple Owl.
“She walks in integrity, operates with skill, and leads with her heart,” James said. “I wish her nothing but the best and I’m proud of her. I’m so, so proud of her.”