@proffjoshua
About
Joshua Olawuyi
Visual Storyteller · Documentary Filmmaker · Development Communicator
I’m a visual storyteller, documentary filmmaker, photographer, and journalist. My work sits at the intersection of image-making and social inquiry — I’m interested in the stories that don’t make headlines, the lives that resist easy summary, and the communities that have long deserved better representation.
I believe a camera — whether shooting stills or cinema — is a tool of accountability and care. My job is to listen first, ask honest questions, and stay long enough to earn the real story.
Craft
What I do
Documentary & Video
Short films, documentary features, and commissioned video work. I approach every project with deep curiosity about the humans at its centre.
Photography
Portrait, documentary, and editorial photography. I’m drawn to quiet moments, honest faces, and the spaces in between.
Journalism & Reporting
Features, profiles, and investigative pieces — primarily around culture, community, and the built environment of social change.
Development Communication
Brand identity, editorial design, and visual communications — with a particular interest in purpose-led organisations and creative projects.
Journey
Selected Milestones
2025
Founded SOARi
Launched a nonprofit building creative pathways for young people from underrepresented communities through storytelling, mentorship, and community-led media.
2022
UC Berkeley — M.A. Journalism
Graduate study in journalism at one of the world’s leading schools, deepening practice in investigative and documentary storytelling.
2022
Directed Man Up
A documentary short exploring masculinity, vulnerability, and the stories men carry in silence.
2021
Directed Bounce Back
A film following resilience and identity in communities rarely centred by mainstream media.
2020
Reporting with Oakland North
Community journalism covering culture, housing, and the lives of Oakland’s diverse communities.
Founder — Since 2022
SOARi — Youth Empowerment Nonprofit
Outside the frame, I’m the founder of SOARi, a nonprofit building creative pathways for young people from underrepresented communities through storytelling, mentorship, and community-led media. Three active programmes. Real young people. Work that matters.
3 active programmes · Ages 14–19 · Nigeria / US-based
Visit SOARi →
Active Programmes
Let’s Tell Stories
That Matter
I’m open to commissions, collaborations, speaking engagements, and conversations. If you have a story worth telling, I want to hear it.
Get in Touch