About the Artist
Jimmie Thomas Jr is a filmmaker and educator from Florida. He holds a BA in broadcast journalism from Florida A&M University and an MFA in filmmaking from the Maryland Institute College of Art. His first film documentary, The Curators of Hip Hop: A Story of Independence, was screened at the Pan African Film Festival and All Three Coasts (A3C) Festival and later picked up by streaming platforms Amazon Prime and Kweli TV. Jimmie toured the documentary to over 30 colleges and universities in the United States, from Florida State University to the University of Hawaii. After the tour, he co-founded the Media Rhythm Institute (MRI) a media and entertainment education company for youth in Baltimore. Recently, he and his partners scaled Media Rhythm Institute to MRI Studios, which was awarded the BOOST program from Baltimore Downtown Partnership, where they will service artists of all backgrounds in creating, running, and sustaining a viable art business. Jimmie is currently touring his narrative short, Black Icarus, which he wrote and directed, to film festivals.
