Preface
To God be all the glory.
Chapter 1
My name is Jeremiah.
I was born in Trinidad to a Trinidadian man and Zambian woman.
My parents are firm believers in God through Jesus Christ,
so I grew up in a very Christian home.
My father even preaches sometimes.
At 12 years old, my family and I moved to Barbados.
I didn’t know what I wanted to be,
but I always liked telling stories.
Chapter 2
At 14 years old,
my older brothers introduced me to Kendrick Lamar
through his song “Money Trees”
and his album “good kid, m.A.A.d city”.
I instantly realised how good storytelling sounded over beats.
I decided to become a rapper.
I listened to singles, albums, EPs, and mixtapes
from every rapper I could find.
My favourites were
Kendrick Lamar, Ye, and Outkast.
At 17,
I started to go by the name “Black Polar Bear”.
It was a name to represent being one of a kind.
My songwriting approach
was to build the album tracklist first
(based on a topic),
then make individual songs based on the sub-topics.
This was because
I preferred music that made complete sense.
Chapter 3
My parents were not open to my musical desires.
They told me
that I must focus on getting a good degree.
I decided to go to SDSU
to get a degree in Chinese International Business.
I chose that school because it was in California
(a place where I could figure out a way
into the music industry).
However, the main reason was because
I wanted to have a college life
resemblant of movies like American Pie.
I was a wreck. I was lost. I was down.
I dropped out in less than a semester.
When I returned home
to the heartbreak of my parents,
they asked me what I was going to do
since I blew the opportunity.
I told them about my desires to do music.
They immediately strongly disagreed.
Long story short…
the next day,
God showed my father (a prophet)
that my path was indeed music.
Long story short…
I enrolled in Full Sail University
to pursue a career in music.
The very strict schedule
of long, immersive classes
moulded me
into a militant, thorough, focused young man
with an extreme work ethic.
The most impactful lesson I learned
was how to properly construct songs,
based on bar count.
This was a huge puzzle piece in my songwriting style
as I liked to have the entire song and album
make sense regarding the lyrics.
I also learned a lot about networking
and relying on others to help complete an entire project.
During a short break,
I returned to Barbados to film a music video
for a song I wrote called “Paradise”.
It was an invitation to my ex-girlfriend
to visit the beautiful place I called home.
When my father saw some of the footage,
he told me
that I should take some time away from the audio degree
to develop the visual slice of my creative pie.
I obliged.
Long story short…
Chapter 4
A guidance counsellor at Full Sail University
recommended New York Film Academy (NYFA).
I paused the degree at Full Sail and moved to Brooklyn.
1930 Bedford Ave.
Right above Flatbush Avenue.
I loved it because of Flatbush Zombies
and because I heard Talib Kweli rap about it.
There was also a lot of Caribbean cuisine and vibes
in my new area.
Commuting to school
(which was in Manhattan)
was a phenomenal experience.
Coming from the islands,
subways were like spaceships.
Oh how I adored New York City.
The first program I did at NYFA was Photography.
I thought that since video is motion picture,
it made sense to understand pictures
before studying film.
I thrived with my first camera
which wasn’t even meant for photography
(a Canon EOS M50).
I got it because videography was the bigger target.
After the photography program was finished,
I had a few months
until enrolling in Filmmaking.
So, in the mean time…
I filmed a web series about my adolescent lessons"
…
“the Jerry Jondo show”.
Time flew
and there I was studying Filmmaking.
This was a truly pivotal period.
It changed the way
I viewed every type of video.
The difference between my perspective before and after
was night and day.
After getting my certificate in Filmmaking,
I enrolled in Film Production.
It was epic.
I learned how to bring an idea to life
by finding the right teammates (cast and crew).
Then came COVID.
A teacher of mine told me
(off the record)
that I should return to Barbados ASAP
before New York shut down.
I quickly arranged my return.
However…
I realised that it made sense
to get some music recording equipment
(microphone etc.)
so that I could record a lot of music while back home.
Miraculously…
I got everything I needed the day before flying out.
When I returned home,
I finished off the Film Production course online.
Beyond that,
I converted my home library to a studio called
“The Mint Mill”.
I made myself a blissful prisoner.
I started off with editing the Jerry Jondo show.
Afterwards…
while releasing the episodes,
I made a lot of music and filmed many music videos
with my friends and family as the cast and crew.
Around then,
I reached out to Full Sail to resume my audio studies…
They told me that my credits were enough
for an Associate Degree in Recording Arts
and that I could use the credits to bypass
much of the Audio Production Bachelor Degree
which I could finish online.
Around then,
the lockdown had eased up.
I prepared to return to NYFA
to study Acting for a year.
Chapter 5
This time,
I was living in Jersey City.
It took the same amount of time to get to NYFA
as it did from where I stayed in Brooklyn.
I wanted to study Acting
so that I could learn the language of actors.
I wanted to strengthen my abilities
to communicate with the actors
who I’d be directing in the future.
My analogical view
was “Learning Japanese to live in Japan”.
I got what I wanted and more.
One very important thing I learned
was character description.
I even started to use it
in my songwriting and album building.
I managed to release 2 albums and numerous singles.
Each song had an accompanying music video.
I completed the acting program
around the same time as the Full Sail online degree.
Then…
I got a 1-Year OPT (Optional Practical Training)
which gave me permission to live and work in USA.
I used it to get a job at NYFA.
Chapter 6
Game time.
NYFA was the perfect place
for me to spend a year
as an underground musician.
God bless NYFA and its people forever and ever.
The resources were seemingly endless:
cameras, lenses, tripods, lights, stands, iMacs,
videographers, photographers,
actors, models,
theatre singers,
and more.
All of them made my productions more expansive.
I also scheduled a tour
of open mics and artist showcases
to promote my music.
At these shows,
I also filmed the other performers
and sold them the edited high-quality footage.
Some of them
were also my first music video clients.
I was making good money.
Shamefully,
the main anchor that continued to bother my pursuit
was alcohol.
I did all of my work, creations, and performances
sober,
but afterwards…
I would always indulge in the liquor.
One night…
after performing at 2 different open mics
and filming almost 10 artists,
I went to the club with two friends.
I drank too much.
I blacked out.
I woke up on a bench in the park
being robbed by 3 young men.
They took my phone,
my home keys,
and the bag that had my camera.
When the one holding the bag took out the camera,
I asked him if he needed me
to show him how to use the camera.
That remark puzzled him.
My natural reaction was to make sure
that the useful device was not mishandled.
I was not terrified or confused.
I was indifferent.
However…
when I realised that my wallet had things
that would be hard to replace
(like my Barbados driver’s license)
…
I escaped and bolted aimlessly.
I had to figure out my way back home
(to Jersey City)
from Lower East Side Manhattan.
I finally returned to my apartment
at around 6:00 AM.
My housemate opened for me
and helped me get into my room.
I never spoke to him before,
but we spent the entire day
bonding over music and liquor.
The next day,
he told me about the benefits of crowdfunding.
I started a GoFundMe that very day
and raised more than $2000.
With that money,
I scouted talented musicians at open mics
to offer them free high-quality music videos.
I also produced a few videos for my songs.
This period was very vital
since I started to leave the camera operation
to more qualified, experienced cinematographers
who did a better job
at bringing my vision to life than me in that regard.
Eventually…
I built a portfolio of high-quality music video productions
which led to several well-paying gigs.
Another benefit of this period
was that I no longer scouted open mic performers
to primarily sell them their performance videos.
Instead,
I scouted them to sing the parts of my demos
that I could not due to my limited vocal range.
This practice sharpened my capabilities
as a songwriter.
My lens had expanded beyond rap alone.
Thank God I was robbed.
Then…
my OPT ran out
and I had to return to Barbados.
Chapter 7
Barbados did not have
the networking opportunities and ecosystem
that I found in New York City.
Also…
the sound and creative style I supplied
did not fit the demands of Barbados.
Also…
I felt that there was
so much unfinished business in USA.
Things were picking up musically and business-wise
right before I left.
Additionally,
I was carrying the fact that a prophet told me
that the Lord said to make my way to California
among many other things.
I made a list of my skills and qualifications.
I made a list of 10 professions I could pursue accordingly.
The top 8 involved video production.
The bottom 2 were:
“influencer” and “musician”.
I put “musician” last as a profession
because I thought it was the least likely
to make enough money for comfortable survival.
I wanted to find a way in the music industry
that would pay well
and help develop a strong network
so that I could use the money and connections
to benefit my music career.
I thought that this was a more realistic approach.
I unknowingly and wrongfully put logic above faith.
I swept through the video production credits
of every single music video
from every single artist based in California
that my visual style matched.
I made what I called
“The Web of Ties”.
I prepared elevator pitches
and got a US phone number online.
The myriad of phone calls began.
Ring by ring…
I was rejected
by executives, assistants, producers,
directors, crew members,
their cousins, and more.
I eventually got on the phone with Tommy Labuda
(an industry executive who represents directors).
I told him that we could be like Shaq & Kobe
and that all I needed was the alley-oop.
He was amused.
However,
he told me
that he had more directors on his roster
than opportunities for them.
There was a surplus of talent.
There was a shortage of gigs.
This was due to
the rise of short-form social media content
taking away from the impact of music videos.
At that point,
I had 2 professions left:
“influencer” and “musician”.
However,
I didn’t know what to do next
even though I had been recording a lot of music
and making music videos.
Also, sadly…
my penchant for drinking and partying
still took wind out of my sails.
One 3:00AM,
I came home drunk and left the stove on frying chips.
My father woke me up around 6:00 AM in a panic.
The kitchen enveloped a cloud of smoke
that painted the walls black.
Thank God the curtains did not catch fire.
After cleaning the kitchen and scrubbing the walls,
my father told me
that we should not live in the same house
for a while
for the sake of our relationship.
I agreed.
I thought about what to do next.
I remembered the prophecy about California.
I reminded him about it
and he supported the decision.
I decided to return to USA for a short period
to try to get into the music industry
as an outright musician,.
A few days before leaving,
my friend said that I should start vlogging
because of my lifestyle and personality.
I always thought vlogging was corny.
I never watched vlogs.
I reluctantly agreed to give it a shot.
He filmed my very first vlog…
the experience was amazing.
It was one of my favourite days at that point.
I decided to document my trip as a vlog series.
First…
I returned to NYC
where I performed at open mics,
took part in studio sessions,
and filmed a few mini documentaries
for underground musicians.
Then…
I went to Los Angeles for the first time ever.
Landing in LAX was an unforgettable experience.
I spent a week in Santa Monica,
then a month in Hollywood.
I stayed in hostels.
Hostels were so ideal for me at that point in life.
Meeting fellow young travellers
from all around the world,
who had no reason to pretend
since they’d only know one another
for a mere week at most,
was so pure and electrifying.
Regarding the music pursuit,
I tried so hard to find a breakthrough.
I networked a lot,
met a lot of talented musicians,
performed at open mics,
scouted vocalists at open mics,
arranged and supervised studio sessions,
made music,
attended a studio launch,
went to listening events,
went to mixers,
and even had a meeting with a WME agent
in Beverly Hills
while eating an overpriced salmon croissant.
His advice,
coupled with my experience in LA,
showed me that I had to develop the ability
to build a fanbase through my content and catalogue
and that a short-term visit to California
was not going to be sufficient.
I had to develop sustainably and then return.
Time ran out.
I returned to Barbados again.
Chapter 8
I decided to make travel the core of my vlogs.
I always wanted to travel a lot,
and Barbados was a popular tourist destination
with much adventure and natural beauty.
The vlogs were a mixture of
adventures, reviews, recommendations, and conversations…
with my music as the soundtrack.
The impact was immediate and the traction grew rapidly.
Since Barbados was a small country
(the population was less than 300,000 people)…
according to scale,
I had excellent numbers.
I was also the only locally-based creator
consistently producing and releasing content
that showcased local gems and people.
It was locally resonant.
Also, visitors continuously saw my videos on YouTube
when they researched Barbados,
in preparation for their vacations.
Some of them recognised me
and let me know that they were guided by my projects.
My output rate
and the lessons I learned
about keyword integration and SEO
gave me much growth.
It was splendid.
My growth influenced me to jump the gun;
I decided to test the formula abroad.
Chapter 9
After spending a week in London
visiting and documenting famous attractions and locations,
I volunteered at a hostel in Czech Republic
as a night receptionist.
I stayed there for a month.
What an experience.
It was shockingly so cheap
even though it was so elegantly beautiful.
Afterwards,
I visited Hungary, Albania, Montenegro, and Bulgaria.
I was seen as an intriguing alien
since I was one of very few black people present.
There were so many requests for pictures,
desires to touch my dreadlocks,
peculiar questions,
and attention.
I was quite amused by the people’s interest.
My heart was also warmed by their hospitality.
So much hospitality.
But, truthfully…
it wasn’t all roses and daisies…
there were thorns.
It was a rollercoaster ride
of character-building highs and lows.
Hostels, mountains, hikes, waterfalls, beaches, lakes, rivers,
lost scooter, car rentals, train rides, unique cuisines,
fellow adventurous travellers, scammers,
blackouts, tears, apologies to God,
abundance, broke, gain, loss,
etc.
By the end of the European trip,
I was completely uninterested in parties and wildness.
I returned to Barbados again.
Then
I published hundreds of videos from the trip.
The numbers were very underwhelming
according to how much money
was invested in the trip.
However,
I was very grateful for the experience.
The soundtrack for the content
also showed me how much I grew as a musician.
Months later,
I spent a few weeks in Africa
(Zambia, Botswana, Tanzania, and Zanzibar).
The setting was saddening
as there was so much lack of resources.
Also,
the disparity between wealth and poverty
was sometimes a street thin.
For example:
on the way to a luxurious hotel in Zanzibar,
there are bumpy roads and makeshift homes.
However,
the bright, loving attitudes of the citizens
truly made me re-think everything
about my existence and perspective on life.
I felt so humbled.
I felt so spoilt.
I felt so ungrateful.
I felt so dark.
That trip made me appreciate what I had..
It made me strive to be a better human being.
I never published all that I filmed and edited
because
I never figured out how to convey
the essence of the journey.
However,
its impact definitely affected my next move…
“mTV”.
Chapter 10
When I returned to Barbados,
I shifted to making others the subject of my videos.
One night…
I was walking on the beach cooking up video ideas.
One idea I wrote down
was to showcase a visitor’s experience
from their arrival to their departure.
Miraculously,
I saw a message Instagram
from a tourist planning to visit Barbados soon.
He asked for recommendations and guidance.
Long story short…
I made a video
documenting the entirety of a few tourists
from their arrival to their departure.
Then
I started to do public interviews with strangers.
The videos took off.
Going viral became common practice.
My abilities to converse with strangers,
edit quickly and cleanly,
and distribute in mass
grew my platform to incredible heights.
Again,
the size of the country and its small population
worked in my favour.
I was in high demand.
I was recognised everywhere I went,
but it was honestly overwhelming.
Also,
it was ironic since the platform
was focused on making other people the subjects.
Regarding potential clients,
the only ones willing to pay me
were party promoters and alcohol companies.
I was conflicted.
Along with having no interest in parties
(after my time in Europe),
I had also quit drinking while in Africa.
Foolishly,
I put human logic over faith in God.
Foolish decision.
I was right back into the leisure pleasures
that I worked to hard to overcome.
The flight I boarded
endured the turbulent currents
of lust, drunkenness, debauchery,
deception, manipulation,
stress, anger, and regression.
Thankfully…
I took a step back
and strategised a way out of that spiral.
Around that time,
I saw an advertisement
for an influencer content creation competition.
I decided that the money was mine.
Long story short…
I won $5000 BDS/$2500 USD
without any obscenity or vulgarity.
This solidified the faith I had in my next venture.
I realised that
the upcoming Crop Over (Carnival) season
would be saturated
with influencers promoting party events
that mainly occurred during the night.
I settled on the belief
that the open sea of daytime, travel-based content
made sense
since so many incoming tourists
would want to know what to do
outside of partying.
I planned to invest my prize money
into higher quality productions
that would showcase hotels
and their nearby activities and food places.
It would feature conversations with locals as well
to showcase their hospitable, comedic nature.
I reached out to every single hotel in Barbados
to see who’d facilitate my idea…
0/63.
So…
I booked three hotel stays anyway
and carried out the expedition.
The results were incredible.
The quality and the traction exceeded my prior works.
Millions of views across all platforms.
I gathered all of the statistics
to present the proof of concept to all hotels again.
I approached most of them multiple times again.
Again…
0/63.
I realised
that what isn’t broken doesn’t need to be fixed,
so the hotels were successful enough to be comfortable
without my involvement.
I was still grateful
for the growth in my subject matter and quality.
Then
I was asked to speak to some young teens
at a fireman/firewoman summer camp.
The session revealed how much was on my chest.
I poured my heart out to them
about mistakes to avoid
and priorities to focus on.
For months after,
I was ashamed of some advice I gave them
regarding business and friendship.
My emotions had gotten the best of me.
Furthermore…
most of them were familiar with me because of social media.
I felt worried that they might have been watching
the other content
that involved promotion of lust and liquor.
I was worried
that I might have produced
what American Pie and Project X were to me.
After this…
in some random instances,
whenever young children
(as young as 7)
recognised me from TikTok,
the guilt I felt was heavy.
I thought that I was a horrible influence.
It was very heavy.
I knew I brought it on myself…
but redemption was possible.
Summer was now over,
and I had to deeply ponder my future.
Chapter 12
I deeply pondered my future,
starting with self-awareness and reflection.
I was not pleased with my lifestyle.
It was obvious that I continued to backslide.
Even though I anointed myself almost everyday,
I was not actually close to God.
I was so far from Him.
If I died right then…
I’d be sizzling forever.
I was squandering my gifts.
I was working for the world.
I was serving the flesh.
Beyond that,
I was not watering my musicianship.
To get back on track musically,
I compiled the best songs
that I had made over the recent years
and published an album called
“We Meet Again”.
However…
I realised that my music was not godly at all.
It was not glorifying God as it should.
I decided to shift all of my focus
to working for God…
beyond just music…
all…
everything.
I hit the reset button.
It was time to abandon the world forever.
All of my ideas started to be
about sowing seeds of positivity and construction.
The state of the next generation
became a dear priority of mine.
I registered my first company
to be a broadcast vessel for messages
that build the community
by and for the glory of God.
My first campaign was titled
“Operation: Handle With Care”.
It was a nuanced exploration of collective contribution.
Various perspectives combined to fulfil the shared desire
to make the next generation
an improvement of the current one.
The results were tremendous.
One thing I really appreciated
was how detached my image was from the campaign.
In that regard,
there was no fame or veneration coming my way.
I was at peace.
It felt good to construct instead of destroy.
It felt even better infusing Bible verses in my work.
To end the campaign,
I laid out my blueprint
on how to technically create
impactful video campaigns
for the sake of the community.
I was pleased with my decisions.
After that venture,
I developed an idea for a video campaign
about the power of a single thought.
I wanted it to be a cerebral journey
from the Caribbean,
through its diaspora,
and beyond.
It was to explore and exhibit
the power of surroundings
on thoughts
and vice versa.
After countless hours of research,
hundreds of pages were compiled,
and several grants were applied for.
I realised that it would take a few months
to get the responses to my applications.
I was extremely delighted
since I realised that I could use that time
to make a lot of music.
One night,
I stumbled across an incredible instrumental on YouTube.
I checked the page responsible for it.
Almost every single beat I pulled up
resulted in me freestyling concepts, flows, and lines
on my phone’s voice memos.
Over 30 skeletons were laid.
I dove right in.
The second song I wrote
was a letter to my future wife.
I wanted to make sure
that my perspective
was in alignment
with God’s word.
I simply Googled
“Bible verses about marriage”.
This led to me absorbing and compiling
numerous verses.
My eyes were opened about marriage.
I realised how wrong I had been
about romance, dating, courtship, and matrimony.
I felt cleaner and more complete as a man.
From that point on,
I wrote and recorded many demos
over a period of 3 months.
Each song followed the same process
started by Biblical alignment.
My life changed.
I changed.
My thoughts changed.
Everything transformed for the better.
Every single thing.
It was phenomenal.
It felt like true emergence.
It felt like heavenly metamorphosis.
The Word of God proved to be applicable
to all scenarios, feelings, emotions, and experiences.
When I read
that in the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God…
it became clear to me that the Bible was a map
that I and everyone else would need forever.
I made the decision to become His vessel.
I embraced being His mouthpiece.
One evening…
I saw an email
from the main grant I applied for.
I knew that if they declined…
the campaign would be postponed indefinitely
since the rest of the grants, combined,
wouldn’t be sufficient funding.
I opened the email…
Denied.
I smiled.
I rejoiced.
I thanked God for all I learned in the process.
I thanked Him for His will.
I thanked Him for what’s in store.
I felt so relieved.
I was so immersed
in making music and studying the Bible.
I did not want to disrupt that flow.
In that moment,
I felt like a musician for the first time.
I felt that I was finally in pursuit of my calling.
To be continued.
