Joslyn Rose Lyons shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Joslyn Rose, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
What I’m most proud of building, though it’s often invisible to the industry, is the light between the artists and collaborators on this journey. That light carries us through creative risks, bold ideas, and the moments where faith matters more than certainty. I think of the lights who embody that spirit, and I’m deeply grateful for those who inspire me: Simone Leanora, Johanna Saldana, Asani Swann, Dominique Mouton, Alisa Jacobs, Tori at Golf Babes, Andrea Beltran, Priscilla O., Hedy Wong, Christine Ni, Ryan Nicole, Raphael Saadiq, Mahershala Ali, Ryan Coogler, Hill Harper, J. Alphonse Nicholson, Donald Lacy, Boots Riley, Vernon Davis, Ryan Bremond, Nick Mahar, Matt Smith, Malik Buie, Jallal, Hilton Day, Jacob Bloomfield, Taj, my partners at Oaklandish, Alliance of Women Directors, and Women in Film. To know them, to be inspired by them, and to create with them is a gift. I’m most proud of building those connections and reminding each other never to dim our light.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Joslyn Rose Lyons is an Emmy®-nominated director and award-winning filmmaker whose work spans features, and narrative short films. Her work has been featured on Showtime, Paramount, Warner Bros. Entertainment, Starz, and Lionsgate, and has premiered at major festivals including Sundance, Essence, and Urbanworld. She was named a finalist for the Academy Gold Women’s Fellowship under the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Academy Awards®).
Joslyn’s feature-length studio directorial debut, “Stand” (Showtime/Paramount+), an Emmy®-nominated documentary, explores the extraordinary journey of pioneering activist and basketball prodigy Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf. The film features notable figures, including Steph Curry, Mahershala Ali, Ice Cube, and Shaquille O’Neal. “Stand” was nominated for an Emmy® Award for Outstanding Documentary.
Her narrative short films have earned international acclaim. Looking Glass premiered at Sundance London, won Best Short at the American Film Awards and TopShorts’ Best Female Director, and received honors from the Berlin Film Festival, and Los Angeles Film Awards. One of Joslyn’s early scripted narrative shorts, Umi’s Heart stars Academy Award–winner Mahershala Ali, and was honored with the Best Humanitarian Short Film Award at the One Nation Film Festival. Her short film Butterfly Boxing, starring J. Alphonse Nicholson and Hill Harper, premiered at the Essence Film Festival and won Best Director and Best Short at the LA Independent Women Film Awards.
Within narrative and music-driven storytelling, Joslyn has directed and produced work for MTV, BET, Uninterrupted, and Apple Music. Her projects include Tale of the Tape, a documentary on the impact of the mixtape featuring Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, and Wiz Khalifa; the Grammy’s first Music Matters showcase at CAA; and the BET Awards Celebrity Basketball Game. Across documentary and music television, she has collaborated with talent including Nick Cannon, President Barack Obama, Megan Thee Stallion, Chris Brown, Snoop Dogg, D-Nice, Chad Hugo, Erykah Badu, Mahershala Ali, Common, Vince Staples, 2 Chainz, Too $hort, and E-40.
She has been invited to speak by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for its Gold Rising program and has served as a judge for both the Emmy® Awards and the Webby Awards. Joslyn is a member of Women in Film (WIF), and the Alliance of Women Directors. She guest-hosted at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. Through Starz Take The Lead initiative, she has curated panels focused on amplifying underrepresented voices in entertainment.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I was a dreamer, believed art was a kind of language between the seen and the unseen. I carried notebooks full of sketches and intentions… That part of me never really left that’s still the compass I follow when the noise of the world gets too loud. My dreams…
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I would tell her: trust your vision. The path won’t always be clear, and at times the weight of doubt will feel heavier than possibility. But every challenge, every stumble, is shaping the artist and storyteller you’re becoming. Hold onto your truth, keep creating even when it feels impossible, and remember. what feels like risk is often just the first step toward your dream coming to light.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
They’d probably say what matters most to me is the light protecting it, sharing it, and reminding others not to dim theirs.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: When do you feel most at peace?
I feel most at peace when I’m creating, whether it’s on set behind the camera, in the quiet rhythm of writing, or shaping a story in the edit. There’s a stillness in that flow, where time drops away and everything aligns, the vision, the work, the heart. That’s where I feel closest to myself
Contact Info:
- Website: https://itsjoslynrose.com
- Instagram: itsjoslynrose
Image Credits
Osi Umunna
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