Biographie
Damon Jamal is a self-taught filmmaker who was born in Berkeley and came up in Oakland, California. In the urban music video genre, he established himself as a household name in the Bay Area as the go-to director for premium projects with modest budgets.
He has since worked with hundreds of music artists including P. Diddy, Rick Ross, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, E-40, Tyga, and Philthy Rich.
Jamal was named Best Music Video Director at the West Coast Hip Hop Awards in 2010 and 2011 and by Stash Magazine in 2011. His work was consistently featured on music video channels such as MTV and online at WorldStarHipHop.com.
In 2013, he moved his base of operations from Oakland to Los Angeles with the idea of getting bigger budgets for his production company, In Yo FACE Filmworks, which specializes in film, music videos, and web media.
Inspired by artists like the Hughes Brothers, Martin Scorsese, and Spike Jonze, Jamal has produced and directed a dozen documentaries and written and directed numerous short films. He was named Best Director at the San Francisco Seven Day Film Festival for his short film, "The End," a suspense, murder-mystery, drama.
In 2013, he directed his first feature film, "Rolling" starring Matthew Thompson (Dallas Buyers Club) and Joy Regulano (Supernatural). The film is a coming of age drama that explores the diverse backgrounds of seven Bay area students who break into their local high school to make a movie. Rolling has been compared to a modern day "Breakfast Club," and was honored with to premiere at the Oakland International Film Festival.
In January 2015, Jamal released "99 North," a hip-hop musical that is a fusion of urban cinema and rap music. The film features Clifton Powell (Ray) and Omar Gooding (Baby Boy), as well as popular indie rappers Philthy Rich, Mitchy Slick, Shake Da Mayor, and Diego Redd. Jamal also helped produce several episodes of "Drugs, Inc." Season 7, a television documentary series created by National Geographic. The biopic explores global narcotics production and trafficking featuring the lives of actual drug dealers, recreational users, and addicts, as well as professionals in the fields of substance abuse, drug rehabilitation, and justice.
In 2017 he also won several awards for producing the short film "Nothing is Sacred" which also was an official selection at the Cannes Film Festival.
In 2021, his third feature film "Entanglement" was released which features Cisco Reyes (Next Day Air), Jasmine Burke (Saints and Sinners), Omar Gooding (Baby Boy) and the super talented Angie Stone. The film is a Romantic dramedy and is top ranked on Amazon Prime.
His latest project is the thriller "Survival" featuring Elise Neal and Demetrius Grosse which played at several film festivals, winning Best Feature Film at The People's Film Festival in Harlem, NY as well as Best Dramatic Film at the Detroit Black Film Festival. The film was released on streaming platforms September 25, 2023.
