Award-winning actress Joselyn Dumas has charged Ghanaian creatives to take advantage of social media, AI, and collaboration to build sustainable careers, saying consistency and preparation are more important than raw talent.
Speaking after moderating a program at the U.S. Embassy dubbed American Film Showcase, where she hosted Sidra Smith, Award-Winning Producer, Dumas said the digital space is now the biggest tool for young talent — but only if used intentionally.
“Social Media is a Tool. It’s Up to You How You Use It”
Dumas noted that algorithms are pushing consistent creators to the top, regardless of whether they are “particularly talented.”
“Not particularly talented, but because they’ve been consistent and they’ve been doing a lot of this creating content, they have been pushed by the algorithm, and then you see them, right?” she said.
“It’s there as a tool, you know. It’s up to you and how you want to use it. I learned so many things on social media. My feed is more of things that can better myself as a person and even my career.”
She added: “So, what you want to use social media for is what really determines how it’s going to help you or not. AI is here to stay. Social media is even going to get bigger, but it’s up to you and what you are looking for.”
“Prepare Your Material” – A Chance Meeting Led to a Film Role
Sharing a personal experience, Dumas urged young creatives to always be ready for opportunities.
“I mean, prepare, prepare your material, because you never know who you’re going to meet,” she said.
“I remember last week I went somewhere and I met a young filmmaker, and he said to me that he had a film that he wanted me to feature in, and he wanted me to play the lead, and he didn’t think that I would agree. I said, ‘Send me the script.’ This is somebody who had already prepared.”
The Power of Collaboration: “We Are All We Got”
Dumas made a strong case for Ghanaian filmmakers to come together to fund and produce content, citing Nollywood and Hollywood as examples.
“I’m telling all of us to come together and collaborate,” she said. “When you watch Hollywood movies, you see the executive producers. There are like 15 of them, and their names are all part of the credits. It’s not about you doing a movie and it’s me, Joselyn Dumas.”
“If we cannot raise the money individually, how do we raise it as a collective? If you have a relationship with two or three people in industry, go have a discussion and see how we can collaborate to make movies. That’s what the Nigerians are doing. I can tell you that for free.”
She referenced her own Netflix production, saying it was made possible because “a group of people came together with a vision, and then they put their mouth where their money is and they put together the production.”
“I cannot say it enough that we need to work together because we are all we got. Social media will create it, also take advantage of this,” she concluded.
The American Film Showcase program at the U.S. Embassy brought together filmmakers, producers, and creatives to discuss storytelling, funding, and global opportunities in film.
