TORONTO
FACEFILMS
M E E T T H E T E A M
Heart Of Da City (HODC) Film Productions & Entertainment INC. is a youth-led company founded by FaceFilms, the new generation of the urban music and film scene in Toronto. The company has directed over 150 music videos for various talented artists throughout the Greater Toronto Area. Over its three years of establishment, the FaceFilms
YouTube channel has reached over 3.9 million views, 3700 subscribers, and is steadily growing.
HODC Film Productions & Entertainment INC. specializes in music video production, artist development, and film projects for clients who want professional and effective results with the promotional tools provided. Services include: Music Videos, Visual Media (Documentaries), Artist Development, Event Planing, and Fashion Designing.
As a skilled cinematographer, founder and CEO Face Young is at heart of the HODC/FaceFilms enterprise. His work has gained notable credit in the GTA, and with the company's growing clientelle FaceFilms strives to continue making waves in the industry by testing creative boundaries and reaching global audiences, while adopting innovative approaches to the markets in-demand.
The company recently collaborated with Lone Wolf Entertainment's very own 13-year-old rapper Lil JaXe. Anthony Gayle (Faded4U) met and interviewed Lil JaXe to cover his amazing achievements as a young rap artist, earning a name in hip hop for using his craft to make great music and overcome the challenges of his speech impedement.
The Story BEHIND FaceFilms
Face Young
FOUNDER & CEO
As an enterprising film trademark in the city, FaceFilms of Heart Of Da City (HODC) Film Productions is the new generation of video production on the Toronto film scene. Coming out of the mean streets of Scarborough, Face Young always knew he was talented when it came to multimedia, an area which led him to find his future in film after obtaining his first camcorder filming street videos and interviews for local artists and interviewing those on the come-up.
Face began to enhance his skills behind the camera, enrolling in Media Journalism at Ryerson University. As part of the Say Word Media team, Face saw his future in front of him, Media Journalism. Say Word Magazine featured Face in their “Who’s Next?” section of Issue 3, which hit local newstands. Now his growing enterprise is providing effective media outlets for various local artists to build a movement across the city--connecting local artists to the urban entertainment market.
Matthew Kelly
Cinematographer/Editor & Motion Visual Effects Designer
Matthew Kelly was born the eldest of two sons in Toronto, but spent his life growing up in Mississauga, ON. His grandfather played in the NFL and CFL which helped to make Matthew a natural at sports.
From a young age, Matthew Kelly exhibited a passion for computers. He recorded his first music video in 2009 using a laptop with a built-in webcam. After completing a cinematography course at George Brown College, Matthew realized that film was a professional field that he could conquer. After receiving countless compliments on his raw talent for visuals, he made the decision to dedicate his future to becoming the best editor that he could be.
Furthermore, Matthew studied the techniques of design and motion graphics to further develop his skills. Motivated and full of ideas, in 2012 he partnered with an investor to create TypeAdore, a social network that pays its members. It went offline due to lacking results, but to Matthew it was just the start of a promising entrepreneur's career.
Artist/Creative Director
Sola Reign
Sola Reign is a visually artistic innovator. When it comes to her music she likes to express herself using elements of visual story- telling. Her mind is constantly at work when creating a song, a process in which she carefully visualizes her material so that it becomes stimulating to both the ears and the mind.
Sola Reign's influence derives from a wide variety of things in life--mainly stories, film and art in its entirety. The fact that she is able to involve herself in her craft doing everything from songwriting, to mixing, while being the sole brain behind the camera with her video and editing skills, her multiple gifts have set her apart from many artists in her genre.
Before pursuing the arts, Jamaican-born artist Camisha "Sola Reign" Young and her family came to Toronto in the early stages of her childhood. At the tender age 12, she found her love in music and the arts, particularly film. Since then, she has never looked back. During this time, she attended a performing arts school and participated in many shows under a different stage name. Sola Reign eventually took a break to re-establish her vision as an artist. This has now landed her the title of Creative Director for Kayda Productions, an evolving production company in the city. She also desires to be known to the world as a great entertainer.
An entrepreneur and a go-getter from a young age, Jamal Sadik always knew he had a passion for music. Born in Russia, where music played a vital role in people’s lives, Jamal had a dream to make it happen. At the age of 12, he moved to Canada where he was introduced to the urban hip hop culture. Shortly after, he became an active part of it.
Having a degree in Business Administration, Jamal acquired strong entrepreneurial skills and solid financial knowledge. Learning from the ground up was a very important part of his success. All the while, Jamal accumulated the experience and principles that would be the foundation of FaceFilms Records. He has overcome the incredible challenge of starting a new FaceFilms Records company during one of the most competitive moments in the industry’s history.
Jamal is actively involved in organizing non-profit summer camps for underprivileged youth in Toronto. He believes that making music and playing sports keep teens out of trouble and helps them to develop the discipline and the drive that creates strong community citizens with a pay-it-forward mentality for our future. Jamal is always avid to quote:
“Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.” -Oprah Winfrey
Dale Samuel b.k.a DJ Laz Vagez was introduced to DJ'n by his God-brother Raymond McIntosh, who was a DJ on 89.5 CIUT at the time. Going to his house was always like a field trip being able to experiment on the two Technics 1200 with the slew of records he had in his collection, having worked with Universal Music Canada's marketing division. Moreover, it was at the early age of 12 that Vagez began to develop the skill of mixing two records simultaneously.
At the age of 15, he and a few friends started Mischef Sound Crew, a primarily urban music sound crew focusing on playing urban music. They had minor success on the local high school scene and eventually disbanded. However, being involved with music made his knack for DJ'ing a line he would eventually cross. At 24, Vagez co-hosted two internet radio shows and is a part of two DJ Coalitions called Fleet DJ's and Future Star DJ's.
When he turned 26, Vagez teamed up with Coloured Money's 360Kash and C Da Allstarr to develop Dungeon Sounds Studios, where he was the lead engineer. Shortly after, Vagez created a service to shoot in-studio videos, which lead into his new passion for videography and directing music videos. He partnered with artist Sola Reign to create Kayda Productions, where their talent and hard work brought them the attention of HODC Inc. (FaceFilms). In turn, they plan on building and creating quality music, music videos, and films in the next decade.
Laz Vagez
Director/Recording Engineer
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FaceFilms behind-the-scenes.
Jamal Sadik
Co-CEO & Executive Director (Manager)
