ABOUT SAYIDANA

Sayidana is a documentary filmmaker and entrepreneur who strives to find innovative ways to uplift her community and use film to tell meaningful stories that elevate voices often unheard. As she builds her career, she’s focusing on creating narratives that spark empathy, challenge perceptions, and inspire positive change.

Driven by her belief in the power of storytelling, Sayidana founded her own production company, SBD Media, to have a more direct impact on the narratives she tells. One of her proudest projects to date is Ownership, a 3-part short docuseries that highlights the stories of the next generation of Black-owned businesses in New York. She directed and produced the three episodes, collaborating with a talented team of cinematographers, editors, and music supervisors, and premiering a new episode annually during Black History Month.

In 2023, the third and final episode was released entitled Ownership: Keys for Success. This film featured accomplished New York Black business owners from different industries as they delved into their unique entrepreneurship journeys and shared some of the biggest lessons they have learned thus far. The film was spotlighted on News 12 Westchester. The other episodes covered topics like why it makes a difference to buy from Black-owned businesses and the gap in access to grant funding.

Sayidana started SBD Media while attending college at Stony Brook University and has since continued it after graduating with her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. She now leads a small but mighty team of talented creators, cinematographers, editors, and producers to collaboratively bring these films to life. Through her SBD Media service called “Behind the Brand,” Sayidana and her team help brands elevate their video marketing with their own short documentary-style videos.

These experiences laid the foundation for her role as an Associate Producer on notable docuseries such as Down in the Valley (STARZ) and Somebody Feed Phil (Netflix), where she helped bring powerful stories to life.