Where Are They Now: Ama Yeboaa Adi-Dako ’14

Ama Y Adi-DakoPlease give a brief background on yourself and your career.
I was an English major and Cinema and Media Studies minor at Wellesley. I started my storytelling journey as the creative director for WASA, writing and directing short films and promos for events. and then working that into internships at Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures through the Global Engagement program. Since graduating in 2014, I have (assistant) lectured at Ashesi University in Ghana in Negotiation and Creative Problem Solving, and now work at TED as a TEDx Screener;  I watch and review TEDx talks in French and English for quality control and curation, as well as write for the Innovations blog.

How has your career changed since you originally envisioned it at Wellesley? What other careers did you consider as a student?
I entered Wellesley wanting to be a writer, then a screenwriter, then a filmmaker. Now, rather than call it a career, I think it is easier for me to define my end goal, because there is no word for what I ultimately what I want to do/be yet: a storyteller with a business distribution element that contributes to innovations in tech, education and women’s rights, especially in Africa. I know I want to run whatever I do, so my journey now is focused on working with people and ideas that allow me to move closer to doing these things on a larger scale. And TED is perfect because it combines people at the top of their game in those fields into one creative hub. Learning in an environment that hinges on openness to change and diversity of opinion is optimal for me.

How has Wellesley contributed to your career?
The CWS gave me my first big break. The Global Engagement Internship program set up an internship with Warner Bros. in 2012 and took a chance on me to be the first Wellesley student to represent the program. That summer made all the difference.

Through the Aix-en-Provence program, I studied abroad and solidified my French fluency which is one of the main reasons I got hired at TED, for my bi(tri)-lingual capabilities.

Wellesley exposed me to different kinds of film in Prof. Viano’s class: Neo-realist, Noir, African Contemporary, etc. She gave me the resources to make my own films in my spare time. While Wellesley has had a tangible effect on my career, she has also had a subliminal one too. Wellesley validated my ambitions and gave me the confidence to pursue them, unapologetically and proudly.

What is a typical workday or workweek like for you?
I have a two-hour commute from Stamford CT to the NYC office so I usually write on the train. Work starts at 10am and I spend most of the day screening/reviewing and curating TEDx talks, sitting in on digital media meetings, writing for the TEDx innovations blog and coming up with new ideas for content development.

Personally because my work group is so diverse, I’ve been simultaneously learning Japanese, Korean and German; one sentence at a time. Four years and I’ll be there!

What piece of advice would you offer students looking to get into your area of interest and expertise?
Create, create, create! If you want to be a writer, write. A filmmaker, film. When you’re a creator, it’s very easy to feel like an imposter when you get internships at big companies, or even work on a project with friends who have more experience. The most important thing to know is that it takes a while to find your narrative voice, regardless of what field you’re in, and the best way to do it is by creating as much as you possibly can.

Above all, know that vulnerability is your friend. If you haven’t, watch Brene Brown’s TED talk (shameless plug) on vulnerability and shame, it helped pull me out of some of my creative ruts and put a name to my feelings of inadequacy that come with such a personal art form. Be open to exploring other things. I was so stuck in my filmmaker/videographer role in college that after I graduated, I spent 6 months unemployed and upset because I had only applied for videographer jobs in New York. Broadening my perspective allowed me to explore different avenues of interest.

What do you wish you had known as a student?
Rejection does not define you. You learn more from failure than success. I had a lot of success at Wellesley. After graduating, I faced a continuous onslaught of rejection and failure. In that time, I learned so much about self-love, courage and drive.

If you could come back and take one class at Wellesley what would it be?
Intro to Animation. I have fallen in love with Studio Ghibli and really want to start an animated series. I am looking into YouTube tutorials, but oh my, if I could have a time machine. Perhaps that should be my next project…

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