I WILL GRADUATE
Ousseynou has spent the last few years managing all creative needs at the I WILL GRADUATE Youth Development Program: spearheading the production of the company’s feature-length documentary projects, talk-show style interview series, and citywide events. Beginning as just a Film Intern, his resourcefulness and creative talents saw him quickly rise in role and responsibility, eventually leading to him being entrusted with the creative and narrative direction of nearly all of the organization’s media efforts.
Often working as the sole person in the creative department, this role has required forward-thinking, adaptabilty, and tenacity to wear the myriad of hats needed to properly tell I WILL GRADUATE’s story. As he’s learned and grown into the role, Ousseynou has developed a proven track record of bringing projects to completion, all while committing to constantly elevating the brand presence and quality of work being developed for the organization.
Projects
Gladiators of
Education
BPRHAL
Youth Summit
I WILL GRADUATE
Day
Partnerships
My Brother’s Sister’s
Keeper Youth Council
Events and
Citywide Initiatives
Programmatic
Content
In The Classroom
Social Media
Gladiators of Education
Gladiators of Education Trailer | Prime Video
Ousseynou was initially brought onto the I WILL GRADUATE team to finish Gladiators of Education, a feature-length documentary that showcases the making of the largest celebration of education in the country - I WILL GRADUATE Day. His work involved editing the documentary to a completed state and preparing it for distribution and screening. The film would go on to screen at the SVA Theater in Manhattan, NY, and stream on Fox Soul, MY9, Amazon Prime, YouTube, and Tubi.
All the meanwhile, Ousseynou was given the very important task of conceptualizing the second installment of Gladiators of Education. A camera was placed in his hands and he was sent to work, capturing the pep rallies, programs and events the company put on, with a determination to raise the bar in terms of production quality and narrative structure from the inaugural documentary.
This project would end up challenging Ousseynou in ambition, scope, creativity, and talent as he was tasked with turning dozens of terabytes of footage into a cohesive, appetizing story that properly represented the I WILL GRADUATE Program. He would work solo and also with others, wearing the hats of production coordinator, director of photography, lead gaffer, sound mixer, editor, post production supervisor, and more.
Gladiators of Education Season 2 is set to release in the summer of 2026.
I WILL GRADUATE DAY
Every year, the I WILL GRADUATE Program hosts the largest celebration of education in the country, where thousands of students gather to hear from esteemed celebrities and high-profile figures they look up to about the importance of completing their education. From Kings Theater to the Barclays Center, I WILL GRADUATE Day is always electric and leaves students filled with inspiration and motivation that carries them throughout the school year.
As the Digital Content and Media Lead, Ousseynou’s role for I WILL GRADUATE Day events involves designing the graphics packages that power the show, developing and executing a plan of action for capturing the day (from speeches and performances to backstage interviews), and translating all of the photos and videos into usable assets for the company.
I WILL GRADUATE Day 2024 Show Graphics Preview
Examples of the show graphics Ousseynou designed and animated for I WILL GRADUATE Day.
I WILL GRADUATE Day 2025 Artist Showcase - Cash Cobain
This is a content piece from the most recent I WILL GRADUATE Day. Ousseynou coordinated with the production team for optimal event coverage, and personally conducted interviews with the I WILL GRADUATE Day guests.
BPRHAL Youth Summit
This year the I WILL GRADUATE program was given the honor of hosting the New York State Association of Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislators’s Annual Legislative Conference Youth Summit in Albany, NY. Hundreds of students from all across the state of NY gathered to hear from today’s legislators on how they are the future, and the responsibility they have to be the change they want to see in the world.
Ousseynou was tasked with preparing the graphics package for the event, communicating all AV needs with the house, solo covering videography, providing creative direction to photographers, and assembling content out of the event media.
Partnerships
Through working with I WILL GRADUATE Ousseynou has serviced the media needs of numerous New York City government agencies, elected officials, and high-profile celebrities and influencers. Some of the figures and entities Ousseynou has worked for include:
New York City Department of Youth and Community Development
New York City Department of Education
New York City Office of the Mayor
New York City Young Men’s Initiative
New York City Cultural Affairs
Republic Records
Brooklyn Children’s Museum
Fox Soul
HBCU GO
Former New York City Mayor Eric Adams
Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso
New York State Assemblymember Brian Cunningham
New York State Assemblymember Stefani Zinerman
New York State Assemblymember Latrice Walker
New York State Assemblymember Nikki Lucas
New York City Councilmember Farah Louis
New York City Councilmember Sandy Nurse
New York City Councilmember Nantasha Williams
New York City Councilmember Chris Banks
Former Speaker of the New York City Council Adrienne Adams
Angela Yee
Fivio Foreign
Cash Cobain
Zeddy Will
Naturi Naughton
Capella Grey
Honey Bxby
LAILA!
Jacquees
MBSKYC
MBSK visits City Hall to have a conversation with then-Mayor Eric Adams.
The My Brother’s and Sister’s Keeper Youth Council, or MBSKYC, is a citywide initiative ran by the I WILL GRADUATE Program on behalf of the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development, Office of the Mayor, and Young Men’s Initiative. The program is designed to foster the next generation of youth leaders through community building and civic engagement activities.
Ousseynou has worked with the bright young students that make up the youth council to produce an abundance of high quality content; from PSAs to event recaps, the photos and videos have helped to grow the council over the years, spreading awareness of the program and its mission to get young folk more involved in their futures and community.
MBSK students participate in a PSA encouraging students to take the I WILL GRADUATE Pledge and make a commitment to their education.
MBSK supports Assemblymember Brian Cunningham and District Leader Anthony Beckford for their Community Easter Egg Roll and Celebration event in Prospect Park.
Events
At I WILL GRADUATE Ousseynou’s calendar is filled with a wide variety of events and citywide initiatives that he has the honor of capturing each year. Out of the ones not listed elsewhere on this page, here are a few of his favorite stories he’s gotten to tell.
Back 2 School Giveaways
Pledge Day
Women of Power
Attendance, Academics and Athletics program
Anti-Gun Violence Youth Rally
Programmatic Content
Ousseynou has had the pleasure of capturing several excerpts from the school programs that I WILL GRADUATE facilitates, and crafting short narrative pieces out of them. Here are a few of those stories.
I WILL GRADUATE Pep Rally Showcase
Edward R. Murrow Mentoring Program Field Trip
In The Classroom
The In The Classroom Learning Series is a talk-show style interview series developed by the I WILL GRADUATE Program, where celebrities and notable figures join Executive Director and Co-Founder Tõnya Lewis-Taylor for a conversation on how education played a role in their present success.
When the time came for a present-day refresh of the series, Ousseynou was tasked with developing the creative direction of the show alongside I WILL GRADUATE President Sanchez Tuitt. In addition to this Ousseynou worked as production coordinator for the new season of the show, and post-production coordinator for the edit.
Social Media
As the Digital Content and Media Lead, part of Ousseynou’s role at I WILL GRADUATE has been tending to the social media pages and online presence of the organization. As his experience with this has grown he’s learned that this is a multi-layered process - one that begins before even creating the content that will live on the company’s pages. It involves proper research, planning, preparation, and execution, and requires constant attunement and adaptability to what the audience responds to.