Meet Tariq Stone | Filmmaker & Photographer
We had the good fortune of connecting with Tariq Stone and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Tariq, what do you want your legacy to be?
I want to be remembered for the way I carry myself through different situations. My humanity and wanting to live and exist on the right side of history. My ability to pivot as well. The way I move through life, especially in a collaborative field like filmmaking, where being yourself but also making space for others is everything. I want people to see that I tried to be that person, even when I made mistakes. I’ve made plenty. But I’m always trying to learn and grow from them.
Sometimes I forget how young I actually am, and how long I’ll still be young for a long time. There’s so much pressure to already know everything, but all of life is just a learning process. And I really value the people who are willing to learn with me rather than judge me for not knowing something yet.
I also just love being hyped on set and about my work, and I think it’s important that when I like others work or ideas I express that unabashedly and I think that energy exchange matters. Personality’s a big part of this life, but so is skill and I think I balance both. That’s been shaped by a lot of things. Like being a photographer, which started with my dad teaching me and early on I picked up that you really have to project energy to get someone to move right, or get into the right pose, and part of that comes with the comfort you project into the space. And you’ve gotta be open and talkative to help people feel comfortable and open up. That’s something I try to bring into every space I enter and with every role that I take on.
Even as a DP, I’m just filming people being people, so I need to be someone they feel safe around. And to be honest, I’ve always had this quiet fear that, as a tall Black man, people might be afraid of me before they even know me. That fear comes from real places and experiences in my life. But I’ve worked hard to move through the world in a welcoming way that still feels authentically and openly me. I think that’s part of my reputation, and I’m proud of that. I want that to be part of what people remember.
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I think what sets me apart is how I move through different mediums and genres while keeping a really consistent voice. Being a multi-hyphenate isn’t rare anymore, but I take pride in the fact that I can direct, shoot, photograph, color, edit, and still make something that feels like me if that’s the goal, or make it feel like something totally different or a nice balance when it comes to things like client notes or meshing multiple visions. And I can do that in spaces like narrative film, fashion, music, or branded content,
Two projects where I really started to feel like I had a unique voice were Juno: The Graveyard Of Memories and Dreaming of Carhartt. One is a film about a celestial being who can only see memories left behind in human trash. The other’s about a guy so obsessed with a Carhartt jacket that it starts showing up in his dreams. I love sandbox-style films that play with format, tone, and emotion in unexpected ways.
A professor of mine, Giselle Bailey, said something that really stuck with me. During my senior review, she told me my voice stands out, not just among my peers, but in the broader cultural landscape. That was crazy to hear and gave me a lot of confidence and reassurance that I was on the right track.
In terms of my background, I moved around a lot growing up, sometimes once or twice a year. I didn’t get to keep friends for long, and that kind of constant displacement definitely shaped how I see the world. I think it’s part of why I’m drawn to stories that feel scattered, or unbound by traditional rules. Two of my favorite shows are Phineas and Ferb and Atlanta. Which are wildy different but both of them play with form and genre in a way I really resonate with. That’s something I try to embody in my own work too.
Getting to where I am now wasn’t easy, but I also feel like I’m just getting started. I’m still figuring things out. I’ve made it this far by posting my work, being open to conversation, staying curious, and asking a lot of questions. I’ve learned so much from friends and collaborators, just by being willing to ask. And most people are really generous with their knowledge when they see that you’re genuinely interested. That’s been huge.
Right now, I’m especially excited by fashion work and collaborations with musicians, like what I’ve been doing with Adekunle Gold as his media lead, shooting and editing work for his shows and other content. It’s cool to see my work reaching more people, even if it comes from proximity to fame. I just hope one day I can get more direct recognition for the work I do for myself and with my friends.
If someone only had 30 seconds to see my work, I’d show them the Pharrell dancing sequence from Dreaming of Carhartt. There’s dancing, flying VFX jackets, Spider-Man 3 references, whip pans…
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’ve gotta be real. I’m not the best planner when it comes to social outings or food spots. I’m pretty pragmatic. I like Costco food, heading to a park, and just walking and yapping about life.
But I do have a few places I always gravitate toward. Golden Gate Park is huge and super peaceful.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many people, I honestly wouldn’t even know where to start. But I have to shout out my parents first for always supporting me at every stage. From helping me buy gear, backing me emotionally and financially during college and beyond, to encouraging me to pursue art seriously, they’ve always made it clear they believe in me.
I also have to give a huge shoutout to the Recology Artist in Residence Program. That experience opened me up to the larger Bay Area community in such a real way. It gave me space to just make work with time, space, and resources and I ended up creating some of my proudest work there. I learned so much, not just technically but about how to move through the world as an artist.
And shoutout to Deborah Munk, who manages the Recology residency. She changed my life and supported me in so many ways. It wasn’t just a residency, I feel like I grew a lot as a person during my time there and the support I got from her and everything gave me a lot of faith in myself.
Website: https://tariqstone.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tjastone/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tariq-stone/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@tariqstone
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