St Thomas ‘legend’ breaking barriers
Published:Wednesday | June 22, 2022 | 12:06 AMShanna Monteith/Gleaner Writer
Putting all his eggs in the capable basket of Christ, St Thomas native Aldane Walters continues to break barriers, achieve goals and pave paths thought impossible for other ‘little country boys’ like himself.
The former Wolmer’s head boy who, in 2018, was listed among the first cohort of media workers in the United States accepted into the Maynard 200 Fellowship which trains journalism professionals, has gone on to successfully tackle outstanding assignments, copping firsts of their kind awards along the way.
Born and bred in the community of Newland, Walters, who has always been a picture of brilliance, left the country in 2017 to pursue an associates of art degree in communication studies at the Berkeley City College.
Having later graduated summa cum laude from the San Francisco State University in California with a Bachelor of Arts degree in broadcasting electronic communication, with a focus on video production, the young legend, as his mother refers to him, later moved to Los Angeles to complete his practical training, which allows postgraduate students to work for a year in the US.
Accounting for the past few months, Walters shared: “I have been working as a freelance production coordinator and supporting on many projects, including commercials, music videos, [and] TV shows … I have also been directing live event recordings in San Francisco. I started my own business where I do digital communications and social media management for private clients.”
GOLDEN MOMENTS
His journey, according to the academic champ, has afforded him golden moments, including the opportunity to work on several flagship productions such as ABC’s Black-ish, Bobby Brown’s docu-series Every Little Step, product launch for Estee Lauder, a Mexican series for Netflix and the first-ever commercial done by Instagram for its 2020 launch of reels.
The 24-year-old proudly owns a registered company in California called Legend Communications, which was launched in 2021 and has since aided several private clients with digital content creation and social media management.
Despite his envious exploits, Walters listed as maybe his greatest achievement the chance to utilise his skill sets of producing, directing and editing and to serve in a production that brings glory to God.
He said, “I’ve been at the helm of directing live recordings for an organisation called Audience of One, a faith-based organisation focused on reconciliation racially and otherwise. As a person of faith, it’s also been really grounding for me ministry-wise … consistently serving the Kingdom. It gives purpose … something beyond just working for money.”
Walters was not shy in revealing his secret to success: trusting God and following through.
“That’s how I attain success. I didn’t want to move to a new state but I felt like Jesus wanted me to and I have enjoyed a lot of success there and met a lot of great people, including Antonio Flores, owner of Triple Seven Productions, who has been mentoring and paving the way for me. I couldn’t have done any of this without him in my corner,” he said as he reiterated his success formula, trusting God and doing what He says.
And his advice to those looking on, including his teenage brother, is just that – trust Jesus, do what He says.
He continued: “Those who aren’t Christians may also be guided by those value systems that promote goodness and challenge you to step out your comfort zone and do great things; and follow through. Nix the pride attached to failure … and always remember, wherever you go, you are enough.”
As he continues to listen to God for his next move, Walters told The Gleaner that he has a vision to expand on his personal brand, Legend.