As an Inglewood native, Neesin Williams captures the narrative of his community and creates a space that shines light on how vast the road to success can be. “In a Session,” premieres on Revolt TV March 18. The show is an invitation to join locally sourced artists on their journey to being discovered.
Neesin recalled the earlier stages of his career, he worked two jobs and then headed to the studio. At the time he was honing his skills as a producer and musician. After working shifts at Urban Outfitters and the YMCA, he would enter the studio energized by the knowledge he would absorb from the session.
Neesin fully immersed himself in the moment and asked a generous amount of questions. He later picked up the required social etiquette for the studio and respected the sacredness behind a creative workplace. Deep conversations and pivotal moments are unlocked; this is where ideas became tangible.
“I think sessions in studios are so sacred. And the idea came from being in studios with all these incredible artists–seeing the other side of them.” Neesin said. He reflected on the various subjects that would be uncovered in a studio session, “We would talk about building communities, schools—we would talk about circuit boards and geometry.”
Neesin mentioned a talent that will be featured in the upcoming release of the show on March 18, a multidisciplined creator and noted painter Ashlee Banxxs, “we were talking about the formula to colors, learning the math behind blending.” Neesin described these conversations as beautiful and a space of vulnerability.
“In a Session,” grew from hidden dialogue harvested during the hours of creativity; an energy shared among artistic hearts. Although, the process of creating a viable show was a long journey, Neesin wanted to amplify the construction zone where multifaceted artists built their pathway to discovery.
Reflecting on the purpose of the series and his job as the host, Neesin said, “I’m trying to be present with the artists and reveal as much of them as possible.” The award-winning director (A Wise Tale, 2021) elaborated on the truth behind the heart of an artist, there’s usually more than one passion.
Neesin held a torch towards every position in film, from showrunner, music composer, production assistant, to producer and director. Outside of film, Neesin is deeply rooted into music, he has gone on tour as one of the main group members of YRF.
When describing the show and how he connected with the talent, Neesin stated that these artists are his friends. “I’ve been blessed to be around this business [entertainment industry], for quite some time. And I’ve been honored to bump into such amazing people.” He continued, “Honestly the simpler answer is they find me, I’m just blessed enough to be able to cultivate that and put them in front of a camera.”
The talk show takes studio conversation to the next level, by giving the artist the opportunity to speak their truth. It holds space for talented people of color, who are multi-disciplined, and empower them to share their vulnerabilities, triumphs, and their version of reality. The show stands for creating an opportunity, if one is not presented. Creatives reflect on the strength in building the life they want.
Neesin is a L.A. native; he has memories of growing up in the city of Inglewood, Compton, and Long Beach. His parents graduated from Morning Side High School and Inglewood High School. It was imperative that his love for the collective community was represented in every thread of this show. “Before I’m accepted by them [Mainstream Audience] I need to be accepted by us.” Neesin said.
In building the foundation for the series that is now streaming on the Revolt TV App, Neesin leaned heavily on his own Community. His core team to navigate through two seasons of “In a Session,” consisted of Co-creator and award-winning director Brianna Devons (On the Line, 2022), audio engineer Ish, and hands-on producer Ricardo Cisneros; they offered their diverse ability to produce and captivate the vision of the series.
There is rarity in birthing a dream, it takes support. In making this series, Iconic rapper Olskool Ice-Gre (Jeen Yuhs) carved out energy to be a producer of the show. Other important members of the In a Session family included a strong production team, Mark Mason, Jesse Weseloh, Lamar Usher and the series interns Ariyah Nicole Brown, Chason Williams, and Tyson Williams.
Considering the legacy of the show, representing Black artists from different walks of life, Neesin said, “It means a lot to me, because I’m giving back to the culture and I’m setting up for somebody blindly–that I will never see.”
Be a part of the studio conversation, follow @inasession on your favorite social media platform and watch “In a Session, “on the Revolt TV App.
The story has been updated by the author on 3/11/22
