Alumni Spotlight: Destiny Blackwell

Destiny Blackwell,

Production Assistant

Pronouns: She/Her

Destiny Blackwell began her journey with Reel Works in 2016 when she joined the 2016 Doc Lab. Over the years she participated in various Reel Works programs including MediaMKRS.

After graduating Brooklyn College in May of 2021, she secured work as a Production Assistant on the Amber Ruffin Show. The show’s small crew has allowed her to work closely with showrunners and Amber Ruffin herself. As a production assistant she keeps the show running and is happy to help on a show she feels passionate about. 

Amber Ruffin was the first black woman writer on The Late Show and now has created her own show. Destiny says Amber's history is what attracted her to the position in the first place. Destiny wanted to work on a show that is innovative. Although it is a comedy show, Amber uses her platform to educate audiences and Destiny admires that she “gives voices to the voices that aren’t heard”. This carries through behind the scenes as well. 

Destiny finds this important since when she was first considering a career in media she didn’t think it was possible because of a lack of representation on and off screen. Through the community she formed at Reel Works, she met people with different knowledge bases and built the foundation of her career. She stresses the importance of having a community to encourage you and help get you started. “Reel Works is my community…MediaMKRS and Reel Works are quite literally the reason why I have a career.” Because of her experience with the Reel Works community, Destiny is proud to work on a show that upholds the same values and promotes diverse voices in the media industry.