Through the lens of ATL Yoshi

Atlanta native ATL Yoshi started out making beats and recording music before he got his start in photography. From there, he’s dabbled in videography, recording and editing content for NFL players, athletes, small business owners, and others. Learn more about his journey into the film world and what to expect from ATL Yoshi next in our interview.

Tell us a little bit about your background and your story.

I am from the metro Atlanta area, but a lot of people do not believe it because I sound like I'm from “somewhere up north”. My family is originally from Chicago and Detroit, so I would stay down south during the school year then go live up north with my family during breaks. I honestly was just taking pictures and making music before I got into doing videos.

How did you first get into videography?

I originally started taking photos right after high school, but just of the environment and things around me at the time. It wasn’t until years later that I became a little more comfortable behind the camera and started shooting images of people. I didn’t just want to stop there, I wanted to get into videography too, but had no idea where to start.

I am a big fan of Cole Bennet and how he shot some of his dope music videos on an iPhone for Lil Yachty, Yeat, and others. Some people laugh and even make fun of me when they see me using my phone to capture content, but when they see the finished product, most of that doubt goes out the window. Everybody is different. Once I figured out what worked for me, I've been shooting ever since. Seeing what Bennet was able to create inspired me to test myself and see if I could do something similar. I am nowhere near his level of expertise yet but doing what I do proves his point — you do not need thousands of dollars of equipment to create a great video that others will watch and enjoy.

Where did you get the name ATL Yoshi from?

My name originated from my video game addiction with my homies back in the day. Back in middle/high school, a few of my friends and cousins would get together every other weekend and play all sorts of games, ranging from [NBA] 2K to SMITE. With today's technology, online gaming was easy and everyone would hop in a chat party. But every once in a while, we would meet at someone's house and play Super Smash Bros or Mario Kart. No matter what the situation was, I was picking Yoshi every single time.

As time went on, I started making beats and eventually those beats turned into songs; this is when I was trying to figure out a name for myself that described me and then a lightbulb went off in my head. I decided to choose “ATL Yoshi’ as my stage name. It became a nickname that just traveled through my friend group and eventually the whole school just ran with it, everyone except my teachers of course. 

What are you most proud of so far?

What I am most proud of so far is my progress this year alone. Starting back in early January of 2022, I wanted to start creating content, but had no idea where to start. That is when I met Atlanta Falcons Defensive Back JJ Wilcox, and he gave me the opportunity to shoot some of his training footage during the NFL offseason. It was a great opportunity for me to get familiar with filming and editing and good exposure at the same time. Eventually other people saw my work from that one session and asked if I could do the same type of videography for them. I started doing hype videos for other athletes, car owners, small business owners — you name it. The rest is history and I’m excited to see where the future takes me.

Is there anyone, from the past or present, you wish you could work with? And if so, why?

I definitely want to work with Cole Bennett in the future, but hands down from the past, it would have to be John Singleton. I am a huge fan of his and grew up watching his films like “Boyz N The Hood”, “Baby Boy”, “Four Brothers”, and my personal favorite — the series “Snowfall” on FX. I would have loved to try and capture his creative ideas and bring them to life.

What should we be on the lookout for next?

I am really looking forward to collaborating with other like-minded individuals on future projects. More videos in the future, that's for sure. I am going to start my own YouTube Channel where I can post all of my content for the world to see, including vlogs of my day-to-day activities, BTS videos, music videos, hype tapes, and more! I hope you guys follow me on this journey. 

You can find ATL Yoshi on Instagram @atlyoshi and @yoshitheshooter. Be sure to follow his Channel on You42 to check out some of his recent work.