This Valentine’s season we’re bringing you a match made in media! Wide Angle alum Sumayyah met her husband over a decade ago in our high school media program.

Can you share the story of how you and your husband first met at Wide Angle?

It was the very first day of Mentoring Video Project (MVP - Wide Angle’s high school video program) in October 2010. I had been in MVP for a while but this was my first year doing both MVP and Youth Media Festival. I was a senior in high school and overall adapting to getting older. I was put on door duty for the first day and opened the front door for Allen. I said, “Hi, my name is Sumayyah. Welcome to MVP.”

Was it love at first sight, or did it take some time to develop your relationship?

For my husband, it was definitely love at first sight but for me, it gave delusional lol. We had an introduction piece and he was in charge of the little candies. However many you gave the person was how many fun facts they had to tell. My husband would in turn give me a large sum of little candies. He also wanted to walk me home in the evenings! He was a “where’s my hug” kind of guy and I thought that was adorable. One day a random number texted my phone to say “Can you let David & Sue know that I’ll be late?” My response was “Who is this and how did you get my number?” From there he would send me messages asking about my day, etc., etc.

What are some of your favorite memories from your time at Wide Angle that you both cherish and that helped bring you closer together?

So of course when you’re young and in love you break up 😂. We were dating for about 6 months when we had our first break up which lasted until YouthWorks (Wide Angle’s summer program) began and then somehow we wound up back together!

Have your Wide Angle experiences impacted your relationship in any way? Did your connection, for instance, stem from a shared love of storytelling and filmmaking?

We both have a love for storytelling and watching films together. We often reflect on those times and how we never expected to come this far.

Your best man was also a connection through Wide Angle! How did the friendship between your husband and his best man develop? What made him the perfect choice for the role of best man?

Eric and I had been friends for about a year before we met Allen. Originally Allen thought Eric was my boyfriend and he was not impressed 😂. Quickly we became a group of three and spent immense time together. Over time their brotherhood grew as they discovered they were related through marriage. In our wedding, we had two maids of honor and two best men! It was only right that Eric was one as he’s like a brother to us. He’s been through it all with us and we appreciate him so much! 

Let’s talk about one of your media projects. You created the Textaholic video. Can you share some insights into the inspiration behind it and the creative process involved in making it?

I was an avid texter at such a young age! I lovedddddd being on the phone - it was a tell-all about myself. I would watch those phone bills come in and they would show how many messages I was sending a month! The number was immense. I recall just thinking, ”Wow maybe I can break a record or at least talk about it,” and from there, Textaholic was born! 

Textaholic is still a very relevant topic today. Did you expect this to still be a conversation years later when you created this project?

So much is done via phone now besides texting. It is still abundant at this time. I would think since Covid texting and internet use has been increased a ton! With more people starting businesses, working from home, and using tap to pay, my phone hardly ever leaves my hand. 

If you could redo the Textaholic video today, what would you do differently to reach your target audience?

I would target those that are my age. When I originally did Textaholic, I was a teen - now we are in our 30s. Some of us have careers, some of us are parents, and I would love to get the perspective of how they see phones and technology now!

Since you and Allen first met at Wide Angle, how has your creative partnership changed? Have you two collaborated on any interesting projects?

Allen is my right-hand man. I run a small business and he has stuck beside me every step of the way! He’s the heavy lifter, the guy who’s always up to 5 am while I make cookies. I couldn’t see my business running without him.

Can you tell us more about your business and how readers can support it?

I run a tiny business called The Cookie Chemist! I made specialty cookies with love from the heart! In 2024, I am doing a Capstone project collaboration with Howard State University. You can always support me by seeing me at events, following me on social media, and spreading the word! I hope to one day have a storefront!

Instagram: @__thecookiechemist
Facebook: The Cookie Chemist
Email: theecookiechemist@gmail.com

MEET THE AUTHORS

Lacee Cottman earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Baltimore in 2023. Lacee began as an intern with Wide Angle through Urban Alliance. She found great interest in media-making after working on various projects from design to photography to video. She has developed life plans, workforce readiness skills, and design projects for clients such as Baltimore Mediation Center and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Her content writing and creation skills have developed tremendously. She’s developed multiple informative posts for Wide Angle’s social media platforms, highlighting Black August, Indigenous Peoples’ Day, National Coming Out Day, and more.

Hannah Shaw is the Communications Manager at WAYM. She is a multidisciplinary designer and received her BS in Marketing from UMD and MA in Social Design from MICA.