Today we’d like to introduce you to Mariama Coker-Kallon.
Mariama, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My creative journey started long before Room 109 Studio.
I started doing hair in high school, which eventually became Braids by Yama, my first real experience building something of my own. At the time, I probably didn’t realize how much I was learning about entrepreneurship. I was creating, working with clients, marketing myself, building an experience, and learning how to turn something I loved into something other people could connect with.
Storytelling became another extension of that creativity. The name Room 109 comes from my college dorm room, 109 Penfield Hall. To me, that room represents a younger version of myself who had big dreams, loved creating, and was still discovering who she wanted to become.
Years later, that name became Room109 Podcast, a platform centered around three values that are deeply personal to me: self-discovery, love, and faith. It gave me a space to use my voice, have meaningful conversations, and explore the different experiences that shape who we become.
At the same time, I was building a professional career in communications, marketing, branding, and content creation.
What many people don’t know about me is how much I love building things from the ground up. Behind the scenes, I’ve helped build brands, work through rebrands, develop branding and visual identities, create websites, shape content strategies, and think through how a brand should look, sound, feel, and connect with people.
That’s also where I really began recognizing myself as a creative director.
I love seeing the bigger picture. I can look at an idea and start thinking about the story, the visuals, the audience, the experience, the content, and how all of those pieces can work together. Sometimes that means being behind the camera, sometimes it means building a website, developing a concept, helping shape a brand, or directing how an idea comes to life. I’ve realized that creativity, for me, has never fit into just one box.
Over the past year, that realization became even stronger. After experiencing a layoff, I reached a point where I decided I wanted to bet on myself. I had spent so much time using my creativity to help build other people’s visions, and I wanted to see what could happen if I poured that same energy, strategy, and intention into my own.
So, in April 2026, I officially launched Room 109 Studio, a content creation and visual storytelling studio built around the idea, “Your story, told with intention.”
Today, I create content for weddings, live events, brands, businesses, and milestone moments, but I approach the work through a creative director’s lens. I’m not only thinking about getting the shot. I’m thinking about the entire story: the atmosphere, the details, the emotion, the movement, the people, the brand, and ultimately how I want someone to feel when they experience the final piece.
Looking back, I realize none of these chapters were random.
Braids by Yama taught me entrepreneurship. Room 109 Podcast helped me develop my voice. My career taught me branding, strategy, marketing, and how to build ideas. And Room 109 Studio has given me a place to bring all of those parts of myself together.**
I’m still building and discovering what Room 109 can become, and I think that’s one of the most exciting parts of this chapter. I’m allowing myself to experiment, evolve, and take up space as a creative director, storyteller, entrepreneur, and brand builder.
In a lot of ways, I’m still that girl from Room 109 with big dreams. I’m just finally giving those dreams room to grow.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. I think one of the hardest parts of building something of your own is simply having the courage to put yourself out there.
There’s a lot of second-guessing that comes with entrepreneurship and creativity. You’re constantly asking yourself: Is this good enough? Will people support it? Am I doing this right? Especially when you look around and see so many other talented people doing similar things, it can be easy to question what makes you different or whether there’s even room for you.
Support has been something I’ve had to navigate as well. You quickly learn that everyone may not understand the vision, show up for it, share it, or support it in the way you imagined. I’ve had to learn not to let that determine how seriously I take what I’m building.
Room 109 Studio is also very much a one-woman show right now. I’m the creative director, content creator, editor, marketer, strategist, administrator, and sometimes everything in between. There are days when that feels empowering, and there are days when it feels overwhelming. Building while still working, navigating life, and trying to grow personally requires a lot of discipline.
But ultimately, God is the foundation of everything I’m building.
My faith has taught me that when God gives you a gift, there is also a level of obedience that comes with it. For me, Room 109 Studio has been an act of obedience. I don’t have every answer, and I don’t know exactly what this will look like five or ten years from now, but I know I’ve been given gifts in storytelling, creativity, communication, and bringing ideas to life. I feel responsible for doing something with them.
Whenever comparison starts creeping in, I have to come back to that. Yes, there are thousands of content creators, creative directors, marketers, and storytellers. But none of them have my exact perspective, experiences, eye, voice, or assignment.
So instead of constantly asking, “What makes me different?” I’m learning to focus on, “What has God given me, and am I being faithful with it?”
That mindset has carried me through a lot of the uncertainty. I’m learning to show up before I feel completely ready, trust my creative instincts, build even when the support isn’t always visible, and believe that obedience matters more than comparison.
The road hasn’t always been easy, but it has stretched me. And I think becoming the woman capable of carrying the vision has been just as important as building Room 109 itself.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Room 109 Studio is a creative content and storytelling studio. At the core of what I do is simple: I help people, brands, and experiences tell their stories with intention.
I specialize in event and wedding content, brand storytelling, creative direction, and social-first content. I love capturing live experiences because there’s something special about finding the story while it’s happening—the quick reaction between two people, the details someone spent months planning, the energy of a room, or a moment that wasn’t on the shot list but ends up being one of the best parts of the final video.
I think what I’m becoming known for is capturing the feeling of an experience. I don’t just want someone to watch a recap and know what happened. I want them to feel like they were there.
But Room 109 is bigger than me being behind a camera. My background is in communications, marketing, branding, and digital content, and I bring all of that into my work. I’ve built websites, helped develop brands and rebrands, created content strategies, and worked through how brands should look, sound, feel, and communicate. Creative direction is probably the best way to describe how my brain naturally works—I see the bigger picture and then think about all the smaller pieces needed to bring it to life.
That’s also what sets me apart. I’m not approaching a project solely as a videographer or content creator. I’m thinking like a storyteller and a marketer at the same time. Who is the audience? What is the story? What feeling are we trying to create? What moments matter? How will this translate on social media? How can we take one experience and turn it into content that continues telling the story afterward?
I’m also very intentional about paying attention to people. Some of my favorite moments are the ones nobody tells me to capture. I watch the room. I notice the auntie dancing in the corner, the mother getting emotional, the bride taking everything in, the guest having the time of their life, or the small brand detail that could easily be missed. Those moments give the content personality and make it feel human.
What I’m most proud of is that Room 109 Studio is still young, but the work already feels like me. I launched in April 2026, and in such a short amount of time I’ve trusted myself enough to experiment, travel, capture weddings and live events, work with businesses, develop concepts, and continue sharpening my own visual language.
I’m proud that I didn’t wait until I had the perfect equipment, a huge following, a large team, or every answer figured out before I started.
There are a lot of incredibly talented creatives in this industry, and I don’t believe being different requires competing with them. What sets me apart is the combination of my experiences—entrepreneurship, marketing, branding, communications, creative direction, and storytelling—and the perspective I bring to each project.
Ultimately, I want Room 109 Studio to be known for intentional storytelling and unforgettable experiences.Whether I’m capturing a wedding, directing content for a brand, building out a creative concept, or helping someone figure out how to tell their story, I want people to walk away feeling like I understood their vision and helped them see it in a way they hadn’t seen before.
That’s the kind of creative director and storyteller I’m becoming, and I’m incredibly proud of that.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
One of my favorite childhood memories is growing up in my mother’s hair salon. I was constantly surrounded by people, conversations, creativity, and entrepreneurship. I didn’t have the language for it then, but I was watching a woman build something of her own, serve people, and create an experience every day.
Creativity was also a huge part of my childhood. I attended Boston Arts Academy as a teenager, and theater and production were a major part of my life. I loved writing, performing, storytelling, and learning what happened both onstage and behind the scenes. There was something about taking an idea and watching all of the different pieces come together that fascinated me—and it still does.
I’m Sierra Leonean, and growing up in a West African household also shaped so much of who I am. My mom always recognized that creative side of me. She trusted it, encouraged it, and would tell me, “You’re creative—just start.” Sometimes someone else sees a gift in you before you fully understand it yourself.
When I think about my childhood now, I realize the things I love today have always been there: people, storytelling, production, writing, entrepreneurship, and creating experiences.
I think there’s something beautiful about being given the freedom to express yourself creatively and eventually realizing, this isn’t something I just picked up along the way—this has always been in me.
Pricing:
- * Room 109 Studio offers custom packages based on each client’s vision, event, coverage needs, and desired deliverables. * Services include wedding and event content creation, brand content, creative direction, and visual storytelling. * Pricing varies based on coverage time, project scope, travel, creative direction, and editing requirements. * Custom packages are available for clients who need a more tailored experience. * For current pricing, packages, and availability, please inquire directly with Room 109 Studio.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.room109studio.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/room109studio/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariama-coker-kallon/
