
Tai Payne | Free Native Productions
Creative Director. Cinematographer. Photographer
Based in the Chicago & Indianapolis areas of the midwest, Tai Payne is a multimedia platform creative through his independent production house,
Free Native Productions.
Producing content such as: music videos, short films, commercials, event documentation & more. Capturing subjects in their rawest form, he aims to express their truest nature through his vision...and make it look dope too.


“I prefer to be a dreamer among the humblest,
with visions to be realized, than lord among those
without dreams and desires.”
- Khalil Gibran

Awards
YouTube
1 MILLION
VIEWS
BEST
Cinematographer
2014
Deity Mics
Contest
Winner
Indiana Assoc. of Broadcast Journalist | 2014
Best Cinematographer
Black-ish | 2015
Worked on the set of Black-ish, and developed a pilot
with the creators of the show.
Script Analysis for Justin Simien | 2016
Reviewed and analyzed a script for Justin Simien,
creator of "Dear White People", and
his production studio.
Tyler Perry's "Sistas" | 2019
I documented the main cast of Tyler Perry's Sistas
trip to Chicago, and created a promo ad.
Free The Natives | 2020
Created my own film festival to connect with other
filmmakers in my area, and build our industry from
the ground up.