Meet the man behind the camera: Jojo - Joseph Owen Jr.

May 26, 2022

By Madisen Carter

Digital content creator, Joseph “Jojo” Owen Jr., has the mission of telling a story behind every photo and every video he creates. Allowing the viewer to feel as if they were there in the moment the pictures and videos are captured is the goal he has and when it is reached, he posts that content to his website and social media platforms. Owen has been a digital creator for two years now, and he is just getting started. 

Owen got into photography and videography when he was attending Jesuit High School in Sacramento, California. He started taking pictures of his friends, Chris Holly and Stanford men’s basketball player, Isa Silva, and wanted to be able to tell their stories. He wanted to document their stories the right way, since everyone at that time seemed to be doing it for the wrong reasons, for popularity.

Unlimited Potential Basketball’s Coach Packie Turner heard about Owen through Silva during one of their workouts. Owen attended a session and from then on out, Owen has been taking shots and creating content for UPB’s social media pages. 

“I liked the vibe that Packie gave off [during the session.] He was very, very genuine, and that's easy to work with,” Owen said. “From then on, we've just been working. It's been solid, everything's been solid. I can't thank Isa more, I can't thank him more for setting up the connection.”

So far in his career, Owen has been able to capture the moments of many athletes. These athletes include Ky Bowman, Ian Clark, Haley Jones, and more. He has even captured photos of famous music artists such as Lil Baby and Lil Durk. 

With all of the individuals he has been able to work with, there are a few that have stuck out to him that he can account for his favorite sessions. One is Silva, his best friend, because he said when both their passions meet, they come up with creative ideas that are fun. The other two are Jalen Williams and E.J. Liddell, two athletes he has been taking shots of while in Santa Barbara with Coach Packie. 

Owen has been in Santa Barbara with Coach Packie while he has been preparing athletes for the 2022 NBA Draft. He arrived on April 6th and has been working on special projects and taking pictures of all the basketball players including Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren, Baylor’s Kendall Brown, and Villanova’s Jermaine Samuels Jr. 

“My favorite part [about being in Santa Barbara] is definitely meeting the new people and building relationships. Everybody's been great, they're all genuine people, and I love being around that. You really can't ask for much more,” Owen said.

As of now, Owen is attending community college and plans to transfer once he finishes his second year. He said he was thinking about majoring in business so he can keep learning how to market himself better. He knows he wants to keep doing what he is passionate about and to keep getting better as he continues his career. 

“Obviously, everybody wants to be the best at what they do, and I'm one of those people as well,” Owen said. “So I want to be the best, and I just want to tell stories forever.”

You can follow Jojo on Instagram at nine1sixmedia, and see more of his content on his website here!

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