Jamie-James Medina

Born in London, England, Medina grew up in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where his father worked as an expert in tropical medicine. He returned to the UK at the age of 15 and went on to join The Observer, The Guardian’s sister paper, where he became the youngest staff photographer by the age of 21.

As a photographer, his images are defined by an ability to create and capture intimate moments with subjects as diverse as music, politics and culture. Working across six continents, his subjects have included Jay-Z, Lady Gaga and Elon Musk, as well as in-depth reports on New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, the humanitarian crisis in Sudan’s Darfur region and 2016’s US presidential election, where he spent time traveling with both the Democratic and Republican nominees.

As a director, he has worked to visually define the careers of musicians like The xx and Sampha, producing music videos and documentary content. As a Creative Consultant, his ideas have informed campaigns for XL Recordings, where he worked as Head of Innovation, YouTube Music and NIKE, working alongside FKA twigs to build the Believe In More campaign.