Tampa, FL – The Tampa Bay Chamber’s Emerging Leaders program is reaching an important milestone in this new year – the 20-year anniversary – and helping tell its story is an Emerging Leader himself. Joshua Wilson joined the program for “emerging” professionals, ages 21 – 35, in 2017 when he was working at the University of South Florida. By 2019, he’d launched JJ & the Lens and in 2023 was the creative filming Emerge Chair Brett Scafidi and other members of the program's 2023 leadership team.
For Wilson, it was a full circle moment. “When I joined Emerging Leaders of Tampa Bay, I was new to Tampa, and my goal was to meet other young professionals,” explained Wilson. “What I did not know was that I was joining a community of young leaders who would inspire me through their hard work and passion for Tampa. In May 2023, I leaped from part-time to full-time photographer/ videographer.”
The Chief Executive Officer of JJ & the Lens explained his aversion to the one-size-fits-all mentality. “We offer photography and videography services with an emphasis on brand storytelling. We want every client to leave with the feeling that we perfectly capture their organization’s aura.” Less than a year in business, JJ & the Lens has drawn clients from marketing and public relations agencies, professional associations, and conferences. The industries of Wilson’s first clients spanned architecture, academia, construction, and commercial real estate.
Wilson’s background in academia has helped build his company’s customer focus. When he arrived in Tampa Bay six years ago to serve as the Associate Director of USF’s Center for Student Involvement, leadership development and project management were central to his role. Planning major university events at the USF Tampa campus and overseeing vendor services including contracts and purchases, Wilson is tapping into many of the skillsets from his career at USF.
“The connections made through Emerging Leaders of Tampa Bay, the Tampa Bay Chamber, and information learned through all of the programs over the last six years helped prepare me for the leap to full-time entrepreneur,” said Wilson, who was among the first to see the Emerging Leaders' 20-year anniversary logo created for 2024 and helped craft the story told by some of the original members of the Emerge leadership team from 2004. Coincidentally, he ‘aged out’ of Emerge, turning 36 years old, on the same month he filmed these interviews.
(Pictured: Then & Now - Emerging Leaders of Tampa Bay's first chairs in 2004 were Co-Chairs Jessica Muroff and Mike Griffin. Wilson interviewed both of them in preparation for the program's Annual Meeting, as well film the 2023 Emerge leadership team.)
(Pictured: Josh Wilson, Fit 1 Chamber Member and Emerging Leaders 2023 Chair, Brett Scafidi, during filming last September.)