Photo by Malachi
JAMILA GLASS
CREATIVE DIRECTOR, CHOREOGRAPHER, PRODUCER
Jamila Glass (pronounced juh-MEE-luh) is a Los Angeles–based choreographer, filmmaker, and creative director whose work bridges movement, cinema, and storytelling. She is the Creative Director of The CallBack, a multidisciplinary creative house where curiosity, collaboration, and experimentation drive original work. Raised in Houston, Texas, Glass studied vocal music at the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts before earning a BA in Film and Video Production from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinema-Television. Today, Glass is known for creating cinematic journeys of movement, shaping characters, and building worlds that reflect the human experience, bringing a distinctive visual and narrative sensibility to performance.
A founding member of Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Company (LACDC), Glass performed with the company for 20 years and served as its Artistic Director for five years, contributing to the evolution of one of Los Angeles’ leading contemporary dance companies. Her work as a choreographer spans television, film, music, and live performance, with credits including Netflix’s Dear White People, Hulu’s feature film Bad Hair, BET’s Twenties, HBO’s The Beauty of Blackness, and the opening number of Snapchat’s inaugural awards show - The Snappys. She has also choreographed campaigns for Prada and Splice and collaborated with Airbnb Originals, which creates extraordinary experiences exclusively for Airbnb.
At the intersection of choreography and filmmaking, Glass has directed 25 short dance films that have received international recognition, with screenings in London, Paris, and Lebanon. Her directorial work includes ECHOES and INSECTOS: arte y vida, commissioned by the Cultural Office of the Embassy of Spain, as well as SUMMON, featuring music by Oscar- and Emmy-winning, Grammy-nominated composer Kris Bowers.
Glass previously choreographed the acclaimed dance opera Haunted, which made its West Coast premiere at Sierra Madre Playhouse. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Essence, and Ebony. A member of the Television Academy and Choreographers Guild, Glass works across choreography, film, and creative direction, continuing to expand her role in shaping large-scale, multidisciplinary productions across film, television, theater, and live performance.
Follow Jamila at @jamilaglass and The CallBack at @thecallbackch