An Interesting Fact About Me
I lived and went to school in 6 different countries by the time I was 14 years old.
From USA to Africa
1972 - 1992
Dwyan Anthony Alford was born at 10:03 am under the vibrant city lights of Brooklyn, New York, USA, at the Maimonides Medical Center on November 23, 1972, to a Jamaican father and a Trinidadian mother. Yet, the sprawling urban setting was but a mere prologue to his journey. A year later, his mother's homeland, Trinidad, called to him. The pulsating rhythms of soca and calypso were his lullabies. Trinidad, a cultural melting pot, was the backdrop to his earliest memories. In 1975, he returned to the United States, attending the 'School of the Blessed Sacrament' on West 52nd Street.
Dwyan's journey was largely guided by his mother's role at the United Nations, which took them to Liberia in 1978. Liberia, being the first African republic, was on the brink of a tumultuous coup d'état. As time passed in 1980, the next chapter opened at Kenya's Kenton College Preparatory School in Kileleshwa, Nairobi. From there, the journey veered westward to Ghana, the first country in Africa to gain independence from colonial rule, but amidst another military coup led by future President Jerry Rawlings. It was in Accra, the capital city, that Dwyan attended the Ghana International School on 2nd Circular Road in Cantonments.
In 1984, Dwyan journeyed to England to attend Queen's College in the Somerset town of Taunton. Amid the English tea culture, punk rock, football fever, the 'Ghostbusters' craze, Wimbledon Tennis, and the iconic BBC series 'Eastenders', he enjoyed himself there, as well as in London, offering new perspectives and broadening his worldview. After completing GCSE Exams and A Levels, at age 18, he would return to the place of his birth.
From Africa to USA
1992 - 2002
Dwyan Alford found himself back on American soil in 1991, where a much-anticipated reunion with his father and the Alford clan awaited. He proceeded to tackle Acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre in New York City over the summer. Come January 1992, Dwyan braved the hallowed halls of New York University's Stern School of Business. He diligently studied Accounting and Marketing, ultimately earning a double degree in 1996.
After graduation, like a freshly minted superhero, Dwyan threw himself into the accounting field, only to realize that his powers were perhaps a mismatch for the job. His creativity, the restless kind, sought refuge elsewhere. And so, he found his way to 'Imagedog Videographics' on East 42nd Street a block away from the UN Building, where he metamorphosed into a Graphic Designer, learning the principles of design, producing professional PowerPoint slides for Pfizer, the company's alpha client, literally across the street.
This was the era of the digital revolution and at 'Imagedog Videographics', Dwyan's curiosity was piqued by an AVID digital video editing suite, just upstairs out of sight. He persuaded the owner to use it and began to learn how to edit videos. Intrigued, he dived into the world of cost-effective, high-quality digital video production, prompting a return to NYU for certification. His creative exploration birthed the 2000 music video '41 Shots', a heartfelt tribute to African immigrant, Amadou Diallo. Riding this wave of creativity, he wrote a film script 'The Day', a short film he also produced and starred in, which released and premiered in New York City in 2002.
From USA to Africa II
2002-2012
Just as the Covid-19 pandemic has redefined our lives recently, 9/11 was a day that reshaped the world, leaving an indelible mark on our collective memory. This overwhelming sense of uncertainty and the seismic shift in global perceptions stirred a profound change in Dwyan. It led him to leave the familiarity of the U.S. behind, to embark on a new chapter to the African country of Botswana, where his mother retired several years earlier. He felt it was time to reunite with his mother and start a business.
In 2003, Dwyan landed in diamond-rich Botswana, establishing his production company, Counterattack Productions, in Gaborone. There, he created diverse visual narratives for clients like Botswana Television (BTV), De Beers, Coca Cola, and Orange, expanding his global experiences and wearing many hats - as a Producer, Director, Editor, and Camera Operator.
As the dawn of a new decade broke, Dwyan keenly perceived the digital age unfurling before him. "Video production," he mused, "is a high-wire act, a balancing of people, parts, and places. The notion of distilling my entire workspace to just my laptop carried a certain allure, a magnetic pull I found hard to resist." He understood, with growing clarity, that the Internet was not just the future, but his future. Dwyan plunged headfirst into learning HTML, CSS, and Javascript, igniting his passion for coding and dynamic web application design. Deciding to leave video production behind, he returned to the US to pursue a new career path in Software Development.
From Africa to USA II
2013 - 2023
Upon his return to America, Dwyan was warmly embraced by the familiar faces of family - his brothers, sister, niece, and the larger Alford and King families. Then, not long afterwards, meeting for the first time, the Hamiltons of Florida, his mother's relatives. As he navigated through this new chapter, he found himself employed in a fascinating blend of roles - some tied to formal workplaces, others more fluid, allowing him to independently design websites for various clients. There was a certain exhilaration, a taste of freedom in being unfettered by traditional work boundaries, which he savored deeply.
In 2015, Dwyan and his eledest brother set their entrepreneurial spirit ablaze by establishing Wax & Oils, a company that crafts candles to illuminate lives. With passion fueling their drive, they nestled their venture within the heart of Amazon's marketplace. Over two short years, the small spark they'd ignited grew into a roaring flame of success, with the company flourishing beautifully. Each candle, hand-poured and delicately scented, became a testament to their dedication, illuminating not just rooms, but also the path to their dreams.
Despite the twists and turns of his journey, or perhaps because of them, Dwyan Alford stands today as a seasoned professional, brimming with a multitude of skills and experiences. His story, just like his career, is dynamic, diverse, and continually evolving, much like the technological world he is now part of.
