Khallid Shabazz, a five-time Emmy award winning Photojournalist/Cinematographer, was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, October 1970. Growing up in the inner city offered a lot of tough challenges, but Shabazz stayed focused with the help of his love of cinema. As a young boy Shabazz would watch movies with his mother. This inspired Shabazz to explore the essence of movies and photography by picking up his first camera at an early age.

 After graduating from Simeon Vocational High School in 1988, Shabazz joined the Air Force where he was stationed in California. During a weekend trip to Los Angeles, he met a Cinematographer working on a motion picture. After receiving valuable industry tips from the Cinematographer, Shabazz realized that his dreams in television and film were attainable. Shabazz finished his tour of duty in the Air Force and returned to Chicago to enroll at Columbia College, where he earned a liberal arts degree with an emphasis in television production.

Shabazz began his television career in 1992 at a Channel 26 Univision affiliate, while still attending Columbia College. He later went to CLTV, a Chicago Tribune cable news channel and in 1995 Shabazz joined NBC as a freelance photojournalist. Shabazz has been nominated for an Emmy numerous times for outstanding achievement within a regularly scheduled television program. 

 In 2002, Shabazz received an Emmy for spot news coverage “Hancock Scaffolding Accident.”  He was honored in 2005 with an Emmy for his work on the documentary, “The Dells, Oh What a Night” which showcased the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame music group.  The same year he received Emmys for “NBC 5 Health Watch” Specialty Report and “Breaking the Zip Code,” a soft news single feature. 

 Shabazz currently resides in Los Angeles, California and in his free time, continues to engage in his early love and passion, still photography. Through the eye of the lens, Shabazz seeks to express the beauty and magic of urban America and it’s contribution to society.