Some stories come full circle.

For Bryant Lampley, the squash court was never simply a place to compete. It became the place where he learned discipline, built friendships, discovered new cultures, and eventually found the stories he wanted to tell.

Today, Weusi is proud to name Bryant as the inaugural recipient of the Weusi Media Fellow Grant.

Bryant spent ten years as part of MetroSquash, growing up within a community that shaped him both on and off the court. His commitment to the game also saw him selected as a Team Dunlop athlete, an early recognition of both his talent and relentless work ethic. Squash opened doors that stretched far beyond Chicago, including a life-changing trip to El Salvador in 2018 that introduced him to the sport’s global community and showed him how deeply it can connect people across cultures. That experience stayed with him.

Bryant later attended Vanderbilt University, where he earned a degree in Cinema & Media Arts with a minor in Musicology and Ethnomusicology.

While focusing on his studies, he never drifted far from the game, continuing to train with Vanderbilt’s club squash team before returning home to Chicago to begin building his career as a freelance filmmaker, and today, he is back where his own squash journey began, this time with a camera in hand.

Bryant recently joined Team Weusi to document the 2026 MetroSquash Cup, capturing the energy of the community that helped shape him.

Through the Weusi Media Fellow Grant, that work now extends beyond Chicago as he returned to El Salvador, this time not as a junior player, but as a professional storyteller covering the Pan American U19 Championships and documenting Trinity Moshi’s historic journey alongside the wider Pan American squash community.

That return carries a special significance. Bryant will reconnect with many of the same people and places that first inspired him eight years ago, now bringing a new perspective shaped by experience, creativity, and purpose.

The Weusi Media Fellowship was created to develop Black storytellers who understand the communities they document because they are part of them.

Bryant embodies that vision. His lived experience inside the sport, combined with his creative training and growing filmmaking practice, allows him to tell stories with an authenticity that cannot be manufactured.

As Weusi’s first Media Fellow, Bryant represents more than a grant recipient. He represents the future of squash storytelling, one where the next generation of creators don’t simply cover the game. They help shape how its story is remembered.

We’re excited to see where Bryant’s journey takes him next, and we’re proud to invest in a storyteller who is helping ensure the future of squash is documented by those who know it best.

Learn more about the Weusi Media Fellow Grant here:  Weusi Media Fellows⁠