We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Carson Brooke. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Carson below.

Carson, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

I hope to build two legacies: one for my work, and one for me as a person.

When it comes to both advertisements and films, I want my work to be remembered as entertaining, fun, and impactful. This impact could be anything from making someone laugh, to giving someone a new perspective. There are so many great lines from films and ads, some that I first saw 10+ years ago, that still make me smile to this day. That’s the type of work I want to create.

As for myself, I want to be remembered as a good friend, brother, uncle, son, etc; I want there to be fun stories about me; I want to be remembered as someone unique, who got along with pretty much everyone; I want to be remembered for my creativity, loyalty, and my love for music; I want to have bettered the lives around me, and have it be known I was grateful for the people who’ve bettered my own.

Carson, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name’s Carson Brooke- I’m a filmmaker and advertising copywriter. With encouragement from my 2nd grade teacher, I learned to love writing funny stories. From there I wrote short stories, comics, and an attempted novel in the 3rd grade. In high school, my preferred form of writing became screenplays, as I developed a love for movies- so much so, that I would go to college for film. It was at college when I discovered that advertising was another medium in which I could write these fun stories.

What you think sets you apart from others?

As a copywriter, this filmmaking experience I’ve talked about sets me apart from others.

Filmmaking has ingrained story structure very deep into my brain. It’s also taught me to solve problems on my feet, collaborate with people of all sorts, and write from the perspective of directors and editors. It’s also showed me that the best ideas are formed when multiple voices and perspectives are involved.

I think this all gave me an edge when going to advertising school. Advertising school taught me to write concisely with a target audience in mind, helped me find my voice as a writer, and showed me how to adapt that voice based on client needs. It also showed me new forms of collaboration, such as working with an art director or strategist.

What are you most proud of? (This is the most important answer to me).

I’m most proud of my recent short comedy that I co-wrote and directed: The Escape From Owen Owens, which can be found in theaters this Friday.

Actually, it’s just on YouTube- but it’s still worth the watch.

Here’s the logline: When Sarah’s professional wrestler father comes home earlier than expected, her boyfriend (Neil) depends on his stoner friends to help him escape without getting caught.

I’m proud of this for a few reasons. For one, my time at film school consisted of a lot of unfinished projects. Not only does it feel amazing to finish something with so many moving parts to it, but I’ve been told that the project is “very Carson”, with an “apatow-like silliness” to it. These are the best compliments I could ever receive. The fact that I have a “style” that made people laugh and gasp during the screening, makes all the time and effort well worth it.

As for those “moving parts”, this project really made me grateful for those who’ve selflessly helped out with my film and advertising projects in the past. For free. From writers rooms all the way through post production, no projects I’ve been a part of would be possible without the incredible collaborators I’ve had.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

There are some really rewarding feelings that can be obtained by being creative, including the laugh-filled roller coaster ride of bouncing ideas off of a writing partner or art director. These ideas are like a puzzle, and when you find the last piece to make that idea perfect, you feel like a genius. Finally, when this idea turns into reality and receives laughs and gasps, you feel on top of the world.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Two things:

1) Be open-minded about art that sounds/looks different from what you’re accustomed to. You do yourself and the artists a disservice by not giving this art a chance.

2) Having arts in the schools, from elementary through high school, is also really crucial. As kids, our imaginations are at their peak. Kids need opportunities to channel that creativity into something, and should be encouraged to keep creating as they get older. If it weren’t for teachers encouraging me to write, or high school film electives that I was very blessed to have, I wouldn’t know the joys that come with creative writing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://carsonbrooke7.wixsite.com/my-site
• Instagram: carsonjbrooke
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carson-brooke/
• Other: Playlist of the People (Radio Show / Podcast): https://linktr.ee/playlistofthepeople

Image Credits
For personal photo: Amber Berger Art director for GCI facebook ad: Javier Ayala Director of Photography for film stills: Sofie Edwards