We were lucky to catch up with Kevin Nichols recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kevin, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

A documentary titled, A Little Hope for Chicago, about my life is the most meaningful project I have worked on. Growing up on the westside of Chicago I had a strong religious family base. My parents had ten children and we were all raised with a firm discipline hand by my father, and attended church three days a week. As I became a teenager, my life became more involved with neighborhood friends. Running the streets became my life.
I became disinterested with church and more intrigued with the fast criminal life I witnessed in my community surroundings. When I graduated from high school I made the choice to experiment with selling drugs. This became my career foregoing college. I also had a child by my high school sweetheart. The documentary tells the story of my life of becoming a hustler and eventually reforming myself as a college graduate, husband and father.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I always knew that being a hustler was not the endgame for me. By 25 I walked away from that lifestyle and dabbled in a few different industries. I owned and operated a men’s clothing store & also had a musical artist management agency. Although I experienced great success, it was not fulfilling. What continued to resonate with me were my memories of acting in grade school and church performances as a child. Here is where I realized what my real passion was. Acting! Again, I pivoted and immersed myself in this field. I left Chicago and relocated to Los Angeles where I took acting classes at the leading Hollywood acting studios. Then eventually I was accepted to the USC School of Theatre where I received a BA in Theatre Arts. As an actor I booked commercials, tv, and film roles. However, on August 31, 2015, my first born son was murdered in Chicago. This of course is a devastating loss, still I chose to use my pain for good. Hence, “A Little Hope for Chicago” was born. I spent the last 4 years of my life writing & producing this documentary film to honor my son and to bring some hope to a community that is often misunderstood.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Hollywood is a fickle business and oftentimes actors have to be in particular circles in order to steadily work. Because I am a man who takes matters into my own hands, I decided to create my own opportunities. I spent less time waiting for my agent to get me work, and more time writing scripts, acting in plays, and booking voiceovers.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

What drives my ambition in this industry is working in quality projects with competent and creative individuals. Because I have been in this game for so long, I have had a multitude of experiences, and the best are when the material is relevant yet uniquely told, and the cast and crew all believe in the project. This is the mission I will continue to strive for.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @kevinnicholsxclusiv

Image Credits

N/a