We were lucky to catch up with Nick Brooks recently and have shared our conversation below.

Nick, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

In 2016, at at just 25, I had a what most people would consider ‘it all’. I was living in Dallas, TX making almost 6 figures a year, owned my own home as well as two other rental properties, and was living with the girl of my dreams. I was working in Education and positioned to move up rapidly at my company, but with all that I still felt unfulfilled. In my heart I was a creative, always had been. I had come up rapping but that career didn’t pan out the way I thought it would. And even though I still found success, it wasn’t feeding the artist inside of me and I wasn’t happy. One day I came across a film on Netflix called FRUITVALE STATION by a young director named Ryan Cooler and the film hit me incredibly hard. I was so blown away by the storytelling and emotional impact the film had on me, I considered, for the first time, being a filmmaker. I saw that Ryan went to a school called USC to learn his craft. Only problem was the school was in Los Angeles and I had everything going for me in Dallas. So I make a difficult choice to take a HUGE risk. I quit my job, sold my homes and took everything I had to Los Angeles in hopes of attending USC and being a movie maker. What’s more, I moved to LA 6 months before I got the news I’d been accepted to USC. Looking back, it was by far the biggest risk I’ve ever taken, and so far has proven to pay dividends in my life. The experience has taught me to always follow my heart, my dreams, my spirit. Now, I’ll always take the risk. I’ll always bet on me.

Nick, 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?

I consider myself the ultimate multi-hyphenate. I’m an award-winning author, filmmaker and hip-hop performing artist. I like to think these paths found me rather than the other way around. For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved to tell stories. That storytelling started with music, grew to books, and then to film, each time finding bigger and bigger mediums to tell a narrative. Coming up in inner city DC, a lot of my stories reflect the world I saw coming up, gritty, crime ridden, but also filled with life and excitement.

In music, I perform under the moniker, BEN KENOBE. My style is more lyrical, taking inspiration from artists like DMX, Lupe Fiasco and Jay-Z. Recently I’ve created music for films such as HBO’s, The Cypher, and Netflix’s, They Cloned Tyrone.

In the novel space, I write mostly YA Mystery, centering my stories in DC around Black and Brown boys. A great example of this is my book, PROMISE BOYS, a book I’m extremely proud of. In film, I write and direct everything from coming-of-age dramas to psychological thrillers to Neo-noir.

One of the things I take pride in as a writer is my voice. I have a a strong knack for dialogue and writing characters that feel nuanced, inside of worlds that feel lived in. I draw on my experiences growing up in DC where few people make it to where I am today. Those experiences make my voice and perspective unique and I love nothing more than sharing those parts of me in my work.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Oh man, the pivot is the most underrated skill in LIFE! I’ve had to pivot a lot. When one door closes or is taking too long to open, I find the closest window to smash and get in that way. One of my biggest pivots came in 2020. I had just graduated from USC and as we all know, the world shut down. I had just given up my life in Dallas, TX three years prior, moved to LA to attend film school and become a filmmaker (a pivot in itself). I spent all my money learning this craft only for the world to shut down and the film industry halt. But, I’m a master of the pivot. Instead of licking my wounds I did the one thing I could do from my living room. I wrote a book. And another… and another. And I spent all of 2020 writing books I wasn’t sure would go anywhere. The only thing I was sure of was film wasn’t happening and I needed to pivot. It totally paid off when in 2021 secured 4 publishing deals on separate novels!!

Never underestimate the pivot, it may be my most valuable skill!

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

To support artists, society can SHOW UP and SPREAD THE WORD. In a world where streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple only pay artist a small fraction of a dollar for a stream, audiences need to buy their product directly from the artist. Same in Hollywood, it’s the reason we just went on strike, steaming services aren’t paying the creatives what they deserve. Society needs to show up more for the independent artist, it’s the only way they can continue to create. And then, spread the word. If you come across an artist or creative you like, share their work with your family, friends, and colleagues. Independent artists don’t have the marketing machines that major corporations have so we count on our audience, fans, and supporters to help us spread our work.

Contact Info:

• Website: thenickbrooks.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialnickbrooks/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/whoisnickbrooks
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM8r_HKBgxXGU4y4qtAzyhw

Image Credits
Dante Bailey Zay Monae