We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nick Bunch a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Nick thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
A young, spry 18-year-old Nick Bunch joins the Air Force after declining a full-ride scholarship to college. After almost 8 years of service, I was faced with the decision. To stay on Active Duty at my current job (Combat Arms Instructor) with a promotion and reenlist OR get out of the Military with a clean record, accolades and not a day left owed to the Government. This decision took some time and serious thought but was clear what I had to do. When I showed up to work, I couldn’t help the overwhelming feeling of being in a place so different than who I actually was and around people I was nothing like. I knew something had to change and it wasn’t going to be the job or the people. Thus I had to change me and my situation. So I made another path for myself, Option 3. To get off Active Duty, enter the Reserves and get certs for Cyber Security then move to LA with just what I could fit in my car and a dream. And that’s exactly what I did. While the path to LA seemed cut and dry, it was far from that. I graduated Cyber school early in 2020, and we all know what happened then. I lived in a hotel for a while then moved back home for a few months. Covid was clearly here to stay at this point and affected almost every facet of our lives, but I refused to let that stop me and my dream. It came down to what felt like a “now or never” moment with staying at home and hopefully finding work or move to LA and go to Acting school. Now 4 and half years later, here I am submitting a CanvasRebel Mag piece, experiencing life in its fullest and working a full time production job. Life is meant to be lived!
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 attended the New York Film Academy for Acting and upon graduating, I almost immediately got into the Production side of things. I acted in a few things, one being “Western Ave” on Amazon Prime right now. But I quickly realized all my previously garnered skills would be put to good use in one job, Assistant Director. I started 2nd ADing then quickly 1st AD. My first 1st AD experience was filming 2 scripts simultaneously as we shot with 3 cameras at once for every scene. 12-14 scenes a day for 8 days with multiple locations. Not only did everything turn out great but I learned so much about myself and this industry. My ability to handle large amounts of stress while maintaining a positive and professional attitude, ensuring the safety of crew and providing a quality product is what sets me apart.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is the freedom and ability to create art freely and purposefully. For me, nothing feels better than emptying out my soul and expressing it through whatever medium I choose. Whether its ADing, Acting or Photography. I truly don’t take this for granted. I feel so fortunate and blessed to be able to express my creativity in whatever way I deem necessary. The reward is the journey, not the judgement of the end result.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
In October of 2018, Hurricane Michael destroyed the cities of Mexico Beach and Panama City in Florida. I was stationed there and slotted to deploy overseas for 6-8 months. And just 2 days before my official departure Hurricane Michael wreaked havoc. I had all of my belongings in storage and only had my deployment bags/equipment while I stayed at a friends house before deploying. We were forced to evacuate the city as the previous lower Category storm became a Cat-5 within a few hours. So we all evacuated and watched as our homes, jobs and lives got destroyed. The destruction was real and felt by everyone. So after 2 weeks of staying with friends, family and whoever else would let me, I returned to PCB. Solely because I received an email with pictures stating that the storage building was destroyed and we had 72 hours to retrieve our things before the building gets demolished. So my buddy and I drove from Dallas to Panama City the next days, grabbed a U-haul and traversed the destruction to get to the storage unit. The building looked like a horror film as there were no lights or windows, just holes in the ceiling here and there. Long hallways with dangling wires popping from the ceiling and peoples things scattered everywhere. Fighting through tears, we load up the U-haul using our phones as lights and avoiding puddles of water trying not to get shocked. A lot of my things were destroyed and left there but we made it out safely, together and stronger as brothers. Despite the devastation, I focused on what I could control. I showed up, stayed present, and navigated the unknown. I realized that the only things that are actually meaningful in life are the people around you. Home isn’t just a building, it’s the people who show up for you and you for them.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: life.on.ektar
- Youtube: @NickTheNomadFTW
Image Credits
They’re all mine :)