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

Nigel, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

When I was in my Master’s program, I was working on my final project which involved children’s books. I found a research study that shared that White and Animal characters were drastically represented more than Black characters in children’s book. When I reflected on my favorite children’s books growing up, none of them had a character that looked like me. That didn’t really sit well with me. The more I thought about that research study, the more I thought about my younger cousins who would be growing up similar to me without characters that looked like them. I also thought about how a lack of exposure and representation impacted the ways in which I saw the possibilities for myself as I was growing up. I felt like I didn’t really have enough exposure to different careers and possibilities so I felt very limited and like I was playing catch up during that time. I drove home and got to work on writing a children’s book. I wrote The Endless Possibilities of Nora & Vincent in 2017 and finally got it published in 2023. The publishing journey came with a whole lot of rejection and people telling me my book would never sell. I even had someone tell me I wouldn’t be able to sell more than 50 copies. However, I’ve sold over 1,000 copies and I recently completed a book tour where I went to over 10 schools and talked to over 400 students ranging from kindergarten through high school about the book. This was by far the most meaningful project I’ve worked on and done.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Nigel and I’m working towards becoming a nationally syndicated talk show host. I’m currently a PhD Candidate at the University of Kentucky studying Communication. My goal is to become a communication specialist whose expertise is helping people have healthier conversations with themselves. My platform is built on the belief that the relationship we have with ourselves creates the foundation for the rest of the relationships we have in our lives. In other words, a healthier me equals a healthier us.

I believe in showing the full extent of my journey from the wins and accomplishments to the losses and lessons. I don’t have the desire to be the epitome of anything. I love creating safe spaces for others to show up as they are and be graceful with whatever that looks like everyday. The best thing about the journey is the company so I love connecting with different people and learning their stories.

I am a Children’s book author, public speaker, content producer, social media strategist, a short filmmaker, event curator, and a mentor to many students who refer to me as uncle and/or gramps because anything older than 21 is ancient to them.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is simply experiencing how far a simple idea can take you. Sometimes you genuinely don’t have the vision of seeing how impactful and life changing your idea is until you see it through. I’ve had so many different pinch me moments because I ended up doing something I never even could imagine due to a simple idea.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I just want to leave the world better than how I found it.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://nigelmarcellus.com
• Instagram: @NigelMarcellus
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigelmarcellus
• Twitter: @NigelMarcellus
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nigelmarcellus
• Other: Link to my book: https://www.amazon.com/Endless-Possibilities-Nora-Vincent/dp/B0CJXKKLXX/ref=sr_1_1?crid=18BPOZBKRBRQ2&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.t27AGET9bxEexa7x0un3FJ_oOaXGOF7AEUQE4XmGZFlIrHDlIfYHLKW2bnfRUrInUJLmIWqdHzzgX0CN0yJ1DuFbcX4H1RhIuP52khDLpQAmmYz-4o_adXFHaKJxTO6s9dRA1lJMOerfiBJ9rQb1Cpf1uzQfyNbXLnleRlXp88pa7NyNFUHJ2OKNWVYbtvUdmRu13yNkyycMhnhX-NdCx7yMzXjC-xfqX0Az67icJOE.3Kqfm0qv2JjcLfW7fsquvgcLZEOunf07YUcydtMWgIA&dib_tag=se&keywords=endless+possibilities&qid=1708919674&sprefix=endless+poss%2Caps%2C271&sr=8-1