Filmmaker Brookie Nickleson makes YouTube her tube
Aspiring Hollywood producer
LANCASTER, Calif.—In the age of social media networking and YouTube video streaming, artists and information hogs are able to blast their talents and knowledge out to the world with just one click.
And many are being discovered because of their strong fan base and long resume of Internet play.
One filmmaker, Brookie Nickleson, is utilizing such tools to share with the world her reservoir of talent and passion. Originally from Indianapolis, Ind., the aspiring Hollywood producer has created a series, “Deception & Lies,” that captures the drama, love and, of course, betrayal of a group of friends after they suffer the loss of a close friend.
Filmed in the AV, the show employs local talent and has a local feel, and will broadcast on YouTube. But Nickelson has big dreams for her show.
“I originally wrote ‘Deception & Lies’ as a book series back in high school,” said Nickleson. “One day I was watching an episode of ‘Beverly Hills 90210’ (the original one) and I thought to myself, ‘I could do this; what if I took my book series and made it into a television series?’”
“So I decided to take one of my best books and make it into a screenplay. The show would be based on a city in Arizona and focus around a group of people who struggle to deal with the trials and tribulations of life after the tragic death of a close friend of theirs.”
She wants the show to be picked up by any of the major broadcasting stations such as Fox, Lifetime, or ABC Family. She also plans to submit the series to upcoming film festivals.
As an African American woman, Nickleson believes her role is to demonstrate to other Black women that they, too, can be influential and pursue their dreams. The film industry is a tough one to squeeze into, but still she wants to show other women that there is a place for them.
“As a woman, I am starting to see that many women producers, writers and directors are taking chances in this industry and succeeding very well at it,” said Nickleson. “Take Shondra Grimes, for example. Not only has she won awards for ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ but now she has a new show called ‘Off the Map’ that seems to be doing really well. As a Black woman, I feel my role is to write material that gives inspiration to other unknown or struggling Black writers and producers who desire to make it in the entertainment industry but are unsure of where to start.”
Creating the series has been no easy task for Nickleson. Throughout the process, she said, she has dealt with flaky people, lack of professionalism, communication issues, and a small budget. On top of that, she was unemployed. But through it all, she and her team made it happen, making the series her first full-on production.
“Deception & Lies” currently has a mostly all-White cast. Nickleson says because “sex, lies, betrayal, passion, love, and romance” have no color barrier, all groups can relate to the storyline. But she does recognize the lack of diversity within the industry, and in her cast, so she plans to incorporate more people of color in the next season.
New episodes will air every Monday on YouTube and Vimeo.com.
A premiere party will take place on Monday at the Bungalow Club at 7174 Melrose Ave. in Los Angeles at 8:30 p.m. For more information on the drama series, check http://www.facebook.com/pages/Deception-Lies/186106126817.
Zach Sobiech is dying with grace, love, joy and optimism — the kind that somehow makes us all feel more alive.
When he was 14, Zach was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer that mostly strikes children. His prognosis wasn’t great. Last May, with no more treatment options, he was given just a year to live.
Zach turned 18 on Friday. On Saturday he went to prom with his girl, Amy. His high school class graduates next month.
That’s not spring in the air, but fall series ordering season.
Fox has gotten the ball rolling on a new slate of programming, adding five comedy pilots and four dramas. On the comedy side, TV critics have noted how male-dominated the concepts are, especially in light of Fox’s recent female-centric programs like “The Mindy Project,” “New Girl” and the now canceled “Ben and Kate.”
Instead of Mindy Kaling and Zooey Deschanel, eyes will be on Seth MacFarlane and Andy Samberg in the fall.
Yikes! Just when you thought you had safely come to terms with Twitter, tweets and tweeting, let alone LinkedIn, Instagram, and seemingly hundreds of other digital headaches, here comes another one straight down the YouTube downloads, called Twerking.
Famed motivational speaker Les Brown will be the featured guest on the Christian television program, “Hour of Power,” which will air July 21-22, 2012.
As one of the nation’s best-known speakers, Brown has been a consultant to CEOs, small business owners and leaders. He is also an author and coach.
Brown’s messages are designed to motivate audience members to step into greatness, making those first moves to the realization of their dreams.
WASHINGTON—Nearly all African Americans polled—97 percent—say they are unhappy with the Black TV programs currently on air. Seventy-five percent say they want more documentaries, 71 percent prefer more history, 68 percent desire to see more independent films and 59 percent would like to see more news, according to a new study conducted by Target Market News, a Chicago-based organization that tracks Black consumer market trends.
But what Blacks say they want and what they’re watching are two different things.
