Today we’d like to introduce you to Devan Brown.
Hi Devan, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born in Louisville, KY. I started dancing there at the age of four years old. I was in ballet, tap, and jazz. I moved to Georgia when I was eight years old with my mom and sister. My family moved a lot, so I attended six different schools around Georgia by the time I graduated high school. In middle school, I attended an All Girls Charter School named “Ivy Preparatory Academy” in Norcross.
We had a Step Team there and at the end of the season, I was awarded a scholarship to attend AREA (Atlanta’s Resource for Entertainment & Arts). I completed my freshman and sophomore years of high school at Lakeside High School. I joined the dance/majorette team my freshman year and became the captain. I graduated from Campbell High School and I also was a part of their dance team my junior year. After graduation in May of 2015, I moved back to Kentucky to attend the University of Kentucky for my undergrad career. I graduated in December of 2018 early with my Bachelor’s in Kinesiology. I decided to take a year off to really focus on my dance career since I was only focused on school while away at college. The beginning of 2019, I moved back to Atlanta and I started training at different studios around the city. I spent a lot of time at Xcel Talent Agency as well as Groove2Musik, AREA, and Rhythma Studios. My goal was to train and get my face out there in the industry.
In that first year, I performed at StreetzFest2019 with Skylareaux, OneMusicFest with K Camp, TheVangos with LightSkinKeisha, and Power98 Winter Block Party with Rubi Rose. I went into 2020 as one of Rubi Rose’s dancers and we performed at the Wild Splash Music Festival with an upcoming tour to start after, but then Covid-19 hit. As most other dancers, I spent a lot of time training at home from videos due to all the dance studios being closed. I ended up getting the job at my current employer, Team Rehabilitation Physical Therapy to keep me focused since no one knew what was going to happen with the entertainment world. One random night, I went to waffle house and ran into my now agent, Aris Golemi, who owns Xcel Talent Agency. That night he told me that we were gonna make history together. In 2021, my dear friend Jack Harlow asked me to be one of his dancers for his segment on Jimmy Kimmel Late Night TV. A few months later, I got selected from my agency to be a “Disciple” for Kanye’s DONDA Listening Shows at the Mercedes Benz Stadium.
Around that time, I started to take a dive into modeling. I started with doing photoshoots for friends or local brands. On January 22nd of 2022, I posted a selfie on my Instagram with the caption, “@FentySkin should sponsor me”. I truly believe in manifestation. On February 4th of 2022, my agent called me to let me know that I booked a Campaign for SavageXFenty-Summer 2022 and would be flying out to LA to shoot in two days. I was originally only booked for one day and ended up getting booked for both days for that campaign. My first look with Savage dropped in April of 2022 and my additional two looks dropped in June of 2022 for PRIDE. Ever since I was able to experience that Campaign, I have been working on my craft nonstop. I perfected my portfolio and got the perfect headshots, so I could apply to modeling agencies. I took a trip to LA in June of 2022 and signed with Aston Models and Talent Los Angeles Agency and will soon be moving to LA to fully dive into my modeling career.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it has not. I have taken many breaks from pursuing my dreams in the entertainment industry. My first big break was in college, where I did not do any activities involving dance. Covid-19 also put a huge stop to the entire world and especially this industry. There were no studios open to train. All music festivals and performances were canceled. I was going to be going on my first ever tour with Rubi Rose as we opened for Kash Doll. Being that close to obtaining a dream and watching it get snatched from me took a huge toll on my love for dance. I even stopped dancing for a time period just to deal with my own personal things in life.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a professional dancer and model. I focus mainly on hip hop, but I grew up technically trained. I do commercial and print work as a model. I am most proud of all the jobs I have done thus far with and without my agent.
What are your plans for the future?
My plans for the future are to move to LA and really grow as a model. I am currently in the process of moving and will be an official resident of LA at the end of this month. I am still represented by Xcel Talent Agency here in Atlanta and I plan to continue my dance and commercial career as well.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itslildev/?hl=en
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@yeahitslildev?lang=en
Image Credits:
Photographers: Neely Townes, Dennis Leupold, Genesis Ramos
