Today we’d like to introduce you to Nathan Blackburn.
Nathan, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I got started in communications through my four years of undergrad at Piedmont College. I always knew, from a young age, that I wanted to pursue a career that was people-orientated. At first, I thought I wanted to be in front of the camera. A news anchor was my first real career prospect. But after taking some classes, and doing some passion projects, I discovered that I loved everything to do with the process of creating media. Writing, whether it be academically, writing in AP style, or creatively. Filming episodes of web television. Even directing. I wanted to start in front of the camera but found that the place I felt most comfortable was behind it.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
My journey has seen its fair share of ups and downs. One of the major downs were the times in my life that I experienced homelessness, which included bouncing from motels to my mother’s friends’ houses. This was when I was in middle school. That brought on a lot of feelings of inadequacy, horrid self-confidence and a lot of trust issues that I still deal with. When I did my senior capstone project at the end of my undergrad, I was able to take the roughest, most emotional parts of that road, and channel them into a short film that reflected on a lot of the turbulence that I went through. It was like a huge weight had been lifted off of my shoulders and my heart when that short film was completed.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
Well, as a recent graduate in a state dominated by COVID-19, I’ve been at a little but of a standstill with working on my own projects. I specialize in video production and writing normally. However, I have been working with AH100 Entertainment, a video production company here in Georgia, to help create some film projects, one of which has the pandemic at the core of its plot. But before the world was put on pause, I was able to develop a portfolio of a range of different media.
I worked on a capstone project, which had the ultimate end deliverable of a short film. That short film is called “Wander Boys,” and it would definitely be what I’m most proud of. I was able to work closely with my best friend and a team of dedicated students/friends to help bring one of my dreams to life. That’s what I feel like sets me apart from others. Whenever I work with a team of people, I like to try to get to know them and connect with them as much as I can. That way, it doesn’t feel stoic, and it feels even more like your team is unified in reaching a common goal in production.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
It’s funny. I have something of an ironic answer to this question. Is that the right word? Anyway, I would both open myself up more, but also, guard myself more, in the endeavors I engaged in. I started very closed off and guarded, as I was still working through the self-confidence issues that had brought me down since middle school. So I would’ve liked to have been more receptive to new opportunities and people in my early college years, and even in high school. However, as time went on, I got taken advantage of academically and personally a few more times than I’d like to say. So, I would’ve liked to have found that personal & professional balance a little sooner than I did at the end of the road. However, I also believe that everything in life happens for a reason, even if it’s not clear immediately, so I’m overall content with everything I’ve gone through.
Contact Info:
- Website: nathanblackburn.com
- Email: nblackburn67@gmail.com
- Instagram: nathan_a_blackburn98
- Other: www.linkedin.com/in/nathan-blackburn-292355182
Image Credit:
IMG_0297, IMG_0511, Wander Boys Final (poster design), Nathan Blackburn
dsc_0063, IMG_0478: Sage Shirley
Img_1970-2 (personal picture): Alyssa Gibson
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