Langston Hughes once asked, “what’s a dream deferred?” We never did get the answer, but one might say it’s an inclination that you need to dream bigger.
And before you think that’s big enough, go bigger.
Rejection is disappointing and can get in the way of going for what we really want, but that shouldn’t stop you from reaching for the gold. Take it from Nakia Stephens, the award-winning screenwriter who took matters into her own hands while making her way in Tinseltown.
Getting her start at Savannah State University in Georgia, Stephens initially studied Mass Communications before getting the opportunity to study abroad in China and Africa. It was there she studied the art of screenwriting and creative writing.
“When I got back, I moved to LA because I knew I needed to be there, so I can figure out what the atmosphere was,” Stephens told The Block. “I was writing my first film, and then I decided to move back to Atlanta because I knew that’s where my tribe was.”
Sounds like a lesson taken from the Issa Rae handbook. Rae, now a pillar in the Hollywood industry, took matters into her own hands and created a web series entitled Awkward Black Girl. That series inspired the now award-winning HBO series, Insecure. Other black screenwriters and creators like Lena Waithe and Mara Brock Akil are paving the way for newcomers like Stephens to make their footprints, but it’s not that simple.
Like others, Stephens quickly learned that there are no guidelines to follow in order to be successful in the industry.
“I gave myself my start because the industry doesn’t really have a blueprint, so it’s very difficult to know what direction to go in. When I moved back to Atlanta, I gathered some people and decided to do my first feature film.”
The screenwriter rented out a theater for the premiere, seating about 125 people. After thinking that she would only fill up the smaller theater, she quickly learned that she had more support than she thought. Nervously, she remembers the theater calling her with news that the projector in the rented theater was broken, and instead they would let her use the larger theater.
“I was terrified, taking the time to sell 125 tickets, there was no way I’d be able to sell more within one week,” Stephens remembers.
Thinking that the theater would look empty, she didn’t give up and hustled to sell tickets for the remaining seats.
“I promoted it, and more got more people involved. We ended up selling out. That was when I graduated from a dreamer to a doer.”
Not wanting to wait for others to give her a start, the 29-year-old hit the pavement running, creating web series like Cream x Coffee and short films, like Suga Water. After that, Stephens birthed Damn Write Originals in Atlanta in March 2014. It is the first screenwriting label ever and to top that, it’s owned by a Black woman.
Now with 20 screenplays under her belt, the label works with in-house talent to ‘coordinate, develop, brand and market stories that elevate women and people of color.’ The company presses the importance of telling stories that cater to all types of women and also putting Black people in film genres that you typically don’t see in Hollywood. Like Noise, the story of a deaf Black teenage girl navigating through life when she gets a major opportunity. Or Lavender and 00:11:45 both science fiction and zombie apocalypse short films.
“I wanted people to know that I have an interest in different things and that I’m a storyteller, period. Not just a storyteller that only tells one type of story,” Stephens confirms.
She then gave her team the challenge of doing one short film a month. With a team as dedicated as hers, that wouldn’t be a problem.
“Each month is going to be different. This is a way to build my resume and let people know that I can write different stuff. ”
The goal was to not “pigeon hold herself and to not be known for one thing.”
Following that sound advice has garnered her partnerships with Revolt TV, BETher, Black & Sexy TV and coming up, aspireTV. Now with her headquarters in both Atlanta and Los Angeles, the Atlanta native has expanded her team, filling her writer’s room with talented writers open to tell the stories that will resonate and expand her audience base. Something very important these days as some Black screenwriters, like Tyler Perry, have been ridiculed for not taking advantage of filling the room with writers such as Stephens.
While the Chief of Content for Damn Write Originals thinks that having a room full of writers that look like her is important, she says it’s imperative to know that it is also about having variety.
“Even if they do look like me, that’s already a variety because there is not just one way to be Black,” Stephens said. “If the whole room was Black, it can still be very different.”
She breaks down that bold statement with examples that the world should hear. Starting with class, people who may have been raised below the poverty line versus those that grew up a little more fluent. Then Black people that went to HBCUs versus Ivy League institutions, ending with those who are non-binary, queer and even only children.
“All of those things influence your story telling and your perspective. What a lot of people get wrong is they think diversity just means color or ethnicity. Wrong. Diversity is in perspective.”
Since Stephens has created her own blueprint, with an entire company under her belt, the HBCU grad knows what it’s like to be a little lost in finding her own way. However, she has some key advice.
“Start as early as you can because the earlier you fail, the better,” Stephens laughs. “The earlier you can make your mistakes, the faster you can fix them so by the time you are out of college, you will know certain things. Just like Nike says, ‘just do it!'”
She recommends that up and coming screenwriters, especially those still in college, use those years to your advantage and ask those in the community to help you.
For the adults that already made a small mark in the industry but still looking for that blueprint or guidance, Stephens’ advice is simple:
“The sooner you realize there is no blueprint, the sooner you will get over it. Even if you see me or Issa Rae or Lena Waithe, and try to follow everything we do, it’s not going to be the same because you aren’t us. You’re going to have to get used to making your own way. Just always be creating.”
To catch more inspiration or to support her work visit the website: www.nakiacstephens.com.
