From Movie Buff to Award-Winning Filmmaker: A Year of Grit and Gratitude

After countless screenings, late nights, and self-doubt, my first documentary The Negro Artist is making waves. I’m reflecting on the journey, the people who showed up, and the lessons worth sharing.

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If you watch the live show I co-host with

Douglas Burns

, you know that we watch a lot of movies.

One of our favorite venues to watch films is The Fleur Cinema & Cafe in Des Moines. The theater offers a retro vibe with a modern lounging area made for hanging out before or after a film. Another one of our favorites is The Palms Theater & Imax — where we usually go for Hollywood blockbusters.

We supported both theaters a ton last year. Last week, both theaters screened and recognized my film The Negro Artist as part of the Iowa Motion Picture Awards Film Festival.

Doug Burns and I attend the screening of The Negro Artist at the Fleur Cinema & Cafe. Burns was a producer on the film.

The Negro Artist was among several films competing for awards at the festival. The documentary earned nominations in the long-form documentary, directing and editing categories. I walked away with two achievement awards — one for directing and one for editing.

As director and editor of The Negro Artist film, I earned two achievement awards from the Iowa Motion Picture Association.

When I look at the awards, I can’t help but think about where things were a year ago. On the surface, life was pretty good. At the start of May, I wrapped the last two interviews for the documentary — which happened to be with the subject’s parents. I landed one of my biggest client contracts. I went to NASCAR. I visited the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, and I tried the famous tenderloin at Darrell’s Place.

(Top) Attending the AdventHealth 400 at the Kansas City Speedway. (Bottom Left) Doug and I at the Nelson Atkins Museum. (Bottom Right) The amazing tenderloin at Darrell's Place.

I also went to Electric Daisy Carnival for the first time. It was on my bucket list, and it was pretty amazing.

Underneath it all, I was under a ton of self-imposed stress and pressure to put together my first documentary. To add to that, I committed to having it ready by the Okoboji Writers’ and Songwriters’ Retreat in September. What a great idea, right?

Fast-forward to today and the film has earned four awards. It has screened in nine film festivals and at least five states. We’ve sold-out venues and inspired thousands.

As we continue to gain momentum, I want to share some key takeaways from the past year. I don’t mean to preach or sound a certain way. I write them for the up-and-coming creative that may be on a similar path:

• Cherish the people who support you unconditionally. Take them out to eat, send them flowers, write them letter, etc. Find a way to let them know that they’re appreciated. More times than none, those people are few and far between.

• When someone shares an idea with you, reply with “How can I help?” instead of “Why would you do that?”. I heard a lot of that second one - especially as I was producing the film. Don’t be that person. It’s incredibly whack.

• Trust yourself and don’t give up. No one tapped me on the shoulder and said “Hey Nik, you should highlight Caleb and everything he’s doing.” I did it because the story was important to me. I knew it would impact others. That’s what pushed me to finish the film - especially on days when I wanted to quit.

• Do your best to live in the moment. Excessive stress and worry will rob you of great moments. Do your best to ground yourself and compartmentalize.

What a year it has been. I’m really looking forward to what’s ahead. Thank you for following along.

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