S7E4 - Discovering the Intersection of Storytelling in Multimedia Journalism and Exploring Mental Health Balance!!

Our guest on the show today, multimedia journalist and community storyteller, Nile, shares his intriguing journey. From a middle school student discovering his passion for writing to a renowned storyteller.

Nile's journey is nothing short of inspiring. He shares some delightful anecdotes, and  We also delve into his transformative storytelling experiences, with compelling tales from his interviews, including those with Shark Tank hopeful Alexiou and bare-knuckle boxer Bruce.

My conversation with Nile further traverses the fascinating intersection of storytelling, mental health awareness, and the influence of cinema on his craft. He shares his unique approach to structuring interviews to truly understand his subjects, underlining the importance of meaningful conversations over small talk. Nile emphasizes on the crucial role of self-care and mental health, and how his work has been influenced by cinema, making for an enriching dialogue. We also discuss the power of unscripted dialogues and trusting your guest to foster engaging conversations.

We also  explore how challenging oneself can aid in achieving one's goals and the balance between multimedia projects and keeping a check on mental health. Nile shares his experiences juggling between podcasting, writing, PR, and social media management, and the value of saying 'no' to maintain that vital balance. He also talks about his current projects and the magic of bringing people together to create something special. 

Nile Fortner is FAU Dec’19 graduate with a Bachelor's degree in Multimedia Journalism. His South Florida coverage and beyond may be seen throughout various publications and online platforms such as the Sun-Sentinel, Miami New Times, Fort Lauderdale Magazine, Simply The Best Magazine, New Pelican Newspaper, Boca Raton Observer Magazine, My South Florida Today, and more. With some of his articles being cover stories for local newspapers.

Nile has also worked in social media management such as for Yacht Life TV and Venice Fort Lauderdale's Magazine, and podcasts such as for BocaFirst, CinePhellas  and Choose954. He has also worked in PR with the Gab Group.

Links:
Nile Fortner (@nile_fortner) • Instagram photos and videos / Nile Fortner

Transcript

Embracing Creativity and Community Stories

Nile 0:00

said , when I'm fighting in that ring , I'm also fighting the battle for mental health as well , and I just thought that was so inspiring , you know , and it's I can visually see somebody fighting the way he is on mental health , so he was breaking barriers , honestly . So I think that's one , because I wasn't expecting that to be a .

Paula 0:18

Hi shitokas , welcome to Toxio Whipi , and I am your host , paula the shitoker . I mean , don't we all like talking shit anyway ? Are you a creator ? If so , you are in the right space . Toxio Whipi is a place where we showcase and celebrate the talents , works and stories of creative minds from all walks of life , while also raising awareness for mental health through providing a supportive space to share their stories , insights and experiences . We will be discussing creative journeys , the high lows and the ways we manage our mental health . Through it all , join us each week for inspiring conversations , useful resources and a community of like-minded creators as we dive into the minds of creative beings to explore their journeys , struggles and triumphs . So , whether you are seasonal , creative or just starting out , toxio Whipi is the podcast for you . All right , toxio Whipi is back on another episode , and this time I have Nile with me . Welcome to Toxio Whipi , nile .

Nile 1:32

I'm awesome and I'm just so happy to be here . Honestly , I know you because of Jason Hill from OWL . Actually , I wrote an article on him and I've been connected with him for years . So one day he shared Paula and I said , who the hell is Paula ? So I looked at her and I'm like , oh , this looks really cool . And I was just going through your page and the podcast and I'm like , wait , I like this and it's so funny to me because it used to be that you know , talking shit was a bad thing , but here we embrace it . So let's embrace it .

Paula 2:02

Yes , I love talking shit . I tell people half of the time I talk shit , but most of the time I try to make sure my shit actually makes sense . So , and Jason Hill is an absolute incredible guy who talks a lot of shit in front of me but amazing things behind me . So I always appreciate people like that and it's funny because when you reached out to me because of Jason Hill , a week later somebody else reached out to me because of Jason Hill as well , and I ended up . The person was doing an awards it was called the Bowden Awards and Jason was a sponsor and he told them about me and I got invited to be on his media . So that was the first time Talks Shit with PB became media and I was like , oh my God , jason is bringing all these blessings to me . So , shout out to Jason . You can be a dick sometimes , but thank you for all the opportunities you keep bringing my way .

Nile 3:05

I love you ?

Paula 3:06

We sure do . We sure do you know what he did at Podfest ? We were at Podfest because I met Jason last year at Podfest , so this year was the second time I was meeting up with him , and because I talk so much shit and Jason talks a lot of shit too . He ended up because we had these flares where you can add on your badge and some of them say speaker , some of them say introvert , extrovert , first time , everything . So people were putting them like when they work with their badge you can see their speaker or their creative circle or whatever .

Paula 3:39

So Jason went and took one which was introvert , I think , or extrovert , and he canceled half of the part and then he wrote pa . So it became like pa-vated . And then he brought it to me and was like I dare you to wear this ? And I was like you're daring , the wrong person and the entire conference . For fucking days I was working around with my badge that say pa-vated and everybody was stopping at me and reading and they're laughing and taking pictures . I kind of became the pa-vated , famous person at Podfest conference , all because of Jason .

Nile 4:13

That's a really funny story . I love that . I know right , I used to see their reaction to it Would have been amazing .

Paula 4:24

So , Niall , you are a multimedia journalist and community storyteller . How did you get into that world ? What made you decide that ? That's what , because I know that's what you also majored in your undergrad . So what got you into this world ? Let's go all the way from the beginning before we get into the juicy stuff .

Nile 4:46

All right . Well , honestly , back when I was a little shit , I always loved storytelling . I always loved movies and comic books . I even remember my dad sharing comic books with me when I was a kid . He had comics from the 70s and I just always loved stories and I just wanted to do something with storytelling . So I remember being in oh my , I was in eighth grade actually and I had a teacher and she's like you know , you can really do something with this writing , but when you're a little shit , you don't think about stuff like that honestly . But it wasn't until I was in high school and I had a teacher named Mr Konde and Mr Konde was just like you know , you can write for the school blog and you can still write stories and do what you love , since you had an interest in it since you were a kid . So I would write , like , about different students . I remember writing for the school blog and it's funny because they wanted me to play basketball and football and do all of these things .

Paula 5:37

But I'm like no , I want to write .

Nile 5:41

And they were like , okay , nerd , get out of here . But I took that interest in storytelling and I took it with me to Broward College and then FAU and then I'm like you know what , how awesome would it be if , instead of you know people watching a movie and they see Rocky Balboa , how awesome would it be if they would cheer for their neighbor or their classmate or their family member or their friend the same way they would cheer for a Rocky Balboa , the same way they would cheer for a Batman or a Spider-Man or just a character . So I'm like there's no reason why we can't have that . So I'm like I'm going to write community stories that are inspiring to people and that people simply want to read . They can read about their neighbors , their friends , their family , just the overall community , and it makes you more informed and , I think , more appreciative of the community that you come from . And I just love South Florida culture . So I'm like why not write about South Florida culture ?

Paula 6:34

I love that and I need to give it up for teachers who actually recognize talents and try to push that on kids , because getting teachers who actually care is not . You would think it's , it should be something that's so popular but it really isn't and you can't really blame them , especially certain schools and teacher pay and all that . But we need to appreciate the ones who actually do care and enforce that talent when they see it before we see it . So good to us , to the teachers .

Paula 7:06

And something you said you know I need to connect you with this amazing girl called Ashlyn . I don't know if you guys know each other or not , but she had a podcast and she used to be an artist , a local artist . She is from Florida , I believe was a South Florida , and she had a podcast where , after COVID and after the hurricane or whatever , she wanted to bring the community together and share their stories and artists , because after COVID and everything , nobody was really being out there . And she has an amazing podcast and she's right now she stopped that podcast and she's working on something new about the community , Also a different podcast , but I think it's called Sunshine Freud or something . But I think you guys might end up bringing some magic together . So remind me to introduce you guys together , because and I'm all about connections I'm all about connections . That's why I have this podcast where , when I talk to people and realize , oh my God , I know somebody who you guys can work together and bring something magical .

Nile 8:06

So we'll love to , because you know , magic is what brings us people together . That's how we obviously know each other through Jason . And one thing is people I think are sometimes afraid to send journalists or press releases or news or anything that they think is interesting . But I'm an open book . I tell people if you want to send me something and you feel comfortable sending me something , I'm just thankful you feel comfortable to share something with me . So if you want to share Ashley with me , we can share Ashley together .

Paula 8:35

Definitely . And speaking of sharing some things , because I am right now working on my book , so I will be sending it to you before for some reviews and some pointers from a writer . So , since we are talking about sharing and you just openly put an open invitation out there , if anybody wants to send you something , they should be open to doing this , so I will be taking you up on that offer once I'm ready . Awesome , and what's the book called ? The top ? The heading I have in mind is how podcasting saved my mental health . I'm writing on my journey with mental health and podcasting and how a passion can kind of not cure because my depression can never be cured , to be honest but can our passion or a hobby or something can help distract you from your mental health ? Because most people think sometimes that your mental health is a disadvantage , but actually it could also be an advantage and it's not . You are not your mental health , you are more than your mental health .

Nile 9:40

That sounds awesome , and if you ever go on tour or something just to promote your book , I would totally be there . I don't know what you would call it , but maybe reading shit with Paula , I don't know , but I would totally be there . I just see you at Barnard .

Paula 9:53

Shit talking on the road .

Paula 9:54

We'll figure it out , we'll figure it out , but definitely we'll see how it goes Now . You're giving me ideas , you see . This is why certain connections are important . So now , as you work as a multimedia journalist and community storyteller , you have been featured in various publications and online platforms , like today . I was reading about all the places you wrote and it's incredible Like the list just keeps going on . Could you share this ? Might be hard , but could you share with us a memorable moment or experience that deeply impacted you doing your journalistic journey ?

Nile 10:35

Well , one thing I tell people is , even though I write for all these different publications , I just connect with so many people and so many

Connecting and Balancing Inspiring Stories

Nile 10:43

stories . And one that really connected with me I remember was this guy named Alexio Gibson and he was actually on the Shark Tank and I met up with him and I spoke with him and I just thought he had an amazing story . Truthfully , I think his life could be a movie , but I just remember speaking to him and his story was he weighed over 500 pounds and he lives in West Palm and he was told he wouldn't live to see 30 . And during the pandemic he said I'm going to get healthy and I'm going to make a successful business for myself . And then I wrote that article on him and just things opened up for him . He mentioned he lost all the weight from getting into the CMOS business that's what he sold during the pandemic and then now he's on Shark Tank . So just to see like a little hometown West Palm kid make it to this next level . And I'm like , oh , I was a part of your story . I just remember that so much and I'm like I really like stories that that could be like movies , like I was saying earlier , where it's like you can just cheer for someone that you know and that's in your community , and I just always remember that story . He's one of my favorites .

Nile 11:45

And another one is a bare knuckle boxer named Bruce . Once again I met up with him and he's a nice guy and when you see him it's like all the tattoos and you know , when you think of bare knuckle you think of his violence , but he was like the sweetest guy and he was trying to raise awareness for those who also deal with mental health . So I'm like , okay , that doesn't really seem to go hand in hand with bare knuckle boxing and whatnot , but I just remember like , wow , we're somebody who's breaking stereotypes . So just really seeing all these local people who it's like you know the quote transformers it's more than it's the eye . So I just really thought that was like . Those are like just two stories that come to mind and I'm like those are ones that always stick with me in my heart .

Paula 12:28

I love that and that's the thing , the power of having these connections because once you sit down like you write people stories me , I talk to people over here , but you get to have these deep conversations and then you feel like , even if it was just for one hour or 30 minutes , you feel like you know somebody in such a different light and then to see them achieving either something they shared with you , they wanted to , or just out of the blue achieving something , it's like that's a good win For me . It's like when people come on my podcast , right , and then somebody reaches out to me and they're like oh my God , I listened to that podcast episode . Can you connect me to that person ? Oh , I reached out to that person because , after listening to your podcast , that shit makes me so happy when I see them end up working together and I'm like I did that , I brought that . It's so , it's so um , what's the word I want to use ? It's so rewarding , like it feels like you are also winning Right .

Nile 13:27

Exactly , and it's like , honestly , the world is a big place and there's a lot of crazy shit going on , but if I can make somebody's life just a little bit better or just simply connecting them to the right person , just making them smile , even if it's just for a quick minute , it's like in a way . You know , we help the world in a way . So I I just feel blessed I guess that's the right word to be able to do what I do .

Paula 13:51

Yes , very much so . Now , with such a diverse range of your contributions you are from like writing cover stories to local newspapers , to podcasting because we're going to come to that and then social media management , pr . Oh my God , how do you balance all these various roles and interest in the media industry ?

Nile 14:16

Well , truthfully , every day it starts with a plan like a structure . So literally I use Google Calendar for everything . I even plan my meals on that . So I'm like , okay , the morning , that's , that's PR work . Monday , 9am I got to do the social media management . Oh , I have to interview somebody at 9.30 . And then after that it's like I got to write the story because I might have a deadline . And I'm actually interviewing someone tomorrow at 10am for sunset and also it's like every day I just have to make sure I plan something .

Nile 14:45

And even on weekends I try to plan something . And I do take time out of my schedule just to to really just speak with people and really connect with people as well , because we can get so caught up in our daily grind and just doing the same thing over and over and over again . But just once a week I try to meet somebody new or simply reach out whether it's an email or a text and just say I like what you're doing , I see what you're doing , maybe we can connect . And that way it's like you're still in your your mode and your grinding and whatnot , but you're also trying to find something new , and that's something I really think helps me personally , it's like I was always trying to find that next door that I could knock on , and I think that's how I got a lot of these opportunities .

Paula 15:27

Honestly , I love that and it's funny you mentioned about you tried to connect with at least one person a week . When threads just came out right , I got into somehow , I ended up into this timeline and I met a guy called Rob because he had just interviewed a friend of mine and then I learned about his project . He is doing 10k friends . He wants to meet 10,000 people .

The Influence of Cinema on Storytelling

Paula 15:59

The first five K was in person , like he was like during the pandemic people lost touch people , so he wanted to make that personal connection back , so he would just meet people for one hour like no agenda just to talk to learn to . It's not an interview , it's nothing . And then now , after five K , he opened it up to the world as well Because he started getting a lot of media coverage because of his project and I ended up being one of his guests and he's actually going to be a guest on my podcast .

Paula 16:30

Because I was like you want to come and talk about it , because we didn't have an interview , we just literally talking . We ended up talking about his . He started dating somebody . It was just a casual conversation and he just and I love that idea Because when he told me the people you have met and the things he has accomplished . And I'm like you know , it's really funny because we might live every day and we feel like we're talking to people , but it's work , it's interviews , it's . We are not really choosing to literally connect with people , we're just doing it because that's the routine , that's what's on my calendar , that's not , that's a .

Paula 17:04

So it's funny that you also mentioned that and I love that you do that . So with that and how does cause you said you literally leave by your Google calendar . So if that shit dies on you , you're like you're gonna be lost and shit . So how do you keep your mental health sane with you know cause , living by a calendar until you're scheduling your meals ? That can be also very I feel like I can have an anxiety if I constantly have like I know I depend on my calendar , but not as much , cause I don't have as much on my plate like you do , like you literally have so much . I mean they kind of interconnect , but it's also so much . So how do you keep your mental health sane ?

Nile 17:52

Well , one thing I didn't say is on my Google calendar . Yeah , there's a lot of shit on there , but the thing is I take one day , I just write something , I just pick a random day and I put enjoy yourself . And it's like what does that mean , enjoy yourself ? I think even my dad was like what are you talking about ? Enjoy yourself , but it's like do something for you .

Paula 18:14

So whatever that would be .

Nile 18:16

Whatever that is like . Yes , I write for other people , I do social media management for Yacht Life TV . But just one day nothing even has to be a day , could just be an hour , two hours Do something nice for yourself . I love going to the movies . Just see a movie for an hour and 30 minutes . Or , if you feel like you know what , I don't feel like planning my meals today , I feel like getting breadsticks at the Olive Garden or something like that , just simply treat yourself . So , even though I have a schedule , I try to maybe tweak that schedule just a little bit for myself , because if you don't take care of yourself first , then , truthfully , you can't take care of other people and you can't really do anything .

Paula 18:58

I like that , that's so true , and I'm glad you now I don't have to worry about you , I'm glad you have that , and I like the idea of enjoy yourself , cause that could mean anything going for ice cream , just sleeping , beaching on a shore , like whatever that day says , cause I'm a person when people ask me what do you like to do for fun , I can never answer that question , cause- .

Nile 19:21

I like people like that .

Paula 19:22

Cause for me . Literally I hate being bored , but I also like days to be lazy . Like literally , I'll be like you know what this weekend . I just wanna be lazy and that's okay . But then , when it comes to what I like to do for fun , it literally depends on the day , on the mood and on the weather .

Paula 19:44

The weather will determine what the fuck I wanna do If it's too hot . As much as I love swimming and being at the pool , I'm not going to the pool if it's so fucking hot outside . So you know what I mean . So anytime somebody asks me what do you like to do for fun , I'm like whatever the mood tells me , the weather says . So I like the idea of enjoy yourself . It's like you know whatever that day chooses for you . Exactly Now , you said you like going to the movies a lot and we know that Dark Knight is part of your your favorite movies , right , yeah , so we just say cinema , cause literally I used to be a movie person and then I started watching series and now I prefer series cause I don't like things ending and then when movies end you have to wait two years , three years for the second one , at least series like six months , seven months . You get a new one , but so would you say movie . Cinema has been the biggest influence into your storytelling style or the way you approach your work in media field .

Nile 20:52

You know it's interesting . You mentioned that no one's ever really asked me that before . But yes , it has , because , like I said earlier , I loved movies ever since I was kid and I examined what makes a good character . What do we know about Rocky ? People don't cheer for Rocky because he's a boxer . So we know his motives , we know his family , we know his history . Just we know all these things about him .

Nile 21:16

So I think of people as characters , and some people like that , some people don't . But it's just my personal style and what I do is , let's say there's a guy named Bill , and so I will write Bill and I will circle his name . Then I will branch it off and say , okay , bill , this is his family , I will make another branch . This is what he does for a career , this is how we got into that career , this is how he wants to end his career , and then so forth and so forth , and that way it's a structured person , literally , the way you would structure a character is the way you would structure a person , and I learned that honestly through watching movies and television shows and just simply reading and even reading comics . So I guess to some extent yeah , it has I guess changed the way I view journalism in a way , and some people would hate that answer , but it's just the honest truth and I really appreciate when people say things like I love how you structure the stories . It's not like the person starts out the same and then it ends the same , because I'm a big believer of when you read someone's story all the stories I've ever written the person starts out one way and then they end in a different way , meaning there's progression in a person . The same way there's a progression in a movie Like , for instance , batman yeah , his parents passed away , but at the end of it he's Batman . See , well , if he was just his crying about his parents passing away and then 30 years later he still cried , no progression .

Nile 22:48

So I think of people that way , and one question I always ask people at the end of every interview is what do you plan on doing next and what are your goals after this ? And there have been times where people said this is my goal , I don't have much after this and I just have to like pull it out of them . It's like pulling teeth , but I'm like it can't end the same way . And when they find out I realized their answer . They're so nice . Sometimes some people are like , oh , I didn't realize that about this thing , about myself , until you kind of pulled it out of me . And that goes back to , like I said , structuring a person the way you would structure a character . I remember growing up and we had a character named Flat Stanley in third grade and I hated Flat Stanley . I thought he was awful , there was literally no depth to him . But I just look at people like characters honestly and that's a huge influence from just not so much watching movies but , I think , learning and the structure of how they're told .

Paula 23:46

I love that and just listening to you , you really have that . I honestly believe cinema has influenced your straightening style and it's making me want you to write a piece of me , Cause I'm like damn , I want to read myself in his title . I love it .

Nile 24:07

Now you're going to have to write a story on me .

Paula 24:18

So that I feel like that will be one piece I publish Cause I feel like it's going to be . Like I myself will be , like is this me ? Am I reading about myself ? Like is this me , damn ? So let me ask you this right , you tell different stories from multimedia journalism and then community storytelling with your podcast . What would you say the topics or themes you feel the most passionate about covering ? And if those were the ones you could cover forever , what would those be ?

Nile 24:52

That's a very interesting question . You know , I've written about , I've written moving reviews , I've written about restaurants , I've written about events and people always say , man , you must love writing about events and the free food , obviously , and I'm like , surprisingly , I just like conversations like what you and I are having .

Connect Through People's Stories

Nile 25:12

I love people stories and I think people connect with people . As much as I love writing about events and restaurants .

Nile 25:20

I think when somebody literally holds a magazine or they hold a newspaper or they're holding their phone and they see a person like , let's say , they're reading about a person who lives in Fort Lauderdale and they're in Fort Lauderdale and just connecting with a physical person that they see that's in their community I think it just means so much more than just oh , it's Taco Tuesday , let me read about this Taco in Tequila restaurant . So I think and not only that , but , like I was saying earlier , you're learning about your community , you're learning about the people in your community and it really just shows unity . So I really do love telling people stories and , like Jason for instance , yeah , we talked about Awol , the app , of course , but we also spoke with Tim and I really do believe that people just simply connect with people . So that's why I love telling people stories .

Paula 26:09

That's so true and I tell people and people laugh at this all the time but I really hate small talks . I like those deep conversations . If I'm not engaging with you in a deeper level then I don't wanna talk to you because I feel like I'm just wasting my time . I love having those deep conversations because that's when you really get to know somebody or learn something , and I'm always willing to learn something from somebody . Like my dad will tell you , I have friends who are my dad's age , who are my age , who are younger than me , who are way older , because I feel like no matter what age you are , I can teach you something and you can teach me something . All it takes is having those deep conversations . But when you have surface level conversations and you don't connect , you never learn and you never know that they help you actually seeking or whatever it is is right there , but because you just wanted to have a surface level conversation .

Nile 27:10

Right and I don't care for small talk either like when people come up to me and I tell people when we speak it's not an interview , we are having a conversation . So if you're coming like a rehearsed actor to the interview , it's kind of like maybe we can just push the reset button on this and I never care for that . So I really it's like wait , let's just have a conversation . Even tomorrow at 10 am when I'm speaking to this guy , it's not an interview , it's a conversation .

Paula 27:38

So I say , yeah , that's so true , yeah , that's so true , and that's why I also don't like sending the questions . I guess I'll come up with the questions , because that's a direction I wanna go , but I just let sometimes the conversation head whichever way , but the questions are there to bring me back to make sure that I still end up asking the important questions I need . But I tell people I just come to talk to you with me and talk some shit , like you know , just be free and do your level . And if I send the questions , I know you're gonna prepare . I don't want you to prepare , I want you to be just there and ready to answer .

Paula 28:13

So last season , my second , last episode , it was on my birthday . So I had a friend interview me because I was standing 34 , so I did an episode of 34 questions for my 34th and she asked me . She was like do you want me to send you the questions before ? I was like no , put me on the spot . If I don't send them to my guests , why would I want you to send them to me ? And she started nicely . I was like oh , I got this . Then she had told me I was like , dang , I should have read these questions , but it was still the fact that it was happening there . You're getting the reaction , you're getting the like right from there . I love that feeling , because you're not prepared for it . I don't want you to come like a robot ready to answer exactly and it feels like no , that's not how conversations should go .

Nile 29:01

Exactly , and people have said that to me so many times . Oh , can you please send me the article ahead of time . Can you please send me the interview questions ? What are you going to ask me exactly ? And I'm like this isn't court lady , it's like it's a conversation . And can you imagine if you sent me the interview questions and I rehearsed this thing like De Niro and I was just phony as a football bat ? And I'm just reading my answers yes , paula , everything is very good . It would be terrible .

Paula 29:30

And the thing is , if you don't trust me , either to write a good piece or to produce a good episode for you or about you , why the hell are you coming on my platform ? Why the hell are you asking me to write about you ?

Nile 29:43

Yes , exactly .

Paula 29:46

I feel like there should be some trust , like I trust you to make me look good and I trust , like we both trust each other to the level that , because me making you look bad or writing a bad piece is going to be a bad rep on you , right , and me producing a shittiest episode , because I've had episodes where they didn't turn out good and I would reach out . I'm like , do you want to record ? Because I'm not going to put this out , because neither of us are going to look good and that's because I care , right . So if it gets to that , I'm going to reach out . So don't ask me to send it to you before or anything . Just enjoy the moment . You know . Brace on it . Yeah , exactly . So why would you say ?

Paula 30:29

I've tried writing and it's really as much as I wanted it to love me , and I'm a person who has had diaries and notebooks throughout . Like I write everything . I have so many diaries , like when I had a fire , one of the things that I was so mad was all my diaries and journals , but even my book , like I literally couldn't write it . So what I do is I record myself and then I send it to my publisher and they transcribe it , so I'm literally not writing it , because I tried and I've been wanting to write this book for almost two years now and every time I sit down and write I even try to Google voice where I speak on it , and enough to edit it and I was like this is not working for me . So it is really a talent to write a piece that really engages with the audience , the people you want .

Paula 31:23

So how do you ? What are the key ? How do I phrase it ? What are the major key elements that you use to make sure that the pieces you're writing , the way you narrate it gets to engage your audience effectively and the way you want it to Well , this actually is interesting because one thing I learned from an early age is and I have weird , I guess , sayings

Action and Social Media in Writing

Paula 31:49

.

Nile 31:49

Once I explain it , I hope you get it I always say start with the action and I always use the James Bond method . If you watch any James Bond movie , what do they do ? They start with the action the car chase , the shootout , the pretty girl , everything and then they fill in the details . So when I say start with the action , start with something that you know is going to bring people in , and I remember when I was at Boca Observer , the editor there at the time or she still is the editor said you always start off with like a hard punch . And she's like , why ? And I said because when you start with a hard punch , you already have their attention and some people like that , some people don't . But that's just something I learned , for instance , with the bare-knuckle guy . I remember I could have simply started off like oh yeah , he trained and he did this , and then he went to the big leagues . But I started with no , he's in the ring , he's fighting , and this is what he said after his match . So you started with that in-ring action and then you fill in the detail . By the way he trained , he had his brother , he did this thing . So I really think starting with the action is the best way to really bring people in , and I will admit it does make it harder , but I think it makes it a better read as well .

Nile 33:06

And I always say , if you're writing something and you yourself , as the writer , think it's too long or you think it's dull , I could only imagine what the reader would think .

Nile 33:14

So you have to put yourself in the reader's shoes . And one other thing I would like to recommend is , if you're a writer , first you have to learn to be a reader in two different ways you have to be a regular reader and then you have to be a reader as a writer , meaning you read something the way a writer looks at it , like , okay , this writer wrote a book or he wrote an article . What can I learn from the way he wrote everything , from the vocabulary , the structure , everything . And I just wanted to study different ways that people wrote .

Nile 33:43

So one I remember being at FAU and I had a professor and he said oh , this is a journalism class , you just need to read newspapers and magazines , which I see his point , he's not wrong , but I respectfully disagree . If you really want to learn about writing , yes , you would read newspapers and you would read magazines , but you would read books . You would maybe look at a screenplay if somebody gave you one . That way you can just become an overall better writer , not just in one field , but the possibility to expand and explore different venues as well .

Paula 34:16

I like that and yes , all right , I feel like , for the writing is start to the action . Because I remember the books I used to read . Right , most of them they have that first page where it's kind of like the mini-intro and it starts it was raining and thunder and car was going fast , and then next thing you go to the next page , you start to check the line they were home , whatever . So without first page , when you read it right here in the books , so you're like , damn , okay , I'm gonna buy this book . It's the same thing as social media , where they tell you to start with a hook . If you want people to cause people , just scroll right and they just like . But if you want people to engage and actually stop and play , they tell you to start with a hook . Right , Start right there so that they can stop and then they'll end up listening to it . So it does make sense .

Paula 35:08

And speaking of social media , social media has become such a powerful tool , right and especially for storytellers and journalists to connect with their audience , because back in the days it was newspapers and magazines , but now you can literally these social media has become like I literally get my news on Twitter . Well , back when I actually gave a fuck about Twitter . I don't give a fuck about X , but Twitter was the shit , so . So how do you utilize social media to enhance your storytelling and engaging with your followers , especially now with the ? There's so much platforms that I know it can be exhausting . So how do you work that ? Well , you know .

Nile 36:02

I'm mostly on Instagram and Facebook and you know I am like everybody else where I like to share I don't know , like my hobbies and maybe a photo of a salad or something I don't know , but like I do have my things that I post like everybody else . But I , for my work at least , it's so easy to write articles on people now because literally , well , it's honestly just so easy to write about people because back in the day think about it you had to physically leave your house , knock on doors and like get your notepad and say telling your story . But now people are posting what they do . They post their hobbies , their entrepreneurship , their goals , everything . And one thing too is people make it so easy now they're telling the world literally what they do .

Nile 36:52

So I find , for my work at least , if I want to write some about somebody , all I have to do is look at Instagram .

Nile 36:59

Literally we keep using Jason a lot as an example . But okay , there's a guy named Jason Hill here , he has Al , it's an app , he's an entrepreneur , he has events . Oh , before I even interview the guy , I know at least five things about him , and then you can literally message him and say I'm a writer , I would love to write about you and I've done that so many times just through Instagram alone . I don't even have to send an email and very few people I think . In the time I've been doing this , only two or three people have said I'm not interested . So I think that's how social media really has helped my work , and especially when it comes to writing and even social media management , because the reason I went with Venice Magazine and I still work with them they saw my personal social media and they said we would like to bring you to help us with ours . So I think social media is a wonderful thing , but it all depends on how you want to use it .

Paula 37:58

That's so true , and me too , most of my guests , if I've used my dating apps as ways of getting new listeners and guests , but I've also most of my I've found them on social media . If I end up coming into a profile that I'm like , oh damn , I actually wanna hear their story and I'll send them a DM . And even I think I've only got two or three nodes , but most of them have been yes , I mean , that's how I mean . Yes , jason was the connector , but you found , like you messaged me , which one I put . I actually woke up to an email . I would stop message and a DM . I was like I must be doing something good to get all for him to want to be in my podcast . This one , it was an ego boost like thank you , like originally .

Nile 38:48

But I it's not everything , you know . I have to reach out .

Paula 38:52

And I like that . I like cause as much as social media can be evil and can be bad for your mental health again , depending on how much you take in or whatever . But it does do a good work in connecting and bringing those connections that without it who knows if it would have happened ? Or , like you know , cause people would have to actually travel or anything . So social media has been a good platform for me for my podcast at least I would say that .

Nile 39:26

Definitely and truthfully . I don't think I would be in the position that I am in if it weren't for social media . I don't think I would have the career or the friends or the network or anything . I honestly mean that . Or if I did , it would be very , very hard . I think it would be very , very hard , honestly if I just for my career , if I didn't have social media .

Paula 39:46

We really would . For me too , for podcasting I'm trying to imagine , cause most of the communities that have helped me grown in social media like podcast , like how , like the empowered podcasting room in clubhouse . So I don't know without social media how I would have found the support and how I would have grown , cause these things started as a hobby during pandemic but because of that support and communities from the social media , it ended up becoming like oh my fucking God , I actually love this , I wanna do this , I wanna keep on growing in this , so shout out to social media for that . So let me ask you this right In your experience , how do you ensure that your journalistic work remains authentic and impactful , especially when covering something sensitive or challenging topics ?

Nile 40:38

Well , that's a very good question actually . One thing is well , I have a friend and she's like use chat GVT , which I used to use , so everything really just has to be genuine , I think , and people know when it's genuine , honestly . So I think that really does help with that . Well , yeah , I was saying that is a very good question , Paul . I wish I had a better answer , but I think when people know what , like I remember one time I wrote about this guy and he said real recognizes real , and I think that's kind of deep actually , because if I wasn't honest with what I was trying to write or share with other people , people would know and we have a following . Like when people see my articles , they're like Nile wrote this .

Paula 41:26

So if I wasn't genuine , I think it would come off and people have a good sense for that actually , and that's so true because you can read two pieces which are talking about the same event , right , but one person wrote it while they were at the event and the other person wrote it just from pictures or a summary of the event . And you can tell the difference because the person who was there , he's sharing the entire experience , like they might write it in a way that you yourself are imagining you're there , and then the person was writing it just from pictures and videos . You can tell like , yeah , I didn't really want to be there , but okay , so you also get people featured in the media . So , for those people out there who are trying to get themselves featured in these medias , how do you do that All ?

Nile 42:31

right . So I'm going to tell you what I've told people who work in PR friends , former employees who don't send a phony press release that is very phony and clearly not a story . Yes , we understand these people want to promote something , but you have to give the people a story . I remember this guy that I wrote about . He works in music and he's like I just want people to listen to my album and I said , well , we have to really focus on your story . That's how you get featured in the media . That's how you connect with the reporter . Also , reach out to the right reporter .

Nile 43:06

I have had people where the food editor and remember they edit food articles , but people are sending them stories that have nothing to do with food and you have to contact the right reporter , the right writer . So my thing is don't just throw shut up against the wall and see what sticks . Really study who you're contacting , and I really think just selling a story is a big part of it . Just tell people like this is who I genuinely am , this is what I've been through and this is what I want to accomplish and tell them why your story , why your business , or whatever it is , benefits them , because unfortunately , people are like okay , we don't care to hear your story , but once you tell them how it benefits them , that's when people will listen . I've had people where it's like I don't really care to listen to you , but the moment I tell them well , this is how it benefits you , this is how you can possibly make money , that's when their ears perk up and they're like oh , please tell me more .

Paula 44:05

I like that

Research and Collaboration in Media

Paula 44:06

. That's so true , because I do feel that sometimes people just send in shit that like I get proposals sometimes and I read them and I'm like , did you even really check ? Like I mean , you don't have to listen to my entire podcast , but at least read what it's about or listen to at least one episode . And you don't even have to listen to all of it before you say it . Because sometimes the things they send in , I'm like what would make you think you are perfect for my podcast ? Because these are two different things . Like you're coming to me about , let's say , clinical cells and stuff . Like why would I talk about you know ? Like make it make sense . I feel like people need to do a little bit more research before they actually end up getting excited and just pushing shit out . Like stop smiling , sparing people .

Nile 45:00

I'm not going to say who it is , but back when I was writing for a website called Boko Watch , Boko Watch was an online website , meaning you can only read this thing online . So this guy , I met him in person . We met at Starbucks and he's like can you get me on the cover of Boko Watch ? And I'm like it's not even a magazine , it's just a website . So you clearly didn't do research and you kind of look like a dumbass on top of it .

Paula 45:21

That's right , and then I'll be like I don't think this piece would work on our website Because it's the simple things , right ? It's like going to an interview and then you're not prepared about the company and then you end up like you know , literally it's like that going to an interview and then you ask something that you ask , you go to Twitter and then you ask about threads . Yeah , I can be a t-shirt .

Nile 45:49

I love that sorry .

Paula 45:55

So you are also a comic book fan , right ? You say you've been reading comic books forever , do you ? And you're also a writer . Do you ever think like you ever produce a comic book ?

Nile 46:18

No , I've never thought that , but people have . Well , first of all , I have literally thousands of comics . But I literally have thousands of comics . I literally have a lifetime of reading comics . But every time people looked at my collection they're like would you write one or would you ever consider writing a movie or something ? And I always say no , because my heart really is in the South Florida community . But that doesn't mean I'm not open to at least discussing it , like I have a friend who's currently working on a short film and I've helped him with his script , but I honestly don't see myself doing that . But like I said earlier , challenge yourselves to do new things within your schedule . So maybe I will take my own advice and take Paula's advice and see how that goes .

Paula 47:04

So true , and , speaking of that , I'm glad you said you're going to take my advice and look into that , because you know the thing I like doing connecting people together . So I have this friend . I've known him since Malaysia and I'm trying to get him to come as a guest on my podcast , but he's taking forever . But he draws and he does amazing shit . He used to draw me as drawn my family , and one time I told him I was like why don't you do this shit for real , like get an Instagram page and let's do this ? So I was like , oh , I don't know how to do any of that shit . So he calls me his manager because when he started I helped him with social media and eventually I was like you got to learn , because I can't keep like I'm getting anxious enough with my own social media , I can't keep up with all this .

Paula 47:56

So now and then it turned it . It took a break from drawing portraits and stuff because he's also allotted him to Magna . Is it Magna , maga , maga , yes , yes . So he's doing a comic like that , right , and he actually even created me . When that book comes in , you all will start seeing me at Comic-Cons and stuff , like I am going to be in that comic , but you'll start working on it and it's incredible to see how the story is flourish . I'll send you his Instagram page and I think I need to connect you to people because , again , you guys might end up doing magic together as well and you might be able to help each other .

Nile 48:43

I'm down for it , honestly , I am .

Paula 48:46

You see , and then , when you end up doing your first comic , you better dedicate it to Paula , because you know , honestly , I will you know how Stanley always like , signs off the comments ?

Nile 48:57

I'm going to be like I'm going to sign off with your name . Yep , I totally would do that .

Paula 49:02

I love it . I love it . So do you have any exciting projects or topics you're eager to explore in the near future ?

Nile 49:12

And in the near future . Actually , yes , I'm always working on something . I'm currently working on a Delray Beach filmmaker . He made a movie in Delray and his thing is I'm like Delray , you don't hear about movies being made in Delray , but he's like I want to make Delray a place where people can say I can make a movie here . And he's making that movie with his daughter . His daughter helped him with the script . Hello yeah . So I'm currently working on a Sun Sentinel article and it's a Delray Beach filmmaker and he made a whole movie in Delray Beach with his daughter . So I'm like daddy , daughter duo make a movie together .

Nile 49:48

And he's like I want to prove that Delray Beach is a place where people can make films . So I'm currently working on that and I'm really excited because I love movies and it's local , so it's two things I love coming together . And I'm also working on local LGBTQ social media influencers . You know , when we think of influencers , we don't really think of people in that specific category , so it's kind of like who are some South Florida influencers that people can be aware of ? So I'm currently working on that as well , and I'm honestly , always working on new stuff that I'm looking forward to . I'm looking forward to supporting people in the community .

Paula 50:27

Nice . I love that and , oh my God , I feel like , by the time I leave here , all I've done is connecting you with people . There is this amazing lady I forgot her name , but she started an app called the QB . I don't know if you've heard about it . It's also a dedicated LGBTQ app for podcasters . Wow , okay , yes , so I'm also going to connect you with that person , just in case . She has some South Florida locals , since you're doing about influencers in LGBTQ , so you all can see how you can . I met them when they came to Podfest in . Have you ever been to Podfest ?

Nile 51:13

No , I haven't , but I know what it is .

Paula 51:15

Yes , you should come . Next year in January it's going to be the 10th anniversary . I feel like you should definitely come . You're going to meet incredible people and it's going to change your life , trust me . You said .

Nile 51:28

January 10th . I'll put that on my calendar .

Paula 51:30

No , it's January 25th until 28th , but this year I mean next year January it's going to be their 10th year anniversary .

Nile 51:40

Okay , that sounds cool , I will mark that .

Paula 51:43

Yes . So I feel like it's going to be amazing and then we'll finally get to meet . But it's also in Florida You're already home . So , as an FAEU alumni , what advice would you give to a SPA ? What's five multimedia journalists or community storytellers that are looking to make a mark in the media industry ?

Nile 52:11

Take your work outside of the classroom . It's not enough just to say I'm going to school and doing the homework . If you're really passionate , you will take that home with you and study it and see what you can do beyond the classroom . You will do an internship , you will email people outside of class and just go beyond the classroom . That's what I would recommend . That's what I did and I think it really did help me and I know other people did it as well .

Paula 52:37

I was about to say , internships really do help . I don't know if people still do them these days , but you can get a lot from internships . But I feel like also these days , most people want that first place success and first place learning , that they don't want to actually work for it , but they just want it .

Nile 53:00

And my thing , too , is people wait until after they graduate to build their resume . Build your resume while you're at school . Yes .

Paula 53:08

That will come to save you a lot , because even when you build it while you are a student , it's still draining out here once you graduate . So at least you have some shit . Otherwise , you graduate and end up being an intern instead of actually . So now that we have talked about your journalists , let's talk about your podcast . So I know you are part of three podcasts , if I'm not wrong . Right , yes , there's about three . So tell us about those three podcasts .

Nile 53:42

Yeah , so I well , for

Multimedia Projects and Balancing Passions

Nile 53:44

one . When I was at FAU , I was a part of the NPR station South Florida Journal , so that's where I really got experience to edit audio . So , like I was saying earlier , when you care about something , see what you can do with it , and I was . I put myself up in a corner . Honestly , people always said you're the writer , you're the writer , but no one knew me as anything else . So I said I want to be the writer and now the podcaster . That way , there's variety on my resume from when I was a student .

Nile 54:11

So I went to this website called Boca first . I was writing for them and I said you know what we should do ? A podcast . And he's like okay , but what makes our podcast different ? I said we're a Boca Raton based podcast , meaning there's a Fort Lauderdale podcast , there's a Miami podcast , which we're currently working on , but this one is going to focus on Boca Raton , Boca Raton entrepreneurs , the artists , the creatives , and we're currently at 20 episodes on Boca first and we just wanted to make it . We called it the Boca podcast . This podcast represents Boca Raton . That's what we were trying to do , and so now we have more variety . We have articles and now podcasting and now we're even doing videos . So that's where the multimedia comes from . But I also did choose 954 , their podcast , and that's a Fort Lauderdale based podcast . I have a friend she's working on a podcast called let's Talk Miami , and I also had a movie podcast with my friends . We're called Cinefellas . We just talk about movies and we interview different actors throughout the country .

Paula 55:24

I know you already said you use Google Calendar , but how do you fit all this shit ? Like you , literally ? I mean I don't know how to ask . How do you fit all that that's for podcasts , and then writing , and then PR and then social media management ? You're really in the media industry .

Nile 55:54

Well , yeah , this is what I said I wanted to do when I'm doing it . So this is what it takes , honestly , just to have variety and to have a schedule . And , honestly , one thing I want to say is I do have to say no to things . I remember Jason saying it's about sacrifice and it really is . There are some days where family members or friends are like , hey , let's go out , let's do this , and I'm like I'm sorry , but I can't . One of my friends is like , hey , let's go to the beach , and I'm like I'm sorry , but I'm busy . And that doesn't mean I'm not social . Of course I'm social , but it just takes really a good schedule and just time management . That's all it is .

Paula 56:35

And that's so true about sacrificing . I remember there's this incredible guy who I met , actually because of podcasting him and his family . I considered them my family and I've learned a lot about branding from him and he has a podcast , he has a book club and they love to cook . So they normally invite people , they cook and everybody has to bring a meal and you just hang out . So I went to the first one , the second one , I missed it , and then they were doing a third one and I really wanted to go .

Paula 57:09

And then one of these guys who I also met recently through Podfest Global that happens online and we connected and we found out that our podcast had the same anniversary , just that mine was standing three years and his was standing one year . And then he was traveling because he lives in Alabama and was like I'm going to be in Atlanta because we are getting off there and then driving to Alabama . I can spare two hours if you want to record in person . I was like fuck you , because sometimes it gets tiring . I love recording in person . If I could do all my recordings in person , I would . So to get that feeling , to actually meet him and sit down and have that conversation , so I ended up having to miss , which I would have been able to make it , but we were having such a good time at that recording that we ended up doing a three hour episode instead of an hour because you know when you're talking .

Paula 58:08

You're just like we're talking and we're talking about mental health and this was going to be our collaboration episode of celebrating our journey with podcasting . So we were talking so many things at the same time whether , by the time I was done and everything , the podcast was ending and I felt bad because only of the food . You know what else ? Yes , I love the company , but I was looking at the pictures on Facebook of all that food that I could have been eating . But at the end of the day , I was like you know , I love podcasting . This shit made me happy .

Paula 58:42

I am glad I was actually here three hours , because anytime I get to talk and connect with people , that should just blow my mind . So anytime I tell people . You know , sometimes I do have to miss out on family and friends , but that's because I'm so passionate about what I want , what I'm doing and what I and I love what I'm doing that it doesn't feel like I'm missing out necessarily . It just feels like compared to when you actually have to go to work , that you hate and you're like fuck , I can't believe I'm missing my family thing for this work shit , just to pay the bills , yeah .

Nile 59:19

And when you really do something you love , people know it and it comes off on you .

Paula 59:23

It really does it does so all those four podcasts right . One is the one you started and the other ones you're doing it with your friends . Yes , that's impressive . And the movie one you're still doing it .

Nile 59:44

Yeah , we actually have something planned . I believe Sunday , the 18th .

Paula 59:49

What kind of movies do you guys talk about ?

Nile 59:51

We talk about the blockbusters . We give our reviews . We also have just different topics . We talk about trending topics , even I mentioned we interview actors . We also bring on people who may have directed short films or independent films as well , so we just talk about that . We also talk about TV shows , so like one topic might be Barbie making a billion dollars and what Hollywood can learn from Barbie .

Paula 1:00:22

I was about to say . I was like , did you guys already talk about the Barbie movie ? I haven't yet gone to watch it , but I've been hearing a lot of great things . I actually haven't been to the movies since pandemic . I haven't been to the movies .

Nile 1:00:45

But you said you watch a lot of TV shows though . Yeah , I'm a TV show , but then I really want to go see Barbie in a cinema .

Paula 1:00:54

Actually , I want to go to the Barbie house , but for some reason we don't have one in Atlanta . I've seen one in Nashville , I've seen one in all . I need Atlanta to bring the Barbie house . Yes , I can go that would be amazing . I know and I feel like it will eventually come . I mean , they've done the friends , they've done the , they always do all these other stuff , so I feel like eventually it will come . It might be a little bit late and I like that . I want to say Barbie did amazing in their marketing .

Nile 1:01:27

Oh , yeah , absolutely .

Paula 1:01:29

By the time , I remember my sister coming and we were talking about Barbie and she was like the movie is not out yet . I'm like , no , it's literally coming out in the next six weeks . She was like the way I've been seeing Barbie everywhere , I thought the movie was out . I'm like , yeah , their marketing was incredible . I was tired of Instagram seeing all these Barbie reels and there were people who were going . I was like I thought I was creative , I was a content creator , and then I would see people's reels on those Barbie shit and I'm like , damn , yeah , yeah .

Nile 1:02:00

For two weeks .

Paula 1:02:03

There was this couple who were literally like walking , like Barbie , and I was like how many cameras , how many time , how much . I have to give it up to them and they deserve all the money they're making because they went hard on their marketing . And this happens when , if you have the money , market . Market the hell out of your shit , because only marketing will get you further . I tell people once I start having money , I think the thing which will have the biggest budget is marketing . I want a billboard in New York Times Square like market my shit everywhere .

Nile 1:02:46

It's not only work . Their marketing . I'm like , yeah , this is genius marketing . They even teamed up with that Oppenheimer movie and I'm like how genius is that ?

Paula 1:02:57

They went crazy and the fact that Ryan Gosling is so private about his life . But even because of this Barbie movie I was finding out so much shit about Ryan and his family and I was like , damn Ryan , I'm pretty sure right now you're excited about the money , but you're also like that goes my private life , because he really tries to live a private life .

Nile 1:03:19

Yeah , yeah , we're looking forward to seeing it and talking about it .

Paula 1:03:25

I swear , oh , you haven't seen it yet . That makes me feel better , because I feel like I'm the last one on earth who hasn't seen it yet .

Nile 1:03:33

Well , no , not exactly yeah , but but a lot of people are seeing it . My friend saw it the other day and I can only imagine he's just a big tatted bearded guy . To tickets for Barbie , please .

Paula 1:03:44

And that's the thing , like even the man , I excited to go see Barbie . That's how much the market , like I have my friend , shout out to Ricky who's all the way in Germany . This boy literally went to a whole body . He wore pink , he was like the black can , he wore pink shirt , he went and he was even .

Nile 1:04:03

Instagram .

Paula 1:04:04

I was like are you Instagraming this , not in your circle's friend , but for everybody ? You're watching Barbie ? I was like , yes , Barbie did the damn thing . And the man will like , oh my God , that was actually a good move , because I expected the man to talk shit about it , you know cause men normally do . But even the man will like , okay , that was one good movie and he learns some shit . And you're like , yeah , okay , I really need to see this movie .

Nile 1:04:30

then I love it more than the girls actually . My friend saw it in theaters and he's like this is my favorite movie this year and I'm like really .

Paula 1:04:39

Okay , I don't know if you know this , people custom media , Tiffany and a partner . They went to watch it and Tiffany was right , she posted a picture on Facebook , right and everybody was like I can't believe I keep on forgetting what is his partner's name , oh my God , I forgot . But I was like I can't believe he went to watch . It was like , oh my God , he was actually laughing more than me and enjoying it more than me . I was like good to know .

Nile 1:05:06

I'm expecting to like it , though I really think I'll like .

Paula 1:05:09

I like it . I can't wait to see what you have to say about it .

Nile 1:05:13

I'm looking forward to seeing it . Really I am .

Paula 1:05:16

I'm going to buy a pink outfit now , yeah , you have to go away and pink something you know . You have to have some pink in you . You got to go with the theme .

Nile 1:05:26

I look like a piece of chewing gum .

Paula 1:05:31

You know , you know , but you have very interesting events that you attend , like just yesterday you were in an outrageous event . Can we talk about what was happening yesterday , because I saw your stories ?

Nile 1:05:46

Oh yeah , they had a silent auction for guess what movie posters . I was in Fort Lauderdale , florida , at the rooftop , so I got an invite . They're like hey , we know you like movies and and this is not only about movie posters but we're auctioning this off and they're going to donate some of the proceeds to a mental health charity . So I'm like , oh , this is pretty cool , I would love to cover this and that's why I was there .

Paula 1:06:13

Nice , did you , did you ? What's the word ? Did you bet on anything ?

Nile 1:06:19

No , I can't afford that stuff .

Paula 1:06:24

I saw you ask Godfather , john Wick , and I knew exactly everybody would have voted Godfather , like who doesn't , and I decided to vote John Wick and I saw the numbers , like Godfather was 80% and John Wick was like 20% . But I mean it's Keanu Reeves , like that is one of the most I don't know . I think it's the Jesus of the world on earth , because that man does no wrong . No not at all .

Nile 1:06:55

Like he's one of my favorite celebrities honestly like , and he's so nice .

Paula 1:07:00

So simple . You don't hear his shit on the media . The only time you hear if he's done something for the , for the , for the world , like give him money or something he doesn't even ask , social media Like sometimes you don't even know he exists until a movie comes out to them and you're like , oh , you're still alive .

Nile 1:07:18

And that's how I like

Fame, Wealth, Mental Health, and Writing

Nile 1:07:20

it .

Paula 1:07:20

I tell people all the time like I don't want to be famous , I just want to be rich . Like let me make my money and live that peaceful life like I'm financial secure , somewhere in an island where nobody knows me . You can keep this fame that you all want , just give me the money .

Nile 1:07:38

Absolutely , I'm the same way .

Paula 1:07:41

But it's funny also because I'd never watched John Wick until recently , like a month ago .

Nile 1:07:47

Really those movies are very popular .

Paula 1:07:50

I know and I was thinking out with this guy who that was his favorite movies . So we spent that weekend watching all the three . And then two weeks ago two weekends ago , that's when I watched the fourth , which I was a little bit too high to even pay attention in the morning , I was like you do know , I don't remember shit from that movie . I was like , well , that's the last one you have to really pay attention in order to . I was like , okay , we'll try again next time .

Nile 1:08:20

I just wanted to . I want something as background noise and I get .

Paula 1:08:23

It's not that I just want to see John Wick . I mean sorry , I just want to see Keanu Reeves . You know like just just make me happy anytime , I just watch him . I don't even care what he's saying , I just be like , hey , that's happened to me .

Nile 1:08:42

I never written about anybody famous , but one time I did interview this actor from a horrible video and I'm like I saw you on TV . I'm like , oh , I think these want to do the interview and I'm like okay , and I got so like really , really fun .

Paula 1:08:57

Oh my God , so you also cover mental health pieces , right yeah ?

Nile 1:09:06

Just to , I'm thinking of one right now the foodie therapist on Instagram , ashley Gersh . I wrote about her . She discusses mental health and she's a therapist .

Paula 1:09:16

All right . Is there ever been a mental health piece that you cover that's really either touched you so deep or affected you in a way ? You're like fuck this mental health shit .

Nile 1:09:30

Well , the bare knuckle boxer that I wrote about his brother and this was in the story . The reason he started wearing mental health gear to the ring is because of his brother . His brother suffered from mental health and he said when I'm fighting in that ring , I'm also fighting the battle for mental health as well , and I just thought that was so inspiring , you know , and it's , I can visually see somebody fighting the way he is on mental health . So he was breaking barriers , honestly . So I think that's one , because I wasn't expecting that to be a mental health story , but it became one .

Paula 1:10:05

Nice , I love that . Well , it was so amazing hanging out with you . I have learned so much . If you would give one mental health advice . Actually , let me ask you this before I get to the other stuff how do you deal this ? This is the last question how do you deal with writer's block ? Writer's block , Do you ever get it ? Because I know you're so used to that . So maybe some people because you know you've been doing it for so long . It just comes naturally . But if you do , I get my block all the time .

Nile 1:10:51

I always say the hardest part is just starting . And one thing that I do when I have writer's block is I sometimes I just like to look at Instagram and just get inspired by what people are posting , and sometimes I just write everyday activities . I'll go outside or I'll be driving or at a restaurant and I just write down people . Like I just look at people and I'm like , okay , I'm going to just write that person in my phone real quick and then it's like , okay , I'm writing about the world around me , Now let's focus on this one person . So I think really just opening my eyes to see what different people are doing really does help with writer's block . Honestly , and like I was saying earlier , if you're not a reader , become a reader because you will read some good stuff that will inspire you to be like I can go now .

Paula 1:11:42

Nice , so you are people , people watch you .

Nile 1:11:46

Oh yeah , all the time I actually I have notes on when I write about people . I shouldn't be doing this Like I had different notes . I know it's hard to see with the glare .

Paula 1:12:01

So you're writing the notice , like what people do when they sit down in there and they look at the watch people and they create stories for them . That's , that's your right . That's what you do with writing the notes on the people , right ?

Nile 1:12:16

Yeah , so this is kind of silly , but I drove by a garage sale the other day so I put in my phone why is the garage never for sale at a garage sale ? It's like that . Nice yes walking down the street wearing heels . So I said she's walking like a baby deer trying to walk on the icy lake . So just describing people in their everyday actions , that's . I just love people watching and just writing about people .

Paula 1:12:49

I did on ice , was she working very bad in those heels to me she was yeah , I'm not writing this script .

Nile 1:12:57

I drove by a waffle house . It looks like a gas , a bathroom at a gas station that serves .

Paula 1:13:04

Have you ever thought about trying stand up comedy ? No , not at all . Maybe you should put that on your on your on your bucket list of things to try . I will come to Florida . If you tell me you're getting on the stage to the stand up comedy , I will come cheer you on .

Nile 1:13:25

It would be the worst stand up comedy . I'm just reading a phone , okay , so I said this .

Paula 1:13:31

I'll make sure to sit further away from the stage in case they throw shit on you they start throwing tomatoes . Rotten tomatoes . I know you say that because you're reading it on the phone . But if this thoughts can't , if that's what you comes to your head , I feel like you can stand up there and do the standard comedy .

Nile 1:13:57

Okay , that's , that would be very new .

Paula 1:14:01

Hey , you gotta try something , at least once , you know .

Nile 1:14:05

Yeah , like we were saying break barriers .

Paula 1:14:08

Break barriers . There you go , all right . So , as we wrap this up , give one mental health advice for the people out there .

Nile 1:14:21

One thing I would like to say when it comes to mental health is before anybody can care about you , you have to care about you . You have to be your cheerleader . So be your cheerleader . Give people a reason to cheer for you , but , more importantly , cheer for yourself , because every day there's something to cheer for .

Paula 1:14:42

Amen , amen , amen . I always tell people , especially in these wins , right , people like to celebrate the big wins yeah , I bought a house . Yeah , I bought a car . Yeah , which it's amazing but we always also forget the small wins , right , because those small wins are the step to the bigger win . Yeah , I got that interview . Yeah , I paid 10% of my debt , yeah . So sometimes people feel like , oh , I don't have a win to celebrate . You waking up and surviving the day in this world , that's a win .

Nile 1:15:20

Especially with the way the world is now absolutely .

Paula 1:15:23

The challenges we have that are everyday life should happen . So you just go getting through the day , you being able to accomplish your task list . Those are all wins that are setting you up for a better tomorrow , for your bigger goals . So every step matters . So that's a good advice and we need to be cheering on ourselves more and betting on ourselves , because if you're not betting on yourself , nobody's going to bet on you .

Nile 1:15:52

Absolutely . Yeah , you have to be your biggest fan .

Paula 1:15:55

Amen , amen . That's why nobody talks shit with people , that's right . So let the people know where they can find you and all that good stuff , what you do . I don't think they actually I know . I'll just say , multimedia journalists and communities tell you about you know , go ahead and tell , go ahead and sell yourself .

Nile 1:16:24

Well , honestly , I'm someone who talks shit about the community . No , I'm just kidding , but yeah , I'm a storyteller , I'm a multimedia journalist and I work in social media management , and I'm a freelance journalist for various publications and online platforms , and I'm always looking to tell local stories , such as yours .

Paula 1:16:45

So do we need to be in South Florida for you to share our stories ?

Nile 1:16:53

Yes , that is the thing .

Paula 1:16:56

So I guess I guess it's never going to be right to tell you , because I'm not in South Florida , I need to move there now , or ?

Nile 1:17:03

well , come on down , but or you have to have some type of connection to South Florida . I've written about one time this guy who was , I think , in Seattle , but he had a business in South Florida , so he got in .

Paula 1:17:17

I'm an ambassador and you know Al is located in South Florida . Say it louder for the editor in the back seat I feel like Jason has gotten too much credit on this episode . Jason , you better pay me now . Maybe are you on the app . I am .

Nile 1:17:41

I am .

Paula 1:17:41

So let people know that you are on the app and how they can contact you . You know , get your coins . You know , get your coins .

Nile 1:17:50

Yeah , so if you ever want to contact me , you can contact me on Al Jason , you love that . But yeah , I'm on Al at Nile Fortner . I have my whole profile set up . You can read about me and some of the publications I write for , such as the Miami Herald , the Miami Newtimes , the Sunset and all , and you could just call me and I will be here . I'm also on social media at Nile underscore Fortner , on on . Can we still call it Twitter ? We're going to call it Twitter X . Mostly I'm Instagram and Facebook , so it's Nile underscore Fortner and Fortner is F-O-R-T-N-E-R-M . As always , you can connect with me because I'm looking to connect .

Paula 1:18:33

There you go , and you all better go . Follow him on Instagram . His story is always amazing because he goes to very incredible shapes , like if I was in Florida I would be his best friend , so I can always be getting plus ones to these events because he really be having a blast in those events , but you all connect to them . Nile is a stand up guy . I've enjoyed watching you and connecting with you and he has to the amazing future we're going to have , because this is just the beginning .

Nile 1:19:06

Yeah , honestly , I'm looking forward to just well for one , thank you for having me on . I'm just happy to speak with you honestly and we're going to stay connected . Send me those contacts and I'll send you any contacts I have , and we're going to be like that .

Paula 1:19:19

Hell , fucking yeah . So , as we leave , thank you so much for hanging out with me today , even despite our internet being shaky , but I feel like it finally behaved . But I had a blast getting to know you and learning some shit about you . So , for all those comic lovers , now I'm going to I'm going to just drop this there Give me your one time favorite movie , favorite TV show , favorite comic go .

Nile 1:19:51

My favorite comic is the death of Superman . I love that because that comic teaches you , despite how hard things are , you can overcome it . Doomsday literally killed Superman . He's the only person who ever killed Superman . But Superman came back stronger than ever . That's . That's some deep stuff , whether you're a comic book fan or not . Favorite movie oh boy , that's a very tough question , but I love the dark night . That Batman movie is amazing . There have been times where that movie is just on TV and I just start watching it like , oh man , I like this movie so much , and what was the other one , my TV show , correct ? Yes , oh , my goodness . Ever since I was a kid , I loved the Simpsons . You can go wrong with the .

Paula 1:20:36

Simpsons . You can go wrong with the Simpsons and , since you're also a writer , your all time favorite book .

Nile 1:20:44

All time favorite book . That's a very well I can't choose a writing book like a book that talks about writing .

Paula 1:20:50

Nobody knows the year yes .

Nile 1:20:51

Yeah , oh boy , the best part of my biography about the Max is one of my favorite books .

Paula 1:20:59

Interesting . I've actually not read that one . Well now , thank you so much . Thank you , ship talkers , for tuning in and spending a valuable time with us . We appreciate you To connect with us more . Make sure you subscribe to our newsletter and catch all the shit talking vibes before anybody else . You can subscribe to our newsletter through our website , wwwtalkshitrepeercom , and on our merchandise website , wwwtalkshitrepeershop . And , while you're there , feel free to shop away . Talkshitrepeer is available on all social media platforms . With the hand-out Talkshitrepeer , follow us and engage with us . Better yet , if you're feeling generous , give us a review on our podcast and all writers on Spotify . You can also share a beer with me , where my beer lovers are . I mean , what better way to support the movement than sharing a beer with me by buying me a beer at buymecoffeecom . Thank you for listening , sharing , engaging and support in any way that you do . Remember , new episodes are out every Wednesday and for part two , if any , on Fridays . Let's talk and all listen to some shit . Happy , shit talking .