Today we’d like to introduce you to Novo Dé.
Thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, how did you get started?
You could say that my career in the arts began when I started giving a lot of thought to my mortality and that this could all be over one day. So then—how do I leave my mark on this world? What will become of my legacy? I’ve always had an artistic side, but I never quite nurtured it too seriously, or seriously enough, until the day I realized how precious life is and so very short. That was the day I started to put myself out there creatively – see if I could leave my mark on the world through art, which eventually led to creating Novo Dé Productions (NDP). Now, the thing about NDP is that it is and always will be a multimedia venture. I could never put myself in a box or stick to one thing, so I thought—why not do it all? Since then, and with the help of my manager and team of course, we’ve gone on to release novel “The Entropy Sessions,” novella “Adul(ter)ation,” short stories “Post Meridiem” and “Cancel Culture Lotto,” and on the horizon, new novel “Til the Bitter [End]emic,” as well as audiobook adaptations of some of the pieces. We’ve also had the pleasure of creating a talk show podcast, called “Art of the Beholder,” to always stay in the conversation, where I get to nurture the other sides of my craft, including producing, directing, performing, acting, and even editing. In the coming years, we plan to release music and even some video content one day, hopefully a film or limited series, as well as auxiliary works like painting and photography. So there’s a lot we’ve done and a lot still to do, but I can assure you, in a way, it feels like we’re just getting started.
Please talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned. Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Smooth road–no. But that doesn’t mean it’s been necessarily bad, either. Struggles along the way–sure. But nothing great in life comes easy; it’s work. It’s all work. Hard work. Sleepless nights. Projects that take years to get done. But when you truly have a passion for something, all the difficulties along the way don’t really matter in hindsight. You do it because you love it, even when no one buys the thing you made, shows up for the show, or pays it any mind at all. You keep going. The thing about working in media and entertainment is that patience is a virtue as well, especially when working with other artists who must be in the right mind space or find the right muse to participate in a project fully. Then there’s also the other side where you must let the artist be an artist and not be pushy about deadlines. Great work is often done when it’s ready. Not when someone else says it has to be done.
I appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I like to do a little of everything, which is both a blessing and a curse. From writing to being behind the camera and mic to sometimes being in front of it, I have this incredible passion and hunger to make and put art into the world, hopefully for the better. The goal has always been positive and progressive change. Mind you, my work often gravitates towards taboo subject matter, provocative imagery, and thought-provoking ideas, sometimes challenging in nature, so much of my output is not always family-friendly. It’s my intellectual, philosophical side that usually gets the better of me–and though I can’t see my work ever being put out on something like Disney, I can assure you that when you get through one of my pieces, it’ll change you. You’ll look at the world differently.
We’d like to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you.
Luck plays a role in all our lives, whether we believe it or not. From my vantage, it’s brought some of the most wonderful people into my orbit, and in a lot of ways, I really wouldn’t be here without them, including my manager, Clayton, and my muse, Teresa, as well as the rest of my team and contributors. I’m nothing without them.
Contact Info:
- Website: novodeproductions.com
- Instagram: @_novo_de, @novodemedia, @aotb.podcast
- Facebook: Novo Dé Media
- Twitter: @_novo_de, @novodemedia, @aotbpodcast
- Youtube: Novo Dé Productions
Image Credits
All images owned by Novo Dé Productions
