Life & Work with Brooke Estell

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brooke Estell.

Hi Brooke, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I don’t even know where to begin. Growing up, I was always into a little bit of everything. By the time I was in college, I’d wanted to be everything from an architect to a photographer to a screenwriter. It was really difficult for me to land on one thing because my mom made sure she exposed me to literally everything under the sun (thank you, Mama!). At the root of everything was this absolute yearning to be creative; despite imposter syndrome convincing me that I wasn’t a creative. I wasn’t technically trained in photography or graphic design. I can’t paint or sing. I was, however, confident that I was smart and ambitious and a decent writer. After college, I took a few internships. After a few months of 12+ hour days, I finally landed my first full-time job; a Marketing Assistant at Lathrop Gage. Corporate legal marketing wasn’t this shiny, fancy gig but it did give me the foundation to learn and ultimately go after what I wanted.

During that time, I went from an assistant to Communications Coordinator and while getting my master’s from KU, I was promoted to Digital Marketing Specialist, developing and designing social media strategies, integrated media campaigns and so on. After hopping around some of the top firms in Kansas City, I left legal marketing at the end of 2019 and made the (regretful) leap into the world of financial tech. Kansas City is so well-known for its support of local businesses that when I started at a small local bank in January of 2020, I was confident that I found a place that would support me. I quickly realized that the culture wasn’t one for me. It wasn’t one that supported Black women, let alone people of color. Luckily, the pandemic forced me to work from home and put some distance between myself and the growing toxicity of the bank. The Black Lives Matter protests were in full swing as was the pandemic, which really forced me to prioritize self-care, self-advocacy and to really think about what community really meant. So that summer, I began freelancing on the side as a way to bring joy back into my work. I provided digital marketing services from social media design and planning to drafting editorial calendars, webinars and more. I made it a mission to dedicate myself to working only with BIPOC and women-led companies and in doing so, really sparked my passion.

By Thanksgiving, the bank abruptly laid off my entire department – it was the best thing that could’ve happened for my career and my sanity. That’s when I decided to dedicate myself to starting my business and only committing to work that felt fulfilling. I realize the great amount of privilege at play to even allow me the opportunity to “not look for a real job” and I’m beyond grateful to my family for supporting and believing that my dreams were valid and worth chasing. I quickly got myself into a groove of having regular clients; a legal marketing company based in Melbourne, Australia, a woman-owned fintech startup, a local nonprofit organization and even a few salons. Four months into being an entrepreneur, I was contacted by a LA-based full-service content studio to work on an upcoming Nike project. The creative director found me in a database for Black creatives; a database I’d dropped my name into six months earlier and dismissed. After an amazing conversation with the showrunners, I became a freelance copywriter on a Nike series called Come Thru. Nike’s first long-form new series brings together game-changing Black women for real talk about real issues. I joined the team as a Senior Copywriter and was responsible, along with a team of incredibly talented writers, directors and producers, for creating the groundwork for this series.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
A smooth road it is not! It’s easy to look at someone’s life and where they are and ignore the journey it took to get there. My journey certainly wasn’t a linear one. In undergrad, I struggled, like a lot of kids, trying to figure out my place in the world and that became a pattern I didn’t really break until I was much older. I wasn’t someone who, like my little sister, knew what I wanted to be from the time I was in kindergarten. So, I found myself constantly trying to navigate this idea of “who I was.” Can you imagine? The oldest daughter and a Capricorn stuck in an identity crisis? Blame my Gemini moon. I always wanted to do everything so I struggled with grounding myself in one thing. Even after getting my Master’s in Communications, which I solely did out of feeling like it was necessary to advance, I was just stuck, working paycheck to paycheck and feeling absolutely unfulfilled.

Fortunately, I’ve been really, really blessed to have a supportive family and tight circle of friends who’ve cheered me on through every random and (often) incomplete ideas and have poured love and support into me regardless of what I was doing or not doing. They made the journey, albeit rough, a lot less unbearable. I had a tendency to not see things through because I’d sike myself out or allow myself to get caught up in the whole imposter syndrome thing, which, as a Black woman, the eldest daughter AND a Capricorn — was a nightmare. I questioned myself at every turn. Then one day, I just didn’t do it anymore. A lot of that had to do with my mom and her persistence and confidence in me. I don’t think I would’ve ever been brave enough to go out on my own if she didn’t believe in me.

I’ve lived a lot of lives. If ever there was a time I believed in reincarnation, it’s now. I always grew up hearing “jack of all trades, master of none” and it made me feel like I needed to be good at one thing when in reality, all of my lived experiences and interests have culminated to make me who I am today. I’ve worked alongside globally renowned film directors, been mentored by giants in the corporate world, grew up watching my mom be a literal BOSS and raise a family, learned under Oscar award-winning screenwriters and so much more.

Existing and moving through this world as a Black woman in it of itself has been one of the greatest blessings to my creativity but then adding in all of the amazing people/stories I’ve come across in my life has really influenced the way that works and the way that I live my life. It’s been a really winding, complicated but beautiful journey.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Now, I am a full-time Sr. Copywriter (also a freelance digital marketer) for that incredible LA-based full-service content studio called Conscious Minds where my main focus is writing on a Nike original series. Come Thru is an interview style series through Nike’s Sisterhood of Sport initiative dedicated to inspire, connect and service young BIPOC athletes, specifically Gen Z Black and Latinx women. It’s a beautifully unique show, created and development by mostly women of color, specifically Black women and it recognizes that Black women have “always been the leaders of progress that benefit all,” which lends to the logline I created, “Championed by Black women, created for all women.” The show is so special because we highlight so many different types of Black women, proving further that neither Blackness or womanhood is a monolith. The best part of it all is that I get to work side-by-side with some of the most talented and creative women on the planet and create content for one of the most globally recognized brands. Another fascinating part of it all is that we film everything virtually. Our video village on shoot day is comprised of a ton of Zoom break out rooms.

Through this series, I’ve been able to work with globally-renowned directors, photographers, artists and athletes. I’ve learned so much about myself as a creative, as a woman. So much so that I’ve began discovering even more outlets for my creativity. Can you believe after all that, I’m also on my way to starting a locally-owned, small-batch candle company? It’s been a wild ride and I can’t wait to see what else the future holds.

Aside from the logline, I think I’m most proud of impact we’ve created collectively. From our core audience to Millennials to men and everywhere in between, hearing how our show is being received outside of just Gen Z Black and brown women has been incredible. On top of that, I think seeing my words on the Nike app, hearing my phrases spoken by our host…those are moments that always make me proud, too.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Agencies and brands alike are finally starting to see the value in storytelling from lenses that don’t belong to just white men. We’re not in this Mad Men era of advertising. People want to look at tv, social media, in books and magazines and see themselves. Not only do they want to see themselves but there’s such an eagerness to learn about people outside of yourself. I think one of the most fascinating things about Gen Z (I’m a Millennial) is that they don’t just sit down and take what you give them. They’re going to tell you exactly how and what they’re feeling and what they need and I think that’s so important and necessary.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: brookenoeldigital.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/brookenoel.co

Image Credits:
First upload – Adri Guyer Youtube Thumbnail, CM Studios