Meet Simone Brock

We recently connected with Simone Brock and have shared our conversation below.

Simone, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I found my purpose through self-discovery, spirituality, and my friends. It was beginning of college/end of high school, that I really started thinking, “Huh, Simone, what is it that we’re meant to do? How can I make an impact on this world?” I kept thinking about that my first two years of college at Valdosta State. I knew I wanted to do something in media but wasn’t quite sure what. Also, I wanted to start a YouTube channel and didn’t know what direction I wanted to go in. I remember in my Media Production 1 class; we would do like a mock interview and film the whole thing as if we were on TV. That’s when TV hosting started really speaking to me. And prior to that, in my Intro to Mass Media class my freshman year, I did a project over the radio show, The Breakfast Club, and really started to gravitate towards radio hosting. After that, I transferred to Kennesaw State and got a little lost my first year there. I went through a little bit of an identity crisis and had to give myself structure and discipline again. This was my first time being away from home as well as not doing cheer. My second year there is when everything started falling into place. It was the summer going into my final year of college. I’m on the phone with one of my best friends and just helping her through a situation. That’s when she’s like “Simone, you give out really good life advice.” And when she said that it just clicked for me to make my YouTube channel about life and navigating through it together because it can be scary sometimes. It’s also nice to know someone else is experiencing the same struggle as you. I know that how I felt when I found my influencers and YouTubers, so I want to create that same feeling/impact on someone else. Not only that, a book I was reading at the time called “The Untethered Soul” by Michael Alan Singer and it made me think back to my childhood and how I was as kid. I was always asking questions, fascinated by films and TV, and wanting to star in them. I also thought back to the role I took on as a cheerleader on my team. I was a leader and gave out a lot of pep talks. A lot of my teammates told me I should be a motivational speaker. I used to just laugh it off, but I kept getting that from just about everyone I would encounter. Then, in my last fall semester for undergrad, I took a class all about networking and social media marketing. That class help solidify what my purpose is. I remember one day, she had a quote from Oprah that went along the lines of “I am teacher. That’s what I do. I teach,” We also had to do a video resume, and I went through all my old work and some of my high school articles. That’s when I realize, I want to teach on my talk show and YouTube channel about experiencing and getting through life particularly as a woman of color in America. Not only that, I want to create films and TV shows that reflect our reality too. That’s how I can make an impact on this world. That’s what I meant to do. I already have been doing that unconsciously, naturally. I just didn’t realize that until I took to the time to sit down and reflect and really get in tune with myself. That’s how I found my purpose.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Hello all, I am Simone Brock, and I am a podcaster, photographer, and filmmaker. At the beginning of this year, I launched my YouTube channel. My channel is all about navigating through our 20’s together. I give out life advice from my own experiences and occasionally have guests who can also shine light on life with their experiences. In addition to that, I also have a podcast on Spotify with my friend Anigea Knight. It’s called Beauty Exposed, and we are redefining beauty as you see fit as well as having important conversations about current pop culture and social issues. We just got done with our first season and ended with 17 episodes! Fun fact, this actually started off as a Capstone project. Each time we would record an episode for class and listen back to it, we would be like “Man this is really good. Let’s keep this going.” And we did! Despite distance, technical issues, and different schedules, we were able to fine the time to make it happen. We started an Instagram for it @the.bepodcast and are planning to post more BTS, reels/sneak peaks into the episode, Lives, and collaboration with fellow creatives. We already have our topic lists all line up for season two coming in January 2024! I am also a photographer. I just started up this year actually. It was after working as set BTS photographer for the film club at Kennesaw State called For Film’s Sake and taking my friend Cooper’s graduation photos, where I realized, I’m really talented with my camera and am passionate about photography. I do a lot of street photography, food pics, portraits, and digital photography. I want to move more into doing more studio and editorial shoots. You can find my photography page @iamphotosxsimone. Lastly, I am also a filmmaker. I enjoy films and the whole creative process in making them particularly production design. Working on the sets for For Film’s Sake, definitely re-sparked my passion and creative drive. I have a few scripts I want to bring to life and a lot of ideas to help others bring theirs to life too. I recently worked on the art department for an upcoming film with For Film’s Sake, called Speak Up Valedictorian. I believe that will come out in March. Hopefully, we’ll win some awards and be selected to be screened at film festivals.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The three skills that were most impactful on my journey are resilience, optimism, and persistence. On this journey, you will encounter some roadblocks and hurdles. It was my resilience that helped me find creative ways to get around them. Also, my optimism helped as well. To be completely honest, it’s discouraging when you do encounter road blocks, but my optimism kept me going and kept my faith alive. I would always try to find the silver lining in situations as well as the lesson and then just applied what I learned on the next challenge or to someone else who needed it. I definitely feel, if I wasn’t positive, I don’t think I would’ve kept going. I wouldn’t have the motivation. My optimism helped me be persistent. You have to be persistent when it comes to pursuing your dreams and journey through life. After each loss/setback, I kept getting back up and going to the drawing board. I just kept reminding myself why I’m on this journey, and that helped me be persistent. The best way to develop these skills is truly trial and error and figuring out what works for you. What is your reason for going on this journey and to keep that reason at the forefront of your mind and heart. The more you do and experience, the easier it gets.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
The most impactful thing my mom did for me was invest in me. When it came to cheer, she signed me up and paid for all my classes, uniforms, completions, and more. She made sure my siblings and I got a good education and didn’t waste the opportunity. Not only that, but she also bought my first camera for me one year for Christmas. She continues to buy a few more filming equipment here and there. She also is really supportive and one of my biggest cheerleaders. She never discouraged me or told me I couldn’t make my dreams a reality. Honestly, if I never had cheer, the big push and emphasis on school, or my camera, I wouldn’t be the creative I am today. I’m really grateful for my mom and all the sacrifices she’s made in investing in my dreams and potential.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
VIP red carpet- @_julia_walsh_ Balcony and Tattoo- @tinaogun_ Me taking a photo sunset- @janeandpampaly Set trio pic- @yeahitscaroline Headshots and rose – me

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