We recently connected with Sérgio dos Céus Nelson and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Sérgio dos Céus , you’ve got such an interesting story, but before we jump into that, let’s first talk about a topic near and dear to us – generosity. We think success, happiness and wellbeing depends on authentic generosity and empathy and so we’d love to hear about how you become such a generous person – where do you think your generosity comes from?
For a long time I worked as a volunteer. At the time, through the Catholic Church and VO.LA (Volontari Al Lavoro ONLUS), I had the opportunity to work in jails, nursing homes, orphanages, children’s centers, hospitals and in different charitable actions.
More than expecting a financial return, I learned at that time the sense of humanism, knowing how to wipe the tears of someone who needs comfort and support. I believe that these are the greatest blessings that we can learn in churches: knowing how to be kind, knowing how to love, knowing how to care and knowing how to value the small opportunities and moments that life gives us.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I recently directed my short film (Dreamless), which was a finalist in Rome, selected for “Lift-off”, a Pinewood Studios script competition.
In the short film I played the roles of actor, script writer and director. In addition, I have around twenty distinctions in international screenwriting competitions, having been a finalist and semi-finalist at the New York Cinematography Awards, Rome Independent Prisma Award, Los Angeles Cinematography Awards, etc.
My journey as a screenwriter began in 2014 and since then I have had training in Film Studies. In 2020 I was the winner of a World Film Scholarship, which allowed me to study “Acting for film”, at an academy in Los Angeles. I am an ambassador for a Nigerian film festival. In 2021 I created my podcast (Chats with Legends), in which I have spoken with legends from the Film Industry, like Sir. Patrick KilPatrick, and singers from the Recoding Academy, among other artists from different areas.
In addition to cinema, I am a writer with five published books, ranging from novels, poetry books, essays and short stories. In 2013 I founded the Association of Environmental and Human Rights Journalists, in which I play the role of CEO and Researcher. I have given lectures at universities and done research about African leaderships, in addition to being a university assistant in the past. I am currently studying a Master’s degree in International Relations and Development, with a specialty in Foreign Policy.
I believe that life is about taking responsibility for being the authors of our destiny, of our life.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I have always been a focused man. I knew that to get far I needed to speak business language and understand how things work. Because of the projects I worked on, I now understand eleven languages (six international and five local). I believe that my three main focuses have always been cinema (Acting and Screenwriting), Literature and research in environmental areas and human rights.
I have certainly, in recent times, focused more on my consulting company (Elevate, Communications & Technologies), in which I intend to create employment opportunities for young people in my community.
I think young people need to stop making excuses and start designing their plans, their future, what they want to be in the next ten years.
I grew up in the midst of many difficulties, but that was no reason for me to stop fighting. I usually sleep at 1AM working, researching opportunities and often attending International workshops.
I decided early that I will enjoy my youth when I manage to get the means, the money to support my dreams and whims. For now, my focus is finding the code that will get me where I want to be: being a respected screenwriter, a professional actor and being able to publish the more than 20 book projects I have.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
Right now I need young people who want to create something together. One of my goals is to internationalize and make my podcast relevant. To do this, I need to create an ideal team, from producers, managers who can help me organize interviews and find legends, artists that we can interview.
I believe that my podcast will be one of the best projects in the industry in the coming years, but first I need to improve several aspects, from image quality and structuring. In the near future, I intend to record interviews in person, on site. I intend to travel to meet my interviewees, to make the program more real and impactful.
On the other hand, I hope to team up with young screenwriters, actors and filmmakers who want to create partnerships and take the lead in their dreams and projects.
I prefer to believe that the best thing is to start creating something. I believe that giving our best can be better than waiting for perfect. I think we need to start moving forward with what we have and form partnerships that allow us to promote our image and our work.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: sergioofskies_official
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sergiodosceus.nelson?mibextid=ZbWKwL
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sergiodosceusnelson?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=android_app
- Twitter: https://x.com/sergio_cnelson?s=08
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@chatswithlegends552?si=8p7d_GXybhlLNUyV
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sergioofskies_official?_t=8jiaE8GmuLG&_r=1
