Meet Bruce L. Nix, Jr. | Filmmaker

My first job after graduation was working in the communications department at Oakwood College. From there, I moved to North Carolina, where I stayed for almost two years and met my wife. I soon moved back to my home state, living in Montgomery, Alabama, working in television at the local CBS affiliate. After very little time there, I accepted a job in Birmingham, Alabama, working in local television, which led me to work for the local ABC affiliate, where I stayed shy of 10 years. While I was there, I learned so much about meeting deadlines, how to deal with different personality types, and above all else, storytelling. I had a chance to work with and learn from some of the best in the business and develop relationships I still hold today. We consistently won “Best Photography” staff awards, and I also won awards for both “series and hard news story” categories. In 2010, I began getting requests for services outside of working in broadcasting. This was the birth of Undercover Enteratinment, LLC. After some time, I started getting more and more requests for work and was burning the candle on both ends. I also felt as if I had reached my plateau in local television. I began searching for other options, but God redirected my path, closed some doors, and opened up the door of opportunity for me to be an entrepreneur. After much prayer and talking to my family and close friends in 2015, I pursued my passion full-time. I believed in myself and my talents and left behind the comfort of a steady job and paycheck. Driven for success, I hit the ground running and haven’t looked back.

I am now the owner of a multimedia production company called Undercover Entertainment, LLC., where I wear many hats, serving as director, producer, writer, cinematographer, and editor on various projects. We’ve grown exponentially over the years, and every year since 2015, we have experienced significant growth. We’ve been able to produce and film numerous projects and events. I’ve had work to be featured on BET, PBS, and ESPN, among many other media outlets. We’ve worked with clients such as The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), teaming to produce a series of CDC-funded training videos and curricula for the Federated States of Micronesia. We were recently responsible for creating an opening video for the 2022 World Games held in Birmingham, Alabama, and it was such a fantastic opportunity and a great experience. I’ve worked on the Bronze Telly Award-winning documentary STAND!: Untold Stories From the Civil Rights Movement, where I served as a Producer, Director of Photography, and editor.

If I had to say my specialty, I would say I am a storyteller. I love coming up with original concepts and ideas and bringing them to life. I’m able to tell these stories through a visual medium. I feel that I’m known as someone who tells stories, creates memories, and brings visions to life through video or film. What sets me apart from everyone else is my drive and perseverance. I’m very passionate about what I do, and I’ve had many sleepless nights, sometimes consecutive nights, working on completing projects. If I know there’s a job to be done; I do what it takes to make sure that the job is complete and that the job is correctly done. That’s not to say that there isn’t anyone else who isn’t just as passionate as I am, but I have goals that I’ve set for myself that I’m willing to put the work in to achieve and that I plan on making happen if that’s what God has for me. I’m genuinely proud of all of the things that I’ve accomplished over the years. I’m proud of all of the accolades and awards I’ve received. I feel that my most significant accomplishment was teaming with my production partner Johnny Thornton when we produced our first short film, “I am not Your Enemy,” which was also co-directed by Cruz Johnson. With this film, we won several awards. These awards hold a special place because we all have goals of creating original content for film and television, and this was our first step towards making that happen. Not just that, but it was a topic that was very relevant to the times we live in today. We were able to walk away with an “Audience Choice” award for Best Short Film and a “Best Director” award for that same film.

Johnny and I are now production partners with Five 15 Productions, where we develop and produce original television and film concepts. I also love working with the next generation of filmmakers. Johnny and I recently teamed up as producers on two short film projects by two very talented young ladies. We worked with Payton Williams on the film “Doll on a Shelf,” which is the story about a young African-American woman dealing with familial pressures, racial micro-aggressions, and invalidations of her black identity. It is also a statement on mental health. We also worked with Ashley Causey on the film “Discovery,” which deals with a young woman coming to terms with her sexuality. After accepting and celebrating her truth, a tragic event happens that puts a damper on her newfound freedom. This film was her personal story and is based on actual events, and it has been accepted and screened in many film festivals and has walked away with some awards. I’m working on a particular project with Victor and Tahiera Monique Brown of Darkness to Light Films. She has such a fantastic story of hope and inspiration, and through this project, I look forward to sharing her story. Our coming together on this project has been over ten years in the making, but there’s a purpose and a reason for everything. So much has happened during this time, and life has only added more chapters to the story, but I can’t wait to share this with the world.

This journey hasn’t been easy. Many people want to get to their destination by skipping the journey. Kobe Bryant once said, “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey, and if you can understand that, then what you’ll see happen is you won’t accomplish your dreams, your dreams won’t come true; something greater will.” This particular quote has always resonated with me. I had many dreams and goals I wanted to accomplish when I was younger and earlier in my career, but my path was different. Life took me in another direction that may have taken longer, but it did just as he quoted and gave me something greater. I had a lot of growing to do, and I’m not sure exactly how or if I would have been able to handle early success. I lost my Mom when I was young. She never had an opportunity to be at my graduation from high school or college. My Dad unexpectedly passed away 11 years and a day after my Mom, and losing them was a very traumatic experience. For many years I dealt with depression, although at the time, I didn’t realize that’s what it was. By God’s grace, family, and Him placing certain people in my life, I was able to make it to the other side of those dark times. Even on my current journey, I’ve had to overcome certain obstacles. After leaving the certainty of getting a paycheck every two weeks and leaving a world that I knew, to entering a world that I didn’t know as well and where there was some uncertainty, it was a scary time.

When going full-time with Undercover Entertainment, there was a learning curve. If I didn’t work, I didn’t eat. I learned a lot about saving and always having not just plans A and B but multiple choices for plans. One thing I would want the world to know about my story is that despite the obstacles we may face, there is light on the other side. That may sound cliche, but it’s true. I’ve been through and dealt with things that could have taken my life in a completely different direction, but I’m blessed to survive and thrive, and many have been through much worse than me. I say to them to never give up. I learned many years ago never to focus on the past. While I don’t want to forget it, I don’t want it to be the center of my focus. It’s comparable to driving a car and constantly looking in the rearview. If my attention and focus continually look in my rearview at what’s behind me, I can potentially miss what’s ahead and crash and burn miserably. I wake up every day to do what I love to do every day that never feels like work. That, to me, is not only the definition of success, but I would call it being blessed.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If you have a friend visiting town, what spots could you take them to?

If someone were visiting Birmingham, I would have to take them to the Civil Rights District, where they could see the Civil Rights Museum and the 16th Street Baptist Church. Birmingham is a city full of history, and this area played a significant part during the civil rights movement. I would also take them to Vulcan, where you can get a great view of the city. If it were during the right time of the year, I would take them to the Magic City Classic, which is the game between Alabama A&M University and Alabama State that is played here in Birmingham. It’s one of the largest HBCU games in the country and is a great time.