Meet Nick Uttam | Podcast producer and filmmaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nick Uttam and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nick, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
With no risk, there is no reward. If we don’t take risks in our lives, businesses, and other areas, we wouldn’t progress as a species. I can definitely say this: I have failed more times than I’ve succeeded, and I’ve learned from each of those failures. That’s the thing people don’t see: when you’re successful, the number of failures behind you has helped shape that success. I have many forgotten ideas: Google Docs folders full of ideas that didn’t work out, didn’t pan out, took too much effort and time, or cost too much money, making them not worth pursuing.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My parents came to this country from India in the early 1980s. They moved around a lot in the Southeast for a while before settling in a small town in Tennessee called Gatlinburg. That’s where I grew up and spent most of my life. It was a very small town, with no more than about 5,000 people at the time. Being Indian in the 90s and growing up in a small Southern town was not ideal, but it also wasn’t terrible. Luckily, the Internet wasn’t a thing, and people didn’t tell me a lot of racist jokes while I was growing up, which was good. I also had a lot of wonderful friends who didn’t think twice about it and treated me as an equal, and that’s something I look back on fondly. I am a child of the 90s, and most of what I do now reflects that—probably because I watched a lot of horror movies at a young age, even though I probably should have been watching Sesame Street. Fortunately, my parents didn’t care much about ratings and didn’t read the back of the boxes when we rented movies from our local mom-and-pop video store. So, a lot of what I write and do these days is inspired by that genre of movies. I absolutely love older slasher movies from the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s. I would love to write and make one myself someday because I think that would be the most fun ever. When it comes to creative projects, I usually have an idea marinating in my mind for a while until it becomes too overwhelming, and I end up sitting in front of my computer for six hours with my headphones on, writing it all out to get it off my chest.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Since I live in Atlanta, the first place I would take visitors is the Coca-Cola Museum because everyone who comes here seems to want to check it out, so that’s usually where I take them. Also, I’m a big coffee fan, and there’s a wonderful coffee shop near my place that I’ve fallen in love with because the people there are so friendly. It’s called Mr. Tombstone Coffee Emporium. They have the most exotic drinks and the craziest concoctions; their food is also really good. I’d take someone there to try it out. I’d probably also take them to Helen, Georgia, the small German-looking town that feels like it’s in the middle of nowhere. That place is a lot of fun, and I’ve always had a great time there. It’s a wonderful escape from the city. I’d also take them to the Creature Comforts Brewery in Athens, Georgia. I love craft beer, and they have a fantastic variety, plus the people are wonderful. I’ve never had a bad time there. Additionally, I’d probably take them to Solar Slice for some of the best pizza in town. I’ve been there a couple of times, and the pizza is always delicious—never burned, never mediocre, always great. It might be a little wait, but it’s totally worth it. I’d also take them for a walk along the BeltLine to see the city and explore different areas because it’s always a nice walk, and there’s usually something interesting going on. I’d definitely take them to one of the many festivals happening every few days in Atlanta because there’s always something going on. I’d also introduce them to the Plaza Theatre, which I love. They always show interesting, new, artsy movies alongside popular mainstream films during the week. And I’d surely show them Video Drum, one of the last remaining video stores in the area. Finally, I’d take them on a few tours of filming locations around Atlanta and nearby since so many great movies have been shot here.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to give a shout-out to Richard Tanner. When I first moved to Atlanta 10 years ago, I was working on a movie that was falling apart day by day. Thankfully, that nightmare was over after a while. Working on independent movies left a bad taste in my mouth, so I was hesitant to get back into it. But I met Richard Tanner through some mutual friends, and he needed my help with a short project he had in mind. Because other people I knew and trusted were involved, I decided to give it a try. It turned out to be one of the most fun things I did after my nightmare experience. After that, I ended up working with him on a few more projects, and we had the best time ever making independent movies. Now, after working with him for so long, I’ve met more people within his circle who have helped me with my projects, and I’ve helped them with theirs. It’s been a wonderful partnership, and I’m so happy I ran into him, because we ended up becoming best friends. It’s been great ever since. But Richard Tanner restored my faith in the possibility that independent film can still be fun, great, and something I want to pursue.

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