Meet Nako Adodoadji | Writer, Theatre Artist, Public Speaking Coach & Story Consultant

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

Hi Nako, let’s start by talking about what inspires you?
I’ve been inspired by the idea of living Life As a Creative Act since I heard the phrase coined by the writer and artist, Erwin Raphael McMannus. The idea that life itself is the raw material used to form masterpieces. Imagine what the world could be like if we didn’t work; but instead, like artisans, we all created with the stuff of our lives? As a writer, director, actor and producer with over 10 years of experience working in theatre and live performance as well as some work in television and film, this philosophy resonates deeply. While the classical training I received in acting focused on traditional speech, breath and movement techniques, my training in modern schools of acting delved into approaches that pulled from my life experience and stimulated a rich emotional life through imagination. “Life is your source,” one of my professors would say. I’ve found that to be true in my acting work and in my work as a writer. However, this ethos is also true in every area of my life. Every season, whether celebratory or challenging, is a brushstroke my soul uses to paint on the canvas of my life. I don’t just create on the stage or on the page. Creation exists in how I build community, or navigate adversity, or engage new ideas. In this way, we are each artisans of our own lives.

This is partly how I came up with the idea for my coaching and consulting business, Creative Acts Coaching. I wanted to help clients tap into this same philosophy and I also wanted to harness time-tested frameworks from theatre and film to guide them in discovering the power of their own creative voice. Whether clients want to refine or learn new public speaking skills, understand the tenets of storytelling and shaping a narrative, or have creative breakthroughs that will allow them to engage their vocation and industry through the wonder, mystery and strength of their imaginations and the raw material of their lives, my focus is to tune them into the innate artistry of their souls. That can be revelatory, and it can open up pathways to clarifying visions, better communication and authentic storytelling, which can have positive outcomes both professionally and personally. //

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m a writer, director, actor and producer, and I come from the world of theatre. A world that happens in real life with flesh and blood and oxygen, right in front of you and right beside you. I’m fascinated by the connections between multiple artistic disciplines, so my work is usually interdisciplinary and highly collaborative, and often delves into science fiction, fantasy, magical realism and horror. I also have a huge love for film and long format storytelling within television as well.

With over a decade spent in theatre and entertainment, I’ve ridden the mercurial wave of the artist’s life and experienced its highs and lows. From having little to no money to living in the spare rooms of friend’s homes and grappling with rejection, depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation, I know what it means to strive for a dream while at times feeling alone and directionless. I even understand what it’s like to lose the vision and be challenged to start over with a new approach. Through all of this, the desire to create theatre and stories never left my heart. In fact, it expanded to a vision to build a creative home for both artists and audiences alike.

I took a shot at this when I was in my 20s living in Philadelphia and working in the theatre community there. After starting an interdisciplinary production company with gusto, it eventually failed, but I learned a lot. Most significantly, that pain is a liar and an invitation to move beyond one’s limits, and that people have a deep need to coalesce around purpose and creativity, doing work they find meaningful. While they don’t often know how to realize this in their own life, if given the opportunity, they will join a group working towards this aim. Those two pieces of knowledge affirmed for me the importance of the expanded vision that had grown in my heart. That vision carried me through the struggles of being a professional actor, my time in graduate school, breaking away from pursuing a career in television, sustaining life through Covid, and leaving my survival job in academic administration to recommit myself to the ethos of my life: revitalizing the soul of creativity in people.

With this ethos in place, I’m digging back into my work as a writer and director and laying the groundwork for an immersive production company, Wild Crux Productions (a mash-up of an immersive theatre company, creative agency and research incubator). The goal is for this company to eventually become a creative and economic ecosystem for artists across multiple disciplines as well as a space for both artists and audiences to connect and engage in processing and creating culture.

I’m currently writing a concept for a live immersive experience called Necrosis. The story revolves around a tech founder who believes it’s his destiny to save mankind by solving the problem of our mortality. In examining how we interact with science and technology in both good and bad ways, it focuses on humanity’s embedded desire to strive for eternal things while struggling with the nature of time and death, often allowing our hubris to get the better of us (think Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein meets Alfonso Cuarón’s Children of Men meets the FOX tv show Fringe).

I’m also building a collaborative relationship with NXTech, a neuroscience company founded to bring innovative, evidence-based digital therapies to addiction recovery, in particular for individuals with Opioid Use Disorder. Together we started The Empathy Collaborative (TEC), a compelling neuroarts project working at the intersection of art and science to raise awareness of an important public health issue our country is facing within the opioid epidemic. We’re exploring immersive storytelling as a nontraditional educational tool to provide dynamic and engaging experiences that will increase public awareness of addiction as a chronic medical condition, driven by many factors, including feelings that almost anyone can relate to, such as cravings.

And in the middle of all that, I have my work as a public speaking coach and story consultant, finding different ways of connecting clients and companies to their innate artistry and creative voices.

So all in all, it’s an ambitious vision with a lot of moving parts to balance and prioritize, but as they say, it’s a marathon, not a race. I’m pacing myself, running at a steady cadence and focusing on the journey.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I have a confession to make.… I don’t know! After more than two decades spent in the northeast, I moved back to the metro-Atlanta area recently and everything has changed since my high school days in the 90s. We’d have to go exploring together, and in many ways, I’d be just as much a tourist as my visiting friend.

So, here’s what I would pack into a week of fun exploring (metro-Atlanta included)! First stop, Delbar in Inman Park because I have been there and the food and service is outstanding and a must if you’re in Atlanta.

Next, if it’s summer, we’d catch a Braves game, but preferably if they’re playing the Phillies because yes, I’m that girl who lives in the south, but is a fan of all the Philadelphia teams (Go Eagles!).

For something adventurous, we’d go horseback riding at JD’s Horse ranch in Fairburn just outside of Atlanta, grab burgers at Farm Burger (so good!), then we’d catch a movie at the Starlight Drive-In Theatre and bask in the nostalgia.

At some point during the week, we’d have dinner at The Deer and The Dove because my friend in Decatur swears by it and says it’s one of the best restaurants around.

Booking seats for a concert at the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra or Atlanta Jazz Festival would absolutely be on the agenda because I love live music events, and if it’s the holidays, The Nutcracker at the Atlanta Ballet would definitely be in play.

Last, but not least, we’d top off the week with a leisurely morning stroll through the Peachtree Road Farmers Market, brunch at Local Three Kitchen & Bar then have afternoon wine at The Reading Room in Decatur (it’s the perfect spot for laid back vibes).

There are so many great things to do in the Atlanta area that I could add to this list, but for now, this is enough to get me (and any visiting friends) started on a summer bucket list.

Happy exploring!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My sister has been an incredible source of encouragement and support for me, particularly post-Covid, when so many things in the world of the arts and entertainment changed. At the time, I moved into a huge transitional period when I left my survival job to refocus on my artistic career. Concurrently, my sister branched out from her work as a product manager in the tech space and started a sabbatical coaching business for professionals struggling with burnout. So while we’re in different areas, we both navigate the highs and lows of the freelance world. She’s also an exquisite writer and poet and has been focusing more on her passion for music, so artistically, there’s a language that we both share. It’s great to have someone who understands what I’m going through to soundboard ideas with and to commiserate over the challenges of carving out unconventional careers and lives.

More recently, we’ve started discussing ideas for how we can join forces and collaborate on a new workshop that uses purposeful and immersive storytelling techniques, imaginative play, and gaming simulations to help managers and teams understand complex communication and workplace problems from unique angles that are often neglected in professional settings. It’s an exciting development and I can’t wait to see how things unfold!

Website: https://www.nakoadodoadji.com/

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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nakoadodoadji

Other: https://creativeactscoaching.com