Acknowledgements
First and foremost, glory to God. I know the author of tomorrow has ordered my steps. This is my first official novel, so it’s important that I recognize those who have helped me as a storyteller.
The seed of creativity was planted by my mother, Yassah Gibson. Thank you for buying countless arts and craft books and projects that allowed my creativity to grow at a young age. Your early watering shaped the way I saw the world, influenced the stories I told, and encouraged me to write my first unofficial book at the age of seven.
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However, my love for storytelling eventually took a backseat as my love for basketball became my driving source of passion for the next fourteen years. There was a small pit stop along the way that reminded me of my love for storytelling, starting with Amanda “Mama” Jones’s eleventh-grade English class. Looking back, I never thought I’d say this, but thank you for the writing prompts. It made me think outside the box, and I unknowingly found myself thinking deeply about my future. Basketball remained in the driver’s seat, but storytelling moved to the passenger seat. Whenever I wanted an escape from the world of hoops, storytelling took the wheel; and Julian Jones was there to talk through different ideas of films, music, and poetry. Having an outlet to share creativity with was imperative. Thank you.
My next stop was North Country Community College, where the driver changed hands. It was fall 2015 when my speech and creative writing teacher, Shir Filler, insisted that I enroll in her husband’s acting class after reading my writing and listening to my speeches. I declined the offer, knowing that I would devote more time than I should to the class. Plus, spring 2015 would be my final semester, and I wanted to keep basketball a priority before transferring to a University.
Unfortunately, that plan would never come to fruition. I tore my meniscus a week into training camp, and all of a sudden, I had more time. I took her advice and enrolled in her husband Bruce Young’s class and wrote my first play, Dreamweaver. Not having basketball for the first time in my life put me in an unusual place, but both of those classes gave me purpose. Thank you both.
Even with a bad tire, the wheels kept rolling as I made my next stop in Southern California. Thank you to Island Cinema for employing me. I used my free tickets to watch Creed and Get Out about fifty times and spent my lunch breaks working on a Creed sequel. About a year later, I finished the three-hundred-page sequel and sent it to MGM, thinking Sylvester Stallone would read it. Instead, I received a letter back telling me to stop sending unsolicited scripts. Regardless of the rejection, it was cool to see the MGM logo with my name on it. More fuel for the journey. Thank you.
Thank you to Elijah Sims for introducing me to Umoja and Dr. Erainia Freeman. I was working two jobs and a full-time student at Long Beach City College when she convinced me to take part in an HBCU Tour. Similar to the previous story, I initially said no (I’m working on my stubbornness). Going on the tour meant I’d miss close to a week of work, which would put me behind on nearly every bill I had. It was one of the most important decisions I made and opened so many doors. Thanks for changing my mind and for encouraging us to attend the countless networking events Umoja gave us access to. One I’ll never forget was the LA A2MEND event where Dr. Michael Eric Dyson and Marc Lamont Hill spoke, followed by a signing for his book Nobody. I just so happened to be making edits to the Creed sequel and decided to pitch the script to the Philadelphia native. I was worried that I’d be booed out of the line for handing him a script instead of buying the book, but I actually received an ovation for my effort. Hill directed me to Stacey Muhammad, who is a writer, director, and producer. I reached out for writing advice over the next few years, and she was always willing to share her knowledge. Thanks to both of you.
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My next stop was in Jackson, Mississippi, where I attended “Thee I Love,” Jackson State University. Moving from Long Beach to Jackson was not in my plans, but the opportunity presented itself, and it was one I was excited for. I planned to keep writing while at JSU, but was going to save my scripts for when I move back to Long Beach. That was until I met Dr. Mark G. Henderson, who reminded me to “cast my net, where my feet are.” Through MADDRAMA Performance Troupe, I was able to share my stories with a larger audience and met Denzel Fort, to whom I dedicated this book. Thank you.
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I studied mass communication but did not have plans to write for the school newspaper. Shannon Tatum was the publication manager and one of my first teachers in the department. She stapled an application for the newspaper team to one of my assignments, but I declined the offer (you get the theme by now). Shortly after another assignment, she stapled another application; but this time, she had filled it out with my information. I decided to show up to see what it was all about and ended up writing for The Blue and White Flash during my time at JSU. Thank you, Professor Tatum. Another thank you to Professor Don Spann for teaching me how to edit and work a camera. I could turn ideas into words and stories, but not stories into films. Your class helped me as a storyteller. I was able to put my
new skills to the test in Professor Bonnie Jackson’s class and created my first documentary, WHAT IS BLACK? The film focuses on four strangers from Ghana, Maine, Sudan, Chicago, and Kansas City as they sit down to share their perspectives on self-identity, culture, ethnicity, and what it means to be “black.” Thank you, Ms. Jackson.
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Thanks to Gerald Barclay and Dreka Shevon for taking me along with you as an intern. Working with an independent filmmaker really showed me what it takes to run your own film company. I would take what I learned in the south and later use it in New York City while I attended Columbia University. Although my major was Strategic Communication, I still found ways to share my creativity in a professional way. Thanks to Kenya Cummins for letting me be a part of your short film, THE END, and collaborating on the Smile Challenge. Little did we know that the challenge would lead us to the dean's office, but the idea was great in theory. Thanks to Kim Loh, my e-mentor while at Columbia. I had an idea to showcase my work, and you helped me turn my website into a portfolio and shared ideas on how I can incorporate creativity into my professional work. Thanks to everyone who read the first seven chapters of this story on my website. At the time, it was just a short story with potential, but seeing people from all over the country click and read gave me the reassurance I needed to keep writing.
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While finishing my time at Columbia, I was honored to represent the Atlanta Hawks as the inaugural Sekou Smith Experience Winner. Thanks to Garin Narain and Jon Steinberg for selecting me and to Annie Finberg, Jelani Downing, Jalen Johnson, Marc J. Spears, Adrian Wojnarowski, and everyone in and around the NBA who made the experience enjoyable. I still can’t believe I got a Woj bomb. Thanks to Skylar Mays for sharing your family story with me, which turned into my first NBA publication.
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This Sekou Smith experience also introduced me to his sister, Misti Stanton, who invited me to my first paid speaking engagement, where I shared my story from a financial perspective, and Jonathan Abrams, my mentor, who helped me as I made the decision to turn The Boy Next Door’s Secrets into a book. Thank you both.
I also want to thank Professor Matthew Sawyer, Kai Wright, and Willie Powers Jr. for sharing their experiences as first-time authors and Nyomi Gibson for being my support system throughout the writing process and life. Last but not least, thanks to my dad and grandfather, Frederick Gibson Jr. and Sr., and my late grandmother, Irene Gibson, for enforcing the importance of reading and writing early in my life.
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To everyone who has been a part of my journey, thank you. This is just the beginning.
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