An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Survival is what helped cement my resilience. Before I went to live with my grandparents, I grew up at a time where survival for the fittest was the only way. I have many fond memories of my childhood neighborhood but there were also many difficulties. The surrounding areas weren’t always good. I was harassed near certain gang areas from members and cops, I was shot at and threatened with guns, but I refused to be a statistic. I have a lot of things to say; I couldn’t allow anyone to silence my voice.
In this interview series, we are exploring the subject of resilience among successful business leaders. Resilience is one characteristic that many successful leaders share in common, and in many cases it is the most important trait necessary to survive and thrive in today’s complex market.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Nick Hamilton.
Nick Hamilton is the go-to sports and entertainment journalist and founder of Nitecast Media. Nitecast Media is a black-owned digital media platform that offers sports and pop culture enthusiasts access to exclusive content and interviews. Nick strives to broadcast real stories about rising athletes, entertainers, and global leaders that mainstream media refuses to air.
Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your backstory?
My grandmother raised me in a house she bought in the 60s in a neighborhood where she was the first black person. My parents are hardworking people and have always valued integrity, character, and the ability to make your own opinions. They are the reason for my resilience and my thirst for mass accessible information. But not everyone was supportive. I was told I would never be good enough.
With the support of my family and their lessons, I betted on myself and went back to school to try again, and I got my degree. I now have over ten years of experience. I’ve worked on significant outlets like NBC and iHeartMedia, covered all major sport and pop culture events, became a member of Pro Football Writers of America and National Association of Black Journalists, and am a founder of multiple successful podcasts.
Can you share with us the most interesting story from your career? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?
I believe the most interesting and lasting moment of my career has to be the first time I was on the red carpet. To meet my idols and be given the opportunity to ask them questions was phenomenal. I also learned you have to be as diverse as you can to make the most of this opportunity. When you are diverse, you have a wide range of questions you can ask so every celebrity you see, you can connect with. Being able to switch keeps you in the loop and will give you numerous interesting stories to tell.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
I believe the content we cover and the impact we have on our society and communities sets Nitecast Media apart from other media hubs. We have the dedication and drive to bring consistent real stories about rising athletes, entertainers, and global leaders. We are also a black-owned media rather than black-targeted, meaning that we share and tell our stories of success and resistance instead of only tragedy and violence. I know we impact society; I see it in my son’s eyes every day. He always asks when I am going on TV. I know we are creating changes. Like my son, I hope to inspire black kids, help them in their journey of life, and show them that you don’t have to wait on anyone to realize your dreams.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
In my journey to success, I am grateful to my mentor, Eric Wade, may God rest his soul. When I first started, he took a chance with me and brought me along. He showed me new skills that I still use today. He was patient and incredibly gifted. From our mentorship we became friends. He would always remind me that the greatest gift I can give to myself is “Always stay connected.”
Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s shift to the main focus of this interview. We would like to explore and flesh out the trait of resilience. How would you define resilience? What do you believe are the characteristics or traits of resilient people?
Growing up, I faced many challenges that attempted to stop my growth and success. With every setback, my resolution strengthened ten folds. I was determined to get to my address, and I refused to take no for an answer. But most of all, I refused to be ignored. For years black and brown voices have been silenced, talked over, and incorrectly recorded. I was rejected by potential business partners more times than should be allowed, but I refused to quit. My willingness to persevere towards making my vision a reality brought me the success I have now. I was not always the most popular choice, but I took my destiny into my own hands, never waited for anyone, and networked my ass off to continuously build my allies and partners. I sacrificed my time, money, and sleep to get to that next level. I hurt my relationship with my friends and family, but I was determined to keep people in my circle, and I was willing to listen to advice. That is resilience. You always have to gain something when you bounce back. If the experience doesn’t change you for the better, you’ll just be stuck replaying that same loss.
When you think of resilience, which person comes to mind? Can you explain why you chose that person?
When I think of resilience, I think of my mom. She was always the kind of person to see the good in people despite what she may see or was told. You never know if there was a misunderstanding or misinformation. She was always passionate about making her own opinions and finding the most accurate information before spreading information. I learned a lot from her, most just from observing. She lit the fire that builds the foundation of my business and she never stops her journey until it’s done.
Has there ever been a time that someone told you something was impossible, but you did it anyway? Can you share the story with us?
When I first began, someone told me that I would never be able to cover major sports teams, that I was never going to be good enough, nor have what it takes to be a success. I won’t lie, my spite fueled me. In the end, I covered every major sports team and event out there. Some teams I still work with to this day.
Did you have a time in your life where you had one of your greatest setbacks, but you bounced back from it stronger than ever? Can you share that story with us?
One of the greatest betrayal and setbacks I ever encountered in my career was when someone stole my ideas for multiple shows. By the time I found out, there was nothing I could legally do. They went through every channel to get the rights to my ideas. I was angry for a while, a long while, but when I released that anger, fresh ideas flooded into my head. I created better shows that are still on today and broadcasted through various platforms.
Did you have any experiences growing up that have contributed to building your resilience? Can you share a story?
Survival. Survival is what helped cement my resilience. Before I went to live with my grandparents, I grew up at a time where survival for the fittest was the only way. I have many fond memories of my childhood neighborhood but there were also many difficulties. The surrounding areas weren’t always good. I was harassed near certain gang areas from members and cops, I was shot at and threatened with guns, but I refused to be a statistic. I have a lot of things to say; I couldn’t allow anyone to silence my voice.
Resilience is like a muscle that can be strengthened. In your opinion, what are 5 steps that someone can take to become more resilient? Please share a story or an example for each.
The five steps to become more resilient are very common thoughts that aren’t taken as seriously as they should be. For one, you have to live your truth and be the person you want to be. That will always be the first step. When you allow others to dictate who you are as a person, you lose the control to heal and fight back. The second is giving yourself the ability to think for yourself. Never allow others to think for you. Anything you hear, try to verify for yourself. When you do this, you find out you know yourself far more than you’ve previously thought before. No one knows you better than you, and no one should be able to. Thirdly, don’t be afraid to fail. Build from your failures. That is the best thing you can do to bounce back from a loss. When you learn from your mistakes, you learn how to use what you know in multiple ways. Every disadvantage can be your advantage. Fourth, you have to learn how to be selfless. When you are able to give others advice and tools, you help elevate them. Every knowledge or failure can help another. This will give you an ally in the most unlikely scenarios. Lastly, learn when to take breaks. Exercise, meditation, do what you love to ground yourself in the moment and not be swiped away. When you lose yourself, you will only hurt your business and staff.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
If I could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good it would be a media school for the youth in my community. A media school is a great way to show kids how to utilize what they are good at for career experience and skills. It will teach them how to be multifaceted. This kind of information isn’t really thought of nor how great the youth can benefit from it. If our communities had programs like these, we would be seeing a lot more black professionals and entrepreneurs.
We are blessed that some very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them 🙂
There are so many people I look up to and would like to meet for a private breakfast or lunch. I can hardly count how many. But one I am most eager to meet is Gary Vee. He is very practical in his logic and reasoning, and incredibly effective in finding the work and life solutions. I would LOVE to pick his brain and find out how he got this knowledge, what started his passion in his field, and how he overcame the challenges he faced.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
They can reach out to me in both my personal and professional Instagram. For personal, look for @nickhamiltonla and for business, @nitecastmedia. I’m always happy to connect.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
Rising Through Resilience: Nick Hamilton On The Five Things You Can Do To Become More Resilient was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
