Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon McCollum.
Hi Brandon, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
It’s really difficult to keep my story short and concise because I’ve done and tried so many things in the realm of creativity in my 37 years of life. Creativity has always been a part of my being for as far back as I can remember.
I have always been interested in all facets of entertainment. From music, movies, TV, and more. I began drawing and writing stories as a child. That lead to picking up my mom’s VHS camera at 8 years old and filming sketch comedy and short films with my friends. I did that regularly with my friends for about 8 years. When I was about 16, I got the bug to want to start creating music. I was really into hip-hop music and I had began to write rap lyrics sort of out of nowhere. I convinced my friend to start creating music with me. He was really good with the piano and kind of taught himself how to make simple beats on his keyboard so we would write and create music together. He decided that it wasn’t really for him after a short time but I enjoyed it so I kept going. That lead me to start making beats around 17 years old.
I dabbled with music for quite a few years. Rapping, performing, and always in the basement making beats. I released my own album called “Mr. Nice Guy” in 2009 and that’s when a lot of things began to click for me mentally when it comes to my own creativity. However, I had to take a bit of a break from things in early 2011 to get some things straight in my personal life and sort of “grow up a bit” as I like to say.
Even while I was on my self-imposed “break” I was always creating and dreaming up ideas. It was during this time that I came up with the concept to start a record label called “Nice Guy Entertainment” because I wanted to help give other artists opportunities that I always wanted to have.
I decided to start school at The Institute of Production & Recording in Minneapolis in January of 2014. I knew I wanted to take my production seriously, learn how to properly record, and maybe start the record label that I had dreamed of. Things really started to take shape when I started at IPR. I was meeting tons of like minded individuals who all seemed to share similar visions and goals.
Nice Guy Entertainment really started to take shape in early 2015 and we began making a name for ourselves locally. We booked a ton of shows, created/released albums for artists, created music videos, and did a ton of stuff for our small roster of artists.
I shut the label down in 2020 to focus more on other endeavors. I now focus on my audio/music production and recording services as well as putting out content. In 2020, me and some friends launched a sample pack for producers endeavor called Yeah Dude Samples where we created a ton of sample packs for producers to make beats with. At the beginning of 2021, I also launched a podcast called “Nice Minds” where I interview different creative people I’ve known or have become familiar with throughout the years. The conversations include not only what the person is currently doing or has done but also deep dives into topics such as mental health, current events, and how we navigate through the world as people and creatives.
Going forward in 2022 and beyond, I am determined to produce the best music I can possibly create, offer my audio/production services for creatives, continue my podcast, and release as much content as I can to entertain, inspire, and uplift other people.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My life and career have been the opposite of a smooth ride and there have been so many challenges, obstacles, and failures along the way.
I had to really slow down my life and career when my mom was diagnosed with Lymphoma in June of 2018. I helped take care of her and was by her side constantly when I wasn’t at work or at my girlfriend’s. I put my career/label/creativity to the side for a whole year.
In 2019 my mom had a life saving treatment and beat her cancer. During that time I went back to IPR for a second degree and sort of started to pick back up where I left off but then I had to stop again when I had about $5,000 worth of stuff stolen from my car, my car crapped out on me, and then I got sick. All within a matter of months.
Then when I was ready to pick things back up again, the pandemic hit. I wasn’t able to book shows and I lost a lot of the resources I had at my disposal. I made the decision to no longer run Nice Guy Entertainment as a record label but go forward it as my personal brand, at least for the time being.
In June of 2021, I had another severe blow that made me have to step back for a bit when my mom passed from Covid-19. It left me in a state of disarray and confusion. My mom was my biggest supporter, biggest fan, as well as a huge inspiration of mine. I knew I had to carry on in her memory because that’s what she would want.
I now have a huge mission to win a Grammy for my mother. She used to always say I was going to make it to the Grammy’s one day and bring her so she could wear a Versace dress on the red carpet. I am now determined to do that in my mother’s memory.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I think what I take pride in most is collaboration, connecting with other humans, and helping other creative people out.
Whether it’s to kickstart their music career, give them a piece of music to sing/rap to, help them launch a podcast, or any type of creative project. I love to make things, help make things better, and I love to help creatives see their vision/dreams come to life. Nothing is more fulfilling than creating and helping others create.
I think what sets me apart from others is that I lead with empathy and compassion. Obviously, we all want to make money and build our lives/careers but making sure I’m always doing right by others, deeply caring about people I’m working with/for, and always providing a safe space for others to create. I always want people to feel heard, seen, and cared for when they hire me or collaborate with me.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I’d say I’ve taken some pretty big risks over the years. Especially financially by going to school for what I do, investing in tons of gear/software/services, and crossing my fingers that if I work hard enough and put all my energy into this that it will pan out over time. I think we take huge risks choosing to dedicate our lives to being a creative and offering creative services.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.NiceGuyEnt.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/NiceGuyEnt
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NiceGuyEntMN
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/niceguyent
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/NiceGuyEntertainment
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/niceguyent
