(all photos provided by Juwann Nelson)
Media Arts and Science alumnus Juwann Nelson grew up on the eastside of Indianapolis playing football and planning to attend college locally. When his former high school coach, Charles Love, who’s now a scout for the Chicago Bears, took a job at Benedictine University in the Chicago suburbs, he encouraged Nelson to do something different. Nelson played football for Benedictine for two seasons until a dislocated shoulder sidelined him for the remainder of his sophomore season. While he was rehabbing, he got out his old Canon T5 that he had bought after high school and began filming his college friends and teammates during his down time.
What happened next set Nelson on his path to a career in filmmaking, working with high profile clients like the NBA, NFL, McLaren Racing, and more.
“When I got hurt, I had a lot of time, couldn’t practice, couldn’t play. I started vlogging for my team and made a little video on cheap software I downloaded. The athletic department at Benedictine saw this and asked me to shoot content for the other sports on campus. Gave me an office, too,” Nelson remembered. Once Nelson healed up, he went back to off-season practice but had a decision to make. Although sports was his identity, he had started to love producing videos. Realistically, playing in the NFL wasn’t obtainable, so filmmaking was his avenue to explore what was next in his life.
Nelson with video equipment in his apartment when he was a student at IUPUI
Nelson returned to Indianapolis and attended Ivy Tech to continue his academic studies. He then transferred to the School of Informatics and Computing at IUPUI (now Luddy Indianapolis) through the Passport program, specialized in Video Production and Sound Design, and graduated in 2021. “Ivy Tech helped me, without them I don’t know if I would have finished school,” Nelson said.
Upon his arrival to IUPUI, Nelson started to do freelance video work around Indianapolis. At Luddy, Nelson had professors who accommodated his freelancing schedule. He was busy shooting weddings, music videos, and high school sports at Warren Central High School. “I was already very active in industry on a small scale. I definitely had a vision. I was literally in the (editing) lab at IUPUI until midnight sometimes. Access to the lab was important since I didn’t have access to a computer powerful enough to handle video editing. My professors understood that. I really appreciated that and it paid off.”
Thomas Lewis, Media Arts and Science program director in the Department of Human-Centered Computing, noted that, “Despite the many disruptive societal challenges in 2020, Juwann produced an exceptional capstone film called “2 Pandemics.” In his film, he examined the impact on the black community of both the Covid pandemic and what he aptly characterized as the pandemic of racism. It was an ambitious undertaking and a real pleasure to work with Juwann to see it through. Even before this capstone project, I could tell that Juwann possessed the talent and determination to make his mark in the world of production.”
Nelson now runs his own production company—which he is currently rebranding—from his home in Chicago and acts as director and cinematographer. Nelson says his personal brand is how he attracts most clients today. He works on a range of projects from documentaries to commercials, such as for the Indiana Pacers, Indiana Fever, and NFL social media. He also works in other industries but wants to be hired mostly for athletics.
Nelson at the premier of his film during NBA All Star Weekend 2024
He was recently one of a handful of international filmmakers invited by the NBA to produce a film as part of their Films for Fans initiative. He was the lone filmmaker representing the United States. Nelson’s “Stars in the Nap,” which celebrates the 1985 NBA All-Star Game, premiered in Indianapolis in February during the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend celebration.
Nelson has words of encouragement to students wanting a career like his. “My main advice, take the instruction from your professors, listen to what they have to say, their guidance,” Nelson said. “Take the things you learned in class and start applying to your own projects outside of school. You need to get school projects done, but the most beneficial are going to be the projects you do outside of class. The industry is competitive. Make sure you’re getting out and doing projects on your own. Take the things you learned in class and do your own passion projects. I think that will help growth, building skills, and collaborating with other people. Use the resources at the School.”
Media Contact
Joanne Lovrinic
jebehele@iu.edu
317-278-9208