Lights, Camera, Dedication: Nasir Kenneth Ferebee's Humble Industry Journey

After graduation, you worked in Philly, and then in New York, and then ended up in Los Angeles where you are now. What all went into that trajectory?

My goal by the time I graduated was to have three internships under my belt. The first was with the Philadelphia Film Office, and then at a show called What Goes On that happened to be shooting in Philly. I knew I wanted to essentially go where the big markets were, so I set my sights on an internship in New York City with Viacom, and my last semester at Temple I commuted back and forth from Philly to New York two times a week. That connection helped me then start at VH1 as a production assistant after graduation. My career just snowballed from there, and then I just became a New York producer. I didn’t have any money to live in New York City at that point, so I commuted back and forth every day from Philly to New York, three hours each way. I was on the train for six hours a day for about two years.

Wow, that’s a lot of dedication.

Yeah, it was a lot. But then I was finally able to move to Jersey City, and then Astoria, Queens. I lived in New York for five years, worked there for about eight or nine, and then I moved to Los Angeles in 2014.

So, you’re coming up on about ten years in Los Angeles. How has it been to be there for a decade now?

L.A. has been amazing. It’s been very different—New York was all about fun and partying, and I was working as a TV producer, so I was making decent money, and I went out all the time. L.A. is all about the work. Working, networking, focus, drive, ambition. I was also in my late 20s in New York too, so when you hit your 30s, it’s a little different. You’re focused on different things, and so L.A. has been all about building. It’s been a beautiful test of my ambition, drive and Philly hustle. It’s not for the faint of heart, though. You really must have tough skin and know how to keep pushing through to make it out here, but I love it.

You have a huge list of production credits and projects you’ve been involved in. Do all your projects have anything in common, or a particular throughline?

I’d say working with good people. Working with people that are kind, decent and treat each other well. That’s essential to me—I don’t deal with any nonsense; you know what I mean? A real deal breaker for me is being in an unhealthy environment, so I’ve been very fortunate to experience some great environments. An on-screen theme is just quality content. I, as a producer and emerging into writing and directing, don’t like to fit in any box, so I want to be able to make a great documentary and then also make a great scripted television show. Above all, I want to create and tell compelling stories with good people because it’s supposed to be fun. We picked this career for a reason, and we’re supposed to evoke joy, like on the set that I’m currently on.

While we’re talking about that, I wanted to ask about what your current projects are. What have you been working on?

Currently, I’m shadowing on a new project for—I can’t say much—that’s shooting at Netflix. I’m shadowing a phenomenal director, and she’s really given me a huge shot and opportunity. I follow her around and learn everything from her, how she communicates with actors, sets up her shots, picks her camera selection and does her shot list. I’ve been studying her because I’m going to be directing at some point in the future. One of my dreams is to direct scripted television, so I’m actively working on that. Then on July 26, I’ll be one of the producers at the BET Experience for the BET Awards. I’m also writing and directing another short film called Next Weekend, it’s a mother-son story about a mother who’s one year out of rehab and is working to regain her son’s trust; it’s a beautiful story. What else do I have out right now…

You’re so busy, it’s hard to keep track!

(laughs) Yeah. Well, I just got my second Emmy nomination as well, for a PSA that I produced. It’s called They Think They Know You, so I was just in Seattle for my second Emmy Awards, and that was really amazing. Unfortunately, we didn’t take home the trophy, but it was great to be there for a second time as a nominee. My last nomination was for a film called All Boys Aren’t Blue, which is currently on Amazon Prime. I’m also doing a lot of writing right now. Most of my stuff doesn’t come out until next year.

It sounds like you’re extremely busy, which sounds like a prerequisite to working in this industry in Los Angeles. Is it ever tough to be involved in so many things and maintain that work/life balance?

I mean it’s both, right? I love this business; it’s been my ultimate dream come true. This is all I ever wanted to do since I was 13 years old. So, to be living out that dream is phenomenal. But when you’re shooting, it is tough to—I mean, there is so much amazing food—so it’s difficult to eat clean and work out especially! I’m trying to figure that out and to keep that balance. I’ll call my parents in between setups or nieces and nephews during my lunch break. You can find the time, but you just must be really disciplined with your schedule.

I’m sure it’s very hard to choose, but are there one or two projects that you’ve done up to this point that really stick out to you as favorites or defining pieces of work?

I would say being an independent lead producer, the projects that I did as an indie lead producer stick out the most, so All Boys Aren’t Blue and Black Boy Joy. To get nominations and wins within the last couple years has been amazing; it’s been incredible to have projects that go the distance. One of the most fun to work on was a show I produced called No Cosign, and my director was a guy named Kai Streets. We had such a creative bond and could literally communicate by looking at each other. We were just so in sync; sometimes you find that magic and synergy and you don’t find it that often.

You’re a prolific alum, just having been at the Temple Taste of Philly event in Los Angeles recently. What does the alumni community mean to you?

It’s been amazing. Latoya Strohman, KLN '12, and the entire Los Angeles team, they’ve been so warm and welcoming. Latoya’s been proactive in connecting me with a lot of people and building out the network. I’ve found that there’s a lot more of us than what we know. There’s a huge network of us, so I want us to utilize each other and build out the network and platform. I had my Temple “T” on my laptop and my cinematographer on a project saw it and told me he went to Temple for undergrad; the Owls are everywhere.

And thinking back to your time back at Temple, and now how far you’ve come, what advice would you have for students or young people looking to jump into the industry?

My advice is always having faith. Do the work, the training, interning, hustling, apprenticeships, writing, directing. Even if you must do it on your iPhone; where there’s a will, there’s a way. Wait your turn, because sometimes you just have to wait it out. Sometimes it’s just not your time; sometimes you just have to go along and be patient. A career is not built overnight, it’s built over a span of time. A career must be built, step by step, day by day, brick by brick.

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