Private Project

INWARD

This is a film about Atlanta based artist Michi Meko whose life is expressed in multiple layers of mystical meaning. It’s a film experience about journeys, navigation, cartography and way finding into the unknown and the uncharted. It’s a narrative about the buoyancy of our souls and survival, keeping our heavy heads filled with heavy thoughts above water. It’s about his struggle to become orientated in the pitch black and discovering his metaphysical balance. It is about his decision and the journey to become an artist. Michi Meko is a postmodern cartographer and artist who lives within the parallels and meridians of two distinct worlds . . . the Urban world and the Rural world. Michi is highly influenced by his surrounding urbanization and the disposability of humanity, culture, injustice and waste. He’s influenced by nature and wilderness and its ability to heal and inspire. His art attempts to answer the question – What is his place is in this unfamiliar world of nature and wilderness and how does his art define and exhibit a newly fused relationship between his past and a radically new and radiant expression? – Michi found his place and voice in nature as a fly fisherman and outdoor enthusiast. Michi Meko’s journey inspires a new mindset and new possibilities for everyone but especially African Americans. Michi journey comes to life in a complex topographical language of his art that leverages icons and objects of the past while inventing a new iconographic language for the future.

“Being Black in the wilderness is an idea I’ve been trying to chase down or play with for a long time. I wrote a book of field notes and took photographs, and made drawings. A lot of it was trying to hear my own voice and understand what that meant—to hear one’s own voice in wild spaces. What does a Black man sound like in the wilderness, versus the voice of John Muir or Ernest Hemingway? “

  • Chad Brown
    Director
  • Michi Mecko
    Key Cast
  • Deevon Wes Larue
    Editor
  • Nick Brooks
    Grip
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    21 minutes 27 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 1, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    20,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Sony FX6, Sony FX3, DJI Drone
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Chad Brown

Chad Brown is an accomplished documentary-style portrait and adventure photographer, creative director, film director, and conservationist. He is also the founder and president of two non-profit organizations and a veteran of the US Navy.

Chad’s current work focuses on outdoor adventure travel and documenting threatened wild spaces. He connects the public to endangered areas by showing the true spirit of the indigenous people of these lands and telling stories focused on social justice and environmental justice tied to BIPOC communities connecting to outdoor spaces.

He is deeply interested in capturing moments of passion and the human spirit. Through his striking documentary portraits and photographic exhibitions, he advocates for social and environmental justice. His photos are intense, raw, stylized images with a bold approach, unique angles, and dramatic lighting.

Chad studied communication design and photography at American Intercontinental University. From there, he attended Pratt Institute in New York City where he earned his Masters of Science in Communication Design degree.

He has managed interdisciplinary teams as a creative director, art director and photographer both as a freelance artist and for agencies. He is a former editorial photographer for the New York Times. His work has crossed into underground hip hop, fashion and culture where he worked with hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons (founder of PhatFarm) and Rasheed Young (VP of Run Athletics) to photograph and develop creative ad campaigns for national hip-hop culture magazines.

Chad moved from New York to Portland, Oregon in 2007, where his life and career path expanded beyond the traditional creative world. His adventure photography/film assignments now lead him all over the world to countries like Japan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Bangladesh, as well as into the Alaskan Arctic several times a year.
Mother Nature played a significant role in his healing from the war trauma he experienced as a Navy service member. A failed suicide attempt eventually led him to launch a non-profit organization called Soul River Inc. in 2013.

This unique organization specializes in outdoor education and cultural expeditions that Chad calls deployments. It brings at-risk youth and Veteran mentors together and takes them into threatened wild spaces, providing mission-driven experiences where advocacy and outdoor education meet.

This work has led Chad to Capitol Hill, where he advocates for our public lands and wild places. He gives youth leaders of tomorrow the opportunity to interface with Congressional members.

In 2021, Chad founded Love is King, a non-profit organization that focuses on welcome access, safety, and healing in the outdoors for BIPOC communities and other under-served voices.

He is a board member of the National Wildlife Refuge Association and Alaska Wilderness League. He has been featured on BBC and CBS, including Good Morning America and NatGeo/Disney’s Called to the Wild reality TV show, and in national publications like Outside Magazine and The Drake. He has also been featured in regional publications across the Pacific Northwest.

Chad was the first recipient of the Breaking Barriers Award presented by Orvis, and the Bending Toward Justice Award from Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley. You can learn more about Soul River Inc and Love is King.

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