Nabil Elderkin

Nabil Elderkin
Born	Chicago, Illinois, United States
Occupation	Music video director, Film director, Photographer
Website
www.nabil.com

Nabil Elderkin is an Australian professional photographer and music video and film director of mixed American and Iranian origin. Born in Chicago and raised in Australia, he is now based in Los Angeles, California.

Beginnings

Nabil Elderkin is the son of an American father and Iranian mother. Born in Chicago, Illinois, United States, his family moved to Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia when Nabil was just two^[1] and became a naturalized Australian citizen. He studied at Port Macquarie High School and was a keen sportsman, particularly an avid surfer. His initial experience of photography was through photo shoots of the surfing scene in Australia.

In early 1990s, his parents separated and his mother returned to the United States. Soon, Elderkin, just 17 at the time joined his mother in Chicago. He studied photography and for some years photographed music bands and concerts and Chicago-based DJs.

His big break came when he befriended the then relatively unknown rap artist Kanye West. Elderkin had heard a Kanye West mixtape and had tried to contact the rapper by looking up www.kanyewest.com. The website came up as unregistered but available for registration, so he bought the domain name on an impulse. Three weeks later an executive from Roc-A-Fella Records contacted Elderkin to tell him the label had just signed Kanye West to a multi-album deal and wanted to know how much he was asking for the domain name. Without a monetary transaction Elderkin agreed to transfer the domain name provided he could meet the new artist and do a photoshoot with him, these images went on to be the artists first publicity photos. .^[1]

Career

Nabil Elderkin's work has appeared in many platforms including advertising, magazine editorials and covers, artist branding, music videos, books, album covers, photojournalism. Clients include, amongst others artists Kanye West, Nas, Bon Iver, The Black Eyed Peas, K'naan, Seal, John Legend, record labels Capitol Records, Universal Music, Sony, Warner Bros print and broadcast media Billboard, Rolling Stone, Vogue, MTV, Rizzoli, fashion personalities like designer Jeremy Scott and model Heidi Klum, the charity Oxfam and manufacturers Coca Cola, Foot Locker, Nike, adidas, Vans.

Elderkin also photographed Kanye West's biographical book Glow in the Dark^[2] documenting the Kanye West's "Glow in the Dark Tour" in 2008. His endeavour into photojournalism in war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo through cooperation with Oxfam worker Claire Lewis resulted in a critically acclaimed exhibition at the United Nations General Assembly in New York in 2007.

His debut long feature is the award winning documentary film Bouncing Cats^[3] about a breakdance workshop for teaching b-boy culture to Ugandan disenfranchised youth. The film was financed by Red Bull through its Red Bull Media House.

Bibliography

• 2009: Glow in the Dark (Book and CD) - by Kanye West, photography by Nabil Elderkin

Filmography

• 2010: Bouncing Cats

Videography

• Bon Iver - "Holocene"
• Bruno Mars - "Grenade"
• Common - "The Game"
• Diddy - Dirty Money - "Someone to Love Me"
• Distant Relatives - "Patience"
• Electric Six - "Bodyshot"
• Frank Ocean - "Novacane"
• Frank Ocean - "Swim Good"
• Kanye West - "Coldest Winter
• Kanye West feat. Mr Hudson- "Paranoid
• Kanye West - "Welcome to Heartbreak"
• K'naan - "Take a Minute"
• K'naan - "T.I.A."
• K'naan - "Wavin' Flag (Celebration Mix)"
• John Legend - "P.D.A. (We Just Don't Care)"
• Morning Parade - "A&E"
• Mr Hudson - "White Lies"
• Mr Hudson - "There Will Be Tears"
• Jeremy Scott - "Jump"
• Seal - "Change Is Gonna Come"
• Seal - "Secret"
• Will.I.Am - "Star"

Awards

• In April 2010, it won the "Outstanding Achievement in Documentary Filmmaking" award at Newport Beach Film Festival for his film Bouncing Cats
• In September 2010, it won "Best Documentary Feature" at the Urbanworld Film Festival, a leading showcase for urban, ethnic, and multicultural cinema for Bouncing Cats.^[4]
• In December 2010, it won the "Best Documentary Feature" audience award at Bahamas International Film Festival for his film Bouncing Cats

References

1. ^ ^{a b} The Australian: Shooting the breaks
2. ^ The Original Winger: Kanye West x Nabil Elderkin – Glow In the Dark Book
3. ^ Asia Tatler: Nabil Elderkin Interview - On Bouncing Cats
4. ^ RedBull USA: Bouncing Cats wins award for best documentary

External links

• Nabil Elderkin official website
• Interview with Nabil Elderkin

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