Young Black Suburban Ep. 57 Actor and Teacher Nakia Dillard of The Wonder Years, The Wire and BMF

Tim has on actor, director and teacher, Nakia Dillard, to talk about his illustrious acting career, growing up in North Philly, tips for actors and much more. Follow him at https://www.instagram.com/nakiadillard/ Actor, writer and director Nakia Dillard is a Philadelphia-bred creative soul, as evident by his love of arts of all disciplines.As a child, Dillard's gift of drawing introduced him to a whole new world of colors, animation, and imagination. Extremely talented in this area, Dillard thought of drawing as a life career. But acting came calling, and soon he would be found in one of the most respected venues in the nation - Philadelphia's Freedom Theater.Enrollment in the Freedom Theater led to Dillard's meeting renowned coach Ricardo Martin, who introduced him to the Rainbow Company and where he would go on to hone his skills even further. That experience led to Nakia Dillard's determination to become the best he could be. He would eventually perform at the distinguished Hedgerow Theater, and The Wilma.Dillard later appeared as a frequent character in the critically acclaimed TV series "The Wire," working alongside some of the most recognized names in the industry (such as actor and director Bill Duke). The series was the start of a much bigger picture and Dillard would eventually find himself in company with Gerard Butler, Jamie Foxx, Anthony Mackie, Wendell Pierce, Kerry Washington, and many other notable performers. Today, Dillard is steadily fulfilling a lifelong dream of giving back to the community which gave to him. He is the founder of Aikan Entertainment Solutions (pronounced "I can"), an organization that empowers young talent and encourages their artistic growth as well as the entrepreneurial spirit. He is also the founder of Aikan Performing Arts, a successful organization, which trains individuals (from ages five and above) in the art of acting and other creative outlets. https://www.aikanacts.org to take classes with Nakia.Aikan (pronounced "I Can") Performing Arts provides high-quality performing arts training to youth and adults in a safe, fun, and friendly environment. Since its inception, Aikan Performing Arts has reached over 1,000 students and workshop participants in the Philadelphia area. Follow and Subscribe and Rate Five Stars on Spotify and Apple and YouTube Tim Witherspoon Jr. (@terribleii) is Young, Black and Suburban. He boxed professionally, and now he owns a gym in Bristol Borough, PA, Witherspoon Boxing and Fitness (@WS_boxing). Listen to him interview guests as they talk about being young, black and suburban through shared and unique experiences. Box with Tim at witherspoonboxing.com Listen to our sister podcast Young Blonde Suburban hosted by Attorney Kaitlin Files anywhere you get Young Black Suburban! To contact Young Black Suburban email [email protected] Produced by Jordan Fried @jfreeeze | Music by Talent Harris (@talentharris) A Late Night Hump (@latenighthump) Production in conjunction with LNH Studios (latenighthump.com)