Meet: Evan Nicole Brown

interviews

Mar 21

Writer & Journalist

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Join us as we chat with Evan Nicole Brown about her journey as a writer, the evolution of Group Chat, navigating media and culture in LA vs. NY, and more!

For those who don't know you can you share a little bit about yourself?

My name is Evan Nicole Brown. I’m a writer and journalist covering arts and culture in Los Angeles. I’m also the founder and host of Group Chat, which is a bi-monthly event series intended for people to share space and ideas. It’s not only a community gathering space but also kind of a burgeoning media platform where I interview a different guest on a different theme that relates to their area of expertise or interest every other month. There’s also a YouTube channel and Substack newsletter that are the digital auxiliary components to Group Chat, where people who are not based in LA can see an overview of what the conversation was like in recorded video format but also have a publication that further exemplifies what that particular event was.

Okay, so let's peddle back just like a little bit. How did you get to where you are now? Was there always a love for writing?

Absolutely. Yes, even in high school. Actually, I mean taking it back to the beginning of my life…I really have always wanted to be a writer. I was just telling somebody, I feel so blessed to be doing what I am doing because I think I just got lucky where the vision I had for my life and what I wanted to do and be has always been to be a writer. In high school, I took a lot of creative writing classes, and then when I went to Bard College‚ I was an American Literature and Written Arts Major. I did a joint degree because I knew I wanted to be a writer, but I also love the craft of literature. I didn't have any formal educational training in journalism or reporting.

Interesting, so how did you go from more of a literary background to the more traditional side of journalism and reporting?

My first job out of college was actually at a literary agency—I was the assistant to a literary agent. So I was working in book publishing, reading manuscripts, pulling them out of the slush pile, working with authors and editors, and sort of navigating royalty payments and deadlines for books, which is a much slower process. That was really interesting, but I knew I always wanted to be a writer, so then I left and did a series of fellowships at places like Atlas Obscura and The New York Times, and I was also quasi-on staff as a writer at Fast Company Co.Design. So I was jumping across beats and covering different things from art and culture to history and politics, and I was also on the Styles desk at the New York Times. I definitely feel like my interest has always generally been arts and culture, but I also love cultural histories and sort of exploring and giving context to current cultural moments we’re in. Kind of everything I've done, even when I was on the politics desk at NYT or covering more science-focused things at Atlas Obscura, everything I've written about has been through the lens of culture.

I was going to say it's kind of incredible how you span across so many different topics, but it always comes back to what’s happening in the world—even your piece with Diablo Cody for the 10-year anniversary of Juno; you also chatted about abortion and what that was like at the time when the movie came out versus now.

I feel like I've always been such a curious person, and I've specifically been curious about the way we live and the way we exist as people and operate in society. So, from that perspective, I do feel like my beat is culture, but it's a little more cerebral too. I feel like culture is such a buzzword, but what I do like about culture is that it can mean so many things, and I appreciate that it allows me to explore and go down rabbit holes of different things I'm interested in. Culture can mean Black culture — more specifically to my experience — but it can also be talking about the culture of a place like Los Angeles, or in terms of trends…like are the women in France wearing the same types of shoes that women are wearing in South Dakota? I think it forces you to think creatively as a writer about, like, “How do I narrow Culture as a concept down?”

So you worked in New York and now you're in LA. Speaking to culture how would you compare the cities?

I feel like working in New York was absolutely vital for the beginning of my career. I was able to make and maintain so many relationships and there were frankly just more opportunities in New York because it's just more of a journalism, media hub. I also think the movement and urgency of New York really did give me a hunger and motivated me. The walking culture of New York allowed me to explore in a way that was different because I was literally walking by things that would spark an idea for me to pitch a story and there were just a lot of opportunities to get my feet wet and be on the ground. It really expanded my appreciation for subcultures, even in the span of one city block. Now, being in Los Angeles, what’s nice about it is that I have a native understanding of the culture here because I am a native. I feel like a lot of people have misconceptions about the city, and a lot of people conflate Los Angeles with Hollywood, and that's something I always try to disabuse people of, because when you're from here, and you're kind of zooming into the culture and energy of the city you realize that the entertainment business is a totally different universe and environment than Los Angeles is. When I was at The Hollywood Reporter as a culture writer, I was really trying to navigate the distinction between Hollywood and LA. I also think that LA’s art scene is changing and shifting and emerging in a way that's really exciting to me right now; I’ve been covering fine art and getting deeper into the gallery world here, along with museum institutions and exhibitions and artists making work. LA has always been a little bit counterculture and on the margins because it isn't one of those traditional art markets historically. Even if you look at the history of skate culture in LA and the way we've always had streetwear here—not fashion in the traditional house, couture sense. There are very culturally impactful things that have come out of LA movements so as a journalist, finding those more niche, subculture stories that are a little bit less mainstream has been really fun. And as a freelancer I love the pace of Los Angeles: being able to create my own schedule on a daily basis and just sort of move with the rhythm of the city, which is not only slower, but is also a little bit more cavalier in a way that I find really refreshing and authentic.

Can we talk about the pivot from New York to LA?

Yeah, I think I felt a calling to come home on a certain level, not so much that I felt like I couldn’t thrive and continue to be successful in New York—I felt very comfortable with how I was moving and navigating that city, and I felt like I had lived there long enough where I didn't feel like a total outsider or anything, but I do think I just felt like for this part of my story I needed to come back to LA as an adult and be inspired by the city that I come from in a different era and chapter of my life. I also love Joan Didion's writing on Los Angeles, and as a native Californian, I’m always attracted to writers and artists from the West. I think the American West is a really interesting landscape and so I just always felt like part of my journey needed to creatively happen back in LA.

Speaking of moving, are there any cities that pop up in your mind, even if it's for a three month stint that you can see yourself in?

Yes, well, you know a couple places come to mind, and what I actually also love about being a writer and especially a freelancer is the fluidity and flexibility; you really can do it from anywhere. I do think that I could see myself one day in a writer's retreat or a fellowship somewhere totally remote in the middle of the countryside, and I think that I would like the removal of stimuli. I also love Mexico City and London, but I also want to spend time exploring. I've never been to any country on the continent of Africa, and I feel like as a Black American, that's something really important to me. I think when I do go to Africa I want it to be a very extended stay where I can explore not only where my family is from ancestrally, but also to just visit different parts of the continent and sort of get a sense of the diversity.

So thinking about how you started out in the literary space and moved to more traditional journalism, is there any desire to return to the fiction space and write a book?

Absolutely. I do plan to write books for sure, and funnily enough, being a capital J journalist capital R reporter has never really been my end goal, which is why I always describe myself as a writer first because I feel like writing is the container for so many types of approaches to telling stories. I feel like being a journalist all these years has been a beautiful education, so I love being a reporter from that perspective. It's taught me so much about research and interviewing and having conversations with so many different types of people, but I do see books in my future, and creative nonfiction would be my genre from the perspective of either writing essays, cultural histories, or compiling interviews in book form.

Looking on the other side of writing, can we talk about Group Chat and the origination of it?

I'm so excited to talk about Group Chat because it's such a new project, and what's funny is that even though I launched in October 2024, it feels like it's been out and alive in my spirit so much longer because it was an idea for so long before it manifested in real life and I feel like I was working on it quietly kind of in the shadows for a while and so it just already feels more fully realized than it is to the public, you know? The idea for Group Chat was actually rooted in some form of disillusionment I was feeling with the media industry, and I was not impressed with a lot of media platforms. I feel like I don't necessarily trust the quality or the integrity of what gets promoted all the time, so I was thinking very critically about where real power and control is in all this. I was just feeling a little bit frustrated with that as somebody who works in the media ecosystem, and so, maybe somewhat arrogantly, I was like, I feel like I trust my judgment as it relates to the people who should be platformed and the types of questions I know I ask as a journalist. I'm also not looking for clickbait moments, I'm looking to create conversations that actually form an archive, and help illuminate timeless ideas for people who are really thinking thoughtfully about our culture and the world we live in. Group Chat is definitely rooted in this desire to think about the future and the kinds of conversations we want to look back on 20, 30, 40 years from now, that are actually going to say something about our current moment that isn’t rooted in trends or something fleeting or more superficial. I see the Group Chat interview archive as something that provides a real, genuine, authentic snapshot of where we are today.

I know this is always such a tricky sort of question because you truly never know where something's gonna go, but let's say a year from now, ideally, what does Group Chat look like for you?

I appreciate that question because I think it's important to stay focused on the future as you build. I've learned that producing events is so taxing and difficult, and really causes you to be engaged on so many different levels, like energetically, mentally, and financially. I love the process, but it does take a lot of effort, and so I feel like I often get wrapped up in the immediacy of planning the next event, but I love thinking about the long-term future too. I mean, I definitely see Group Chat on the financial front developing relationships with sponsors and other entities where it can be something that is more, not only lucrative, but just something I can expand and do more consistently because I would love to see it eventually become a monthly offering. I always want to center the in-person aspect of it more than anything else, because that's always going to be the priority—having it be a live event. But I wouldn't be opposed to producing it in other cities eventually as well, and finding other partners where I can basically take the template of Group Chat and adapt it to new cities and new spaces. But I do feel very strongly about the home base being Ebony Repertory Theatre, which is my dad's theater company and our creative, collaborative home. With Group Chat, I really am excited that I can look at (depending on the month I'm planning it for) what people are talking about at that moment, and choose a guest based on work that reflects what the current conversation is.

Can we chat more about the process of selecting guests?

I can say for our next one, which is actually happening later this month as the third installment of Group Chat, I'm going to be interviewing Leah Thomas, who's an eco-communicator and intersectional environmentalist. She's written a book called Intersectional Environmentalist, and the reason why I wanted to interview her is because we had the recent wildfires, which was such an awful way to see how strong and beautiful the LA community is, and it really inspired me as I was thinking of the next Group Chat. I was like, it has to be about this moment we're in where we're wrestling with these devastating wildfires that impacted all of us, whether somebody physically lost their home and their belongings, or just like the way people were volunteering and showing up for each other. That was a real Los Angeles climate crisis moment, so I was like, I can't do the next Group Chat without focusing on that being the current conversation here. So that's just a perfect example of how I was like, okay, I'm going to interview somebody who is involved in environmental and climate discussions, and so that's how I chose her.

And just even speaking about community, what’s been the feedback from them?

I feel like the most immediate feedback that always really touches me is just seeing people; that's feedback. The fact that you even showed up and you bought a ticket—which, by the way, Group Chat is not for profit. Tickets are to help pay the people that I collaborate with and who produce the event. But I feel like that to me is always rewarding because I'm like the fact that you are even here is a form of you trusting the vision and wanting to support because you believe in the mission. But other feedback I've gotten has been like, yeah, we need these third spaces that feel really intentional and that aren't rooted in partying. I do think that people are looking for places to exist outside of the home in a way that feels productive, engaging, and wholesome on a certain level. But also, there’s an element to Group Chat that’s kind of grown, sexy, and mature. We're not, like, post-grad, just running around looking for fun; we want to be in places where we're actually being stimulated in a way that's actually thoughtful. So that's part of the feedback I've been getting, which is great, and also in terms of the conversations, people are like, oh my god, you interviewed somebody who, whether I was or wasn't familiar with them before I came, I was so engaged in the conversation. I really loved what they had to say, and I learned so much about this facet of the work that they do or the industry that they're in. So yeah, it's been beautiful that people show up because they are fans of the people I'm interviewing or they want to learn more about their work, but I think sometimes it's also just people showing up to get out of the house on a Thursday evening, and they just want to be around people and meet somebody new. The feedback I've gotten is that it's just a nice offering that people almost didn't know they were looking for.

Well, I was gonna say, I feel like media’s come to such a peak of being so online that people were like genuinely craving—whether they knew it or not—in-person connection, even if it's just you going and not even having a conversation with someone, but being there with other people?

I think that actually calls back to some of the disillusionment I was probably feeling in media; I’ve always loved not only in-person events but also analog printed matter, which is why I love books. I love physical magazines and print has never been dead in my household, you know? So I do think of Group Chat as sort of a return to that analog feeling that I've always loved, and I think that being someone who has worked in print, but much less frequently than I have for digital spaces, I think there's something…there's like a texture missing in media now. There's something tactile that we're not getting. And so, I do think that Group Chat is my way of prioritizing that feeling and getting people together in a way that feels crafted. I also just get overwhelmed by the saturation of digital media, and I think there's a lot of competition and mimicry online where people kind of become these recursive characters, and there's all these symbols and shorthands for things that we see people adopting. I always feel like I'm personally better read in person. I like to engage with people face-to-face. I like to feel the energy of a space in the present moment, and I feel like we lose that digitally. With Group Chat, for me, I knew if I was going to build something or explore a passion project in a different way, it had to be in person, and even though some people have recommended building more of an online following, it just has never felt authentic to me. I know I'm an analog girl. I know that I'm somebody who just values the authenticity of being present — sharing space, shaking hands.

I think there's also something really interesting about having an in-person experience or moment versus consuming something online. Being so hyper online, you're fed so much that you don't even know what you like and what you don't like and what your opinion or perspective is on something. When you're in person, you have a visceral reaction to something, so it feels easier to really understand—I like this and respond to that.

Yes, absolutely. I think it's also kind of like, Group Chat has been almost an interesting social experiment in a way I didn't expect because it's actually very, and maybe this is my overly observant reporter, sociological brain coming into action, but it's interesting to see how people connect and socialize with each other in person, like with strangers. Some people are a little bit more shy and reticent and they kind of stay in their corner, or they stay with the person they came with. But then, some people are super buzzy and bubbly, and they love to make new friends. They’re fine coming alone. Some people are really eager to talk to the guest afterward and ask questions, and some people leave immediately after the conversation. So I think not only is it a way to sort of track how people develop their taste in a different way, but I think it's also a way to track how people connect in a way that's very useful data and as we become a more technologically driven society, I think it's actually really useful to remind ourselves how we show up with people because we are humans, we are not AI. We need to remind ourselves that the human touch is the most important thing.

So, talking about taste, what we like, what we don't like, I know you brought up Didion; who else, what else are you feeling inspired by right now? Whether it's a place, a song, a writer, whatever it may be.

Okay, this is maybe going to sound a bit strange. I am very inspired by color, like color palettes and other design elements. I'm really into typography, interior design, and object design. I just find that really inspiring because design is a language, but it's not a written language. So, it's not in my wheelhouse in terms of my use of words in my work, but I find it very inspiring. I think the fact that it’s sort of a silent language speaks to me for some reason. It’s probably why I love going to libraries or different bars or different hotels; I really find interior spaces and the objects that exist within them and their color schemes always get my wheels turning. I'm also reading a book on a queer black female architect, Amaza Lee Meredith. She was a modernist architect who created really interesting buildings and designs that were kind of rogue and experimental for her time in the mid-20th century. In terms of my film and TV appetite and also my book appetite, it tends to be nonfiction actually. I'm not a big fiction person. Even in terms of film and TV, I don't like scripted stuff as much. So if I'm turning on Netflix, which honestly isn't that often at all, I'm always going for a documentary. I also love parties and socializing. I think I'm inspired by the energy of music, and it brings me joy to see people have fun. I love having fun. I love the authenticity of people letting loose and again, just being present.

I love that. I think that’s probably why you found yourself in both a digital and IRL space. So slightly switching gears, for someone that's interested in becoming a writer what advice would you give, especially in the current landscape that we're in?

Oh gosh, I love this. I would say, I don't want this to sound trite, but trust what you're most natively pulled toward. It's so clear when somebody doesn't believe in what they're saying or isn’t actually interested in what they're writing about; I feel like any time I've tried to force myself to believe something that I didn’t feel an innate, intuitive pull toward, it was so hard for me to get words on the page. And so, I think that so much of my career as a writer has actually been just like me trusting that inner guidance and that inner voice of being like, you know what? This might seem kind of weird, but I know I'm interested in this, and I know that I can find a connection between these two things. And I feel like even if it doesn't become a story or even if it doesn't feel like a newsy trending topic at the moment, it always serves you to pursue something and pick it back up later. I think that curiosity and faith have always ultimately guided me. and of course, there's an element to writing, especially freelance writing, where you absolutely do just have to earn money—but I think that for the most part, as much as you can, pursuing stories, pitching stories or taking on assignments that speak to your native interests is really the best thing you can do for yourself in your career. Over time, people will start to see the throughlines in your work, and they'll start to ask you to do work that sort of reflects what you've already been pursuing and writing about. So your own beat will emerge if you follow the beat of your own drum, you know?

From the perspective of being a full-time staff writer to going freelance, what does that look like as a writer, and how were you able to do that?

I mean, I think part of being a writer is having to really put yourself out there constantly, not only in terms of getting your writing published as a way of putting yourself out there but you have to constantly apply for positions and pitch people and email editors and email people you want to work with like sources. So I would say don't be afraid to consistently knock on people's doors and remind people that you exist. In today's media climate, it's probably more realistic to expect yourself to be a freelancer than to be a staff writer because those jobs are fewer and further between as time goes on. If you can apply for a full-time job and get that, that's amazing. However I have learned and been satisfied just as much as a freelancer as I have been as a staff writer. And there are absolutely pros and cons to both. Building up relationships with publicists, editors, and different publications where you know that you can consistently pitch stories and have them think of you for assignments is really helpful in terms of breaking out on your own. Also, just developing real organizational skills and being your own advocate and business person is a necessary part of being a freelancer. And don’t be competitive. I think a little healthy competition is fine, but I've always been somebody who's really narrowly focused on my own lane, my own passions, and my own work. I'm somebody who very much keeps my eyes on my own paper. I have friends who are fellow writers. I have friends and peers whose work I read and admire. I love being a student of what other people do, but I've never really felt competitive per se. And I think that's an essential part of being a freelancer in the writing world because there are always going to be tons of writers.There are always going to be people who cover the same stories or beats you write on, and I think if you want to stay authentic to your voice and keep following your own path, you just have to actually have blinders on and not be intimidated or challenged or too intrigued by what anybody else is doing.

Speaking to horse blinders, I know people also speak to the importance of reading as much as you can when bettering your own writing or tone. How important is that from your perspective?

I think it's very important. I would actually say that I read contemporary articles more to understand style and format. It's always helpful, especially for somebody who wasn't trained traditionally in journalism. I think I always have room for improvement as it relates to how to write a really sharp, concise, informative sentence. So I almost read from that perspective for syntax and form, but my ideas come from me, you know? I feel like what I want to talk about, the people I want to interview, or the stories I want to tell tend to come more spontaneously into my own brain. But I read things to form a more external guide.

Let’s Get Deep

What’s your theme song?

Witness - Santigold

Night In or Night Out?

Night out (but I refuse to consider myself an extrovert)

When do you feel most you?

Alone in my apartment in silence, tinkering with my books and beads, reading a passage of something and meditating on what it taught me, drinking sparkling water or coffee, praying, crossing things off of one of my many to-do lists, eating a pear, putting on music as a form of memory-conjuring, spraying perfume

What’s something you’re obsessed with right now?

Visiting different library branches and archives

Call or Text?

Call (or lengthy voice notes)

When was the last time you cried?

Thinking about how much I love my younger sister and brother about a week ago, and how much their happiness and health impacts my quality of life

When’s the last time you laughed (like a big belly laugh)?

Probably texting one of my best friends because me and my people get real silly off duty

Current favorite follow on social media?

@vintagebathroomlove

Lastly, what’s one thing you would tell your 16-year-old self?

I've been evolving so much as a woman these last couple of years. I feel like I've turned 16, 16 times now. I would tell my 16-year-old self that your faith in yourself will really take you far. I had periods of really delusional optimism and others of extreme self-doubt; I think I still cycle between those two emotions. As a teenager, I was constantly like, am I doing the right thing? But also, I know I'm doing the right thing, and I think I would just remind myself of that. External validation will never be enough — it’ll never satisfy that inner knowing or not knowing. Nothing can replace the power you feel when you know you've decided to do something, and then you execute it, or you know that you have a vision or an idea, and you see it through — that totally comes from within. I think when I was 16, I had a lot of dreams, and I just would probably love to hear the affirmation that they were going to come true and that I didn't have to worry. As somebody who can be so anxious and in my head, I think I would have just been in my body more and trusted my intuition and gut feelings.