Creator, writer, producer, and “Nicholas” in Growing Up Immigrant, Kweku created the series with the intention of normalizing the complexity of both the first-generation American experience and the African immigrant experience. The series was a 2019 Comedy Central & CMSI Laughter Lab Finalist and made its world premiere at 2019 Pan-African Film Festival.
NATHANIEL KWEKU
actor + writer producer spoken word artist voice over artist = storyteller
Growing up, Nathaniel was very active in Black Student Union, African Student Union, and even held office as the first black Associate Student Body President at Stockdale High School and the President of the United Black Student Unions of California. He also grew up going to Ghana every few years and even spent a semester abroad while at USC, conducting research on the Ghanaian film industry, prior to working in the digital and editorial departments at an US-based cable network, focused on the Travel, Lifestyle, & Culture of Africa and the African Diaspora.
After his undergraduate graduation from USC’s Marshall School of Business and the School Cinematic Arts, Nathaniel obtained a full-ride from UCLA to complete his Masters degree in African Studies, where he concentrated in film and television. He completed his thesis research on the proliferation of Black speculative fiction (Afrofuturism, Africanfuturism, & Africanjujuism) in Hollywood.
Nathaniel has done numerous voice-overs, commercials, as well as appearances on TV shows including Fox’s Rosewood, TV Land’s Lopez, and CBS’s SWAT. He starred opposite veteran Ghanaian actor, John Dumelo, in Before the Vows, a rom-com from An African City-creator, Nicole Amarteifio, shot on location, in Ghana.
As a creator, Nathaniel wrote, executive produced, and starred in Growing Up Immigrant, a cultural comedy about a first-generation Ghanaian American millennial adjusting to living with his more “traditional” aunt, while navigating tokenism in his career and interracial dating. The series was a 2019 Comedy Central Laughter Lab finalist and made its premiere at the Pan-African Film Festival. It has now racked up over 100,000 views on Youtube. Nathaniel also has other projects in development, including Shades of Thema, a TV pilot about a Ghanaian-American teen addicted to skin bleaching, finally finding her voice through spoken word.
Nathaniel currently serves as an Executive Board Member of the African Artists Association.
Through his experiences, Nathaniel has recognized the strong cultural misunderstandings between Africans and African-Americans. As a first gen, he understands dynamics of both sides and is passionate about helping to spread cultural healing. Inspired by legendary African leaders and activists such as Kwame Nkrumah, Fela Kuti, Jomo Kenyatta, and Steven Biko, Nathaniel believes that more holistic African stories are needed to heal the wounds of colonialism and slavery and he is committed to doing just that.
actor + writer producer spoken word artist voice over artist = storyteller
NATHANIEL KWEKU
Creator, writer, producer, and “Nicholas” in Growing Up Immigrant, Kweku created the series with the intention of normalizing the complexity of both the first-generation American experience and the African immigrant experience. The series was a 2019 Comedy Central & CMSI Laughter Lab Finalist and made its world premiere at 2019 Pan-African Film Festival.
Growing up, Nathaniel was very active in Black Student Union, African Student Union, and even held office as the first black Associate Student Body President at Stockdale High School and the President of the United Black Student Unions of California. He also grew up going to Ghana every few years and even spent a semester abroad while at USC, conducting research on the Ghanaian film industry, prior to working in the digital and editorial departments at an US-based cable network, focused on the Travel, Lifestyle, & Culture of Africa and the African Diaspora.
After his undergraduate graduation from USC’s Marshall School of Business and the School Cinematic Arts, Nathaniel obtained a full-ride from UCLA to complete his Masters degree in African Studies, where he concentrated in film and television. He’s now in the process of collaborating with The Africa Narrative to conduct research on the proliferation of Afrofuturism in film and television.
Nathaniel has done numerous voice-overs, commercials, as well as appearances on TV shows including Fox’s Rosewood, TV Land’s Lopez, and CBS’s SWAT. He starred opposite veteran Ghanaian actor, John Dumelo, in Before the Vows, a rom-com from An African City-creator, Nicole Amarteifio, shot on location, in Ghana.
As a creator, Nathaniel wrote, executive produced, and starred in Growing Up Immigrant, a cultural comedy about a first-generation Ghanaian American millennial adjusting to living with his more “traditional” aunt, while navigating tokenism in his career and interracial dating. The series was a 2019 Comedy Central Laughter Lab finalist and made its premiere at the Pan-African Film Festival. It has now racked up over 50,000 views on Youtube. Nathaniel also has other projects in development, including Shades of Thema, a TV pilot about a Ghanaian-American teen addicted to skin bleaching, finally finding her voice through spoken word. Nathaniel currently serves as an Executive Board Member of the African Artists Association.
Through his experiences, Nathaniel has recognized the strong cultural misunderstandings between Africans and African-Americans. As a first gen, he understands dynamics of both sides and is passionate about helping to spread cultural healing. Inspired by legendary African leaders and activists such as Kwame Nkrumah, Fela Kuti, Jomo Kenyatta, and Steven Biko, Nathaniel believes that more holistic African stories are needed to heal the wounds of colonialism and slavery and he is committed to doing just that.
