Nikki Webber Allen

Activist, Concerned citizen, Filmmaker, Photographer, World traveler

Nikki Webber Allen is a 2-Time Emmy Award winner with 20 years of experience producing content for media outlets including Warner Bros., HBO, ABC, 20th Century Fox and BET. In 2013, while working as the Vice President of Casting & Talent Relations for the cable network TV One, Nikki lost her 22-year old nephew, Paul, to suicide after his years of struggle with depression and anxiety. Since then, she’s become a passionate mental health advocate. In Paul’s honor, she launched the nonprofit I LIVE FOR... FOUNDATION, INC. to create a safe space for honest, unapologetic conversations about mental health in communities of color where the cultural stigma of mental illness discourages far too many young people from seeking help. Esteemed scholar and advisor to the foundation, Michael Eric Dyson has called I LIVE FOR… “an incredibly important organization that offers much needed support to those who too often suffer in silence.” Nikki is currently producing and directing a documentary film featuring a diverse group of compelling young men and women who reject the stigma of mental illness and share candid stories about their experiences living with depression and anxiety. She is thrilled that the film is being scored by her husband musician Jeffrey Allen of the Grammy nominated R&B band Mint Condition. In 2016, Nikki was 1 of 47 people selected out of over 1000 applicants worldwide to receive a scholarship to Marie Forleo’s B-School for social entrepreneurs. She has an M.A. in Media Studies from The New School University in New York, NY and a B.A. in Communications from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ.

Storytelling that inspires. Laughing until my stomach hurts. Prince. Hamilton on Broadway. Just about every drama on BBC. 90s hip hop. My family.

Millennials of color are experiencing unprecedented levels of depression, anxiety and suicide. My mission with I LIVE FOR... is to promote mental and emotional well-being in teens and young adults of color by encouraging them to find their voices and to cultivate their own unique gifts and passions. Living with a mental illness can be tough, but, ultimately it's our courage and the contributions we make to the world that define us, not our illness.

Bridge building, Casting, Directing, Negotiating, Producing, Talent Management, Trouble shooting

I was first introduced to TED four years ago when I saw Brene Brown's talk on the power of vulnerability. That talk changed the course of my life. Her words inspired me to dream big and to take a chance on launching my nonprofit and directing my first film. As someone who struggles with bouts of anxiety, the fear of failure was overwhelming but it's proven to be the most meaningful work I've ever done. Since then, I've been hooked on TED. I'm pinching myself about being accepted into the TED Residency Spring Class of 2017. What an honor (albeit a super scary one) to be giving my own TED Talk. If I can inspire someone else even half as much as Brene Brown inspired me, it will be a win in my book.

Playing the dozens ;-)