Brooks Leibee

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Name: Brooks Leibee

Hometown: North Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Year in School: Sophomore       

Major: Graphic Design

Brooks says that his favorite class is Intro to Black and White Photography.

                                                                

Brooks' Video

The best way to describe Brooks Leibee is talented. Luckily for Coastal Carolina, he decided to become a Chanticleer. However, three years ago at this time it seemed a sure thing that he would make an entirely different decision. Hailing from North Myrtle Beach, Brooks envisioned himself leaving the area for his education. Making sure to cover all his bases, he did give CCU a small chance by taking the obligatory campus tour. That routine campus visit ended up sealing his fate for the next four years.

Brooks chose Coastal because of the “overall sense of community” and lively atmosphere he immediately felt during the tour. By the time he stepped foot on campus as a student, he was ready to introduce the University to his graphic design, photography and cinema skills. Just a sophomore, he is already working for the Athenaeum Press, a publishing lab that offers students professional-level hands-on experience in creating stories about the region. It is through this opportunity that Brooks is working on a VR (virtual reality) documentary based around the Gullah-Geechee community. When completed, the piece will profile the Gullah culture in a fascinating way never seen before.

Don’t think this major project occupies all his time. Brooks works in the new digital studio housed in the Edwards Building. It is within this space that he supervises the studio and assists students with their production assignments. Of course, Brooks takes rightful advantage of his employment opportunity and works on his own material as well.

Brooks wants to make it big one of these days in the film industry. In fact, he just doesn’t want to make it big, he wants to change it. When he graduates with his graphic design degree he wants to move to New York City and start making moves. We can’t wait to watch him succeed. 

Brooks works in the Edwards digital studio.
Brooks is from North Myrtle Beach.

Q&A with Brooks

How did you hear about Coastal?: I heard about CCU in passing throughout high school, initially WANTING to go toother campuses. Coastal never peaked my interest until I actually went to the campus, took a tour, and previously hearing so many great things from friends that already went here.

Why did you come to Coastal?: Aside from it being so close to home; the biggest factor that made me make thedecision to come here was the strong sense of community. Walking through thehumanities building, my major building, 99% of the time I see someone (be it acurrent/ past professor or classmate) that I know and the atmosphere is always solively. I have had that kind of feeling outside of the small arts community built in myhigh school. This is 100x that feeling, though.

Favorite professor: Oh my… This is SO difficult. So far all of my professors have been awesome

…but if I had to pick JUST one (even though I have many, many favorites - they know who they are) I’d have to pick Tracy Fish… aka TDogg.

Favorite class: Right now it’d have to be Intro to Black and White Photography; which is taught by

T-Dogg this semester, ironically!

Favorite aspect of Coastal?: Like I said before, the sense of community. The campus really does have a verycomfortable, almost familiar, vibe to it. I remember the first day of classes,freshman year, and not really having that weird nervous feeling you sometimes getwhen you are being introduced to a new environment. Aside from getting lost in someof these buildings, I already felt at home.

Favorite aspect of living in the Conway/Myrtle Beach area?: I have lived in the Little River/ North Myrtle Beach area for almost 20 years now…that’s practically my whole existence. It’s nice I guess, but I’m ready to get outtahere… probably not the answer you’d normally get with this question - but hey! I’mhonest. NYC has my name on it.

Clubs/Intramurals/other extracurricular activities involved in?: Currently working on getting inducted into the National Society of Leadership andSuccess! It’s been an interesting process, but I think the chapter will be a hugebenefit for my future (far and near) goals.

Do you work anywhere currently (either on or off campus)?:

I currently work on and off campus!

On campus in the Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts as a digital studio film specialist in the fairly new digital studio. I am currently one of three specialists that supervise the studio, assisting students and interns with their production assignments as well as producing my own material and media for the College itself.

Off campus I am a freelance cinematographer and photographer. I mostly shoot weddings and events, but have been hired on a few independent film productions as a director of photography. Currently I am using my documentarian skills with the Athenaeum Press, producing a VR (virtual reality) documentary based around a local isolated Gullah-Geechee community.

Plans after graduation?: Well, I PLAN on moving to New York City after applying for a few jobs there. I MIGHThave an opportunity to work for VICE but it’s still a good while before that can be a real outlook.

What are your hobbies?: Aside from professional photography and cinema, I am a wonderful graphiteillustrator and musician. I played the viola in symphony for close to 9 years, and stilldabble in music. Most of my recent orchestrations have been for videos/ films I’veproduced. Illustration has been a thing for as long as I can remember. Initially I wantedto go into Paleo-illustration as a career. I used to draw dinosaurs and creatures allthe time (still do honestly) and I was so fascinated by the science and artistry behindthe renditions of what used to exist. I blame Jurassic Park, which alsokicked off my film craze.

Do you have any hidden talents?: HIDDEN? Uh… (Actually thinks for around 3 and a half minutes…). Whelp, I got nothing… All of my talents are anything but hidden.

Bonus Info: Pbpbpbpbpb…. I am a passionate filmmaker and hope to not only make it in theindustry, but change it. There are so many important and untold stories thatcompletely deserve to be told, and it is a lifetime goal of mine to be one of thefew fortunate people that is given the opportunity to tell them - making their markin history in the way it should have in the first place.