Check Out Niles Jackson’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Niles Jackson.

Hi Niles, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Mannnnnnn I don’t even know where to begin. I’ve always been super creative, witty, and definitely on the weird side. My mom told me that when she used to ground me and take my phone is when I was the most creative/productive/imaginative. Me usually being in some sort of trouble almost forced my creative hand, which I am grateful for.

It’s interesting too because I never know how to label myself…even now. I’m an artist, aspiring model & actor, digital creator, athlete, and so much more. My dream is to become like snoop dog or Shaq. They’re the ultimate side quests kings…make music, are in commercials, were athletes, game show hosts, and all of the above.

In high school/early college just like anybody else I was searching for a sense of identity. Who was Niles? Not who other people wanted me to be..but who was I and who did I want to become. The biggest shift in my life came when I started seriously leaning into my relationship with God. He’s put me in rooms I would’ve never imagined I’d be in, example A being the 2024 All Star Dunk Contest where I acted as the younger version of Dominique Wilkins for Jaylen Brown’s dunk selection. As I continue to look back I still don’t think I realize how absolutely insane that was. It’s so funny because I really didn’t tell anyone..I just went on live tv while a lot of my friends, acquaintances were watching and they started at the tv like “wait…no way that’s niles.” lol my phone was blowing up as you can imagine. I’m sitting courtside on the same bench as Steph curry, victor wembanaya, Anthony Edwards…just soaking it all in and trying to act like I’d been there before.

Sooo yeah I’ve really had to step away from my idea of what success looks like and just follow where God leads me. I feel called to inspire a generation..and I’m doing everything I can to bring glory to God in what I do so people know who the source is and that I’ve never done anything or accomplished anything in my own strength.

Fast forward I’ve put out 4 albums, started my own company creating digital ads for brands (madebyniles.com), working with brands like Apple TV, Timberland, DoorDash, Mint Mobile, and so many other brands. I purchased my first home at 24 and by the grace of God was able to move into a new build, I’ve got my masters degree in Industrial Organizational Psychology. I’ve been able to see parts of the world I never would’ve imagined. I say all this to say God’s been more than amazing.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Struggle were definitely feeling like I wasn’t making progress…or that my music wasn’t taking off like I thought it would..Just feeling bogged down by the algorithm and like the art I was putting out wasn’t sufficient enough because I didn’t have hundreds of thousands of followers.

On top of life stuff like figuring out who you are, going through a breakup and reinvesting that time and energy back into myself and my craft.

It’s definitely been challenges around creative blocks or not creating at the pace I would like. I’ve since set some boundaries for myself to step back from the cycle of going out most weekends, drinking and then having no energy to create. So It was really a matter off me breaking cycles/habits that were stunting my growth.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Professionally I work at the University of Cincinnati but honestly my identity lies in my creative work and business Madebyniles LLC that I just started late last year. If someone were to ask me what I do I would quickly mention I work at UC but that I’m working to become my own boss with my freelance work.

I started creating UGC (user-generated content) July of 2024 to make some extra money on the side to pay bills and what started off as me working with smaller brands turned into something much bigger and way more sustainable by the grace of God. I remember I was working at this group home called Gateway to Success (shout out the guys lol I loved them and that job) to make like an extra $900 a month so I could pay my bills..working about an extra 20 hours a week on top of my full time gig. I started doing UGC around then and would even have the guys help me record videos haha.

Anyway fast forward I’ve been able to secure some retainer clients that come back to me monthly for videos and it’s allowed me to live more comfortably.

As far as music I started cheffing up freshman year of college. I used to go down to the community room late at night in Stratford Hall hook up my USB mic, get a beat from YouTube and just record. I remember I put out this song called “Lavish” and I came home one day and I was walking to my dorm room and heard it blasting from someone’s dorm room..that was one of the best feelings ever. My sound evolved to making music about navigating life, getting fly, getting girls, life’s ups and downs up. Until about late 2024 where I was still doing just that but mentioning God more frequently since that was such a big part of who I was becoming.

I don’t want to solely by labeled as.a “christian artist” because I want my music to be approachable and something for everyone to listen whether you believe in God or not..and you never know if someone is curious they could hear my song and it could plant a seed that I just hope grows at some point

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
Not even sure for real, there’s a lot of implications with using generative AI to make ads and they look crazy real..but who knows. Robots Are never going to be able to mimic true creativity..so there’s always going to be that true artist element. The music industry uhh I’m not even sure to be honest. Part of me feels like I’m not relevant to “the industry” I go where God leads me and there’s always fruit there. I do have some things up my sleeve tho to push my music out there as it relates to tv/film and getting placed on different networks.

Thanks for having me, if you’re reading this put your faith in the rock and see where He takes you!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Madebyniles.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madebyniles/