Nate Mckowen
My name is Nate Mckowen, and my story is not an easy one to tell.
Ever since I was a kid it was my dream to be a filmmaker. In 2007 I graduated from The New York Film Academy, and I was on my way to making my dreams come true. My future looked bright.
Then everything changed.
One night, after a party, I made the decision to drive home when I was in no condition to drive.
I got in an accident.
Because of a stupid and careless decision I made, a man lost his life.
I was sentenced to 10 years in prison. I went through some dark times as I tried to process what happened. To be honest, I don't know if you ever fully come to terms with something like that. I had so much guilt, and regret. I had caused so much pain. I felt less than human.
I was lost.
During my prison sentence, I joined a creative writing class taught by a volunteer. I couldn't practice film, but I discovered that writing was like filmmaking. I could carefully craft a story. Word by word, sentence by sentence, I could explore what it means to be human, and I could shape some sort of meaning out of all of the chaos. Prison does everything it can to harden you, to kill your soul, and it was storytelling that kept my humanity alive. Somewhere in the darkness, I realized that I was the author of my own story and that it was up to me how it ended. I had to make a decision.
I decided that I was going to use my story to help people. I decided I was going to make something positive come from all of the tragedy. Since then I have been given the opportunity to tell my story to 900 5th graders at a Drug and Alcohol Awareness Day, I have been invited to panel discussions on re-entry for people coming home from prison, and I have been fortunate enough to tell my story at the State Capitol, encouraging legislators to pass much-needed prison reform laws. I created a podcast and YouTube channel to help people navigate the challenges of re-entering society after incarceration. In using my story to encourage positive change for others, I have found the change I so desperately sought.
That first year of freedom was the most challenging. My mom started a go-fund-me and raised the money so I could buy a camera. I worked 3 part-time jobs, and did video work on the side, saving every penny I could to invest in starting my own business. By the end of the first year, I made the leap and went full-time, officially launching Updraft Productions.
Updraft Productions is dedicated to helping others, to elevate stories that inspire, that encourage tolerance and that seek to bring us all together. Courage and Compassion are the values that drive my life and my work.
Updraft is about uplifting people's stories so that those stories can uplift others.
Stories have the power to change lives.