What About Mr. Brooks?

Photo Credit: Blair Devereaux

It’s no secret that Black men in America have a bad rap and are continuously plagued with stereotypes and epithets that all lend themselves to negative connotations. With all of this negativity, it is hard to remain optimistic as the bad reputation attached to the Black man in America takes center stage and his positive contributions are often overlooked and remain unseen. To change this narrative, a robust public relations (PR) campaign is necessary, to say the least, but who’d be willing to take on the task?

In comes a high-powered communications and marketing professional who is a formidable force to be reckoned with and knows how to deliver first-class results. After all, PR is about managing the image of an entity and who better to do so, than a Black man himself. Public relations. Event Planning. Entertainment Marketing. Lifestyle Architecture. What do all of these things have in common? Taroue Brooks, a jack of all trades and a master of all.  A far cry from the stereotypes assigned to Black males in society, Brooks is the primary of Taylor & Brooks, LLC., a full-service public relations, event management, and entertainment marketing firm.

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Brooks’ expertise and skill set in public relations, communications, and publicity took him from the campus of Texas Southern University to the production room at BET. Imagine working with high profile clients from Hollywood to Capitol Hill. With decades of experience under his belt and a resume that would make even the coolest person in the room blush, he has forged a path for himself that helped to put him on the radar and propel his career into the stratosphere.

With a host of accolades and awards, his work has been recognized by many, especially in the non-profit sector. Recently, his latest work, a documentary, has brought him full circle with an idea he had years ago that involved broadening the minds of his younger siblings. Frustrated with the portrayal of Black men in America, he was inspired to document how Black men are viewed in America, and thus, What About Me, was born. In the documentary, Brooks collaborated with D. John Jackson and Darryl Pitts to highlight the stories and lived experiences of Black men and showcase them in a different light.

What About Me focuses on the misrepresentation of Black men in American and offers an in-depth perspective as told by Black men themselves. The documentary also challenges the stereotype that places black men into one of three categories, athlete, entertainer, or criminal. He especially wants to challenge the mindset within the Black community that subliminally plays into this categorical portrayal of Black men, “…if you keep hearing that celebrity athletes, you know celebrity athletes, celebrity athletes, you know you will feel that, that’s the only thing that has value.”

What About Me, now streaming on Amazon Prime, challenges these narratives and tells a different story rooted in community and family. The documentary was created not just for Black people, but for the world to see how loving, committed, and innovative Black men are. The documentaries will pull from men from various backgrounds and features commentary from actor Marcus Scribner of ABC’s Black-ish, actor Timon Kyle Durett of OWN’s Queen Sugar, and attorney Todd Belcore of Social Change. The film was released in December 2020 and will air in syndication February 6 - 28, 2021 on your local ABC, NBC, and Fox networks, in addition to streaming on Amazon Prime.

As for Brooks, one may wonder, what’s next for the multi-hyphenate professional. According to Brooks, What About Me is just the tip of the iceberg as Brooks says, “I’m going to do more documentaries because there are so many stories to tell.” An example himself, he has not only led by example but has now given space for Black men’s stories and their voices to be heard and hopefully inspire the next generation to solidify their position in America.

Check out the trailer for What About Me - https://youtu.be/zuV8yFXTNp0