Nabil Elderkin facts for kids

Nabil Elderkin, born on February 11, 1982, is a talented director and photographer. He was born in America but grew up in Australia. You might know his work from music videos for famous artists. He's directed videos for stars like Dua Lipa, Kanye West, and Kendrick Lamar. In his videos, he's often just called "Nabil." Today, he lives in Los Angeles, California.

Early Life and Photography Beginnings

Nabil was born in Chicago, USA. When he was two years old, his family moved to Port Macquarie, Australia. He grew up there and became an Australian citizen. In high school, he loved surfing and started taking photos of surfers. This was his first experience with photography.

When Nabil was 17, he moved back to the US with his mom. He studied photography and took pictures of music groups and DJs in Chicago.

Nabil's Amazing Career

Nabil's big break came when he met the rapper Kanye West. Nabil had heard Kanye's music and wanted to contact him. He found that the website "kanyewest.com" was available, so he bought it! A few weeks later, a record company called him. They had just signed Kanye West and wanted the website.

Nabil didn't want money for the website. Instead, he asked to meet Kanye and take his first official photos. This meeting led to Nabil working with Kanye. At that photoshoot, Nabil also met John Legend. This led to Nabil directing videos for John Legend, and he even introduced John to his future wife, Chrissy Teigen.

Working with Big Names

Nabil's photos and videos have appeared in many places. He has worked for magazines like Rolling Stone and Vogue. He has also worked with big brands like Nike and Coca-Cola.

He has photographed many famous artists, including Nicki Minaj, Frank Ocean, and Bon Iver. Nabil even photographed Kanye West's book, Glow in the Dark. This book showed Kanye's "Glow in the Dark Tour" in 2008.

Films and Documentaries

Nabil has also directed many films. He made a documentary called Bouncing Cats. This film is about a workshop that teaches breakdancing to young people in Uganda. It won several awards!

In 2019, Nabil directed his first movie, Gully. It was shown at the Tribeca Film Festival. He is also a co-creator and producer of a new documentary series called Beat Nation.

Nabil's Films

• 2010: Bouncing Cats
• 2015: Captureland
• 2019: Gully

Music Videos Directed by Nabil

• Arctic Monkeys – "Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?"
• Alt-J – "Hunger of the Pine"
• Anohni – "Drone Bomb Me"
• Billie Eilish, ROSALÍA - "Lo Vas A Olvidar"
• Bon Iver – "Holocene"
• Bruno Mars – "Grenade"
• Common – "The Game"
• Dua Lipa – "Don't Start Now"
• FKA Twigs – "Two Weeks"
• Foals – "Bad Habit"
• Foals – "Late Night"
• Frank Ocean – "Novacane"
• Frank Ocean – "Pyramids"
• Frank Ocean – "Swim Good"
• GOOD Music – "Mercy"
• J. Cole - “Power Trip”
• James Blake featuring Travis Scott – "Mile High"
• John Legend – "All of Me"
• John Legend – "Love Me Now"
• Kanye West – "Coldest Winter"
• Kanye West featuring Mr Hudson – "Paranoid"
• Kendrick Lamar – "DNA."
• SZA featuring Travis Scott – "Love Galore"
• Travis Scott – "YOSEMITE"
• The Weeknd – "Acquainted"

Awards Nabil Has Won

Nabil's work has been recognized with several awards.