Today we’d like to introduce you to Phill Branch.
Hi Phill, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
From my earliest memories I was telling stories, even if just in my head. My imagination wasn’t only an escape, I enjoyed going inside of myself, creating stories. At some point, I decided I would be a writer. There were no writers in my life, or so I thought; but writing felt like an extension of reading. Reading was my favorite thing to do.
One day when I was about 10 years old, I stumbled into some old papers that belonged to my father. He had started writing some stories. They were incomplete, but were the first tactile evidence that writing could be a real thing for just “ordinary” people. But, despite being an avid reader, I loved the glamour of the movies and decided I would be a screenwriter.
I went to college, majored in Mass Media Arts, the closest thing to film at Hampton University at that time. For my senior thesis, I wrote a script called “Lines of Havoc,” about pledging gone wrong. With that script, a head full of dreams and a touch of insanity, I moved to Los Angeles immediately after graduating.
I experienced all the motions one goes through in L.A. as a writer. There were some wins and and plenty of losses. It was a learning experience. Over time, I found my way back to books, and more specifically back to nonfiction work. I am fascinated by people’s personal stories. I find that learning more about others helps us learn more about ourselves.
As a creative, I write, perform, produce and direct. My work is deeply rooted in personal narrative, identity, and memory; in multiple storytelling platforms—including film, live performance, and the written word. My film “Hampton University: One of the Wonders of the World” debuted on Maryland Public Television (MPT) and will make its national broadcast premiere on PBS in September. The film won a Regional Emmy® Award in 2024. My film “Searching for Shaniqua,” which explores the impact of names deemed to be ghetto, is also available on MPT and PBS platforms.
In 2018 I won The Moth GrandSLAM, a storytelling competition known for celebrating raw, honest, and skillfully crafted narratives. Since then, I have traveled extensively with The Moth as a featured storyteller, performing on stages across the U.S. and abroad. This work has circled me back to my first love – books. My debut memoir, “The Double Dutch Fuss,” will be published by HarperCollins/Amistad in May 2026. The book examines the burden of growing up Black, male, and expected to perform masculinity in narrowly defined ways. It also explores the emotional complexities of father-son relationships, memory, and the fear of isolation and violence for simply being oneself.
In addition to my own creative work, I am the founder and Creative Director of the Baltimore Story Fest, an annual event that features dozens of storytellers from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds. The festival also includes storytelling workshops that explore how to shape memory into narrative while managing the emotional and ethical dimensions of writing from lived experience. All of this work is rooted in uplifting voices that struggle to be heard and understood.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There is no such thing as a smooth road. There are moments where the pieces fit and energies align; but in order to know that things are working, you have to experience moments that create growth. The things I called obstacles when I was younger were mostly external – bills, rejection, resources, etc.
Truth is, the biggest obstacle was my own mind.
I was on FIRE, even in what felt like my lowest moments, but didn’t always see it. The problem was I had created unrealistic measurements based off of what I thought success was supposed to be. I had accomplished more by 30 than many of my peers, but felt depleted and behind schedule. I was comparing myself to folks not knowing their full stories. Los Angeles has a way of making you feel small.
When I left and was able to start looking back with some perspective, I could not believe that I did I not recognize how well I was doing and how much I had grown. It took some time move past that and to be honest, the anxiety of comparison still creeps up from time to time. The medicine for that, is always taking some time with myself and settling my mind. Therapy has been good, when I have done it…and silence. A dark, silent room with my thoughts, is something I need daily.
Things I know:
I have everything I need.
I have most everything I want.
I create my own outcomes.
I am who I am.
That last one is important. I’ve known my whole life that I need space; quiet is essential for me to thrive. Everything around us tells us that we need to be up underneath people all the time, or that spending time with one’s self is pushing something else away. I felt guilty, for years, about a basic need that I have always had. Accommodating others’ needs for constant connection got in the way of my growth.
Be yourself.
Do it all.
Change your mind when you need to.
We are only here for a blink.
What makes you happy?
When I feel my body relax, hear laughter or just feel peace, is when I am happiest. Sometimes, that’s just us sitting around watching a movie at home. Sometimes, it is me eating a Cobb salad at Busboys. Sometimes, it’s the moment I step foot on Hampton’s campus at homecoming.
My mind is busy.
Somewhere in my late 30s, I forgot that joy was part of the equation. I was focused on work and building a family, and the responsibilities of those areas of my life often overshadowed the happiness. When kids came along, and I had to slow down to rock somebody to sleep, and play on the floor, and watch cartoons again, the happiness crept back in. Over time, though, I forgot about what I actually liked and enjoyed outside of my kids. This is common for parents, all of our energy is spent on the tiny humans in our care.
Now, I am intentional about seeing friends, going out for ice cream, taking walks, listening to music…and reading for pleasure.
And, silence.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/phillbranch
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/phillbranch/?hl=en
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-branch-775614298/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmDbpp94nJE
- Other: https://www.pbs.org/video/searching-for-shaniqua-hsxqni/
