Ep. 170: Deem Journal’s Nu Goteh on Facilitating All Things Awesome [rebroadcast]

Co-Founder of Deem Journal, designer Nu Goteh was born in Liberia and came to the US with his family as a refugee at the age of 3. His first career ambition, as a model son of African parents, was to become a doctor / lawyer. But as a sneakerhead, skater, and early-adopter of the internet, he kept making opportunities for himself in marketing, promoting, and graphic design. He even landed a job at Puma while he was only a Sophomore in college. After successful roles at Red Bull and Sonos, he was comfortable in his talent for adding value and creating desirability for brands, but uncomfortable with being fast-tracked to the top of “cool black guy stuff,” a pigeon-hole that felt too small for his aspirations and skills. So he went back to school for a Master’s in Strategic Design and Management. Now, as a founding principal of Room For Magic, Nu is using his unique talents to address complex creative challenges and facilitate equitable exchange between brands and communities. As if that weren’t enough, Nu along with Marquise Stillwell and Alice Grandoit (his partner at Room for Magic), have founded Deem Journal, a deeply thought-provoking publication centered on design as a social practice. Now, with issue 3 Envisioning Equity, recently released, Deem is leading the way in presenting meaningful narratives around the process of design, and helping us all grow, heal, and imagine new possibilities in the process. Images, links and more from Nu Goteh!SUBSCRIBE - listen to Clever on any podcast app!SIGN UP - for our Substack for news, bonus content, new episode alertsVISIT - cleverpodcast.com for transcripts, images, and 200+ more episodesSAY HI! - on Instagram & LinkedIn @cleverpodcast @amydevers Clever is hosted & produced by Amy Devers, with editing by Mark Zurawinski, production assistance from Ilana Nevins and Anouchka Stephan, and music by El Ten Eleven.If you enjoy Clever we could use your support! Please consider leaving a review, making a donation, becoming a sponsor, or introducing us to your friends! We love and appreciate you!Special thanks to our sponsors!Wix Studio is a platform built for all web creators to design, develop, and manage exceptional web projects at scale.Saily: get an exclusive 15% discount on Saily data plans! Use code “clever” at checkout. Download Saily app or go to https://saily.com/cleverCozy Earth: head to cozyearth.co