Written in partnership with Jonathan P Wright
Photo Credit: Dorian (@dorianash) • Instagram photos and videos
Understanding your pain creates clarity in life.
Today marks the anniversary of my best friend’s father’s death. At the tender age of four, his father was shot and killed. No arrests were ever made, and a void was created that would never be filled in life. Growing up without a father is an indescribable pain and emotional scar that drives a young man to his destiny or demise.
A father assumes several roles in a young man’s life. Teacher, life coach, motivator, and Black Superhero. We’re celebrating love, dreams, and future possibilities at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel tonight. Deleon Tequila, Aqua Hydrate Water, Red Berry Cîroc, Ace of Spades, exotic flatbread pizzas, fish tacos, mac & cheese, and grilled chicken wings extend across multiple tables.
Los Angeles vibe feels different after 11 pm at night. ‘The Spare Room’ is one of LA’s hottest cocktail and lounge spots.
Nipsey Hussle’s track ‘Dedication’ featuring Kendrick Lamar, begins to boom through the sound system. Everybody in the ‘Spare Room’ catches a vibe and raises their martini glasses in honor of the iconic Nipsey Hussle. Nipsey’s voice and lyrics are timeless.
I put my arm around his neck and yelled in his ear, “your pops would be proud of everything you’ve accomplished in life; it’s okay to cry, my guy.” He smiled, and tears rolled down his face in happiness. Understanding your pain creates clarity in life.
It allows a person to realize, actualize, and visualize their future. Hollywood Filmmaker & Amazon Best Selling Author Preston A. Dent personifies resiliency, consistency, and creative mastery at the highest level.
Preston A. Dent’s life was designed to be an imperfect masterpiece.
I think one of the most remarkable aspects of being a journalist is extracting people’s inner demons, desires, and creative thoughts and translating them into a timeless aspirational diary.
Unlocking someone’s insecurities, deepest raw emotions, and life-changing ideals is a divine privilege. At the age of 13, Preston A. Dent was shot and pronounced dead for 15 seconds. Being shot in his upper torso, the bullet damaged his lung.
The doctors performed multiple emergency medical treatments to resurrect Preston. Preston cheated death and survived, but life would never be the same. The primary doctor advised him that he was living on borrowed time and his life would never be ordinary in life.
According to the doctors, he faced numerous medical hurdles, and his future was bleak. Hearing this grim news created a ‘fearless’ mentality and pushed Preston to adopt an ‘All or Nothing’ inner willpower.
Escaping from the jaws of death enabled him to re-prioritize everything in his life.
His story became headline news in his local area, and everyone knew about the unimaginable story of a thirteen-year-old kid named Preston A Dent. Preston never accepted that his life would be marred by health issues. Even at the young age of thirteen, he became a man at that moment and approached everything in life with a relentless spirit.
Preston A. Dent would face constant roadblocks, setbacks, and trials throughout his life. However, he never changed his ‘Vision GPS’ satellite direction. Living with a chipped lung, fatherless pain, and temporary incarceration prepared him for any and everything in life.
Preston’s innate filmmaking skills and unparalleled literary ability paved the way for his multimedia empire. Becoming one of Amazon’s best-selling authors, owning a lifestyle magazine, Film/TV company, and being certified on IMDB are prolific.
Watch the full-length interview between myself (Jonathan P-Wright) and Preston A. Dent. You’ll understand why his story is critical to the Next generation of visual creative leaders.
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