Born in London in 1957, Nick Mead spent his childhood in the then working class area of Kentish Town in industrial North London. Inspired by the reportage and fashion photographers of the time he started working as a press photographer for legendary press bureau Fox Photos.
Press photography segued into fashion photography, which in turn segued into the moving image and at age 25 he made his first music video for rock band Motorhead.
He collaborated with cult author Mick Farren on a documentary, BLACK LEATHER JACKET, the history of the black leather motorcycle jacket, directing the Channel 4 commissioned program and co-writing it with Mick. Featuring Marlon Brando and narrated by Dennis Hopper it went on to win the Gold Medal at the International Film and Television Festival of New York. It was sales company NBD’s biggest ever-selling program.
He wrote and directed the feature films, Bank Robber and Swing and wrote the TV Series Crocodile Shoes 2 for the BBC.
Nick was then introduced to contemporary dance through the work of Pina Bausch and produced the film, Der Fentsterputzer in Wuppertal, Germany, home to Pina’s Danztheater Wuppertal. Choreographed by Pina Bausch and directed by Peter Lindbergh.
He created his own ballet in collaboration with award winning British choreographer Wayne McGregor: “DICE LIFE – THE RANDOM MIND OF LUKE RHINEHART” – with an original score by Mick Jones from The Clash.
Clarence Clemons, The Big Man, saxophone player with Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, asked Nick to make a film with him in China. An early cut of the “work in progress” film won the “Spirit of New Jersey” award at the Garden State Film Festival. A later cut of the film won Nick Best Director in Las Vegas and Best Music Film at the Portobello Film Festival in London in 2019. It was picked up by and is currently on Netflix.
His film – The Colony, – won the Silver Lei award at the Honolulu Film festival. The Colony was a very exclusive arts club in Soho in London, frequented by artists such as Francis Bacon, Lucien Freud, Damien Hirst, The Clash, David Bowie, Princess Margaret, Dylan Thomas,, Tracey Emin, etc. . .
Nick Mead is an accomplished photographer, his work has been featured in the British Journal Of Photography, Cameracraft Magazine, The New York Times and Nikon Magazine. His prints have been auctioned off to support the charity, Little Kids Rock, in New York City and hangs on the wall of President Bill Clinton’s office in Harlem.
