Alumni Spotlight: Leo Brooks ('02)

Leo Brooks, PMFS class of 2002, was inspired to become a graphic designer by international travel. After graduating from Howard University with a degree in Fashion Merchandising and spending a year working in retail in NYC, Leo decided to backpack through Europe. He found himself budgeting tightly so that he could spend money on museums and other art experiences. He remembers marveling that, “you can travel relatively short distances and be in a completely different environment with different languages and different graphic approaches, different types of signage. I started to take a lot of note of those nuances.” When he returned home, Leo had a collection of museum maps, train tickets, and receipts that had piqued his interest in printed culture. Right away, he applied and was accepted to do an Associates degree in Communication Design from Parsons School of Design, a degree designed for people already in creative industries who want to learn design skills. 

After interning for his professor’s design studio, Leo joined the design team at The Jewish Museum in New York. He said it was fun to see his own work on subway ads for the museum’s exhibitions, but felt a need to find work that resonated with his own interests. With this in mind, Leo and some fellow artists from Howard University participated in NYCxDesign week 2018 by organizing “Black by Design”, a two-day event for millennial creators of color to showcase their work and celebrate their achievements. Leo handled the design elements of the event, saying “We knew that there were people like us out there who would relish this opportunity to share what they do and to network.” 

Leo decided it was time for a change, so he moved back to Philly in 2020. One night, he went to a film screening by an organization called Blackstar, which creates the spaces and resources needed to uplift the work of Black, Brown and Indigenous artists working in film and visual art. He got talking with Blackstar’s founder Maori Karmael Holmes and festival director Nehad Khader after the screening, and soon Leo was hired as a Summer Fellow for their film festival. He watched 200 films in three months! Leo stayed on, helping the organization grow by creating an institutional identity through design, and is now Blackstar’s Design Manager. His responsibilities are wide-ranging, from creating ads, signage, and social media graphics, to merchandising, to producing a print journal. “As a black creative, it's inspiring and rewarding to support black, brown and indigenous creatives,” Leo said. “I wouldn’t say I'm an activist, but I would say that I care about what I do. I think there are more important things than climbing up some sort of corporate ladder. [...] For me, it's important that I do something that resonates with me and makes me feel like I’m contributing to something.”

 

From his days at PMFS, Leo cherishes the memories of running through the woods at Extended Day and Bonnie Templin’s Fun in the Sun Camp. He appreciated learning the violin and trying lots of different instruments. The most important thing PMFS taught him, he says, is emotional intelligence. From peer mediation, Leo learned to take other people’s perspectives. From his Mexican Exchange, he learned openness. “I think getting out of the country at a young age and being exposed to different cultures definitely left an impression on me,” he said. Leo still uses the centering practices he learned in Meeting for Worship, and said they help keep him grounded. When he sat down for this interview, he had just finished visiting with a friend from his PMFS class.