A man of intrigue, skill, wisdom and charisma. Nathan Hale Williams was someone who sparked my attention for having such grace and poise. Introduced to me as one of the key speakers for the 2016 Xscape Puerto Rico event, Mr. Hale is a man who has no shortness of titles or accolades. With this, I had to get to know the man behind the Pen.
Nathan Hale Williams is an award-winning filmmaker, award-winning author, entertainment attorney, success coach and television personality. Nathan is the executive producer and producer of the NAACP Image Award and GLAAD Media Award nominated film, Dirty Laundry (FOX/Codeblack). Nathan also produced and starred in the award-winning film, The Ski Trip (MTV Networks). For television, Nathan is the creator and executive producer of “My Model Looks Better Than Your Model” (BET), hosted by “America’s Next Top Model” winner Eva Marcille (Pigford) and “Fashion Queen,” Bevy Smith. As well, he is the executive producer of “Leading Men” and “Leading Women” (formerly, “Real Life Divas”) (BET), which was nominated for a 2010 NAACP Image Award. With critical acclaim, Nathan produced and directed a three-part Black History Month documentary series, “INSIDE: Black Culture” (BET). He has directed and produced commercials for Isabella Fiore Handbags (starring Veronica Webb), Jumpstart (starring LL Cool J) and the U.S. CDC’s “Testing Makes Us Stronger” campaign starring the Real Housewives of Atlanta. Nathan has also worked on the film, Pastor Brown (Lifetime), the television series, “The Kimchi Chronicles” with Hugh Jackman and Heather Graham (PBS) and the film, Blackbird starring Academy Award winner, Mo’Nique (RLJ Entertainment). Love for Passion, which he wrote and directed, premiered to a sold-out audience at the Manhattan Film Festival this spring. Currently, Nathan is in pre-production for the film, The Second Act that he co-wrote with star Jenifer Lewis (Black-ish, Jackie’s Back).
Nathan’s new book, Ladies Who Lunch & Love is a novelization of the popular ESSENCE magazine column he wrote, “The Girl’s Best Friend” where he gave love, relationship, and spirit advice for nearly five years. His book, Inspiration: Profiles of Black Women Changing Our World (Abrams) featuring such notable African-American women such as First Lady Michelle Obama, Patti Labelle and Venus Williams was published in 2012. Nathan is a contributing author to the book, For Colored Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Still Not Enough, which won the 2012 American Library Association’s Stonewall Award for Non-Fiction Book of the Year and was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award. Nathan is also the co-host of the new podcast, “Success Blvd.” with national radio & TV personality, Shelley Wade. As a producer and celebrity journalist, Nathan has had the pleasure of interviewing countless celebrities including, Oprah Winfrey,
Janet Jackson, Naomi Campbell, Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg, John Legend, Isaac Mizrahi, Susan L. Taylor, Mo’Nique, Vivica A. Fox, Sherri Shepherd, and Maxwell, to name a few.
As a personality/actor, Nathan has starred in Sundance Channel’s #1 rated original series, “Girls Who Like Boys…” as well as Showtime’s American Candidate, CBS’ Guiding Light and Centric’s My Two Cents. He has been featured in the New York Times, the LA Times, the Chicago Tribune’s Red Eye (Cover), New York Magazine, the New York Post, US Weekly, Star Magazine, Variety, the Hollywood Reporter, Black Enterprise, Crain’s, Ebony, Jet, NEXT (Cover), The Advocate, the New York Blade, Clik Magazine, PULSE, Bleu, UneQ, the Chicago Defender, and numerous online publications. In 2010, Nathan received the Thurgood Marshall College Fund’s Prestige Award for Excellence. In 2013, Nathan received the Legacy of Pride Award, the Good Life Award and the Social Excellence Award.
Born and raised in Chicago, Nathan began appearing in theatre, commercials and television shows at the age of 8. A classically trained dancer, Nathan continued to perform and study at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. After college, he attended the George
Washington University Law School where he was the president of the Student Bar Association, a Dean’s Fellow and the recipient of the GW Law Alumni Association Award for Outstanding Scholarship and Leadership.
Nathan lives in New York City & Los Angeles and is an emeritus member of the board of directors of Harlem United Community AIDS Center, a mentor for the Fresh Air Fund’s College Connections Program and a Writing Coach Coordinator for College Summit.
Ladies Who Lunch & Love, the dazzling debut novel from former Essence magazine columnist and NAACP Image Award nominee, Nathan Hale Williams, is the story of four fabulous New York society women navigating life and love while sharing their best
friend. Not your typical snobs or real housewives, these ladies are down-to-earth, relatable women who know how to have a great time even when confronting life’s challenges. Over the course of a year, our narrator and the ladies go on a journey that forces them to examine their lives and choices, yet enjoying the glamorous side of NYC living like you’ve never before seen.
Vikki is a twice-divorced magazine publisher contemplating a third trip down the aisle with her younger, multi-millionaire boyfriend. Krissy is a high-powered attorney with humble Harlem beginnings who has a penchant for downward spiraling men. Lauren, the nature loving trust-fund heiress, has to work for the first time because of her film producer husband’s drug addictions. And, Rebecca is the “house” wife of a business tycoon caught in an affair with a star ballet dancer. The other main character of the novel is New York City, which the narrator romanticizes as “the true love of his life.”
Ladies Who Lunch & Love is a novelization of Nathan’s popular Essence magazine love and relationship advice column, “The Girl’s Best Friend.” It is heartwarming, complex, and full of relatable, but well-crafted characters that live extraordinary lives. Yet, every
woman (and man) can identify with their stories and struggles.