Selwyn Seyfu Hinds describes himself as a storyteller who believes success is a group effort. So when Datwon Thomas recalled his most influential mentor, it was Hinds who came to mind because he took an interest in the aspiring journalist when he needed it most.
He was a force Datwon admired for creating magazines, books, comics, scripts that moved people.
He was a big brother who shared the life lessons a young Black man in Brooklyn needed.
He was a sage that Datwon called … a flashlight who revealed the things he could not see.
Hinds is a Guyana-born journalist who chronicled the rise of Hip Hop in the '90s as the editor-in-chief of its bible, The Source and later in his memoir “Gunshots In My Cookup”. Selwyn graduated Princeton and went on to become an American screenwriter, comic book creator and film producer -- just a few of his credits include Jordan Peele’s reboot of "The Twilight Zone" and executive producer of Hulu’s new series “Washington Black” due out in 2023.
So let’s meet the man who changed Datwon’s life by being “a really, really good person who stayed on me, but gave me space”.
These are Selwyn's Lessons:
3:07 How do you describe yourself?
6:45 Re-inventing Selwyn the Storyteller
8:07 From Guyana to Brooklyn to Miami
11:13 Princeton and Protests circa 1989
13:02 I got to college and lost my mind
14:03 Times Square, joining the Army
15:50 I wouldn't let any change break me
21:04 My dad was comfortable in all circles
24:01 My brush with death
32:14 It's a miracle we got out of there
38:48 Words of wisdom for Datwon
40:55 "Remember who you are"
44:30 Story behind "Washington Black"
51:05 The big pitch: Hulu, FX and Fox
54:20 "They bought it in the room"
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