M alachi Broadus moved to New York two weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic shut the entire city down, emptying the streets and closing public spaces. Against the odds, he has, over the past five years, built a world of friends that revolves around his artistic pursuits.
“I am inspired by people, so many of the stories I come up with are based on quotes I hear or people I meet.”
Broadus relishes in capturing the faces, voices and personalities of his community through his three favorite mediums: photography, DJing and film production.
For the first four years of his life in New York City, Broadus worked in different film-related roles for a variety of companies including Vox Media, Buzzfeed and A24. While he was proximate to producing, he lacked the space and time for focusing on his own creative projects. As he gained more of a social circle through recreational sports and connecting with old friends who also had moved to the city, his desire to tell stories grew.
Broadus started DJing at bars around the city two years ago as a means of getting friends from different areas of his life together and giving himself a creative outlet. He views spinning as a community curator tool. When he books a set at a bar, he knows he can count on friends showing up and dancing along to his tracks. Making fun beats comes second to just getting to bring people together. He remembers a party him and his friend hosted on a rooftop where he spun all night for both new friends and old.
“It started raining, so of course, I had to play ‘Unwritten’ by Natasha Beddingfield. It’s so good. It was so good.”
While Broadus made a name for himself in New York’s DJ community and continued to hold corporate film jobs, he also fell in love with photography. With his Nikon FM 10 and Canon Sure Shot, he captures different elements of his surrounding community in the city. He shoots, develops, and shares his photos for pleasure, never wanting to lean on the medium for money or career development. If being a DJ represents his way of cultivating his circles of loved ones, being a photographer represents his way of capturing them in memory.
so many of the stories
I come up with are
or people I meet.”
Broadus has found a means of connecting friends and experiences through both spinning and photography, but knows that his primary medium is film. Not only does he thoughtfully approach telling stories of both his own experiences and those of his loved ones, he’s also spent much of his life in New York working to make his film ideas a reality. He takes his time with scripts to ensure stories close to his heart have the adequate amount of respect and attention. He’s recently finished the script of a film he’s been saving up money for over the past couple of years.
“Two years ago, I sat down on a Zoom call with a close family friend, and she told me the entire journey of her miscarriage. She took me through the whole experience. Her and her husband are amazing people. I really want to tell her story. I have all the shots playing in my head, and everything is just so simple. I've even had daydreams of what it will be on set.”
In February of 2025, Broadus got hired as a server at Sauced, a laid-back wine bar with conversation-style menus, carefully curated bottle selections, and open concept spaces. Not only does the position reflect his love for learning about wine with friends, but after years of working jobs that kept him away from creative projects, he finally had the schedule to pursue his art.
“Working there has been such a blessing. I finally have the time to create. Going from such a grind for years of being in New York to now having a sense of peace working here, it's been a weight off my shoulders. Experiencing all those different jobs and avenues has really made me appreciate where I'm at right now.”
While Broadus wants a life and career steeped in artistic creation and storytelling, he also sees the value in remaining close to the food and beverage industry. Sauced has allowed him a proximity to people of all walks of life and their respective stories, opinions and perspectives.
“Vincent, one of the co-owners, told us during a meeting that we're not just here to serve wine. We're also here for people. If you've had the worst day possible, or the best, we're here for you. That’s where my heart is too.”
Broadus plans to produce a series of short films with a friend all dedicated to summer in New York City, looking to capture the essence of the season and solidify a set of through-line characters. He’s still spinning at bars around the city, pouring wine at Sauced, and increasing his community of close friends. His life here began with an empty city and the challenge of finding a way to live an artistic life. Now, he’s able to pour his soul into his job, his communities and his art.
“Life here has been challenging but so rewarding. I have no regrets, not even one.” ∎
