The brother has got a story...Brian "Poem" Collier was born on June 6, 1983 to Bishop Kenneth and Mary Ann Collier. He was the last of six boys. At a young age Brian was diagnosed with asthma and would spend much of his childhood in and out of hospitals. At the age of four, Brian nearly died due to complications from asthma. It was said that had his mother got him to the hospital a minute later, he would not be with us today.
Brian spent much of his time as a child going to church. His father, a former professional guitarist, was and still remains a preacher to date. However, Brian would learn that "life aint always what it seems to be". When Brian was six years old his mother and father divorced after 10 years of marriage. His mother would then move their family from their five bedroom home in Miami, FL to his grandparents' three bedroom home in Ft. Lauderdale. Brian, his mom and two of his brothers would share a small room due to a lack of space. He and his brothers would see their Dad once more after the divorce and then never again.
Through living with his grandparents, Brian and his grandfather would share an incredible bond. He would become the father figure that was now void from Brian's life. But his grandfather succombed to Diabetes when Brian was just 12 again taking away a father figure. Brian then began hanging with members from a local gang called "Thug Life". The group consisted of mostly teenaged boys and girls notorious for fighting, burgurlary, robbery, drug dealing and auto theft. Before long Brian found himself drinking, smoking and skipping school.
He would continue these habits through his sophmore year in high school until meeting a girl, Danielle Armour, who would invite him to the Boys & Girls Clubs Performing Arts Center (formerly the Creative Arts Unit). After declining several invitations, Brian would eventually go and fall in love with the Club.
Unlike the traditional Boys & Girls Clubs, the PAC had a stage, piano, recording studio and drumset among other things. The program was designed around a cast of thirty teenagers creating an original musical production. It was at the PAC that Brian would sharpen skills in dramatic arts, singing, writing and dancing. In fact, Brian was among a group of teens selected to learn swing and lindy hop dances and eventually tour all over South Florida. Brian was nowa fixture at the PAC and no longer Sunland Park where he used to hang out.
Because of his hard work, improving grades and dedication to the Boys & Girls Clubs organization, Brian was selected by a panel of judges to be the organization's Youth of the Year in 2000 beating out 11 other candidates across Broward County.
While a member of the PAC, Brian also discovered a skill in broadcasting. In fact, he was so good at it, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward rewarded him a full scholarship to attend the Connecticut School of Broadcasting (CSB) after graduating from Ft. Lauderdale High School in 2001. Brian would graduate from CSB but never pursue broadcasting. He wanted to pursue something more meaningful. Something in which he could make a difference in someone's life like others did for him. So he became a counselor at a local afterschool program.
Brian would continue working there until he recieved a call from the former Artistic Director of the PAC. She had just been promoted and the Artistic Director position was open. Brian applied and was selected for the position at the young age of 21 in 2005. He would direct two original musicals (Once Upon A Lie; The Specialists) in his tenure there before moving on to the Jim & Jan Moran Boys & Girls Club as the Social Recreation Director.
In 2006, Brian ran into Lamar Jones who auditioned and was accepted into the PAC in the same year that he was. Lamar was pursuing his musical career as a singer, writer and rapper. Knowing Brian's talents in poetry, Lamar invited Brian out to Voicez & Vybez at Troy's Lounge, an open-mic poetry venue. It was there that Brian would be introduced to the art of Spoken Word.
Brian continued coming out to the weekly venue religously, performing and developing his style simultaneously. Soon, Brian was recieving invitations to perform all over South Florida as he quickly became recognzed as one of the "top dogs" of the local arena.
His prowess would earn praise from Spoken Word heavyweights such as Terri Meredith, Rebecca "Butterfly" Vaughn, Will "Da Real One" Bell and Poetic Vibez to name a few.
Brian has had the honor of performing for former Governor Jeb Bush, Judge Elijah Williams, restauranteer Betty Taylor and thousands of others.
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