We’re looking forward to introducing you to Byron-Gabriel Proutt. Check out our conversation below.
Byron-Gabriel, really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: Are you walking a path—or wandering?
I am walking down a path. A clear path, now. I have to admit, I was wandering for a few years.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am Byron-Gabriel Proutt. I proud Black man from Texas. I am currently the President (and Founder) of Good Duck Productions. Our mission is to produce impactful content that challenges conventional narratives while fostering empathy and understanding. While we specialize in documentary filmmaking, our passion for storytelling spans all forms of media.
As a nonprofit local AND international organization, Good Duck Productions is dedicated to creating educational documentaries that inspire positive change. In the future, we will also offer seminars and classes focused on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and other important topics aimed at advancing social progress.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
As strange as it might sound, the root of it was the lack of a real relationship with my parents. Please understand they did the best they could. But early on, I internalized the message that I wasn’t safe, emotionally or otherwise. That experience unintentionally taught me that I had to take full responsibility for my own safety and well-being. Even now, in my late 40s, that belief still lingers.
What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
A memory that surfaced during EMDR was from a summer I spent with my grandmother. I remember waking up one Saturday morning, using the bathroom, and then sitting on the edge of my bed. I quietly wondered to myself, ‘Would anyone even miss me if I were gone?’ With that thought, I got down on the floor and sat in a corner of the room. I stayed there the entire day and night and no one came looking for me. As night began to fall and tears ran down my face, I finally got back into bed and went to sleep.
That day taught me a powerful, painful lesson: you get up the next morning and just keep going. I carried that message for a long time. It took real healing in therapy to return to that moment, grieve it, and finally begin to let it go.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
The version of me that the world sees is the one who gives all honor and glory to God and I mean that sincerely. But there are other sides of me that I keep tucked away, hidden from the public eye. Parts shaped by pain, doubt, and survival. It’s not that I’m being fake; it’s just that some sides of me still feel too tender or misunderstood to bring into the light.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What do you think people will most misunderstand about your legacy?
People often say, ‘You make it look easy.’ But what they don’t see is the depth of the struggle behind the scenes. When I share my story, it’s not to seek pity it’s to show the truth of what it took to get here. I tell my story so that someone else, who might be in the middle of their own battle, can hear it and realize that healing is possible. The work is hard, but it does pay off.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.GoodDuckProduction.com
- Instagram: GoodDuckProductions
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/byrongabriel/
- Twitter: TheByronGabriel
- Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/TheByronGabriel
