An Interview with Nilo Hodge
Tell us about yourself.
I'm 34 years old, Afro-Latino, married, born in NYC and grew up in Easton, PA. Most of my childhood was spent with mom, 2 of my sisters, and 1 of my brothers. Didn't meet my dad, my other brother, and other sisters until I was 15. That was about the year I started riding BMX. I have a love for traveling and learning about other cultures. I'm now a full-time photographer living in New Orleans with my wife and dog.
I got into photography through BMX. A few of my friends have always shot photos with flash setups, but I didn't really try my hand at it until I started to become injured more often. Filming and shooting photos was a way to be out doing BMX stuff while still healing. Now photography and BMX coexist in my life in a pretty nice way. I think back, wishing I would've started shooting photos earlier.
As far as my first bike ride is concerned, I remember it quite vividly. My younger brother's father bought me a chrome bike when I was about 6. I don't remember any branding on the bike at all except for it saying BMX on a crossbar pad. At that point, I had never been on a bike since my mom never learned how to ride a bike. He decided to teach me how to ride in front of the house the day he brought the bike home. Our house was in an alleyway at the time, so cars weren't really an issue. He put me on the bike, held me up, and had me get a feel for the balance. A couple of minutes later, he let me go, and that was it. No training wheels just picked it up in about 10 minutes. Didn't have that bike too long, though, and I didn't get another one till I was about 11 or 12, which was stolen months after I got it.
Movies, man, I have so many favorites. I think I have to narrow it down to 2. Snatch and The Last Dragon. Snatch has some of the funniest dialogue and memorable characters; it legit never gets old to me. The Last Dragon is this dope kung fu from the '80s with a majority black cast and takes place in NYC. Kinda blew my mind the first time I saw it. Bruce Leroy and Sho-Nuff have such a wild dynamic in the movie. I have to mention my favorite BMX videos as well while we're on the subject. Those would be Etnies Forward with Animal Can I Eat. Both of those videos were really big influences on my riding.
My closest friend is obviously my wife but also my homie Ronnie. Pretty much every non-pandemic year, we take a trip somewhere together to experience a different part of the world. We met through BMX and became close friends outside of that for years. He was even my best man. BMX really shaped my life in a pretty wonderful way.
Tell us one positive thing you took away from 2020
I was excited for 2020 in the beginning. Before moving to NOLA from PA in February, I ticked some things off my bucket list. I took a helicopter flight over NYC and got to finally ride Woodward were just a few things. When the pandemic hit, I felt super isolated. I was in a whole new part of the country. My wife Meghann was working extra hours as a nurse, and I only knew a couple of people here. I think it really put into perspective how important relationships are to me. It made me want to be more present in what was going on in my loved ones' lives, and it grew my appreciation for how amazing my wife truly is. No doubt about it, 2020 as a whole was trash, but it also wasn't that bad on a personal level.
What's next
I've been passively filming a full-length BMX video for the past couple of years. Since moving to New Orleans last year, I've been more motivated to start editing and actively filming for the video. I have a few trips back to Pennsylvania to film with some people this year. I'm planning on finishing it by the end of the year/early 2022.
I'm also hoping to make it to Sequoia National Park with my wife this year.
Tell us a story about someone that has changed your life
Eleven years ago, I met my wife, Meghann. At that point in my life, I was partying too much and had no real direction. At the time, she was getting ready to finish her first bachelor's degree. Seeing her be so determined in her decisions has really changed my outlook on life. We have both come a long way since we started dating over a decade ago, and I feel I owe a lot to her for showing me that if I want something, I should go after it and make it happen.