Bruce Nelson won a Telly Award for his first short film, Tales of Tobacco. His short film Raglin Tales was an official selection of the Arizona Black Film Showcase, Phoenix Film Festival, San Francisco Black Film Festival, Mid-Atlantic Black Film Festival, Rhode Island International Film Festival and received Special Mention Award from the I Filmmaker International Film Festival in Spain. His documentary North Town was an official selection of the Jerome Independent Film & Music Festival, the American Online Film Awards Festival and The Sir Charles Darwin Film Festival (UK) TruDocumentary Film Festival 2016, and Docs Without Borders Film Festival 2016 (Exceptional Merit award winner).
North Town is now on Amazon. His documentary Nile Theater was an official selection of the Jerome Indie Film & Music Festival 2016 and the Long Beach Indie International Film Festival 2016. Gospel Radio Man his third documentary is an official selection of the Christian Film Festival 2016, (Best short Documentary Award) the St Louis Black Film Festival 2016, Twin Cities Black Film Festival 2016, Afro Film Festival “Ananse” 2017, Houston Black Film Festival, Columbus International Black Film Festival, Rendezvous Film Festival, and the Hollywood Black Film Festival. Nelson has produced numerous productions in Arizona and has directed stage productions in Arizona and California. His production of Shades of Blue Jazz, a theater piece, was presented at the Mesa Arts Center to sellout crowds. His recent production of Simply Sammy a musical celebration of Sammy Davis Jr. had great success produced at the Desert Foothill’s Theater. He was nominated for AriZoni Awards for choreographing Fame the Musical, at Desert FootHills Theater and A Dickens of A Fest.
Bruce Nelson began his training at Phoenix Center for the Arts there he studied acting, dance, voice and mime. He strengthened his dramatic training at the Will Geer Theatricum Bontanicum Topanga Canyon, CA he completed five week intensive summer classical professional training program studied disciplines in voice (speaking), speech, rhetoric, Shakespearean verse, monologue, scene study, scansion, period movement, mime, and fencing. At University Of Southern Maine he completed a two-year Teacher Training Certification Program at the University of Southern Maine in affiliation with the National Michael Chekhov Association in the Michael Chekhov Acting Technique.
Bruce began his acting career onstage in Toronto at Toronto Workshop Productions, where he worked in repertory for four seasons under the direction of George Luscombe. Nelson was part of the ensemble in Luscombe’s original productions of Ain’t Lookin’, Hey Rube, The Holiday Show (A one man show), The Medicine Show, and the national tour of Ain’t Lookin’. Luscombe trained his company in the Stanislavski System, (Method Acting) and Laban Efforts. During his five years in Toronto Nelson was part of the famous Second City Company where he performed in the summer stock company, Main Stage, and he was part of the first Second City Toronto national touring company with Michael Meyers.
Nelson’s film acting credits include: Poison Sky, Raising Buchanan, No Code Of Conduct, starring Charlie and Martin Sheen, Blind Eye, starring Robert Culp, Arizona Summer, starring with Morgan Fairchild, Lee Majors, Neatherbeast Incorporated starring Robert Wagner, Jason Mewes, Darryl Hammond, and Judd Nelson, Take Me Home Tonight where he plays opposite Michael Biehn of Terminator.
Nelson has performed nationally and internationally in Off Off-Broadway shows and regional theater in productions of Pippin, The Robber Bridegroom, My Fair Lady, A Christmas Carol, You Can’t Take It With You, Six Degrees of Separation, A Raisin in The Sun, The Good Person of Szechwan, Much Ado About Nothing, Two Gentlemen Of Verona, Hey Rube, The Medicine, and Ain’t Lookin’.