Nick Huff Barili was born on February 17, 1979 in London, where both of his parents worked for BBC. Shortly after he was born, Nick's parents separated, and he and his mother moved to Argentina so she could raise him with her family. He is fluent in both English and Spanish. When Nick was 10 years old, his mother received a Fulbright Scholarship to the Berkeley School of Journalism, and they moved to the Bay Area.
Career
Barili's experience and in-depth interview style has led him to conduct interviews for BEATS MUSIC, The GRAMMYS and SXSW, among others. Nick also speaks on and moderates industry panels at SXSW, CMJ, Soho House and USC, is regularly featured as an industry insider on Revolt LIVE and serves on the SXSW Advisory Board as well as the Rap Grammy Committee. His passion for film and cultural anthropology have led him into the documentary world directing a documentary for Sony Music-based singer Nneka. Nick is currently in production of several feature documentaries slated for 2016 releases.
Nick Huff is well known for founding Hard Knock TV in 2005. After recognizing a need for in-depth coverage of hip hop and rap music and culture, he began conducting and posting his exclusive interviews onto what was the first entirely Hip Hop-based YouTube channel.
Myspace
While doing interviews for Hard Knock TV, Nick began working with Myspace during the height of its popularity, where he directed video segments featuring artists Lady Gaga, Diddy, Pitbull, and Lil Wayne, as well as highlighting companies such as Honda, Adidas, and Coca-Cola.
Grammys
In 2013, Nick became an official blogger for GRAMMY.com, and conducted interviews with artists including Pharrell, Andre 3000, Chuck D, Common, Wiz Khalifa, and YG.
SXSW talks and panels
Some of the SWSW panels and/or interviews Nick Huff Barili has participated in or led include the following:
In 2011, Nick Huff established Hard Knock Hoops, an annual celebrity basketball tournament. The participants include both artists and industry influencers, and the tournament has seen the likes of Chris Brown, The Game, Taco, Quincy, Steelo Brim, Pac Div, Thurz, DJ Khalil, Ben Lyons, Dizzy Wright, K Camp, Goldlink, Trinidad James, Roscoe Dash and other industry influencers. Though the tournament creates a strong competitive atmosphere, the ultimate goal of Hard Knock Hoops is to build relationships among peers as well as the community. Participants in Hard Knock Hoops 2014 were able to engage with members of the LA community as tons of kids gathered around to watch the tournament and were able to interact with the players. Alignment with our event enables brands to have increased visibility for their featured products amongst artists, industry insiders, lifestyle influencers and their fan-bases.
