Stockton native and spoken word artist Brandon Leake experienced a life altering moment in the middle of the pandemic when he won the 15th season of NBC's television competition "America's Got Talent" and earned a whopping $1 million.
KCBS Radio’s "Bay Current" producer Matt Pitman spoke with Leake on Monday to discuss how winning the competition and gaining national acclaim has impacted Leake's daily life.
"I followed my journey and went to college, then I tried out for 'AGT' and didn’t make it the first time," Leake said on KCBS Radio’s "Bay Current" on Monday. "I tried out again, made it, then went onto the show. From there, it had its own momentum."
Leake, who also wrote a performative video produced with Warriors Studio to celebrate the Golden State Warriors' 75th anniversary of being in the NBA, said that he knew he "made it" when he was invited to perform for the team.
"Basketball was my first love, but I hid my poetry from the world because my basketball buddies wouldn't accept it," Leake said. "When I got offered the shot to do my poem, I knew that basketball and poetry coming together was inevitably the dream."
Leake noted that although creating a feature poem for the NBA was difficult, he understood what was essential to convey in the Warriors’ message.
"The poem had to be essentially two minutes, but I wrote about five minutes worth of stuff," Leake added. "You have to cut the fat and it’s the same process for any art. But my passion for it was the love of the game. My love of basketball transcends my fandom of any team or player, encompassing the Warriors was not hard for me."
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