Nicolas Heller
Nicolas "Nico" Heller, better known as "New York Nico", is an American documentary film director and social media personality known for his Instagram account "newyorknico".[1] Nicknamed the "Unofficial Talent Scout of New York",[2] Heller uses his platform to share photos, videos and stories showcasing life in New York City.[3]
Biography[]
Son of Steven Heller,[4] Heller grew up in New York City and attended The Little Red School House and Elisabeth Irwin High School. He obtained a degree in film from Emerson College and has gone on to create music videos, commercials, documentaries, and more under his production company, Heller Films.[5][6] He first garnered attention for finding and recording offbeat New Yorkers.[7]
Heller Films' ordinary operation was put on pause during the COVID-19 pandemic, and subsequent lockdown in New York City. During this time, Heller held a contest for Best New York Accent.[8] New Yorkers in quarantine sent him video clips of their accents. The resulting videos went viral, and the project was picked up by mainstream media including The New York Times[9] and CNN.[7]
Heller used the New York-themed contest platform to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity.[2] Small businesses are highlighted regularly on his social media channel to bring awareness to their fight to stay in business during the economic challenges of COVID-19, including Astor Place Hairstylists, Ray's Candy Store, Army & Navy Bags, Veselka and more.[2][3][10]
MTA collaboration[]
In November 2020, Heller announced a venture with MTA to enlist celebrities and notable New Yorkers to record public messages for use in the New York City subway.[11][12][13] As of Spring 2020, messages have been recorded by:
- Cam'ron
- Fran Lebowitz
- Whoopi Goldberg
- Young M.A.
- Jerry Seinfeld
- Edie Falco
- Bowen Yang
- Awkwafina
- Angie Martinez
- Bob the Drag Queen
- Debi Mazar
- Michael Rapaport
- Jadakiss
- DesusNice
- The Kid Mero
- MaliibuMitch
- Dave East
- FivioForeign
- Pat Kiernan
- Angela Yee
- Peter Rosenberg
- Ilana Glazer
- Michael Kay
- Eric Andre
- Abbi Jacobson
External links[]
- How Does a New Yorker Talk?
- Anti-LGBTQ street preacher drowned out with saxophones on New York street
- The Big-Hearted Influence of @NewYorkNico
- The Work Diary of the Unofficial Talent Scout of New York City
- @NewYorkNico and @Melzy917 on #NewYorkNiConnections and Dating
References[]
- ^ Barone, Vincent. "New York Nico's guide for surviving straphangers' rude subway behavior". amNewYork. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
- ^ a b c Yaptangco, Ariana (September 21, 2020). "New York Nico Is Helping Save New York City, One Instagram Post at a Time". ELLE. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
- ^ a b Satenstein, Liana (September 14, 2020). "For Nicolas Heller a.k.a. @NewYorkNico, It's New Yorkers Keeping New York Alive". Vogue. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
- ^ Heller, Nicolas [@newyorknico] (February 14, 2021). "My mom sent me this photo of my dad". Retrieved February 15, 2021 – via Instagram.
- ^ Healy, Jasmine (January 30, 2019). "FEATURE: Reinventing Street Documentary with NewYorkNico". Resource. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
- ^ "'Art Is Like My Soul:' Tattoo Art Muse Is Featured in New York Nico Documentary". NBC New York. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
- ^ a b Alaa Elassar. "Can you tawk the tawk? New Yorkers, including celebrities, compete for the title of best accent". CNN. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
- ^ Yaptangco, Ariana (September 21, 2020). "New York Nico Is Helping Save New York City, One Instagram Post at a Time". ELLE. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
- ^ Caramanica, Jon; Throop, Noah; O'Neill, Shane (April 16, 2020). "How Does a New Yawker Tawk?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
- ^ "New York Nico & Hudson Whiskey Team to Support Local Businesses". gothammag.com. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
- ^ "New York Nico is recruiting the next voice of the subway". Queens Daily Eagle. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
- ^ "Iconic New Yorkers to Lend Their Voices for New MTA Announcements". Complex. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
- ^ "An Instagram Influencer Recruits A-Listers to Help Rescue the M.T.A." The New Yorker. February 27, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
- Living people
- People from New York City
- 21st-century American artists