We recently connected with Katina Nikou and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Katina, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
I would have to say the short film I co-wrote and co-produced “Like Nothing Happened”. An industry colleague came to me with a story idea about a once happily married couple who struggle to stay afloat after their recent miscarriage. He asked if I would be interested in writing the script and without hesitation, I jumped at the chance to write my first drama. My goal in life as a storyteller is to make people feel seen and heard. I truly believe when we share stories, especially regarding taboo subject matters such as this, we feel less divided in a world that lends itself to so much loneliness, depression, and judgement. I felt a huge responsibility to women everywhere who were emotionally impacted by this traumatic experience. I spent months consulting nurses, friends, and blogs to get a very well-rounded and informative perspective. Upon my research, it was disheartening to learn how many women felt pressured by loved ones or society to rush the grieving process; hence the title “Like Nothing Happened”.
The end result was everything I had hoped it would be. The writing, directing, acting, cinematography, score…everything felt like an honest reflection of grief through the lens of a couple in unbearable pain. I am proud to say we were finalists in many notable film festivals and won the award for Best Drama.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am a storyteller through and through. I learned early on how impactful stories can be whether they were told through TV, Movies, or books. I was a big fan of shows like “Friends”, movies like “Steel Magnolias”, and books like “Chicken Soup for the Soul”. I grew up in an unstable environment and these factitious worlds were my lifelines. I found comfort in the stories of others and took the opportunity to be swept away any chance I could. However, in that same respect, I was not seeing my childhood reflected back at me in anything I was watching or reading. At times, it made me feel lonely, resentful, and ashamed. I felt as though we weren’t “normal” and others had it way better than us. It wasn’t until later in life that I learned people were having similar experiences, they just weren’t talking about it. It was then I knew I wanted to give others what art had given me; an escape. I am most proud of the little girl back then who looked past the darkness and remained a dreamer. Every statistic would have pegged me to be a product of my own environment, yet I managed to keep my eye on the prize. I was going to make it as an artist no matter what this world threw at me.
I came to California with zero connections and spent years establishing myself as a trustworthy and tenacious force within this industry. I have climbed and fallen, climbed, and fallen, regrouped, reflected, reevaluated, and yet during all these hard times, I have never given up. As much as I hate to admit it, I know everything I went through has made me who I am today. My work is better for it and my purpose has never been clearer.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
In addition to my goal of wanting to make people feel seen and heard, I am driven by my need to prove to our younger generation that they can be anything they want to be in this life. It’s easy to get bogged down by the fears and opinions of the older generation and feel forced to choose a more “stable” career. However, no matter how stable the job, the soul will always ache for its true calling. Who wants a life of going through the motions when you have the option to get up every day and do what you love? There is not a day that goes by that I am not grateful for this life I chose.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
Oh man, I will say this one time and time again. I wish I had come to LA and threw caution to the wind. I sometimes wonder how much further along I would be if I didn’t try to mimic every girl’s approach to the business when I arrived. Coming to LA can be insanely overwhelming and everyone has advice on how to “make it”. No one tells you that everyone is different and what worked for one person may not work for you because guess what, you’re not the same! You have different training, different skill sets and most importantly, different life experiences that inform your artistry in a way that will make you special and unique. The second I let go of wanting to fit in and be like everyone else, the more I found my place in this crazy world.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katinanikou/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katina.nikou
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katina-nikou-792206b0/