Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nicco Quiñones. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Nicco, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

When I was 12 years old, I made my first short documentary for a competition called “Campaign Cam” that was hosted by the C-Span organization. The competition challenged high schoolers and middle schoolers around the nation to tell stories about election topics that they found important to them.

I chose the topic of illegal immigration to the United States, pointing my exploratory lens at the small town of Park City, Utah. My short documentary, AN AMERICAN DREAM ended up taking home the Grand Prize, Best Overall title in the competition. After the award was announced, my middle school held a screening for my classmates.

One of the folks I interviewed was a construction worker named Diego, who came to the United States from Mexico. Diego came to the screening and on the way out, each of my classmates approached him with a newfound dignity and respect–having just heard his story. That showed me, at a very impressionable young age, that the medium of film has the power not only to entertain, but to create tangible change in the world.

At that point, I was hooked. I wanted to pursue a career in filmmaking.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I was born in Miami, FL and spent most of my childhood in Park City, Utah. I began working for the local television station- PCTV- when I was 11 years old, and served as their youngest intern until I was 16. Over those years, I shot, edited and even hosted a small show for the station.

My first exposure to feature film production was at the end of high school, as an intern for filmmaker Spike Lee in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. I later studied directing film & television at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. After I got my degree, I worked up to different department head positions on commercial, film and television sets of all sizes and scopes, eventually working with household names, major brands, and directors I truly identified with, such as Andrew Jarecki on HBO’s THE JINX.

I now direct or produce documentaries and commercials alongside heading up my family’s full-service production company, Quiñones Productions.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn the idea that there is a specific path to success in this line of work.
As the poet Antonio Machado wrote, “there is no path. The path is made by walking.”

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The ability to make myself feel a range of emotions or ideas, bottle them up and share it with others so that hopefully, they can feel it as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.niccoq.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/nicco_q
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/niccoq/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@quinonesproductions902

Image Credits
Luccia Lowenthal Krono Lescano Andrea Quiñones Megan Christie