Meet Nikki Weiss-Goldstein

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nikki Weiss-Goldstein.

Nikki, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was right out of college, a theater major who didn’t want to starve for her art and wanted more control over my career than acting would allow. I loved the filmmaking process and was lucky enough to land a job as an assistant to a production company agent. Six months later, I was opening up a division of a New York agency that represented feature filmmakers, music video and commercial directors to the advertising world. I was a mere 20 years old and I knew this was my big break.

I had complete autonomy in my new position, as my boss was based in his New York office and I was based in Chicago. I was representing the hottest filmmakers at the time. Director Quentin Tarantino had just directed Pulp Fiction and another client Jan De Bont just shot Sandra Bullock’s break out blockbuster Speed. These were two of the many A listers in which I was fortunate enough to represent while I was faking it until I made it. I learned along the way what to do and what not to do in business.

In my new position, I was the liaison between my roster of directorial talent and advertising agencies. I loved every minute of helping creatives and producers find the right talent for their commercial productions. And I was getting good at it. I was patient, I listened to their wants and needs, and I was creative. I was also making the company I worked for a lot of money and I thought, if I can do this, I need to do it for myself.

And so, my journey as an entrepreneur started.

I thanked my boss for the opportunity he gave me and the level of talent in which I was associated and I left. I never took a client, as I was so appreciative for all that I learned. I was scared to go out on my own, but I also never looked back.

So now the question became, how do I stand out? How do I make my company different and unique in an over-saturated market of director reps and agents?

I had big dreams and big ideas. I decided I was going to go after artists in any medium and cross them over into commercials and film.

I cold called every named talent I could think of, using my previous roster of associations to get my foot in the door. I put on my best white suit and heels and took what I thought were “power meetings,” trying to convince these seasoned artists and production companies that I would make a difference in their careers. I was passionate about succeeding, too young to think I could fail, and quite frankly, I had nothing to lose. As I was still learning the business and forging relationships with the advertising agencies, I certainly didn’t have the seniority, but what I did have was the drive and passion which is what they bought in the room.

I started with famed photographer Albert Watson who at the time shot a Sade music video. His print career was at the top of the game thus his transition into filmmaking was the obvious next step. I then signed composer Hans Zimmer’s Cyberia. I kept him and his composers busy scoring commercials while working on feature films. I launched Sony Pictures commercial division, signing another famous photographer Timothy White to their production company, while challenging agency producers and creatives to think outside of the box for their director solutions.

I opened the door of Nikki Weiss & Co with those clients and the rest is history… or herstory as I like to say.

25 years later, I am still a scrappy one-woman show, no assistant, no partners (yet) and still in the business I love so passionately, adapting with the ever-changing needs and melding needs of content, tv and film, branded entertainment and production, having launched some of the best directors and production companies in the world. I am proud to have had a hand in the start of Elizabeth Banks’ and Jason Reitman’s directing careers. I’m sure they will attest that directing commercial productions paved the way for their film careers.

But what’s been extremely rewarding is to be a part of a worldwide initiative entitled FREE THE BID, which has now just announced FREE THE WORK at this years Cannes International Festival, giving all women, trans identifying, non-binary and underrepresented filmmakers a bigger voice to be seen, heard and considered, allowing TV Networks, film studios and brands to track quantifiable results of their diversity efforts across industries. The beauty and brains behind this mission is the ever talented director Alma Ha’rel who’s critically acclaimed feature Honey Boy starring Shia LaBeouf comes out in November. If you don’t know who she is, you will. She’s a force of nature and one of the most passionate and driven women I know.

I am humbled and honored to have such longevity and trust in the entertainment and advertising community and I’m excited about what’s on the horizon in my career.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Sure there have been struggles… clients can be fickle. You can launch a company or someone’s career and then they leave you for a shinier roster, but I don’t take it personally. It’s show BUSINESS not show FRIENDS right? And they usually always come crawling back!

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Nikki Weiss & Co – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I’m mostly known for launching new production companies, taking artists such as feature filmmakers, music video or episodic tv directors and crossing them over into branded content and commercials.

I believe what sets me apart is that I truly offer a thoughtful solution for producers in their director search for a project. When submitting, if I don’t have the right fit, I actually tell the advertising agency and offer suggestions of other directors not on my own roster, but rather the best idea for their needs. This allows me to be a bigger resource, knowing that who I actually do submit is worthy of their campaign. Agency producers and creatives are flooded with director reels for each assignment, so I want to stand out amongst the over-saturated market of submissions, making sure my clients are actually seen and considered.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
My plans for the future are to continue to grow my business, branching off into my own projects to produce. I have two TV projects right now in pitch and development stages, one based off of a best selling novel and the other on my life with my wife, our two children and our childhood history together… but that’s a story for another time. Everyone in Hollywood has a passion project they’re working on, and I certainly have had my fair share of tv and film projects over the years, but these two are very near and dear to my heart with an incredible writer attached. They both have exciting momentum around them at the same time and it would be my absolute dream to turn on my television and see these shows outside of my imagination.

Contact Info:

• Address: THE WING / West Hollywood
• Website: nikkiweissandco.com
• Phone: 323.651.1414
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @nikkiweissandco @weissgoldstein
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NikkiWeissCo
• Twitter: @NikkiWeissCo
• Other: www.nikkiweissandco.com

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