In short
Nica Fazio’s path into film lighting/grip, building relationships in a relationship-driven industry, and using social media and a community to support underrepresented women in crew roles.
Guest background
Nica is Italian-born, grew up in Spain, moved to New York four years ago. She works full-time as an electric and grip, aiming to become a gaffer. Her father ran an analog photography/retouching setup, inspiring her early interest in filmmaking. She also started Instagram videos and co-founded Girls Just Want to Do Drugs (safe space + free workshops).
Key claims
Persistence and kindness open doors; “be human” on set helps connections. It’s okay to not know—ask questions and be honest. Social media shouldn’t undermine credibility; it’s another form of storytelling. Leadership requires clear, respectful communication plus confidence and the ability to pause before decisions.
Notable examples
A 22-hour unpaid first professional set; starting in New York as a truck driver to learn; visa process via au pair; meeting a supportive Japanese host family; workshops and outreach revealing many girls worldwide in grip/electric roles.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VONica's Background and Early Influences
0:45 to 4:00
Nica shares her upbringing and early passion for storytelling and film.
“and give them like a space to learn, give us a space to learn, because I'm also learning with this community.”
The Journey into Film and Lighting
4:00 to 7:00
Nica discusses her path towards becoming a gaffer and her experiences in the lighting department.
“And they were like, this is going to end so soon.”
First Experiences on Set
7:00 to 10:00
Nica recalls her first professional set experience and the excitement that came with it.
“You know, working in that job, I guess that first time, how long were you working in, I guess, Barcelona until you decided you wanted to move to New York?”
Moving to New York: The Decision
10:00 to 13:00
Nica explains her motivations for moving to New York and the challenges she faced.
“And then I was like, oh my God, how I'm going to tell them after everything, you know, I told them that I want to move to New York.”
Adjusting to Life in New York
13:00 to 14:02
Nica describes her adjustment period in New York while working as an au pair.
“And so I appreciate this a lot, but it was a hard period.”
Adjusting to Life in New Jersey
14:02 to 17:30
Nica shares her initial challenges of moving into a new family setting.
“I remember that it hit me because I was like, oh, my God, I don't know about this.”
Finding Connection in the Film Industry
17:30 to 19:16
Nica discusses her journey back to filmmaking and building connections.
“you know, like the gaffer and the key grip because I didn't want to tell them that I was an au pair.”
Ambition and Overcoming Fear
19:16 to 20:08
Nica reflects on her natural ambition and a pivotal moment at 14 years old.
“I was really like, I'm still an intense person.”
The Importance of Relationships in Film
20:08 to 22:46
Nica highlights how relationships have influenced her career in the film industry.
“But I know that this industry is 90 % who you know, and the relationships that you have.”
Building Relationships and Networking Tips
22:46 to 25:56
Nica shares advice on how to build relationships in the industry.
“And there's other moments in my life that someone did it to me and save my day, you know?”
Show all 31 chapters
The Balance of Social Media and Filmmaking
25:56 to 28:00
Nica discusses her experience with growing a social media presence while working in film.
“And then I think on set, something that helped me out a lot recently is introduce yourself.”
The Journey of Sharing Work Online
28:00 to 28:40
Learn how sharing her work empowered Nica and motivated her to keep creating.
Balancing Identity as a Technician and Creator
28:40 to 29:20
Explore the stigma of being a content creator while pursuing a serious film career.
Embracing the Role of a Director
29:20 to 30:20
Understand how Nica takes ownership of her creative projects and embraces her direction skills.
“And I know I could and keep being serious, you know, but at the same time, I feel there is a little bit of stigma that it looks sometimes that people that are content creator are not real.”
Overcoming Doubts in Filmmaking
30:20 to 31:40
Discover Nica's reflections on self-worth in filmmaking and the importance of sharing stories.
“Even like the unboxings I do, the ones I try to do at the shop with, you know, my friends, the wild kids and everything.”
Personal Experiences vs. Public Persona
31:40 to 33:00
Learn about the challenges of maintaining a public persona while working in film.
“I know that there's going to be people that will hate.”
Realizing Personal Value in Work
33:00 to 34:20
Explore Nica's journey to recognize her skills and value despite public perceptions.
“So because it's so weird when I'm working.”
The Importance of Community Support
34:20 to 35:30
Understand the significance of having a supportive community in the creative field.
“So when I realized that I was like, it's okay.”
Using Instagram for Connection and Growth
35:30 to 36:30
Learn how Nica utilizes Instagram to communicate and help others in her field.
“No, but you know, like if there is like mostly sometimes girls text me like a big text and they're like, I don't know if you're going to read that.”
Navigating Pressure in the Creative Industry
36:30 to 38:00
Discuss the pressure to maintain a persona and the impact it has on mental health.
“to communicate with people, you know, and make it, you know, personal.”
Finding Balance between Work and Personal Life
38:00 to 39:10
Hear about Nica's strategies for balancing her work commitments with personal time.
“It's just like sometimes I'm on set and I'm a little tired and then I'm like, oh, I don't want that person to think, you know, that I'm so low energy.”
Qualities of a Good Technician
39:10 to 40:00
Explore what makes a successful technician in the film industry and the importance of attitude.
“I think the ways to be a good technician is to be open to learn everything.”
Expectations of a Good Leader in Film
40:00 to 42:04
Learn about Nica's views on the qualities she values in leaders within the film set.
“They call me toxic positivity to me, okay?”
The Importance of Team Diversity in Film Crews
42:04 to 43:54
Learn about the significance of diverse teams in the film industry and the responsibility of gaffers to foster inclusivity.
“Other things I look for, a gaffer that made me grow.”
Developing Leadership Skills as a Gaffer
43:54 to 45:39
Explore how gaffers can develop leadership qualities and the balance between being assertive and kind.
“Because as you grow as a gaffer, you inherit, you're going to start having to take on more leadership roles and, and communication.”
Finding Satisfaction in Technical Roles
45:39 to 49:23
Discuss the fulfillment found in technical roles versus aspirations for advancement in the film industry.
“As I said, you know, like being in a crew that allowed me to be confident, you know, and that empower myself.”
Creating a Supportive Community for Women in Film
49:23 to 52:16
Learn about a community initiative aimed at empowering women in the film industry through workshops and collaboration.
“Is there something in particular right now that you are finding interest in or something that you are really trying to learn more about right now?”
Personal Joy and Achievements in the Film Industry
52:16 to 56:03
Hear about the host's reflections on personal happiness and milestones in their career.
“And I think it was a really good experience to put that in the world and see how many girls around the world are working, you know, as a Gryphon Electric.”
Finding Hope and Positivity
56:03 to 56:48
Nica reflects on her journey and the importance of maintaining a positive outlook.
“you know, and now I'm like, wow, I wish I could tell that person that everything is going to be okay.”
Building Comfort and Connection in Film
56:49 to 57:40
Nica shares her experience working with gaffer David Reichman and the comfort he brings.
Connecting with Nica on Social Media
57:41 to 58:04
Nica provides her social media handles for listeners to follow her work.
“And he did also a workshop with us and with Girls on Our Trucks recently.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Nica Fazio:For people that may not know who you are yet or have any, you know, real background of, you know, the things that you're doing, share a little bit about who you are, where you come from, and maybe lead that a little bit into how you found your way into film. Okay. My name is Nica. I'm from Italy, but I grew up in Spain and I moved here four years ago because I wanted to pursue my dream of living in New York and work in the film industry. And since the beginning, I really liked the lighting department. I think the career and the path I'm trying to follow is to become eventually a gaffer. For now, I work as an electric and grip, both things.
0:38This is my full-time job. And then recently, we started a community named Girls Just Want to Do Drugs. We're trying to create a safe space for more girls or people that historically have been underrepresented and give them like a space to learn, give us a space to learn, because I'm also learning with this community. And with this excuse of the community, I also started to do videos in Instagram. And then I don't know what happened, but this is also another, you know, full-time job right now. But yeah, this is leading my story.
1:10Nica Fazio:Amazing. Before we dive into sort of that, your work in New York and what you're doing, I'd love to just kind of get a little more background. Like, so from Italy and Spain, Like, have you always had an interest in film? Were you, was your family in film? Like, how did you start to like, really want to pursue this career? I remember since really little. I was an only child. I was an only child. So I think this is important because I had a lot of free time. And I think I remember being at the room, you know, super bored. I'm like, okay, I need to do things. And I remember creating stories and like all the things, you know, because I had all this time and I didn't have any brother or sister to play, that started to make me really creative.
1:54And then it was like, okay, I think I want to do like, I think I want to be a director. This is when it started, no? And I was like five years old and I was like, yeah, I'll do it, I'll do it, I'll do it, I'll do it. Then little by little, my dad also, he's a photographer and he works in, he doesn't work in photography anymore, but he works in retouching. He has like a retouching studio.
2:15Nica Fazio:Yeah, like a retouching studio. Yeah. But when I grew up, he had the back dark room at home. That's cool. So he used to do everything with analogic and with film. So I remember also growing up with these, and that was a big inspiration for me. And my dad was like, why are you doing working photography? But I didn't want to do the same with my dad, and I didn't want to follow his path. So then I was like, let me try to study film and do film. so I did that and at the beginning I think the first year I really wanted to be a director like I think I did a lot of short films and projects you know I have a ton of like short films since I'm like eight years old till you know 18 and then there was a moment that I thought I don't know if I want to do that and I fell in love with the lighting department and I saw myself really good in that figure of like having a crew and like leading and just doing the lighting department.
3:15I still do pictures. I still do photos. That for me is my safe part. And I think it's my part that I think eventually I want to, you know, continuing and becoming a photographer. I think if I close my eyes, I see myself at 50 years old, maybe working, you know, as a photographer or like, I don't know, making exhibitions, things like that. That's something I really have in my heart. And I want to pursue that. And I used to do some exhibitions in Barcelona but for now I think I'm super locked in into working in the film industry growing the max I can in the film industry in the lighting department and that's all I really like it it's just like it's crazy and insane and we do you know 12 to 16 hours and we're moving lights around back and forth but there is something about the adrenaline of like achieving something you know yeah and i guess also the challenge of there is no woman almost in this industry so that was for me something super important by the way that was for me like a plus to want to be in this you know side of the industry because i was like i want to do something i want to revolutionate a
4:27Nica Fazio:little bit you know right yeah absolutely do you remember the do you remember the very first day on set where you worked as and worked in the lighting department do you remember that very first experience what was that like okay so that was the first experience that it was a professional set okay and I remember it a lot because I did 22 hours okay for free but it was a professional set and I was so happy I remember hour 20 like I don't care you know I was like I saw myself for the first time you know surrounded by professionals that they were looking at me like oh you're way too excited to be here.
5:08And they were like, this is going to end so soon. And you know what? They are, you know, they were right. Because sometimes I'm like, oh, but I'm still excited because I'm like, oh man, you know, like this is really what I wanted to do. And I remember they said we were in an hotel. I don't know why we did 22 hours, but we did 22 hours. But I learned a lot. And then after that job, the gaffer I was working, he started to call me more and more and more. and it was my you know that i got paid for the first time i think it was like 50 euros and i was like money money exactly but after that after that day you realize like this is really
5:49Nica Fazio:what i want to pursue is this department with these people and learning this type of this type of you know technique this type of part of this part of the industry yeah it's fun it's just like playing around in spain works different because electric and group um in spain works different because electric and grip they do the same so it's just like different grip in spain they only do camera support oh interesting everything that is like you know soft bugs and clicking on set it's part of and responsibility of the gaffer and electric so when i used to work there i used to do both things that's why when i moved here i didn't want to choose to you know i know that my path career is more into the gaffer side like the lighting side but i really like the idea of becoming a really good technician and be able to jump around between two departments um and i just like i think it's really fun i think it's a really fun way to spend your day you know um it's also really hard and yes you know like the hours and the physical thing my hands sometimes hurt so much like for, I guess, I don't know.
7:01But yeah.
7:04Nica Fazio:You know, working in that job, I guess that first time, how long were you working in, I guess, Barcelona until you decided you wanted to move to New York? I always wanted to move to New York. So it was in my head since I was 13 years old. And I was so upset with my mom, I remember. And I said, as soon as I can, I'm going to go to New York. And I said it like super fast, like, you know, like a teenager rebellion. But I did that, you know. So as soon I called, I moved here. But I started to work in Barcelona, maybe for four or five months. And there was like an electric company. It works different, but there is like a company that manages gaffers and electricians.
7:49Okay. And I really wanted to.
7:52Nica Fazio:Like an agency? Like how agencies represent DPs? Yeah. Interesting. It's just like an agency that they do bigger jobs. So when they have international jobs maybe come in or big commercials, they send their electrics directly. I think the gaffer and the electrics. They have a lot of people. And to be in that company, in that moment, I think they change things. You have to own your own walkie-talkie. That's funny. and that's why when i moved here i brought my own walkie-talkie you know i was so excited and then the first cover i wore was like what are you doing with your own walkie-talkie that's funny yeah but anyway i started work for that company um i remember i did an interview with them because i didn't have that many experience i had the 22-hour shoot okay i told you and maybe four more with the same people.
8:47And then one of the guys was like, hey, why you don't go and try to work with them? Because you're good. And I was like, I don't have experience enough. He was like, you're really good. Like, you have it. Let's do it. He gave me the phone number. Super sweet, this guy, like for real. And I called them. And then I kind of convinced them to meet me face to face. Because, you know, I like movies. Of course, you like it.
9:07Nica Fazio:Yeah. And I remember that suddenly they called me. I show up there. I was super nervous. and the girl was like okay it was like a woman she's like do you have experience and I said I have to be honest I don't have that much experience but I think I can do it really well and then she was like I don't know if I can you know put you in this industry then she said like also there is no girls almost you will be the third in this company I don't want to bet you know and then you know have an issue and I looked at her and I was like I swear for my life like I'd love this opportunity. If I don't have it right now, it's okay.
9:46I'm going to keep like knocking the door, you know, week after week till I have it. But if you give me the opportunity now, it's going to be a little bit easier for us. And then she was like, oh, and then she gave me the opportunity and it went really well. And then I started working for them.
10:03Nica Fazio:How long did you work for them? For like four or five months. Four or five months. And then I was like, oh my God, how I'm going to tell them after everything, you know, I told them that I want to move to New York. But I told them and it was okay. Tell me about the process of moving to New York and I guess maybe like both between like the personal side and also the industry side because I think moving to a new country not being in the film industry is hard enough. Yeah. And then moving to a new country and then also having to build new relationships in an industry that is like very relationship-based is also hard.
10:38Nica Fazio:So you picked two of the hardest things to do and seem to have managed to find some growing success in it and i'm curious how that process was i didn't even know how um it was really hard i said because for me like i didn't have a visa um so i didn't know exactly what was the way for me to move here um i was looking a lot and then i found that a possible way was to move and start as an au pair so I came here as a babysitter um and I knew that would be crazy because I would have to stop working you know for two years or one year but in my mind was like a two-year commitment but it was an opportunity for me of one do something else um as an experience I really like kids so I was like wow maybe it's gonna be a good experience to like focus in myself and be with kids in the meantime, knowing and meeting some people and figure it out if it's a reality or not moving.
11:40So I remember telling my friends this plan and I told them like, I don't know if I'm going to come back in one year, in two years, or if I'm not going to come ever. And they were like, what do you mean? And I was like, I don't know. Just like, maybe I don't like it. I'm coming back after the au pair or maybe I love it and I'm going to move there. so it was really hard I had also a relationship in Spain and he knew I really wanted to move in New York and for a period of time we thought about doing it together but we were like 20 years old and I really knew he didn't want to move there like it was not his path and he was doing it just because of me and then there was another part of me that kind of wanted to do it alone because I wanted to, you know, like be there and like start this, you know, from scratch.
12:31But I remember that that was something really hard to manage because I really loved him. But, you know, like things happen. So we talked about it and we decided that that was the best. And, you know, now we're still really, really, really good friends. I have another boyfriend that I think is like, you know, the love of my life. He has, you know, another person, but I still have a really good relationship with my ex-boyfriend just because I think he let me, you know, like be free and, and he made it really easy. And so I appreciate this a lot, but it was a hard period. But anyway, I packed everything.
13:09Okay. And after saying goodbye to my friend several times because my flight keep postponing. it. So it was mentally super draining because I was supposed to fly it on September and I ended flying in December.
13:22Nica Fazio:Oh, wow. So all these months... It just kept getting delayed and postponed. It was COVID too. So first it was delayed because of COVID. Then it was delayed because blah, blah. Then one time I went to the airport, I said goodbye to everyone, luggages and everything, crying, you know, and then something about the vaccine, I had to do something else. So I had to stay two more weeks. And my friends were like, stop. I was like, I know. But after all this, like, you know, six months of, okay, I'm leaving, I'm leaving, I'm leaving, you know, and saying yes to everything. And like, you know, all these goodbyes.
13:58Then I left and I came here and it was winter. And suddenly I was in New Jersey with a family of three kids. And it was like, like a shock.
14:09Nica Fazio:Hit you, yeah. Yeah, it hit me. I remember that it hit me because I was like, oh, my God, I don't know about this. The first year was really tough because also as an only child, again, being suddenly in a family with three kids, it's another big shock, you know, because the dynamics and like the yellings and, you know, it's a lot. I love them so much, but it was such a big job. Breakfast and lunch and dinner, you know, and let's go to the school and you have hockey and you have lacrosse and you have ballet classes. So suddenly it was in this new life, forgetting completely about that I wanted to do film.
14:51But I don't know, it happened. and I started to go to New York every weekend because I was in New Jersey trying to meet people I was shooting a lot of things in my camera I started to do really creative again you know and it kind of felt good then a lot of things happened with this family and I decided that I needed to find another family it was like tricky situations we were not a good match with the parents so i decided to find a new family but the agency works like that you cannot choose a family it's like a aleatory rematch yeah kind of but you can find families in texas or in california so i was really scared because i was like if they picked for you a family that was in california you would just have to go there yeah well it doesn't work it's like it's interviews so you can meet them and choose who is.
15:48But the interviews that I started getting were like super random. You cannot choose people from New York. So I remember doing some interviews with a family in California with six kids. And I was like, this is going to be horrible. But anyway, at the end, you know, I think an angel wanted to protect me. And I met this woman, this Japanese woman with an only child, that they were needing a repair from New York, you know, Manhattan. They had an au pair that she was my friend. It was like kind of a thing that was more like a friend situation. And the woman said, okay, like moved with me. So we talked with the agency and my second year was with another family, you know, but this time was in New York.
16:32Nica Fazio:Right. With this woman, amazing. Like she's like my mom now. I love her so much. And Banzang, like the kid, love them, you know. and the best part is that when I moved there it was in July and then she said hey just so you know my kid is in Japan for two months or I don't know how much like for one month so I really don't need you for one month and I was like wow like you're letting me stay to your house even if you don't need me then she was like yeah don't worry and I said okay thank you so much so I had one month to focus in meeting people. And then is when I started to like kind of helping out, you know, people I knew from the film industry.
17:16I met this kind of crew that they have like tracks and like a shop. And I started to help out with them for free just because I wanted to like learn. And for the first time after one year, I felt really connected again and back on track. And I remember like being super ashamed with, you know, like the gaffer and the key grip because I didn't want to tell them that I was an au pair. And then I told them and they were like, that's so cool. That's fine. We're going to help you out. And then the kid came back. I started to work with him, like being in school and everything. And whenever I had a free time, whenever he was in school, I was going to this shop to learn, learn, learn, load trucks, drive trucks, everything because I wanted to learn.
17:58and after one year of doing deals and working with them when there was like overnight or things like that that I could go just to help the mom was okay for me to like you know trying to be out there um when I felt that I had like enough contacts um it was about to end my second year as an au pair um I think you can do only two years so that's that was perfect and then I tried to apply for my visa and I got it.
18:26Nica Fazio:Amazing. Yeah. It was also a big adventure. It's so hard to explain this short, you know? Yeah, it's okay. It's just like, it was a lot, you know, we were like, I was struggling with like the family and talking with lawyers and see if like a really cool apply for a visa, you know? I think like the biggest takeaway that I'm getting from this is you have this sort of natural ambition and like go after what you want. Has that always been a part of your life from when you were a kid? You just have been this person that has this idea, has this dream, has this vision, and nothing is going to stop you from trying to get that goal?
19:06I don't know when this happened. It's something I realized recently I did that, You know, I think I was just really, I don't know, not scared to do it. I was really like, I'm still an intense person. And I remember, I think I know when this happened, that I was 14 and I read a quote that said, what will you do if you knew you will not fail? And I remember, and I was like 14 years old in Facebook, you know, and I was like, wait a second. I should do that, you know? And I think from that moment to now, in the back of my mind, there is this like, you know, Pinterest quote, like that at the end works.
19:52Because it was like, okay, I'll do that. And it happened. I'll do that. And it happened. And it's not easy. It's not that things happen like this, you know? I know I've been through a lot of adventures and slaps. But at the end, I really feel that things happen. so now I'm really moved forward for this because my dream was to move here my dream was to work in the film industry now I live by myself that was like another big dream you know and I had it like so now I'm in the back of my head is like I should keep trying you know
20:24Nica Fazio:I love that that's amazing um I think it's it's really beautiful to see the the different stages that you have sort of gone through and I'm only hearing a short little bit of all of those stories that you have. But I know that this industry is 90 % who you know, and the relationships that you have. How important have those initial relationships been in sort of how you've continued to grow as a technician in this industry? Have you been able to stay close with those people? And how have those people, the way that they showed you sort of grace and help, how have you been able to kind of translate that to other people?
21:15I still work a lot with the same people that start to hire me because, you know, they empower me a lot. I was really lucky to meet this crew that really accepted me, you know, made me feel like one of them um also i think as a like woman i never felt you know discriminated in this crew so that was really empowering for me because gave me a lot of forces to you know say okay i'm a really valid you know technician i can do the same of my co-workers and my first bosses were like oh yeah she drives the truck you know and i was with the 26 foot because they were trusting me to do way so in new york yeah in new york because that was my first time to like when i got the visa and i was able to work you know legally the first time that they put me on jobs was as a driver because you know it's like less rate but at least you can be around there and learn and i like to drive and i said yeah i can do that you know i want to do that so i started as a truck driver and then little by little you know i went up um i still work a lot with them um i also work with other people i think it's important as to like spread you know your wings and your relationships but this crew is my family because you know in my passport there's their you know name because they ended signing my papers as a sponsors there's just like a sign but i really like it you know i feel
22:37Nica Fazio:like they can adopt me in this you know um city but yeah as you said i think it's really important to be nice um I feel that if you are really nice with everyone and even with strangers you know and mostly with strangers things go better so this is something I really try hard in set in my personal life when I'm in the subway in the street anything and I if I see someone confused or struggling, I even go there and I say, hey, are you okay? Because I think it's important. And there's other moments in my life that someone did it to me and save my day, you know? So I really think that it's really important to be human.
23:30And I think this is something that I also do on set and that helped me out a lot to create these connections. Because I don't see them as a co-workers. I never see only someone as a co-worker. It's like, okay, let's do this, you know? And they're my family right now. And I still try to like be like this, you know, on set when I can, you know, sometimes there's other stressful moments and I'm like, oh my God, you know? But yeah, this is how, how I feel.
23:59Nica Fazio:I know that there's a lot of people that ask me a lot. And, you know, I think the million dollar question for a lot of people is like, how do you build relationships? How do you know, how do you meet people? How do you, how do you get on set? How do you do all these things? And I know that your experience is a bit unique in that you've came from another country, but it also adds an additional layer of difficulty. But for somebody that is starting out and they want to maybe get into the grip and electric side of things, how would you advise somebody to maybe start building relationships with people?
24:29I think a really good idea is to work in rentals, like trying to get some experience and meet some people while you're learning something. I think it's important to not rush. I stopped my life for two years being with kids, you know, and I know that there is a lot of people that really wants to work in that moment. And I was like this too. I felt really far away of my path, but then these two years of not doing anything of work, just trying to meet people, you know, and going forward helped me so much. I don't feel I lost two years. So that would be one of my first advice advices. There's no need to rush.
25:09I think it's a good idea to start as a PA on set, trying to figure it out how to work as a production assistant and then from there, try to meet the, you know, grip and electric team and just like say hi and spend some time with them. I recently was on a job and then this girl on the rub was like, can I follow you with some sandbox and help you out? And I was like, yeah, love it. you know, and at the end she was loading the truck with us, learning all the names, you know, like, and I told her, I was like, this is amazing. You know, that's the way to work in this. You just, you know, show up with a smile, you know, respect the space and the boundaries, you know, read the room.
25:51But if you think it's a good moment to jump in and help a hundred percent.
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25:55Nica Fazio:Yes. So, yeah. And then I think on set, something that helped me out a lot recently is introduce yourself. Like sometimes we're all shy to say, Hey, you know, like I'm Nika, I'm a grip today, whatever. Um, since I do this with almost everyone, I feel that I connect really well with everyone. I used to be a little bit scared because I was like, Oh my God, they're going to think that I don't know anyone, you know, I'm like the youngest one here. But then I was like, wait a second, let me introduce myself, you know, and you break the ice and that that person sees you as a, you know human as a you know someone yes and that helped me a lot it's just like confidence a shake you know shake like yep and it's like very important is shaking hands yes right yes like not too strong not too soft you know i don't have a has to be firm has to be firm yeah a little bit in my case i think that my shake whenever we meet you're gonna see it's just like a soft shake i I know why.
27:00It's like, you know, but that's my way to say, hey, I got you, you know.
27:07Nica Fazio:I love that. Oh, my gosh. As you've grown as like a technician, you've also simultaneously have grown on social media as well. What have been the difficulty of trying to grow simultaneously? because I've had a similar experience where I grew a YouTube channel while I was growing as a DP and trying to balance both of those sometimes is a bit difficult. And especially on the technician side where there's a lot of heavy equipment, a lot of moving pieces, a lot of you're moving fast. How have you sort of been able to learn how to manage both of those? so it happened really fast like in what six months in july it was really fast yeah it was really fast um and i didn't i was never looking for that you know it just happened like for real i started to post because i really wanted to share some things around um i was a little shy at the beginning but then as soon as i realized that posting about my work made some girls say oh wait that's cool or like now I'm super extra motivated to go to set or whatever then I was like wait a second I need to keep posting you know because I want to like spread a little bit more all this and empower more people if I can you know so I was like just doing videos without thinking that much what it will happen and then I started to grow followers but I tried to not think about it too much because I grew up naturally without thinking about it too much in my case so i just try to do videos whenever i can i usually not do it on set because i really don't want to like record while i'm on set you know that was one of my fears like people maybe thinking oh now she's like an influencer you know exactly i hate when they say that yeah i'm like i'm a technician and casually was doing videos and casually people like them yeah um but i'm really I'm like, I'm really careful to not overshoot on set because I really want to be taken as a serious person.
29:21And I know I could and keep being serious, you know, but at the same time, I feel there is a little bit of stigma that it looks sometimes that people that are content creator are not real.
29:36Nica Fazio:Exactly. And we only do it for the videos. it's something I'm trying hard to not you know showing this way because it's not true you know I know amazing content creators that they're just good telling stories too you know so I feel that the world is changing and now finally we're using these platforms to not only you know make funny reels but also to communicate Exactly. For the first time of my life, I feel that that little dream about being a director, you know. It's happening. It's happening now with my own videos. Because at the end, I'm the director of these videos. Even like the unboxings I do, the ones I try to do at the shop with, you know, my friends, the wild kids and everything.
30:28There's like an idea behind, you know. And suddenly I'm like, wait a second, you know. I'm a director. And I love it.
30:34Nica Fazio:It's amazing. it's it's it's something that i have gone through as well and i struggle with a little bit too because of the podcast a little bit the youtube stuff that i do the maybe some of the other instagram stuff that i do that i've gotten you know people at like telling me that i'm not a real dp i'm not a real filmmaker and i think for a while it it hurts and it makes you question actually even wanting to do those things anymore. Because it's like, okay, you know, if people are saying I'm not real, then a real filmmaker, then maybe I should just stop doing this stuff and just focus on this.
31:13Nica Fazio:And I think what I've realized over the last maybe two years of doing it is that it's just another part of me. It's just another extension of who I am. It's another extension of what I just want to say, another form of what I want to put out in the world. And I think the reason why I got into filmmaking is to be able to just share things, tell stories, be creative. And if that for me is pursuing a podcast as well, pursuing another YouTube or whatever, then I don't see any bad in it. I know that there's going to be people that will hate. That's in anything you do. There will always be people that you hate.
31:52Nica Fazio:But I think as long as you see what you're doing as being valuable to you and exciting to you and it helps one person, that is the key for you to keep going. Yeah. And sometimes the person is you, you know? Yes, exactly. There is only like the, you know, need of communicate. I started doing videos in Instagram a time ago. And it was just about my thoughts about moving here. And that was only for my friends and for me. It was like kind of my little excuse to make a little diary. It was almost like therapy, probably. Yeah, exactly. And then this happened and yeah, I feel the same. But you know, the other day I was on set and I arrived and some people kind of recognized me and made fun of me, but like in a cute way, you know, but like, ah, she's famous.
32:43And I was like, oh my God, you know, these people here that doesn't know about it. And I didn't want them to know. sometimes I wish that people on set don't know about the Instagram site.
32:53Nica Fazio:They're going to know more and more. I know. It's horrible. I want to be Hannah Montana, you know. I want to. You know, I would like to like meet two people. So because it's so weird when I'm working. Yeah. But anyway, this happened, you know, and they were like kind of making fun of me. And the golfer were like, I didn't know you had an Instagram. And I was like, yeah, yeah. But then I was working. Okay. but then i was working and i i was working fast and good you know and in that moment is what you said i was like wait a second i'm good like i felt it i had one of these moments of of of realizing and it's not for you know like saying oh yeah i'm the best no but i was like working and i felt that i was doing good yeah and then i was like why i'm scared like people that knows how I work know that I work well and yeah I have the Instagram and I share my little videos you know and I have that thing but at the end what made me arrive where I am it's because you know I have to do it more or less well if not you know I will not keep having work yes so I went home and I was like I'm not gonna keep like you know pushing myself of like having a shame because of the Instagram or thinking that people is going to think I'm less because I'm just like a content creator because I don't mind if they think that people that hires me hires me because of me, not because of the videos I do.
34:23So when I realized that I was like, it's okay.
34:27Nica Fazio:Amazing. Yeah. It really does put in perspective when you just think about who are the people that are around you that are in your circle and they know who you really are. They see the, like the, version of you that is grinding for 12 hours a day. And I think that is, it's a really important note is I think sometimes a lot of people might have the fear of starting something because, you know, they might get made fun of from people online or people will say bad things. But in reality, you don't know 99 % of any of these people, they will never have any real impact on your life. But the small circle of people that really know you is what's really important, your friends, your family, the really close people is what's important.
35:12Yeah, totally. So I don't know. I think I like what happened in Instagram just because it allowed me to meet a lot of people that text me around the world asking me about, you know, stuff. I try to answer almost everyone if I can.
35:28Nica Fazio:It's impossible. It's impossible. No, but you know, like if there is like mostly sometimes girls text me like a big text and they're like, I don't know if you're going to read that. And I was like, oh, I'm going to read it. I'm going to answer you, you know. There was a girl recently that she was like, oh, thank you so much, blah, blah, super sweet. And then she said, tomorrow I have to go to pick up some gear and to, how do you say when you have to like check, like a check-in, check the gear? Like a check-out of gear? Yeah, check-out. Yeah. So she had to do a check-out of gear and then she said, I never use this gear and this gear.
36:02Can I ask you how to? And I said, yeah, sure. So I sent her some videos because I was on set and I was like I can tell you exactly how to do and then I told her it's gonna be fine and if you don't know something you can say it it's okay you know don't be scared just tell them they're not gonna make fun of you because she was scared about them to think you know something and then she texted me back and she was like it was amazing I shake the hands I introduce myself you know and I was like yeah so I really try to treat Instagram as a way to communicate with people, you know, and make it, you know, personal.
36:39Because, I don't know, it's just like for me the way to do it.
36:43Nica Fazio:Yes. So for me, this is worth it. Do you feel that there's like a pressure now to keep it up, to keep doing it? For me, the pressure is that people on set that know about me on Instagram, I'm just scared to, what if I'm rude or something like that, you know? It's just like my only scare is that sometimes I feel that now I have a personality and people knows me before I know them or they know about me or my personality of Internet before, you know, I know them. So I just feel sometimes I have to keep it up. And sometimes I have a really, really like, I don't know, bad day and I'm tired. And I'm like, yeah, I try to not.
37:28But now I'm like, I don't even, you know, I told my friends the other day, I was like, I cannot be even cranky right now. And they were like laughing, you know. I think this is like the worst pressure I have to speed up.
37:43Nica Fazio:It's not a horrible pressure because it helps you kind of maintain being a good person. But it also, I don't know. Sometimes I get that feeling of the pressure of having to uphold this certain persona and sort of like suppressing other feelings down. It could be tough. Yeah, I. Yeah, exactly. It's just like sometimes I'm on set and I'm a little tired and then I'm like, oh, I don't want that person to think, you know, that I'm so low energy. And then suddenly in the videos, I'm super high. You know, it's just I'm a little bit more conscious about my way to interact with people. I don't think I changed that much, honestly, but I'm just a little bit more conscious.
38:25That's the only thing. But I don't know. I try to not overwork when I'm not working. So my days off, I try to not spend too much time like editing or things like that because I want to separate. I'm about to leave for a month in Thailand with my boyfriend. And I think I'm going to take a break and it's going to be OK. You know, I have some videos I have to post that I already did. But I think I'm going to say it like I'm taking a little bit break. You know, I'm not going to post. It's going to be fine.
38:56Nica Fazio:They'll be there when you come back. One hundred percent. Yeah, exactly. I think it's OK. People take holidays. I want to take holidays of like post. No, I don't know. Yes. This is how I feel. But yeah, I plan to keep, you know, growing if I can, because I think has like a good, you know, impact. and um if i can help out and empower some people in the way this is you know the best reward that i can have so that's my motivation amazing yeah on the tech the technician side i want to try to maybe dive a little bit more into like the the technician side a little bit What do you think makes a good technician under a gaffer or a key grip?
39:43I think the ways to be a good technician is to be open to learn everything. I like the idea of becoming a multi-tool. So learning a little bit of everything and kind of masterize if you can things. And mostly it's about personality, I think. Be positive. They call me toxic positivity to me, okay? Because sometimes I'm over positive. Okay. But I'm sorry. You know, I'm trying to like lift up on the vibe, but I think it's a good quality to have, you know, like be positive, be easy. You know, if there is like a tense situation, it's okay. You know, don't be more, um, don't make it more tense. Um, look at the people, you know, see what they need, learn.
40:29It's okay to not know something that's important too. Um, I said so many times, Hey, I never did that. How you do it? It's fine. This looks better than trying to do it. And, you know, everyone is going to realize that you don't know how to do it.
40:43Nica Fazio:Exactly. That's for sure. And I think it's okay to say, hey, I never did this. You know, it's okay. It still happens to me sometimes. There are things that I never use on set or that in Spain were different. And I'm like, wow. And I go there and it's okay. And I used to be a little bit more scared. Like, oh, they're going to think I don't know anything. But now I feel that everyone, you know, happens this. And it's okay. Yeah, it's being honest about it. Yeah. So I think this, like asking questions and like be a good co-worker, be easy, be positive and like keep learning and learning. On the flip side, being a technician, what do you look for in a gaffer, a key grip or a leader to help you grow as a technician?
41:27That's a good question. I think it's really important for me that my bosses speak me clear and with respect too. I had bosses like a little bit more tough and I don't mind that. But I think for me, it's important to have like a clear communication and clear respect that if I'm doing something, I want the person to trust me that I'm doing it well and give me the time I need to do it. It's not I'm going to take 20 minutes, you know, But I don't like when I'm working and someone is like, you know, like rushing me when it's like, hey, do it yourself. You know, like this is like, that's for sure. Most of my experience are really good.
42:09And I work with people that I love. Other things I look for, a gaffer that made me grow. I don't know. It's, I think it's like people that know how to choose a team. um i feel there is gaffers at work that they're really good in creating their own team and they have each person there for a reason and then when i see that i really like it you know it's like oh they have this guy that it's super good in this you know they have this guy that then they have me blah blah and i feel that we're in this kind of superhero team you know that each person is there for a reason. I like that. I think a good leader, a good gaffer has a big responsibility, you know, creating their team.
43:00So when I meet a gaffer that I see that is like hiring some girls, hiring some, you know, like blah, blah, blah, you know, like that makes like a diverse group racially and like in genderly talking, I really admire that person because I feel that one of the the reasons why I want to achieve that position is to make my own crews and to make them diverse and that's the only way that we can change the industry so I think that Agafur has a big responsibility on who is coming on set you know what's the crew that is coming so I admire a lot people that is getting out of the safe zone exactly to try make it you know like a little bit more diverse because I think that's the future and I think hopefully it's going to happen.
43:53Nica Fazio:What do you think you have started to learn about leadership? Because as you grow as a gaffer, you inherit, you're going to start having to take on more leadership roles and, and communication. How have you been able to start to develop a little bit more leadership qualities in yourself? I think so. And I think it's because also I work with a lot of gaffers that are tough but good leaders and made me learn a lot about fight some fights you know I know that there is like you don't have to fight a lot of fights but there is some fights that you have to fight about rates about you know conditions etc um I realize in the jobs that I recently gaffed smaller maybe jobs um but that suddenly I'm you know in that position that I have to you know maybe like talk about rates or um being in a situation that we're planning to do more hours that what i think we should do and i'm in these conversations and i'm starting to understand what's the way to communicate that i think it's important to be always nice and human but also direct and say hey i understand but i don't think we should do that no and i'm learning a lot about this kind of like communication mostly with production to make them still love me yes but also it's a tough balance it's a tough balance i think it's helpful to like smile when you say the things you know and like but but being a little bit tough like okay you know we there is you know there's also a balance of being kind and and understanding but also being very confident in what you're saying as well yeah and like backing up what you're saying yeah i think confidence is something that I'm learning a lot recently.
45:41As I said, you know, like being in a crew that allowed me to be confident, you know, and that empower myself. That was a lot. I know a lot of young people and especially young girls that they're not empowered and they're like scared to like be bossy around, you know, cause it's scary to be bossy around cause you don't want to be a bad boss. And sometimes when there's like a woman bossing around, they're like, oh, you know, like there's these faces and I'm like, wait a second, you know, like if there is, you know, I don't know how to explain it, but it's hard to be a boss or bossy. So what I learned is that I like to be bossy while I'm a little bit sarcastic and like smiling around.
46:25That's like a good balance, you know, like, you know, um, that's something I, I think that's my, my kind of like bossing around.
46:33Nica Fazio:I think that, I think something that I've learned about leadership for me is the importance of listening and taking moments of like pause. I think often I have made some irrational decisions as a DP because I've heard something or I feel like I need to rush and make a decision quickly. And when I'm in that sort of mindset, the decisions maybe aren't the best, But if I can force myself to just take a moment and pause and think about something before I say it, nine times out of 10, the thinking helps me actually think about the different outcomes of what I'm about to say. So I think as I've grown as a leader, I think thinking and pausing has been really, really important for me.
47:20Totally. And also, as a nothing about this, I'm okay in not being a good leader sometimes, you know? like I'm okay to allow myself to not be on the top sometimes and usually when I do these jobs who is with me are my friends you know so it's people that we have like our own dynamic and I think it's okay if sometimes you know like I'm not on my hundred percent because I think that's the magic of having a good crew you know sometimes you lift you up yeah and it happened before, you know, and it also happened for me with my gaffer, you know, seeing him that that day he's at 45 % and it's okay.
48:01Nica Fazio:You know, I'll be there, you know, but yeah. In an industry where like moving up might mean becoming a DP or being a director, how have you learned to sort of trust your instinct and your pursuit of wanting to stay in the lighting department? It's a gut feeling. Like the same I had when I knew I wanted to move in New York. I don't know how to explain it, but it's just like a gut feeling that tells me that this is my world. I don't think I want to be a DP. It's something that sometimes I look at the DPs, I admire them a lot, you know. I work with them really well, you know. For me, it's like, oh, I'm going to make that person, their life easier, you know.
48:50I'm there to support 100%, you know, their vision. but I don't want to be in their position because it's a mess
48:58Nica Fazio:it's tough I know it's just like cameras and the meeting and everything I really like the idea of being the leader only of my little family and that's all I sometimes even think about should I just stay as an electric? that would be amazing but there is a part of me of the vocation and wanting to grow that wants me to do that but as a personal satisfaction I'm really satisfied sometimes to be just like the fifth electric or the fifth grip um so yeah I just feel that I this is what I want to do you know but I want to keep growing that doesn't limit my my grow I want to grow a lot because now I'm like I'm at the beginning of the career I want to keep working as a technician there is no rush again but I want to grow a lot you know I want to achieve and be on big, big, big jobs as a leader because I want to do it.
49:58Nica Fazio:Yes. You know? Is there something in particular right now that you are finding interest in or something that you are really trying to learn more about right now? I'm trying to be a better technician. So I feel I'm really in a safe zone right now into the electric department, but I still have a lot to learn as a group. so on 2026 my manifestation is to work a little bit more as a grip on set i think i have a lot of things that i know but all that is like dollies and car readings and specialty like ricks i think i really want to learn more about that i admire a lot a lot the people that knows how to do that perfectly so that's my goal to shadow a little bit more of these people and work more in the, in the Greek department, just because I think it's really fun and can only help me out to, you know, become a better person and human and whatever.
51:01Nica Fazio:I want to kind of like start wrapping this up a little bit, just around the thing that you made. Girls just want to load trucks. I think that page is really, really amazing. And there isn't anything like that. And I would love to hear more about that from you and sort of what your goal is for that page and that community. Okay. This happened because I think there was a need to do that, no? Like, Girls' Women With Drugs is run by Lulu, Kelly, and I. And we started this community just because we, you know, needed a space to talk about things, you know, about womanhood things and about how we felt when someone took out like a tool from our hands how we felt when blah blah you know to lift each other up so we had a branch with other two technicians and then we did a group like a chat you know and then more girls join and then we're like oh maybe we need to create like a page and start running workshops free workshops all welcome and trying to teach and learn together and make a safe space and empower each other.
52:15So this, you know, this is what it is, you know. And I think it was a really good experience to put that in the world and see how many girls around the world are working, you know, as a Gryphon Electric. I didn't even know there was so many. because like I grew up thinking I was one of the only ones right and then I met some of my friends and then we're like oh and then when you put there in the world and you realize that in you know Vietnam in you know like South Africa in blah blah there's all these girls that they also feel the same because they're the only girl in the crew or maybe they know three more that was my case I counted with the you know like with the fingers of my hands how many but now I know there is a ton So that's something super empowering.
53:07Nica Fazio:By the way, Kelly is fantastic. I've known Kelly for a little while now. Oh, you know, that's amazing. Kelly's amazing. Yeah, I love her so much. I've known her for a couple of years. What are your hopes to continue to grow this sort of community? Do you plan on having more workshops? Like, what is your plan for it? For us, I think what we're struggling a lot is the balance, you know, about or you know being on set and trying to make workshops and not having like an easy way to make workshops because at the end everything is for free you know so it's hard to make this happen i think on 2026 we want to try to um partner with more people so we can make more workshops for now we're trying to do once a month ideally may we can do more or we can have like a community that is a little bit more independent yes that's something that i really like the idea of like oh oh, I can, like, I know about this.
54:04I want to organize this workshop and then maybe we can help out to make it happen. But ideally I'd love, no, the concept of people independently saying, okay, I want to make this workshop. Let's do it. We have some lineup. You should come one day. I would love to.
54:21Nica Fazio:I would love to. It's a nice space. What is happening now is that people that comes in the workshop already know each other. Yeah. So there's really, I think the sense of community and I know that there is some people that they started to work together or blah, blah, blah. So it's really nice to realize that people is really connecting inside the community. That's amazing. My last question is, what is one thing that you feel the most amount of joy right now in your life, whether it's work, personal, anything, where do you find the most joy in your days? i'm happy i'm generally happy the happiest i've ever been wow i love that so i feel like you don't hear that very often anymore and it's a it's a it's really refreshing to hear that from someone it's just like again the world is a mess and if i think about it makes me less happy that's for sure okay if I think about outside of my little bubble and I realize what's happening in general with the world um then I get like really into you know thoughts of like oh really but personally right now with my life with what I achieve if I close my eyes and I see you know five years ago myself packing, you know, the luggage and I was so lost and so sad and I had so many questions, you know, and now I'm like, wow, I wish I could tell that person that everything is going to be okay.
56:09That it's going to be a right, but it's going to be okay. So now I think I'm in a moment that I'm really excited to see what's going to happen, you know? Amazing.
56:19Nica Fazio:That's, that's beautiful. It's really refreshing to hear that because there's a lot of negativity right now. And I think being that sort of beacon of hope and joy or light is really nice. So I encourage you to keep that up because that's really nice and really amazing. But Nika, thank you so much for being here. I really appreciate it. Thank you so much. It was such a pleasure to meet you. Yes, likewise. I hope to meet you in person. I hope to work with you one day soon i work in new york every once in a while i'm in new york uh so i worked with david recently reichman he was a gaffer on something i did he's one of my gaffers yeah he's amazing yeah david is one of the man like i don't know if david knows that okay but david is the person that i feel more comfortable talking by walkie talkie because with the accent things like that you know i used to struggle a lot with people that they didn't understood me and david is the only person that never made me feel in this way so because of him never telling me like oh what did you say or like i don't know there is something in his aura that made me like makes me feel super comfortable talking by walkie talkie working with him he's one of like for me the best gaffers i've work with.
57:40I love him so much. And he did also a workshop with us and with Girls on Our Trucks recently.
57:45Nica Fazio:So he's everything. Yeah, exactly. Well, where can people find you if they don't know much about you? Where's your Instagram? Where can people just learn about what you're doing? My Instagram is nika.fazio and ajal. That's where you can find me. amazing and also what is it just girls just want to load trucks is another another page as well and another page with lulu and kelly is girls just one of the drugs like the song you know well thank you so much thank you for being here thank you well hopefully enjoyed today's episode everyone see you next time peace out
58:34you
From the publisher
In this episode, Nica Fazio shares a grounded and honest look at what it truly takes to grow in the film industry. After moving from another country to New York, she reflects on the non-linear reality of building a career on set—navigating visas, cultural shifts, and the challenge of starting from zero in an unfamiliar industry. Rather than relying on shortcuts or titles, Nica’s path has been shaped by persistence, curiosity, and showing up with humility. Alongside her growth as a working grip and electric, she has also built an authentic presence on social media, using it as a tool to share her experiences, educate, and encourage others. Through this visibility, Nica has become an inspiration to many women around the world, showing that a career in film—especially in technical departments—is not only possible, but attainable. Her story is a powerful reminder that film careers are built slowly, through kindness, trust, and the courage to keep going when the path isn’t clear.
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