Nicolas Heller

American filmmaker and social media personality

Nicolas Heller

Born| c. 1989 (age 35-36)
Education| Emerson College
Parent(s)| Steven Heller and Louise Fili

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]

## Early life and career

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Nico is the son of art director Steven Heller and graphic designer Louise Fili.[4][5] He 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.[6][7] He first garnered attention for finding and recording offbeat New Yorkers.[8]

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.[9] 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[10] and CNN.[8]

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][11]

In 2024 Heller released New York Nico's Guide to NYC (HarperCollins, ISBN 978-0-0633198-0-6), an illustrated guidebook to New York City.[12][13]

## Personal life

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Heller lives in Brooklyn.[14] In 2025 he married a graphic designer, Naomi Otsu, with a wedding reception at Katz's Delicatessen, covered by The New York Times Styles desk.[15]

## MTA collaborations

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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.[16][17][18] 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

In December 2024, Instagram and MTA collaborated and had Metrocards sold featuring New York Nico.

## See also

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* Green Lady of Brooklyn

## External links

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* 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

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1. ^ Barone, Vincent (February 5, 2019). "New York Nico's guide for surviving straphangers' rude subway behavior". amNewYork. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
2. ^ 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.
3. ^ 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.
4. ^ Heller, Nicolas [@newyorknico]; (February 14, 2021). "My mom sent me this photo of my dad". Retrieved February 15, 2021 - via Instagram.
5. ^ @newyorknico (May 13, 2018). "Nicolas Heller on Instagram: "My mom sent me this photo of my dad holding my @nytimes piece in today's paper. My dad worked at the Times for 33 years, so this is extra meaningful for both of us. Check out the spread in todays (Sunday) paper or online. Written by @juliacarmel and photo by @kristaschlueter"".
6. ^ Healy, Jasmine (January 30, 2019). "FEATURE: Reinventing Street Documentary with NewYorkNico". Resource. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
7. ^ "'Art Is Like My Soul:' Tattoo Art Muse Is Featured in New York Nico Documentary". NBC New York. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
8. ^ 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.
9. ^ 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.
10. ^ 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.
11. ^ "New York Nico & Hudson Whiskey Team to Support Local Businesses". gothammag.com. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
12. ^ ""New York Nico" highlights hidden gems of New York with new guidebook". ABC7 New York. October 23, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
13. ^ Beach, Charlotte (September 19, 2024). "A Steven Heller, Nicolas Heller, and Louise Fili Family Roundtable". PRINT Magazine. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
14. ^ Carmel, Julia (February 12, 2021). "The Work Diary of the Unofficial Talent Scout of New York City". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
15. ^ Hasan, Sadiba (April 25, 2025). "At Katz's Delicatessen, a Wedding Party With All the Fixings". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
16. ^ "New York Nico is recruiting the next voice of the subway". Queens Daily Eagle. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
17. ^ "Iconic New Yorkers to Lend Their Voices for New MTA Announcements". Complex. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
18. ^ "An Instagram Influencer Recruits A-Listers to Help Rescue the M.T.A." The New Yorker. February 27, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2021.

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* Germany

People|

* DDB