Nicholai is honored to join the Collaborative, bringing over 13 years of leadership experience across non-profit organizations and creative platforms.

Nicholai is an accomplished producer who thrives when aligning talent with audiences, pioneering partnerships, and transforming the art and business of storytelling. For 12 years, he developed live performances across New York City’s most celebrated venues, from Carnegie Hall to Central Park. Most recently serving as Director of Artistic Operations at The New York Pops, Nicholai leveraged his platform to innovate collaborations with talent including Queen Latifah, Cyndi Lauper, Angela Lansbury, Sara Bareilles, Idina Menzel, Darren Criss, Jenifer Lewis, Alex Newell, Alan Menken, and The Muppets. Additionally, he worked with a range of philanthropic partners to generate free community experiences for New Yorkers of all backgrounds.

Next, Nicholai pivoted to digital storytelling at Just Human Productions. Founded by Dr. Celine Gounder (member of the Biden-Harris Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board), JHP delivers multimedia projects to expose solutions to the most pressing public health challenges of our time. As Chief Operating Officer, Nicholai launched the company’s fundraising infrastructure, secured cross-institutional partnerships, and led strategies for audience expansion.  

Nicholai was born and raised in Hawai‘i. He received a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance with a Double Major in Anthropology from New York University.