The War on Talent
A profile on New York's Unofficial Talent Scout, Nicolas Heller.
By Ivannia Morton
When you’re
sitting on the subway and hear “showtime” you may want to tune in. Pretending
that your cellphone has service underground and preoccupying yourself closing
tabs is no longer acceptable. Across from you sits Nicolas Heller
(@newyorknico) catching all the action on his phone and engaging with subway performers
while you pretend to ignore. Jaded by tourist giddy, we fast forward our street
encounters whenever possible. Heller is no stranger to strangers; the dancers,
the singers, and even the golfers of our slick streets have all been captured
and documented by him for the world to see. His collection of the city’s finest
is comparable to an encyclopedia. For you these moments couldn’t end quick
enough, but for Heller, he makes them last a lifetime. “I would guess around
five percent of the people who pass by performances are interested. It’s weird
to me that it isn’t until someone is watching it on their phone that they become
fascinated and recognize the talent that was in front of them the whole time,” he
says.
Finding
talent is no easy task with such a large stage. You don’t just pick up the
camera and start to shoot aimlessly hoping to stumble upon something grand. “It’s
like a third eye or sixth sense that I have. I can just feel it immediately and
know it needs to be shared,” he says. That intuition of his has made him some
remarkable friends. While there are the
more obvious candidates like Mike Yung (see below), sometimes it’s someone like
Larry the Birdman who knows nearly every pigeon on the island.
It took more than a few videos and side projects for Heller to truly cultivate this passion for the people. “I was born and raised in New York, went to college in Boston, came back and lived in Brooklyn for bit. I was making music videos at the time and was able to support myself off of it, so I headed out to Los Angeles for six months. No car, no license, and I shared a room with a creepy dude. I could never work a desk job, so I figured I would be a music video director forever. Yet I fell into this really dark place, so I headed back for New York,” he recalls. It was with his return to New York that he found himself rediscovering the world he always knew. One afternoon well spent contemplating his next career move in Union Square Park, left him with more than he expected. It was in that moment he saw Te'Devan out of the corner of his eye, with a sign that read “The Six-Foot-Seven Jew Who Will Freestyle Rap for You.” He had seen the local celebrity around for nearly fifteen years, yet up to that moment never approached him. Ridding himself of timid tendencies, he started a chat which transpired into a two-hour long conversation. The encounter ultimately led to his creation of a documentary on the six-foot-seven star, which turned out really well. After the documentary made local waves, the idea struck for a documentary series on New York City street characters. The two-season project called “No Your City” led to proof of concept for potential clients of Heller’s, which evolved into his branded content.
After meeting
with Lower East Side photographer Clayton Patterson, Heller found his niche
within his own backyard. “Looking at Patterson’s five-hundred-thousand photos
and hours of video seemed like different world. Not to be a pessimist, but who
knows if New York will look the same in ten, twenty, thirty years.” With
whatever is to come, being able to share life as we know it is something that deserves
appreciation. With the success of his previous work he decided to post some of
his daily encounters on Instagram with the street stars. While the idea to
record and share New York City talent with the world seemed like an obvious
thought, there was no community or presence for it on Instagram at the time. It
became his prerogative to entertain this new endeavor to its fullest extent. “That
big idea doesn’t happen overnight. It lingers somewhere in the depths of your
brain when suddenly something triggers it to come out of hiding.” It was only
around two years ago when his page took off and became a sensation on timelines
across the world.
His latest
viral discovery was made on the train about a month ago. “On that particular
morning I wasn’t exactly feeling up to making content or recording anyone. As
soon as I saw these two guys get on, I made a plan to get out of the way and
return to my phone,” he says. Once the two brothers Amiri and Rahiem Taylor
stepped foot on the train and started to play, Heller stopped in his tracks and
knew he had to get involved. The twin Taylor brothers are better known as the
Blac Rabbit band, whose nostalgic and infectious voices sound similar to The
Beatles. The video of the two performing garnered millions of views across the
internet, and they have gotten invitations for interviews and shows across the
country.
These amazing discoveries have brought just as much joy to the internet as to the man behind the camera. “It makes me less shy. I’m not exactly sure why, but the camera has become my security blanket.” It was hard for me to imagine someone who knows everyone and who is constantly everywhere as being the shy type. In a way it reflects the extent he goes to create content as an artist and film maker.
Despite
the diligent efforts Heller has made in his work, there are some who feel
otherwise about what he does. As you scroll his feed you can find a few comments
that accuse him of creating content for malicious purposes. When he posts a
video of someone being extraordinary, some assume it’s problematic because it
isn’t ordinary. This is the beauty of the people he finds, and if you haven’t
understood that after watching his videos, then the problem lies with you. “Some
people think the way I talk or the way I converse with people sounds condescending.
I’ll say something like ‘looks like you brought the nice weather today!’ as a conversation
starter, and someone will say ‘you’re talking to them like a four-year-old.’ It’s
just how I am, it’s the way I communicate,” he says. While he doesn’t mind the
haters and naysayers, he pity’s the closed mindedness that lingers in the minds
of some viewers. It’s with these videos however that he hopes to change narrow
minded negativity.
There is
no better time than now to have a creator like Heller representing New York. The
novelties of New York are no longer what they used to be, as luxurious
apartments continue to acervate and exorbitant eateries multiply. With the
shift of sustainability, the city is as vulnerable as ever and brimming with
the chances of locals leaving. While the city has been openly embracing new
business and commerce, there seems to be a forgotten bond between the city and
its people. Some of our favorite locals who used to be on the frontlines of New
York’s excitement are getting pushed to the rear. One can argue that the
landscape of the city’s economy and growth are partly responsible. New York’s
Comptroller office released a report in 2017 with skyrocketing statistics
on the role of gentrification in some of the most coveted neighborhoods. While shadows are being casted amongst Gotham,
Heller has been pioneering the mission to shed light on its talented and
fascinating residents. It’s the people who put New York on the map in the first
place, and it’s the people that the city needs to survive. For every performer
and talented human inhabiting the island, Heller’s work serves as a way to
remind us that they are underappreciated and underrepresented. His videos have
forged bonds amongst performers and the community. The way people have started
to respond to strangers who surround the city has been transformative. In such
a digital era it’s refreshing to be able to connect to more than the Wi-Fi
router.
“My
Instagram and Facebook videos a passion project for me. New York Nico keeps me
sane, and if I can help them out by posting them, spreading awareness, or
helping them with exposure, then I’m more than happy to be involved.”
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