Nicole Payson

Head of the MFJF Academy | Assistant Director
New York | IMDB

About My Job

The two main parts of my job as the Head of the My First Job In Film Academy involves liaising with productions to find out what staff they need, roles such as PAs and Trainees, and put forward MFJF Members for these positions. Secondly, organize and run workshops and networking events for MFJF Members.

Contact Me

Please get in touch with me if you are looking for a career in production or have questions about our workshops and events. I am always available for conversations via our Facebook Group:

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My Advice

"This is a people's industry - you can't make a film on your own and reputations matter more than resumes. So always be polite, a positive attitude and strong work ethic will take you far in this business."

About Me

Nicole started her media career working as a production assistant in live events in early 2013 before switching full-time to scripted shows in the fall of 2013 beginning with Broad City Season 1.

Nicole joined the Directors Guild of America in 2019 and is currently a member of DGA East 2nd AD Committee.

Nicole has worked on notable productions and garnered 5 Directors Guild of America Award nominations for her work on Succession and What the Constitution Means to Me. Notable directors she has worked with as a PA/AD include; Noah Baumbach, Barry Levinson, Marielle Heller, Chris Storer, Steven Soderbergh, Mark Mylod, Paul Schrader, Lucia Aniello, Alan Yang, Thomas Kail, Ramy Youssef, Cherien Dabis, Desiree Akhavan

Nicole is particularly proud of her work helping PAs start their film careers; she has organized three PA workshops/networking events since 2018 that have helped launch people's careers, specifically in the AD dept.

She is now Head of the MFJF Film Academy, running PA workshops and helping early-career filmmakers find work.