Nicola Waugh




Hi! I’m a Canadian independent film producer, communications strategist and educator living in Goudi’ni (Arcata), California.

 

I've managed multi-year creative campaigns and communications strategies in the higher education sector, as well as brand identity, storytelling, media relations and large-scale events in the non-profit and film industry. 

As a producer, I've released award-winning narrative and documentary feature films that are distributed internationally and was co-owner of Calgary-based Kino Sum Productions from 2017-23.

I hold an MA in Communication and Culture from Toronto Metropolitan Univeristy, and am a part-time lecturer in the Art + Film Department at Cal Poly Humboldt.  

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Films

Lucky Star
Narrative Feature (2024)

Producer with Kino Sum Productions & Notable Content
Dir. Gillian McKercher

When reformed gambler Lucky falls victim to a tax scam, he returns to playing poker to recover his losses while his family struggles to make ends meet.

Official Selection:
Vancouver Film Festival
Calgary International Film Festival
Windsor Film Festival
Reel Asian Film Festival


Distributed by Game Theory Films

‘A’-t’i Xwee-ghayt-nish (Still, We Live On)
Feature Documentary (2024)

Producer with Marva Sii~xuutesna Jones
Dir. Dave Jannetta, Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation

With their language facing extinction, the Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation in Northern California works against time to bring it back. Loren Me'-lash-ne Bommelyn, the last remaining fluent speaker, leads the efforts to revitalize the language and culture with support from fellow Elders, knowledge keepers, ancestors, and tribal members.

Official Selection:
Maoriland Film Festival
RiverRun Film Festival
Native Spirit Film Festival

The 200 Phenomena of Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Experimental Documentary (2023)

Director
Produced by Gillian McKercher & Guillaume Carlier

In 2009, an anonymous notebook containing 200 stories of occult and magical phenomena was found at the University of Calgary. Since appearing online, the stories have formed new mythologies around the seemingly mundane city of Calgary.

Official Selection:
Fantastic Fest
Calgary Underground Film Festival
Sidewalk Film Festival
Humboldt International Film Festival 

Conviction
Narrative Short (2022)

Producer with Kino Sum Productions
Dir. Bruce Miller

After Joseph is released from jail, he faces inner demons that stand in the way of true freedom.

Official Selection:
ImagineNATIVE Film Festival
American Indian Film Festival
Garifuna Indigenous Film Festival
Red Nation International Film Festival
Whistler Film Festival
Calgary International Film Festival
Victoria Film Festival
Nuuk Film Festival
Vancouver International Film Festival
Native Spirit Film Festival

Orphaned
Feature Documentary (2022)

Producer
Dir. Gillian McKercher

Through the eyes of ex-engineer, now filmmaker Gillian McKercher, Orphaned explores the huge task of cleaning up thousands of idle oil and gas wells in the prairies before it's too late.

Made for CBC Television

Rebecca’s Room
Narrative Short (2022)

Producer
Dir. Gillian McKercher

After Rebecca dies by suicide, her three best friends try to reach her through a seance.

Official Selection
Calgary International Film Festival
Kingston Canadian FIlm Festival

Borrowed From Nature
Feature Documentary (2020)

Producer with Gillian McKercher
Dir. Guillaume Carlier

Borrowed From Nature explores the rich and complex history of Japanese gardens in western Canada. Through the principles and design philosophy of famed Japanese Canadian designer Roy Tomomichi Sumi, we visit Japanese gardens in Lethbridge, Alberta, Vancouver, British Columbia, and New Denver, British Columbia, revealing hidden testaments to an enduring Japanese influence.

Made for CBC Television
Distributed by Boat Rocker Media

Events Transpiring Before, During, and After a High School Basketball Game
Narrative Feature (2020)

Producer with Kevin Dong
Dir. Ted Stenson

As Middleview High School’s woeful boys basketball team prepares for another certain loss, several unusual dramas take shape around its periphery.

Official Selection:
Vancouver International Film Festival
Calgary International Film Festival
Victoria Film Festival
Cinequest Film Festival
Chattanooga Film Festival
Atlanta Film Festival
RiverRun Film Festival
Woods Hole Film Festival
Hell's Half Mile Film Festival
Footcandle Film Festival

Select Clients

California Center for Rural Policy
UC Berkeley Disaster Lab
FSA Firecoat
Cal Poly Humboldt
City of Eureka
University of Calgary