NICOLE TEENY is…

…the founder of Teeny Motion Pictures and an Edward R. Murrow–, Signal Awards—, and Slamdance Award–winning filmmaker and podcast creator whose immersive nonfiction work has appeared on Netflix, ESPN’s 30 for 30, Paramount+, the Sundance Channel, and at the Venice Film Festival. Her projects have been supported by the Tribeca Film Institute, PGA Create Lab, and the U.S. Department of Education & Cultural Affairs, and her work has been recognized in TIME Magazine’s Best 100 Podcasts of All Time.

Nicole tells high-stakes, complex, and layered stories with emotional depth, often by working closely with people inside deeply rooted communities and environments where endurance, belief, and human relationships are tested. Her work is built on long-term relationships, mutual trust, and a deep respect for the people who share their lives on camera.

Her work includes GIRL v. HORSE (ESPN 30 for 30), a genre-bending series at the intersection of endurance science and memoir, in which Nicole raced a 50-mile ultramarathon against horses (listen to find out who won); BULLETPROOF STOCKINGS (in production), a feature documentary about an all-female Hasidic rock band; and BIBLE QUIZ set inside the competitive world of evangelical teens. She also reported from the first-ever triathlon hosted in Antarctica, where she placed third overall and became the second woman in history to complete a triathlon on the continent.

Her practice also spans narrative and scripted work, including PERIOD., a Shorty-winning short film that premiered on Paramount+, reached global audiences, and was released internationally for International Women’s Day. Her projects have additionally been distributed via Amazon Prime, Kanopy, PlutoTV, Good Docs, and BET Africa.

An NYU Tisch Film School alum, Nicole is a queer Arab-American writer/director based in New York with ties to Beirut and Tacoma. She’s spoken at the United Nations, SXSW, and her work has been preserved in an MIT Press textbook and the U.S. Library of Congress. She is currently developing new immersive fiction and nonfiction projects. Her creative practice also spans glassblowing, designing Nasty Ribbons, and endurance disciplines that inform her storytelling.

Work With NICOLE

• Director / writer / creator (nonfiction + narrative + branded)

• Podcast creator + host

• Speaker / panelist / workshop lead

• Creative consultant

Interested in commissioning work, booking Nicole to speak, or exploring a creative collaboration? Click “Contact” or email her directly.

Just the Headlines…

Below are recent highlights from Nicole’s narrative, documentary, and immersive nonfiction work.

MOST RECENTLY:

• GIRL V HORSE, a memoir podcast series for ESPN 30 for 30. Edward R. Murrow Award Winner. Mentioned in TIME Magazine’s Best 100 Podcasts of All Time. Signal Award Winner (including Best Documentary podcast). Ambie Award Winner. Webby nominated. Finalist in the If/Then Tribeca Film Institute pitch. This podcast is also Nicole’s personal memoir!

Select SCRIPTED projects:

• PERIOD, a short narrative film, writer/director (teen comedy), just premiered on Paramount+ in a Shorty Award-winning anthology of 5 films called “IN BLOOM”. It’s also available on BET, PlutoTV, and Prime Video.

  PUBLIC POOL, a short narrative script, writer/director, (drama), invited to the Berlin Film Festival’s short film lab and won numerous screenplay awards (see below)

• Winner of the New South Young Playwrights Award.

• THE DRAMZ, pilot director-for-hire, (dramedy) faux reality show pilot I was hired to direct for LIFETIME.

Select DOC projects:

• BIBLE QUIZ, winner of the Slamdance Grand Jury award (see more awards below), played on Netflix, theatrically nationwide, Sundance Channel, Kanopy, and was selected for the US State Department’s “American Film Showcase.” Hollywood Reporter called it "instantly lovable,” the LA Times said it was “Smart, funny, and disarming,” and the San Francisco Bay Guardian said it was “a film that people will remember for years to come.” This was Nicole’s debut documentary.

• UNITY MOSQUE, a short doc, is now on Good Docs, won “Best Direction” at the Toronto LGBTQ Film Festival, and has an extensive festival run, including Outfest, Newfest, InsideOut, the Cleveland International Film Festival, the Seattle International Film Festival, Cucalorus, and others.

• THE WRITER, a short doc exhibited at the Venice Film Festival and over 100 museums/consulates/galleries worldwide, featured in the MIT Press textbook Objections, part of Harun Farouki’s Labor in A Single Shot.

What’s IN Post:

• BULLETPROOF STOCKINGS, an indie feature doc, about the world’s first all-female Hasidic rock band (supported by MOFFOM, LEF, Jewish Film Institute, Cambridge Arts, Points North, Doc-a-chusettes Pitch winner, finalist at Fork Film and Chicken & Egg)

• ARAB QUEER DOC (WIP), an indie doc, about Sarah Hegazi and others (supported by IDA, InsideOut re:Focus Grant, PGA Create, and Breaking Through The Lens.)

• UTITLED FEATURE SCREENPLAY

…and some other exciting things are being cooked up in development.

Pssst… check out branded projects, like COMMUNAL FUTURES, a branded doc series.

Select Speaking Clients:

• United Nations

• SXSW

• Epilepsy Foundation Northeast

• Podcast Evolutions

• On Air Fest

• Indie Memphis

• Toronto Muslim LGBTQ Pride

Fun Facts & Highlights:

• Second woman to complete a triathlon on Antarctica, third place overall in the first officially hosted race on Antarctica.

• Based in Brooklyn but also works locally in Los Angeles, Beirut, & Seattle.

• Founder of Nasty Ribbons, a design company featured in BUST magazine, USA Today, Culture Trip & others.

• Runs. Like a lot. Recently, she ran 50 miles against horses for a memoir series she made with ESPN 30 for 30.

• Previously, a set designer and graphic designer. Ask for portfolios.

• Held local political office for two terms.

• Glassblower. Performed, invented, and hand-blown musical glass instruments with the MIT Glass Band.

• Officiated four weddings to date.

• Former treasurer of the Hajji Baba Rug Club at the National Fine Arts Club.

RESUME or CURRICULUM VITAE available on request.

SELECT AWARDS & RESIDENCIES:

ARTIST AWARDS
2025 Make Her Mark Finalist
2016 Berlinale Talents – Berlin International Film Festival
2014 Most Promising Filmmaker – Spokane International Film Festival
2013 Emerging Filmmaker Award – Chagrin Documentary Film Festival

RECOGNITION FOR GIRL V. HORSE
2025 Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Sound
2025 Ambie Award-nominated for Best Production and Sound Design
2025 Podcast Creator Finalist for Health And Wellness
2025 Webby Nominated
2020 Tribeca If/Then Pitch at Big Sky Film Festival

FILM RECOGNITION FOR BULLETPROOF STOCKINGS
Work-in-Progress
2024 Jewish Film Institute Grantee
2019 Winner at The Doc-a-chusetts Pitch at Salem Film Fest
LEF Moving Image grant
Cambridge art grants
Finalist at Fork Films
Finalist Chicken & Egg. 

RECOGNITION FOR PERIOD
SHORTY Award Winner

RECOGNITION FOR THE SARAH HEGAZI DOCUMENTARY
Work-in-Progress
Breaking Through the Lens & Toronto International Film Festival Pitch
2020 IDA (Independent Documentary Association) Enterprise Development Grant
InsideOut Re:Focus Grant
PGA Create Lab

AWARDS FOR UNITY MOSQUE
Best Direction, LGBT Toronto Film Festival

© Nicole Teeny, 2024. All rights reserved.