Nicki Fletcher Rocks Nashville 

After EC, Nicki Fletcher ’13 attended Southern Methodist University (SMU) where she earned dual degrees in creative advertising and graphic design. In August she was nominated for the 2023 Country Music Association Music Video of the Year.

Reprinted from EC Magazine, Winter 2024

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Tell us about your journey from EC to Nashville.

The summer between my junior and senior years at SMU, I started touring as a content creator and band assistant for The Loving Mary Band on Steven Tyler’s solo tour. I got to spend the summer traveling the country on a tour bus and dipping my toes into the music industry. I completely fell in love with the feeling of freedom and creativity that came with touring and knew that the music industry was where I wanted to be. I started visiting Nashville as often as possible to network and eventually found a team that I wanted to join — a management company called House of 42, which was a company within Red Light Management.

My move to Nashville was not a perfect transition.

I established a relationship with the owner/head manager at House of 42 and consistently followed up about potential opportunities to work with her team. At the time, they didn’t have a position for an entry-level creative role, but I was relentless, so the owner ended up creating a position for me. As soon as she officially offered me the job, I loaded up my car with everything I owned, drove 10 hours to Nashville and stayed with friends for about a week until I found myself a little rental house.

I think it’s worth emphasizing that my move to Nashville was not a perfect transition. Granted, I had a job lined up, but I didn’t have every logistical detail figured out. What I did know was that I was determined enough to figure it out, and sure enough, I did!

What was your first big “break” in the music industry?

Rather than one notable “break,” I feel like my path has consisted of many small cracks that have gotten me to where I am now, but there are a few significant “cracks” I can point to. In 2018, I art directed Maren Morris’s GIRL album. I designed the cover artwork and all the graphics, including merch, tour admats, social graphics and posters. This was the first time my creative abilities were taken seriously, and getting to collaborate with an artist at that level opened a lot of doors for me.

In 2019, I began touring full-time as Ryan Hurd’s creative director. That was a very positive and expanding experience because I got to establish a strong creative relationship with Ryan and ultimately build an entire visual world with him. It was my first real shot at creative directing, and I realized how much I enjoy the depths of creative direction.

In the summer of 2020, I got the opportunity to direct my first major label music video for Ryan Hurd’s song, “Every Other Memory.” That was a huge breakthrough because it was when I realized that I wanted to be a director. I truly poured myself into that project. I used the budget to get the best crew and gear I could get my hands on. I learned how much I didn’t know and fell in love with the entire process from pre-production through the final edit.

From there, I started getting a lot of smaller directing opportunities, and eventually those opportunities blossomed into bigger and more exciting ones. Now, three years later, I’ve been nominated for a CMA Award for Music Video of the Year alongside my directing partner Mason Allen. After all the hard work and smaller breaks, it does feel like a nomination on that level is a big break because it’s indicative of the level we’ve worked our way to.

How has your career evolved or changed?

My career has evolved so much since moving to Nashville. I started out as a creative assistant at an artist management company, and now, five years later, I’m a freelance creative director and co-own a production company with my directing partner, Mason Allen.

Building my own business comes with a lot of freedom and requires a lot of discipline, but I really love what I do, so I can honestly say that the majority of the time, I wake up excited to dive into work.

When I worked as a creative assistant, most of my time was spent in an office. But now, I rarely go into an office. When I’m writing video treatments or doing emails, I mostly work from home or a coffee shop. And then shoot days can be just about anywhere—a studio, train car, warehouse, field or on location somewhere cool, like Jackson Hole, Wyoming or Maui, Hawaii.

What role do you think music videos play in today’s music industry, especially in terms of connecting with your audience?

In the past several years, there has been a shift towards shorter form content (i.e., TikTok), so even a 3–4-minute music video is considered long-form content. That being said, I personally see music videos as a storytelling tool that helps build a visual world around the song. Artists are able to add another dimension of expression through the visual medium and therefore connect with their audience on a deeper level.

How does it feel to be recognized for your work in such a prestigious category?

Being nominated for a CMA Award is very special. It is a huge vote of confidence from the industry, and it also acknowledges the years of hard work we’ve put in so far.

Can you share any interesting or memorable moments from the video shoot?

The Memory Lane music video shoot was very fun, and also quite challenging. We had a cast and crew of about 50 people. We filmed the entire video on stationary train cars, which are very small and narrow, so we had to get creative with gear, choreography and framing.

We decided to use a Sony Venice Rialto, which allowed our camera operator to get into the small spaces between the train seats and move freely up and down the aisles. We were fortunate to have a strong crew, so even in a challenging environment such as the train, the process was very smooth. We also had an excellent choreography team who worked with the dancers ahead of time as well as on set.

The dancers themselves were incredible. They brought so much energy and emotion to the video, and really breathed life into it. To create the illusion that the train was flying down a track, we hired an LA-based VFX team. They guided us and our drone pilot through the process of filming an actual track—the Vance Creek Bridge in Washington State—and worked their magic to put our train on the Vance Creek track.

What do you like to do in your free time?

My schedule is busy, but in my free time, I love being outdoors and going on adventures with my 2-year-old daughter, Isla.

Do you have plans to do anything new or different from what you do now?

I am currently planning to branch into pop music videos and commercial production, especially in the LA market. I plan to keep some professional roots in Nashville, but I’m ready for the next big adventure.

Do you make it back to the Pacific Northwest?

I don’t make it back to the Pacific Northwest as often as I’d like, but I do keep in contact with a few people from my graduating class.

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