Meet Nicole Sylvester

Nicole is an award-winning Brooklyn-based filmmaker.

Maya & Her Lover is her debut feature film as writer/director. The film is about a woman who, stifled by complicated memories of her overbearing father and on the verge of becoming a recluse, begins a sexual relationship with a much younger man who at the ripe age of 22 is unsuccessfully attempting to overcome his past.

Maya & Her Lover has played at several film festivals including American Black Film Festival, where it was nominated for ‘’Best Feature Film’’ and “Best Director”, Harlem International Film Festival, where it won “Best Feature”, Detroit Trinity International Film Festival where it won “Best Feature”, Black Harvest Film Festival, Pan African Film Festival and Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival.

Schedule a Strategy Session

Nicole has been a director all her life. Her family has always called her bossy, but her professional career began as a producer/director at a local cable company in Detroit.

There she was able to hone her skills culminating in a national Cable ACE nomination and a local Cable ICE Award win.

Nicole transitioned from cable to the greener pastures of film production by directing the short films The Stop and Minor Blues.

The success of these films helped establish her as a burgeoning filmmaker on Detroit’s independent filmmaking scene.

Nicole has been a panelist at several film festivals and film related events. She is a former board member of the Detroit Film Center where she also taught filmmaking workshops and is the recipient of three Public Benefit Corporation grants for film productions.

🎬🎬🎬

Nicole’s other credits include writer/director on the collaborative feature film The Owner, where she joined forces with 25 filmmakers from 13 countries to produce/direct the first international feature film of its kind landed the 25 filmmakers in the Guinness World Records for “Most Directors on an International Film.”

She has also produced several projects including the feature films Blood Bound and Cargo.

Shot entirely in the Bahamas, Cargo has played at numerous film festivals winning several awards including Best Diaspora Film at the Silicon Valley African Film Festival, Best Film at the Haiti International Film Festival and winner of the Amnesty International Human Rights Prize for film.

🎥Her expertise and knowledge of the studio system comes from years as a production coordinator for studio and network such as HBO, Sony Pictures, Starz and Amazon Studios. Nicole is a member of Producers Guild, New York Women in Film & TV, Women Independent Producers, Film Fatales and Alliance of Women Directors.

Films Directed or Produced by Nicole

Ready to bring your film idea to life, but need expert guidance?

Whether you're developing your first screenplay, preparing for production, stuck in post, or trying to figure out your next move, this one-on-one strategy session is designed around your project and your goals.

Developing your film idea
Budgeting + scheduling guidance
Writing feedback or story development
Directing advice + production prep
Working with actors + talent deals (SAG included)
Funding strategies + where to start
Career path, goals, and next steps
Festival and distribution strategy
Building your filmmaking career
Pitch decks, proposals, and presentations
Marketing your film
Solving a specific production challenge
Or anything else that's keeping your project from moving forward.

Sometimes you don't need another course—you need someone who's been there.

For 60 minutes, you'll have direct access to over 25 years of real-world filmmaking experience. I've worked on independent films, studio productions, documentaries, television, and international shoots. I've navigated the creative challenges, production headaches, budgeting decisions, festival strategy, and distribution questions that every filmmaker eventually faces.

This isn't a generic consultation. It's a working session.

Come with one question or twenty.

Bring your screenplay, budget, pitch deck, business plan, treatment, or simply your idea. We'll spend our time where it creates the biggest impact.

My goal isn't just to answer your questions.

It's to help you leave with a clearer plan, greater confidence, and practical next steps you can immediately put into action.

60 Minutes | $125 | Zoom

Schedule a 60-Minute Zoom with Nicole