Zimbabwean born Nico is no newbie to the camera. Determined to pursue a career in filmmaking, he crossed the border to South Africa almost 12 years ago. Nico was soon nabbed as a camera operator by shows like 50/50 and Carte Blanche. One wintery morning, in Muizenburg, with only his groceries and his showreel in his backpack, the then 23 year old Nico noticed the Let it Rain offices. Lucky for all of us, Nico decided to go in and drop off his reel. A decision that lead to a rich career shooting content on some of the toughest film sets around the world and an opportunity to be closely mentored by Director Lee Doig (oh you know, only the guy who won an Emmy).

iDidTht: ‘Hang on, do you always carry your showreel around with you?’
Nico: ‘Haha, starting out in the industry yes. I definitely don’t regret having it on me that day and showing it to Sam [Executive Producer Sam Kelly] and Lee [Director Lee Doig]. Lee even showed me his.’

iDidTht: ‘Haha, wait, he showed you his showreel? You must have platzed yourself?!’
Nico: ‘Yeah my 23 year old self was pretty humbled. Luckily they were both incredibly warm and encouraging and said I could hang out there any time and do odd jobs in the office. Soon we became good mates. Two months later I started filming and editing all the company’s behind-the-scenes footage which lead to me directing their content and Lee officially starting to mentor me.’

Nico has spent years grafting as Lee’s assistant on commercials sets and he joined the seasoned Director as his camera assistant back in 2012 on Survivor: Caramoan – yes that’s the American one with forever-young presenter Jeff Probst. Nico quickly proved himself to be a valuable asset to the team and since then has done 15 seasons of Survivor, gradually working his way up the snake-infested ladder; from Lee’s assistant for 6 years to becoming a junior shooter, a camera operator, and eventually, in the latest season of Survivor: Edge of Extinction; Head of Camera. His impressive career also includes working as a cameraman on shows like Masterchef SA, Fear Factor India and I’m a Celebrity Australia – all shows that carry the iDidTht stamp of Binge-Worthy Series approval.

Not only has Nico’s wealth of experience taught him how to think on his feet with a real gut instinct for where the shot is, but like his mentor Lee, he is incredibly passionate about telling unpretentious authentic human stories and showcasing beautiful imagery. Oh, and if there’s an immunity idol to be found, you better believe he’ll be there to capture the moment. We’re pretty sure agencies will be clamouring to use him for all their content needs soon, so get in there and contact Let it Rain Films and Nico here: https://ididthat.co/let-it-rain-films/