Nikki Braendlin

Nikki Braendlin began her artistic career studying at the Stella Adler Academy of Acting, Los Angeles. Small television and film roles ensued (e.g. Desperate Housewives; For Your Love; LAX; The Job) but she soon changed her focus to producing and directing theater.

In 2013 Nikki produced award-winning playwright Timothy McNeil’s Machu Picchu, Texas, which garnered “Critic’s Choice” from the LA TIMES and “Pick of the Week” from LA WEEKLY. She also co-founded and served as President of Hear Me Roar Productions, an all-women’s theater company that produced shows benefitting women’s and children’s charities. Through HMR and her work as a counselor, she ran writing and acting workshops for at-risk teenaged girls, directing productions of their original works.

Nikki’s first film as writer/director, As High as the Sky, was released by Cinema Libre Studio in Spring 2014 following a successful festival run. The film, shot with an all-female cast and key crew, won several awards including the Jury and Audience Award at the Sonoma Int’l Film Festival, the Audience Award at the Palm Beach Int’l Film Festival and Best Narrative at the inaugural Shining Light Film Festival (dedicated to films addressing mental health issues).

Nikki is the manager of Aunt Kiki Productions, a film production company based in Los Angeles. She is an executive member of Women in Film, a member of Film Independent and the Alliance of Women Directors, and a mentor with the Young Storytellers Foundation.