About
Mateo Nikolav is an Ecuadorian-American writer/director and multimedia producer based in Los Angeles, California.
Born and raised in Ecuador, he developed a passion for storytelling after living in three countries during his teenage years, cultivating an appreciation for cultural diversity.
In 2018, Mateo moved to Los Angeles to pursue an Associate's degree in Film Production at Santa Monica College, later transferring to UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television on a full scholarship, where he got his Bachelors degree in Film Production and Screenwriting.
He has completed competitive internships across the entertainment industry, including development at Bunim-Murray and the Television Academy, and marketing strategy/creative at HBO and Illumination Entertainment, exposing him to the full spectrum of storytelling from concept to audience engagement across formats and platforms.
In 2021, he founded Queer Films Now!, an initiative uplifting LGBTQIA+ filmmakers through free workshops and grants. Their "Mobile Filmmaking Masterclass" garnered over 15 short film submissions and corporate sponsorships from LumaTouch, Filmic Inc., Moondog Labs, and Final Draft Inc.
In 2023, Mateo launched Mindo Laboratories, where he has helped finance and produce films that celebrate our shared human experience— receiving development grants from the Point Foundation, MACEF, and private investors. His commercial work includes directing a commercial campaign for Apple and Beats by Dre featuring NCAA athletes, as well as creating content for artists like Fee and Marina Vanoff, the City of Los Angeles, and the LA Phil.
Most recently, Mateo was awarded a grant from Beijing Normal University to direct 'Sixty Seconds,' a documentary on China's vertical drama industry, and was accepted into PageCraft's prestigious screenwriting intensive to develop his feature 'Love is a foreign language'
Mateo's drive is to collaborate on telling stories that bring people together, asking daring questions and experimenting with genre-melding narratives that celebrate unheard voices and reflect on our collective human experience.
Directing Samples
sixty seconds (2025)
this is taxco documentary series (2025)
HOME is with YOU (2024)
BEATS BY DRE SPOTS (2023-2024)
OPERATION STREET KIDS DOCUMENTARY (2023)
CAosina (2023)
Commercial Photography
