He fell back in love with New York by getting to know the city’s unique characters … Brut spent an afternoon with New York Nico — New York City’s unofficial talent scout. #Tribeca2022
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00:00If it's New York, I'll give you a f***ing New York.
00:03That's right, where the city never sleeps.
00:07And I agree.
00:10If you didn't have the people of New York, it would just be like any other city.
00:15The same for us too, I mean, you know what I mean?
00:17You don't have a cross because you're Jewish.
00:19Look at that!
00:30When people ask me what I do, I just say I'm the unofficial talent scout of New York
00:34and hope that they don't have any follow-up questions to that.
00:38As I stare in the eyes of this young man named Nick,
00:41who's looking to do not just a regular trick.
00:43Ted Avon over there was the reason why I kind of fell in love with New York.
00:51It was the first time I'd ever been to New York.
00:53Ted Avon over there was the reason why I kind of fell back in love with New York City.
01:01Who's going old school with his slick iPhone
01:04as he puts you in the zone like E.T. trying to phone home.
01:07You know, I went to Los Angeles to try to make it as a music video director
01:11and I came back, was super discouraged, was defeated.
01:16I was hanging out in Union Square one day
01:18and I noticed this New York City street celebrity who I've noticed since high school.
01:23This six foot seven white dude with dreadlocks
01:27who carried around a ten pound sign that says
01:30Six foot seven inch Jew will freestyle rap for you.
01:34By the end of us hanging out, I asked him if I could make a short documentary on him.
01:39And I said, great.
01:41You know, talent doesn't necessarily mean, you know, like you have a particular skill set.
01:48Bruising 86th Street, listen to their freestyle music.
01:52Oh yeah, Nicolette. Holy moly.
02:00Talent to me is just like an interesting, entertaining, one of a kind individual.
02:06My problem is that you need to have a thing.
02:08All my people have a thing.
02:09Cuisine does the food, Tiger does the golf.
02:11What do you do?
02:12You know what I do?
02:13Go and f*** yourself.
02:15That's not what I do.
02:16You know, like there are some people who I associate myself with who are talented.
02:22Like Tiger Hood who plays golf with milk containers around the city.
02:25He's also a skilled photographer.
02:27But then there's other people like, you know, Charlie the Wolf
02:30who's just this like grumpy old man who doesn't know what he's doing.
02:35He's just this like grumpy old man who lives in Williamsburg.
02:37I'm old school. Remember that.
02:40I say what the frig I want to say and if they don't like it, too bad.
02:44I like to say that Anthony and Sons panini shop on Graham Avenue in Williamsburg
02:49is like my unofficial second office.
02:52It's this old school Italian deli in Williamsburg and it just like attracts characters.
02:58Cuisine.
02:59This place has so much f***ing oil on it, George Bush is going to invade them.
03:03Forget about it.
03:04What do I look like? Chopped liver?
03:05Irma.
03:06What is it? Not what it is.
03:09They were all birthed from the panini shop.
03:12But I feel like businesses like that are so important to the city.
03:16Interesting old school New Yorkers can congregate and like, you know, be themselves.
03:22Charlie, you're so miserable. You are so miserable. You know what? I can't put up with it anymore.
03:26Yo.
03:27I know it sounds crazy, but it's really like an energy thing.
03:31I can immediately tell from somebody's energy if they're someone who I want to explore more.
03:39I just, I don't know, like I just feel excited.
03:42There's like something about the New York attitude that I can't quite put my finger on,
03:46but you can always tell when somebody's from New York and when they're not from New York.
03:50Hey, how you doing, camera?
03:51It's also like a friendship, like I become friends with all the people that I feature.
03:55Wait, this is beautiful.
03:57What's beautiful? What the f*** is beautiful about this place?
04:00It's called White Marble.
04:01It's beautiful.
04:02It's the future of New York City.
04:05If this is the future, I'm glad I'm leaving soon.
04:07Bye, Nico.
04:08Bye, sweetheart.
04:09And who is your community in New York?
04:12That's a good question. I don't know.
04:14Everybody.
04:16Everybody who I'm cool with, except for the guy who I was trying to avoid over there.
04:21Hey, what do you want to do?
04:24This guy here is giving the real truth.
04:27Well, I live through my camera.
04:29I'm a pretty shy person generally, but my camera kind of gives me that separation
04:36that makes me feel more comfortable.
04:43I do a lot of commercial work, and now I'm able to incorporate them into all of that work as well
04:49and get them paid.
04:51A lot of these people don't realize it, but they love being in front of the camera.
04:57With my new film, I've kind of turned these people into movie stars.
05:02Seeing them at my premiere, watching themselves on the big screen was really cool.
05:07What are you looking at?
05:08Copy that.
05:09What the f*** is this guy?
05:11He looks like a sausage. Where did he come from?
05:13Where do you want to see the New York Nico community go?
05:17I love New York. I love the people of New York.
05:20I don't know how to answer that, sorry.
05:22I was also distracted by that really cute puppy.