Creative Writing Hosts Filmmaker Nico Hess

The Creative Writing department had the privilege of hosting filmmaker Nico Hess yesterday for an inspiring conversation with students about film, photography, and his creative process.

Nicholas Hess is an award-winning wildlife photographer and emerging conservation storyteller whose work focuses on reptiles, amphibians, and the underwater world. His passion for conservation began in Southern California in 2011, photographing snakes and tidepool creatures, and has since taken him across Latin America, the South Pacific, Australia, and Southeast Asia.

A 2025 graduate of Eckerd College with a B.S. in Marine Science and minors in Film, Journalism, and Spanish, Nico blends science and storytelling to speak for misunderstood and undervalued species. Through film, photography, and writing, he works to highlight both the challenges and the victories of conservation efforts around the world.

We are so grateful he shared his journey and creative insights with our students!

Learn more about his work here: southernexposurefilms.org/films/salabama