Sundance award-winning writer/director Nichol Simmons began her career working in the production office of feature films in her home state of Ohio while still a film student at Wright State University. After gaining a few years of professional experience, she relocated to Los Angeles and worked in various freelance positions before entering academia.

Following a stint at USC's School of Cinematic Arts, she joined the American Film Institute, where, as Director of National Workshops, she ran the prestigious Directing Workshop for Women. During this time, Nichol oversaw the production of over 200 short films produced within the DWW and AFI Conservatory and evaluated more than 1000 short scripts from DWW applicants. Films she has mentored have been screened at festivals worldwide, including Tribeca, Slamdance, and Comi-Con, and have won awards at fests, including Cannes and Palm Springs.

While at AFI, Nichol founded a non-profit corporation and created Film Camp for Girls - a three-week intensive training camp targeting young women interested in pursuing higher education in film and video production after high school. She also co-founded a Las Vegas-based post-production company while continuing to develop her work. While running her businesses, she also began volunteering to mentor students and recent Motion Picture Production program graduates at Wright State University. As an active alum for over two decades, Nichol has helped dozens of students and recent grads secure some of their first paid positions in the industry.

After briefly returning to USC as a Professional Development Specialist, she returned to writing and directing full-time. Nichol's work includes writing and directing several short films and web series episodes and contributing to movies for Rumble Films, Lifetime, Comedy Central, and PAX. A two-time Nicholl semi-finalist for her scripts DONE ALREADY GONE and BABY FAT, she completed her MFA in Screenwriting at Cal State Northridge.