Hot in Here Productions
Hot in Here Productions creates documentary-driven content for branded and original projects. Founded by Peabody and Emmy Award-Winning producer Alexandra Nikolchev and photo editor and visual producer Zara Katz, Hot in Here Productions turns concepts and facts into compelling stories.
With a diverse background in journalism and photography, all projects reflect the importance of substantial reporting, striking visuals, powerful characters, and documentary filmmaking. Large and small organizations reliant on video as today’s most powerful medium turn to Hot in Here Productions for unique content.
Hot in Here Productions has built an expansive international network of industry professionals supporting projects produced from concept to finish. A collaborative approach and focus on clear communication with clients yield innovative and inspiring results.
Zara Katz
DIRECTOR, CINEMATOGRAPHER, PRODUCER
Zara Katz is an independent photo editor and video producer for editorial, documentary and branded content. She brings a narrative approach to both still and moving images, specializing in crafting character-driven visual stories. She is the co-creator of @EverydayIncarceration, a collaborative Instagram feed looking at 40 years of mass incarceration in the United States and “Women on the Outside,” an ongoing multimedia project and forthcoming documentary. Katz has worked at The New York Times Lens blog, Time magazine and Newsweek. Last year, she was the Director of Still Photography Production for Lifetime/A+E Networks special digital project, “Her America: 50 Women 50 States.” Most recently, she was the Senior Photography Producer on a collaborative project with Getty Images, Dove and Girlgaze to create a new collection of licensable images and the current Dove campaign featuring 179 women around the world. In this role Katz sourced, hired and provided the creative direction for 116 women and non-binary photographers in 39 countries, each of whom was a citizen or resident of the country they represented.
Alexandra Nikolchev
Director, Cinematographer, Editor, Producer
Alexandra Nikolchev is a Peabody and Emmy Award-Winning filmmaker creating space for unexpected voices to emerge in the media landscape. She brings top level professionalism, creativity, leadership and problem-solving to each project. An expert in verite filmmaking, Alexandra knows how to transform topics and ideas into emotionally-charged and complex character-driven stories. Her work has appeared in a range of journalism outlets. She's held key creative roles on independent documentaries and branded campaigns. She has experience creating videos with a dual purpose of drawing a wide audience and impacting stakeholders at major events. Alexandra works both as an independent freelancer and manages projects from start to end with Hot in Here Productions. She values collaboration and feels lucky to have worked with many great people in her industry.