Zachary Shields

Founder of Nischan Pictures

Zachary Shields is a filmmaker and online video content expert with over a decade of experience in advertising, marketing and documentary film making. Shields began his career producing the Webby Award winning, web-video documentary Not Seen Not Heard documenting the effects of the Southeast Asian Tsunami of 2004. Shortly thereafter, he helped grow a successful online video agency over the course of six years working for some of the top brands in the world such as Coca Cola, The Gates Foundation, and the Super Bowl.

Shields is the founder of Nischan Pictures, an online video content company based out of Washington, D.C. As a filmmaker, he has produced amongst others, To The Edge, a TV series chronicling the journey of ultra-runner Ray Zahab, as he endeavors to run alone thousands of miles in some of the most challenging environments across the Gobi Desert and Arctic. Most recently, Shields co-produced the feature documentary, Night School, unveiling the challenges and harsh realities of adult education in inner-city Indianapolis. The documentary was awarded a MacArthur Foundation grant in 2015.

He earned his Bachelor of Science in Informatics & New Media from Indiana University. Whether producing and shooting an independent film or launching a company, Shields approaches each experience with an entrepreneurial spirit. With roots in online storytelling and multi-media communication, as well as a diverse background in filmmaking, Shields brings forth extensive knowledge from a variety of visual story-telling strategies and mediums. He has traveled to, and documented projects across, North America, South America, Europe, South East Asia and Africa.