Nicole Christie

Nicole Christie - Principal, Creative Director, Writer - NICO Inc.

Nicole has been writing since age 7, when she penned her first short story, Nancy the Nanny Goat. Throughout elementary school, her passion for Judy Blume’s truthful tales fueled her to write her own books, which her teachers frequently chose as classroom “story time” selections. At the age of 12, she became the youngest person to place in the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest for her submission of the opening paragraph to the worst novel ever written. There was no monetary prize involved, but her story and photo did make the front page of the local paper, which was nifty enough for her to keep writing. Nicole received her B.A. in sociology from the University of Washington and is also a graduate of the university’s nonfiction writing program. She began her career having too much fun in radio promotions, then learned to fly by the seat of her pants in PR and marketing with Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s investment and project management company, Vulcan. She then cut her corporate communication teeth for five years at Microsoft before achieving one of her lifelong dreams: moving to New York City and launching NICO, a one-woman communications firm specializing in employee communication strategy and development for clients such as Microsoft, Pfizer, WebMD, Kraft, American Express, NASDAQ, Disney, and Ingersoll Rand. Nicole also earns the occasional byline as a freelance writer; her work has appeared in The New York Post, Yahoo Shine, Seattle Weekly, The Seattle Times, BettyConfidential.com, and Go World Travel, and is featured in the anthology Doing Good for Goodness’ Sake. In between writing, reading, and running, Nicole indulges her passion for “music through earphones” and firmly believes that minor hearing loss is a small price to pay for the strength and inspiration she has gained from all things musical. She has sung her lungs out with the Seattle Ladies Choir and scratched her funny bone as a comedy writer and performer, having studied in New York City under Groundlings alum Holly Mandel and Second City veteran Armando Diaz, and performed with the troupe What’s Cooking? A Seattle native, Nicole is both a Mariners and Yankees fan (yes, it’s possible), braves the rain sans umbrella, and has a soft spot for grunge bands (particularly any involving Stone Gossard). After four years in New York City, she returned to her hometown in 2009, where she traded public transportation for a MINI Cooper, and favors the shy glances of socially awkward techies and emo dudes over the leers and jeers of Wall Streeters.

Principal & Creative Director at NICO Inc.

September 2005 - Present | Seattle, WA

Communications Consultant at Watson Wyatt (now Towers Watson)

November 2004 - September 2005 | New York, NY

Internal Communications Manager at Microsoft

January 2000 - October 2004 | Redmond, WA

Communications Specialist (PR, Marketing, Internal Comms) at Vulcan Inc.

November 1997 - October 1999 | Seattle, WA

Promotions Manager at WARM 106.9 fm

May 1995 - October 1997 | Seattle, WA

University of Washington

1990 – 1994

Bachelor of Arts

Concentration: Sociology, English

Writing, reading, theater, film, music, comedy, technology, travel, women's rights, animal rights, human behavior, interpersonal relationships, cooking, baking, running, Pilates, yoga