Nick Fitzhugh

Nick Fitzhugh is an award-winning director / producer who began his career as a student at Brown University (BFA ‘02) by founding Glimpse. Seven years later the company was acquired by the National Geographic Society. He continued to run what became National Geographic Glimpse for three years with Glimpse co-founder, Kerala Taylor. In 2010, Nick turned his full-time attention to directing, producing, writing and shooting short films, music videos, series and features. His first film, Soccer City (2010), a documentary series about life and soccer in the largest and most notorious township in South Africa during the first ever World Cup to be held in Africa, was picked up by Nat Geo, ESPN Classic, and SuperSport and is also available on VOD.  

In post-production is Lifeblood, a documentary short about the River Nile and its people through the eyes the lives and the music of the best musicians that live along it.

Nick is currently showrunning CONFLICT, a documentary series that goes behind the lens with some the world's best conflict photographers. 

Through his production company redfitz, Nick has produced and directed films for global brands and organizations such as National Geographic, ESPN Classic, TED, SuperSport, Nat Geo Student Expeditions, The New York Times and The Helmsley Charitable Trust.

“Quite like previous generations passing away but begetting new Fitzhughs, Starboard Light, even in passing, begets more of what it created, a formidable togetherness.”
— Heran Abate

Director's Statement

“The most fundamental human structure is the family, and the most fundamental manmade structure is the house. The symbiotic relationship between the two has a greater impact on us as individuals and as a society than anything else in life. While the universality of this relationship remains steadfast, families today are finding it much harder to see the value in holding on to homes for generations, and, in turn, are struggling to establish ways to spend quality time with each other. By intimately focusing on the emotional attachments and memories of one family through the legacy of their home, Starboard Light shows us the tremendous value of cultivating strong relationships with immediate and extended family members, reminding viewers of the foundational structure most pivotal in uniting them: the home.

Through the integration of old home video footage, archive photographs, recordings, and stories, Starboard Light transcends time. Taking place over the course of a century, it is visual depiction of American History through the experiences of five generations of my family–the Fitzhugh family–juxtaposing the sense of timelessness synonymous with a stable home with the inevitable realization of ephemerality in the process. As commentary on Americana, Starboard Light preserves quintessential pieces of American culture for domestic and international audiences alike.”

– Nick Fitzhugh