Meet Nico Elia Wander

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nico Elia Wander. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Nico Elia, thanks for sitting with us today to chat about topics that are relevant to so many. One of those topics is communication skills, because we live in an age where our ability to communicate effectively can be like a superpower. Can you share how you developed your ability to communicate well?

A big part of that skill was developed during acting school I have to say. Especially when it comes to acting techniques, Sandford Meisner’s philosophy has played a crucial role in how I view affective communication in life as well as on stage. No to get lost within the depth of his teachings, which are all thoroughly discussed in his book, probably the most important thing for an effective communication (or a two-person-scene so to speak) doesn’t even begin with you. But the other person. What they are saying, how their faces reacts to the words she’s speaking, if they are looking at you, how her hands and body move. So by actively listening and taking the other person truly in, we get a way better understanding of what the other person wants and needs. By leaving ourselves out of it, being out of our heads.
I think I’ve always had a liking for people that communicate that way with me – now I know what they were doing. Being into linguistics in general doesn’t hurt either on your journey to master and effectively use your ear and words. I remember being taught in school that during presentations or public speakings or even normal day-to-day conversations, the actual words you’re saying only make up a small part of what you’re communicating with your body (or instrument). A substantial amount of what other people perceive from you is constructed by your body language. And then something with the tone of your voice I think. So with Meisner and his technique we have a blueprint to make use of these findings and use it to tell great stories and interact more genuinely with each other.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I hail from the small but mighty Switzerland, a country where snow-capped peaks break the horizons to the sound of bell-towers. Every. Single. Hour! My childhood unfolded in smaller towns just beyond the reach of the bigger cities. Back then, a bike wasn’t just a mode of transportation—it was a lifeline. The cold stung my cheeks, and rain often left trails on my coat, but those rides taught me resilience. My first experience on stage was a completely different kind of ride. I had joined a dance troupe outside of school, a vibrant escape where I got to experiment with movement and music. That passion for performing simmered quietly until it found new fire during my first big venture abroad—to Santa Barbara, CA in order to study abroad and I began to explore not only different and new ways of life but also the roles I might play in it. Returning to Switzerland, I found myself drawn deeper into the world of performance, this time with words and characters instead of steps. I joined a local theatre company and threw myself into their annual plays. Now, I find myself in the sprawling city of Los Angeles. Here, the landscape couldn’t be more different. The trams of my childhood have been replaced by an endless flow of cars—many of them driving themselves. The sky remains a vivid, unbroken blue, and the hum of ambition fills the air. I’m working on film sets now of various sizes and participated in making shorts, commercials, voice overs and even tested the waters in a couple features.
I’ve always wanted to plaster a wall with as many postcards from different places as possible. All with stories on their backs. With hard work and dedication, I’ve been able to fill my wall(s) with these time capsules. They ground me in a city that never stops moving, whispering stories of the ever-turning wheel of life.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

A quality that’s definitely needed in order to do things that are a bit out of the ordinary is dedication. It needs this extra little effort in order to make something happen that not many have done in your immediate circle.
You need courage. To saying no I want to try and learn something different. But also when you’re in the thick of it, courage to know you’ll get through and will eventually take your learnings from it.
Business school in Switzerland taught me a lot of how to manage oneself (or a small business). I always thought business school in Switzerland and acting school in LA would never have any parallels with each other but I have learned that this couldn’t be further from the truth. So reflecting you and what you have done and how you might use it in the future is probably the biggest part of it all.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I’d love to meet new creatives and story tellers that have the same urge to be part of something and make great out of things. Film makers, photographers, writers, dancers and so on. Big fan of emails and always reading them too, so that’s probably the best way of reaching out. That’s one things I love about LA, the sheer amount of artists and creatives are concentrated here.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://nicoeliawander.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicoaschwanden

Image Credits

Colleen Winfough
Todd Tyler