PERSONAL SUMMARY
Niki Selken (Nicole) M.F.A. is a tech and design consultant living in San Francisco. By day she has as focused on non-profit and design client work with her company Big Treehouse; she has a ten year career working with schools, publishers, design firms, feel-good organizations, law enforcement agencies, law offices, and small businesses of all kinds to help make their relationship with technology grow and change with the ever-shifting technological landscape. Her nighttime pursuits include playwrighting, performance, DJing, and blogging.
TECHNOLOGY & DESIGN EXPERIENCE
Big Treehouse 2008 – Present
Founder and CFO
- Founded Bay Area IT and Web services.
- Focusing on helping small business and non profits move from onsite to cloud and hosted website and computer solutions.
- Clients include SEIU USWW, LYRIC, El/La, Zen Hospice, Beck Law Group, National Outdoor Media, and Education Outside.
Hesperian Foundation 2009 – 2011
IT and Web Projects Manager
- Managed an upgrade of internal IT infrastructure (Mac, Windows, Linux servers) for Berkeley publishing company.
- Supported the expansion of publishing content to new digital formats
- Technical direction for Digital Commons: online art database, Wordpress/CMS based website, e-pub conversion with ebrary, and web publishing systems.
Giant Rabbit 2009 – 2011
Technology Consultant
- IT Consultant for a Bay are firm focusing in Non Profit web and computer and technology services.
Thinc 2006 – 2009
Chief Technologist
- Research and purchase equipment; install and maintain computers, software, servers, and networks for leading Bay Area design firm. Directed animated marketing presentation for Wal-Mart (May 2006).
UC Santa Cruz 2001 – 2005
Audio-Visual Assistant
- Helped to repair electronics and install audio-visual systems using SP Controls, Crestron and AMX.
- Researched and ordered equipment for classroom installations,with budgets up to $200,000.
- Video source switching for live televised broadcasts.
Various Productions 2001 – 2006
Lighting Designer and Operator
- Design looks and light choices for dance, theatrical productions, and art shows.
- Fringe Festival, Edinburgh, UK (2002), Actors Theater, Santa Cruz (2002), San Jose Stage Company (2004), Interrupted Life, New College of CA (2006).
CREATIVE DIRECTION
Ko Labs Theater Collective 2007 – Present
Creative Director
- Ko Labs, founded in 2007 by Niki Selken, is a Ko-laboratory catalyst for new theater works.
- Gods of San Francisco: wrote and performed one-act multi-media musical .
- Moving Through Syzygryd: directed site-specific movement piece in connection with instillation Syzygryd.
- The Pride and Prejudice Project : wrote and performed experimental adaptation of Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
- Mourning Papers: co-directed this 30 minute, 50 performer anti-war performance piece Novemeber 2007, Union Square, San Francisco.
- The Memory of Water: Directed, and Performed evening length multimedia performance piece.
CAT Productions 2001
Creative Director
- Directed performance of Low Level Panic at Custard Factory in Birmingham, England.
PERFORMANCE
She Was a Computer 2012
Actor
- Performed and technical support in Cara Rose DeFabio’s original piece about women in the digital age at Counterpulse Theater, San Francisco.
- Performance received a review in The Atlantic by the tech editor.
Worlds Apart: Local Response – 51802 2007
Dancer
- Dancer in Erika Chong Shuch’s performance piece about issues of incarceration at Yerba Buena Forum Theater, San Francisco.
Bodies in Crisis 2002
Dancer
- Ensemble based Butoh inspired performance about September 9-11 performed at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Scotland.
Cinderella 1999
Actor
- Acted a Regan, an Evil stepsister, in this musical production of Cinderella directed by Paul Whitworth at UCSC Main Stage, Santa Cruz.
EDUCATION AND CERTIFICATION
- 2012 San Francisco City College, Continuing education in HTML5/CSS and Design
- 2007 New College of California, MFA in Experimental Performance
- 2003 UC Santa Cruz, Certificate in Theater
- 2002 UC Santa Cruz, Bachelor of Arts in Theater
KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS
Adobe Photoshop  Expert Knowledge  Adobe CS3 - CS6 fluent
Adobe Illustrator Expert Knowledge  Adobe CS3 - CS6 fluent
Adobe In Design Moderate Knowledge  Adobe CS3 - CS6 fluent
HTML5/CSS Moderate Knowledge  Fluent in current xHTML5 and CSS standards
PHP/MySQL Moderate Knowledge  Fluent in various MySQL applications and PHP
Mac / PC Expert Knowledge  Windows and Mac desktop and server fluent
Wordpress Expert Knowledge  Fluent in customizing and designing Wordpress