Veronica Nickel is an independent producer based in New York. She is in post-production on her fourth feature film, a prison drama entitled Heartlock. Her third feature film entitled Stand Clear of the Closing Doors won the Special Jury Prize at Tribeca in 2013 and went on to play at acclaimed international festivals like Karlovy Vary, Deauville, BFI London, and Busan. Nickel’s traditional western, Dead Man’s Burden had its theatrical release in May 2013. She produced the thriller Nor’easter that premiered in July 2013. In 2010, Nickel was chosen to take part in the prestigious Sundance Institute Creative Producing Summit. In 2009, while earning her M.F.A. at Columbia University, she was awarded the Arthur Krim Endowment Award for excellence in producing. She continues her relationship with Columbia University as an advisor. Nickel currently runs her own production company, llluminaria Productions.