The career of Nikko Kimzin zigs, zags and zips. If one attempts to cross him on a straight line path, they will miss him by a county mile.
So it was with our interview (excerpted here). I was expecting to have an important, if somewhat staid conversation, about art, politics and policy with the director of Kimzin Creative consultancy (2025 winner of North Bay Business Journal’s 40 under 40). Instead, our conversation centered on his newest work and oldest passion—orchestrating song and dance spectaculars (for Kimzin client Six Flags Mexico City—the only American-styled coaster theme park in all of Latin America).
Kimzin the policy consultant is indeed ex-Broadway gay. And even when talking about the political mechanics of social progress, he seems on the cusp of breaking into song. I here report a snatch of his tune.
Cincinnatus Hibbard: Tell me about joy.
Nikko Kimzin: My work, in my adult life, is ‘how do I protect that little joy-filled Nikko that still lives inside of me?’—in a world that fetishizes sadness. Yes, we must fight, but we must protect that joy for the world we hope to create.
Speaking of joyful children, what is the theme you have created for this year’s live entertainment at Six Flags Mexico City?
‘A year of wild imagination’— where the only thing that limits you is your ability to imagine. That theme manifests in a large-scale spectacle that transports you from your reality into a realm of radical imagination, beauty and wonder.
Some words to put on your parade banner. To get a sense of your logistical opps. How many shows do you stage a day?
We serve on average 20 to 25 thousand guests a day with live entertainments on five stages and one parade with a hundred plus performers, with surround sound, confetti cannons, projection mapping, lasers, drones and pyrotechnics.
Wow, with new shows each season, that’s a lot of pressure.
The creative process is like the birthing process; sometimes you just need to scream. And when we do, we go on a roller coaster and just scream before heading back into the rehearsal studio refreshed and revived.
Now, perhaps for the first time, you are working with big budgets. Do you have any advice for us on how to create spectacle on the cheap?
Ask yourself what you are trying to say. Know that. Know that you don’t need every conceivable element of spectacle. Invest your limited resources in one that you feel passionate about, and make it high quality. What we are amazed by is craftsmanship. That will pull your audience’s heartstrings more than five half-assed elements. That’s my advice to the artists of the North Bay. Mediocre art will not change the world.
You’re a great believer in art’s capacity to change the world.
I am an “arts as…” policy guy. Arts as transformative spectacle, arts as heath, arts as education, art as social justice, art as data collection, arts as public infrastructure worth investment.
What is your goal with this new branch of Kimzin Creative?
LA 2028. It’s coming. All I want is to be part of the cultural festivities that coincide alongside the Olympic Games.
What would be your theme for the opening ceremonies parade?
Rough draft. Artists of LA as the voices of democracy. We are not a melting pot— we are a beautiful mosaic—all shapes, sizes, colors.
Learn more:kimzincreative.com presents contacts and a portfolio of projects. As does Nikko Kimzin’s personal instagram, @kimzincreative. With this article, our full podcast interview drops Wednesday, May 6 on ‘Sonoma County: A Community Portrait’ podcast.
