Fredericton media director brings accessibility into production spaces
- Suzanne Shah
- Feb 9
- 3 min read
Nicholas Hussey was not meant to be an artist but a soldier.
Hussey joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 2012 when he was 19. He left after being injured and later being diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), changing the course of his life.
ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that causes the death of motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord, eventually leading to muscle weakness, paralysis and respiratory failure.
The diagnosis forced Hussey to rethink how he lived and what kind of work he could pursue.
“Life needs to shift, I can't be physical anymore. I need to be much more of a different person,” he said. “So I changed.”
Now, Hussey works as a multimedia designer and media director based in Fredericton, coordinating commercial shoots, branding projects and nonprofit campaigns for clients across Canada and overseas.
His work includes advertising, documentary-style family films and creative direction for brands in London, Alberta and British Columbia.
“I guess I would say I'm the media director,” he said. “Whether it's the logo … the branding of the website, that's all done by me, or the team as a whole.”
From military service to media production
Hussey said his symptoms began in Quebec, when he was in the military.
“I was marching on a parade square in Quebec, and I just fell down and I didn't know why,” he said. “I was literally walking on a straight path and my legs would just say, no more steps.”
After returning to New Brunswick, Hussey said he struggled to access specialized medical care.
“New Brunswick only has one neurologist and it was years on a waiting list,” he said.
Doctors later confirmed he had ALS and in 2016, he was told he might have three to five years left.
“After you're told that, your life changes,” Hussey said. “It's either laying in bed and waiting for it to end, which could still take years, but that's just a really depressing, horrible life.”
Instead, Hussey turned to creative work and community spaces.
“What really opened me up was community,” he said.
Finding purpose through nonprofit work
Hussey began working with nonprofits after his diagnosis, including Muscular Dystrophy Canada, ALS organizations and mental health advocacy groups.
“I really started with advocacy and it just became more of a passion,” he said.
His work eventually expanded into commercial media production, where he leads full production teams, coordinating scripts, storyboards, logistics and post-production.
Despite the scale of the work, Hussey said he does not feel stressed on set, especially during production days.
“For me, sometimes those just feel like really slow, relaxing days,” he said.
Bringing modest fashion into professional media
A large part of Hussey’s current work supports modest fashion brands, an area of the industry that often lacks representation in mainstream media.
“This isn't about religion,” Hussey said. “It's about individuals having their voices.”
He said the goal is to create professional opportunities for people who are often excluded from commercial fashion campaigns.
“If I want to wear a sweater, if I don't want to wear tank tops, I shouldn't have to be forced to only have choices of tank tops,” he said.
Hussey said modest fashion has made him more intentional about how shoots are structured and how models are supported on set.
“This is about her standing up and saying, ‘We have options and we have a voice,’” he said.
Accessibility behind the camera
As a director who uses a wheelchair, Hussey said accessibility in media production remains limited.
He said most accessibility conversations focus on what appears on screen, not who gets to work behind it.
“I don't see people [with disabilities] on set,” Hussey said. “If you're disabled and you want to work in media, it's behind a computer.”
Despite these barriers, Hussey continues to advocate for inclusive work environments.
“I've hired people [with disabilities], physical, mental, it doesn't matter to me,” he said.
“What matters to me is they feel fulfilled and they have a job that they are proud of.”
Redefining success
For Hussey, a successful shoot is not defined by perfection but by improvement.
“At the end of it, we had a pretty good shoot, but what could we have done to make it better?” he said.
He said his goal is to continuously increase the quality of his work.
Despite the uncertainty that comes with ALS, Hussey said his focus remains on using the time he has meaningfully.
“You've got time, so take advantage of it, and use the community we got and be with them,” he said.
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