About

Nicholas Young is an FPV pilot, filmmaker, and creative director based in Colorado, telling stories from perspectives most cameras can’t reach.

He is an FAA Part 107 certificate holder and the designer behind the Fictive Air series of high-performance, sub-250g FPV cinematic aircraft—custom-built drones engineered for safety, reliability, and the kind of cinematic motion that defines the work. He documents the aircraft, shares the footage, and publishes builds, configs, and behind-the-scenes process for supporters on Patreon.

Nicholas is also the founder of Fictive Flame, a creative studio that brings documentary techniques to bold, human-centric narratives for clients of all sizes. An early contributor to both the Rust and Node.js programming language ecosystems, he helped shape the landscape of modern open source development. He was also part of the first wave of podcasters, launching a network of shows from Chicago that played a formative role in the medium’s early development.

In 2016, shortly after relocating to Colorado, Nicholas received a life-altering diagnosis, which eventually led to the amputation of his right leg below the knee in late 2018. Over the next two years, his fight to remain active with a newfound disability would damage the remaining sound limb, which was amputated in early 2020.

Since then, he has become a visible advocate and adaptive athlete; cycling, hiking, and running across Colorado’s rugged terrain.

Today, Nicholas continues to tell stories that explore themes of adaptation, creativity, and the interconnectedness of disciplines—both through his work at Fictive Flame Media and his broader creative practice.