Nik Whitcomb

Nik Whitcomb is a creative producer, cultural strategist, and theatre artist with deep roots in Chicago and Portland. With over 15 years of experience spanning professional theatre, nonprofit leadership, and public engagement, he builds bold, multidisciplinary work and systems that allow artists and communities to thrive. He is the former Producing Artistic Director of Bag&Baggage Productions and a co-founder of the Hillsboro Film Festival.

At Bag&Baggage, Whitcomb led a period of organizational transformation—expanding access, deepening community partnerships, and increasing foundation support by over 100%—while embedding equity across programming and operations. His work integrates artistic vision with organizational strategy, designing platforms and partnerships that support artist development and meaningful audience engagement.

Whitcomb has collaborated with leading arts organizations across the country, including Guthrie Theater, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Coterie Theatre, and Omaha Performing Arts. In Chicago, his work includes collaborations with Broadway In Chicago, Goodman Theatre, Northlight Theatre, COLLABORACTION, Organic Theatre Company, Haven Theatre Company, and Paskal Rudnicke Casting. He also spent time in New York City as Program Director at the Black Theatre Coalition, where he designed and led fellowship and apprenticeship programs placing more than 30 BIPOC professionals in producing and creative roles across Broadway and major regional theatres.

As an artist, Whitcomb creates work across disciplines with a focus on new work and audience connection. His original musical IS YOU IS—a recipient of an EST/Sloan Foundation grant—was developed through the DCASE Studio Residency and the Chicago Musical Theatre Festival, and produced in a concert workshop at Broadway Rose Theatre Company. His Chicago-based work also includes Nik & Jorge: Your DEI Officers with the Neo-Futurists, and he was an inaugural fellow with the Stillwell Institute for Contemporary Black Art.

Beyond the arts, Whitcomb serves as a Community Affairs Coordinator at TriMet and is pursuing a Master of Urban and Regional Planning at Portland State University. He also serves on multiple boards and advisory bodies, including as Strategic Planning Chair for Oregon Children’s Theatre. Across disciplines, he brings a producer’s mindset to strategy—designing systems, partnerships, and initiatives that foster sustainable, equitable creative ecosystems.