In the Internet age, many with predominately online jobs are multi-hyphenates; people whose place(s) of work require them to wear various hats. This may take the form of freelance writers or coders who spread their services wide, but "content creators" are perhaps the most visible examples of this. Personalities on platforms such as YouTube can write, research, edit video, curate social media engagement, and perform on camera. The newly revived G4 network has many such individuals, with one who has a particularly full plate being Fiona "Nova" Piccoli.
Nova turned 25 in July 2021, making her one of the youngest G4 hosts alongside Ovilee May; known for her work as an esports reporter and host at Riot Games covering League of Legends. While Nova describes herself as "kind of an online comedy creator," she is ultimately passionate about telling stories. This includes traditional media, but an early interest in RPGs and Twitch streaming really set her path. "Streaming and my love for creating and entertaining kind of just made me feel like I needed to be a creator, be on camera." Game Rant spoke with Nova about being a host for G4's Attack of the Show! and Invitation to Party, plus her various other projects.
Fiona Nova's Many Hats
According to Nova, G4 likes to call her the "Jill of All Trades," and she said she isn't sure if this is a backhanded compliment but "I'm going to take it." Her experience certainly speaks for itself. After graduating from the Fashion Institute of Technology with a Bachelors in Fashion Business Management, all the while fostering an interest in YouTube and Twitch, Nova joined Rooster Teeth in 2019.
Over her two-year tenure at the production company, she became a part of Achievement Hunter and served as showrunner for variety shows like This Just Internet as well as the "interactive murder mystery" Dead Little Roosters (which she directed). Nova is also the voice of Agent One in Red vs. Blue: Zero, part of an infamous ongoing web series set in the Halo universe. However, Dead Little Roosters seemingly tested the waters for something much bigger.
On February 4, 2021, Nova launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund The Laundromat Off Malibu. This short film, a big screen co-directorial debut for Nova and her brother Pier, is a psychological thriller about a run-down laundromat described as "David Lynch meets Black Mirror." It raised $55,000 USD (over double its goal), and as of December 2, was going through festivals like Sundance. The siblings are planning to post the film on YouTube after it finishes its festival circuit.
"All of that is exciting stuff, because directing is another passion of mine and I love movies," Nova said. According to The Laundromat Off Malibu's Kickstarter, both Nova and her brother are trilinguel, raised by a mother from Central African Republic and a father from Italy. This international household curated a worldwide media exposure that left them both with the goal "to tell exciting stories in exciting ways." Laundromat is not Nova's only project set to release soon. She also voices Rani in Image & Form Games' The Gunk, which will be a day-one Xbox Game Pass release on December 16.
Jumping Into G4 with Attack of the Show!, Invitation to Party
Nova initially joined G4 as a creative producer, writing on shows like Xplay. Unlike many G4 personalities including Jirard Khalil, Williem Neff, or Austin Creed (WWE Superstar Xavier Woods), Nova said she did not grow up with the original network, and even asked what it was after being approached.
"When I was interviewing for the job and they talked to me about it I was like, 'This is amazing, why haven't we been doing it?' Turns out we had, just maybe a little too early — a little ahead of its time."
Writing for Xplay episodes on YouTube was an "initiation" she loved, because it helped her understand G4's voice and comedic style, which in-turn helped her find a place at the network. This made her a lot more confident working alongside some "popular and legendary" hosts, who at first seemed intimidating because of her relative lack of experience, but were really welcoming. For instance, she said Gina Darling is "so exciting and fun," someone Nova knows she'll always have a good time with; Neff "has stories for every single thing you can imagine;" and Creed is "amazing, supportive, wonderful human being."
Her closest on and off-camera relationships at the network are G4 veteran Kevin Pereira and Kassem Gharaibeh, the latter of whom she immediately clicked with and sees as an older brother. In an interview with Game Rant shortly after this, Gharaibeh lovingly said "she's trouble" and keeps him "young and fresh." The three call themselves the "Cream Team" because they're always sharing "cream TikToks" that fit their shared sense of humor. This name has also bled into their work on Attack of the Show!, and was discussed more in-depth during the December 1 episode of "Vibe Check."
Vibe Check is one of many programs in the returning Attack of the Show!, a staple variety show from G4's original run on television between 2002 and 2014. Nova, Gharaibeh, Darling, and Neff are main hosts for Attack, alongside Pereira, following the official re-launch on November 16, 2021. Meanwhile, Nova and Gharaibeh are together as "noobs" on the improv-heavy Dungeons and Dragons live series, Invitation to Party. "Usually if there's a show with Kassem, I'll be the Mini-Me right behind him," Nova said.
With all of this going on, Nova said she's been on autopilot taking up so many opportunities where she can. "It's like I've worked a lot and am finally getting to a point where I'm super proud of what I'm doing." While she's waiting to see how long this streak lasts, Nova is "super appreciative" of all the support that made the journey possible to begin with.
"As a content creator sometimes you feel alone, like you're just doing things out in the wind and throwing it online. But [at G4] it feels like you can throw it online and you'll have a major supportive backbone. It's amazing."
G4 is streaming now on YouTube and Twitch, with programs also running on various Cable TV networks.